a new nothing with a speckled handle

a few years ago my mother-in-law bought me a waffle cone maker for Christmas. i've been putting it to good use ever since. our family loves to make waffle cones for family night...or for any night in-between. i love to bring freshly made cones to neighborhood functions. it's sure to impress! and the point of life is to impress the neighbors, right? ;) i know you can still buy my exact version on amazon or a few other sites for about $50. the batter is very easy and you can whip these up just in time for an ice cream party, or even a big football game! dip the tips in melted white chocolate and add some sprinkles or chopped nuts and you go from delicious to gourmet! the recipe is actually included in the instruction booklet, but of course i had to mess around with it a little. here's my new and improved version : Gourmet Waffle Cones yield: about 8 cones 1 whole egg 1 egg white 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2/3 cup all purpose flour 3 tbsp butter, melted

who doesn't like an easy, kid-friendly, quick recipe?  i sure do.  this is for one of those busy evenings when dinner jumps up on you.  you look at the clock.  it's 5pm and you think, "where has this day gone!?!" and you have no plans for dinner.  all you need is just a few ingredients to whip it up.  i call it a pita pizza pie.  enjoy! pita pizza pie pita, whole (preferably the softer flat-bread, greek kind or naan bread works perfectly, too!)  olive oil pizza sauce (or use the recipe for marinara ) mozzarella cheese, shredded fresh mozzarella, sliced and torn into bits sharp cheddar, shredded (i like a little sharp cheddar on my pizza.  not too much, just a little.) parmigiano-reggiano, shredded tomato, sliced fresh basil salt heat grill to medium.  brush olive oil on the bottom of pita.  dress your pita like you would a pizza.  (note to self:  don't add SO much cheese.  sometimes i get a little cheese happy.)  sprinkle a little salt on the

We had a fantastic time at Studio 5! Everyone there was so helpful and nice. Darrin and Brooke are very sweet and so down-to-earth. Here's a link if you want to re-live the pumpkin trifle demonstration! Keep checking back here for some exciting new recipes! Have a recipe you'd like us to try or maybe even improve? Contact us and we'll feature it on an upcoming post.

make sure you're watching TV tomorrow at 11, or set your DVR to record! i'm going to be on our local news program, Studio 5 , demonstrating the pumpkin trifle recipe! wish me luck!

did I tell you that I love butter? well, I do. (see here ) so when i came across this recipe on the smitten kitchen , i was in awe. although wisdom tells you that a good marinara sauce comes from hours of simmering vine ripened tomatoes in delicious spices and mouth watering aromatics, this recipe sort of defies that wisdom. it's three ingredients...that's it. while the quality of the tomatoes does add value to this sauce, it's also ok to substitute with the can of tomatoes you've got on hand. if that's san marzano tomatoes, it's going to be delicious, if it's just a can of hunts, it will still be fantastic (i don't recommend a store brand of tomatoes for this recipe, however). for me, it's the go to recipe when i'm swamped and cannot find time to spend in the kitchen. let me tell you something about myself. i'm a people pleaser. so i have a hard time saying no. "can you help coach knowledge bowl?" yes. "would you b

my inspiration for this dish comes from a small restaurant in new orleans called mat and naddie's.  after living in new orleans for 6 years, my husband and i had our favorite places to go for dinner.  as you can imagine, the cuisine in that city is top notch, so the decision was always a tough one.  if i got to choose, though, i would pick mat and naddie's hands down as one of THE best restaurants in new orleans.  when my mom came to stay with us, my husband was nice enough to watch the kiddos while we went to lunch at mat and naddie's.  my mom chose the short ribs, while i chose...oddly enough i can't remember because her short ribs were the life of the lunch.  (it was probably the ahi tuna steak.  i often got that there.  i do remember my crawfish cheesecake that i got.  to.die.for)  my mom and i have talked about those for years, well, ok, it's only been a year.  but, i swear those short ribs come up in A LOT of our conversations.  and that polent

this is a recipe that comes from our dear, sweet, loving mom. (did i get extra points, mom?) growing up, she always made the best food, be it baking or cooking! she's the one who really taught us how to be creative in the kitchen. and she learned from her mom, who was a perfectionist when it came to recipe creations! so you could say that our love of good food comes naturally. this recipe is so simple yet so delicious. the last time i made it, however, i decided to experiment a little with some extra flavors. the result was delicious...and i dare say there is a little extra magic in these magic cookie bars! ;) for the graham cracker crust: 1 1/2 inner packages graham crackers, crumbled 1 1/4 cubes butter, melted pour butter into 9x13 inch pan. add graham crackers and blend with fork. use fork to press into crust along the bottom and partially up the sides of the pan. Sprinkle with: 1 cup milk chocolate chips (you could use semi sweet, but i

i was blessed with not only a mom for a good cook, but also a mother-in-law who's a good cook.  these are by far the best sugar cookies i have ever eaten.  make sure to roll out thick so that they stay moist and puffy.  my mother-in-law always uses a scalloped circle cookie cutter so that there are less protruding ends to brown and dry out.  she makes these for many holidays and always makes a heaping plate full of them for a friend or neighbor.  cream together: 1½ cups sugar 1¼ cups butter add: 1 tsp vanilla 2 eggs, beaten mix thoroughly. sift together: ¾ tsp soda little less than ¼ tsp nutmeg 2 tsp baking powder dash of salt 3½ cups flour add dry ingredients to egg/sugar mixture and add alternately with 1 cup sour cream (total). work with chilled dough.  roll out thick (½”).  bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.  for the best cookies, remove before they brown around the edges. top with your favorite buttercream frosting. 

roasted chicken has to be one of the most satisfying meals, both in preparation and consumption! if you know me very well, you know that i almost idolize ina garten. if she boiled a shoe, i'd probably crave it. she makes everything look tasty and she just seems like someone i should know. and, as it turns out, amanda just recently met her! ina has a great recipe, from which this recipe has been adapted. i hate to improve upon perfection, but i did make some slight changes to her recipe and i think it adds lots of flavor. try it for yourself! roasted chicken makes the perfect family meal, but it is also very impressive to make for company! add some mashed potatoes and roasted brussels sprouts and you're on your way to heaven! ROASTED CHICKEN 1 5-6 pound chicken (fed my family of 5 with leftovers for one more meal!) kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper dried thyme (i used about 2 tablespoons, use as to your liking) 1 lemon 1 head garlic (cut i

you may be wondering about the title of this post.  i just couldn't think of what to call it.  it's not quite a fajita...not quite a burrito...so it's a furrito!  it's my own creation, so i can call it what i want, right?  i have been trying to incorporate more veggies into my diet.  the fact of the matter is, we just don't eat enough vegetables around here.  my kids are kind of on a vegetable funk and, to be honest, so am i.  they just never sound good to me.  don't get me wrong, i normally love my green roughage, but lately, not so much.  so, i've tried to put a new spin on the ol' veggies.  here's my second creation (my first was a vegetable lasagna that still needs a little work.  it was edible, but still not sharable.)  enjoy it.  those sweet potatoes MAKE the dish.  seriously.so.good. i actually used leftover frozen sweet potatoes that i had baked, diced up and frozen for baby finger food.  my baby is now 1 and really not l