Southern Cheese Straws

There are two things that I think of when I think of Holidays in the South.  First, my mom's stuffed dates (SO GOOD!), and secondly, cheese straws.  Cheese straws are all over the South.  They are baked little bites of cheese with just the slightest hint of spice.  Think of it as a bumped up Cheez-It.  I swear, I could eat an entire batch of these without giving it a second thought.  

Spiced Apple Butter

I really feel like the art of canning goods is going by the wayside, and that makes me really sad.  Canning is a really easy to do, but a lot of people get intimated by it.  So far this year, I've canned strawberry jam and some homemade tomato sauce!  Last year I made an amazing peach butter, that honestly tasted like summer in a jar.  I wish I had made more of that, or at least, made some this year.  But, I'll make some for sure next year!
Fruit butters are something that I never paid much attention to growing up; as a matter of fact, my husband was the one that really brought my attention to them.  He grew up with his mom making apple butter, and it was (and still is!) a favorite of his, so I figured I should make some up for him!  I've been making this for a few years now, and there is always a jar of it in the fridge!  

Sinful Potato Gratin

Happy Thursday, everyone!  I don't know if you're aware or not, but the Holidays are coming.  Fast.  I don't know about you, but I am a huge planner.  The second I get an idea, I grab a pen and paper and start planning everything, down the the last detail.  You don't even want to know the amount of lists, and thoughts, and ideas I had while I was thinking of starting this blog!  My goodness!  It's funny, though, you would think that as much as I love to plan, that my house would be uber organized.  Nothing could be further from the truth, but I digress.  

Homemade mac and cheese

I have professed my love of all things cheesy, like in my cheesy chicken quesadillas post, from mac and cheese, to my super cheesy husband.  I joke, I joke...sort of.  Anyway, in tune with all things cheesy, we go through a lot of mac and cheese in my house!  Sadly, I don't always go with homemade, being in a rush most nights, I'm guilty of grabbing a box of mac and cheese and just going on with supper.  However, this is a recipe that my family has been making for years, and it is so easy!  It just takes a little bit of time in the slow cooker, and makes enough to feed a hungry family!

Gourmet Caramel Apples

Gosh I love fall.  Who doesn't?  Fall gives us beautiful leaves changing colors, open windows, a touch of crisp in the morning air, football....I could go on and on.  Fall also gives us perfect apples!  Now that I'm thinking about it, apples perfectly reflect the characteristics of fall.  They come in reds, golds and greens, they're crisp, and....and....well, that may be were the similarities end.  But, when I think of fall, I think of apples, that's for sure.  Apples and pumpkins.  However, that's for another day!

Lemon garlic green beans

I am a firm believer in a standard dinner plate: A protein, a starch and a veggie (usually green).  This makes for pretty standard side dishes in our house, but one of our favorite veggies is garlic lemon green beans.  These beans are gently boiled, then sauteed off in garlic with lemon juice and zest, creating a zippy sauce while the beans maintain a slight crunch.  These beans are great to entertain with, and require very minimal effort.  

Fluffy yeast rolls

Alright, in part 3 of this "fancy pants supper" series, we're looking at yeast rolls!  When I was writing my post about fresh bread, I spoke about how much I love the smell of fresh bread, just out of the oven.  There is only one smell that I can think of that can compare is the smell of yeast rolls baking in the oven.  I suppose since it is still a type of bread, but the smell of yeast baking in the oven is something just magical.  

The fact that these are easy to make just makes them that much better!

Fancy potatoes

Welcome back everyone!  On my last post, I showed how to make an amazing Ribeye steak, and for me, when I eat a steak, I want a potato to go with it!  I love potatoes.  There are a million different ways to cook a potato (okay...maybe not a million, but it has to be close!), but I was a little tired of home fries, and baked potatoes.  So, I figured I would shake things up a little bit!

Pan seared ribeye

If you want to see me do a happy dance in the middle of the meat department of a grocery store, just let me see a steak (ideally a ribeye) that has been marked down to some ridiculous price.  I will break out my tap shoes every time!  Since my husband travels for work quite a bit, I'm often on my own for my supper, and I can usually find an amazing steak that has been marked down to about half off, so the tap shoes come out, and that steak comes home with me!