This recipe for beer brined grilled pork chops uses Killian’s Irish Red beer plus brown sugar and agave syrup which compliments the natural sweetness of the pork and add some complexity as well. Using sage in this rub gives the pork chops an nice earthy flavor. See my tips for growing sage here. We grill…
Galvanized garden decor is quite popular right now. It has a rustic appeal and seems to go well with plants and other outside items. I particularly like to use galvanized planters for indoor plants, so that they will keep their lovely condition without worrying about the weather. From watering cans, to milk jugs and large…
This is the month of comfort foods for me. Rich, hearty dishes like this home made corn chowder seem to hit the spot perfectly when the weather is cold and the days are short. This recipe is lovely and creamy. It can even be a meal by itself since it is very filling because it…
Using left over coffee grounds for roses and other plants that like a boost in nitrogen is a natural way to add fertilizer to your garden plants without the use of harsh chemicals. Don’t throw out those used coffee grounds. There are lots of ways to put them use in your garden. ore to the…
My favorite TV channel is Home and Garden TV. It stands to reason, then, that I would add a page to my site called Best Gardens. I am a gardener at heart. I have loved to garden since I was a little girl. I even had a business in Australia where I sold house plants…
I am not much of a pecan eater. But mix them with brown sugar and butter and I am hooked. It was all I could do to keep my spoon out of the batter for these caramel pecan bars, “just to make sure it tasted right.” And as an added bonus, I was able to…
This recipe for a ham and vegetable casserole is delicious, easy to make and takes the left over ham to a brand new dimension. My family loved it! Printable Recipe: Casserole with Vegetables and Left over Ham Looking for a great tasting casserole to use up some left over ham? I recently made a delicious…
This recipe for raspberry chicken with roasted rosemary squash is full of flavor. It is perfect for a cool autumn night. The chicken has a delightful sweet/savory topping and the onions and squash are infused with the flavor of rosemary, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. My garden produced well this year and I got a…
This collection of best ever chicken recipes is sure to start your new year off on the right foot. It’s January. Each year, it seems that something to do with losing weight is one of my new year’s resolutions. This year is no exception. When I am trying to lose weight, I always eat a…
This recipe for Turkey Parmesan uses healthy, low fat turkey tenderloin cutlets, coated in Panko bread crumbs and topped with a home made marinara sauce and grated Sartori cheese. Printable Recipe – Turkey Parmesan with Home Made Marinara and Sartori Cheese Don’t let the fact that it is baked keep you from trying it. The…
I make crock pot recipes all during the year, but winter is when it really gets a lot of use. There is nothing like a rich casserole or stew, or soup to warm up cold winter evenings. This crock pot pork cacciatore is a full flavored Italian recipe that is really easy to make. Crock Pot…
These peanut butter oatmeal bars have a thick and crunchy peanut buttery base that is topped with delicious chocolate frosting. Two of my favorite flavors in one tasty dessert. We love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate in our house. I made a batch of a peanut butter chocolate layer bars the other day…
This Guacamole recipe was the hit of several Christmas parties this year. I love anything that has avocados as an ingredient. They are so rich and creamy and good for you too, in moderation. Guacamole is such a popular party food, there is even a day devoted to it – National Guacamole Day on September…
This recipe for Chicken and Broccoli pasta has a wonderful taste and is loaded with heart healthy broccoli which also makes it very filling. Printable Recipe: Chicken and Broccoli Pasta I have recently discovered the delights of using Knorr side dishes to make delicious, and fast dinner entree recipes. They taste great and I can…
These roasted root vegetable bring out the sweetness of any vegetable choice. Use them as a side dish or as part of a salad. Printable Recipe – Slimmed Down Roasted Root Vegetables When my daughter is visiting, we often go to a local restaurant in Raleigh called Lily’s Pizza. The restaurant is located in Five…
This roasted vegetable and chicken salad is hearty and full of flavor. It’s my version of one of my favorite meals from a local café. Ah…Lilly’s Pizza. It’s my daughter’s and my favorite restaurants in Raleigh. Lilly’s is located in Historic Five Points in Raleigh and has a menu consisting of fantastic pizzas and salads…
Your family will feel like dinner guests when they sit down to this flavorful chicken scaloppine with garlic and white wine recipe. This recipe is what I call semi-homemade. I use a retail product to give me a base of a meal and add my ingredients to make it more special. Chicken Scaloppine with Garlic…
This recipe for Moroccan grilled shrimp is very quick, and very tasty. I like making it on week nights when I am busier than I am on the weekend. It makes a great addition to my collection of international recipes. Middle Eastern spices take this dish to a whole new level. Are you fond of…
This recipe for chicken breasts stuffed with spinach, feta cheese and pine nuts has a fabulous blend of Mediterranean flavors. Stuffing chicken is something I often do. Often I will use left over rice, but today, I used pine nuts to add an extra bit of texture to the stuffing. Serve this dish with rice…
This vegan peanut butter fudge is made by using a few easy substitutes. It is easy to make and tastes very much like my normal peanut butter fudge recipe. We just had a meatless Monday at our house and a Thai peanut stir fry was the star attraction. All of us are in the mood…
This Lush Berry Bellini has a pretty red color and lots of fizz for entertaining fun. Christmas (and Valentine’s day) are great times to bring out the red cocktail recipes. They are very festive and inviting during the holiday season. Summer is also a great time for red cocktails, like my frozen strawberry daiquiri. It’s…
Forget Hamburger Helper. Make your own homemade rotini pasta with beef and mushrooms for a quick and easy week night meal. Printable recipe: Rotini Pasta & Beef Sauce with Mushrooms I am fond of any type of pasta with meat sauce. I try different varieties all the time and they all taste just a bit…
These kebab recipes are a great way to combine vegetables with meat in one easy to cook meal. Kebab are the perfect party food. We often think of them as barbeque fare, but if you put these combos on short bamboo skewers, they make the perfect appetizers. Why not try one of these flavor combinations…
This turkey and potato hash is the perfect way to use the leftovers from our Thanksgiving meal. Turkey & Potato Hash One of my favorite things about Thanksgiving is the seemingly nonending turkey leftovers. I always feel like the father in A Christmas Story drooling over the cooked turkey before the neighborhood dogs got to…
I was born in Maine and had never heard of this version of a sweet potato casserole until I moved to North Carolina. I went to a pot luck dinner at my daughter’s school and took one taste and said “what is this? It is delicious.” Everyone was amazed that I did not know what…
I belong to a group on Facebook called The Garden Charmers. The Charmers are a great of ladies who love to garden and cook, and they all have blogs to showcase their talents. I asked the ladies in the group to share their decorating and cooking ideas for the upcoming holidays and, as usual, they…