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Fresh and dried herbs are swell additions to many foods, recipes and dishes. How to use herbs is something many of us are familiar with. Some of you may use herbs everyday and many of you may be uncertain how to incorporate them into your meals. If you grow herbs you are more than likely […]

Continuing on with my book reviews from the remainder of the 11 books I read in 2016. If you missed the book review on the first 6 books you can read it here. If you’re looking for a good read I promise there are a few here that you shouldn’t miss. Others I wasn’t so […]

Oil & Honey Edition ~ Lately, for some reason I’ve had an outbreak of cold sores. My best guess is stress from the holidays followed by some minor foot surgery brought on these nasty buggers. I wonder if you, like me, love the holidays yet find it to stressful with all the merry making, gifting, food planning […]

I “almost” had a bad day in the kitchen today. I say “almost”, everything turned out alright after-all. That’s because I was able to make a substitution for an ingredient I discovered I was out of! Normally I would grab my car keys and run to the closest grocery store and get whatever I don’t […]

Books! I like my books the old fashioned way – from the book store or library. I mean, I get having a Kindle or downloading to an iPad especially for the convenience of not hauling around a thick, heavy hardcover volume. Maybe I’ll consider this option before our next big vacation, but last year I […]

Spicy Honey Cider Syrup is a recipe many of you will need this time of year. I’ve been hearing quite a few complaints lately from folks with scratchy throats, nagging coughs and stuffy noses. This is not good news! I always suggest they mix up a batch of Spicy Honey Cider Syrup and give it a […]

Happy New Year! I think many of you may share my feelings of being glad to see 2016 exit and a new year appear on the horizon. How did you ring in 2017? Were there fireworks? Did you eat a bowl of “lucky” black eyed peas? Cabbage to insure prosperity? Make any “New Year’s Resolutions”? Did you toast with […]

Oil & Honey Edition ~My man brought home a new wool rug for our family room a couple of nights ago – it’s kind of like getting an early Christmas present. It was a struggle to get it up the front steps and into the house but we were successful. There was quite a bit […]

I can imagine when my great grandmother traveled at the age of 3 across the ocean from Germany and landed on the shores of Texas, it must have been a fearful, yet exciting adventure. I wonder what kinds of “things” her family brought with them from the old country? If it were me, my recipes […]

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ShareTheHoliday #CollectiveBias Participating in a food blogger cookie exchange is one of my favorite activities every year during the holidays. I admit it feels a little frantic with a deadline for shipping cookies, baking, photographing, writing, not to […]

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PickedAtPeak #CollectiveBias Eggplant Parmigiana can easily be categorized as Italian soul food or family comfort food. One of southern Italy’s most famous dishes, typical of the Campania region but also popular on the Isle of Sicily. Hearty and rustic, […]

OIL & HONEY EDITION Did you ever have a bowl of melting butter explode in your microwave? I hope you didn’t, but if you have you can relate to the mess it makes and how difficult it is to remove the grease from the inside of the microwave! I have the answer and the product needed […]

Sweet potato pie simply means ” It’s Fall Y’all”. I am overjoyed that I made this pie with the marshmallow crème meringue as it is the most delicious use of sweet potatoes imaginable. I know, I know it’s just a pie but until you bake one and taste it you can’t conceive the luscious combination of sweet […]

Mulled wine – the quintessential holiday beverage! It’s a big ole’ warm and fuzzy hug in a mug. You’ll feel warm through and through and your kitchen will smell ahhhh..mazing! My neighbors have voted me as the official cocktail maker for our annual Halloween Trick or Treat get together! I’m honored, but I owe it […]

OIL & HONEY EDITION While working with the bee hives at the science center I meet many school kids, parents, grandparents and teachers. Often times I hear comments such as, “OH, look a beekeeper!”, or “look there’s bees, they make honey” or “NO, don’t go over there, they’ll sting you!”. The latter phrase is often shouted […]

If you love a Snickerdoodle and you are a chocoholic you’re going to go bonkers over this recipe! Intensely chocolate and packed with a flavor punch of cinnamon, they are the best Snickerdoodle EVER! I have to give credit to “Miss T” for sharing this recipe with me. I will also take this opportunity to […]

European Style Veggie Soup seemed like a tasty edition to my “soft diet”. My body was trying to heal from a bout of diverticulitis yet it was also begging for some vegetables and nutrients. A soft diet is challenging at best when it comes to incorporating nutrients. Seriously one can only eat so many bowls […]

Oil & Honey Edition – My soft diet was wearing thin until I decided to make a pot of stewed apples. Soft – yes, but with a bit of texture and delicious flavors. If you didn’t read about my recent diagnosis of “diverticulitis” you may not get where I’m coming from. Read it here. If you […]

When I discovered that B Cellars keeps beehives on their property I knew visiting this vineyard would be highly anticipated, not only to see the hives, but I’d arranged a food and wine pairing…my favorite way to go wine tasting! My childhood friend The Wine Wrangling Woman, and I were scheduled for a mid-morning visit at the winery in […]

At the urging of the Wine Wrangling Woman’s daughter, our next stop brought us to the Elizabeth Spencer tasting room. Housed in an adorable cottage style, red brick building in Rutherford, Elizabeth Pressler and Spencer Graham began making wine together in 1997. Prior to selling wines together, which they began executing in 2000, both Elizabeth and Spencer enjoyed […]