Persimmons are perhaps the most beautiful fruit of the fall, but have you ever wondered if they have a purpose other than table decoration?  Where I grew up, persimmon trees were abundant.  While we didn’t have persimmon trees of our own, every fall my grandmother had persimmons ripening in the fruit bowl, thanks to generous neighbors. Continue reading →

So this is the second installment of our holiday recipe series, and I couldn’t be happier to share this dinner roll recipe with you!

In my family, the dinner rolls at our holiday meals are never homemade. For years, my grandmother would pick them up at a local bakery, but at some point we switched to the big bag of dinner rolls from Costco.  And I don’t think there’s anything wrong it.  My sister and I still love those rolls from Costco.  And really, even supermarket bakery rolls taste pretty good if you pop them in the oven for a few minutes. Continue reading →

Don’t worry, don’t worry! This recipe does NOT include peas of any kind.  But this is how I like to eat my mashed potatoes at every single holiday meal.  The more peas, the better!  But whether you like a side of peas with your meal or not, I have no doubt that you will love these mashed potatoes that are whipped with both cream cheese and sour cream!  Seriously, they are insanely delicious! Continue reading →

Although I haven’t roasted a turkey yet this season, I’ve been enjoying the occasional roasted turkey breast from grocery store deli.  I love turkey sandwiches and when my husband is away, a roasted turkey breast or rotisserie chicken from the grocery store up the street is the perfect thing to keep me fed for a few days. Continue reading →

Although my favorite sandwich has always been a Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato (BLT), this Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, and Turkey Sandwich (BLAT). might have just taken over the top spot! I know that B.L.A.T. often stands for Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, and Tomato, but I didn’t have any good tomatoes!  And since this was my dinner last night, the turkey is what made it more substantial. Continue reading →

Please take a moment to think about the men and women, husbands and wives, sons and daughters that are serving our country today, and those that have served in the past.  I wish I could hug my veteran today, but he, like so many of them, doesn’t get to take this holiday.

So, this one goes out to all you, around the world.

Thanks for your service!

Red Velvet Cake.  Until I met my husband, I had never even heard of a red velvet cake. Since it seems to be a Southern specialty, I guess it’s not surprising that I never ran across one growing up in California.  But thanks to the California cupcake boom, it seems like there’s now a cupcake shop on every corner and every single one of them features some version of miniature red velvet cake.

But that’s not why I made this cake.  You see, my husband’s family LOVES Red Velvet Cake.  His sister Katie gets it every year for her birthday, but they all love it.  From hearing Justin, Katie, and Daniel talk about it, I began to think that this mysterious red cake had magical powers.  But somehow, after seven years of marriage, I have yet to taste my mother-in-law’s version. Continue reading →

Well, if you saw yesterday’s recipe, you know where the idea for this side dish came from.  I ended up with leftover mixture of beans, corn, and green chiles when I made the Southwestern Style Egg Muffins yesterday.  And it’s not like I’m gonna throw something like that away!

I ended up drizzling the mixture with a bit of olive oil, added some fresh chopped cilantro, and a pinch of salt and fresh ground black pepper.  The result?  A perfect side dish made almost entirely of things I found in my pantry.  Well, the corn came from the freezer, but you know what I’m saying. Continue reading →