EDIT: Due to an error with my server, the original version of this post along with all of your comments disappeared!  Talk about bad timing!!  The only choice I have is to start from the beginning and ask you to please leave a new comment if you wish to enter the the contest for the knife giveaway.  All the same rules apply, but I am extending the deadline to allow everyone to catch up to the new development!  Thank you, and sorry for the last minute change!

Remember those gorgeous knives from New West KnifeWorks that I gave away last September?  It’s happening again!  But this time, I have the pleasure of giving away a beautiful 9-inch Chef’s Knife from their Phoenix Line.  And although I’m not keeping it, I just had to test this baby out before giving it away to one of you lucky, lucky people. 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 →

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 →

Before last night, I had never even tasted a sweet potato biscuit. But they’ve been on my list of new foods to try for a few months now. I’ve been collecting links to sweet potato biscuit recipes and have noticed that there is a pretty wide range of recipes.

Some people make a very sweet biscuit, using lots of mashed sweet potato and sugar.  My husband, who has a major sweet tooth, would love this version from Pots on the Stove. While others seem to prefer just a slightly sweet, buttery version, like these from Orangette. Continue reading →

If you’re reading this post and you haven’t voted yet, I’d prefer that you bookmark this recipe, go find your local polling place, and come back and read this later.  Really!  Go vote!  And please, if you’re in San Diego, don’t let this silly rain keep you from voting in this historic election.

But when it’s all over and we can relax and (hopefully) breathe a sigh of relief, I want you to make these oven-roasted sweet potato french fries.  I’ve made several versions of these over the years but this batch is by far the best.  As usual, it’s the simplest combination of ingredients that makes me the happiest! Continue reading →

It’s time to eat your vegetables!

I really haven’t been eating enough veggies lately.  Bacon? Plenty.  Chocolate chip cookies? Oh yeah!  Pizza? Three days worth.  Cinnamon buns? That was our dinner the other night.

Something’s seriously gotta change around here!  Granted, I have been cooking at home a lot lately.  But if I don’t get back to cooking some of my healthier recipes, I’m still gonna end up looking like I’ve been eating at McDonald’s every night! Continue reading →

Does your morning bagel need a fall makeover?  Do you crave pumpkin cheesecake but don’t need the extra 1000 calories?  Do you like quick and easy recipes that taste really, really good?   If you answered yes to any of those questions, you’ll love this Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Spread! Continue reading →