
I secretly LOVE Valentine’s Day. I mean, how can I not? I LOVE love! Here’s a small little list of what I’m loving right now:
I love my family dog, Chuck, mainly because he has weird habits like biting his nails and smelling his ear wax. He’s weird. Like me. Also, his paws smell like chips, particularly Fritos.
I love my family because all of them, in their own way, have taught me how to be a human being.
I love my friends because they can make me laugh ’til I cry.
I love small stuff like sleeping in without having an alarm set, my tempur-pedic pillow, french pressed coffee…and…umm…this blog. I really do love this thing.

Continue reading 'Croque Madame'»

Biscuits rule, period. Sadly, I didn’t always know this. Yeah, it’s true. Even though I was born in the South and was raised by parents who spent most of their youth in the South, biscuits weren’t part of my childhood. This is mainly due to the fact that my mother was not much of a baker and, in general, my parents are not huge fans of Southern food. In fact, my first real introduction to biscuits was a random trip to Kentucky Fried Chicken—and from then on, I was hooked. Yes, I’ll proudly say that KFC has some pretty glorious biscuits. Everyday after tennis practice, on my way home, I’d go through the drive-thru and order two biscuits with honey and butter. It was heaven in a to-go bag.
These biscuits are also heaven, even though they’re nothing like KFC’s biscuits. I’ll even go so far to say that these are better–much better. Don’t believe me? Well, here are a few reasons why my biscuits stomp the KFC competition.
#1 All of the ingredients in my biscuits are pronounceable.
#2 These biscuits aren’t meal-specific. You can have them for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even for a random snack, if you like. They’re like um…a unisex shirt, or a shirt that’s ’size fits all.’ I love when stuff is like that.
#3 They have cheese in them. The end.
Verdict: I win!

Continue reading 'Buttermilk Cheddar Jalapeño Biscuits'»

There are two clear types of holiday recipes. There are the time-tested kind, the ones that have been made over and over again, and will always be around because 1) everyone loves them and 2) the person making the recipe could do it with their eyes closed and one hand tied behind their back. There are also the newer kinds of recipes, those that are maybe a little more modern, with unusual ingredients and were probably found in a magazine or, ahem, a food blog.

This recipe is hands-down an example of the first type. My mother’s cheese dip graces pretty much every holiday party she attends in December, it is a rare occasion when she’s able to bring any leftovers home. This is the kind of appetizer that you snack on before dinner, and then return to when you’ve finished dessert. It’s the kind that you can’t stand in front of for more than 5 seconds without compulsively piling some on a cracker, until you’re wondering where all the crackers went and why you feel so full all of a sudden.
Continue reading 'Mom’s Holiday Cheese Dip'»

Everyone, please meet my go-to. You all have a go-to, right? Let’s first discuss what constitutes as a go-to….Well, it’s usually one of those super easy, simple meals that you know will be a crowd pleaser. And best of all, a go-to is something you can make sans recipe and probably, if your life depended on it, with your eyes closed and one hand tied behind your back.
You see, me and this dish have a history. A long history that first started with me making it as a side dish to a roast lamb on Easter. (This dish won against the lamb, by the way.) And then it made a dinner at a pot luck dinner with some supper club friends. And then I served it to some friends along side a salad for a light, vegetarian dinner.

Continue reading 'Cauliflower and Brussels Sprout Gratin'»

Halloween has gotten a little crazy this year at my apartment building. Last year, the decorations consisted of perhaps one string of lights and some scattered cobwebs. In 2009 however, without any discussion, every apartment around us has decided that this is the year to go all out. The windows surrounding us are covered in lights, cobwebs, spiders, bats, everything you can imagine. The garden in the courtyard is covered in fake skeletons, rats, and jack-o-lanterns, not to mention the scary music that is playing to accompany it.

Continue reading 'Pesto Pizza with Sun-dried Tomatoes'»

Ever notice how certain events seem to occur in multiples? Like, how the film industry will put out two movies about deadly volcanoes in the same month, or how Michael Jackson died on the same day as Farrah Fawcett? It seems that the same phenomenon often occurs in the blogging world. Granted, there are a million blogs out there and it shouldn’t be unusual for us to all have some of the same recipes in mind, but really, is it that hard for us all to just post them at different times?

That brings me to my current post. Now, zucchini is one of my favorite veggies, and in true Southern fashion I feel that one way to make your vegetables even better is to fry them. I cooked a big batch of these fritters, ate them all that afternoon and felt content that I had found something tasty and unique to share with you all.
Continue reading 'Zucchini Fritters with Goat Cheese'»