So…today is my book signing. I am gonna get on here and do the Saturday surfing this evening but I wanted to tell you about how cool Kelly from Evil Shenanigans really is…

The face behind Evil Shenanigans...Pure evil I tell ya....

First of all, she doesn’t live too far from me and we get together, although not nearly enough. When I was telling her I wanted to do cookies for the book signing she offered to become my cooking slave. Seriously. Those were her exact words. I would prefer oompa loompas but Kelly is a little too tall..she sings great though. Read More – Cooking Slaves and Book Signings

I was trying for lava cakes, got distracted and ended up with moist and yummy cakes that I drenched in a praline type sauce. One more time, repeat after me…. It isn’t how you start it is how you finish!

The cake doesn’t really soak up the sauce… it is more like the sauce swathes the cake in a rich, sticky blanket of yumminess. Between the hot sauce, the crunchy pecans, and the velvety cake you have a major  convention of flavor and texture going on in your mouth.

Have you seen iVillage’s new Food channel? Check it out at iVillage Food. They sent me this  news release and it sounds pretty sweet!
From iVillage:
We’ve got recipes for every occasion imaginable. In celebration of our Food re-launch, we are having an iVillage Recipe Contest on Facebook.
Submit a quick and easy recipe for a chance to win up to $1,000 in groceries! The contest begins now and ends January 17th, 2010. A panel of qualified judges will select three (3) finalists based on the following judging criteria:
• Originality (25%)
• Creativity (50%)
• Length of time in which it takes to prepare and …read more

Not only is this a mouthful to say it is a hearty, warm, filling soup. Perfect for this time of year and just different enough to demand attention. Please excuse the images of late. We have had dreary days and it has been difficult to take good pictures.

I know I haven’t done sneak previews in awhile. Some of that is that things got crazy and I couldn’t even keep up with my regular stuff. It has also been very rainy and gray…which means that my pictures are  more difficult to get.

But…here it is and I am giving it another try. I like letting you know what is coming up and I like being able to keep track of what I am supposed to be posting. So, here goes in no particular order -

Guinness Chipotle Cheese and Broccoli Soup
Mini Chocolate Cakes with Pecan Praline Sauce
Peanut Brittle
A Review of …read more

I am so unprepared this year it is awful! I don’t know about you but Christmas has sped toward me like a train on an icy downhill slope. I have exactly three items bought for Christmas and not one menu item planned and my checkbook looks similar to a black hole. It is a good thing I believe in Christmas Miracles AND Christmas Magic!
And this right here is one of the numerous reasons I will not give up, give in, or give out to a lousy attitude, empty wallet, or pure D. exhaustion. This is my almost 9  month old …read more

I never liked domestic beers too much. In fact, I don’t drink often and when I do it is more likely to be wine than beer. But if I am going to use a beer for cooking (with the occasional sip) it will more than likely be a Guinness Stout. Guinness has a sharp, sour taste that is reminiscent of granny smith apples followed by a smoky finish. So, when I was contemplating a Chicken Normandy last week I decided to see what would happen if the Stout was used rather than the fruity white wine I would normally use.

I …read more

O.k. y’all. December 8 was National Brownie day and I was not going to let that get by without taking a few minutes to scarf down allow my family the enjoyment of warm, chewy brownies. Right?

I like sticky brownies not cakey ones. They have to be intensely chocolate. They have to cause your tastebuds to jumping around and screaming for milk or coffee. They absolutely have to be worth eating. Seriously!

I like steak… a lot. And usually I prefer that it be cooked and served at a restaurant because you almost can’t get better steak that that. Almost because THIS steak is awesomeness. Just enough glaze to give it flavor. Start out with a good angus cut and slice it on the diagonal in thin slices.

This would be heavenly on the grill but the day I made it it was about 45F and drizzling. Grill be darned…that is what grill pans are for! Oil your grill pan, if you have one, with olive oil and then let it get good …read more

Let me start this by just saying…Oh. Yum.  I wanted something just really chocolatey and minty…the kind of cookie you will want to have with a large, cold glass of milk or a steaming mug of coffee.

The cookies themselves are made with Hershey’s Dark Cocoa. It is important that for this recipe you use a very rich, dark cocoa to get the level of chocolate intensity that these need.