No-Churn Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream
Here in South Carolina, when the Fall hits it still feels blazin’ hot outside like it’s still summer. So, what perfect way to celebrate official Pumpkin Season with a cold, sweet treat that is the wonderful combination of a Fall flavor but helps you cool off? Yes, I agree with you. […]
Chocolate Peanut Butter Explosion Cake
While trying to come up with a name for this cake, the word explosion came to mind. Why? Well, because it looks like a peanut butter fanatic set off a peanut butter bomb that exploded all over this cake. That’s exactly what I was going for. […]
Cauliflower Sausage Gravy with Almond Flour Biscuits
Welcome to the first of many recipes I’ll be showing you how to incorporate pureed cauliflower into your dishes. While working at Carolina Keto Cakes, Nicole Yates introduced me to an incredible Sausage Gravy with Almond Flour Biscuits that was completely keto. The gravy she made was made with heavy cream and almond milk, but I saw an opportunity to use cauliflower in its place to add some veggies to this incredible dish. […]
Slow Cooker BBQ Meatballs
Now that College Football Season is officially here, it’s time to start making some good, hardy, filling appetizers to munch on for those pre-game parties. The ultimate test was when I made these for a family gathering at my parents’ house. I had been wanting to make these to try them out, so the perfect opportunity presented itself with my favorite recipe guinea pigs. They don’t hold back, and are happy to let me know if a recipe needs to be tweaked. […]
Oreo Brownie Delight
This dessert is on my list of top five go-to sweet treats to take to a social gathering. It’s easy, it’s simple, and it’s so incredibly delicious that non-dessert lovers will go back for seconds. A good friend of mine who isn’t a big fan of desserts decided to give this dessert a taste when our family went to their house for dinner one evening. […]
Roasted Mixed Nuts
I am a HUGE fan of mixed nuts. In fact, any time there is a family gathering at my parents’ or brothers’ houses, you will find mixed nuts among the large buffet of food that is available for over-consumption. I’ve been eating the traditional store-bought mixed nuts for many years…until I made them for myself and have not gone back. […]
Cajun Alfredo
Growing up, I was a gigantic baby when it came to anything spicy. A pinch of black pepper would have my tongue screaming for mercy. My husband is the exact opposite, and has teased me for many years. In most cases for him, it’s not spicy enough. Well, until we went to a local Thai restaurant and he opted to get level 4 spice. He had been warned, but learned his limits after that super fun experience. […]
Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake
I’ve been thinking about making this cake for months, but for some reason time slipped away since the summer started. Maybe it’s because these kids are home all the time, distracting me… I dreamed of these fluffy yellow layers of cake with strawberry filling and an icing that is a combination of cream cheese icing and freshly whipped cream. Well, having a birthday in July gave me the perfect opportunity to make it. But let’s be honest here, do I really need an excuse to make a cake? Of course not. All I have to do is yell, “FREE CAKE!” and people come running to help eat it. […]
Chocolate Cream Pie
When I told my mother-in-law that I was making a Chocolate Cream Pie, she started laughing and said, “That makes me think of the movie ‘The Help’ and the Chocolate Pie!” I grimaced as I thought about that particular scene, then started laughing as well, picturing Two-Slice Hilly eating her chocolate pie with it stuck all up in her teeth. I replied, “When I think of Chocolate Cream Pie, it makes me think of Goldie Hawn in the movie ‘Overboard’ as she hands the boys a Chocolate Cream Pie that she made, then attacks them with a water hose!” Either way, tt’s funny how we associate things with movies, especially when it comes to food. […]
Sauteed Shrimp
I’m always on the lookout for quick and easy entrees during the week, and this dish has become one of our family favorites. I grew up on the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, and you would be amazed at how much seafood I did not eat as a kid. My love for good seafood developed as an adult, especially after going to culinary school. Now when we go back to visit, it’s become a necessity to hit one of the restaurants in Murrells Inlet on the Marshwalk. My husband’s one requirement for going out to eat at the beach is that we don’t eat at a chain restaurant where we can eat at home. I can definitely handle that. […]
No-Churn Banana Pudding Ice Cream
A few weeks ago while working on my next cookbook, I learned how to make no-churn ice cream. What started out as 3 little no-churn recipes turned into almost 70 recipes and ended up adding an entire chapter to the book. Go big or go home, right? My brain went crazy when I learned how to make all of these different ice cream recipes without having to use an ice cream machine. How is this possible?! […]
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake
It amazes me how recipes can come together. One of the guys from Krafty Draft Brew Pub sent me a picture of a dessert that he knew his girlfriend would absolutely love, and asked if there was any way I could recreate it for her. It was a chocolate covered strawberry inside a New York style cheesecake, and I stared at it in awe. That looks amazing I thought to myself. It should be illegal if I didn’t recreate this if only for my own sanity. […]
Cocktail Pouches
My parents threw a big party at their house, and I got sucked into the vortex of food and beverage production, along with inviting people and creating a playlist. Thankfully, the thought of a party excites me, so it wasn’t like pulling teeth. In fact, I tend to go a little overboard and get carried away, adding more items to the list. Imagine that. […]
Alcoholic Freeze Pops
Well, it’s official; the hot weather is HERE. It’s been so wonderful lately how the temperature has been hanging out in the 80’s on a regular basis with the beautiful sunshine, nice breeze, and then BAM!!! Temperature jumps up to 90-something degrees and it became superhot overnight. I think Mother Nature forgot to take her meds, because she went extreme very quickly. […]
Ham and Swiss Mac ‘n Cheese
One of my all-time favorite hot sandwiches is a Ham ‘n Swiss. I’m not really sure what it is about that combination, or if it’s the fact that melted Swiss alone is good enough to make your knees buckle. Maybe this combination is why I love every variation of Chicken Cordon Bleu, whether it’s traditional or a cassserole. […]
Fajita Wraps with Queso Sauce
Before the pandemic hit, our family loved going to our favorite local Mexican restaurant. We’d load up on three pounds of chips and queso while Mommy thoroughly enjoyed her Margarita. That’s me, I’m the Mommy. The kids got their quesadillas and tacos, while hubby and I split the Fajitas…which is where this recipe got its inspiration. […]
Chocolate Mousse Cake
Every year for my husband’s birthday, he asks his mom to make his favorite cake that she’s made since his childhood. Nope, NOT Chocolate Mousse Cake. Wait, what? Okay, so his favorite cake is a sponge cake layered with chocolate whipped cream as an icing. It’s simple, it’s light, it’s his absolute favorite. Last time Mimi made the cake, we talked about what it would be like with chocolate layers instead of the angel food cake. Our daughter’s eyes widened when we talked about layering that chocolate whipped cream icing with chocolate cake (her favorite), so I hopped to it. It sounded delicious. […]
Chocolate Chip Irish Cream Cupcakes
Have you ever had a moment in a grocery store where you just stood in awe? That’s what happened when I came across the Bailey’s Irish Cream Baking Chips while I ran into a local grocery store. Is this real? What can I use them to make? Is there a unicorn that’s going to jump out when I grab them off the shelf? […]
The BEST Creamed Corn
It seems like everyone says their recipe is the best, and they’re right. Everyone is different and has their own special brand of crazy, so I’m here with my special brand of crazy to tell you that THIS is the best creamed corn. Well, at least our family thinks it is, so that’s what matters to us. But hey, when your kids go out of their way to get second helpings, I’d say that’s a winner in my book. […]
Espresso Brownies
I had another one of those brainstorming moments while cruising through the baking aisle at Wal-Mart. They have a large variety of different types of chocolate chips, so while looking through the different options, the Espresso chocolate chips jumped out at me. As I stood there thinking about the combination of chocolate and coffee, I may or may not have started to salivate at the thought of throwing them into a batch of chewy fudge brownies made with coffee and coffee extract, topping them with a coffee liquor-infused chocolate ganache. “YES!!” I cried and grabbed several bags, throwing them into my cart along with boxes of brownie mix. […]
Sneaky Mashed Potatoes (with hidden cauliflower)
Do you have any trouble getting your family to eat their vegetables? Have you ever wondered what you can do in order to persuade them to eat more vegetables? It’s easy! Trick them. […]
Gourmet Lobster Mac ‘n Cheese
My hubby isn’t really a big foodie at all, so when he brings up a certain dish he loves it’s a bit of an ordeal. When going out to eat with another couple, we started talking about the freezer meals I made several years ago when starting my business. Hubby piped in and brought up the Lobster Mac ‘n Cheese that I make, and I looked at him with shock as he talked about how incredible it was and how much he liked it. Wait, what’s happening here? Is that the alcohol talking? Then again, he doesn’t bring something up if he doesn’t mean it. And let’s be real here, is it even possible to avoid being honest after having a couple of drinks? Highly unlikely. […]
Tomato Bisque
If you’ve ever watched the show Seinfeld, then you’ll understand why a lot of times any kind of soup makes me think of that show. Whether it’s Elaine talking about how she mentioned the Bisque or the Soup Nazi yelling, “NO SOUP FOR YOU!” it’s easy to stick in the brain when it comes to soup. Our first class in culinary school was Stocks, Sauces, and Soups, and it was one of my favorites. The only time I ever thought of tomato soup was that canned stuff I remember as a kid, and wasn’t hooked on it. […]
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Layer Cake
If you think the title of this cake is a mouthful, just wait until you sink your teeth into it. Since Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching, I went rummaging through some pictures of desserts I’ve made. Chocolate, Red Velvet, Strawberry…all of them popped into my mind when thinking of a great Valentine’s Day dessert. Then, I remembered this one. […]
Chicken Croquettes
When I first saw Chicken Croquettes, I thought What in the world is that?? My interpretation of Chicken Croquettes is the combination of Crab Cakes and Chicken Patties. I’m slightly sensitive to gluten, so I wanted to make a gluten-free version of them not only for myself, but for anyone else looking for this option. I’ve used Pork Panko to make Meatloaf and it turned out fantastic, so I decided to use them in this recipe to see how they would turn out. […]