#American

Lobster Bisque

We all fell in love with lobster bisque while visiting Mom in Connecticut for Thanksgiving in 2015. We haven’t found anything like it here in the south, so when I...

Pimento Cheese

This is one of our favorite snacks. It’s rich, creamy, and has a little bit of heat. We like to keep this around during the holidays to snack on while...

Deacon Hubbard's Wheat Street Mop

This recipe is Deacon Hubbard’s Wheat Street Mop from my Gracious Plenty cookbook. I came across it while looking for a good spicy Memphis style barbecue sauce I could make...

Sweet Potato Casserole

This has become another regular at our family gatherings. I count on this dish to compliment the savory dishes I usually prepare. Fair warning…this is sweet, possibly considered a vegetable...

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Another amazing dessert, and I’m really not a big dessert person. We don’t do this very often, but it is always a hit when we do. Usually someone else, like...

Spiced Apple Cider

This is a holiday favorite, especially for Connor and Spencer. It’s really easy to make and have the whole house smelling great. Usually we make it on the stove, but...

Royal Beef Tenderloin

This recipe comes from the Southern Living Christmas Cook Book that my Nana gave us back in 1999. The recipe claims to feed 10 people, but that must assume nobody...

Roast Turkey

This is a recipe I adapted from Alton Brown, my favorite celebrity chef. We really like the flavor added by the Cajun injector, but you can leave that out if...

Pumpkin Cheesecake

April found this double layer pumpkin cheesecake recipe a few years ago and made it as a special treat for me. It’s a beautiful marriage of pie royalty…what could be...

Posh Squash

This is one of April’s favorite dishes, going back to her childhood. I’m not a fan of squash, but even I have to admit it is good. If you like...

Pinwheels

This is one of April’s favorite recipes. She usually make this one when we have people over to the house. It is nice and simple and makes a great finger...

Pesto Nan Pizza

April originally came across this basic recipe a few years ago. It started out as Pesto Pita Pizza which you’ll recognize if you have the older version of my cook...

Pepper Roast

It took me years to discover how to make a good pot roast. Turns out I was trying too hard. This simple recipe has become our favorite roast and it...

Natchez Caviar

This is one of our favorites from the O’Keefe family’s Cooking on the Coast cook book. At first I thought is was crazy to see people eating black-eyed peas with...

Nana's Chicken & Dumplings

It was always a special treat to have chicken & dumplings when we’d go visit Nana. This recipe is what Alton Brown would call “slickers” and I think it’s the...

King's Spinach Dip

If you like spinach dip, you’ll love this. It’s an interesting twist on traditional spinach dishes and makes a great all-day snack. April introduced me to this recipe which she...

Jalapeno Poppers

It’s always fun to go through stacks of recipes and discover things you’ve overlooked for too long. If you don’t already know, by the time you flip through this recipe...

Hot Corn

This is a recipe my mom came across during her adventures as a travelling nurse, and it has become a favorite for our family gatherings. As you have probably noticed,...

Holiday Dressing

This was the first recipe in my original 2008 recipe book because it is a long-standing family favorite, especially during the holidays. Although my aunt says I should claim it...

Grits-a-Yaya

We discovered this recipe on a beach vacation to the Florida Gulf Coast. It comes from The Great Southern restaurant in Seaside and was so good we had to buy...

Green Stuff

Although I say I’m not a big dessert person, green stuff is the exception to that particular rule. I’m sure this recipe has a real name, but I couldn’t tell...

Fantastic Breasts

This is easily one of my favorite chicken dishes. It is actually the first thing I ever cooked for April when we were dating (before I realized she was a...

Stroganoodle

We’ve only recently started making this recipe. This is a quick and easy recipe, and the boys finally transitioned into stroganoff lovers, so it has become a regular in our...

Crawfish Etouffee

We’ve been enjoying crawfish etouffee on special occasions for years. We are strongly in the camp who believe an etouffee is not a tomato based red sauce. You can boil...

Cranberry Relish

Never subject your family and friends to that red can shaped sorry excuse for a cranberry side dish again. Real, fresh cranberry relish is where it’s at! I’m pretty sure...

Cornbread Salad

This recipe showed up at the rehearsal dinner for April’s and my wedding almost 20 years ago now. It’s one of those dishes that takes some faith to try but...

Broccoli Salad

This is an old standard but I really like it so I threw it in here. I actually got hooked on this stuff while working out in Colorado Springs…the office...

Blue Cheese Cole Slaw

We got this recipe from some of our friends when we lived in Colorado Springs. It’s a really nice and flavorful alternative slaw when having a barbecue. This goes great...

BBQ Dry Rub

If you’re planning to fire up the smoker, this dry rub is just what you’re looking for. It’s great on a pork shoulder, a rack of ribs, or even a...

Apple Dip

This is one of April’s favorite recipes. She makes it almost every time we have people over to the house and it usually doesn’t last very long. I almost put...

#BBQ

BBQ Dry Rub

If you’re planning to fire up the smoker, this dry rub is just what you’re looking for. It’s great on a pork shoulder, a rack of ribs, or even a...

#Mexican

Carnitas

I love carnitas, but I struggled to find a really great recipe to make at home. Finally, I did some experimentation and combined multiple recipes into something we really like....

Restaurant Style Salsa

Originally taken from the food network, we have managed to adjust this salsa recipe in 2 different ways. The first is fresh & crisp with a strong cilantro and garlic...

Mexico Chicken

This is one of my favorite weekend dishes because the leftovers are really good…and that’s something special coming from someone who usually won’t touch leftovers. I’m not sure where this...

Mexican Chicken Chili

This is a pretty interesting twist on chili. If you’re a chili purist, you may be offended by the name of this recipe, but once you try it, you’ll agree...

Cheese Dip

This cheese dip always manages to please a crowd. I think this is the first time I’ve actually written down a recipe for it. I’ve realized that I probably do...

#Cajun

Red Beans & Rice

We started adapting this recipe at our Cajun Christmas party a few years ago…and it has been back by request frequently. This recipe originated with Emeril Lagasse and has been...

Gumbo

This gumbo recipe was taken from Emeril Lagasse with very little adjustments. His recipe was a pure seafood gumbo, but we like to mix in a little sausage and chicken...

Crawfish Etouffee

We’ve been enjoying crawfish etouffee on special occasions for years. We are strongly in the camp who believe an etouffee is not a tomato based red sauce. You can boil...

#Seafood

Lobster Bisque

We all fell in love with lobster bisque while visiting Mom in Connecticut for Thanksgiving in 2015. We haven’t found anything like it here in the south, so when I...

Gumbo

This gumbo recipe was taken from Emeril Lagasse with very little adjustments. His recipe was a pure seafood gumbo, but we like to mix in a little sausage and chicken...

Grits-a-Yaya

We discovered this recipe on a beach vacation to the Florida Gulf Coast. It comes from The Great Southern restaurant in Seaside and was so good we had to buy...

Crawfish Etouffee

We’ve been enjoying crawfish etouffee on special occasions for years. We are strongly in the camp who believe an etouffee is not a tomato based red sauce. You can boil...

#Beef

Royal Beef Tenderloin

This recipe comes from the Southern Living Christmas Cook Book that my Nana gave us back in 1999. The recipe claims to feed 10 people, but that must assume nobody...

Pepper Roast

It took me years to discover how to make a good pot roast. Turns out I was trying too hard. This simple recipe has become our favorite roast and it...

Stroganoodle

We’ve only recently started making this recipe. This is a quick and easy recipe, and the boys finally transitioned into stroganoff lovers, so it has become a regular in our...

#Chicken

Nana's Chicken & Dumplings

It was always a special treat to have chicken & dumplings when we’d go visit Nana. This recipe is what Alton Brown would call “slickers” and I think it’s the...

Mexico Chicken

This is one of my favorite weekend dishes because the leftovers are really good…and that’s something special coming from someone who usually won’t touch leftovers. I’m not sure where this...

Mexican Chicken Chili

This is a pretty interesting twist on chili. If you’re a chili purist, you may be offended by the name of this recipe, but once you try it, you’ll agree...

Fantastic Breasts

This is easily one of my favorite chicken dishes. It is actually the first thing I ever cooked for April when we were dating (before I realized she was a...

#Italian

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Sure, you can just get a jar of spaghetti sauce at the store, but I promise this is better. Of course it is a bit more work, but I hope...

Lasagna

This is a lot of work, but the results are worth it. If you want to do something special for someone, get some really good ingredients and make them this...

#Pork

Red Beans & Rice

We started adapting this recipe at our Cajun Christmas party a few years ago…and it has been back by request frequently. This recipe originated with Emeril Lagasse and has been...

#French

French Braised Peas

A couple weeks before Christmas I came across a video from Andy Cooks on YouTube sharing some holiday recipes. All of them looked good but the peas really caught my...