CUORE FELICE

OK, it's probably what TEXAS does. I'll leave crabcakes and football to Maryland and think more on what Tennessee does . . . For now, the temperature FINALLY dropped last week, and all I wanted to do this weekend was watch football and knit, break for chili, rinse and repeat. It helped that I came home with a peck of peppers from the farm last weekend. As always, I find a recipe I like online and then tweak as I go. This rendition of Sugar Spun Run's was so good that I'll en

When the Simmons were displaced by the February ice storm, we had a fire going all week. We walked in the snow, watched Zootopia 2, and made sourdough bread and soups. Gran (Brenna's mother) and Monty became fast friends as they cozied by the fireplace all day and all evening. Brenna commented that despite the circumstances, it was fun to have the gang back together. After so many Fripp trips on the beach in springs gone by, the climate and setting were all different but the

White County Girls Basketball WINS REGION! I was so excited for them (and so starving) that I stopped for Chinese take out in Smithville. CLOSED! So in craving Chinese food all day, I went to a tried and true website for a take out recipe. Even his Din Tai Fung recipes are spot on! I did do several things differently, so I'm posting this recipe in tribute, but in making my own. Chicken: 1 large chicken breast* 1 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp white pepper 1/2 tsp salt 1 T mirin (or

The reason this is a powerhouse is because it "freezes beautifully" and tastes just as tender from freezer to oven. I've started buying chuck roast when it's on sale, make a Sunday supper of the pot roast, and freeze half of it for company. The other added bonus is I can make the gravy gluten free by pureeing whatever root veggies I use. OR as in the pic above, I can add vegetables later in the braise and add a slurry to thicken the gravy. 4 lb chuck roast 1 T olive oil 1 oni

OMG. It's only January 10, but this recipe is the best thing I've made in 2026. I even made it in three smaller pans, so I could freeze some for later. It's a variation on a theme; I made a French Onion Meatloaf in the crock pot for Christmas. I'll post that later. This recipe was better. Next time, I'm going to try it with half cooked egg noodles. And Karen just had the BRILLIANT idea to make stuffed peppers with the leftovers! GENIUS! 1 lb. ground beef 1 small onion, diced

So, my breakfast strata is a go to. Just like the strata, you can use whatever ingredients you want. For the book binders, I did one with caramelized onions, spinach, and boursin cheese. So easy to use up leftovers: meats, veggies, whatever. But this Christmas, I wanted to make a heartier option for a day of book binding with family. This fall, the Pioneer Woman shared recipes for her college-aged son. One of them was a breakfast bake that she froze, so he could bake them o

When I started gardening, I found myself with a plethora of eggplant. Unlike cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes, my purple vegetables are harder to give away. People don't like it or don't know what to do with it. (If you THINK you don't like it, please try Aunt Peggy's Eggplant Parmesan .) Dan also brought me five pound of ground lamb from his processor, so I found this recipe for my eggplant surplus. It's a Greek grandmother's lasagna, and if you're going to do it right, it's

So in honor of Josh Allen and the Bills drive to the AFC Championship, it was time to tackle Frozen Wings in . . . yep, the new toy: the new wide Instant Pot. Let's just hope that the Bills are as successful tonight as this recipe turned out to be. 20 FROZEN wings 2 cups broth (I had leftover pork broth from the ribs .) 2 T garlic salt 1/2 cup Buffalo Sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot) ~ While the Instant Pot is bringing the broth up to heat, coat the wings in garlic salt. ~ Use

Again with the new birthday toy: I wanted to see if I could replicate the ribs of yore but with the new Instant Pot - especially since it...

As promised, a white out last night, but miraculously roads clear enough to head to our lake walk. Well, almost clear enough - got dicey in the park (There's only one Jeep.). So the boys are now tuckered, and the stew is on. SLOW COOKER BEEF STEW ( adapted from one of three America's Test Kitchen recipes ) 4 pounds boneless beef chuck-eye roast, pulled apart at seams, trimmed, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces Salt and pepper 2 T vegetable oil 2 onions, cut in large chunks (see