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I currently live in Charlotte, NC and after spending 7 years as a personal chef and caterer, I am now happy to share my love of cooking with friends and family. My heart is in the kitchen, but my soul is in the stars!

A Little Help From My Friend


I was probably about 8 or 9 years old when I started showing an interest in cooking, thanks in part to the 4-H Club in my elementary school and to my mom for letting me help when she was in the kitchen.  I started out making simple things like cookies, biscuits, and corn muffins and I was also responsible for tearing up the cheese slices for my mom's homemade mac & cheese, which was a very important task because that was some seriously good stuff! 

I'm always delighted when Boy Toy's 10-year-old daughter wants to help me in the kitchen.  She already has some really good slicing, chopping and stirring skills and so far her attention span is long enough to pretty much see a project through until the end (minus the cleaning up part, of course).  She doesn't know it yet, but she's getting her own apron for her birthday in March.  Shhhh! 

When working with kids in the kitchen, you have to keep in mind that they are probably going to make a mess and it may not turn out quite the way you planned, but that's okay because the whole point is to get them involved and keep it at their level.  Show them, teach them and fine tune their skills and know that you are teaching them a life skill that will benefit them many times over. 

I had to whip up a quick appetizer for a New Year's Eve party (quick because I had totally forgotten that I was supposed to take something), and I chose these Spicy Sausage and Cheese Tarts that I found on Pinterest from Plain Chicken.  I like Plain Chicken's blog because she has alot of "Football Friday" recipes that are perfect for entertaining or watching sports and I've bookmarked alot of her stuff because Boy Toy occasionally has friends over during football and baseball season and I'm always looking for quick and easy "dude food."

My sous chef pretty much completed this task all by herself - she chopped the pepper, browned the sausage and then mixed all the ingredients together.  She did a bang up job of filling the phyllo cups and even decorated the tray and plated them.  She claimed the whole time that she didn't like sausage and even when she tried one after they were baked she said she didn't like it, but I'd almost swear I saw her sneak one later in the evening when she thought no one was looking. 

Could you say "No" to this tray of treats? I thought not. 


Spicy Sausage and Cheese Tarts
inspired by www.plainchicken.com

1 lb pork sausage
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced small
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz Spicy Hidden Valley Ranch dressing
5 (2.1 ounce) packages frozen mini phyllo shells

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook sausage in a large skillet, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink.   About halfway through cooking the sausage, add bell pepper.  Drain.

Combine the sausage, cheese and Spicy Ranch dressing in a large bowl.

Fill each phyllo shell with a heaping teaspoon of the sausage mixture. (Freeze at this point, if desired.)

Bake for 8-10 minutes, until cheese melts. (Add 2-3 minutes to baking time if baking frozen tarts.)

Makes approximately 75 tarts.

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Copy Cat Recipe: Cracker Barrel's Hashbrown Casserole




When I was a kid, my grandparents would come to our house every Christmas morning to see the mountain of gifts that Santa had brought to me (I was always a very good girl) and my mother would prepare brunch for everyone.  Menu items were usually the same every year and for most things it was the only time of year they appeared on our table, so it became tradition to always have these special items.

One year my mother decided that she wanted to change up the menu and believe me when I say there was mutiny on the bounty!  I revolted.  Huffed.  Puffed.  Whined.  Until she agreed to at least keep most of my favorites (so maybe I wasn't a very good girl all of the time), including this hashbrown casserole which can NEVER. EVER. be removed from the menu. 

Reminiscent of Cracker Barrel's version, this is the warmest, cheesiest, creamiest, most delish thing you will ever put into your mouth.  This year, I was in charge of Christmas brunch with Boy Toy and his family and you know hashbrown casserole was on the menu.  The entire 9x13 dish was scarfed down in the blink of an eye - what you can't see in this photo is someone's hand on the spoon waiting to dig in so I barely got a chance to snap the photo before it disappeared. 

If you are making this for a brunch, you can prepare it the night before and bake it off the morning of, but the best thing is that you don't have to wait until Christmas to try it!

Cheesy Hashbrown Bake
Serves 12

32 oz. frozen shredded hashbrown potatoes, thawed
21-1/2 oz. condensed cream of potato soup (I've also used cream of celery or mushroom)
16 oz. sour cream
16 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup minced dried onion
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients, stirring well.  Spoon into a greased 13x9 baking dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 40 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown on top. 

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Look Who's Coming to Dinner




Everyone should have at least a couple of tried and true dinner party recipes to use for entertaining.  You need something delicious with a lovely presentation, obviously, and ideally you want something fairly easy to prepare or at least where most of the prep work is done ahead of time so you won't be laboring in the kitchen while your guests are enjoying themselves. 

This fruit stuffed pork loin, inspired by a recipe I found in the November 2011 edition of Southern Living, is a must-have for your next dinner party.  I served this for an early Christmas dinner with my parents and Boy Toy's family and was able to relax with a glass of wine and nosh on appetizers while it roasted in the oven because the prep had been done earlier in the day.  Everyone was impressed - even the children, who asked for seconds.  I served this with homemade french bread, sauteed green beans and twice baked potatoes. 

I used one package of dried fruit that I had on hand that contained cranberries, cherries and blueberries and added the dried figs for variety and fresh apple for color, but if your dried fruit already contains all of those things, just rehydrate two packages on the stove and call it even.  You may also prefer to roast some Golden Delicious apples alongside the pork and onions instead of the pears.   


Fruit Stuff Pork Loin with Roasted Pears and Onions
Inspired by Southern Living

PORK LOIN
  • 4 oz. dried mission figs, chopped
  • 1 (7-oz.) package mixed dried fruit bits
  • 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 1 cup port wine
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
  • 1 apple, diced (I used a Granny Smith)
  • 1 (4-lb.) boneless pork loin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper, divided
  • Kitchen string
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil 

  • ROASTED PEARS AND ONIONS
  • 3  firm, ripe Bartlett pears, cored and quartered 
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 2 (10-oz.) packages cipollini onions, peeled 

  • 1. Prepare Pork Loin: Bring first 6 ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook 2 minutes, stirring once. Remove from heat and cool completely, about 40 minutes or longer (The fruit will soak up most of the liquid during the cooling process.)  Stir in fresh apple. 

    2. Meanwhile, butterfly pork by making a lengthwise cut down center of 1 flat side, cutting to within 1/2 inch of other side. (Do not cut all the way through pork.) Open pork, forming a rectangle, and place between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap. Flatten to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper.

    3. Using a slotted spoon, spoon fruit mixture over pork, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edges. Roll up pork, jelly-roll fashion, starting at 1 long side. Tie with string at 1 1/2-inch intervals. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper.

    4. Preheat oven to 375°. Brown pork in hot oil in a large roasting pan over medium-high heat until browned on all sides (about 2 to 3 minutes per side). Place seam side down in pan.

    5. Prepare Roasted Pears and Onions:  Stir together butter and next 5 ingredients. Stir in onions; gently stir in pear halves. Spoon mixture around roast in pan.

    6. Bake at 375° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion of stuffing registers 135°, stirring pear mixture halfway through. Cover with aluminum foil, and let stand 15 minutes.


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    Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover


    Since it's true that people eat with their eyes, I was almost afraid to start today's post with a photo.  There are times that no matter how you arrange food on a plate or how many photos you snap from different angles, the dish just does not look appetizing.

    My version of Country Club Chicken (found on Pinterest but originating from Kayotic Kitchen) is one such unappetizing photo example.  Kay made it look absolutely delicious which is the whole reason I decided to try it.  Her photo did not lie - it was amazing - very tender and rich tasting.  So take my advice and don't bypass this recipe simply because of my photo.  Better yet, forget about the photo entirely - hurry and make this for dinner tonight.

    I pounded my chicken breasts just a bit and used an unpeeled Golden Delicious apple. Pair this casserole with a green salad for the perfect meal.   


    Country Club Chicken
    from Kayotic Kitchen

    1 pound spaghetti
    4 chicken breasts
    1 large onion, diced
    7 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
    1 can cream of mushroom soup
    4 or 5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
    1/4 cup dry white wine
    2/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
    1 apple, peeled and diced
    butter or oil
    salt and pepper, to taste

    Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Heat butter or oil in saute pan over medium-high heat.  Brown chicken on both sides and transfer to a baking dish.  Add onions to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add mushrooms and cook for another 2-3 minutes, then add the apple and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

    Season vegetables with salt and pepper and add white wine, mushroom soup and cheese.  Stir well.  Spoon sauce over chicken breasts and bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes.

    While chicken is baking, prepare pasta per package directions.

    Divide pasta among four serving plates and top with a chicken breast and sauce. 

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    Soul Warming Soup

       

    If I were in charge of the world, soup would be declared its own food group and moved to the top of the food pyramid.  It would be mandatorily featured on menus year round.

    Soups are filling, easy and affordable to prepare and most of them freeze exceptionally well.  My freezer is forever stocked with serving-size portions that can be pulled out, thawed overnight and eaten for a quick lunch or pair with a salad for an easy dinner on nights when I'm too tired to cook from scratch. 

    This garlic tortellini soup is amazing - very few ingredients and it packs a ton of flavor!  It is super simple to prepare and would be great during the summer months since it's a lighter broth-based soup.  Don't skimp on the garlic - it seems like a lot but it works.

    I found this recipe on Pinterest as part of a listing of 20 homemade soups, but it appears to have originated from a 2001 edition of Fine Cooking. 


    Garlic Tortellini, Spinach and Tomato Soup

    2 Tbs. unsalted butter
    6 to 8 cloves garlic, chopped
    8 cups low-salt chicken broth
    6 oz. fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
    14 oz. canned diced tomatoes, with their liquid
    10 oz. spinach, washed and stemmed; coarsely chopped if larger
    8 to 10 leaves basil, coarsely chopped
    Grated Parmesan cheese

    Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook for half the amount of time that the package directions suggest.  Add the tomatoes and their liquid, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook just until the pasta is tender. Stir in the spinach and basil and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve sprinkled with the grated cheese.

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