Just Putzing Around the Kitchen

Fresh Strawberry Pie

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One of my favorite childhood memories is of my parents taking me strawberry picking in Texas. No idea where…Corpus Christi? Houston? Unclear. All I know is that it was one of those places where the strawberry plants were grown stacked on top of each other, so the rows of plants (each plant loaded with ripe berries) towered…read more »

Snacktastic Sundays: Hot & Sticky Crock Pot Chicken

Today’s post is brought to you by virtue of the fact that every other game day snack I tried to cook this afternoon either (1) didn’t happen or (2) got horribly botched. First, I tried to make Carla Hall’s Hot Fried Chicken. Things were going great, and my chicken was brining happily in the fridge,…read more »

Runny Fried Egg, Kale & Beet Toasts

Fun fact: when you eat nothing all day but nachos, pigs-in-a-blanket dipped in ketchup and blue cheese, and hot & sticky slow cooker chicken wings (recipe forthcoming), and then you drink a bunch of Diet Coke and a single glass of red wine to wash it all down, and you are no longer 18-25 years old, you wake up the…read more »

Snacktastic Sundays: Classic Pigs-in-a-Blanket

Now that it’s fall and we’re well into football season, I’ve decided to start a new weekly blog series. I’ll call it Snacktastic Sundays (it’s a working title), and feature one new game day snack recipe per week. On Sundays, obviously, ‘cuz that’s when all the big football action goes down. I guess technically there are football games on Mondays…read more »

Healthy Chocolate Truffles

So, don’t judge me or anything, but these chocolate truffles were the only thing to come out of my kitchen this weekend (and, if we’re being technical/honest, all last week). I meant to make tons of other yummy stuff so that we’d have leftovers for lunch this week – Carla Hall’s hot chicken, kale/beet/goat cheese toasts, pigs-in-a-blanket (for football…read more »

Pretzel Bites with Spicy Beer-Cheese Dip

Fall is almost here, and as I mentioned before I’m looking forward to a whole bunch of fall-related things. In no particular order, I am excited for: fluffy sweaters, apple picking, camp fires, crisp mornings/evenings, all things s’mores-related, root vegetables, apple pie, red/gold leaves, crunchy leaf piles, hot apple cider, Halloween, camping/hiking (we do this in…read more »

Glazed Cinnamon Apple Braided Bread

So, Labor Day has come and gone, which I guess means that summer is almost over? I have very conflicted feelings about this. On the one hand, I’m not ready to give up warm weather, fruity blended cocktails, or my cute summer dresses/sandals (layering for warmth is not my best look). On the other hand, I’m…read more »

Flour Bakery Sticky Buns + Anniversary…and a GIVEAWAY! {GIVEAWAY CLOSED}

Exactly 1 year and 19 days ago, I married my best friend. To be honest, typing that makes me cringe a little – usually I’m the person that secretly judges other people for posting gushy love notes to/about their significant others online for everyone to see – but it’s a true statement, and I stand by it (I never said I wasn’t…read more »

Thirsty Thursdays: Tinto de Verano

Happy Thursday, everyone! It’s been a while, but I’m finally back with a Thirsty Thursday drink post, and y’all…it’s a good one. Tinto de Verano! Ever heard of it? Me neither! Until a few months ago, when we were at a tapas bar, and my friend Amy told us about the summer she spent living with…read more »

Protein-Style Jalapeno Burger with Bacon Jam {GIVEAWAY CLOSED}

A few weeks ago, I was approached by a company called “The Bacon Jams” to see if I’d be interested in reviewing some of their bacon jam products. My immediate gut reaction was, of course, YUM BACON I LOVE BACON GIMME GIMME (yes, I am the dog from that bacon dog treat commercial). Then I slowed my roll and…read more »

California-Style Garlic Pepper Steak

Another day, another recipe courtesy of  McCormick FlavorPrint, the super awesome online meal planning service that gives you personalized recipe recommendations tailored to your individual flavor profiles. As you may recall, my flavor profile showed that, aside from sweets (preferably chocolate), I like my food to be garlicky. Which should come as a surprise to nobody – I’m Chinese…everything we eat has garlic in it!…read more »