Lactose Free Creamy Broccoli Soup

What I love about this recipe is that you can adapt it any way you'd like. Use bacon. Don't use bacon. Use cheese. Don't use cheese. I'm lactose intolerant so this recipe was right up my alley. I'm also vegetarian; however made this with bacon so that I could share it with everyone else. It was wonderful and I would make it 100 more times. A huge thank you to Tammy Upshaw who gave me my first Dutch oven...Read More

Mexican Black Beans

This was my first attempt at homemade black beans. All these years I had been buying canned black beans. They are cheap and they are easy. Just put them in a pan and heat them up. What I didn't know was that homemade beans taste like heaven. They are time consuming but worth every single second. The leftovers are even better...Read More

Todd’s Famous Blueberry Pancakes

My husband who hates anything related to fruit actually came up with the idea to make blueberry pancakes. Our daughter love any berry in the world. She's 17 months and would die for a blueberry, strawberry, or raspberry. When I found this recipe, I was hesitant because the batter has to rest for one hour. "Why not" I thought...Read More

1st First Birthday Party Cake

It's quite simple really. Your baby is about to turn one. Do you go all out? Have a cake shop design and make a hundred dollar cake? Or make your own cakes for less than $10? As much as we wanted a huge party to celebrate our daughter's 1st birthday...we really didn't. Yes, we wanted to see all of our friends and family but we knew the day could go up or down based on her naps and mood...Read More

Turkey Stock & Giblet Gravy

You can prep everything ahead of time, so all you have to do is add it in. I chopped all the veggies and made containers of the dried and wet ingredients to take to my mother in laws. Read More

Key Lime Pie

I've wanted to make key lime pie for the last ten years. Ever since Kenny Chesney's Key Lime Pie song came out. Not many restaurants make it. Living in California I couldn't really find it anywhere. You almost have to go to Florida for a delicious slice of heaven. Because I wanted it to be successful the first time around, I decided to go with Celebrity Chef Emeril Lagasse's recipe. So glad I did...Read More

Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake

The first time I had the red velvet cheesecake was at our friend Jen’s baby shower. Her favorite is the ULTIMATE RED VELVET CAKE CHEESECAKE you can find at The Cheesecake Factory. I took one bite and instantly grabbed my camera to take a photo. I wanted to remind myself that this was one cake I needed to add to my bucket list.

April 8, 2015 would be our dear friend Emily’s birthday...

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Shishito Peppers

Shishito peppers are popular in Japan. They have a grassy pepper flavor with sweet-hot citrus notes. It is generally a mild pepper variety, the heat level can vary. It's said that about 1 in 10 peppers has a hot kick. You can keep these simple or be creative. I've had these as an appetizer at quite a few restaurants and love them. You can't find them just anywhere...Read More

Organic Baby Food ~ Puréed Sweet Potatoes

You can use sweet potatoes or yams for this recipe. At 4-6 months our baby will enjoy pureed foods. I made all of Madie's food myself. I just felt better about knowing what she was getting. You can give this to on its own or blend with a few other pureed foods such as carrots, green beans, pears, banana, and a little oatmeal cereal. Freeze some so you don't have to make this again in a few weeks. Read More

Homemade Baby Banana Teething Biscuits

I started making these for Madie when she was 10 months old. Cut them into pieces or if your baby has teeth, they will be able to enjoy the whole thing on their own. When your bananas are turning black on the peel, they are perfect for these homemade biscuits...Read More