There are a bunch of sweets lovers living in my house, and my husband has the biggest sweet tooth of all. He’s a blueberry guy, and he’ll take them any way he can get them. He particularly loves cobblers, crumbles, and crisps, so when I saw that we had only one more bag of blueberries from last year’s trips to the blueberry farm, I figured I’d better make him a sweet, juicy Blueberry Crisp.

All you’ll need is a quart of blueberries (or a bag of frozen), 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1 1/2 cup of sugar, a cup of oatmeal, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and a stick of butter.

The first step is to mix a cup of sugar and a half cup of flour in a bowl.

Add the frozen blueberries and toss to coat.

Pour into a dish coated with cooking spray. In the same bowl, mix the rest of the flour, the rest of the sugar, the brown sugar, the oatmeal, and the butter. If butter isn’t softened, melt in microwave. Mix all together well and top blueberries with it.

Bake on 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until topping is golden.

Enjoy Blueberry Crisp with a side of vanilla ice cream.

I know fruit desserts are a favorite of some people, but others would prefer chocolate or something else creamy. Which do you like best?

[yumprint-recipe id=’31’]

Is there any better combination for a dessert than salty and sweet? I don’t know about you, but that combination is dangerous to me, as I can eat way more than I should. The other night one of my girls had a friend spending the weekend with us, and I wanted a salty sweet cookie bar. I’d seen Kevin and Amanda’s Gooey Ritz Peanut Butter Cup S’mores Bars, and couldn’t get the idea of it out of my head. After a bit of poking around in the pantry, I came up with Fluffy’s Salted Oreo Bars. They are named after our weekend guest and friend Virginia, whose nickname is Fluffy.

You will need a chocolate cake mix, a stick of softened butter, an egg, a bag of pretzels, a can of condensed milk, a tub of marshmallow cream, a bag of crushed Oreos, and about a cup of chocolate chips.

Start by mixing together the cake mix, the stick of butter, and the egg. When it is dough-like, press it into the bottom of a baking pan. I chose to line the pan with foil for easier clean-up, as the marshmallow cream is very sticky. Whether you line the pan or not, spray it with cooking spray beforehand.

Next, add a layer of pretzels onto the crust.

In a bowl, combine the condensed milk and marshmallow cream. Pour this mixture over the pretzels.

Add in a layer of crushed Oreos.

(I am often asked about my bamboo cutting board. I believe it is the Totally Bamboo Kona Groove Cutting Board.)

Top with a few broken pretzels. Gently press down the Oreos and pretzels into the condensed milk layer so that they will stick. Sprinkle the cup of chocolate chips over the top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

Served warm, they will be gooey and sticky, which is pretty darn yummy. However, if you want to cut them into bars, chill them first.

[yumprint-recipe id=’30’]

For the past few years, Mother’s Day and ballet recital have fallen on the same weekend. That means I had the opportunity to host a Mother’s Day brunch at our house for my mom and mother-in-law and extended family. This year, we will be in Meridian for my baby nephew’s baptism, so we will be enjoying Mother’s Day with our extended family in Mississippi. However, I thought you might be interested to have a Mother’s Day brunch menu to give you a few inspirational ideas for your own celebration.

Since I like to keep a Mother’s Day brunch menu light and garden party-ish, I’d start with Buffalo Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches.

I’d serve a salad of mixed greens with Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette.

Just to keep the guys happy, I’d throw in some BBQ Chicken Sliders with Cilantro Slaw.

As a side dish, I’d serve Fiesta Corn Dip with tortilla chips.

And a side of Grape Salad.

And because I like to bring in an old family recipe or two, I’d make a big Cranberry Apple Crumble.

And top it all off with a Perfect Pound Cake.

Our moms deserve the best. What are you doing for your mom this MOther’s Day?

I have lots of thoughts swirling in my head these days around the topic of hospitality. Many of these thoughts were stirred after reading Shauna Niequist’s book Bread and Wine. And while I’m still processing a lot of what she had to say about communion and unity and fellowship and breaking bread together (and studying scriptures on the subject to form my own opinions), I have loved trying a few of the recipes she included in the book. She describes risotto as a comfort food, and she gives great detail about how to make it and how to combine flavors. It was from her inspiration that I came up with Bleu Cheese and Bacon Risotto.

Risotto definitely falls into the comfort food category! It’s a classic Italian dish that can be made a bazillion different ways, with any combination of ingredients. It’s typically made with arborio rice, which is starchy and becomes creamy as it cooks. You can add any kind of sauce, cheese, protein, or veggies you like. There is no right or wrong way to enjoy risotto. I chose to start with Bleu Cheese and Bacon Risotto, and it was delicious!

I sauteed an onion, some garlic, and a package of sliced mushrooms in about 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. When the veggies were tender, I added a cup of white wine and two cups of arborio rice. I then let it cook until the wine was absorbed into the rice.

When the wine is absorbed into the rice, you begin adding in the chicken stock. The most important thing to remember about cooking risotto is that it is really easy to let it burn to the bottom of the pan. You HAVE to stir and stir and stir to keep it from sticking. Each time you add stock and stir, the sauce will become creamier. Once you have added all of the stock, taste the risotto to make sure the rice is tender. If it’s not, add an additional cup of water and cook a few minutes longer. When rice is tender and sauce is creamy, remove from heat. Add in bleu cheese and stir to melt cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Scoop by spoonfuls onto a plate or bowl. Top with bacon and green onions.

[yumprint-recipe id=’25’]

Red Beans and Rice is one of the most recognizable Creole dishes around. Tradition says that it was typically made on Mondays with the leftover meat from Sunday’s big lunch. It can be made with most any type of pork – ham, breakfast sausage, or smoked sausage. For this recipe, I made it with a pound of breakfast sausage. My mom made this dish often when I was growing up, and she usually used the leftovers from a baked ham. It’s delicious any way you make it. You can also use dried beans or canned, whichever your time allows. I like to use dried beans when I can because I like the flavor better. However, when I want to make it in 30 minutes instead a several hours, I use canned beans. I’ll give you the recipe for using dried beans, and if you’re using canned, you can just add 3 cans of beans to the pot, drained and rinsed.

I used Camellia beans this time, but I also use the store brand or Mahatma. They are all about the same in my opinion, especially since we are going to add a lot of spices. Rinse the dried beans in a colander and place the colander in a big bowl of water. Be sure to cover the beans well with water, as they will absorb a lot of it. Soak overnight or for about 6-8 hours. Drain water off.

Brown sausage in dutch oven. When done, add in a chopped onion, 4 stalks chopped celery, and 4 cloves diced garlic. Continue cooking until vegetables are soft. Add in chicken broth, soaked beans, and 1/2 cup Creole Seasoning. Allow to cook for 1 1/2-2 hours (or 30 minutes if using canned beans) or until beans are tender. Watch carefully as it cooks, as you will probably have to add water all along. Add salt to taste. Be sure to give beans a final taste and adjust spices as needed.

Serve over cooked rice.

[yumprint-recipe id=’23’]

My husband’s favorite dessert is chocolate pie. His grandmother was a wonderful southern cook, and chocolate pie was one of her specialties. So Jonathan grew up eating what I refer to as “heirloom” chocolate pie, because apparently one must inherit the ability to make it like she did. I have tried, but goodness knows I just can’t make it like she did. Instead of always feeling like my chocolate pie was inferior, I decided to find a chocolate pie that was entirely different than hers. I came across Mudslide Pie years ago, and it has become a treasured part of the holiday dessert collection around here. Hardly a holiday goes by that one of my gang doesn’t ask for it. I made it last weekend for Easter, and decided to pass it on to you. I hope your family loves it as much as mine does.

Mudslide Pie takes a little time, but it’s definitely worth the effort. Start out by gathering your ingredients. This one goes pretty fast, so have all your ingredients ready as you begin to prepare the pie. Here’s what you’ll need:

1 9″ prepared chocolate pie crust (I use the Oreo crust)
1 cup chocolate chips
1 teaspoon instant coffee
1 teaspoon hot water
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup cocoa

Melt a cup of chocolate chips in a saucepan over lowest possible heat. As it melts, stir with whisk to smooth chocolate. When completely melted, remove from heat.

Combine coffee granules and hot water in a medium size bowl. Add sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in melted chocolate until smooth. Spread into pie crust and put in freezer for several hours.

When pie is chilled, you can make the topping. Beat whipping cream, powdered sugar, and cocoa in a small bowl until stiff peaks form. Spread over chocolate layer in pie crust. PLace pie back in freezer until ready to cut.

[yumprint-recipe id=’22’]

Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “lilt” as “a pleasant, gentle accent,” and perfectly describes the flavor of Lemon Lilt Cake. While I contend that the more lemon flavor a dish has, the better it tastes, I realize that not everyone enjoys such a robust twang. Lemon Lilt Cake is for those who want a gentle flavor of lemon instead of one that is overpowering. 

Following the same recipe skeleton as my Chocolate Chip Pound Cake, Lemon Lilt Cake is a super simple cake to make. Start with a box of Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme cake mix.

Add in a box of Jello Lemon Pudding.

Find a darling preteen girl who loves to bake, and get her to do the stirring for you.

Mix in half a cup of water, a cup of oil, 4 eggs, an 8 oz container of sour cream, and a tablespoon of vanilla. Find another cutie to help mix it all together.

Pour into a bunt pan sprayed with baking spray, while the littlest cutie looks on with great anticipation.

Bake at 325 degrees for an hour. Remove from oven and turn onto a cake plate to cool for a few hours.

While the cake is cooling, make the glaze to pour over the top. Melt a stick of butter and mix in two cups of confectioner’s sugar and three tablespoons of lemon juice. When cake is cool, pour glaze over top. Slice and serve.

[yumprint-recipe id=’21’]

Growing up in Alabama, I was never more than a couple of hours away from a beach, and any trip to the beach always included fresh seafood. Dining at the local seafood restaurants is still one of my favorite pastimes when I am at the beach, but these days I’ve learned to prepare a few seafood dishes at home. Shrimp is a really easy first step into the world of preparing seafood, and Shrimp Ceviche looks and tastes more difficult than it really is.

Shrimp Ceviche is a spicy and refreshing dish, and this recipe gives it a Mexican flair. It can be served as a salad or with chips for dipping. For a light dinner, it can be served with tortilla chips and a side of fruit. It is a terrific dinner for the days when you spend the entire day chasing kids at the pool. Just throw it together in the morning before you leave, and let it be marinating in the fridge all day. It is also a wonderful dish to serve when you have friends gathered in your home. Since it is simple to prepare, but full of delicious flavor, it is the perfect dish to share with your guests. And since all of the prep work is done ahead of time, you can enjoy talking with your friends instead of being stuck in the kitchen.

Shrimp Ceviche is super simple to make, but it requires time for the flavors to meld together. Be sure to prepare it a few hours before you want to serve it.

Ceviche is a dish that is popular in coastal regions because it uses fresh fish or shrimp. The seafood is typically cured in lemon and/or lime juice and spiced up with onion or peppers. Because of the fact that the seafood is not cooked over heat, it is essential that when using raw ingredients, you use only very fresh seafood. I opted to use cooked shrimp, since I didn’t have any freshly caught shrimp on hand. Here’s what I used…

2 lbs cooked shrimp, peeled
A 14 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
A 5.5oz can V8 vegetable juice
Juice of 4 limes
3/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 chopped small white or red onion
1/2 jalapeno chopped
1 clove chopped garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt & Pepper to taste
An Avocado, peeled and chopped
3 oz Cotija Mexican cheese

In a large plastic Zip-lock bag, combine all ingredients except avocado and Cotija cheese. Toss in bag so that all ingredients are mixed together. Store in fridge for several hours. When ready to serve, pour into bowl and top with chopped avocado and Cotija cheese. Serve with tortilla chips, crackers, or toasted bread rounds.

Have you ever eaten ceviche? Have you served it to friends gathered around your table?
[yumprint-recipe id=’20’]