Sides

I’m a little bit embarrassed. I’ve regularly purchased canned or freeze dried refried beans for years. Of course I knew on a high level that refried beans weren’t hard to make, but I still had a mental block that it was an added step on the way to tacos that I didn’t need to take. …

There’s no getting around it. Thanksgiving food is nothing without healthy doses of cream and butter. From the butter that crisps the roasting turkey skin to the fluffy whipped cream that tops pumpkin pie, all the food on your Thanksgiving table simply gets better with butter or cream, or both! And when it comes to …

When I stumbled (literally – through StumbleUpon) on Lisa Fain’s blog, Homesick Texan, the first thing I thought was: “Woohoo! Another Texan in the NYC area!” and the second thing I thought was: “That is a perfect name for a blog!”. I landed on her blog about a year after I’d started mine. But she’s …

Not too long ago, James and I finally hit up this restaurant in our town, called the Stage House Tavern. Billed as the oldest restaurant in New Jersey (it’s been in operation since the 1700s), the place is pretty charming. The menu isn’t quite what I expected – I guess I was thinking along the …

Is there anything better along-side some good barbecue or beef stew than a thick slab of warm cornbread, slathered with fresh butter? I’m going to guess the only thing might just be this maple cornbread. I’ve been on a bit of a maple kick in recent weeks, well, a) because I am SO ready for …

This post originally appeared on July 28th, 2009. It continues to be the most popular way that people find Bluebonnets & Brownies, and it’s still one of my favorite ways to bring “home” to our dinner table. About a week ago, I hosted 4 bloggers in my home for the weekend of Big Summer Potluck. …

Y’all, are you aware that Memorial Day is next weekend? I honestly can’t believe it, myself. This year has just *flown* by, and the only reason I can really accept that it’s actually Memorial Day weekend coming up is that The Brit and I are going to Florida Keys for five glorious days. It’s our …

Earth Day is about celebrating the planet that we live on. The Nature Conservancy came up with the idea of having a Picnic for the Planet. They’re encouraging communities around the globe to come together and enjoy the great outdoors, good food, and each other and celebrate the beauty that is Nature this Earth Day. …

I have a confession to make. I had never in my life tasted a parsnip until I moved to England in 2004. I’m kind of ashamed of that, because they are the most wonderful of vegetables, and now one of my favorites. Parsnips just aren’t easily found in Texas, for some reason. My nephew, and Rachael Ray, call them “spicy carrots” – not hot spicy, they just have some pronounced flavor.

I cannot claim to know Julie Potter, but I sure do know her Pumpkin Bread (although I am an authority on how lovely she is via email, since I wrote to ask her if I could post her recipe and got the most beautiful of replies – thanks again, Julie!). I think we all have …