Spring Brunch Recipe! Baked Hash Browns Cups

Baked Hashbrown Cups, easy to make and serve at your next brunch gathering.   Crispy on the outside and moist and tender on the inside.    I love to make big breakfasts for family and friends whenever I can, but it is not always easy to serve everything hot, especially when I want to serve hash browns. My husband just loves hash browns, actually he just loves potatoes cooked any way you can, so I try to make hash browns as often as I can.   When we were first married, hash browns were one of the first things he wanted me to make him for breakfast.   The only thing is, I had never made them before, and he led me through the process his Mother used.   When my husband grew up, his mother would make them out of leftover baked potatoes.   They actually bake more potatoes than they would eat, and then save the leftovers for breakfast the next morning.   He taught me to grate the potato, add oil to a hot cast iron skillet, and cook it until it was nice and crispy, flipped it o

The Very Best Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes {There is more to sweet potatoes than just #pies and #casseroles}

The Very Best Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes, slices of sweet potatoes covered with a buttery brown sugar mixture and cooked until the edges are caramelized.  A side dish that graces tables in the south especially around the holidays. The season for sweet potatoes is ending here in East Texas and farmers are getting ready to plant for the next season.  I had several small sweet potatoes left in my bin and decided to make my husband some Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes to go with a pot of Purple Hull Peas, Skillet Fried Okra , and a pan of Cornbread . You know here in the South we are known for eating a meal consisting of vegetables only. These candied sweet potatoes are buttery sweet--almost close to being the dessert to the meal instead of a vegetable. A sweet lady at the office where I use to work with gave me a secret to making the best Candied Sweet Potatoes. Sweet Potatoes have a lot of water in them so rather than boil them in water and then ca

Brandy's Brussel Sprouts with Bacon adds a delightful touch to our Thanksgiving menu!

Sweet, tender, and just a little crunch, these  Brussel Sprouts with Bacon   add a delightful touch to any Thanksgiving meal!  Brandy's Brussel Sprouts with Bacon has been on our Thanksgiving table the last several years and has become our favorite green vegetable on the menu.  So much so that Brandy, my daughter-in-law, quadrupled the recipe this year, just so there would be leftovers with the Turkey and Southern Cornbread Dressing .  Shallots, bacon, and chicken stock are all you need to add great flavor to this simple, five ingredient side dish.  The night before Brandy washed and trimmed the brussels sprouts chopped the bacon and shallots, and they were ready to saute the next morning. Sweet, tender, and just a little crunch, these Brussel Sprouts with Bacon added a delightful touch to our Thanksgiving meal! 

Old Fashioned Thanksgiving Butter Herb Turkey and Cornbread Dressing

Old Fashioned Thanksgiving recipes, including Baked Butter Herb Turkey, Southern Cornbread Dressing, and Southern Giblet Gravy!  Whether this is your first time preparing a Thanksgiving meal or you are a seasoned cook, these recipes are easy to follow and sure to please any of your guests.   Old Fashioned Thanksgiving Turkey and Southern Cornbread Dressing with Giblet Gravy {Homemade from start to finish} The countdown to Thanksgiving continues here at my house, starting with what will be on the menu.  Is the star of your Thanksgiving meal the turkey or the dressing.  For some, it may be the sides.  And I know everyone loves desserts. Our thing is pies, so many pies.

Grilled & Glazed Carrots

Grilled & Glazed Carrots were part of this last weekend grilling kabobs and vegetables.  My husband is a big fan of Carrots, so I try to cook them as often as I can. Here is a wonderful recipe for Grilled & Glazed Carrots that is easy and quick.  You pre-cook them in the microwave for a couple of minutes and then cook them on the grill for another six or seven minutes, and then take them off and glaze them with a balsamic and honey glaze.  See what I am talking about --easy and quick! 

Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole {Granny's Recipe}

Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole , bubbly, cheesy, rich and so very good.  The perfect old fashioned side dish that graces our table every gathering. This Broccoli-Cheese Rice Casserole goes way back.  In the 70's, it was on every dinner table as the star side dish .

Napa Cabbage and Leeks

Do you want a new side dish that is easy and quick? My husband is a big fan of cabbage. and I try to make it as often as I can.  He loves Cole Slaw, Cabbage Rolls, Sauteed Cabbage; you name it, and if it has cabbage in it, he is happy.   It is fairly inexpensive and easy to cook as a side dish or added to a main dish.

Simple Sesame Noodles

This last weekend, my husband was grilling chicken on the grill, and I wanted a yummy side dish.  So I made some yummy Simple Sesame Noodles .

Southern Style! Fresh Lady Cream Peas With Delicious Hot Water Cornbread {Granny's Recipe}

Growing up in North East Texas, my Mother knew several truck farmers that grew different kinds of peas in the summer.  During pea season, my sisters and I would gather in the living room with paper bags for the shells and big bowls for the peas and shell peas as we watched soap operas (yes, I use to watch soap operas (whisper) and while we sat with fans blowing on us. It's funny, back then we didn't have air conditioning and we didn't seem to be bothered by the hot summers as much as we do today. Wonder why? I remember, we even would go and get in a circle under our big tree in the backyard sometimes too and shell peas.  Oh, the memories of those days are flooding in. By the time a bushel or two were shelled, Mother would have the first pot of Lady Cream Peas (Sometimes called Zipper Cream Peas) already cooked and waiting for us to eat with some Hot Water Cornbread to go with them, and maybe a slice or two of homegrown tomatoes and onion. We often put

Creamy Skillet Corn {Granny's Recipe}

Creamy Skillet Corn , super simple to make with few ingredients and is a great side dish to take to any gathering using fresh corn cut off the cob that is creamy with surprising crispiness. Look at these beautiful ears of corn I got at Walmart for 15 cents an ear.  I am not surprised that they are running corn on special. Fresh corn is always ready around the first of July here in Texas.

Candied Jalapeno Mango Salsa

Our grill has been going non stop since the beginning of spring.  We have also been eating fresh vegetable and fruit that are so readily available at farmers markets and grocery stores this time of the year, like mangoes. 

Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad

Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad, a flavorful side dish for any inspired Asian dishes.  Crisp sliced cucumbers tossed in a spicy and sweet dressing. This is an easy and quick Asian Cucumber Salad , that I found to be very refreshing with these lingering high temperatures here in East Texas. It is sweet, sour, hot and salty--all of the components of the fours tastes of an umami explosion!

Italian Garden Pasta Salad {Jennifer's Recipe}

Italian Garden Pasta Salad, tri-color pasta, garden vegetables, mozzarella cheese, and mini pepperonis toss in an Italian Dressing.  Perfect salad for potlucks, picnics, and any gatherings that don't have refrigeration. Do you every start a dish with the main ingredient and build on it?  Well, this is what my daughter did with this delicious Italian Garden Pasta Salad .

Macaroni Salad Recipe

If you're looking for a macaroni salad recipe that is sure to satisfy any crowd, you've found it! Our famous macaroni salad recipe has been making waves in the culinary world for years. Why Our Macaroni Salad Is Famous With its perfect blend of creamy dressing, crunchy vegetables, and al dente macaroni, this delicious side dish is truly a recipe for success. Try it yourself and discover why our macaroni salad recipe is famous! Growing up in the '60s,  I loved visiting my Aunt Max's for a weekend visit.  She was my Mother's younger sister and an excellent cook.

Spicy Cajun Potato Salad {A Different Twist on Potato Salad}

Spicy Cajun Potato Salad is very easy to make and taste better when made the day before.  It has the perfect spicy kick but not too spicy with a secret ingredient. This recipe for Spicy Cajun Potato Salad came about from needing to use up some Yukon golden potatoes and green onions before they go bad.

Asparagus Spears with Sesame

I am so happy it is springtime because it means the arrival of asparagus season. Here is a Chinese recipe featuring asparagus, as a simple vegetable marinade or as an easy six ingredient salad, Asparagus Spears with Sesame. The asparagus is briefly boiled and submerged in ice water to cool completely and then topped with a flavorful dressing made with sesame oil, soy sauce, and sugar.  

Creole Stewed Fresh Okra, {Granny's Recipe}

Fresh Creole Stewed Okra , a humble but beloved Southern favorite, with spicy Creole flavors for a mouthwatering side dish. This recipe calls for fresh or canned vegetables, so no rules.  Use what is in the pantry or refrigerator. Since I still had plenty of okra leftover from the last blog post, I decided to make my Mother's Creole Okra.

Southern Fried Okra, {Granny's Recipe}

Southern Fried Okra , a simple Southern classic, okra dredged in self-rising cornmeal, then fried until golden.  Want to know the simple secret to keeping okra crisp on the outside while tender on the inside?  My Mother was an expert at Pan Frying Okra. She could fry it crispy-on-the-outside, almost caramelized shell and at the same time very tender inside.

Crispy Fried Squash, {Granny's Recipe}

Crispy Fried Squash , golden outside, tender, meaty inside, fried squash is so simple and so delicious!  In the South, a meal for King and Queen, in my house for sure. Every time I am going to cook yellow squash, my "Hunny Bunches" ask me, "will you fry it this time?" His favorite way to eat squash is fried.

Skillet Fried Corn {Granny's Recipe}

Skillet Fried Corn , easiest recipe for fried corn that makes you think you are eating fresh corn cut off the cob and then fried in a skillet with bacon grease.  Just like Grandma use to make. Growing up in the 60's my mother would buy fresh produce from farmers in the area, and sometimes to save on the cost, we would go and pick it fresh ourselves. As a child, I felt like picking corn was a gruesome and suffocating job walking in between the corn stalks, which grew up over the top of your head.