Cranberry Pork Chops {Perfect for Thanksgiving}

Cranberry Pork Chops, thick succulent pork chops browned in a cast iron skillet on top of the stove, covered with whole cranberry sauce, a sprig of rosemary and finished off in the oven.  Perfect for a Thanksgiving alternative from traditional turkey. Pork chops are a favorite around our house.  We like them fried, grilled, smothered, in casseroles and just about any way you can cook them.  We do prefer the bone in pork chops for grilling and frying because they are juicier.  The boneless ones have their place though, like in casseroles and dishes that are served with sauces.

Creamy Brown Sugar Grape Salad

Creamy Brown Sugar Grape Salad , crunchy juicy grapes folded in a sweet-tart creamy dressing.  To send it over the top sprinkle with brown sugar and pecans.  Oh! My. I must say I just now have made this glorious salad.  I have been seeing it on the social media sites for several years and just never got around to making it.   Now I make it all the time.  It is fabulous.  I can't get enough of it.  My husband loves it, my grands love it, everywhere I take it they love it.  

Cornbread and Sage Wild Rice Dressing

Cornbread and Sage Wild Rice Dressing, rich and moist, savory and crisp, and a uniquely delicious side dish for a Thanksgiving meal.   For me, there can never be too many Southern cornbread dressing recipes.  I for one do not think dressing is just for a Thanksgiving meal.  We love it all year long.

Seasoned Italian Green Beans Southern Style

Flat Italian Green Beans are a style of beans that are meatier, wider, and, like the name, flat instead of round. When picked young, this variety of green beans is stringless.  SEASONED ITALIAN GREEN BEANS SOUTHERN STYLE Seasoned Italian Green Beans Southern Style are flat Italian green beans simmered on the stove in a pot of bacon fat and chicken broth, seasoned with minced garlic, salt, and pepper, and finished with a generous pat of butter, bringing out the southern flare. Flat Italian green beans are meatier and wider in size, so they do well when cooked on a slow simmer.  I used canned beans for this recipe, but fresh are equally delicious.   These cooked for about 2 hours on low heat.   This keeps them firm but soft and tender.  We love these green beans served with almost any meal, and with Thanksgiving around the corner, they will make the best side dish to accompany the turkey and dressing.   The best part is sprinkling the cooked bacon pieces over the top just before serving.

Carrots in Parsley Butter

Carrots in Parsley Butter, a simple side dish, yet rich in color and flavor.  The carrots are cooked in salt, pepper, and a little bit of sugar and tossed in parsley and butter.    I am always looking for simple sides to accompany spicy casseroles, meat and potato stews, or heavy pasta main dishes.

Hot Crispy Apple Pies

 A dessert pastry, just like the ones you get at a drive-through fast food restaurant, is only better.  And the best part of the "better" is the recipe calls for only two ingredients, yes, only two!    HOT APPLE PIES JUST LIKE THE ONES AT THE FAST FOOD DRIVE THRU If you love the apple pies from Mcdonald's, you will like this copycat recipe that you can make at home better.  They are super flaky and crispy. These hot, crispy apple pies are similar to a turnover, except they are smaller and fried.  The perfect portable little dessert.

Homemade Individual Serve Applesauce

Homemade Individual Serve Applesauce is a delicious, healthy homemade applesauce with no added sugar.  With apple season in full swing, I wanted to make a batch of applesauce.  But not just any applesauce.  An applesauce that is wholesome and delicious at the same time using only four ingredients served in individual portion control containers.

Perfectly Baked Bacon

Perfectly Baked Bacon, incredible way to cook bacon perfectly without all the fuss.  All it takes is a rimmed baking sheet pan lined with just parchment paper or a wire rack insert and bacon.   I first saw this method of cooking bacon over at my good friend Marsha's blog  The Better Baker .   And I have been cooking bacon this way ever since.

Ombre Roasted Vegetables

Ombre Roasted Vegetables, a beautiful display of fading orange-colored vegetables, carrots, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash that have been tossed with flavorful herbs, avocado oil,  and honey then perfectly roasted. The past weeks have been making me hungry for all the flavors of fall.  Don't you think sweet potatoes and butternut squash scream fall?

Roasted Bacon and Sage Wrapped Peaches ~ Celebrating the End of Peach Season

Roasted Bacon and Sage Wrapped Peaches, a delightful appetizer or snack that will wow your Southern guest.  There are only four ingredients, bacon, sage, and luscious peaches drizzled with a balsamic honey vinegar.  The perfect dish to celebrate the end of the peach season. I have been wanting to make these roasted peaches for some time and never wanted to heat the oven long enough for them to cook.   The days here in Texas are beginning to cool down, and the peaches are getting fewer in number at the grocery stores, but the stores have started stocking fresh sage.  Now that is the end of one season and the beginning of another, summer and fall.