Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Orange Essence

I’ve been hearing a lot of hype lately about SUPER FOODS and have been trying to incorporate more of them into our diet here at home. Super foods are foods that have a much higher nutritional value than others, and sweet potatoes are on ALL the lists! The sweet potato also happens to be one [...]

Orzo Salad with Dried Cherries & Arugula

With warmer weather here, I tend to lean towards “lighter” dishes.  I wanted a little something different the other day for a side dish and noticed I had a full container of orzo in the pantry.  One quick click onto foodnetwork.com, and I found this orzo salad by Giada DeLaurentis.  The combination of flavors sounded [...]

Honey Roasted Butternut Squash with Apples and Pecans

The other day I went digging through some of my old recipes and found this one. Since I’m always on the lookout for tasty side dishes, and I had some cubed butternut squash in the fridge, I decided it was time to cook it up.  I forgot just how delicious this dish really is, and with [...]

Garden and Herb Salad

I have a new favorite cookbook this week!  It’s called “Cypress”, by Chef Craig Deihl, and it’s loaded with fantastic recipes and gorgeous photography!  I just love the creative ways he presents his dishes.  Not only are they beautiful, but everything I’ve tried so far is “over the top” delicious. Try this salad for a [...]

Western Caribbean Dinner Party

My friend, Janine, is from the Caribbean island of St. Croix.  We share a passion for good food, and when I heard she loved to cook, I suggested we get together for a Western Caribbean Dinner Party!  Janine is quite the cook and showed up with Fried Johnnycakes, Saltfish in Butter Sauce, Caribbean Chicken & [...]

Spiced Up Butter Beans

I feel like a kid in a candy store when I’m at a Farmers Market.  I end up buying as much of the fresh, local, seasonal produce I can possibly fit into my refrigerator.  It’s healthier for you and so much easier to plan your meals around produce that happens to be in season.  While [...]

Tangerine Salsa

I love buying and reading cookbooks.  Recently, I finally had to buckle down and get rid of those I don’t use anymore.  That’s harder for me than cleaning out my closet, but it was either that or quit buying cookbooks…not an option! With so much more room on the shelves now, it was easy for [...]

Black Bean Salad…Caribbean Style!

We recently returned from a fabulous trip to Stocking Island, a hidden jewel located in the Bahamas.  We stayed at the St. Francis Resort, a wonderful, quaint little place with only EIGHT rooms. How we managed to snag one of those rooms, I’ll never know.  I think we just got lucky! George and Jill are [...]

Seared Salmon Over Zucchini Noodles and Red Pepper Coulis

Salmon is my family’s favorite “go-to” meal.  If I only have 15 minutes to get dinner on the table, salmon will be the food of choice.  Sprinkled with a little McCormick’s Grill Mate Steak Seasoning (my favorite for just about everything) and layed into a sizzling pan with just a bit of olive oil, it [...]

Pepper Steak w/Cognac Cream Sauce Topped with Sauteed Mushrooms and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Happy New Year everyone!  I know it’s been a while since you’ve heard from me, but believe me, I have a GREAT excuse!  It’s been an exciting last couple of months at our house, because both daughters have had babies…7 weeks apart! Laura, who lives in Houston, had a little girl, and Alexis, who lives here [...]