Food is a powerful thing, y'all. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you probably didn't have the good fortune to grow up in the South. Down here, families orbit around the table (at least three times a day). It is where congratulations are offered, tears are shed, holidays are celebrated, and memories are shared. It's also where traditions are born. Every year, on (or in close proximity to) May 6th, I bake a lemon dessert. For a long while, the dessert of choice was a lemon cake -- iced and topped with candles to celebrate my Grandma Grace's birthday. We lit the candles and she … [Read more...]

St Patrick's Day Appetizer Like many Southerners, I cling to the notion that buried somewhere deep in my family's past are some Irish roots. I've yet to find them (so far my paternal ancestry research has dead-ended in rural South Georgia) but I just know they exist and therefore give me complete license to go all-out for St. Patrick's Day (as if we need an excuse). Last year I took my first stab at homemade Shamrock tortilla chips and a golden salsa (with heirloom tomatoes) with lackluster results. My guests were kind and complimentary, but the chips weren't crispy enough and the salsa … [Read more...]

As a kid, nothing in life was better than going to the fair every spring and biting into a pipping hot corn dog. Unfortunately, corn dogs are on the not-so-healthy list (What? Cornbread wrapped around a questionable, encased meat substance is not on the list of foods I should eat?). But I feel slightly better about making these baked mini corn dog muffins -- so much so that they've now become my go-to football food. I would recommend them for your Super Bowl Party, however we won't be having them at my Super Bowl Party because I'm still working on eating better and something as … [Read more...]