We’ve already had an Irish Car Bomb Ice-cream recipe posted on the site, but I felt like I really needed to share this yummy concoction with you guys. I love bread pudding, and I felt like the flavors in an Irish car bomb would really lend themselves to an interesting dessert combination. I began by […]

After a week of brining, my beef brisket is finally ready to come out of its spice bath and be rinsed and cooked. It sat in the fridge all week, and I turned it two or three times to make sure all sides got equal time in the brine. It smelled pleasantly of pickles every […]

One of my favorite meals growing up was a simple bowl of navy beans and cornbread.  Every time I would go to my grandparents’ house to visit, my grandmother would always fix this simple but flavorful meal for me the first night I was there.  I still love this combination, and make it occasionally for […]

Get your minds out of the gutter. Seriously! The very first meal I ever cooked for my husband when we first started dating was corned beef and cabbage. I figure it must have been lucky, because he eventually married me – right? I wanted to impress him, so I didn’t just go out and buy […]

Although dried pasta is quite inexpensive and extremely convenient, there is something to be said for knowing exactly what is going into the food that you’re consuming.  There is also something to be said for de-stressing while enjoying a nice glass of wine and vigorously kneading an elastic ball of pasta dough.  Not to mention […]

So, my husband works a second job two nights a week. On these nights, when it’s just me and the little boys, I like to do quick and easy dinners that don’t take my attention away from the children for too long. It would be super simple to open a box of something and dump […]

We have a new (rapidly growing) baby in our house, which means we’re still adjusting to how much to budget for groceries each month now that we’ve added formula and diapers to the mix. It seems we always get to the last week of the month having already maxed out our monthly budget. We try […]

This was an experiment loosely based on a recipe I saw over on foodtale.com.  She drew me in with her beautiful photographs and intrigued me with her carrot and cheese snack crackers. I wanted to do something similar, but use whole wheat flour and flax-seed meal to increase the nutritional benefits.  I was afraid a […]

Okay, well maybe just the gumbo, but it’s better than nothing, right? To be fair, I make gumbo all the time – it’s a staple in our house during the cooler months.  I love to make a big batch and freeze part of it to have at a later date.  When I was pregnant with […]

While my children are napping and a big pot of gumbo is simmering away on the stove, I’m daydreaming about the creamy dreamy pecan pralines I made earlier today. Tomorrow is Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, and I thought we’d go ahead and celebrate a day early since my husband has to work tomorrow.  In honor […]

This is a recipe I rely on a LOT.  It is so easy and versatile and it requires little or no attention once you’ve got it prepped.  I mean, it cooks while you SLEEP – who can’t work that into their schedule? The inspiration for this recipe comes straight from my Granddaddy Gene.  He was […]

…is looming over my head.  I’ve been out on maternity leave for the past three months, and while I’m looking forward to the adult interaction and intellectual stimulation that comes with doing my job, I’m not looking forward to leaving my three-month-old baby behind.  He’s just now starting to get really interesting. Having been home […]

Hi, I’m Niki.  I was born and raised in the South, where learning to cook seems to be mandated from birth.  I currently live in a suburb of Atlanta, GA, where I am completely outnumbered by the men in my life – my husband, two young boys and our dog, Charlie.  If left to their […]