Growing up, my family would visit P.F. Chang’s any time that we traveled. It was always fun to explore a new city and we loved finding a P.F.Chang’s along the way. We didn’t have one in the town where I grew up so it was always a special treat to enjoy Mongolian Beef or Crispy…
Appetizers
Carrabba’s Herbed Dipping Oil
For the first few years that Currey and I were married, I was a part of the Junior League. It was a great opportunity to meet new friends and volunteer in my community. I got to serve on several projects and made great memories. A highlight of every year was our fundraising luncheon. In addition…
Corn, Black Bean and Quinoa Lettuce Wraps
Since my last couple of posts have been desserts, I figured it was about time for a dinner recipe. If only we could all survive on cake! As a family, we really are always working toward healthy eating and these corn, black bean and quinoa lettuce wraps are so delicious you’ll forget they are also…
Fried Mac and Cheese Bites
The day after Thanksgiving we attended a birthday party for a friend. As everyone was recounting their Thanksgiving feasts, a friend of mine told me she had made fried mac and cheese bites as an appetizer on Thanksgiving Day. Her sister was also in attendance and they raved about how amazing the mac and cheese…
Baked Fontina – My Chicken Fried Life
A couple of weeks ago we had a friend coming over to hang out after our Saturday night church service. I knew we wouldn’t be home until 7:30 and I was going to be crunched for time so I decided to make a couple of easy appetizers. A quick search of my Pinterest boards revealed…
Chorizo Queso – My Chicken Fried Life
Growing up, queso was a staple at our house. My mom would melt a block of Velveeta cheese with a can of Rotel tomatoes in the microwave until it was a bowl full of deliciousness. We would then proceed to eat our body weight in corn chips and cheese dip. Somewhere along the way we…
Baked Potato Dip – My Chicken Fried Life
If you’ve been reading this blog from the beginning, you’ve seen this recipe for Baked Potato Dip before. But please don’t go searching for it on the site! It’s from the early days where I wasn’t sure what in the world I was doing on the blog and I didn’t know how to take pictures…
Mini Chipotle Shrimp Tostadas
Remember when I told you that I was obsessed with shrimp? Well the obsession continues. We’ve enjoyed shrimp scampi during a recent at home date night, there was the Pesto Shrimp with Quinoa and shrimp tacos have become a part of our regular rotation. Buying shrimp in bulk and frozen makes it one of the…
Ham and Cheese Sliders – My Chicken Fried Life
One of my favorite things about cooking is creating an interesting and flavorful recipe using very basic ingredients. Sure, I love to make a gourmet meal with a list of ingredients that I had to go to multiple stores to secure. But I also love making a delicious lunch for my family with a handful…
Loaded Nachos
I’d be the first to admit that I love to celebrate all milestones but birthdays are my favorite celebration. One of our students recently had her birthday so we invited her to dinner to celebrate. Kelsey is one of our students that has become like family. In addition to being one of Blythe’s favorite babysitters,…
Strawberry Feta Salad with Candied Pecans
One of our favorite stories to share about our first date was the meal that Currey saw me devour. You see, I wasn’t too sure that this relationship would go anywhere. We lived hours away from each other, we were going to different schools and I was still slightly bitter that he had dumped my…
Jalapeno Hush Puppies
Can we take a moment for my inability to plan ahead? I’m currently in Kansas City with my best friend, Kaki, at Go Blog Social, which is a new blog conference. We’ve wrapped up our first day and my brain is so full of information on how to make this site better. I’m feeling totally…
Grilled Romaine Salad
Remember the Guy’s Night that we hosted? Currey had a friend that came over and was raving about a salad that he had just enjoyed. Seriously, I’ve never heard such ravings about a salad. He and his wife had just eaten at Flour + Wine and they highly recommended the restaurant. Currey and I decided…
Chorizo Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates
I’m not sure how it’s come to be but I think Father’s Day gets the short end of the stick. While I appreciate being pampered and spoiled on Mother’s Day, I feel like Currey should receive similar treatment on Father’s Day. Although I don’t think he’d appreciate a spa day like I would for Mother’s…
Stuffed Jalapenos
Let me just start with…this is what we ate for Father’s Day. Just looking at these pictures makes me what to eat that steak all over again. Or maybe just eat steak every day for the rest of my life. I realize it may seem strange to post about Father’s Day after the fact but…
Fried Mozzarella
We have a running joke in our house that no matter what time our guests come over for dinner, the meal won’t be ready for at least an hour after their arrival. We say that we make sure our guests are really hungry so that they think whatever it is we’ve prepared is outstanding. When…
Chili’s Southwest Eggrolls
Our evening of great food continued with Chili’s Southwest Egg rolls. I’m not sure why Chili’s inspired the entire menu but it was worth every last calorie! Again, these would make a great addition to any Super Bowl party. I’m thinking I may make them for our youth group party. There was something so nostalgic…
Pioneer Woman’s Salsa and Chili’s Skillet Queso
This year we celebrated students heading to college from our youth group. With Christmas Break approaching, we began planning a dinner so we could spend time together while these girls were home from school. It was a joy to have these girls in our home again and I loved that we picked up right where…
Monkey Bread
Two times a month we host a Moms Group at our house. It’s a crazy morning full of laughter and energy. The kids play while the moms enjoy coffee and a breakfast treat. Ok. That makes it seem much more leisurely than it is. We are wrangling kids, feeding kids, filling sippy cups but no…
Stuffed Mushrooms (102) and Prosciutto Wrapped Steak Cubes with Shallot Mustard Cream Sauce
Since we had a tapas inspired meal, we served the entrees on our dinner plates and our guests ate off of salad plates. This choice helped everything fit on the table. We also used our fancy wine glasses. I tend to do 2 glasses when we entertain so that people can have a glass of water…
Mini Crab Cakes (99) with Pineapple Cucumber Salsa (100) and Bacon Wrapped Shrimp (101)
We added several details to make this dinner for our friends extra special. For starters, we busted out our china. Fancy dishes make any meal feel celebratory! When Currey and I got married, one of my mom’s best friends told me to pick a china pattern that I loved and to use it often. She said…
Baked Goat Cheese (97)
I love to host parties. Big or small, just dessert or multiple course meal, it just doesn’t matter. I love having people in our home. I think New Year’s Eve is a great night to celebrate with friends so I’m going to spend the rest of the week sharing recipes from a recent get together…
Artichoke Dip (82) and Spinach Artichoke Pasta (83)
One of my all time favorite dishes is Spinach Artichoke Dip. It’s my favorite appetizer, hands down. If done well, it’s worth every last calorie, which I’m sure it’s FULL of calories! While we were in Texas for Thanksgiving, I made this Artichoke Dip. My dad, brother and Currey were feverishly working on a puzzle…
Chipotle Chicken Wings (79)
All that enter our house are subject to a new recipe. With our close friends and those that eat with us regularly, the agreement is that if dinner is a bust we’ll order pizza. Thankfully that hasn’t happened yet! For those that we know are a little more daring, they get the really unique recipes…
French Onion Dip (72) and Baked Potato Dip (73)
With the holidays quickly approaching, I thought everyone could benefit from a couple of dip recipes that I recently tried. I love having easy to prepare appetizers for any gathering that we are invited to. I love parties where everyone brings an appetizer to share because you get to try lots of different foods and…
Pizza Rolls (50) and Potato Skins (51)
Although I continue to be in denial about fall, the seasons continue to change. You can find football on at our house all day Sunday (I’m watching a game as I type this post!) and even Blythe likes to watch the games with us. I’m not sure why but I think that football requires good…
Cheesy Garlic Bread (42)
I have been spending more time than is appropriate searching for recipes on Pinterest. It’s relaxing and inspiring to look at beautiful pictures of food, dream of dishes to combine to make a great dinner and being inspired to be more daring when I combine flavors. Seriously, Pinterest is addicting! Sometimes, I stumble upon recipes…
Chocolate Chip Cookies(24), Bacon Wrapped Dates (25) and Gorgonzola Cheese Dip (26) Scotch Tasting
My husband, Currey, is a fantastic gift giver. He has always been a thoughtful and intentional gift giver but the longer we’ve been married he just gets better and better about spoiling me. I am continually astounded by his generosity and attention to detail. What makes his gifts even sweeter is his excitement to give…