It has taken me awhile to realize that ricotta cheese is an incredibly versatile ingredient. For most of my life, I only ever encountered it in lasagna. But years of cooking and research has shown me that it is good for so much more. Now when I say this, I mean good, whole milk ricotta that is rich and creamy and moist, not the skim variety that can get a bit dry and leaden in … [Read more...] about Strawberry Ricotta Cake
Country Ham Stuffed Eggs
Anytime you pair a classic Southern ingredient with a classic Southern dish its bound to be a wonderful thing. And for me, these are too longtime family favorites, so I earned some extra bonus points. As I’ve said before, in my family we always call them stuffed eggs, not devilled eggs, because devilled smacks of spicy and mama don’t do spicy. Also, I love pulling out my egg … [Read more...] about Country Ham Stuffed Eggs
Fresh Strawberry Iced Tea
Strawberry season is in full swing and I am incorporating them into as many delivery systems as I can. With baskets and baskets of berries in my house and family coming over for lunch, I decided to veer from my normal sweet tea punch and put the berries to good use. This flavored teas is miles and miles from any packaged product packed with “real fruit flavor.” The fresh … [Read more...] about Fresh Strawberry Iced Tea
Hummingbird Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Filling and Pineapple Cream Cheese Glaze
I love a traditional Southern cake, but my ability to successfully make beautiful layered creations is limited at best. So I am always looking for ways to reimagine the classic layer cakes in Bundt, loaf or sheet form. I can’t make a tall caramel cake or a lusciously frosted red velvet, so I developed cheats that offer all the deliciousness without the wonky, lopsided, … [Read more...] about Hummingbird Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Filling and Pineapple Cream Cheese Glaze
Old Fashioned Chicken Salad with Cooked Dressing
I am a late in life lover of chicken salad. As a child, I had an aversion to this type of mixed up dish coated in dressing – I felt they were primarily tools my mom used to hide things I didn’t want to eat. I was always concerned that chicken salad or casseroles were stealthy ways to get me to eat my vegetables. But I got over that as an adult, in part because I reached a stage … [Read more...] about Old Fashioned Chicken Salad with Cooked Dressing
