Let me share my adventures and stories in hopes to inspire you.

Farmers Market Love This recipe is part of a weekly series here this summer about finds at the farmers market. I don’t know if there is a vegetable that I don’t love. I grew up in South Dakota with my mom taking care of a huge garden. It was the length of our backyard and […]

I love asparagus. Roasted, raw, in soup or salad. It is one of my top 5 vegetables to eat. I love the freshness of it in the springtime. When I was growing up in Watertown, SD asparagus was a big part of our family life in the spring. What? I know, it sounds a bit […]

This ham is the perfect combination of a little spice and sweet. It is a great dish for a buffet, sandwiches, brunch or dinner! Why ham? Ham provides flexibility when entertaining. You can cut it into small pieces, put out some accoutrements, rolls or biscuits and people love it! You can slice it up and […]

I am a South Dakota girl. As they say you can take the girl out of SD but you can’t take the SD out of the girl. I love tater tots. It is in my blood as a Midwesterner to want them at every turn, including on top of food, aka Hot Dish. I am […]

I love beans in my chili. I admit it, just don’t tell any one in Texas. However, I think my neighbors will give me a pass if it isn’t beef chili, so I am going to go with that theory. I have been making this recipe for more years than I can remember. Playing with […]

Why pickle brine? Have you ever tasted a chicken sandwich and thought to yourself, “What makes this so tasty and tender”? The answer is almost always because it was brined. I love a good buttermilk brine ala fried chicken but for a quick brine to create that tender flavor, it is pickle juice. My family […]

I love the movie “Silver Linings Playbook” and all of the references to football, especially the Philadelphia Eagles. In the movie the mother says she is going to make crabby snacks and home mades. I have no idea what the heck those are, do you? I decided to make my version of a Philly Cheesesteak […]

Everyone loves a dip What is it about a chip and dip situation that makes everyone happy? Is it the saltiness of the chip of the combo of the creaminess of the dip with the crunch of the chip? I honestly love it all! I am a huge Seinfeld fan. Of all of the quotes […]

If you want to learn how to make pasta, Modena is the place to go! I have tried to make pasta numerous times. I have gone so far as to invest in a pasta roller and cutter attachments for my KitchenAid mixer. Every time I tried to make pasta it had been an epic fail. […]

Where did cheeseballs go? Back in the 60s and 70s, cheeseballs were all the rage. Then in the very foodcentric 80s and 90s they became a thing of the past. I find that shameful. I say bring them back, all the way back, disco balls and everything. A cheeseball on your party buffet is the […]