Sliders...   Do you want to know the secret to super juicy burgers?  Would you believe that these juicy burgers have only two ingredients??     I am going to share the secret to the most juicy burgers you have ever eaten.  It is so simple.  It also goes against everything I have ever read about making juicy hamburgers.  I was a sceptic, I admit, until I tired it.  Now, I am sold and if you try it I think you will be,...

Chocolate Cream Filled Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with ... I have discovered the secret to world peace. Ok, maybe not world peace, but at least momentary joy and happiness.  I have been toying with the idea of a chocolate filled vanilla cupcake for a while.  As it happens I have a soft spot for cream filled cupcakes, considering one is now my logo, and it made sense that I try to make a reverse version.    The results were far better than I could have hoped.  The vanilla...

Jalapeno, Bacon and Cheddar Cornbread... Growing up in Texas, cornbread was something we ate almost weekly. Mom would almost always make her cornbread in a well-seasoned cast iron skillet.  That skillet gave the the cornbread a lovely crust on the bottom and I would always pick off the crusty bottom before eating the tender center.  We never got fancy with the cornbread.  We usually had regular cornbread, but on occasion we would have sweet. Now that I...

Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies... Before we get started with the Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies a couple of fun news items ….    First, as many of you know I am participating in an event sponsored by Electrolux in New York City to help raise awareness for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.  It is a fantastic organization and you can help by donating here.  Part of the event is a cake decorating competition.  We have been placed in groups...

Creamy Chicken and Orzo Salad... I know a lot of people are looking for clever ways to stretch a dollar while eating well.   It is a topic near to my heart.  Just because I am saving money, however, does not mean I want to stop entertaining or enjoying foods I love.  It just means I have to find clever ways to make the most of what I have.  Using pasta to stretch meals an excellent way to feed a crowd with out breaking the bank.  My Creamy Chicken...

Southern Banana Pudding... Nothing is quite like homemade, from scratch, banana pudding.    Sure, you can make a passable banana pudding with instant pudding mix, but if you really want to taste something special make your custard from scratch.  Once you do you will never use a box of pudding again.  Besides, taking about ten minutes to cook the custard and four hours to chill, it is so easy.   Many traditional recipes for banana pudding...

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies... I love old family recipes.  I also love cookies. My mom makes some pretty fantastic oatmeal cookies.  They are my grandmother’s recipe, handed down on a butter stained note card, and they are lovely.  Crisp throughout with a hint of cinnamon and a lovely nubby texture makes them instantly craveable.  They are mom’s go-to cookie and the most frequent dessert offering at her house.  In fact, there is...

Orange Chicken with Fried Rice... Growing up I despised what I knew as Chinese food. What we always got was greasy, over breaded, over sauced American take-out Chinese food.  It was terrible.  This aversion became a fairly serious problem for me when I was first invited over to my future mother-in-law’s house for dinner.  She is from Taiwan and was going to make us home-cooked Chinese food for dinner.  I was distraught.  I hated Chinese food,...

Chocolate Swirl Pound Cake... When I was a child swirled pound cake was an utter mystery to me. I wondered how they were able to get the chocolate batter to make such intricate designs in the finished cake.  Now that I am older I understand that the oven does nearly all the swirling because as the cake bakes the batter shifts and swirls naturally.  Just like snow flakes, they are all unique.  So, maybe the mystery is solved, but I must admit I...

Pasta with Zinfandel Tomato Sauce and Ricotta... Don’t you just love meals you can make in the snap, but taste like you cooked all day? I work three part-time jobs at the moment (long story) and I also attend culinary school at night, so I understand and adore quick meals that do not taste quick.  What makes this pasta sauce so tasty is the addition of a little zinfandel.  Now, we are not talking that prissy white zinfandel (and if you like that wine, sorry!),...

Watch Out NYC! Evil Shenanigans is Comin’!... Big news kids!!  I am going to New York City!      I was selected, along with 14 other FoodBuzz Featured Publishers, to attend a special event in New York City sponsored by Electrolux to help raise awareness of ovarian cancer for The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund!  We also get to meet Kelly Ripa and have a special cake decorating class with a pastry chef!!   I am flattered and honored to be participating in this...

Banana and Chocolate Mascarpone Crepes... The combination of chocolate and banana is highly underrated.   Aside from some frozen bananas dipped in chocolate, and chocolate chip banana bread, the combination is largely overlooked.  Well, break out your bananas because we are going to make something that will make chocolate lovers rejoice.    The crepes are chocolate but they do not have any sugar in them.  Before you say I am mad consider that the crepes...

Slightly Less Evil Shenanigans – The 10 in 1... Welcome to Week 2 of the Ten in Ten Challenge! Believe it or not, I really like food that is terribly bad for you (I’ll wait while you pick your jaw up off the floor). The fastest way to wreck a healthy eating plan is to say that certain foods are forbidden. All that does is make you want them more … trust me, I have a lot of experience in this area.  I never make a food forbidden, I either find a way...