Chili, abra-ca-da-bra Style!

So tonight it is, ohhh, about 27 degrees in Austin, Texas.  Yes, you read that correctly, under 50 in Texas, which means multiple things: driving is suddenly a very difficult and unknown task to most, we become Eskimos with jackets we only bring out once a year, every public office and small restaurant closes down, and whiskey sales double. It is quite a circus, school gets cancelled, people don't go to work, you know, just in case there is ice somewhere on the road.  So while most people are stocking up on canned goods and getting gas due to the 'winter blizzard', I had another idea... homemade chili!  Since I just moved, my pantry is very plainly stocked and well, let's face it, cold weather makes me hungry, I knew I had to make something up from the little I had.

Chili is a simple thing, one that growing up (from what I recall) was out of a can and only served at sports outings on Fritos or Hot Dogs.  So as I grew older, went to a fall tailgates and official 'chili cook-offs', I was awakened to the idea that chili was not a topping, but was a full meal in and of itself!! It was a glorious discovery!  From time to time my adventures with cooking chili involved getting a packet of chili seasoning, some ground beef, and canned tomatoes.  It wasn't horrible, but tonight there was no option other than the few options I had in my pantry, of which did not include a seasoning packet of any kind.  I did however, and always do, have tomato paste, so that was a plus!

To get to the point, I knew I had to share this quickly before I forgot all the things I put in it because my cooking style these days is more like an experiment than a thought out process. I find myself saying "maybe this will taste good" or "I wonder what this and this and this and thiiiis would taste like" as I throw random spices and flavors together.  It's quite an adventure because I get to be surprised at the end of it, just as if someone else cooked it  for me! Makes living alone and cooking for one quite fun!

The only thing that you probably will not have, unless you in fact live in Austin, Texas, is access to North By Northwest's beer collection which one was used in this chili-cooking adventure. (USED TO MAKE, not just drank while cooking... I promise!).  So I bet any well crafted smooth, dark beer would do the trick.

The good stuff:

• 1 lb. Lean Ground Meat (turkey or beef)
• 1 can of tomato sauce
• 1 can Ranch style beans with jalapenos  
• 1/4-1/2 cup of dark beer 
• 1/2 chopped white onion
• Chili Powder
• Paprika
• Rosemary
• Honey Mustard
• Seasoned Pepper
• CINNAMON

Just a few tips on how to make this transform into chili, but my philosophy is to just go with it on your own, I promise it will work out better than if you try to do it to an exact science or something.  I don't pay attention enough to the amounts of things I am putting in, the times I cook it, or anything like that.  My mission by sharing this with you is not to have some world famous, scientifically calculated recipe; but it is to give you the tools to build your own scrumptious dinner.

My tips:

1. As you brown your meat, a small amount of honey mustard and your seasonings in the pot then add the beer. It will come together nicely. 
2. Add the onions in stages: a little at the beginning with the meat, half way through, then when you add the liquids. 
3. After the meat has browned and is smelling amazing, don't just eat it like that! Put your tomato sauce in with a half a can of water, and then add the beans. 
4. Cook on medium-low after you add everything for about 30 minutes at the least to let all the flavors go together. 
5. The cinnamon is powerful, so don't put TOO much... a tablespoon or so will do. 

There ya have it! 

 ENJOY Y'ALL! 

 

Crescent Button Appetizers -- Party like a Professional

Ever want to make a cute appetizer but really would rather not have to go to culinary school to impress people?

I got just what you need!

I found a version of this on the beloved Pinterest a few weeks ago when searching for options for a wedding I was catering that just needed heavy appetizers that were simple and easy but not your regular old chips and dip.

This is the link for the original recipe from Pillsbury:
Mini App from Pillsbury

I made a few changes and only used 4 varieties:

1) Turkey BLT
     Smoked Turkey Deli Meat
     Cooked Bacon
     Grape Tomato (cut in half long ways)
     Leafy Lettuce

              Take slice of turkey, place bacon and a 1 inch thick slice of lettuce in the middle. Roll up turkey  around bacon/lettuce.  Then cut rolls in 5 pieces.  Place roll on toothpick with crescent button, then place tomato on top.


2) Salami and Olive/Artichoke Cream Cheese
           1 can artichoke hearts (small 7-10)
           1/2 cup black olives, pitted
           1 small cream cheese
           Hard Salami sliced

         Take artichoke, olives, and cream cheese. Put in your foot processor until you get a nice creamy spread.
         There are two ways we did this.
          The first:  Put the spread in your pastry bag and put a nice dollop of the mix on your crescent buttons then roll your salami in a small roll and place on top of spread.
          Or:  Put a dollop of the spread in your salami and roll it up.  Then cut in half.  Put one half on the crescent button and you're done!

3) Caprese
              Fresh Mozzarella
              Grape Tomato (cut in half short way)
              Fresh Basil
         You'll want your mozzarella to be cut just big enough to fit on the crescent button. I did cubes, but whatever floats your boat (you can't really go wrong with this).  You can also use string cheese! Just cut the cheese into about 7-8 pieces and it creates perfect little circles!
        Mozzarella goes first, then basil (I cut the leaves just big enough to be able to fold over on the toothpick), then place the halved tomato on top! Taaadaa!! You can also put a drop or so of balsamic glaze or balsamic vinegar on top for taste, whatever you like!

4) Shrimp 
         Baby Shrimp
         Finely Sliced Cucumber
         Fresh Dill
       This by far is the fanciest looking variety out of all of them!
       Slice your cucumber as thin as you can, you can use your food processor accessory to slice it and it helps! Take the slice and fold it in half, then half again and put on the crescent button.
       Then take your shrimp and stuff it with a small twig of dill in the middle, then fold shrimp in half as to hold dill in the middle.  Place on toothpick on top of cucumber.
   

These are great and give you the freedom to make up your own to fit the crowd you are serving or the theme you are going with for your event.

Like I said, I did this for a small wedding and could have made 200 more and people still wouldn't have had enough! The way I measure success of my cooking for people outside of my friends is when an older lady comes up to me and asks me for the recipe... at that point, I know I done good!! And that happened plenty of times at the wedding!!

So with holidays coming up that are full of office parties and family get togethers, wow your guests with these easy appetizers that make you look like a pro!! YUM!

Cranberry and Spinach Stuffed Chicken

Ready or not, here comes Paleo recipes!

Paleo?

Yes, Paleo. . . meaning healthy... meaning nothing but meat, veggies, and fruit.  No flour, no noodles, no 'cream of' anything soup... just good ole stuff from the earth itself.

(for some good references and information if you're curious, visit... Guide to Paleo )

It was a real challenge for me in the kitchen for the first few meals because I felt like all of my tools and everything that I was accustom to using in the kitchen had been stripped away.  I loved cooking, but didn't know how to season things without season salt or salt period...
So for the first week or so my lovely man took over the kitchen to prevent an overwhelmed Momma D kitchen crisis breakdown.

He did great, by the way... we had mostly grilled items, but hey, they were all great!

So his little plan of  "let's pretend not to know how to cook so Darby will think she needs to cook for poor pitiful boy" fell apart quickly and right into my mouth! YUM!

He cooked salmon, steaks... the whole 9 yards.  We even have done Kabobs! Yummy!!

So once we got the hang of it, I finally got some creative juices flowing in my cooking lobe and figured out how to still be able to cook YUMMY food without all the bad stuff in processed foods that we are all so use to cooking with.

So here's my first recipe... there will be many more to come! And lots more info about Paleo in general, but I just *had* to share this today because it was so yummy and sooo very easy!

Cranberry and Spinach Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients:

Whole thawed boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Baby spinach

Dried Cranberries

Balsamic Vinaigrette 

Cooking Wine 

Italian Seasoning

Carroway

Pepper

Sea Salt

Garlic Powder

Cookware and Supplies needed

*toothpicks or butcher twine 

Baking Dish

Meat tenderizer

1)Heat your oven to 375 degrees and grease your pan with either Pam or a little bit of olive oil 

2) With your meat tenderizer (or anything you can flatten the chicken with), flatten out the chicken breasts as much as possible.  You're going to want a flat, even surface to deal with or else it's going to be very difficult to get these all wrapped up and together

3) Season the chicken--- use your seasonings to your best judgement... I used  just a hint of carroway and it gave a mysterious flavor that was lovely in the chicken! So if you know that you like that flavor, carry on... if you have no clue what it is, just try it out at first with a little lit and then proceed with the other seasonings.  Remember I don't give you amounts because I know you know your tastebuds better than I do, just make sure the salt is minimal, and you don't get carried away with the garlic powder. 

4) STUFFING TIME! 

       This is where the fun is, place as much- or as little, spinach and cranberries in the middle of the chicken. I could have used two times as much cranberries in my chicken last night, but do it how you like.  This is where the flavor comes from, so make sure you put as much as you'd like in there! 

        When your chicken looks about like the above picture, it's time to put a little bit of the balsamic and white wine in the middle... this way it can soak from the inside and keep all the goodness and juiciness trapped in the middle.  I would not go overboard on the balsamic or wine, just because it's a pretty distinct flavor, but, again, you know your taste buds!

5) After everything is nice and pretty, it's time to roll up your chicken boobies and stick them.  Hopefully you flattened the chicken out enough to make this part pretty painless for you... all you need to do is roll it up, then with your toothpick, secure it from the front and back. I actually used kabob skewers that were cut in half because they are thicker and easier to find then the sometimes disappearing toothpick.  You can also use butcher twine for this... just make sure you tie two ties on it to secure everything, instead of one tie in the middle because when the chicken cooks, it will not stay all pretty and together. 

6) Once the chicken is rolled up, simply add some seasoning on the face side, really just a repeat of the seasoning mixture you did on the inside minus the cranberries and spinach! :)   

7) Place carefully in your baking dish, put the yumminess in the oven for about 40 minutes on 375 degrees. 

     * The chicken needs to be oozing white fluids and have a white/tan tint to know it is done and cooked thouroughly.  Cooking for 40-45 minutes is ample time to cook through. 

8) When its done, remove from oven and enjoy!!!

(( I don't have a finished product picture because we were all so hungry last night and it looked so good we didn't even think about pictures, we just wanted it in our mouths!))

So there ya go, Paleo or not, that's one flavorful and very healthy chicken meal that takes about an hour to have done!  Enjoy!

Herb Chicken and Mushroom Cream Sauce with Fettuccine

Herb Chicken and Mushroom Cream Fettuccine 

I was craving something hearty and yummy but not my normal casseroles, mainly because I had a limited amount of ingredients to work with.  Pay day is Friday, so we get what we get this week. 

I have to be honest, I am a huge herb fan and a huge chicken fan.  When I came to college, I realized chicken was quite cheaper than the other options, and that it is probably the most versatile.  As long as I have frozen chicken breasts in my freezer, I can cook a filling meal.  

Years ago, I started just playing with the different herbs I had in my spice rack and cooking chicken in the skillet to go along with my favorite $0.99 box of pasta primavera. It was my default dish and still is, but I did not have my old faithful box of pasta, so I had to be creative.  

For the Chicken

You must know that chicken is a very easy thing to cook, but also can be easy to dry out or under-cook.  You have to get familiar with it.  If at first you don't have juicy cooked chicken, try again.  Each time you cook is a chance to better yourself and your process, don't give up on it, just make it better next time.  

Herbs are your best friend, even the dried kind in your spice rack. 

What you'll need:

-Boneless, skinless chicken breast. Thawed (one for each person you're cooking for)

- 1 tbsp. garlic

- 1 tbsp. butter

- Lemon Pepper

- Season Salt

- Season Pepper

- Crushed Basil

- Dried Oregeno

- Parsley

- Dried Rosemary

-Olive Oil

Rub down the chicken breasts with olive oil. Just enough to give it some extra moisture, but not to where it is pooled in oil. 

Now, this is the fun part. 

I start out with the salt/pepper mixtures because those are very important to the flavor of anything and well, you pretty much have to have it. 

I put equal parts of Lemon Pepper and Season pepper, enough to see a good amount, but not to cover the chicken.  Then sprinkle a little bit of season salt on both sides. 

With the herbs, your most powerful are going to be your basil and rosemary.  So if you're afraid of having too much flavor (impossible...), start out with the basil and rosemary.  The best way to "measure" when you are pouring out of a seasoning container to me is how many 'shakes'.  So i'd give it atleast 3 shakes per side, then go on to the parsley and oregeno.  If you think you want more, go for it! 

At the end of your seasoning extravaganza, the chicken breasts should be coated in flavor but not layered in it. If you can wipe your finger across it gently it be a glue like mixture, then you may have given it too much. Just simply rub the chicken breast a little, add some olive oil, and you'll be fine. 

Let your chicken sit for about 10 minutes in the fridge to soak up some of those seasonings. 

Meanwhile, begin to boil your fettuccine and get your things together for the sauce. 

I was feeding two last night, and I used about 1/2 of a box of noodles, it was a little much, but perfect amount for leftovers. 

So bring about 5 cups of water to a rolling boil and then add your pasta.  

Remember fettuccine is a thicker pasta, so you'll need to cook it a little longer than you are use to with mac n' cheese or spaghetti.  

While that is boiling,  you'll want to start the chicken.

Place your garlic and butter in a large skillet, melt butter with garlic on medium heat. Once the garlic starts to smell up the kitchen, place your chicken breasts down.  You will want to cook them on medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes on each side (depending on thickness).

Your pasta should be just about done.  Pull it off the stove and drain it.  After you drain it, add a tablespoon of olive oil to keep it from clumping/sticking together.

Now for the easy part.

Creamy Mushroom sauce


1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of water

Mix the above together.
There are two ways to make this.  One being a casserole style and the other being a simple pasta style.

If you'd like to do the casserole style, after you cook the chicken, toss the pasta in the bowl with the sauce, mix it up, then place the chicken in a casserole dish.  Cover the chicken with the noodle mix, and cook for about 15 minutes covered.

If you'd like the pasta style, in the skillet with the chicken, add the cream sauce.  You'll want to stir it around a little, but just let it cook mostly.  When it starts bubbling and it is a little thicker than it started, you are good to go.   Simply plate the pasta, then put the chicken and sauce on top!

And then TADDAAA!

Easy smeezy!

It seems like a lot, but once you get going it's really simple.  Remember, you are the artist in the kitchen, so don't be afraid to be creative.

Enjoy! 

Southwest Chicken Soup with Spicy Cornbread

So unfortunately I don't have a picture of my first recipe I am sharing but that's only because it was devoured prior to me creating this thing--- so that should be promising for you guys!

On the menu today:

Southwest Chicken Soup with Jalapeño and cheddar cornbread

Ingredients: 

2 cans of chicken 

2 c. Chicken broth 

1 c. Water 

1/2 c. Chopped onion 

1 tbsp. minced garlic (I use the kind you can keep in your fridge. Comes in handy and you don't have to do any prep on it) 

1/2 c. Chunky salsa 

1 small can of green Chili's 

 1 can of whole kernel corn 

1 large can of black beans, rinsed

 Chili powder

 Lemon pepper

 Season salt and pepper 

Crushed red pepper 

Cumin

In a large pot, throw in your onion and garlic for about 2 minutes or until the smell fills your kitchen. Then toss in your seasonings, chicken, and chili's. Stir together and let simmer for about 2-3 minutes. Once the flavors are all mixed together, pour in the corn, black beans, salsa, broth and water. Stir together This should give you a nice chunky soup base. Let cook on low for about 15-20 minutes stirring regularly.

Meanwhile your kitchen will smell lovely and you should start on the cornbread...

Jalapeno and Cheddar Cornbread

2 bags of "just add water/milk" cornbread mix (milk/water for the mix)

 About a 1/4 c. Pickled jalepenos 

1/4 c. Cheddar cheese (shredded)

Heat oven to given temperature on package. If you have a cast iron skillet, this is when it gets good. Place 1 tspn. of oil in skillet, while the oven is heating up put your skillet (with the oil in it) in the oven. When the oven is about heated, take the skillet out of the oven. Mix cornbread and water together per package instructions. My mother always puts an egg in her cornbread, it makes it a little less crumbly and a little richer. Pour mixture in cast iron skillet. Once spread evenly in skillet, place jalepenos on top. You can scatter them around, keep them to one side, or for you OCD people, evenly place them allowing each bite of cornbread have a kick. Once jalepenos are places, simply scatter the cheese ontop. Cook until golden brown.

 The cheese will be nice and crispy and the juices from the jalapenos will soak through, giving the cornbread that extra pizazz needed to compliment the kick in the soup.

So obviously you just made an amazing dinner under 30 minutes and your family or friends are drooling from the aroma... All you need to do is cut the cornbread, get out some cheese and sour cream for toppings and you, my friend, can enjoy with the rest of them.

I cooked this last night when it was storming outside. It was the perfect meal for a stormy day.

You may be thinking, "wait! You didn't give me the measurements for the spices?!"

Well, you see that's the beauty of cooking. I love spicy things so my soup had quite a bit of chili powder and pepper... But you may have some sensitive mouths you are feeding and need to tone down the spices. F you are completely unfamiliar with the spices being used, get familiar with them. :) The cumin is the distict flavor you find in most all Mexican dishes, it's not spicey just flavorful. Chili powder is the spicey stuff. It is the spice you taste but feel after. So if you are uncertain, start small and taste test a few times to your liking. Lemon pepper, season salt and pepper : the lemon pepper gives a little extra splash of citrus to your normal season pepper. And your season salt and pepper, well just use this in place of regular salt and pepper in everything you cook and it will rock your world!

ENJOY!

My Kitchen's "Founding Momma's"

You may be wondering why in the world I decided to start a cooking blog when I'm not some super cooking mom of six or don't have some extensive background in the kitchen....
Well, my love for food is not just in the fact that I love putting good tasting things in my mouth, but I absolutely love that food is one of the things that brings people together, no matter what the occasion. Being a people person such as myself, and raised a Southern Baptist, I know the importance of food to gatherings... it's essential, not just for survival, but essential to a good gathering.

I have three wonderful women that raised me up right in the kitchen, my mother and both of my grandmothers. All with different styles of cooking, which all come out from time to time in my food, some on their own, and some all mixed together. These ladies influenced what I call my "foundation of cooking", without their guidance, I would most likely not be even writing this. They are my "founding mothers" for my kitchen, and I hold their teachings in the highest respect.

To get a better understanding, here's a little bit of info on them:

My Grammie (my father's mother):


Picture a woman raised deep in the woods of Mississippi with a slew of brothers and sisters, a father who worked hard on the land, and a mother who worked hard to keep everyone fed, loved, and taken care of... That's my Grammie.  Raised with the south in her blood and raised with knowing how to cook just about everything that comes from the land.
This is the woman who, due to making biscuits each morning from scratch without taking off her jewelry, she managed to get enough biscuit dough under her diamond in her wedding ring to pop it out of the setting within a few years of wearing it.
Going to their house in the summer was like a sentence to automatically gain 10 pounds, no matter what age you were because she always had food on the table, a cake in the oven, and ice cream in the freezer.  She woke up before the crack of dawn every day to cook her famous breakfast.  This wasn't any breakfast.  This was the Southern Working Man's breakfast, the kind of breakfast that would fill you up for the whole day. Every day this woman cooked this meal. No substitutions, no change in the menu... just Grammie's Breakfast. All from scratch, all hot and ready to go by 7:30am, unless my mother was with us and then we would wait for her til about 9.
If you are lucky enough to get Grammie's breakfast at the Red Door Saloon, consider yourself loved because it doesn't appear much, but when it does, you won't mistake it for anything other than the best breakfast ever. (Menu to come later on)
Grammie taught me all the tricks of the trade when it came to cooking from scratch and reading recipes. She had boxes and boxes of them, and knew where each one was that she wanted.  The trick I learned from her was not only are recipes great tools, but they help us have guidelines to create our own masterpieces in the kitchen that become family staples.
For comparison's sake:

Thanksgiving Dinner at Grammie's

Ham

A whole Chicken to cook the stuffing with

Cornbread Stuffing

Giblet Gravy

Smoked Turkey

Grammie's Corn

Mashed Potatoes

Potato Salad

Butter Beans

Green Bean Casserole

Cranberry sauce

Cornbread

Homemade rolls

Grammie's Chocolate Cake

Grammie's Lemon Cake

Date Balls

Peanut Butter Fudge

My Memaw (my mother's mother): 


Picture a southern classy lady, a preachers wife, equipped with the 1960's beehive hair do, the latest fashion, and her nails always perfect. Picture a feisty woman of the house that knows what it's like to grow up in the dusty West Texas, to have 3 children under the age of 6 on a professors salary, and knowing that Baptist potluck lunches were the church wife's talent contest.
Picture a woman who always hosted family get togethers, and spent 20 years rotating with the same group of families for Supper Club each month.
That's my Memaw. In my mind, when I see movies like Steel Magnolias, I feel like I can just insert her right there in the middle of it and she'd fit just perfect.
She always had great food at her house, and she always had the best tricks up her sleeves, the coolest new cooking gadgets, and peanut brittle that was to DIE for!
Memaw taught me about the importance of being cooking smart, using what you had, and always having backup in the pantry. My favorite kitchen utensils are from her, and her kitchen never spared them when I was growing up either.
She, like any good Baptist preacher's wife, had collected recipes from churches and people for years and make them her own. On her 50th wedding anniversary, we decided to put together all of the family favorite recipes that she had cooked over the years.  Its' a recipe book that I will NEVER get rid of! She has things in there that she can make with her eyes closed and hands tied behind her back that I couldn't do to save the life of me. And you will surely inherit these recipes in this blog, I can guarantee you that.
Memaw was great at cooking period, but when it came to baking... she was a professional. She had tricks of the trade that were and still are magical!  I will probably say that 90% of my baking addiction comes from her.

For comparison's sake:

Thanksgiving at Memaw's

Turkey

Ham

Mashed Potatoes

Cornbread Dressing 

Green Bean Casserole

Sweet Potato Casserole

Corn

Homemade Dinner Rolls

Fruit Salad (the jello kind)

Pecan Pie

Mincemeat Pie

Pumpkin Pie 

Sugar Cookies 

Peanut Brittle

Assorted Fudge 

My mother: 

Picture the daughter of above. 

Picture the wife of a youth minister/insurance man/music minister. 

Picture the mother of two kids, 3 years apart, and always equipped with a healthy appetite. 

Picture a woman who bakes cookies just because it makes her happy, and who is known as "Momma B, the puppy chow queen". 

Picture a woman who would let me help her cook, and when I was in the 4th grade allowed me and a friend to have complete control of her kitchen and she ate everything we cooked.  

Picture a woman who still answers the dinner time phone calls from her twenty something year old daughter for a recipe verification. 

Ma did it right when she made the "we eat dinner every night together at the table" rule. Growing up knowing that every night we had to all sit together and eat dinner taught me not only that I had to sit up straight and be polite even when I wanted to punch my brother in the face because he was making me mad, but it taught me that food brings families together and shares in the importance of family. Every night we would eat together, every night I was called to set the table if I wasn't already in the kitchen helping her mix together something. Every night, one of us, instead of her, would clean the dishes because in her kitchen the rule was "I cook, you clean". (Such a smart woman)

Not only did she teach me that you can incorporate butter into just about everything, she helped me learn how to not get upset if we didn't follow Grammie's recipe exactly because it will still turn out good. (unless she cooks Grammie's Strawberry cake)

Ma and I have the same love for wanting to feed and serve people, as do the rest of the women in my family, but she taught me first hand how nice it is to have a home-cooked meal every night and be thankful for it. 

For comparison's sake: 

Thanksgiving at Ma's 

Honey Smoked Ham

Turkey

Memaw's Dressing

Green bean casserole

Mashed Potatoes 

Giblet Gravy

Corn

Rolls

Cranberry Sauce 

Pecan Pie

Pumpkin Pie

Fresh Apple Cake

Cookies

Fudge

Fruit Salad (the jello kind)

A Little Backgound and Rules of the Kitchen

So I have been in the kitchen since I can remember trying to learn as much as I can from those wise women in my life that never let any of us go hungry.  I even went as far as pretending I had a cooking show when I cooked my favorite treats for my family. 
As I grew older and got out of the house, I realized that there was so much more to the world of cooking than I grew up in: spices, techniques, PASTA, and so much more of a world waiting to be discovered.  I started collecting cook books from everywhere I traveled, not that I would be able to make some of the crazy things in them, but just to give me ideas. 


I seem to have found my place in the kitchen and settled in well, none of my boyfriends have ever gone hungry, none of my friends have questioned if I would cook for the potluck dinner, and well I usually am the friend that friends come to me and ask how to cook something or if I could teach them how to navigate  the kitchen.  Not that I am some world class chef or even close to it, I just absolutely LOVE cooking, and when I am in my kitchen it is the equivalency of an artist in their studio.  What gets put on the plate every night, and each Sunday morning, is a creation of mine that sometimes is more unique than others, but yet it is all made out of love.   If I had it my way, I would have a house big enough to feed all my friends every night.  Food brings people together, and what better way get people together  for a woman who's passion is to serve... 


Food not only feeds the tummy, it gives me a way to tell those I love them that they are important to me and I would like them to stay alive... ergo I try my hardest to make things that will not kill people.  


I hope that some of the things I cook and share with you, you can easily take into your kitchen and share the love with people around you as well. 

Rules for Momma D's Kitchen:

1.  Nothing is off limits or wrong
2. Recipes are suggestions and guidelines
3. Butter is amazing, but is not needed in EVERYTHING
4. Baking is part of the woman's inner needs, do not deny it-- EVER
5. Anyone can cook, there is no such thing as a bad cook... they are simply uneducated and haven't had fun in the kitchen yet... 
6.  If you want to help me, wash the dishes or just watch, because usually I don't know what I am doing until it's done... 
7. You don't have to be rich to eat good food. 
8.  HAVE FUN!!!