Lemony Chess Squares

A plate of food on the ground next to flowers.

Sometimes you just can’t decide! I wanted to make a great dessert for a friend celebrating a birthday who isn’t really a cake person. Disclaimer – I don’t understand that, cake is heavenly – but I also love almost every dessert so there you have it. Favorites include chess pie and lemon bars so I…

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Light Spring Pavlova

A plate of food with rice and sauce on the side.

Ingredients Meringue – 4 egg whites 1/4 tsp salt 3/4 cup sugar 1 tsp cornstarch 1 tsp vanilla or almond extract 2 tsp vinegar Filling About 2/3 cup per serving of any combination of fruit, sliced if necessary (I used raspberries and blueberries and would have liked strawberries, but forgot to buy them!) 1 to…

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Lime and Grapefruit Pie

A small lime growing on a tree.

My love of all citrus fruits runs deep. This may not be the coast of California or the Florida peninsula, but for about the last 10 years we have been able to successfully grow citrus fruit right here in Tennessee. Granted my back is the worse from moving the trees outside in the winter for…

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Litton Cookies

A plate of homemade sugar cookies.

My husband is an Isaac Litton High School fanatic. Even though the school has been closed (1971) for years, the former students remain incredibly loyal. He has another good reason to love Litton – his father was the band director of the famous Marching One Hundred Plus, the band that marched in the Rose Bowl Parade (1964).  Sammy…

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Loaded Baked Potato Soup

A bowl of food with cheese, bacon and green peppers.

Ingredients 4 large baking potatoes ¾ cups butter ¾ cups flour 7 cups milk, whole or low-fat (hint: if you warm the milk in a sauce pan it is easier to combine with the butter/flour mixture.) 1 cup sour cream (more for serving) 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (more for serving) 2 tsp salt 1…

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Lobster Quiche

Golden crust quiche in a white dish.

The holiday madness has moved on (hasn’t it?). After a year of stress and missing holiday events, this Christmas season seemed like such a whirl of activity – family and friends – parties and events – all celebrated in beach friendly weather instead of last year’s unwanted snow flurries for necessary outdoor gatherings. Oh well…

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Low Country Boil

A plate of food with some bread and sauce on it

Ingredients 6 quarts of water ½ cup (or to taste) Crab Boil Seasoning (Old Bay is the house favorite) Optional: 1 beer Optional: quartered lemon 3 to 4 small new potatoes per person 1 onion quartered 1 kielbasa sausage, sliced 1 to 2 inches thick 1 ear of corn per person, broken in half or…

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Macaroon Bird Nests

Easter bunny and egg nests treats

My kid is 26 so to me he’s kind of both, but if you have a budding young chef in the family or neighborhood this is really an entertaining spring time cooking project – perfect for little hands. Sometimes the simplest recipes produce just the most delicious results. This is one of those recipes and…

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