Sugar & Spice by Celeste

"These are excellent.  These just might be the best thing I've EVER eaten!" These were the words that came rushing out of Brad's mouth as he tasted these mushrooms for the first time.  Let me remind you, that this is also the same man that wouldn't touch mushrooms with a ten foot pole just a few years ago.   Folks, these mushrooms are a.m.a.z.i.n.g...Seriously. They are slowly simmered in red wine for a total of 9 hours, and yes...you read that correctly.  It seems like an incredibly long amount of time to simmer mushrooms, but it's worth the long wait in the end.  They come out still a little firm, but packed with intense flavor from the chicken and beef bouillon cubes, Worcestershire sauce (which I've never been able to pronounce correctly!), butter and garlic. And don't even get me started about the delicious smell that fills the entire house while these babies cook! Next time, I may even try making these in a crock pot...

Before baking...look at those pecan pieces...Yum! What a wonderful, wonderful holiday season it's been around our home!  I can't believe that 2011 is coming to a close.  It's been an awesome year, and we are excited to see what 2012 will bring! If you've been following this blog for a while, you may know that homemade Cinnamon Rolls are one of our holiday traditions on Christmas Day.  The Pioneer Woman's recipe is BY FAR the best!  In fact, I've blogged about these rolls every year since 2009.  The maple and coffee glaze really sends these cinnamon rolls over the top...After all, I called them "Absolutely Sinful Cinnamon Rolls" for a reason! I tried something a little different this year...I added finely chopped pecans before rolling them up, which was incredible.  I have a feeling that pecans will be a regular addition in the future. You can find the recipe and posts from previous years HERE .  This recipe rocks because you can put the cinnamon ...

If you're a Southern gal like me, you've probably passed your fair share of buttermilk biscuits around the dinner table.  It's hard to beat those buttery, delicious layers that are accompanied so perfectly by your favorite fruit preserves, fresh honey or jam.   I've made homemade buttermilk biscuits several times with pretty good results, but they don't always come out the way I want.  THESE from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home cookbook were particularly yummy.   I do have to say that this recipe from Ree Drummond was excellent, and it was fun to watch them rise in the oven! Here are a few tips for making delicious buttermilk biscuits: 1.  Don't overwork your dough, because it will make the biscuits tough. 2.  Cut straight down with the biscuit cutter...don't turn it as you cut, because that will seal the biscuits and prevent a high rise.  Also, use a sharp biscuit cutter! 3.  Keep your butter as cold as possible, and again...don'...

*** A great friend of mine, Ashley, recently told me about some calzones that she had had at a friend's house.  At the party, everyone made their own calzones...sounds fun, doesn't it?  Basically, she said they all started with pizza dough, and then added the toppings of their choice from a big selection.  That sounds like my kind of party! So, when I saw these calzones the very next day in The Pioneer Woman's new cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks , I decided that I just HAD to give homemade calzones a try.  It was just meant to be!  Now, I have to warn you...These aren't the tomato sauce and pepperoni type calzones that you're probably used to ordering at your local Italian eatery.  These are truly "COWBOY" calzones...hamburger meat, sausage, onion, Rotel, and lots of cheese make up the filling.  And I also will admit that I used store-bought pizza dough...I just couldn't be bothered with making my own dough that night.  They ...

Me & GrannyRene...Having fun in the kitchen. *** This post is going to be difficult for me.  I'm writing this entry at the end of what has easily been one of the hardest weeks I've ever been through.  On the morning of March 5th, I found out that my GrannyRene had been rushed to the hospital.  She passed away later that afternoon.  It was so unexpected.  We had to say goodbye way too early, and my heart is broken. My GrannyRene was one of the strongest people that I've ever known...Strong in every way.  She was so kind and loving...and was incredibly involved in the community...especially her church.  She volunteered so much of her time, because she truly enjoyed helping people and doing her part to make this world a little brighter.  She's taught me so many things through the years, including the fact that we have to take one day at the time...and that's exactly what I'll have to do. I know she's smiling down on me right now...

***Ahh...pancakes...one of those quintessential, scrumptiously delicious breakfast foods....But wait a gosh-darn-minute....Who says you can't have pancakes for dinner, anyway?  That's exactly what I made tonight...Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes, to be precise.  I took these over-the-top pancakes one step further by adding some mashed bananas.  WOW...that's all I can say! It was one of those moments where I didn't have the exact ingredients that I needed.  But hey, sometimes those moments are just what you need for an awesome result!  The recipe calls for 1 full cup of sour cream, and I only had 1/2 cup.  Oh, what ever should I do??  I glanced around the kitchen, and my eyes fell upon the perfect solution...a few perfectly ripe bananas.  I peeled one of those suckers, put him in a bowl, and mashed him all to bits.  After adding the one banana to my 1/2 cup of sour cream, I had just the right amount.  Voila! These pancakes tasted...

***I'm speechless...utterly speechless by the cheesy goodness that overwhelms you while indulging in this wonderfully scrumptious dish. I promise I'm not over-exagerating...LOL...This Mac & Cheese is sinfully yummy. I found it while perusing Pioneer Woman's new cookbook: The Pioneer Woman Cooks . By the way - You totally need this cookbook!! Once you make this, you'll never, ever go back to the orange stuff in the box. There's just no comparison. I used a combination of Gruyere, Swiss, and Cheddar cheeses. That's just what I had on-hand, and the flavors worked great together....especially the Gruyere cheese, which has GOT to be one of my favorites! As you may have noticed, I also used shell shaped pasta...not the traditional elbow pasta. Again, it was just a matter of what I had in the pantry. This recipe made a GIANT pot of mac & cheese....It was SO good, that Brad and I had it 3 nights in a row....Haha. Fortunately, it reheats wonderfully. I made t...

***First of all, I just have to send a big "ROLL TIDE!!!" to all of my fellow University of Alabama Crimson Tide Fans! We won the National Championship last night, and it was awesome! I was so proud of our guys...they played hard in what turned out to be a fantastic game...they definitely deserved this historic win!! :-) Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming: I was so excited to receive Ree Drummond's new cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks , on Christmas day. If you're looking for a hearty, delicious, mouth-watering dish, I'm sure that Ree has just the recipe for you. After reading through the cookbook, this Olive Cheese Bread both sounded and looked divine. We love, love, love olives around this house, so I couldn't wait to give this a try. It tasted scrumptious...cheesy, olive-y, goodness! I couldn't find straight monterey jack cheese at the store, so I had to use a cheddar/monterey jack mix. A great tip that Ree suggests in her cookbook is ...

What can I say...We had a wonderful Christmas this year. We started the day with Pioneer Woman's amazingly sinful, made-from-scratch cinnamon rolls. You might remember me making these last year on Christmas morning. Those things are so ridiculously good...It's hard to find the words to describe them...Hah. Pioneer Woman says it best: "If you begin making these for your friends and family during the holidays, I promise you this: you'll become famous. And, on a less positive note, people will forget everything else you've ever accomplished in your life. From that moment on, you'll be known - and loved - only for your cinnamon rolls." Folks, she's not kidding...they're THAT good! You can find the recipe HERE . I even surprised 3 of our neighbors with pans of these cinnamon rolls. They seemed very excited! I also made another Red Velvet Cake. This time, I decorated the top and sides of the cake with candy canes. They added a wonderful, pepperminty tas...

***Alrighty, here are the cinnamon rolls that I mentioned in my previous post. I put these together on Christmas Eve, and then baked them on Christmas morning. Let me just tell you...there's nothing quite like the smell of yummy cinnamon rolls wafting through the house on Christmas morning...ahhhhh...so wonderful! This is going to be a new tradition for us...fresh, homemade rolls on Christmas. I thought that I might try this recipe, and then maybe try a new one next year...until I found one that I really loved. However, I hit the jackpot on the first try! This is THE recipe that I'll always use. UPDATE:   Since originally writing this post in 2008, I've  made these cinnamon rolls every year for Christmas!  They are a holiday tradition that my family looks forward to all year!  You can see my other posts here, with lots more photos of these sinful cinnamon rolls: CHRISTMAS 2009 CHIRSTMAS 2010 CHRISTMAS 2011 The great thing was that I could prepare them on Chr...

***Here's another great recipe from Pioneer Woman. You just have to check out her post about this recipe HERE . She's got some fabulously detailed photos. Next time I make this, I'm definitely going to use smaller potatoes. When I went grocery shopping, the only red potatoes available were really large. So, I had trouble mashing these down all the way. They still tasted great...just not quite as flat as they should be.*** Ingredients: New Potatoes (or other small, round potatoes) Olive Oil Kosher Salt Black Pepper Rosemary (or desired herbs)... I used freshly chopped parsley Directions: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you would like to make and cook them until they are fork-tender. On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet, leaving plenty of room between each one. With a potato masher, gently press down on each potato until it slightly mashes. Rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again....

***I stumbled across Pioneer Woman's Blog the other day, and I loved it. She includes great photos for every single step of each recipe. I admire her for that...I would never have the time or patience to post a photo for every step. After browsing through her posts, I figured that this recipe would be the best place to start because it's her most requested one. I have to admit though, the amount of butter in this dish really scared me...lol. I used A LOT less! First of all, I sauteed both the onions and the meat in olive oil. I only added about 2 tbsp of butter to the sauce. I also added a minimal amount to the toasted buns. My arteries just couldn't handle 2 sticks of butter total. This sandwich was great though, and Brad really enjoyed it as well.*** Ingredients: 2 to 3 pounds cube steak (tenderized round steak that’s been extra-tenderized 1 large onion OR 2 small/medium onions 4 French/Deli rolls Butter (about 2 sticks)... I used MUCH less! Lawry’s Seasoned Salt 1/2 cup ...