MIA

Yup, I know.  It’s been a while.  Like, a thousand years in blog time.  My dad passed almost 2 weeks ago.  It’s been too much for me to even think about cooking, let alone coming on here and sharing fun stories.

Will I be back?  I hope so.  I enjoy sharing recipes with everyone and being in my kitchen.  But it is a lot of work and with the new teaching gig and everything else, it is a bit overwhelming.

I am excited for the class to start tomorrow night.  At a real University.  With undergraduate AND graduate students.  I’m hoping they challenge me.

Homemade Mojitos

One of Nuria’s recipes that I’ve been meaning to post for a while: a simple step-by-step guide to her homemade Mojitos.

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Chai Tea Sugar Cookies

This was one of my favorites from the holiday cookie tins this year.  I ended up making 2 extra batches because I kept eating people’s presents.  It’s a hazard when you give a gift from the kitchen.

Chai Sugar Cookies (22)

Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits

Happy Monday!  I have an easy, delicious side dish to throw in the oven tonight for dinner.

Buttermilk Biscuits (11)

25 Things…

My laptop is fixed!  I am jumping for joy right now that I don’t have to buy a new laptop which is 100% success in my book.  I also did some cooking this week, with one total fail, like had to throw in the trash fail, so that’s good.  Fails actually make me happy, though that sounds counter-intuitive. 

Anyway, there’s this 25 question challenge going around the internet so I figured for lack of any pretty food pictures or recipes I would bring you 25 things about me.  Because really, I’m just that interesting. 

Chicken Green Chile and Rice Casserole

I was craving something creamy and flavorful so I went online to my favoite food bloggers to find some easy chicken casserole recipes.  Turns out, most of them wanted me to use a cream of [fill in the blank] soup from a can.  Yeah… no. Chicken Green Chile Casserole (13)

Creamy Kitchen Sink Soup

I spent most of last week trying to eat up everything in my fridge in preparation for a cleaning and big shopping trip.  Trying to budget and stay on track means I have to plan very well, and when I see things languishing in the fridge, it makes me see dollar signs heading into a trash bag.

Kitchen Sink Soup (1)

A Valentine’s Day Love Story

I need to tell you all about the boy I am head-over-heels in love with.

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This was not a relationship I was expecting to feel this strongly.  I have had, and still do have boys in my life, but the permanency and depth I feel for this one is different from any who have come before.

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When this boy smiles, my heart sings.  When he is sad, my heart breaks.  I hate being apart from him.

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Every time I’m with him, I feel like I’m learning something new.  Some unspoken secret that many have heard before me, but that only now am I lucky enough to hear.