Smoked salmon cakes are an easy and delicious weeknight meal option, and believe it or not, they are affordable. SMOKED SALMON PATTIES Smoked salmon patties are perfectly crisp on the outside and deliciously tender and flaky on the inside. They are made with packaged smoked sliced salmon instead of canned salmon.     One bite of these smoked salmon cakes and any thought of you using canned salmon will fly out the window.  That's how I felt the first time I made them. I use sliced precooked salmon from Sams. I add minced onion, lemon juice, mayonnaise, chopped fresh di ..read more

Pecan Pie Bars start with a buttery shortbread crust and are layered with a gooey pecan filling. They are a simple and delicious pecan pie baked into a bar—perfect for serving a crowd! PECAN PIE BARS Pecan Pie Bars are the ultimate holiday treat, yielding somewhere between a pie and a cookie bar. If you are a fan of Pecan Pie, wait until you find out the next best thing is Pecan Pie Bars. The crust is so easy to make, and then all you do is pour a pecan pie like filling on top and bake for 25 minutes. Not only is my recipe for these Pecan Pie Bars super easy to make, but they are also gre ..read more

Southern Sweet Corn Spoonbread is a century-old Southern comfort food that has graced the tables across the South.    SOUTHERN SWEET CORN SPOONBREAD The Southern Spoonbread recipe is a classic Southern side dish.  It is creamy, moist cornbread that is more like a cornmeal-based souffle or delicate cornbread pudding.   This Sweet Corn Spoonbread is a quick and easy side dish. To make it, combine everything in a bowl, stir, and bake. It is a favorite around my house. We look forward to having it every year on our Easter menu. The recipe also works well for weeknight ..read more

This velvety, creamy souffle perfectly complements a holiday meal, providing a grand presentation. CARROT CASSEROLE Like sweet potato casseroles are to Thanksgiving, this carrot casserole is an essential Easter side dish that will surely delight all your guests!  It is rich, fluffy, and literally melts in your mouth.  Oh, so yummy! This recipe came to me from a good friend who has shared many of her recipes through the years.   I cherish recipes I have received from friends over the years.   They bring back so many memories to me when I make them. At firs ..read more

Raspberry Coffee Cake in the morning will start your day off to a fabulous start.  Serve it anytime for dessert, an afternoon snack, or my favorite breakfast. RASPBERRY BREAKFAST CAKE The recipe is based on my Very Blueberry Coffee Cake, switching out with fresh raspberries, butter, sugar, eggs, and sour cream and sprinkled with a coarse finishing sugar. I grew up with something sweet on the table all the time because my mother had a charming sweet tooth, which she passed on to her four daughters.    Mother was an amazing baker.  Even though I learned from her, I wish I ..read more

Thick and rich with just the right amount of sweetness, these baked beans are a perfect side dish for whatever you cook up for your next gathering. Southern Baked Beans Mother's easy to make baked beans are just that,  EASY.  This classic dish has canned pork n' beans, onions, bell pepper, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire, and the star, Bacon.   I could not post my mother's Potato Salad recipe (previous post) without posting her Southern Baked Beans recipe, also.  Like the potato salad recipe, I have had this one in my head for years too. I watched my moth ..read more

Christmas Tea Cakes are festive tea cakes that are super easy to make with few ingredients, including two cake mixes. Holiday Mincemeat Tea Cakes This is the perfect recipe to use extra cake mixes you have on hand.  This recipe was inspired by all the cookie recipes that use cake mixes.  Another secret ingredient that is classic around the holidays is mincemeat pie filling. You will love the Holiday Mincemeat Tea Cakes if you love mincemeat pie.  I know there are some yays and nays when mincemeat is mentioned.   Growing up in the 60s, my family always had mincem ..read more

 Slow Cooker Turkey Breast is simple to prepare and has as much flavor as a whole turkey.  Start with a bone in, skin on, and use the same seasonings, but the secret to the juiciest meat is the brining. Crockpot Turkey Breast This Crockpot Turkey Breast recipe is an excellent addition to serve extra white meat for your Thanksgiving meal, which my family loves.  We always run out of white meat, but not anymore. My recipe for Crockpot Turkey Breast is straightforward, with only 3 ingredients, turkey, poultry seasoning, and butter, that's it.  It turns out moist and flavo ..read more

Hamburger Soup is warming and satisfying, loaded with vegetables.  Ideal comfort food on cold nights. Hearty Hamburger Vegetable Soup This Hearty Hamburger Vegetable Soup recipe is a simple and hearty soup made with lean ground beef, various vegetables, and a delicious beef broth. Soup season is in full swing here in East Texas. I couldn't be more excited.  On weeknights, I like to make a soup that takes little time and ingredients that I keep in my kitchen, but on the weekends, I want to do the long and slow method. Growing up, ground beef was one of the less expensive mea ..read more

Baked Ziti is the ultimate comfort food for a crowd or just a family night dinner, rich and gooey with layers of pasta, creamy meat sauce, and three different kinds of cheese. EASIEST BAKED ZITI YOU WILL EVER MAKE Baked Ziti is the easiest and quickest casserole dish you will ever make.  You can have a fantastic meal in about an hour, a perfect weeknight meal. As soon as the weather cools, I start cooking comfort food, like this Super Easy Baked Ziti.  Total comfort food in a bowl.   Baked Ziti is the Mother of all pasta dishes. The recipe has existed in Italy ..read more