italian meatloaf

italian meatloaf

tom is a HUGE fan of meatloaf.  i hate meatloaf.  i’m just not a beef fan.  however, my mom learned this trick a long time ago… if you dress up meatloaf to smell like pizza and add cheese, i’ll eat it!   so i created …

breakfast burrito casserole

breakfast burrito casserole

happy new year, everyone!  breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, so i couldn’t think of a better way to start out the new year than with this kickin breakfast casserole. 🙂 1 tube breakfast sausage 1/2 medium green pepper, chopped fine 1/4 medium …

sugar cookies and frosting

sugar cookies and frosting

thanks to an early Christmas present to myself, i can make festive sugar cookies all year round!  the cookies pictured above were decorated at my sister-in-law’s house Christmas eve.  it was a fun way to get into the Christmas spirit!  here are the recipes that you …

sausage ala vodka

sausage ala vodka

coming down from the holiday sugar buzz… 🙂 here’s a dish that’s simple to make for dinner tonight! this is what you will need: one package sausage of your choice, sliced into bite size pieces.  tom likes cajun style andouille.  i like sweet mild italian …

pecan pie

pecan pie

this pie is one of tom’s favorite desserts, if not his absolute favorite dessert.   it’s frequently served at thanksgiving and Christmas.  but i make it several times during the year, dressing it up with mini pie crust cutters. it is very simple to make, …

basic spritz cookies

basic spritz cookies

Christmas time is always a wonderful time of the year for me.  after moving to tennessee, it’s a little bit different and even though i’m far away from the majority of my family, i can still hold onto a lot of our traditions.  of course, …

mexican lasagne

mexican lasagne

so, it has been a while since i have blogged… sorry for neglecting you, shoebox! a lot has happened since my last post.  tom and i got engaged, married and now we’re living in nashville, tn!  i have a lot of newly found free time, …

crème brûlée

crème brûlée

crème brûlée is about as perfect as dessert can get. i had never had crème brûlée until our recent trip to cincinnati. we ate at jeff ruby’s and it was so heavenly, i decided that i needed to figure out how to make it!  i …

star trek feast

star trek feast

so my boyfriend tom is a nerd.  it’s not a secret and i love him more for it. 🙂  the movie star trek premiered recently and so i decided to create tom a feast fit for a, well, star trekkie. my research started via google, …

all-purpose jalapeño sauce

all-purpose jalapeño sauce

this is a multi-purpose sauce that can be used on quesadillas, paninis, burgers, etc… it is pictured on my southwest chicken grilled panini. 1/4 c mayo 2 tsp. canned jalapeños, finely chopped (omit the seeds to dial the heat down a notch) 2 tsp. juice …