coconut key lime pie

coconut key lime pie

wow.  what a whirlwind we’ve been through since may.  we packed up everything and moved across the country.  (when i say across, i really do mean it!  hello, pacific northwest!) it is nice to finally be settled and back into the “groove” of things.  and 

cajun jambalaya pasta

cajun jambalaya pasta

tom and i love going to the cheesecake factory.  forget about the endless search for a parking spot.  forget about the crazy wait. forget about the overpriced slices of cheesecake.  it’s entirely worth it.  the far away parking spaces help to burn the extra calories.  

rice pudding

rice pudding

we love to order chinese food from corner asian cafe, a restaurant just down the road.  they always give us a ton of delicious food, which makes for at least two meals.  i always order white rice to go with my mu shu chicken and 

taco seasoning

taco seasoning

i’m pretty good about keeping things in stock around the house.  i’m slightly ocd and making out a grocery list for my weekly trip to publix.  it usually takes a half hour or so and consulting several blogs, the publix ad and my husband to 

tartar sauce

tartar sauce

i can eat ketchup on just about anything… french fries, hot dogs, pork chops, steak (though not as much since i have discovered longhorn’s crab stuffed filet), and fish sticks.  especially fish sticks.  considering i am not much of a fish fan, ketchup makes it 

pulled pork

pulled pork

one of my favorite food blogs is the pioneer woman.  her blog is amazing and talks about a lot more than just food.  when she posted this recipe, i knew i had to try it.  my mouth was watering! this dish is great for any 

cookies n’ cream cupcakes

cookies n’ cream cupcakes

i had a hankering for oreos.  and cupcakes.  enter these dandies.  they’re wonderfully moist and have oreos busting out of them at the seams. not that cupcake liners have seams, but you can catch my drift. 🙂 i was able to fill the cupcakes using 

sausage pasta bake

sausage pasta bake

i wish that i could be italian… making meatballs, homemade pasta and cannolis filled with marscapone cheese.  but i’m not.  i was, however, elated when i received “the italian issue” of the food network magazine a few months back.  it was full of all things italian 

shrimp pasta

shrimp pasta

i’m sorry that i’ve been away, shoebox!  the flu hit our, which resulted in a tasty pot of this.  then the parents came to visit for a weekend, which resulted in lots of eating out and a batch of these. going back a few weeks 

seven layer dip

seven layer dip

this isn’t a very pretty seven layer dip.  but it’s a lot of fun to make, especially if you go all out and make your guac and pico from scratch.  i won’t list measuring amounts for this recipe, but if you follow the amts from