Nutella Crescents with Cinnamon Walnut Crumble

Crescent rolls, spread with Nutella, a little cinnamon sugar and finely minced walnuts. Quick. Easy. Heavenly.

Nutella Crescents

What a wonderful way to indulge in Nutella - wrapped in a sweet crescent. Tasty and really simple too - you will LOVE these!

Grilled spareribs or baby back ribs, get a boost first in the oven and then take a final sear on the grill.

Grilled Pork Spareribs or Baby Back Ribs

Now that the rain has moved outta here and the sun has resurfaced, I was in the mood to hit the grill for dinner today.

So as I write this it's March and I know that some of you are hunkered down inside due to unexpected spring ice storms and snowfall, but maybe this'll give y'all a glimmer of hope that summer is really just around the corner! And, maybe when y'all are relaxing and enjoying your summer, you'll think of us in the Deep South while we are melting right about that same time.

So I figured it'd be a good time to show y'all that other rib recipe I mentioned in my other rib post. Back in a day when I was doing yet another diet, Lisa, one of the gals on the board I was frequenting gave me this method.

Barbecue Sundae

It may seem strange, but this is a great way to use the leftovers from your cookout - a very clever and a great presentation and everybody loves this.

A creamy pasta salad, made with shell pasta, bell pepper, red onion, black olives, cheddar cheese, tomato and bacon and tossed with a mayo, sour cream, vinegar dressing, seasoned with onion powder, garlic salt.

Creamy Pasta Salad

I love pasta salad. Any kind.

It is another one of those dishes that I have no loyalty to though, so I love switching it up, different veggies, different dressing bases. This one is a mayonnaise-based pasta salad and my interpretation of one that was once served at a local favorite BBQ joint.

A basic cabbage coleslaw with a creamy vinegar and mayonnaise base.

Basic Creamy Coleslaw

Of course most everybody has a coleslaw recipe they love. I happen to like a variety of them, so I'm not really loyal to any one. This coleslaw is loosely based on LuLu's in Gulf Shores, Alabama, but I added in bread and butter pickles because I liked the extra contrast they provide beyond the usual vinegar and sugar. If you happen to have some - or want to make some up - Fire 'n Ice pickles would be fantastic too.

Classic tuna salad mixture of tuna, hard boiled eggs, green onion, celery, pickles and dressed with mustard and mayonnaise.

Tuna and Egg Salad

Now honestly, I guess I wouldn't generally post about making something as simple as an egg salad, or here, tuna and egg salad. Or, maybe I would {scratches head} dunno... but, it is Lent afterall and I'm tryin' to do my best to stay away from meat on Fridays and so, I wanted some tuna and egg salad for lunch - so I figured what the heck.

Steamed Hard Cooked Eggs

If you've been reading me awhile, you might remember that Santa brought me this fancy, schmancy electronic rice cooker for Christmas, which replaced a very cheapo simple no frills (and not very good) rice cooker I had before.

I admit I was a bit leery about going with one of these types of rice cookers because it was substantially more cost-wise than that cheapo one I had before, but after using it multiple times for rice I have totally fallen in love with it! And the best part is that the one I got is a combination rice cooker, steamer, slow cooker and tofu maker. I've not done the tofu. Yet.

Anyway, when I was flipping through the book that came with it, I saw eggs in the steaming section - well, I had never steamed eggs before! I have always boiled them, and in a very specific way so as not to have that green ring around the yolk. I don't know why that's so important, but it's a goal. (I know what you're thinkin'. Don't even.)

So, I decided I wanted to give my new rice cooker a try at hard cooking some eggs. So easy too, you just put in 1-1/2 cups of water into the steamer bucket and then set the insert tray in there,

...and then stack the eggs in the nice little indentations provided in the insert that makes them stand upright. Isn't that just adorable? (I am so easily entertained these days...)

Close the lid, set it to steam, set the electronic timer, start it and in 23 minutes you have perfectly steamed hard cooked eggs! I still finish them off the same way, in a water bath with a bunch of ice cubes, but look how fantastic they turn out! No green around the edges - great to use for a tuna salad or shrimp salad, yes, but perfect when you're making deviled eggs.

I think this in gonna be my new favorite way to do hard-cooked eggs from now on!



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Easy Semi-Homemade Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs or Meat Sauce

A great shortcut spaghetti sauce, made with onion, garlic, stewed and Rotel tomatoes, Italian and Cajun seasonings, and a little help from canned sauce, but tastes like you cooked it from scratch.

Easy Semi-Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

In the mood for spaghetti with a homemade taste, but that doesn't have to simmer all day long?

Okay, so yes, you do get a little head start with canned pasta sauce to start with so I guess you can call this "semi-homemade," BUT... once you add in some very simple but transforming enhancements, you will end up with something that tastes as if you made the sauce from scratch and simmered it on the stove for hours.

I've been making my spaghetti sauce like this for years, and The Cajun loves it!

Classic Homemade Meatballs

A great, no-frills, meatball that can be used in casseroles, on sandwiches, for spaghetti and meatballs, and of course, our fabulously loved grape jelly meatballs.

Basic Homemade Meatballs

This is my favorite classic meatball recipe that I have been using since I started cooking, and the same one I use when I make my spaghetti with meatballs, and those famous grape jelly meatballs that we southerners are so endeared to.

It is not, nor is it intended to be an "Italian-Style" meatball, though I've included the revisions I make when I'm leaning more toward those flavors. This, rather, is a very basic meatball recipe that you can use for sandwiches and even for casseroles, though you can certainly jazz them up by adding whatever extras you like.

For most meatball recipes, I prefer them simple with very basic seasonings.

Deep fried, crispy strips of catfish, coated in a mixture of corn meal and flour, are a true deep south favorite.

Southern Fried Catfish

Fried catfish is a common dinner in the south, especially during Lent, but we southerners love it anytime, really.

There are catfish houses everywhere down south, where catfish is often all you can eat, coleslaw, hush puppies, and homemade buttermilk biscuits with jelly or honey are served family style, and sweet tea comes most often in Mason jars or icy tin cups, alongside local favorites like fried dill pickles, turnip greens, fried okra, squash casserole, and fried green tomatoes.