Pimiento Cheese | The Hideaway

Welcome to the TLC Book Tours stop for the first novel by Lauren K. Denton, The Hideaway! Although bits and pieces (pun totally intended if you read this) of this story are set in New Orleans, the majority of it takes place in a charming little town in Alabama called Sweet Bay.

Herbed Almond Encrusted Goat Cheese Bites | #CelebrateAlmonds

I’ve partnered with California Almonds to bring you this sponsored post and all opinions stated are my own.

It's been awhile since I've talked about a food holiday, but since February has the honor of being American Heart Month, National Snacking Month, and Almond Month (not to mention Almond Day falls on the 16th), I thought it would be fun to combine all three by sharing a few almond recipes with you throughout the month.

Acharuli Khachapuri (Georgian Cheese and Egg Bread)

I'm incredibly intrigued by this month's Bread Baking Babes featured bread. Aparna is our host kitchen of the month, and she has chosen Acharuli (Adjaruli) Khachapuri, or Georgian Egg and Cheese Bread. Apparently Khachapuri, described as a "warm, gooey cheese-stuffed bread that oozes and drips with heart-stopping goodness" by the website Gudaturi, is one of the most popular dishes in Georgia. Apparently each reason is famous for a different variety of this bread. The The boat-shaped Adzharuli that is filled with salty cheese and topped with a raw egg and butter hails from the southwestern Adzharian province.

I made this very last-minute and didn't use the correct (traditional) type of cheese. Not that I could easily get my hands on a soft sheep's milk variety, but Saveur uses a mix of Muenster and Feta that looks like it might be a fairly good substitute. I actually thought that I still had some feta around, and was going to mix it with mozzarella...but apparently it was eaten sometime between when I made the bread and the last time I looked. So I had to improvise. I used mozzarella and Parmesan instead. It was good, but it didn't give me that soft gooey filling.

Mashed Butternut Squash and Potatoes w/ Roasted Garlic, Smoked Gouda & Bacon

There was a time when I did all of my potato-mashing by hand...and then I discovered the hand mixer method. At first I was resistant, perhaps even a little indignant. I gave my friend the cautious side-eye as she plunged the beaters into a pot of drained potatoes. I'd been mashing potatoes with the pure power of my arm for 22 years (okay, I didn't mash potatoes straight out of the womb, but it was close), why did I need a machine to do it for me?

I didn't say anything then, I just tucked that novel idea into my back pocket for another day. You know, a day when I actually owned a hand mixer. Fast forward a few years to dinner preparation in my own kitchen, steam rising up from a giant pot of potatoes that were ready to be mashed with warm butter and milk.

Western BBQ Bison Burgers

Usually when I make something big and meaty that would be really nice to wash down with a cold beer, I get comments like "oh, my husband/boyfriend/man would love this" and "that is some man-pleasing food". Ummmmmmmm...okay. I get it. My guy totally appreciates brat-topped pizza, sticky ribs, and fat burgers. But, you know what? So do I!

Those are what one would call backhanded compliments, right? Inadvertent or not, I tend to get a little indignant when I read them. Apparently, as a woman, I should be massaging my kale and frosting my dainty cupcakes. I do like kale. A lot. But that's not the point. Why must I feel shame for enjoying an extremely fat, extremely juice, extremely flavorful burger right alongside my man?

Fortunately, when it all seems too much, I can count on ladies like Kita at GirlCarnivore to have my back. She knows the joy in not only making, but devouring, some perfectly cooked meat. I mean, she is the mastermind behind #BurgerMonth, so obviously this girl is all about enjoying epic burgers and such.

Zucchini Cheddar Bread

Happy National Zucchini Day! With zucchini madness in full effect right now, I'm constantly on the hunt for new and exciting ways to use zucchini. As much as I love a good zucchini quick bread, after already making four loaves in the past couple of weeks, I decided to incorporate zucchini into a savory yeasted loaf. Three loaves, actually.

You may remember last November when I shared this Spice-Swirled Cranberry Sweet Potato Bread as part of the Three Loaves Movement. Three Loaves encourages the use of sustainable and seasonal ingredients, and I can't think of anything more appropriate to the season than zucchini!

One loaf for my family. One loaf for a friend. One for someone in need. This recipe makes three large free-form loaves—as in, 2 pounds each. While it tastes delicious alone, it's pretty darn tasty toasted, as the bread for a grilled cheese sandwich, and alongside a nice brothy bowl of soup.

(Almost) Nancy's Chopped Salad with Oregano Vinaigrette

It's the second Wednesday of the month, and that means it's time for another edition of the Blogger C.L.U.E. Society! Our theme this month is PICNIC FOOD, and my assignment was Authentic Suburban Gourmet. Authentic Suburban Gourmet is the creative expression of Lisa, a successful executive by day, who uses creativity and thoughts (authentic) and readily available ingredients (suburban) with an elegant and sophisticated touch (gourmet) for cooking, creating, and entertaining. To learn more about this born and bred Bay Area foodie, check out her about page.

It wasn't hard finding inspiration for a picnic at Lisa's place. I could see myself spreading out on a blanket under a shady tree to unpack a basket filled with everything from Oven Roasted Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts to French Cheese Straws (alongside some fruit and other nibbles) to a Grilled Egg and Olive Sandwich. Oh, and of course a good bottle of wine to accompany everything, and these perfect little Apricot, Blueberry and Cardamom Hand Pies to finish things off.

Southwest Salad in a Jar

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sargento. The opinions and text are all mine.

If you were to ask me which one show I'd like to appear on, my answer would be Chopped. It's actually one of the shows my whole family will sit down in front of the tv to watch. It's fun and fast-paced, and best of all, it inspires creativity and banter—in the show and at home. Each person is shouting out what they'd make with the four mystery ingredients for that round. Heck, I shout it out even when I'm watching by myself.

Sometimes I wonder if I'd actually be able to come up with a dish on-the-spot that would please the judges. I'm not going to lie, there are baskets that leave me stumped. My plan, should I apply and be accepted to the show, is to have a handful of easily adaptable, basic recipe ideas in my back pocket. I can customize and enhance the flavors of the basket ingredients once I see them. I wonder if I'd remember any of them in the heat of the moment.

Today, I'm excited to be taking part in a little "Chopped at Home" contest! Sargento cheese challenged me to get creative and make a Chopped-inspired dish right from the comfort of my own kitchen. Just like the contestants on the show, I was given 4 basket ingredients to work with, and free use of my pantry and fridge.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Mac and Cheese

I know today is the first day of Spring, but since it doesn't officially start until 10:45 pm tonight—I'm going to slide in one last comfort food dish. Okay, I can't actually guarantee it's the last one; you never know when the mood may strike. But you know, in the spirit of the weather turning warm(ish) and all...

So yes, this dish. It had been dancing around in my head for quite some time before I actually made it happen. I'd been thinking back to some of my favorite foods growing up. There were certain meals that I always looked forward to. Chicken a la King, Chicken Pot Pie, Chicken Noodle Soup, Chicken Cordon Bleu...and I loved it when I heard my dad pounding out some chicken in the kitchen. That meant we were having either Chicken Cordon Bleu or Pepperoni Chicken Rolls. Hmmmm, I sense a theme here.

The funny thing is, even though these are some of my favorite childhood meals, I don't find myself making them very often for my own kids. What's wrong with me? I mean, chicken noodle soup and chicken pot pie are fairly regular, but none of the others. When I mentioned chicken cordon bleu, my kids looked at me without recognition registering on their faces. I mean, surely I'd made it once or twice before. Right? I racked my brain and think the last time I made it, my 17-year old was about 3 or 4. That meant that he didn't remember, and my two younger ones had never tried it. #momfail