While I was hobnobbing it at the Foodbuzz Festival last year, I was one of the few who got to sample the spicy mac ‘n cheese that got passed around Friday evening.  It was creamy and spicy and I was thankful that it was a small portion because it tasted extremely decadent.

I made sure to tell Scott all about it and since then he has been saying, “Mmm spicy mac ‘n cheese” at random points.

Mac ‘n cheese isn’t something I make all that often but I have been making it since Scott and I first moved in together.  He grew up on that crazy boxed stuff and I personally think that stuff is disgusting (Gee do I want powder cheese? Or cheeze-whiz in a pouch for the “creamy” version. EW!).  We didn’t have it at my house.  We didn’t have mac ‘n cheese period,…

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Would you believe me if I told you that I’ve never been to a steak house before?  Like an honest-to-goodness steak house?  I’ve been to Ruth’s Chris once with Scott like a decade ago but that’s a chain so I don’t really count that as a true steak house.

I grew up in the sticks so we didn’t have steak houses.  Unless you count going over to the Elk’s or Moose on steak night and I’m betting you don’t.  Even the bigger towns closest to us (which were all half an hour to 45 minutes away no matter which direction you went) didn’t have steak houses.

But there are some things I know about steak houses like they are crazy expensive if what people tell me is true.  Every time The Double R mentions steak houses on her show she says that for two people it could…

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I was first introduced to pimento and cheese when Scott and I lived in North Carolina.  I was working an overtime shift at my PT job at White Barn Candle (with an adjoining Bath&Body Works) and was on a short 15minute break.  I was starving and for some reason that is escaping me now, we had food in the back.  Someone brought in pimento and cheese sandwiches and I inhaled two of them.  I thought they were really good and told Scott all about them when he came to pick me up that night.

I started making them and fiddling around with recipes.  Turns out that Scott is pimento and cheese’s number one fan.  I’m surprised that he likes them so much because there’s not really much too them.  Another surprise?  I don’t really care for them.   I guess it was just the fact that I was starving and my blood sugar was too low…

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My mom used to make salmon patties all the time and admittedly I didn’t really care for them (sorry Mom!).  They were a little too on the fishy tasting side for me.  A little potent.  Once I left and was on my own for meals I forgot about them.

And then I picked them back up again.  I’m not sure how it happened.  If I was watching a cooking show maybe and saw someone make something simliar or what, but my interest was renewed.  I realized I didn’t have to make them the way my mom had, I could make them however I wanted and jazz them up a bit.

Sometimes it is really interesting to see the differences in the types of foods Scott and I each grew up with.  He did not have salmon patties as a staple growing up or even had them before I started making them.  This was something totally new for him.  He loves fish, so…

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I have seen people here and there talk about beer bread but that’s about as far as I went in giving it any attention.  Then over the holidays I saw it pop up again and thought, “Hell Yes!  Beer Bread!”

New Years at OHC HQ means sauerkraut and some sort of pork dish.  I wanted to make the beer bread to go with that meal but then I forgot.  And when I remembered about dear old beer bread we were past the holiday.  I still wanted to make it though and started doing some research.

Most of what I found was pretty basic.  Beer, flour, and some baking powder.  Well that’s lovely but can’t we pump this up a little bit.  Where’s the seasonings and extra kick?  I decided to try my hand at making some beer bread with some umph!

Andrea’s Cheddar Beer Bread

• 1 C All purpose flour
• 2 C whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 TBSP of baking powder
• 3 TBSP of sugar
• 1 tsp of…

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When I was in middle school it was the 80s.  Hair bands and mall teen pop queens were in their prime.  And the thing to do back then was hit up the skating rink on Friday night.  Especially when you lived in a super small town and there was nothing else for you to do at that age.  The skating rink was a happening place and I taught myself how to skate.  And backwards skate.  And skate going around the corners with my feet turned out, heels touching.  My favorite thing to do was skate backwards and stop with my stoppers coming to a sliding halt.  My skates were white with blue wheels and a blue stopper.  And Velcro because when you are at the skating rink, it is all about the skating and not about wasting time lacing up your skates.  Oh and secretly crushing on the boys who preferred video games until the couples skate was announced.  Eventually…

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Jalapeno poppers.  Jalapeno bites, whatever you call them they have been making the rounds at parties and gatherings for a while now.  They interested me but I also shied away from them since I tend to have a low tolerance for spicy dishes.  I’ve been slowly working to become more immune because when one has a husband who loves spicy stuff it starts getting harder to avoid it.

I finally decided to tackle bacon wrapped jalapenos.  Now, all recipes I have come across just call for some cream cheese in the jalapenos.  If you know me, then you’ll know that I consider that too plain.  Anyone can do that.  I wanted to put a twist in it.  Let’s bump this up and play around with it for a little bit and see what happens.  I went back and forth thinking about what I could do.  I wanted to keep it as simple as possible but still kick up the flavor.  Finally…

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I am a lover of cheese, but I’m not a lover of all cheese. Blue cheese or anything that has a mold as an ingredient is not something I really want to eat. Stinky cheeses and sheep’s milk cheese are also not cheeses I care for much.

This may surprise you, but brie is also not a cheese I care for too much. I know people love it but for me, brie basically tastes like what an old musty basement would taste like if you could spread it on a cracker and serve it during cocktail hour.

However I can appreciate the creamy perfection of this cheese and how when melted, it envelops everything it touches. I have discovered that I like and enjoy brie when something sweet is accompanying it.

Because brie is a cheese that almost everyone else on the planet loves and it shows up often during the holidays, I wanted to create a recipe that…

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Still plowing your way through leftovers? This is one of my very favorite leftover recipes. I look forward to this all year long! I started doing this a few years back with leftover stuffing and have made it every year since. It’s so easy and so yummy! Perfect if you are hosting guests at your house and they are threatening bodily harm if you feed them another leftover. Disguise it!

Andrea’s Stuffing Frittata

• 1 C overloaded with stuffing
• 1 C of leftover chopped turkey
• 4 eggs
• 1 TBSP of olive oil
• Shredded Cheddar for topping

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium sized skillet, drizzle in the olive oil and heat over medium heat. Then add in the turkey and stuffing. Whisk the four eggs and pour that mixture over the turkey and stuffing. Making sure the egg mixture covers the whole thing. Turn off heat and plop in the oven for about 5 minutes…

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Hi guys!  I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving full of yummy food, laughs, and naps!  Over at OHC HQ we had a beautiful day, the skies were clear with a very mild temperature outside.  Perfect for an afternoon stroll to help digest the big meal.

Here we are the day after and while some of you may be shopping and scoring deals, others of you may be wondering how to handle all those leftovers in your fridge.  My suggestion is to turn them into something else!

For example, if you have leftover mashed potatoes and the last thing you want is another scoop of them, try my little Potato Puff recipe!

This is a recipe you can play around with and discover new combinations!  Possible mix-in ideas can include:

• Leftover greenbean casserole
• Leftover corn or corn pudding
• Turkey and cranberry sauce
• Corn and stuffing

Or you can even make a sweet potato puff!  Don’t get in a leftover rut, use your imagination and get…

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