Lifestyle
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Pineapple Coconut Pastry Braid
They say that necessity is the mother of invention. Sometimes, though, invention happens when your online grocery store order delivers the wrong item. My kids had asked for pigs in a blanket (we’re pretty high-brow around here when my husband is traveling for business, you know) but instead of regular crescent rolls, the store delivered a can of Pillsbury Honey Butter Crescent Rolls. Which sound lovely – but not wrapped around all-beef franks. I was curious about the taste AND wanted to use them, but not in a simple crescent with dinner. (And not with hot dogs.) I didn’t have anything on the menu this week that sang “honey butter”,…
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How To: Refresh Your Patio Chairs with Spray Paint
Late fall here is my favorite time to take my refresh and repaint projects outside or in the garage with the door open. The weather is neither too hot nor too cold, and perfect for letting paint set properly. The weather tends to be more dependable than in the spring when we’re getting a lot of rain and humidity, and the pollen and dust generally aren’t as bad. I recently bought some lovely new patio furniture in myrtle beach so I decided that my old outdoor chairs needed a revamp too. If you are like me, you are loath to replace something with life in it just because it’s looking…
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(Practically) Crafty: An Easy Summer Flip-Flop Wreath
I should start a series called (practically) crafty because I have a million ideas and minimal execution – but I like to think that when I do make time to craft, I do it right. That said, my front door has been barren and sad-looking, complimented by the growing cracks that are developing, thanks to blistering Dallas heat on a inappropriately dark shade of stain for a west-facing door. This poor door was crying “make me pretty”. But I was feeling, well, thrifty. And then at the craft store I spotted flip-flops, and a plan came together. This time I didn’t want to spend a lot of money (famous last…
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Summer Fun at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science
If you are looking for something to do in the Dallas area this summer, look no further than one of my favorite local destinations: The Perot Museum of Nature and Science. There is so much to explore there this summer that I wanted to share all the goings on! I was recently invited to Family Media Day at the Perot Museum, where they kicked off the morning with a film in The Hoglund Foundation Theater with DREAM BIG 3D. Narrated by Jeff Bridges, the film is a celebration of human ingenuity behind engineering marvels big and small. I will warn you – I cried, several times. Yes, in a movie…
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(Cook)Book Review: Breakfast in Texas
BREAKFAST IN TEXAS by Terry Thompson-Anderson Genre: Cookbook / Southwest Cuisine Publisher: The University of Texas Press Date of Publication: April 18, 2017 Number of Pages: 312 Scroll down for Giveaway! Texans love the morning meal, whether it’s bacon and eggs (often eaten in a breakfast taco) or something as distinctively nontraditional as saag paneer omelets, pon haus, or goat curry. A Lone Star breakfast can be a time for eating healthy, or for indulging in decadent food and drink. And with Texas’s rich regional and cultural diversity, an amazing variety of dishes graces the state’s breakfast and brunch tables. The first Texas cookbook dedicated exclusively to the…
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Family Travels: The Hard Rock Hotel Cancun
We hit the Hard Rock Hotel in Cancun over spring break with our kids – and a whole bunch of college students. Confession: Cancun didn’t immediately come to mind as a family destination, and I don’t know why because it’s a fabulous spot. Spring break snuck up on us so I handed the planning reins over to my favorite travel agent with instructions to find me something warm, family friendly, and a short flight from Dallas. Cancun fit the bill, and of all the options, the Hard Rock Hotel topped the list. What I found is that it was a decent mix of family and partiers, and for the most…
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Delicious Chicken Stock in your Instant Pot
So you’ve cooked a whole chicken in your Instant Pot or roasted a Tuscan-style chicken in the oven, and you saved the carcass like you were told to do…now all that’s left is to turn that leftover mess into some amazing chicken stock. Once you see how easy it is, you may just never buy it from the store again! I’ve made mine with one or two chicken carcasses, and with a basic cooking time of two hours – but if you have the time, you can let it pressure cook for up to four hours, and really draw out all the yummy goodness from the chicken bones. Cook’s…
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How To Cook a Whole Chicken in the Instant Pot
There is nothing in this world like a freshly roasted whole chicken. Unless, of course, you are pressed for time (and presentation isn’t as important), and for that you reach for your Instant Pot – because tender, juicy, fall off the bone chicken is less than an hour away. Given how lacking in time management skills I have been of late, the Instant Pot is my bestest friend. It doesn’t judge me about forgetting to put dinner in the slow cooker. Oh no. It waves at me and says “toss that in here and I’ll beep ‘atcha when I’m done.” Don’t get me wrong – I love a Costco chicken…
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Yummy Ham and Bean Soup
Growing up, after every nearly every holiday dinner that included a spiral-cut ham, my father made ham and bean soup. Like the turkey salad he made from the last dregs of turkey leftover from Thanksgiving dinner, it was one of those fixtures of childhood that was unique to my dad. I cooked a spiral ham for Christmas day, in part with the anticipation of turning the ham bone and some of the leftovers into a lovely warming soup. As soon as the excess meat was trimmed off, into the freezer it went until a free afternoon. There’s something soothing about making homemade soup. Simmering on the back burner, lovely scents…
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Instant Pot Tortellini Turkey Tetrazzini
Post-Thanksgiving meals bring to mind one thing: leftovers. Now, there are only so many turkey sandwiches and Hot Browns a girl can eat before she says “enough turkey”, so I always freeze a bag (or two) of leftover turkey for when I need a fast meal and am low on ideas – and in the mood for turkey again. (Bonus points for chopping the leftover turkey before freezing it!) Tonight was a typical Tuesday: I’m frazzled, completely “over” cooking, and staring at my pantry and my Instant Pot pressure cooker for some last-minute miracles. Thankfully, I had moved a bag of leftover turkey from the freezer to the refrigerator, so it was thawed and ready…
