Churro Chex Mix

Many years ago my family took one last "family" trip to Disneyland before I got married.  I can't think of churros without thinking of that trip, because that was the trip when my dad and I had our Churro Challenge...

After stopping to buy churros and excitedly gobbling them up, my dad and I decided we were going to make it our mission to stop at every single churro stand we saw that day.  Every last one.  God only knows how much money was spent on those fried treats that day, but I can tell you that by the end of the day I never wanted to see a churro again!

Ah, memories... :-)

Anyway, years later, not all that long after moving to TN, I got a HUGE craving for churros.  I just couldn't get them off of my mind, and I mentioned how much I wanted one to a coworker.

A California Girl Learns a New Trick

I love green beans.  Period.

I don't care how they're prepared- fresh from a farmer's market or simply reheated from a can, I'm going to love them.  

I'm going to DEVOUR them.

My mom laughs about how I used to eat them by the can as a kid.

Well, then I moved to Tennessee ...Southern cuisine is the one type of cooking that I continually struggle with- and between Mississippi and Tennessee I've lived in the South for 12 years now.  That seems like such a long time!  Ugh.  I'm getting old.

I once made corn bread so bad my ex-husband spit it out.  I couldn't fry anything- I had no idea what I was doing.  And green beans?  Well...um...I wasn't used to cooking them with bacon grease/fatback/etc.

Valentine's Pinwheel Cookies

It started snowing yesterday...and it just kept snowing.  Until about an hour ago, that is.  I'm currently looking at almost a foot of snow covering my yard. 

LOVE IT!

This California girl still gets giddy when it snows-I embrace snow days just as much as my daughter does.

I just got word that school is officially cancelled tomorrow also- no big surprise there given the amount of snow outside!  Unfortunately, tomorrow is Valentine's Day and that means my daughter will be missing out on her much-anticipated pajama day/Valentine's Day party at school.

Time to do something special at home!

The Fall Flavor Challenge Take Two

I mentioned before that the Allrecipes Allstars are partnering with SPLENDA® Sweetener this month, something I'm pretty excited about.  We go through a LOT of SPLENDA® Sweetener in this house!

I sub it for sugar very often..in coffee, soups, sauces, salads....but to be honest, I've never- EVER- baked with it.

This was new territory to me.  I already knew that we enjoyed it in the pumpkin cookies and mini apple muffins I made last week, but I had a new apple vs. pumpkin challenge posed to me by SPLENDA® Sweetener and Allrecipes.com.  

The Best Meal You've (Probably) Never Eaten

The Central Coast of CA- my "real" home- is beautiful. The climate is close to perfect, amazing wines are everywhere, the beach is right at your doorstep, and it's a mere 4-ish hour drive to either LA or San Francisco.
It. Is. Perfect.

I grew up eating something called "Santa Maria Style BBQ." It's a staple, and I had no idea that it really doesn't exist outside of the area around my hometown. Every fundraiser meal, every restaurant, every backyard get together…all feature the same dishes.

Family Time

Although I haven't lived there for a good decade, I'm from California.  Having spent the first 20 years of my life there, I'm pretty sure it will always feel like home. 

I don't get out there nearly enough.

Thankfully, my little sister got married and gave me a reason to haul my family out there last week!  I've had some unpleasant experiences travelling cross-country with my daughter in the past so I was pleasantly surprised to find out that 

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES ROCKS.

Lets Try This Again...

Well, here I go again, back for another attempt at blogging!

Truth be told, I'd forgotten that I'd deleted my last blog, which I suppose is a testament to just how irregularly I used it...

I'm definitely making it my goal to do much MUCH better this time!

So who am I?
 I'm a California transplant living in Tennessee.