Now that I am officially over my fear of pizza dough, I have been making pizzas like crazy.  Or crazy pizzas.  Whichever you prefer.  A pizza crust is like an open faced sandwich-a blank canvas, if you will-just waiting for you to fill it with textures and flavors and leftover bits and pieces.  This pizza is slightly sweet, smokey, meaty and would be great with some thin slices of green bell pepper or fresh jalapeno in there as well.  Click here for the recipe »

I make carrot cake for my mom.  Not everyone loves cake full of chunky bits of pineapple and pecans and raisins, but over the years it has grown on me.  I keep the chunks as small as possible so they are well dispersed and unoffensive and the result is a sweet, spice cake full of little surprises.  This recipe will also work for a layer cake if you are so inclined, but it is so hearty and rich that we rarely finish a whole birthday cake.  These little cupcakes are the perfect single serving and can be frozen whole, frosted, for pulling out as a snack any time your sweet tooth demands it. Click here for the recipe »

I have been making this fried chicken for my mother every year on her birthday for four years now.  I finally pulled it off.  Without a hitch.  Except I over salted it.  But still.  For those of you who are scared of fried chicken, just know: it takes practice.  You’ll get it but you have to keep at it, even if it is phenomenally bad.

This fried chicken is so good.  The brine makes the meat sweet and juicy and flavorful.  The breading is crunchy and thick.  If you can just get the frying part down, you’ll be a hero.  And all you have to do is practice.  Click here for the recipe »

When you know there is a busy day coming up, planning a crock-pot meal is a great way to keep yourself out of the drive-thru.  It is also a great way to make a lot of food all at once, which means leftovers for lunches or for freezing and pulling out on a future busy day.  These sliders are a super fun, fast meal that can sit-on hold-in the crock-pot for as long as you need.  I put the meat on before bed the night before I wanted to serve them because I didn’t think I would have enough time to get them on in the morning and it still was moist and tender twenty hours later.  It also would have been a perfect breakfast after only eight hours so feel free to start it the morning of if you like.

You may feel tempted to skip or rush the searing portion of the recipe but this is your only chance to get that delicious, caramelized flavor into your dish.  It also locks the juices into each chunk of pork keeping the meat moist until you are ready to eat.  So give yourself plenty of time to brown each piece completely and to cook the dish on low for at least eight hours.  Click here for the recipe »