It is no secret my crew and I love Asian inspired meals. I seriously watch Mark Weins of Migrationology every single day.  He is this amazing blogger and food traveler that I am subscribed to and dude makes me so hungry with every single video. He does primarily focus on Asian countries but he has been featuring videos of his trip to Mexico and that is another place that has some serious amazing good food.



Anywoo, I am now contributing as recipe developer for Town and Gown magazine here in my town. When the editor said healthy and good, I knew I wanted to do Asian inspired. The use of fresh greens, herbs and veggies is so inspiring and so healthy. Pair it with a little flair with the sauces and oh muh gawd, yes.

My children loved each one of these recipes but they took most to the spring/summer rolls so much that I had to make them everyday for that entire week. I didn't complain though, heck, they were eating clean, right.



Check out these recipes coming to the Town and Gown website soon, but for now, if you are local to Starkville, Mississippi or the surrounding areas, you can pick up the magazine locally and try these out!

I am not a huge football fan.  As a college student, I went to one game and I do not think I stayed the entire game. Here in the South though, everyone is die hard about their football, basketball and baseball,  so the Super Bowl is a huge thing.

We always throw a Super Bowl party.   Of course, for me it is about food but for my kids, family and friends it is about whose team is going to smash the living daylights out of the other team. Loads of yelling at the tv while lauging with each other and of course, some good game day eats.


Here are some things my oldest son tested with me yesterday to make sure they could go down on the menu. They were a huge hit and we can't wait to have these again for game day. And one thing rings true abut the South, we love football and bbq. These game day treats are the perfect combination of cheesey potato goodness with amazing bbq flavor.



Twice Baked Sweet Potato BBQ Chicken Baby Potatoes

One Bag of Baby Potatoes
Kyvan Sweet Potato BBQ Sauce
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 - 1 cup Sour Cream
1/2 cup of Shredded Cheddar
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons Kyvan Dry BBQ Rub
2 tablespoons Butter
Micro Greens

In a meduim size pot of water, bring the baby potatoes to a boil then reduce to meduim heat. Cook for twenty minutes until potatoes are tender.

Remove potatoes from water and allow them to cool.

Once cool, slice the potatoes in half and use a spoon to scoop out the insides of the potatoes.  Place what you scoop out into a bowl.

Add in sour cream, salt, pepper, cheese and mix well. Should be thick and creamy. If dry or too chunky, add in more sour cream.

Set potato mixture aside.



In skillet on meduim heat, cook your chicken breasts with dry bbq rub and butter. Cook breasts until done. Allow to cool once removing from heat and then shred the chicken.

Coat the shredded chicken with 1/2 cup or 1 cup of bbq sauce.

Line the potato skins on a baking sheet and scoop in a spoonful of the potato mixture. Top with shredded cheese and a half a spoonful of chicken. Place in oven and bake for 5 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serve hot and fresh, and add a garnish of microgreens.



We also did a variation of this added by sprinkling Kyvan Dry BBQ rub over the potato mixture and baking plain.  After they were removed from the oven, I added a piece of bacon that had been cooked after being sprinkled with the rub for a nice smoky bbq flavor.

One potato, two ways!

Amazing butcher blocks courtesy of Woods Rooted.

Here it is and  Christmas is right around the corner.  I feel like I am running out of time.

I need to time to do all the crazy, cool and exciting things I want to do. One of them is host one banging arse party where we all laugh, joke and have so much fun that our kids' kids tell stories about that epic party thrown by great-great-great-great-great grandma Divian. *Cue cloud atlas soundtrack*

So while searching for ideas for muh partay (that is bound to be of epic proportions, because, hello, it's ME) I found some stuff I cannot wait to try...

In the spirit of holiday parties, here is what I am loving ideawise.

1. This hot chocolate bar. (Even though my college freshman daughter tells me I try to be too fancy...the nerve of her! She will appreciate this when she is older)
2. This Copper Drink Shaker because, well, it looks amazing. Just think of all the pinterest drinks you can dream of making with this bad boy.
3. I like bar carts and I can not lie...when a bar cart walks by with a circular frame it is epic.
4. When it is a recipe from 2008 and still has you drooling. Gingerbread.

Today I had the bright idea to pull out the Christmas tree and put it up. I know some folks are all, "It ain't even Thanksgiving yet!" but I am in the holiday spirit. I turn on some Christmas music and head to the closet to pull out the tree. The kids are lounging in the living room looking at me like I am crazy as I throw box after box onto the floor. Clearly, they are not experiencing the same enthusiasm I am. Are we in the same family? Get with it, kids!

I am all excited as I begin to put together the base when I realize, I only have two legs. Seriously? Are you kidding me? Searching through camping gear, gallons of water that are in the closet, I find one more leg for the base and it is broken.

Do you think that was going to stop me? Oh no. I propped that cocked and leaning bad boy up against the wall and stood back to admire my handy work.

Tree. was. assembled.

There I stood, all the lights on the limbs of this prelit wonder from last year connected and I held in my hands the extension power cord. Obviously, it was not my day, unlike in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, I plugged the cord into the outlet and I was greeted with nothing. Not even a moment of joy.   Nothing. Not one light.

I was devastated. I threw on a strand of lights that I had hanging in my boys's room and it just wasn't doing the trick.  Something about a big ol' Christmas tree with one strand of lights cascading around it like garland just was not getting it.

My kids laughed at me and even right now, the Leaning Tower of Christmas Wonder stands in the corner, literally on it's last leg.  No decorations, just that one strand of lights.



To make myself feel better, I finally finalized the Thanksgiving dinner menu. When I sent it to my college freshman daughter, she typed back, "Why you have to be all fancy when you have a big family?"  Seriously? I swear my hard work is not appreciated.

Well, no matter what, this is the menu and I ain't changing it. They can kick a couple rocks, because this is what we are eating.

What is on your holiday menu?




Why not try these tart and sweet kolaches? I am not having them for Thanksgiving but they will be in rotation for the holidays.



Also, I honestly battled with the sweet potatoes this year. I really wanted these twice baked ones my mom made one year but settled on attempting some meringue covered ones.  Of course, I just may have some extra on hand to make the baked ones because...I have....never....made meringue before.

I think I am just a glutton for punishment. Oh lawd.

I have four kids. I am a single mama, divorced since 2007. 

Trying to come up with birthday ideas for my kids that are budget friendly that I can do on my own is tough. 



When my youngest turned thirteen this summer, I knew I had to make it special. At the time (and still to this day) I was obsessed with candy cakes....over the top cakes topped with anything you can find. I am no baker but I loved making her cake.




I opted for a simple taco bar. Easy enough, right? You cook your meats and everything else is pretty much prep. Yes, this was so easy.



This is a fabulous idea because, well, who doesn't love tacos? What kid hates candy? A win-win, right?

Right.



My kids and our guests loved it. Even though the cake fell on the back side, nothing was left. All food was eaten and we didn't know whether to pass out from food overload or be super hype from our sugar high.



This was one of my favorite parties to put together. Outside of the taco bar, we had an ice cream mini bar and the best part???? The best part was that it all cost me less than $100. I'm taking all the food, the Dollar Tree decorations and errthang....less than $100.



Tips for buying on a budget for a birthday party:

• Check out your local dollar store. 

• Dollar Stores have tons of candy for goody bags, candy bars, chips, drinks, and decorations. 

• Clearance!

• Tons of grocery stores and stores in general have clearance sections or baskets. Look at those clearance bins for candy or decorations for some awesome deals. I got all the toppings for the ice cream bar for 90 cents a bag.

• Plan a simple menu but display it in a high end fashion.

• Burgers, hotdogs, tacos, etc....display your food items on coordinating serving platters. It really makes a difference.

• Be Creative!

• Make decorations for inexpensive items.

I had hard taco shells, flour tortillas, and bags of doritoes that they could use to make their own Taco-in-a-Bag. Seriously, dudes, this was so good.

DIY Sandwich Tray. Arrange all the necessities for a tasty sandwich and let everyone make their own.

Fajita Platter.  It took me about fifteen minutes to cook the steak and chicken and veggies, then it was just laying them out to be eaten. Super easy and we all love fajitas around here!

Poboys are popular here in the South. I fried up some catfish, steamed some mussels and we had a simple dinner ready to be picked up and devoured.

Being a photographer who spends the majority of her time at home while the kids are at school, I spend a lot of time looking over things online. From reading and catching up on the news, to watching youtube, surfing pinterest and foodgawker to no end, I am always seeing things that I love.

Each week from now on, I will be sharing some of the things that I see and absolutely fall in love with. Recipes, gadgets, gift ideas, articles, anything that I find online that I like, I will share with you guys.

So for this week, here is what I have been looking at and drooling over, check em out, peeps!

1. This super easy homemade wine recipe from PawPaw. I have a few batches fermenting as I type. 
2. Seriously, Maple Cinnamon homemade marshmallows? Just in time for the upcoming holidays, this recipe by Joy Food Sunshine looks amazing.
3. Tell Me Tuesday's Rosemary, Grapefruit and Gin Cocktail looks so refreshing. Has me daydreaming about summer in our newly sprung fall. 
4. There is something about an all white table that I am loving lately...really digging this tablescape by Home Oh My.
5. Why yes, please....Carnitas Tacos over at The Tortilla Channel. Drools.

I must admit...this holiday shopping is going to be hard. Not because I do not know what the guys in my life like, but because it is getting harder and harder to choose gifts that not only that they will like or love but will show just how much they mean to me.

As for my two boys, ages 12 and soon to be 15, they are easy. Every gift for them will be something that makes them happy, have fun, educates them and inspires them.

I do have a few men in my life who are single and mean the world to me. They are  foodies like me and one loves to think that he is a gourmet chef. Although that is what he may think he is, he still needs a bit of assistance every now and then. That, on top of the fact that he works a hard nine to five, dinner as a single is more than shouting your order through the local drive through.

Imagine my excitement when I saw this.

Peep The Mantry.

So you mean to tell me, I can help out my single, handsome (totally single), foodie man friend with a gift of foodness?  Boxes include snacks and tons of stuffs your man friend may not buy for himself. Prices are amazing and yep, who doesn't love getting a gift of yums?



Encourage your man friend, brother, uncle, dad, friend, cousin to step up his culinary skills and tastebuds with treats that will definitely influence him and make him happy. Did I mention they also have recipes? Double win.  Did I also mention that Mantry partners with City Harvest to donate 1% of sales? Triple win.

Hot sauce is one of those condiments you will find everywhere in the South. Every restaurant will have it displayed and even if it is not in sight, you can certainly ask for it and I bet you they have bottles of this spicy sauce.

My family loves hot sauce. When I go to the grocery store, I end up with the huge 12 oz bottle and as big as it is, it only lasts a few weeks. My sons, especially put it on every single thing. Like seriously, everything. My 14 year old must have it on certain foods otherwise he will not eat. While we keep hot sauce in our house, being spice and hot sauce fanatics, we love trying different kinds of hot sauce. Sometimes we have challenges. Sometimes we do blind taste testing.

When we received two awesomely packaged bottles of Tabanero, my kids were ready. We even had a neighbor over who wanted in on giving the two sauces a try.



So I laid out two tasting bowls, filled them with the sauces and we did a taste test.

I really loved the regular one and the sweet one we all agreed would make a pretty mean hot wing sauce.  So we voted and we all gave the sauces high marks and decided that we would use them both for a batch of hot wings in place of our regular buffalo sauce for our Super Bowl Party.



For delicious game day wings from the head honchos themselves, check out the Tabanero Blog for five finger lickin' wing recipes!


The heat level of the Tabanero sauces is just right. There is a hint of heat without it being overwhelming and there is no after taste that will leave you reaching for a glass of milk. I mean, it is really smooth.

When trying the Agave Sweet & Spicy, your tongue is greeted with a bite of spice then ends on a soft and lightly sweet note. For anyone who can not handle a bunch of heat, this one is really nice. I think it would be perfect with a few dashes of it on top of a burger.

So for this tasting, they both were winners, but we really have almost used the entire bottle of the Hot Sauce Picante. It was just that good.


If you have ever wanted to try hot sauce here is a list of things to try it on or in:

1. Add a few dashes to your cocktail sauce and kick up Shrimp Cocktail to a new level.
2. On popcorn. A few splashes and add a bit of heat to your popcorn.
3. In your bbq sauce
4. Instead of regular tartar sauce, add in a little hot sauce
5. In greens. Mustard, collard, turnip or even on kale.
6. Love baked beans, add in a few splashes.
7. In your sloppy joes. When mixing your sloppy joe, sprinkle in some hotsauce
8. Sprinkle on your eggs. 
9. Fry up some fish and use hot sauce instead of tartar sauce
10. Mix in a little hotsauce to your butter and place a bat of your spicy butter on top of a nicely cooked steak.

Everyone knows that Christmas and the holidays means pumpkin everything or sweet potato and pecan pies. At least here in the South. But this season, why not try something different? Something sure to calm the palettes down after a hearty dinner. Serve with coffee, hot chocolate or tea and sit around the tree or in the family room talking about all the things you are thankful for.

Death By Chocolate and Peanut Butter Ice Cream Brownie Cake

Here in the South, we have a large number of people who do not eat healthy. Many blame it on the poverty level, and to an extent that is true. While it is better to eat healthy, it can be expensive for families to do so. That is why when I received the book Green Is Good by Elizabeth Gorcey, I was immediately impressed.

It came with a packet of seeds.



While so many families struggle to be able to afford healthy foods, this book immediately encourages healthy eating by way of growing some of your own foods. Yes, organic can be expensive, but there are ways to cut the cost and grow things on your own. Even space is not an issue when you take in account that there are many things that can be grown indoors and even outdoors in small places. Large cities have even started encouraging neighborhood gardens, where people can come together to grow fruits and vegetables.



Eating organic and 'green' can seem challenging, for us adults....but this book is perfect for introducing the concept and the healthy habit to young children....after all, we are a product of what we are exposed to as children...it either influences us positively or negatively, but either way, what we experience as kids shapes us as grownups.

This book is full of delightful illustrations. They draw us in to the fun and whimsy side of peeking into the life of Elizabeth's daughter, Liv and her dog, Bowie. What our kids get is the ability to relate to a character that is their age, with a pet who discovers the joy of going green. It helps that her cute boxer, Bowie is right there to tag along.



What I enjoy most about this book is the ability for us as parents to be able to open dialog with our children after reading it. Visit a market, the produce section of a grocery store and go over the differences you find there. Show your children the importance of avoiding unhealthy foods but show them also, that there are lots of fabulous treats found in nature.



I remember growing up eating sugar cane. Oh my. I have been on a mission to find it so that my kids could experience the sweet that was had before bubblegum and all the cookies and candies. Sugar Cane, grown in nature and a natural sweetness that is often unappreciated in our world of processed goodies.



After reading this book, my kids and I talked about eating healthy and we have grown our own herbs and small veggies. They have experienced things that allow them to appreciate food and nature. It is important to teach our children that life with food can not only be enjoyable, it can help them maintain a healthy lifestyle.

This amazing and easy to read book is available September 20th, 2015. This would be such an amazing gift for a budding young horticulturalist ...can you just imagine a cute basket in pink and green full of supplies and seeds to help get them started? I can!