an old favorite...

My oldest homegirl is in the hood!
She brought her little family down from
my old home town of, Muncie, Indiana for
some warmth and sunshine.

Pretty much as soon as they arrived and all the family and
extended family got together, someone got the bug.
*Cuss* at the bug. The bug is from the devil.
One by one it has infected and brought them to their knees...
even my poor little baby boy. It seemed to strike at the babies first.
*Cuss* at the bug. The bug is from the devil.

In between rotating in and out of the bathroom, we have
managed to have a little fun. Here's my granddaughter, Avah
at the Fort Worth Stockyards. She's a lil' miss sassy pants.
But that's ok... just look at that face.


Here's baby Gavin. He's only 3 months old.
He's the sweetest, most laid back little man
I've ever met... except when you mess with feeding time.

I have a point here... I was going to tell you something other
than about my family. However, I could talk about them all day.
They make me happy.

Oh, I know... "an old favorite".
Although my homegirl, Megan is an old favorite, she's not
what I wanted to tell you about.
No, my second favorite thing to talk about is... FOOD!

With the bug still lingering about, and since we're full blown
into the winter season (even though it's 50 degrees and sunny
here in big D... sorry to my Hoosier friends and family), I thought
I'd make an old favorite for dinner tonight
and wanted to remind you how easy and yummy it is.


*Chicken Tortilla Soup*

1 rotisserie chicken, chicken removed
3 to 4 cans chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken
1 can of Original Rotel
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
Tortilla chips
Mexican blend shredded cheese
Sour cream... optional

~Combine the first six ingredients in a medium-large pot,
over medium-high heat. Stir to combine.
~Bring to a simmer. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes.
~Serve with the tortilla chips and cheese (and sour cream) sprinkled on top.

Enjoy friends.
Stay warm and stay away from the bug.
It's the devil.
rolo

smothered hamburger steak...

Brrr, brrr, brrr... brrr, brrr!
Baby it's cold outside.

It's cold everywhere.
Even here in the Lone Star state.
My heater has been running non-stop.

And when it's this cold, all I want to do is eat
stuff like this and bake cookies.

Speaking of... hang on a second. I've got some chocolate
chip oatmeal cookies in the oven I need to check on...

.....................................................................................

O'm bok. *chomp* *chomp*
Oh, excuse me. I'm sorry for chewing in your ear.
What can I say? They're fresh out of the oven!

Anyway, what was I talking about?

Ahhh, yes. How could I forget about this.
This hot mess of delicious comfort.

You can whip this up in no time...
then return to your warm spot under
your covers with a happy belly.

~Smothered Hamburger Steak~

Prepare your favorite mashed potatoes.
Prepare and pan fry your favorite hamburgers.
Remove from pan, leaving drippings...
unless there's a lot, then drain most.
Grab a can of cream of mushroom soup and a
package of brown gravy.
Mix together in your pan with 1/4 to 1/2 cup water, until bubbly.

Serve over your hamburger patties immediately.

*Cookie baking optional.

Stay warm friends...
and feed your belly.
xo
rolo

fat witch...

I received something fun in the mail this past Saturday.

I just love getting fun stuff in the mail, don't you?
Whether you order it for yourself or a friend sends you a card...
there is just something special, something that makes you
smile and feel warm and fuzzy inside when opening something other than bills.


Isn't this the cutest thing?!


And the bag is adorable.
I'm a full-fledged bag lady. hee hee


Lets see what's inside...




Oooooooh... I love the packaging.

How clever.


Baby brownies! Awwww...
Aren't they adorable?!

Perfect for snacking.

Look, there's more...

Mmmmmm... bigger brownies!

Big fat brownies
This one is the "Blonde Witch".
Yum!

More?

Ahhhh... this one is MINE!
I must eat it now.

But first...

Let me share with you where I found
these lil' witches.
Over the holiday's I picked the
premiere issue of Where Women Cook.

I fell instantly in love.
And no, it doesn't have anything to do with
the fact that PW is on the cover...
Well, sort of.

This magazine is beautiful.
It was created by a woman.
It showcases women.
It's lovely.

Best thing is, it's full of information, ideas and inspiration.
I know that each time I pick it up I'll find something new.

Here is the section where I discovered
the famous Fat Witch Bakery, located
in Chelsea Market in New York.

I quickly looked up the link online and placed my order.

Had to have some of this goodness. Stat!

Now, lets eat one...

Again, I love the packaging.

I think I'll try this one first... it's the original.

Ooooh, I can't wait.

Huh?

Seems my homegirl was hiding behind me and couldn't wait either...


Back for seconds and I haven't even tasted yet...

She shows no remorse.

She pretty much grabbed, chewed and bolted...
but in her wake she proclaimed, "YUM"!

Fine... I'll go ahead and have the Java Witch.
Each one has their own little saying on the back.
Adorable.

Oh. My.
Pure deliciousness.
Simple satisfaction.

Give 'em a try. Order yourself a Fat Witch...
it'll make you smile.

xo
rolo

tex-mex beer chili...

*slurp*, *slurrrrrrp*
Oh, hello... please excuse me while I lick my bowl.
I'm sorry.
I just can't help myself.
This stuff ranks up there with finger-lickin' good.

By the way, Happy New Year!


Here, I served it over homemade tamales.
My good friend, Amy, hand made tamales
over the New Year holiday and brought me some.
My, oh my were they yummy... she came later and
we made them together at my casa. More on that later.

Today I want to share this chili.
I want you to make this chili.
And I want you to slurp your bowl.

So, I'll stop talking now and tell you how to make it.
It's super easy...

~Tex-Mex Beer Chili~

2 lbs ground beef
1 can black beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 can Shiner Bock beer... or your favorite
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or more
1 tsp salt, to taste
1 small onion, chopped and sauteed
in butter until golden and soft
2 cloves of garlic, chopped and sauteed
with the onion.

~Cook ground beef in skillet... while cooking use a potato masher
to break apart the beef for a finer texture. Drain.
~Mix beef in a large pot with the black beans, tomatoes,
tomato sauce, water, and beer.
~Cook on med-high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring a couple of times.
~Add the chili powder, oregano, cayenne pepper (remember, you can more
if you like it fire breathing hot) and salt. Stir.
~Bring to a simmer and cook about 10 minutes.
~Add the sauteed onion and garlic.
~Simmer for about 20 minutes.

Serve it with crackers or cornbread.
Serve it over hot dogs or tamales.
I don't care how you serve it...
I just want you to make it and eat it!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a bowl to finish slurping.
rolo

rum glazed pecans...

These were a fun and scrumptious treat to
make and give away this holiday season...

and it's not late for you to make and enjoy, or share,
for your New Years celebrations.

They are super easy to make.
Here, let me show you...

Combine 1/2 cup white sugar,
1/2 cup brown sugar,
and 2 tablespoons butter in a sauce pan.

Add 1/4 cup Dark Rum.

Put your heat on medium-low.


Begin to stirring to combine.

You'll want to stir continuously until it boils.
Continue to stir for about 7 minutes until the syrup
begins to appear clean and non-granular.

Pour in the pecans.

Here's where you can give another splash or two of rum...
if you'd like, or not. Then stir to coat the pecans.

Remove from heat.

Spray your baking sheet w/ a non-stick spray.


Pour the pecans onto your baking sheet and spread the out evenly.

Give 'em a little sprinkling of Sea Salt.

Followed by a dashing of sugar... or not, if you prefer.
This is totally optional.

Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Remove from oven, cool completely, break apart and devour!

So good.

Happy Holiday's Friends!
xo
Rolo

an peace offering...

A Holiday treat...
I offer you for my non-bloggin' self.
Please forgive me for my lameness the past six months or so.


Now, with the majority of our casa
updating complete, I'm back in my kitchen.
Yippee!


And just in time for the holiday's no less.

I made these the other day to give away...
that was after I "tested" it. mmm... ;)

*Salted Caramel Pecan Bars*

1 cup chopped pecans
12 whole graham crackers
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter
2 Tablespoon whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt

~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake pecans in a single
layer in a shallow pan 10 to 12 minutes or until toasted
and fragrant, stirring halfway through.
~ Line a 15- x 10-inch jelly-roll pan with foil;
lightly grease.
~ Arrange graham crackers in a single layer
in prepared pan, slightly overlapping edges.
~ Combine sugar, butter, and cream in a medium-size
heavy saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat,
stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and stir in
vanilla and pecans. Pour butter mixture over crackers,
spreading to coat.
~ Bake for 10 to 11 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.
~ Immediately sprinkle with salt, and slide foil from pan onto
a wire rack. Cool completely (about 30 minutes). Break into bars.

Enjoy!

Peace, Love, Good Food and Warmth...
Rolo

they grow up...

They grow up... they do.

This is my P Pie... my second born granddaughter.
She turned 1 yesterday.
Happy Birthday PJ!

A year ago my second born homegirl was
busy bringing her into the world.

I remember this exact moment... she, "Big D"
and the Doc had just made the decision to go with
a c-section. I told her give me thumbs up.
She was so brave.

A little while later we had this...


And this.


The next day I got to do this...

And take images of the beginning of her life.


So much love.


I know the feeling.
Even though I was a little younger when I had
my homegirl, (here she is turning 2), I can still
remember the exact moment of bringing her into the world...
and about a billion more moments of her life, and still feel the love.

I'll always feel the love.

Gosh, dang, they grow up too fast.
*sniff sniff*