Southern Sunday Treat

Thanks to Pinterest I have millions of others tried and true recipes at my finger tips and oh do they love to go a walkin' on lazy Sunday afternoons.  I ran across a "no-bake" Banana Pudding recipe that I knew I just had to try just for my hubby!  I have never attempted banana puddin' before today but I feel confident I will again soon :)  It was really simple!  I adapted the recipe a bit because for some reason these days we seem to be getting less and less ounces for the same price as before.  Trying to find a 5 ounce package of jello pudding is near impossible these days!  So here goes the adapted recipe:

No-Bake Banana Puddin'

2 (3.4 ounce) packages of instant banana cream pudding
2 cups cold milk - I used skim
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk - I used fat free
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 (8 ounce) containers frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (8 ounce) package of Bud's Best vanilla wafers
4 bananas, sliced

Mix together the packages of pudding and the 2 cups milk. Whisk for 2 minutes until it starts to thicken up.  Pour the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract into the pudding mixture and whisk to combine.

Begin layering in a large bowl: wafers, 2 sliced bananas, half the pudding mixture, 1 container of the whipped cream, then repeat wafers, 2 sliced bananas, remaining pudding mixture, remaining container of whipped cream and a few decorative wafers on top.

Refrigerate until ready to eat (at least 2 hours but ideally, overnight).

Happy Bites :)

One Kookin' Kouple

Lulu & Jonjon

Memorable quotes:  "Psych" Spellingg Bee (2006) - Shawn Spencer [into the microphone] Ba-NA-na. A yellow fruit. Also, a kind of pudding. A delicious pudding.

Mardi Gras is the love of life!

The Hubs and I enjoyed two if our homemade favorites in celebration of this past "Fat Tuesday" - Cajun Shrimp and Smoked Gouda Grits and Hurricane Punch!  [If it was even possible] I think he came to love me even more after I made these two yummy items for him the first time!  One of his all time FAV combos now :)  Makes my heart smile every time he finishes the last bite of the shrimpn'grits leftovers and wants to know when it will be in the menu rotation again.

I love anything THEMED!!  Holidays lead to parties which lead to putting together fun outfits and food menus!  And he has come to embrace and love all those 'lil things too - esp. when it means great themed meals are in in-store for his manly yet eclectic palette.  But if we are being honest - we girls with the "gift" - we can make a Holiday out of anything ;)

Hurricane Punch
makes 6 to 8 servings
(we always make double and freeze the leftovers to enjoy on a random occasion)
4 cups pineapple juice
4 cups orange juice
2 cups light rum (for best results we use Captain Morgan's Silver Spiced Rum)
1 cup grenadine
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 triple sec
1 liter lemon-lime-flavored soda, chilled*

Combine all ingredients; stir to mix well.  When ready to serve, add lemon-lime beverage; stir gently.  Serve over ice....  Or think ahead and put a couple of plastic glasses full of this yummy goodness in the freezer to get niiiiice and slushy!  I am not much on sugar comas, well not in this 30-thing metabolism decade of my life, so we omit the "simple syrup" part of this orig. recipe - there is nothing simple about a cup of sugar, not even when mixed with lil ole H2O.  There is plenty of natural sugar in the listed Ingreds.  I promise.  I assure you.

*when doubling the recipe we still use the 1 liter of lemon-lime soda (diet, of course).

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

(Pronounced "Lay say lay bohn tohn roo lay")... In plain English - Let the good times roll!!!!!!!!!

[I have TRIED to use less exclamations, bible, but while periods serve their glorious purpose 99% of the time !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! just give me some sort of happy, joyous release! !! !! ! Just can.not describe it ;)]  It truly is the 'lil things in Life.

Drink up and enjoy!
Jonjon and Lulu

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Nothing says L-O-V-E like rice-crispy GOODNESS!


Red Velvet Rice Crispy Treats

1 (10.5 oz) bag of mini marshmallows

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup red velvet cake mix

6 cups rice crispies cereal

sprinkles for topping, optional for that extra pizazz!

1. Melt butter and mini marshmallows over low heat. When the marshmallows are completely melted, mix in the vanilla and red velvet cake mix.
2. Remove from heat and carefully stir in the rice crispies until evenly coated.
3. Pour the batter into a lined or greased 13"x9" pan and press down.
4. Wait until cooled and cut to serve.

We hope you enjoy and have a wonderful Vday!

Jonjon & Lulu

POP it like it's hot!

Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich

This jalapeño popper grilled cheese sandwich was DELISH-ious!!!!!!  Made with homegrown jalapeño peppers :)  We both have a love for the hott & spicy so this was right up our alley.  Next time I'll serve it with some creamy soup of some sort...

Ingredients per sandwich

• 2 jalapeño peppers, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
• 2 slices sour dough bread
• 1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup jack and cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 tablespoon tortilla chips, crumbled

Directions

1. Place the peppers on a baking sheet with the cut side facing down.
2. Place the baking sheet on the top shelf in the oven and broil until the outer layer of the skin has blackened, about 8-14 minutes.
3. Place the peppers in a zip-lock bag or other sealable container, seal and let them cool until you can handle them, about 20 minutes.
4. Remove the skins from the peppers. The skins should easily "pinch" off.
5. Assemble sandwich and grill until golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Father's Day Breakfast: Ultimate Melt-in-Your-Mouth Pancakes

We celebrated most of Father's Day weekend 2011 at the ballpark for Allstars but after breakfast Sunday we spent our Father's Day driving around in the 2011 Jeep Wrangler I rented.  We hit up Tannehill and then went to Mom & Dad's for Dreamland ribs, yum!!  It was the perfect day to spend the day with family :)

Ingredients:

2 cups Bisquick

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 eggs

The lemon juice and baking powder provide a little more “lift” in these pancakes, making them lighter and fluffier than most.

1. Heat griddle or skillet over medium-high heat or electric griddle to 375°F; grease with cooking spray. (Surface is ready when a few drops of water sprinkled on it dance and disappear.)
2. Stir all ingredients with a wire whisk or fork just until the ingredients are moistened & blended. Pour by slightly less than 1/4 cupfuls onto hot griddle.
3. Cook until edges are dry. Turn; cook until golden. To keep warm, place in single layer on cookie sheet. Cover with aluminum foil, and place in 200°F oven up to 10 minutes.

Ohh myy gosh ... SO GOOD!!

Okra isn't just for frying or gumbo anymore! This recipe we stumbled across on Southern Living's site simply ROCKS your tastebuds.  This is a must try if you are an okra lover.  I was in charge of the gril while Jonjon snuck in some extra study time and mine came out a little more burned "delicately charred," a phrase we have adopted from the authors of "Just Married & Cooking."  Nonetheless they were sooo good!

Peppery Grilled Okra With Lemon-Basil Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

• Cheesecloth or coffee filter*
• 1 (32-oz.) container plain low-fat yogurt*
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground pepper, divided
• 2 pounds fresh okra, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Garnish: freshly ground pepper

Preparation

• 1. Line a wire-mesh strainer with 3 layers of cheesecloth or 1 (12-cup) coffee filter. Place strainer over a bowl. Spoon yogurt into strainer. Cover and chill 24 hours. Remove yogurt, discarding strained liquid. *(we substitued 16oz of plain Greek yogurt and it turned out just fine, just a helpful tip if you don't have 24 hours for your tastebuds to sit on hold ;)
• 2. Preheat grill to 400° to 450° (high) heat. Combine strained yogurt, basil, next 3 ingredients, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
• 3. Toss together okra, olive oil, and remaining 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper in a large bowl.
• 4. Grill okra, covered with grill lid, over 400° to 450° (high) heat 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until tender. Cool 5 minutes.
• 5. Transfer okra to a serving dish, and serve with dipping sauce. Garnish, if desired.

as previously published in Southern Living, JULY 2009



These muffins are banana! B-a-n-a-n-a!

Ok, so we are a couple of Claire Robinson snobs... at least we admit it ;)  If you have yet to check out her show, "5 Ingredient Fix" on Food Network I suggest you set your Tivo, DVR, etc. Her recipes make a big flavor bang without a lot of buck at the grocery store.  Recipes with lots of ingredients make people nervous, including me, and the more you need the more likely you are to forget one or more. You will notice several of her recipes showcased in our blog from time to time.

A few nights ago I pre-made muffins for our morning breakfast.  Every since I discovered this recipe called for "ripe" bananas I was all over it! We had a whole bunch of neglected very ripe bananas from the last Sam's trip that never made it into the snack rotation and if you know me personally I hate to waste anything. I even drove to the grocery store that night at 9:00pm to get "self-rising" flour because we were out - I was just that excited and bent on making them.


Brown Butter Banana Muffins: Yield 12 muffins

1/4lb (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 ripe bananas
1/3 cup raw agave syrup or honey
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups self-rising flour

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper muffin liners.

Put the butter in a small saucepan or skillet and melt over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the milk solids have turned a nutty golden brown and remove from the heat and let cool.

Peel the bananas and mash into a large bowl with fork until liquefied. Add the honey (what we had on hand) and egg and stir well; pour in the butter and whisk until completely combined. Add the flour and, with a rubber spatula, fold it into the wet ingredients until just combined; do not over mix.  With an ice cream scoop, evenly divide the batter among the muffin tin cups.

Bake in the center of the oven until golden brown and the tops spring back when pressed, about 25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes in the muffin tin; transfer the muffins to a rack to cool completely. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: To make self-rising flour, add 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to 1 cup all-purpose flour.

What to toss in if you have it:
Chopped toasted pecans will add a nice crunch; or Claire also reccomends a smear of cream cheese on a warm muffin, heaven!

5 Ingredient Fix - Easy, Elegant, and Irresistible Recipes, Claire Robinson, Host of 5 Ingredient Fix [October 2010]

Pizza, Pizza!

Homemade Pizza is so easy and just as long as you don't take yourself too seriously it's fun too!  The dough is never going to be perfect because we all don't have the time to go and study Domino's secrets in our spare time.  This last one we made was out of this world good!  Making it at home we can put as little or as much of the good stuff that we want on it or half n half since Jonjon doesn't really share my ridiculous love of olives (not picky, love them all equally the same).  In preparation preheat the oven to 450°F for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour.

We bought our dough from Publix for $1.99.  Flatten it with your hands on a slightly floured work surface. Starting at the center and working outwards, use your fingertips to press the dough to 1/2-inch thick.  Turn and stretch the dough until it will not stretch further.  You can also use a kitchen roller (floured) but if you are like us and don't own one a wine bottle works just fine ;)  Let the dough relax 5 minutes and then continue to stretch it until it reaches your desired diameter.  Use your palm to flatten the edge of the dough where it is thicker. You can pinch the edges if you want to form a lip.  We've also made stuffed crust before too and it doesn't take much to place string cheese along the edges and roll the dough over it.  Lightly sprinkle your baking sheet with Italian bread crumbs or corn meal works too.  Too prevent the dough from getting soggy from the toppings you can brush a small amount of olive oil on it, use your finger tips to press down and make dents along the surface of the dough to prevent bubbling. Let rest another 5 minutes.  Spoon on the tomato sauce (we enjoy the 7-herb variety), sprinkle with cheese, and place your desired toppings on the pizza - fresh basil curls are a must for us.  Bake pizza until browned and the cheese is golden, about 10-15 minutes, and Presto!  Enjoy :)

5.21.2011 Summer in the South

Nothing screams summer in the South like plump, juicy tomatoes!  Take advantage of summer’s vibrant bounty from farmers’ markets, local farm stands, or even your own backyard if you happen to have a husband with a green thumb like my Jonjon.  Me... I'm just in charge of decorating our rustic garden and finding new recipes to make with our yummy, fresh ingredients.

 

We recently made another trip back to Pepper Place Market with lil C in tow to meet up with a good friend to take in a cooking demo, book signing and shop for our ingredient of the day - green tomatoes!  Newlyweds Brooke Parkhurst and James Briscione (two-time champion of the Food Network's Chopped) wrote a new his-and-her cookbook "Just Married & Cooking", in hopes of helping young couples learn their way around the kitchen, which was right up our alley.  Our signed copy now sits in on an easel in our kitchen :)

You can check out Brooke & James' website at http://justmarriedandcooking.com/.  We'll def. be making something from their book soon, maybe this weekend if we can sneak in a trip to Pepper Place between all lil C's baseball games and Jonjon's studies :)  In the meantime, enjoy this recipe from one of our favorite Food Network stars, Claire Robinson of 5-Ingredient Fix!  The green tomatoes we purchased at Pepper Place that very day star.

 

Green Tomato and Vidalia Onion Gratin

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound bacon
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs (we cheated & didn't use fresh bread crumbs... won't make that mistake again! Go for the fresh if you can)
• 2 large Vidalia onions, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds
• 4 large green tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 6 ounces sharp white Cheddar, grated, about 1 1/2 cups

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Render bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Add the bread crumbs to a small bowl. Remove 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the skillet and stir into the bread crumbs. Add the onion rounds to the skillet in batches and cook, without breaking the round slices apart, until there is some golden color, about 5 to 6 minutes per side.

To assemble the gratin, overlap the green tomato slices in 1 row in a large baking dish, about 9 by 11 inches. Next, make a row slightly overlapping of the partially cooked onion rounds, being careful to keep the slices intact. Repeat steps until all tomatoes and onions are used. Season tomatoes and onions lightly with salt and heavily with pepper. Crumble the bacon over the vegetables; sprinkle the grated Cheddar over the top followed by the bread crumbs. Bake until the cheese is bubbly, about 30 to 45 minutes. If the top is getting too brown, loosely cover with foil.

Grilled Cheesy Corn

It has literally been forever since we've posted, oops! I assure you we've been heating up the kitchen but left with little time to share.  I don't have much time to gloat right now but I must say married life and my sweet husband ROCKS!!! I love that we love to cook together and make time for it as much as we can during even the busiest of weeks.  We follow "plainchicken.blogspot.com" (we recommend you do too ;) and we have been so wrapped up in the awesome recipes there we have been a lil lazy in going out to find our own to try. In the current issue of Southern Living I found a must try for our "date night" cookout for 2 this past Saturday night.
Grilled Cheesy Corn

Preheat grill to 350 to 400 (medium high heat).  Soak corn in cold salted water to cover 10 minutes then drain.  The recipe calls for fresh corn, removing and discarding silks and tying husks together with kitchen string to form a handle. However we used frozen corn and it turned out perfectly.  Grill corn covered with grill lid, 15 minutes or until golden brown, turning occasionally.  Remove from grill, brush corn with melted butter; sprinkle with salt, chili powder, paprika, and grated Parmesan cheese.  Serve with fresh lime wedges.  OMG! Heaven in my mouth!!

12.03.2010 It's been a crazy Fall...

Wedding date is set :)  Sunday, 3.27.2010...  Now to iron out every other detail... I never knew wedding planning was so overwhelming but subconcisouly I must have because I had always intended on eloping, some days I think it still might not be to late.  All in all I can't complain though, we have A.Mazing family and friends that are helping tremendiously.  I always have in the back of my mind that I know more than anything I want it to be married to this wonderful man and start our new life together so it keeps the stress to a minimum.

Now on to share some much needed recipes!

I made my apple dip for Jonathan one recent Fall Football Saturday and he has been begging for more every since!  A co-worker shared this with me sometime last year and it's always a hit.

Apple Dip

8 oz cream cheese, softened ( I use 1/3 fat)

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 bag of Heath toffee Bits

Mix together and serve with apples and/or graham cracker sticks.  A tip from keeping your apple slices from turning brown is to sprinkle or store with some lemon juice.  Also, Pampered Chef makes a great apple slicer for those that aren't trusted so good with knives like me :)

11.8.2010 y'all come back now ya hear

Classic Southern Blackened Catfish

Yield: 4 servings

Compound Butter:

1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tbsp Creole seasoning

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

1 tbsp chopped chives

Catfish:
1 lemons, thinly sliced
Compound butter (recipe above), divided
4 8oz fresh skinless, boneless catfish filets
1/4 cup Creole seasoning
Whole chives for garnish

For the compound butter:  In a bowl, mix the butter with the Creole seasoning, lemon zest and juice, salt, and pepper; mix in chopped chives and set aside.  The butter can be made ahead and chilled; bring to room temperature before using.

For the catfish:  Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Preheat a large well-seasoned cast-iron skillet or non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.

Line the bottom of a 9 x 11-inch baking dish with the lemon slices and dollop half of the compound butter evenly over them.  Evenly coat both sides of each fish filet with 1 tbsp Creole seasoning.  Working in batches, add the seasoned filets to the hot skillet and cook 2 minutes on each side to just toast and brown the seasoning.  With a spatula, carefully place the seared fish on top of the buttered lemon slices in the baking dish.  Bake until the fish easily break apart with a fork, 12 to 15 minutes.  Immediately top each hot fillet with a spoonful of remaining compound butter; transfer to heated serving plates and garish each filet with a few whole fresh chives.

5 Ingredient Fix - Easy, Elegant, and Irresistible Recipes, Claire Robinson, Host of 5 Ingredient Fix [October 2010]

Enjoy!

One Kookin' Kouple

10.31.2010 LOVE AT FIRST BITE!

So yes it was Halloween but since we celebrated that on Friday night with friends at a viewing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, at the always fabulous Alabama Theater, we decided to do a little different kind of celebrating... WE GOT ENGAGED (10/30)!!  A random day trip on that Saturday to the Jack Daniel's Distillery in Tennessee led to much, much more than just a tourism photoshoot!  We are so excited about spending the rest of our lives together!!

"When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody,

you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible"

~ When Harry Met Sally ~

Celebration Dinner - Cajun Shrimp with Smoked Gouda Grits (Pampered Chef Recipe, 29 minutes to dinner volume 2)  Yield: 6 servings

GRITS

3 cups - reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup uncooked quick grits*

4oz smoked Gouda cheese

SHRIMP

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 medium green bell pepper

3 garlic cloves, pressed

1tbsp Cajun seasoning

1 can Rotel

1 can (15oz) tomato puree*

1 3/4lb large cooked shrimp (31-35 per lb), peeled and deveined
1/3 cup snipped fresh parsley (optional)

1.  Cook grits.  Place broth and cream in Large Micro-Cooker.  Microwave, covered, on HIGH 3-5 minutes or until hot.  Add grits; cover and microwave on HIGH 4-5 minutes or until thickened.  Grate cheese into grits with Rotary Grater; stir until cheese is melted.

2.  Prepare shrimp topping.  Heat oil in skillet over medium heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Dice bell pepper and add to skillet along with pressed garlic and seasoning.  Cook 2-3 minutes or until bell pepper is tender.  Add tomatoes, puree/sauce and shrimp; cook 1-2 minutes or until heated through.

3.  Serve.  Remove skillet from heat.  Divide grits among serving plates; top with shrimp mixture.  Garnish smipped fresh parsley, if desired.

 *We use Jim Dandy Quick Grits and Tomato Sauce (makes for a thinner sauce).  We always make a double recipe of this dish. It's great leftover.

It was love at first bite!

~one kookin kouple~

10.23.2010 Laisser les bons temps rouler!!

We definately let the good times roll with this awesome "beer shrimp boil" courtesy of Claire Robinsons' cookbook "5 Ingredient Fix - Easy, Elegant, and Irresistible Recipes" in honor of the Auburn/LSU throwdown!!! This book owns simple and affordable while keeping the ingredients fresh finishing with refined flavor. Did I forget to mention mouthwatering?! In just 5 ingredients Claire reaches BOLD favor that the boys, jonjon and punderwood, devoured before the last "L-S-Who?"



Ingredients:
Three 12-ounce bottles lager beer*

1 cup water

1 tbsp shrimp boil or Creole seasoning*

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp black peppercorns

Juice of 1 lemon, lemon halves reserved

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 1/2 lbs large shrimp, heads on and in shell, rinsed well*

Yield: 4 Servings

In a large pot, bring the beer, water, shrimp boil seasoning salt, peppercorns, and the juiced lemon halves to a boil. Allow the mixture to boil, covered, 10 minutes. In the meantime, melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the lemon juice. Add the shrimp after 3 minutes for pink color throughout; with a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp and transfer them to a serving bowl or bowls.

Add 1/2 cup of the boiling beer liquid to the butter and simmer 2 minutes.

Serve the warm shrimp with the butter dipping sauce on the side! 5 Ingredient Fix - Easy, Elegant, and Irresistible Recipes, Claire Robinson, Host of 5 Ingredient Fix [October 2010]

* We used: Dos Equis Amber; More Spicy Tony Chachere's; and 2 lbs large white shrimp (previously frozen) heads removed, easy peel with shell on

A.Mazing!!!!!!! Hope you all ENJOY :) Jonjon's Saucey Grilled Wangs recipe coming soon!! Stayed tuned!

Peace, Love & Football!!
onekookin'kouple

~ we're heatin' up the kitchen ~

8.27.2010 Chicken Marsala Tetrazzini

Total: 45 minutes, Makes 6 - 8 servings

Ingredients-

1 (8-oz.) package vermicelli

2 tablespoons butter

1 (8-oz.) package sliced fresh mushrooms

3 ounces finely chopped prosciutto

3 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 cup frozen baby English peas, thawed

1 (10 3/4-oz.) can reduced-fat cream of mushroom soup

1 (10-oz.) container refrigerated light Alfredo sauce

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup Marsala

1 cup (4-oz.) shredded Parmesan cheese

Preparation-

1.  Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add mushrooms and prosciutto, and sauté 5 minutes.  2.  Stir together mushroom mixture, chicken (we pre-baked our chicken in the oven for 40-45 minutes), next 5 ingredients, and 1/2 cup cheese; stir in pasta. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.  3. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until bubbly.  Southern Living, SEPTEMBER 2010

The Couple that cooks together stays together!  After working up an appetite at the park on our 3 mile journey that afternoon, we spent our Friday night date night "in" with dinner & a movie.  Dinner was a new recipe Jonathan found in the newest issue of Southern Living magazine for Chicken Marsala Tetrazzini paired with our movie of choice, The Bounty Hunter .  The new dish was great and it was a much needed relaxing evening in.

Make a dinner date!  Plan the menu ahead of time, so you are sure you have everything you need before getting started.  Don't get stressed out about it.  Instead, choose to have fun- split the duties, use your hands, set a lovely table, and laugh at your mistakes!  Keep it interesting.  It's easy to get into a rut and cook the same dishes over and over.  Try new cookbooks and different ethnic cusines. Consider signing up for a cooking class together.  We are both self-proclaimed "Foodies" and love sharing our ardent and refined interest in all things food (and maybe a little wine...) together.

The following Saturday morning we strolled through Birmingham's own Pepper Place Market http://www.pepperplacemarket.com/ looking for fresh ingredients and ideas to create our next culinary delight.  Fairing well, we enjoyed some homemade peach ice cream by Sassy's and left with 3 large eggplants, a basket full of okra and a few bottles of Sweet Melissa's http://sweetmelissassauces.web.officelive.com/default.aspx signature Ruby Red and Mopping Sauces.  Jonathan made some A.Mazing hot wings a few weeks back on one of our lake trips using Sweet Melissa's bbq dry rub, the mopping sauce as a baste & ruby red sauce to dip them in.  DELISH!  Post-market we enjoyed a margarita at iCantina then window-shopped for new furniture which lead to being in the right place at the right time snagging the new grill at more than fabulous deal!!

~One Kookin' Kouple~