The frosting that made me its B----

Photo by Katie Kay in a fit of rage

This is not a perfect world.  Especially not in my kitchen tonight.  In fact, you could say I'm furious.  Stark raving mad, and I do mean that in kind of a crazy, insane way.  I bake cakes, and I bake them well.  I make mistakes, but I've always been able to fix my mistakes or work around them.  Not this time.

Citrus Sauteed Vegetables

Photo by Katie Kay

Matt has been encouraging me to make more vegetables with dinner.  He thinks he's on a health-kick, although judging from all the Skittles he ate tonight I think he's got his own different set of priorities.

Spiked Strawberry Limeade

Photo by Matt (Mr. Katie Kay)

I'm running in the Texas Independence Relay this weekend, and from what I'm told there's a lot of running (203 miles), sweating, eating and drinking.  Several people have mentioned that this seems like a stupid idea for many reasons, but I won't know until I try it, right?

Creamy Lemon Dill Caper Wine Scallops

Photo by Katie Kay

My favorite part of HEB is the section where the lady with the microphone cooks stuff and feeds it to you for free.  She doesn't look at you like some cheap free-loader just after a freebie.  She actually WANTS me to eat it.  Encourages me, even.

St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes

Photo by Katie Kay

I love holiday baking.  Christmas is my favorite, but I'll take any holiday and turn it into a kitchen event.  I've tried a few St. Patrick's Day desserts in the past, with only a small amount of success.  In my humble opinion (and I hope I don't offend anyone) cupcakes made with Guinness are dry.  This year I gave my darling Bailey's a turn in the spotlight, and she didn't let me down.  Nor did her gentleman friend, Jameson.

Skillet Chicken and BBQ with mesquite smoked bacon

Photo by Katie Kay

I love cooking, but not on Sunday nights.  That's when I want to order a pizza and watch a movie on the couch with my husband and kids.  Sundays are for remembering how much you'll miss your family when you head off to work Monday morning.  Tonight I wasn't in a "pizza place" but I didn't want to waste time going to the store.  So I scrounged around the freezer and fridge and came up with this chicken, BBQ, cheese and bacon masterpiece.  

Beef and Bean Chili, Part One

Photo by Katie Kay

There are many ways chili likes to show me how much it loves me.  Usually in the form of rancid gas, but that just means it had good spices, right?

Sangria, frozen and rocks

Photo by Katie Kay

Red wine is an essential part of life, and Sangria is the best way to enjoy it in the summer!  We love to sit outside on Sunday evenings (and Saturday evenings, and Friday evenings, and sometimes Tuesdays, okay Wednesdays, too...) and sip fun drinks while we watch the kids swing, ride bikes, or invent paint by mixing water with chalk dust by the pound and destroying our driveway.

Stuffed Garlic Bread

Photo by Katie Kay

First of all, I have to confess I'm a complete idiot and apparently I don't understand how to cut an X in my French bread.  Hence, half of my bread is neatly cubed with proper Xs, and the other half looks like a zipper.  The zipper part was actually prettier, so that's the picture above.  The cubed part was easier to eat though, so I recommend thinking things through before you wield a knife.  (Maybe take a pencil and draw your lines first.  Diagrams couldn't hurt.) \

Buffalo Chicken Casserole

Photo by Katie Kay

As Matt is chowing down on this scrumptious feast, "Mmmm.  I love health food."
Matt thought he needed more buffalo wing sauce to make this spicier, so I poured about a half cup of extra wing sauce over half of this casserole before I put the Panko bread topping on it.  Matt ate it and loved it!  Then I made him taste the other half, and he loved it in a completely different way.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Photo by Katie Kay

I found this recipe on Pinterest and made it at my very first opportunity!  I thought it might be sickeningly sweet.  It is rich, but the sweetness can be controlled by how much glaze you drizzle on top.  The pancake batter itself is delicious with the cinnamon swirl, and not overly sweet at all.   

Mexican Rice

Photo by Katie Kay

To be honest, I don't actually like rice.  I adore Mexican food, but I always order double beans (refried and charro) and no rice.  But other people seem to love it, so when I serve Mexican food to guests, this is the rice recipe I always use!  I usually eat a spoonful or so of it, because if there's anyone's rice to like...it's mine.