Lemon Pepper Catfish

Photo by Katie Kay

I'm not a big catfish fan.  In fact, catfish would be the very last fish I would ever pick from a menu at a restaurant.  However, I had the BEST Lemon Pepper Catfish in the entire freaking world at a place called Willie's Ice House in Houston.  I worked there for just long enough to sample almost everything on their menu out of sheer boredom.

Hot Sausage Dip

Photo by Katie Kay - look at that stringy cheese!

I found this recipe on Pinterest awhile back, and this was the perfect last-minute dip for an unplanned Memorial Day Weekend get together.  I love to be prepared, and this recipe has almost all of my pantry staples!

Lemon-Garlic Chicken with Zucchini and Asparagus

Photo by Katie Kay

My Grandpa Price made this recipe on our last family reunion to Sunriver, Oregon.  We go every other year and this is pretty much the only time I see that side of my family, so we cherish those memories!  My grandpa rents a house for a week and we usually have around 16 or so family members: My grandpa, his 3 kids, their kids, and in my case, their kids' kids.  So far, I'm the only one to produce great-grandchildren. Next in line is probably my 18-year-old cousin, but I'm sure my Aunt isn't in a hurry for her to join the ranks of motherhood.

Amatriciana

Photo by Katie Kay

I've been cooking Amatriciana for my family for the past 9 years.  I don't use the recipe anymore, nor do I measure anything, and it changes a little every time I make it.  That's the beauty of it.  I know the basic ingredients, and it's hard to mess it up from there.

Peppered Tuna with Wasabi Mayonnaise

Photo by Katie Kay

This is definitely a splurge meal, given the price of good tuna steaks at the grocery store.  But I could eat this every other day and be a happy, satisfied person.  I also think this has to be fairly healthy.  I mean, where's the fat?  Tuna is good for  me, right?  Don't tell me otherwise because I don't want to hear it.

Pork Chops with Garlic and Red Wine Pan Sauce

Photo by Katie Kay

This is another "moaner meal" for Matt.  I think the louder he is at the table, the more he likes it.  He doesn't even know I'm there.  He's such a lover of food.  It makes him so happy, which is why we love each other so much.  I cook--which is great--but we both eat, and we love doing it.  Love.
I tried to buy pork chops that weren't too thin but not too thick because I didn't want them drying out.  I shouldn't have worried.  There is absolutely no chance these puppies will dry out on you.  Not with a cup and a half of wine and a can of beef broth.  You could suck the juice from them like a sponge.  A really clean, wine-filled sponge.

Birthday Brownie Sundae

Photo by Katie Sechrist

Happy 5th Birthday to my sweet, lovable, kissable, soft little boy!  Soon he'll be skinny, stinky and squirmy and won't want anything to do with me.  For now, he still loves his morning hugs (I never let go first) and his zerberts.
He hates cupcakes--but he doesn't know it.  He licks the frosting off and throws away the cake part.  Still, I couldn't talk him out of cupcakes for his birthday party last Saturday.  So for his actual birthday today, I made him a Brownie Sundae.  He LOVED it!  He said it was better than cupcakes.  Son, this won't be the last time mommy knows best...

Crawfish Stuffed Avocado

Horrible photo by Katie Kay's phone because she made this at work for a friend's birthday

Paula Deen emailed this recipe to me.  We're tight like that.  Also, I might be on a mass distribution list.  Or maybe she reads my blog and wanted me to have it.  Either way, it looked fantastic and I sent it to all my co-workers to salivate over.  They were appropriately impressed, so I made it and brought it to work for my friend's birthday.  Hence the hideous camera phone picture above.

Muscato Sangria

Photo by Katie Kay

White wine sangria seemed like a perfect summertime addition to our Cinco de Mayo afternoon.  Being the huge red wine fan that I am, I have to say I prefer traditional sangria.  But this was definitely a fun, sweet, and tasty change from my usual!  The lychees were a unique addition.  In the picture above, it's the round pinkish-white fruit on the bottom left of the glass.  I found them in the International aisle of the grocery store next to the Asian foods.  They came in a can, but I read online you can get them fresh.  Definitely not in my grocery stores, though!

Tres Leches Cupcakes, baby!

Photo by Katie Kay

I can't even think of words to describe how much I love these cupcakes.  The English language has failed me completely.  Maybe in another language I've never heard of they can describe the utter perfection that is these cupcakes.  You might think I'm exaggerating, but that's only if you're totally un-American and you hate Tres Leches.  That's like hating Apple Pie.  Who are you?

Yellow Buttermilk Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting

Photo by Katie Kay

I'm not going to lie, I've had better.  But I've also had worse.  These were actually okay if you LIKE vanilla cupcakes.  Which I don't.  Booorrrring.  I put some pink dye in the frosting because all this white was making my eyes bleed.