Pepperoncini Manwich

I have always aspired to be like my older sister, Annalyn. She is funny, a good dancer, the best listener, an incredible mother, loving wife, inspiring coach (ya, thats right my sister is the head softball coach at UTPB noooo big deal) the list goes on. Anyways what I am getting at here is my sister is a truly beautiful person inside and out. Which is why it should come as a shock to no one that she landed a total stud that came with a family as sweet as him.

What did come as a shock was that his family would not only adopt Annalyn into their family but also welcome the rest of us with open arms. Over the years I have fallen in love with the Burch family. As a wedding gift Jill (Sissy's Mother-in-law) made me a cookbook containing a selection of her favorite family recipes. I use it often and would like to share one of the recipes with all of you.

Pepperoncini Manwhich

Taco Bean Soup

We have officially had our first snow of the season here in Salt Lake. As I trudged around campus all I could think about was getting home and making some nice hot soup.

This taco bean soup makes it to our table quite frequently especially around finals when my free time is spent buried in books dashing into the kitchen when my growling stomach becomes too loud to ignore. It is easy, delicious, and I always have the ingredients stocked.

Chicken Tikka Masala

My dad was a pilot in the Air Force and remains a commercial pilot to this day. With his career he has had the opportunity to travel the world and he has always been all about the local eats. I remember growing up how  he would get home from a trip or deployment/assignment and would start recreating the cuisine at home. Some culinary phases lasted longer than others. I bemoan the day he quit searching for the perfect steak and to this day feel a full gag reflex kicking in when I smell miso-glazed salmon (I swear that and miso soup is all we ate for months). As an adult I am very grateful for his experimentation as it taught me to be open minded to food and try everything twice. This open mindedness has led me to many great finds such as lengua and several not so great (in my own personal opinion) discoveries like poi. I have developed quite a fondness for Indian food *cough cough chicken tikka masala cough* over the years but it is one of those cuisines I just didn't think I was capable of recreating at home until now...

Crockpot Queso

As a relocated Texan I have a deep love for queso. I do not discriminate I am an equal opportunity queso lover but Momma's Crock-Pot Queso will always  have a special place in my heart.