How quickly time flies. Here we are again with Valentine’s Day colliding with Super Bowl. Going to the grocery store this time of year is interesting – Valentine’s flowers, candy, and balloons along with displays of football foods and party trays. I had intended to share my newest chicken wings recipe last week and Valentine’s this week, but my chicken wings recipe wasn’t quite ready for prime time. It needed a few more tweaks before I could share it. My husband complained, “Do we have to eat...

Several years ago on New Year’s Day, my friend, Martha Cranor, showed up at our front door with a pot of black-eyed peas. “In the South we eat black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day for good luck. Your luck hasn’t been so good lately. I brought you this pot of black-eyed peas to change that. You need to eat one pea for every year old you are.” “Thank you,” I said, not quite sure what to make of this gesture. We honored Martha’s wishes, and everyone in my family ate one pea for every year we had...

Nothing says Christmas more than a cup of hot cocoa, and it’s the perfect time to treat our family and friends to the hot chocolate recipes we remember from our childhood. My mother’s hot chocolate recipe brings back fond memories of simple Christmas’s spent sledding, making snow men, and coming in from the cold to a warm mug of hot cocoa. For me, nothing soothes the body and the soul quite like the silky, rich flavor of hot chocolate. If you are serving hot chocolate for a crowd, I’ve...