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Well, hello London! I woke up hours before my family, it was dark outside, the booming fireworks from the night before settled in over me, we were celebrating the New Year in Europe! After arriving the day before, and an all-night flight, jet lag yanked the rug out from under us as we stayed up, not napping from our 7:30 AM flight on New Year’s Eve. That morning, we had been all in for visiting the world famous Borough Market, tasting, window-shopping and soaking up the w

Our family yearned for a London/Paris trip as long as I can remember, but there’s something about being outside, sitting in quiet, listening to waves, stargazing, and dreaming that made it happen. We were home, planning, gathered round a roaring fire with crisp winter evening’s faint bite of cold brushing our cheeks. Voices carried our dreams across our back yard, across the water to London Bridge, The Eiffel Tower and beyond as tides moved gently under fading sky to make mag

New Year’s resolutions have long been meaningful traditions, offering time to pause, reflect, and look ahead. With the blog being developed these past few months, we’ve considered where we’ve been and where we hope to go, with a desire for growth, balance, and purpose. I’ve had so much fun working with our team, writing, gardening and cooking, which have dominated time. My favorite pics: Some of my resolutions concern health and choices I make every day. Like many people, I a

It seems like New Year’s Eve has always been with us, and it kind of has, at least since the 1800’s, where Americans gathered and celebrated, often influenced by European traditions of partying and merrymaking. By 1907, Americans welcomed and anticipated fireworks and feasts on the eve of the new year, and the resulting New York Times Square Waterford crystal LED ball drop in Manhattan has become a mainstay that we enjoy to this day. By the late 19 th century, drinking cham

Some of my earliest memories of cooking were of making ginormous pans of dressing for us and others. Mama had a certain way of making it and it never changed, she had gotten the recipe from her parents; a recipe that was passed down for generations. The scent of homemade cornbread, sausage, turkey dressing filled our home with an indelible memory stamped deeply in my brain. It seems like the smell enveloped the air, my hair, my clothes and everything in between as it hit me

My mama made Turkey Gravy like she was a pro, and I guess she was, having made it since she was a young girl, taking great pride in it, something we were eternally thankful for. Believe or not, gravy can be one of the trickiest things to pull off, and it plays such a pivotal part of the meal. The stock is glorious, but can be difficult to find turkey necks, legs, or parts before Thanksgiving or Christmas, but once you capture them, run home and start cooking, there’s others l

Deviled eggs have always been part of our holiday table, they’re that irresistible appetizer you can grab on the go with your hands before anyone is the wiser. The bacon topper is that bit of crunch and allure that makes the whole crowd gravitate to that plate of smoky goodness. Be it Easter brunch, a Christmas spread, or a gathering in between, these creamy little bites always seem to bring smiles and familiar comfort. The moment the eggs are halved, and the centers are scoo

Ah, the glorious Christmas sugar cookies, ones that we’ve made in my family for the past three decades. Now, these aren’t just any sugar cookies, these have that deeply satisfying, rich creamy butter struck through them, that warm, smoky taste of vanilla, and fine granulated sugar with a touch of lemon zest on the inside. The outside is even better, the real secret lies here, that’s what takes it over the top. It’s that scrumptious icing that puts this little jewel in a class

The wedge salad is a beauty in a lane all by itself. Our family has eaten it for eons and one of us usually asks for it; they’re having a hankering that nothing else will satisfy. Its distinctive promise is that it isn’t like almost any other salad, it’s unique and one-of-a-kind. After all, lettuce is the main star and is lovely, full of fiber and low in calories, and has the honor of being one of the most consumed vegetables in the world, mostly due to being chock full of vi

Growing up, it seems like the smell of broccoli rice casserole has always been with me. There wasn’t a Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday that it wasn’t on the table and rated high, right up there with the turkey and dressing or ham and dressing. I was never sure if that stupendous smell was any one of those other dishes baking, as I sneaked a quick oven door opening while mama wasn’t looking. A waft of heaven floated out as I shut it fast, not wanting to risk getting caught.

My childhood revolved around picking out, decorating and adoring our Christmas tree. There were live ones that drew all of us kids to the living room, aluminum ones with a color wheel, flocked snow-covered ones, and artificial ones. The best were the live. We’d race there and sit under the tree, savoring that clean, fresh pine smell that made us quiver with anticipation of what was to come. Pretty soon we had a pen and paper, drawing up our Christmas list. Over the years ther

A beautiful live Christmas tree has a quality that fills a room the moment it arrives. Its full, gorgeous presence, a standout in any setting. The needles are deep green with a slight sheen that catches the light, or like the silvery hue of the Fraser fir. The needles feel pliable, not brittle, and stay attached. The tree has a sturdy, straight trunk, giving it a strong, fresh appearance as if it was freshly cut. The fragrance is unbelievably aromatic and the very best thing

Eating at Gaido’s Restaurant in Galveston reminded me of my mother’s wonderful shrimp and oysters with the best tartar and cocktail sauce that we served at our little restaurant, the Alta Loma Café. We decided to try and replicate it and to adapt Gaido’s Lettuce Wedge to go with it. Heading out for fresh seafood, we went to Hillman’s Seafood, down Highway146. We wanted jumbo shrimp and oysters. Gathering our big daddy shrimp, we bought a gallon oysters and dashed home. Time t

Miss Edna's Lemon Apple Pie My little brother Donnie and I loved to go to the Café our parents owned. It was about half a mile from our house, it was the original Alta Loma Café, along Highway 6 in Alta Loma, Texas. Mama or daddy took us and picked us up from there multiple times a day. As we grew up, we often walked to and from or rode our bikes. A daily hot luncheon was served five days a week, good solid southern dishes were on the menu which was written on a hard plastic

When it gets close to Thanksgiving, or Christmas or Easter, there must be some secret smell in the air. Be it the crispness of fall, winter or spring, our family has its antenna up for the beginning of holiday grub. We always start talking about appetizers, main courses, and all things sweet. Menu planning commences and everybody is quick to get their dubs in for something they’re having a hankering for. When I grew up and started planning recipes, one of the first items in

It’s that time of year; Thanksgiving’s just days away and I’ve settled into planning what we’re doing this year for our dinner. I know the house is decorated and just how the Thanksgiving table will look . It’s just past my birthday and I’m still dreaming about the delectable chocolate cake with mouthwatering buttercream, thinking we might have that again, but the kids all shut that down. Nada, Thanksgiving is for pies and gooey bars. We have deserts and appetizers out the k

Seafood caught and cooked straight from the Gulf are delicate and sweet as can be. Living near Galveston allowed us to catch just about anything swimming in the bay and have it cooked within the hour, so it was hopping good and about as delicious as any seafood anywhere on the planet. Our little café, the original Alta Loma Café served fried shrimp and oysters, but at home we cooked whole flounder, stuffed crabs, sautéed trout in butter sauce and red fish, fried and blackened

Tricked out custom motorcycles sent a thrum and raw energy ricocheting across the gulf and beyond as my family and I attended this one of a kind motorcycle event. The cool November afternoon had us all humming with various live bands and music that throbbed from decked out motorbikes costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. The biggest motorcycle rally in Texas is the Lone Star Rally in Galveston, Texas, which occurs over four days, November 6 th through November 9 th, 2025

It was a near perfect lazy October day in Galveston, Texas; we’d traveled there to celebrate a very special family birthday dinner. Motoring along the seawall, as always, we were entertained by amusing laughing seagulls, willet and sandpipers diving and running as water ebbed and flowed, supping on shrimp and crabs. The beach’s roiling waves and sand whipped into a blustery huff as we unrolled our windows, gulping briny sea air. We couldn’t wait, watching for the humongous cr

It was the 60’s, people were on the move but wanting to relax and be comfortable, spending time with their loved ones. There was an emphasis on family life, which for us meant being centered around food and pets. They were as much part of the American dream as apple pie. We owned the original Alta Loma Café, which took on a life of its own, but when we were home, our aim was to cook and relax, but not in that order. Speaking of pets, most people had a dog or a cat, and we’d