Jalapeno soup. Have you ever heard of anything so tempting? This was on the docket for so long. We wish we hadn't waited so long to get to the actual creation. There are no words for how delicious this was. No exaggeration, we were licking the bowls and there was nothing left. Thank goodness no one can see us when testing recipes, table manners may not always be present. Our garden is starting to really produce it's summer bounty. This means plenty of peppers of all

This spring pea dip comes together so quickly but still is oh so satisfying. Everything about it screams spring. It is so delicious we can finish of a full recipe before we even have a chance to serve it to family and friends. Spring is great for this recipe as all of the ingredients are in season and for us, right outside in our garden. The hint of basil makes gives our version a little depth we really love. Give it a try and let us know what you think, INGREDIENTS 3 c pe

One of the great, yet unintentional, parts of our anniversary it how close it is to Valentines Day. It's not right on top of it since it is in January but hearts, flowers and sweetheart items abound everywhere. This year we had a wonderful sweetheart cheese "board" paired with some of our favorite wine to celebrate the day. This is a saved heart box from chocolates my dad gave my mom years ago. I normally keep various trinkets in it but it was quick enough to empty it out

Prime rib leftovers? Here's a way to stretch them out with a completely new use. Football Sundays are a great way to use up anything left in your fridge and turn it into a nibble. We absolutely love steak and mushrooms and this turns it into a snack. What more can you ask for? This recipe would work just as well with any leftover steak. We probably need to try all varieties, you know, just in the name of research. We play fast and loose with our stuffed mushroom recipes

Another use for eggplant. Sometimes we really push the boundaries and the results are just ok, this is not one of those times. We were shocked at how good this was. It can be used as an appetizer, served as a condiment or added into dishes for extra flavor. I made a big batch and canned it for future use. I am sure some day I will not be pulling a million eggplant of the plant every week (at least I hope so). INGREDIENTS 4 c eggplant, roasted and dices 1 c corn, roasted

I think deviled eggs just might be the universal appetizer. They are always at every get together and always are the first thing devoured. Having chickens and ducks, eggs are always in abundance. When we start getting outpaced by the eggs, we whip up a batch of deviled eggs. This time, we decided to do a quick cold smoke with some apple wood. They turned out absolutely amazing. To make, we just whipped up our favorite deviled eggs. We don't really use a recipe. Just mix

Queso is one of those dishes that is so easy to make, yet so delicious. We include it at most parties as an appetizer (notice we have a serving bowl exclusively for queso, that's how serious we take cheese). Everyone goes straight to it and there are never leftovers. We love changing it up with different spices and add in's. To celebrate National Queso Day we stuck to basics and just added some roasted hatch chiles. It is the time of year that roasted chiles are in abunda

My sister, who is quite honestly the best gardener I know, once said that one eggplant shrub can feed ten families. I can honestly say I understand now, as the eggplant train rolls on. I have three fresh pick to use after this dip, 5 at golf ball size still on the plant and probably 10 zillion blooms. We are really being challenged on creative new ways to use them. Here we made a delicious dip, very similar to baba ganouj. We also smoked the dip with a cold smoker to up t