The musical fruit.

I know, I know... I couldn't resist that old song about beans. But seriously. These beans are the beans. I made them over Memorial day weekend, but they are perfect for any summer BBQ action you have going. And easy too. This recipe is from my friend Laura and her sisters. And boy, do they know beans. (Okay they don't like, own a bean company or anything. This recipe is just super good.)

Take one can pre-fab baked beans (like those cheapo pork n' beans), a can of lima beans (I can never find the can, so I use frozen that have been thawed) a can of light kidney beans, and a can of butter beans. I have also used pinto beans and Northern beans, but the butter and the lima are a must. Pour them all in a drainer and rinse. Then, take the pre fab can and fill it up about 2/3 with water and save it. Trust me. Then put all the beans in a 13x9.

Cut up a package of bacon into 1-inch pieces and get it all working in a pan, almost crispy. Drain it off, and then cook a small chopped onion in the same pan. Add back the bacon, and the water from the can with all the bean can floaties in it and one cup of brown sugar. (Packed. Like I have to tell you that though. That's a major food rule. Have you ever heard anyone say, don't pack your brown sugar? Not me.) Stir for a minute and then add a 15oz can of tomato sauce. Heat for a sec, and then pour all of that on top of the beans in the 13x9 and stir. Bake for about an hour or so @ 350ish and then transfer to a crock pot on high for an hour to thicken up the sauce. Turn it down to low and eat them up. So easy and so tasty. And it makes a ton... so have people over. Grill up some hot dogs like me and Mister did. He likes just mustard, as you can see.

Feel free to add whatever you like too... the last time I made them, I added a little ketchup and then shhh... don't tell anyone, but when I transferred them to the crock pot, I added a small spoonful of the bacon grease. I know, I know. But it keeps it all copacetic.

P.S. Check out our new food hottie, too. If I were Ina I would say "T.R., These beans are so easy and delicious. How bad can that be? No really, how fabulous is that?"

Brace Yourselves.

It's my first bad review.

I love the Pioneer Woman. I want to curl up on her front porch and live off her table scraps. I want to mosey around the ranch and name all the calves. I want to hang out with her kids and hold her sister's adorable baby. Which makes what I have to say very hard.

The recipe she posted for Hummus was yucky.

I once had Hummus at a Greek restaurant and I immediately fell in love. Store bough versions never came close to tasting the same. So when I saw her "Classic Hummus" I thought BOOYA, and I went out and bought all the ingredients. I think the ingredients themselves were right on, but the amounts she has listed are waaaaaay off. I followed the recipe exactly and ended up with cement. There's not a chance you could actually pull this recipe off in a blender. Unfortunately, I had company that evening (WHATUP PEEPS!) and couldn't really mess around with it to try to fix it up. They were good sports and ate it anyway. But there was so much left over that I decided to experiment.

I tripled the amounts of lemon juice, olive oil and water and it almost came close to what I remembered. This is what it looked like with three times the amount of liquid listed.

Still a little bit thick for my taste. Sorry, but this one is definitely not a keeper. 1 star.

Guest Contributor Day!

My best friend Missie says this is the best way to make Roasted Butternut Squash...

Ingredients: 1 Butternut Squash cut up into bit sized cubes! The cubing is essential! Olive Oil (EVOO) duh, Rachael Ray.
Kosher Salt
Cracked Pepper
Pinky's (If you know the supplier)
Toss together and roast at 400 till they start to get brown.
Serve with a grilled steak or chicken.

I'm reluctant to share it with you, though, since most of you do not have access to the secret ingredient here known as Pinky's. Pinky's is what makes it... but alas, it is only available in limited quantities, courtesy of a certain cowboy from Poteet, Texas named Armand. (Her Father in Law.) If you want some... maybe go comment on Missie's blog: HERE. And check out her darling little girls while you're there. I can't make you any promises on the availability of Pinky's though. I'm lucky enough to have some Pinky's in my pantry (that sounds so cute!) and I'll tell you, it smells amazing. But what's in it? I haven't a clue.

Thanks, Missie my love, for being our first guest and for rocking the show. Love you!

How I roll.

Every once in a while I have a distinct and un-ignorable craving for Cinnamon Rolls. I can't tell you why, but it has resulted in much experimentation. I've tried several yeast doughs, but this recipe has to be hands down the best ever. It's puffy and light and super easy to put together. The only thing I change about this recipe is I double the filling, because I like to taste lots of cinnamon.

Behold. King Arthur Flour's recipe for Cinnamon Rolls. If I can do it, so can you.

Babycakes cookbook...

BabyCakes, the Book of Recipes: It's Here (Almost)! from BabyCakes NYC on Vimeo.

Babycakes NYC vegan bakery website----> Here.

Stop the presses!

Hold the phone! There's a new Top Chef in town.



Beginning June 10 on Bravo 24 "Master" chefs will compete against each other for money to be donated to the charity of their choice, and I will definitely be there. No Bourdain as of yet, but I think we can practically guarantee he'll work his way in somehow.

Food Quirk.

I think that I prefer to eat my salad in a circle. I put all the salad components in a circle around the plate or bowl, and then drizzle the dressing on all of it. Then you just stab your fork in each section and you end up with the perfect bite every time. No naked spinach leaves, no drowned orange slices. Do you think it would be too Sally from "When Harry Met Sally" of me to order it like this in a restaurant? I'm kind of that girl when it comes to on the side and all that jazz. Hmmm.... anyway.

This is my pseudo Asian chicken salad... grill up some chicken with house seasoning on it, add mandarin oranges, red bell peppers and spinach. (I usually have a few toasted almonds on there but I forgot this time.) The dressing is just rice wine vinegar, a few shakes of soy sauce, pepper, splenda/sugar and canola oil shaken up in a small Tupperware jar to taste.

Try it!