Around Lolly's Table: Easter 2026

Purple was my color of choice for this year's Easter table.  As always, Fiestaware has a color for any and all occasions!

The pastel plaid tablecloth?  One of my Springtime favorites.  The delicate white chargers?  Perfect for this table.  

Each diner had their own Cadbury Creme Egg set in delicate pastel color egg cups.

My mother in law gifted us with this gorgeous cut class basket years ago.  I bought a new set of sparkly eggs this year at Hobby Lobby.

The candleholders were my Great Aunt Marie's.

These have been around since my kids were little.  They'll always be here at Easter time.

Around Lolly's Table: Kids' Easter Table 2026

 

I got my chance to use those bright "Easter Egg" color Fiestaware plates on the kids' table!

I used a purple, yellow, pink plaid vinyl tablecloth as the base.  Then I found a sheer vinyl overlay with multi color eggs that I placed on top of the base cloth.  I love the result!

Each little diner received their own Cadbury Egg in these cute little egg cups!

I found these bunny napkin rings in an antique store about 5 years ago.

This jelly bean jar was my mom's.  She ALWAYS had this out for the great grands to enjoy during Springtime.  And yes, Brach's was the only brand of jelly beans she would purchase.

Hobby Lobby had these cute centerpiece items this year.  I fell in love with them.

Around Lolly's Sideboard: Easter 2026

I wanted to do something completely different for me for this year's Easter sideboard.  Instead of bright Fiestaware plates or fine china, I chose plain white Fiestaware plates as the backdrop.  Trust me, this was a difficult decision for someone who loves bright Springtime colors. 

But after all was in place and I stepped back and gave it a close look, I was pleased with the decision.  

I used deep purple plates on my main dining table, so I wanted a few pops of purple on the sideboard as well.  I've had this lovely bunny with purple basket for many years.
 

Mr. and Mrs. Rabbit belonged to my great aunt.  

My mother always had this little basket with colored eggs on her kitchen table.

The remaining bunnies, chicks, and decor have been part of  my Easter fun for a long time.  I love to use them year after year.

I hope y'all had a blessed Easter!

Southwestern Veggie Side Dish

I had some pork tenderloins to grill the other night along with some nice spring time asparagus.  I wanted another side dish to go along with our meal.  So to the pantry I went.

A nicely stocked pantry can help in situations like this.  

I chose a can of black beans, a can of Rotels, and a can of white shoepeg corn.   I drained everything and rinsed the black beans well.  

I added everything to a trusty cast iron skillet along with one half of a chopped yellow onion.

I added a few shakes of Blackstone's Tequila Lime Seasoning along with some salt to taste.  Then I gave it all a good stir to combine and set the temperature on low on that side of the grill.

While the pork and the asparagus cooked on the other side of the grill, I gave the veggies an occasional stir.

An entire meal cooked on the grill and minimal pots/pans to clean up!

Next time, I'd add some either fresh sliced jalapenos or a can of diced chiles.  

If you'd like to learn about Lolly and Sweet Harold's childhood Easters.......

 

Click the LINK

Kansas City BBQ Society Judging

If you've ever wondered about the judges that make the big decisions at BBQ competitions, I'm sharing the details!

Click this LINK and enjoy!

What happens when an Alabama girl spends a month in Ireland

Let's wrap up our trip to Ireland with my random ramblings about things I will always remember!

Click the LINK for the article!

The Day I Visited St. Patrick's Gravesite

 

Another memory from our trip to Ireland....a visit to St. Patrick's gravesite.

Click the LINK for my article.  Enjoy!

Dining Out Southeast: HognBones, Leesburg, GA

Last Saturday, we traveled to Leesburg, Georgia to visit family.  After our visit, and before we began the 4 1/2 hour drive back home, we decided to stop in and try HogNBones.  

This is the type of BBQ restaurant where you order at the counter like a fast food place.  When you've never been before, it makes ordering a little more difficult because you're trying to read the menu, or should I say, trying to SEE the menu to read it.  I had to ask where the sides were and then ask whether the drinks came with the plates and/or basket meals.  Sometimes sitting down at a table with a menu gives you time to see all the items offered and then really decide what sounds good to you.

But with a line forming behind you, you know just to order what you know and hope for the best.  So that's what we did.

After ordering, we were given our cups for drinks and we proceeded to the drink station for our water.  We were told to sit anywhere.

After a bit, the runner arrived at our table with our meal.  We thought.  Sweet Harold's meal was correct.  She said, "And here's your ribs..."  I interrupted her to say I did not order ribs.  She looked puzzled and asked, "Are you sure?"  Yes, I'm positive.  So off she went back to the kitchen.

Approximately 15 minutes later, and after Sweet Harold was half finished with his meal which I insisted he eat, because we were starving, she reappeared with my (correct) meal.

So...here we go.

Sweet Harold ordered the smoked chicken plate (basket?) with baked beans and fries.  It also came with a toasted slice of bread.

Let's start with the best thing in the basket:  the beans.  Perfect consistency, nice smoky flavor, served hot, pieces of pork included.  

Fries:  lukewarm at best.  

Bread:  Toasted bread...that is all.

Now the half smoked chicken.  

Y'all.  This poor half chicken had been on a diet.  As you can tell by looking yourself, the fries dominated that half chicken.  Flavor was good, but slightly overcooked.  Sauce was provided in individual 3 oz. cups.

Now, my turn.  I ordered the pulled pork plate (basket?) with fries and green beans....along with the toasted bread.

I'll start with the best:  the pulled pork.  A nice mixture of tender, nicely smoked "inside meat" with a few pieces with bark.  Moist, flavorful, good BBQ.

Probably because I had to wait on my second attempt at dining, my fries were piping hot.  Sorry, H.

The green beans were canned beans that had been shown some Southern love in the kitchen.  Pieces of pork and seasoning elevated those canned beans.

Bread:  See above.

I wish I had been able to look over the menu a bit more before ordering.  Did they have BBQ salads?  BBQ topped potatoes.  Maybe.  I don't know.  Anyway....it was a filling meal to hold us on the long drive home.

St. Patrick's Day Meal (without the corned beef)

 

Click the LINK to get recipes for appetizer, main course, beverage, and dessert!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Traveling Northern Ireland's Coast to the Dark Hedges and Giant's Causeway

Come join me on a trip to the Dark Hedges and the Giant's Causeway!

Click the LINK

Stones Across Centuries

Visit six Irish castles with me!

Here's the LINK  to my latest Substack article!

Before the Shamrock: Giant's Ring

  

Let's travel to Ireland for a few weeks!

Here's the LINK.

North Woods Bean Soup with Turkey Kielbasa

 

A friend, whose birthday is in October, requested that for his present I gift him with a Soup of the Month meal.  I handed over some of my soup cookbooks and this was one of his selections. 

It came from an old(er) cookbook from Cooking Light.  I added celery, changed the chicken broth to chicken stock, and added an extra can of beans.  I made a double batch and it was a huge hit!

1 t. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 medium carrots, sliced

4 stalks celery, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

12 oz. turkey kielbasa, halved lengthwise and cut into ½ inch thick slices

8 cups low-sodium chicken stock

1 t. dried Italian seasoning

1 t. freshly ground black pepper

5 cans (15 oz.) Bush’s Best Beans – Great Northern, rinsed and drained

6 oz. package baby spinach, stems removed

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat with the olive oil.

Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and kielbasa and sauté 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat to medium and cook 5 minutes.

Add chicken stock, seasoning and beans.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 -20 minutes.

Place two cups of soup in a blender, process until smooth. You can certainly use an immersion blender as well.

Return the pureed mixture to pan and simmer an additional 5 minutes.

Remove soup from heat.

Add the spinach, stirring until spinach wilts.

Ladle into bowls and top with chives if you'd like.  Serving the soup in a bread bowl would be a nice touch as well. 

 

 

Around the Kitchen Table

 

This Friday's Substack article honors this group of dear friends of my parents.  I hope you enjoy reading about them.

Here's the LINK

Ground Turkey Spaghetti Sauce

I have been missing my favorite meal.  Yesterday, I made a small(ish) pot of spaghetti sauce for supper.  I swapped out the ground chuck or Italian sausage I usually use with 93/7% fat ground turkey.  We couldn't tell the difference.

1 T. olive oil

1 pound ground turkey

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 package McCormick's Thick and Zesty Spaghetti Sauce Seasoning

1 T. dried Italian seasoning

1 - 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 - 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes

1 - 6 oz. can tomato paste 

8 oz. water

salt and pepper to taste

red pepper flakes (optional)

In a 5 quart Dutch oven, warm the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the ground turkey and increase heat to medium high.  Cook the turkey, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, stirring frequently so it doesn't stick for about 5 minutes.

Add in the onion and garlic and continue cooking and stirring for another 3 - 5 minutes until the onions begin to soften.

Stir in the seasonings and lower heat to medium low.

Add in the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and water.

Bring to a gentle simmer and reduce heat to low. 

Cover and let cook 45 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally.

Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

Stir in red pepper flakes (how many you want!) if you're using those.

Ladle on top of cooked spaghetti noodles and enjoy with some grated Parmesan cheese on top.

 

Sweet Harold

 

Y'all knew I'd have to write about Sweet Harold!

Enjoy.  

Here's the LINK

Beef and Barley Soup

 

When this soup pot makes an appearance, everyone knows it's about to get real.

We had friends over for dinner last night for a "Day after Valentine's" meal.  One diner especially requested Beef and Barley Soup and I made it happen.

I had a recipe from a cookbook entitled Cooking Light Soups and Stews Tonight!"  After reading it through a few times, I decided it needed a little help.  I didn't add any ingredients that would alter the healthy aspect.  I did add ingredients that altered the flavor aspect!  So garlic, dried thyme, and minced up rosemary to garnish is added to the recipe I'm going to post here.

I doubled the recipe which allowed us all to have hearty servings and enough for both families to have another meal.  So if you want to cook a big batch and freeze the leftovers, or if you want to have food on hand for a busy week, I'd suggest going ahead and making the big pot.  If you are a smaller family, or don't want/like leftovers, halve what I've written here.

1 T. olive oil 

1 1/2 lb. boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3 cups thinly sliced carrots

2 cups sliced celery

2 cups chopped onion

1 (8 oz.) package sliced white mushrooms

1 t. minced garlic

1 t. dried thyme

12 cups low-sodium beef broth/stock

2 bay leaves

1 1/3 cup uncooked pearl barley

salt and pepper to taste

Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat.  Coat bottom of pan with the olive oil.  Add beef to pan, cook, stirring frequently, until browned.  You may want to do this in batches. 

Add carrots, celery, onions, mushrooms, and garlic; cook 6 - 8 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. 

Add thyme, broth and bay leaves.  Bring soup to a boil over medium-high heat.  

Add 1/2 t. salt and 1 t. black pepper.

Cover reduce heat and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until beef is tender.  Stir occasionally.

Stir in the barley, cover and simmer another 30 minutes or until the barley is tender.

When ready to serve, discard bay leaves.  

Serve with slices of a French baguette and minced fresh rosemary or parsley for garnish.

Valentine's Day Article with Recipes!

 Thanks to everyone who reads and subscribes!

Here's the LINK

Mama Sue's Goulash

 

I've posted her recipe before and it's one of the most viewed recipes ever.  

But if you'll follow this link, you'll find out a bit more about this amazing woman.

Enjoy the read.  

Mama Sue's Goulash