Basi-bull has bean bery bery good to me

So baseball season has started. This is my favorite time of the year. Going to the ballpark and smelling the fresh cut grass, the smell of hot dogs, seeing fans spill their beer on themselves when they try to catch a foul ball, as well as the wiener races between innings. There is nothing better!

UNTIL NOW!!!

My favorite basbeall team is the Chicago White Sox. 2005 was the best year as we got to see them win the World Series. And then my good buddy from LA (who is a die-hard Indians fan...who by the way we beat in a 1 game playoff to take the division on the way to the World Series) sent me and my son official World Series jerseys as congratulations. But I digress....

Since we are White Sox fans, we loved going to THE CELL (U.S. Cellular Field). but instead of hot dogs we always, always, always got their Brats smothered in onions. We love Brats.

So as a tribute to the tasty Brat, I came up with a great dish that combines some of our favorite things; Brats and Mac 'N' Cheese. I call it Ballpark Mac 'N' Cheese. It was an instant hit with the family and so far everyone who has tasted it loves it as well. I had one friend ask to take the dish home one day so he could finish off the rest of it (I made a large batch that time)

This is what it looks like:

If you like the classic taste of mac 'N' Cheese and you love Brats with onions and peppers, then I'm sure you'll love this. It is great for a hearty supper, for potlucks and for those who may go tailgating at the ballpark, you can make this ahead and keep it covered and warm then break it open for your pre-game feast.

Here is the recipe:

Spring is springing

Has it been almost a month since my last post? Apologies for all of you who have been waiting with baited breath and drooling mouths to see my next post (I know that it is most of the Western world!!)

One of the biggest reasons is that my flash decided to go the way of the Yugo (remember that disaster?) and die on me. So I haven't been able to take the pictures of stuff I have made recently.

I actually was going to post a picture of my Shepherd's pie that I made for St. Patrick's Day, but my flash was acting up on it's way to a slow and painless death (it is an inanimate object after all). So now I wait with anxious fingers on getting my replacement.

In the meantime, I do have a couple of pictures and recipes that I will use as filler. So here is the first one.

This is a dessert recipe that is actually a very light dessert. It makes a nice follow-up to a meal or dinner that may be a little on the rich and heavy side. It is made with a Pavlova like top (meringue) over a Vanilla Wafer base/crust (you can certainly change it to a Graham Cracker base if you don't want quite as sweet a crust).

It is actually also very easy to make and will certainly get you a lot of "ooohhs" when it is tasted. Here is what it looks like:

Here is the recipe:

So next time you have guests over for dinner or you want to surprise (hence the name) your family and want a nice light dessert, give this one a try. I think you'll enjoy it.

As always, I solicit your following (on Facebook or e-mail) and continue to ask to share my site with your family and friends. Also, remember, if you want to share a recipe with me, please do so with the ingredients and steps to make it and a little story of why it is important to you and your family and I will share it with the world (yes the world...no pressure!)

So until next time, I'll be in the kitchen (hopefully with my new and working camera flash).