It's been a while since I have done this, but the recent addition to my extended family has me giving advice about making baby foods. 

While I realize the new moms in my family think my ideas are a little crazy sometimes, they also know that I have money in my pocket because I spend carefully.  Still, they purchase baby foods at full price and complain that they are broke.  

For this reason, I'm grateful to have an audience who is actually looking for these ideas.

I like just about every style of cooking and every ethnic cuisine there is, but Mexican is my favorite.  I love it because it's so easy to prepare, and because it is very easy to adjust the recipes to be gluten free.

As a matter of fact, most things Mexican are naturally gluten free, if they start with corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas.

I learned to prepare lots of  Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes when I was living in south Texas. I also learned to love the chipotle flavor there. Chipotle is a fully ripened and smoked jalapeno pepper, so adding it to your food gives it a warm, smokey flavor.

I was surprised the other day when I found Knorr Chipotle Mini Cube Seasoning when I was in a Mexican grocery store in Gainesville, Georgia. I had never seen it before, so I bought a package to try.

Have you ever had buyer's remorse before... from buying groceries???

Me neither. Until recently..

Jim was out of town for the past 2 weeks with the racing biz. And usually whenever he leaves, I use that time to "try something new".

Sometimes it's things like:

• clean out every closet


• walk the dog every day


• take long bubble baths


• frame some new photographs


• or go to the Caribbean!

This time, it was: buy groceries. Enough to actually make some serious dishes that will last us several weeks -- if not months.

While performing a deep-clean on our kitchen this week, I found an old list of "all the best cooking tips" I compiled some time ago.

This list has followed me from kitchen to kitchen with every move we've made through the years.

Whenever I'm on the road, or when I want to slip out of the office during lunchtime for something other than the cheese and hotdogs that I normally take for lunch (while I'm on this Low-Carb "diet")... I like to know my options going in.

Do you know what the Low-Carb choices are at fast-food restaurants these days?

Here's what I found...

After 11 years as a loyal member, I've decided to let my Sam's Club membership lapse.

Why?

Location, location, location.

Convenience is everything to me these days, and while the Sam's Club is only about 15 minutes away, I'd just rather not make the trek.

I guess I'm at that point in my life, where I'm tired of nickel-and-diming everything.

I've only just recently come to grips with the fact that driving 8 miles there and 8 miles back just to save $.03 on gas isn't worth it. (The savings only amounts to a whole 50 cents!) If you're there shopping, or you're on that end of town anyway, then Sam's Club gas is definitely a good deal, but if you're not...

So, I'm perfectly content spending a couple pennies more here and there -- like at the local Kroger -- so long as I get the convenience of running in and running out, and keeping it under 3 miles of drive time.

HOWEVER, I am going to miss a few things at the trusty 'ol Sam's Club. They carry a handful of items that I just can't find elsewhere, or prices that just can't be beat, like:

The following recipe for Buffalo Wings was originally posted February 1, 2006 on Nick Bakay's Xtra Large Blog at Superbowl.com.

Actor/writer/comedian Nick Bakay, whose 'Manly House of Football' segments can be seen regularly on NFL Network, will be a major voice on Superbowl.com throughout the week."

Since it doesn't look like they're preserving any archives of his stuff, I fear that this great recipe will vanish into thin air in a couple days. Therefore, today's post is in honor of Nick Bakay and his one-of-a-kind "original" Buffalo Wings recipe.

And, while you're homemade buffalo wings are sure to be a hit... your guests will also need something wash 'em down with. The "football fan cocktails" which follow are to die for.

Enjoy!

...just don't ask him for the recipe for anything he's created -- because he doesn't know.

Oh he'll start with a recipe in hand. Or rather, a HANDFUL of recipes -- all for similar (but not identical) dishes.

Then he picks the best of what he likes from each of them, and he creates his "masterpiece".

I figure I haven't died yet, so I'm content to let him keep experimenting on me.

He definitely likes to "mix it up a bit".

Decided to make some homemade chicken soup... for the first time ever.

It turned out REALLY good. And it was REALLY easy!

Here's how I did it: