Happy almost-Fat Tuesday, fellow revelers! Still looking for a festive recipe to celebrate the season? Try this creamy crawfish pasta that comes together in a breeze. I just so happened to have some crawfish squirreled away in my freezer; this was a sensational way to use it.

Breakfast is typically not my most creative meal of the day—early morning is not often the time I feel the most culinarily inspired. The truth is, I could live off a poached egg atop toasted sourdough (with a generous dousing of Cholula) every single day for the rest of my life. It would never get old to me.

As a restaurant employee, let me just say this. Please don't go out to dinner on Valentine's Day. In fact, please stay home the week before and after. I beg of you. I won't elaborate, but why fight for a reservation when you can cook up a delicious, romantic meal in the privacy of your own home.

I'm so blessed to have a job that allows me to work from home. Even better is that I get to cook for a living! But that means some days all that comes out of my kitchen is cupcakes. Or doughnuts. Many days I don't even sit down to enjoy a real meal—breakfast, lunch, and dinner can consist of Marcona almonds, gummy cokes, and few bites of miscellaneous leftovers.

The Super Bowl is fast approaching. You may have heard me mention my love for football before, but to be honest I'm much more of a college fan than pro. It's just what happens when you grow up in an SEC town. That being said, I never need an excuse to come up with fun new appetizers.

There's something soul-satisfying about a warm casserole straight from the oven. Whether I'm making my grandma's chicken spaghetti (made with Velveeta and Rotel) or my favorite King Ranch (from scratch), I know all served will leave with full hearts and happy stomachs.

I'm sure you've all tasted the famous Peanut Butter Blossoms, which became universally popular after appearing on the back of a Hershey's Kisses candy bag many years ago. There's a reason they have such staying power; they're delicious. But here's the thing—I don't want to share the same old recipe that appears on every food site on the web. I want to share one that's even better.

Winter has finally dipped its pinky toe down South, y'all, and we've been celebrating with nightly fire pits and lots of extra calories. To heck with New Year's resolutions when its cold outside, right!

My boyfriend (wait, make that fiancé!) recently made a special request. He asked to purchase a wok, in the event that it remain exclusively his. I can be a bit territorial in the kitchen, but I was happy to release my tight grasp in the name of good food love.

Let's face it, Southern cooking isn't often considered refined, and in the past few decades it has even been villainized for its liberal use of butter. Special thanks must be given on my part to the new crop of chefs and cookbook authors working hard to change its reputation for the better.

Take Virginia Willis, a classically trained French chef with firm roots in the state of Georgia. Her first cookbook, Bon Appetit, Y'all, introduced home cooks to traditional Southern recipes paired with impeccable cooking technique. Her interesting approach to Southern food and warm, welcoming personality merged to create a unique Southern style (and her signature red lipstick doesn't hurt, either.)