Christmas at the Wells’ house means good food. Here are my three favorites! Try them and let me know what you think. Happy Christmas Cooking!


Green Chili Cheese Casserole
(Gingerbread and all the Trimmings Cookbook, Waxahachie, TX)

5 eggs, slightly beaten
¼ cup flour (GF: 1-to-1 Flour)
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
10-oz cottage cheese
½ pound cheddar cheese, grated
1 stick butter, softened
1 small can chopped green chilies

Mix all ingredients. Pour into 8-inch square pan or small rectangular casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Cut in squares to serve. Serves 6.

A Wells family favorite!



Strawberry Bread
(Gingerbread and all the Trimmings Cookbook, Waxahachie, TX)
(Make this gluten-free by using 1-to-1 flour)

3 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
2 cups strawberries, sliced (I use frozen)
1 ¼ cups chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift dry ingredients together in a big mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, vanilla, oil, strawberries, and nuts. Add to the dry ingredients, stirring just enough to moisten. Pour into 2 greased, standard-size loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour, and test with a toothpick or knife to make sure it’s done (toothpick/knife should come out clean). Let the loaves cool 5 minutes before removing from pans. When cool enough, slice generously and top with butter for a wonderful treat. Makes 2 loaves.

Bacon-wrapped Chicken Breasts
The secret to a stress-free Christmas Eve dinner!
(Victorian Sampler Cookbook, Eureka Springs, AR)

1 can dried beef (this comes in a tiny glass container, usually located in the canned meat section)
1 package bacon, regular sliced (not thick sliced)
6 chicken breasts (usually mine are frozen, but I’m sure fresh is fine)
2 Cream of Mushroom soup (I’m sensitive to MSG, so I use Pacific brand)
1 16 oz sour cream
2 cups rice, prepare according to directions on package

Place chipped beef in bottom of large casserole dish. Wrap each chicken breast with one or two slices of bacon. Place on top of beef. Mix soup and sour cream, then pour on top of chicken and beef. Cover and bake at 275 degrees for 2 ½ to 3 hours, or until fork tender. Serve over rice.
Because the oven is at a low temperature, I put it in before Christmas Eve service, and it’s done when we get home. Super easy!

I am always ready for Thanksgiving. It’s a great excuse to halt everything and gather with loved ones. This year I’m thanking the Lord for my family, my friends, and for His daily provision.

But I won’t lie, Thanksgiving cooking is a little stressful. I mean, come on. The sheer number of fancy side dishes boggles the mind and totally messes with the diet. But when else will we have an excuse to cook/consume such rich, fancy foods?

At my house, everybody brings a dish (or three) to add to the table. As the hostess this year, I’m not sure what I will prepare, besides the turkey and cornbread dressing (a staple in any Southerner’s celebration). We mostly have the same menu every year:

• Turkey
• Dressing
• Macaroni and Cheese
• Mashed potatoes
• Green Bean Casserole
• Broccoli Rice Casserole
• Sweet Potato Casserole
• Squash Casserole (see any themes here?)
• Rolls
• Relishes, such as pickles, olives, pickled okra (Southern), and hot mix if you are a proper Wells
• Cranberry sauce (jellied, from a can; it’s not Thanksgiving if the cranberry sauce isn’t served in uniform slices)
• Salad of some sort; a guilt offering
• Pies: pumpkin, gluten-free apple, and any other delightful flavor
• Etc.

Surely I have left out some scrumptious delicacy. But this is enough to form a picture in your mind of rich food overflowing counters and tabletops.

While I am so thankful for the bounty of food, I’m triple thankful for the simple act of gathering. Because who doesn’t remember that not so long ago, in-person celebrations wreaked havoc, physically, mentally, or emotionally? I’m so thankful for hugs, for clasped hands around the table, and for having my people in close proximity.

What are you thankful for this year?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here in North Texas, Fall is eagerly anticipated yet shy to make its entry. We Texans long to shed our perennial sandals and shorts and huddle around bonfires and bask in the warmth of cozy sweaters and new boots.

This kind of scene is a reality many places, but not around here until November. We Texans must be patient when it comes to seasonal changes.

But no matter what the temperature, the State Fair of Texas opens its gates for three glorious weeks every October. For me, that signals Fall is really here.

When I was a kid, my family made the trip to Dallas just to see Big Tex and have a Fletcher’s Corny Dog while we walked around the exhibits. But the ultimate was the rings. I loved rings. The cheaper, the better for a girl with a limited allowance. My best state fair ring was a smiley face inscribed with my name. Who could resist a treasure like that?

If you know me, you know that of course, I saved the ring. I’m just excited it still fits. What a fashion statement.

That treasure notwithstanding, my best memories of the State Fair of Texas are when I entered my cross-stitch projects. The first one I entered won a blue ribbon. What a thrill!

The above photo holds a special place in my heart. The items you see above are a christening gown, a knit sweater set with cap and botties, and a handmade bib, made with love for my father in 1929. She entered the gown in the 1929 county fair and won a blue ribbon. See the dark blue ribbon laying on the bib? That’s her ribbon. Imagine her delight!

In 1989, I took her ribbon, along with the sweet little gown, bib, and sweater set, and entered them in the State Fair of Texas for their nostalgic baby exhibit. Sixty years later, my entry of her baby items garnered a blue ribbon. Full circle moment!

My love of family heirlooms, blue ribbons, needlework, and fairs inspired the novel I’m writing. My heroine wants to enter her beautiful crazy quilt in the county fair and win blue ribbon recognition for her artistry. What is a crazy quilt? Click here to find out!

What about you? Do you have great memories of attending your local fair? Will you go this year? Have you ever entered a fair? I’ve love to hear your story! Leave your answer in the comments.

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Ah, Eggs a la Goldenrod. Mom served this to us every Sunday at lunch. Well, maybe not every Sunday. But it sure felt like it. I hated Eggs a la Goldenrod.

Then. Now, I crave it. Go figure.

Turns out, this dish has been around for a long, long time.

I knew it had been around since the early 1950’s. A while back, I discovered an old index file full of recipes my mom (or one of her sisters) had collected for a home economics class in high school.

But it’s even older than mid-century.

Fannie Farmer, famed cookbook writer and principal of the famed Boston Cooking School, included it in her first cookbook, The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, published in 1896.

I bought the cookbook to help me understand what people fixed for dinner at the turn of the century. Specifically, what my characters might eat.

It’s super interesting and very humorous.

I was thrilled to find my old hated, newly loved Eggs a la Goldenrod recipe in this classic.

Try it and let me know if you hate it or love it!