ABOUT

About Us

I’m Deb and I live in the Dallas area with my husband, Allen, and two rescued (very spoiled) miniature schnauzers, Duffy and Max.  I love cooking, sharing recipes, and trying new foods.  I’m happiest when I have time to experiment in the kitchen and even when time is short, I delight in having interesting ingredients on hand to use in quick-to-the-table meals.  A self-professed dessert fanatic, I can never pass a gourmet bakery or candy shop without stopping!

Karen has been my best friend since the sixth grade.  She lives in Indiana with her husband, Jim, and their rescued labrador, Liberty.  We share a love for many of the same foods, especially Tex-Mex!  Karen is a great hostess.  She and Jim have created a backyard Hawaiian paradise, so pool parties with great food are often on their summer calendar.  Karen and I have more fun shopping together at an upscale grocery store than we do at the mall!

About the Blog

The idea for the blog was cooked up when Karen was in Texas for a visit.  We both have a candy specialty; Karen makes the best pecan pralines in the world from her mom’s recipe and I make chocolate caramel pecan turtles from a recipe given to me by my Aunt Bridget.  As we talked about the art of making our own special foods, everything just clicked, and soon we were discussing how we could enlarge our circle of friends who enjoy specialty foods.  Because we both grew up around small family businesses, we understand and appreciate the hard work and dedication necessary to build and maintain a successful business.  Some of the most exceptional foods we enjoy are produced by individual artisans, families, or privately owned small businesses, and we wanted to support their efforts.  Although I do most of the blogging, Karen keeps me informed and inspired on new food finds.  Friends and family share their opinions to bring you the foods we love.

About the Food

There are several descriptive labels for the foods we share:  artisan, fancy, specialty, or gourmet.  We are interested not just in the food, but the story behind it.  Our goal is to acquaint you with the artisans who produce the foods we love, show you how we used them, and point you to sources to buy them.  Promoting foods made in the USA is our priority.  We have such admiration for the fearless entrepreneurs who are passionate about their foods, for the fifth-generation family members who carry on a tradition of producing extraordinary foods, and for the partnerships of friends who have created specialty food items.  Our tag line promises artisan foods – those small batch foods often made by hand; regional foods – those that may be commonplace in one area of the country, but virtually unknown in another; and simply sensational foods – those that might not qualify as artisan or gourmet, but are just so good that we have to share!