Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and my man's family came over to eat with my family. All went better than expected. It's hard to go wrong with two saucy grandmothers, a few glasses of spiked cider and the world famous stuffing.

Today's the 'Day After', and we are taking a break from turkey and hub-bub. I sat still for exactly 30 minutes before I said, "I want to make clam chowder!" I have never made clam chowder, and I'm extremely lactose-introlerant. But why let that stop me? A few cups of cream and several slabs of bacon later . . . I had creamy, salty clam chowder. Helloo!!!

Either my man is really nice or the chowder was really good, but he said "I didn't know you could make something like this at home. You outdid yourself." (my swelling pride is fat and happy.)

Heat large stock pot over medium heat. Add diced bacon, and let cook while chopping onion. Once the bacon is nice and crispy (about 5 minutes) add the diced onion and cook until softened (about 5 more minutes.) Add diced potatoes, and pour in half and half until the potatoes are barely covered. Add salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then let simmer until potatoes are tender (you should be able to easily pierce with a fork, but they shouldn't be too mushy.) Fold in drained corn and both cans of clams with all the juices. Simmer for 10 more minutes to let flavors meld. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Serve with chopped parsley on top, and toasted french bread on the side.

It’s finally fall in Dallas. And by “fall” I mean that we are wearing scarves for fashions’ sake. It is below 80 degrees, which means it is high time to make Risotto.

Risotto is a time investment. The Arborio rice has higher starch levels, allowing it to absorb a glorious amount of chicken stock and flavors. You add a little stock every 5-ish minutes and stir continually. This can be exhausting, but the satisfying creaminess makes it worth the effort. I used mushrooms and sausage, but you can substitute your favorite protein and veggies (shrimp and asparagus works well too.)

Heat olive oil in large saute pan and add sausage. Let sausage saute in clumps without breaking up entirely. This will form a nice sear on little sausage meatballs.

Add mushrooms, oregano, thyme and cook until mushrooms are tender.

In a second saucepan, heat chicken stock until barely simmering. In a third VERY large stock pot, melt butter, and saute chopped onion and garlic until tender. Add rice and cook for 3-ish minutes.

Add marsala and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Now the fun begins…add one cup chicken stock and stir continually until it is fully absorbed. Add another cup of stock and continue until the rice is tender and actually tastes good.

Once the rice is tender, add the sausage mixture and stir to combine. Serve with grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese and enjoy!