Cooking with Ease: Candy Sushi for the kiddos (or the kid in you!) this Valentine’s Day

Cooking with Ease: Candy Sushi for the kiddos (or the kid in you!) this Valentine’s Day

ROCKWALL, TX (Feb. 8, 2023) We have made it past the New Year and are headed straight into Valentine’s Day. A day designed for lovers. All the hearts, candy, flowers, balloons and stuffed animals. You are now probably wondering how Candy Sushi fits into this category. Well, it fits for a few reasons. Let me […]

Cooking with Ease by Melissa Tate: Homemade Hot Chocolate

Cooking with Ease by Melissa Tate: Homemade Hot Chocolate

ROCKWALL, TX (Nov. 23, 2022) As we edge towards the New Year, my brain already starts going toward new goals. What do I want to do different next year? What do I want to do better? How can I support my people more? How can I use my gifts to spark joy in myself, and […]

Cooking with Ease: Make the Most of Fall Food Holidays

Cooking with Ease: Make the Most of Fall Food Holidays

ROCKWALL, TX (Sept. 30, 2022) October is an easy month to celebrate. It’s the beginning of fall, State Fair season, high school football, cooler weather. But it also boasts a list of food holidays! At this point, you may be wondering what a food holiday is. Well, it’s a real-life designated holiday made to celebrate […]

Cooking with Ease by Melissa Tate: Homemade Peach Ice Cream

Cooking with Ease by Melissa Tate: Homemade Peach Ice Cream

ROCKWALL, TX (June 30, 2022) Homemade ice cream is not something I make often, but I want to change that. And I want to change it because of the reason I don’t make it often. I love homemade ice cream. I think everyone probably does. But it takes so long to make that I rarely […]

Cooking with Ease: How-To Mini Cheesecake Party

Cooking with Ease: How-To Mini Cheesecake Party

ROCKWALL, TX – February 9, 2022 — It’s that time of year again. The time when we start to think about how we can show the special people in our lives just how much we love them. I know we are just coming off of Christmas, but Valentine’s is a little different. Whether it’s a […]

Cooking with Ease by Melissa Tate: How-To Charcuterie Boards

Cooking with Ease by Melissa Tate: How-To Charcuterie Boards

ROCKWALL, TX (Nov. 29, 2021) What is a charcuterie board? Well, the word “charcuterie” means prepared meat. We, the people, have turned charcuterie boards into what they are today. Meat, cheese, fruits, nuts, crackers, breads, desserts – all the things. I am totally fine with this but also, if your “charcuterie board” doesn’t have meat on […]

Cooking with Ease: Gail Spann’s Ginger Meatball Recipe

Cooking with Ease: Gail Spann’s Ginger Meatball Recipe

ROCKWALL, TX – Nov. 8, 2021 — A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of stepping into someone else’s kitchen and watching them cook alongside friends. My husband, Evan, is on the Board of the Rockwall County Historical Foundation. Every year the foundation hosts a Brunch with Minerals tour and fundraiser with board member, […]

Cooking with Ease by Melissa Tate: Homemade Hamburger Helper

Cooking with Ease by Melissa Tate: Homemade Hamburger Helper

ROCKWALL, TX (August 22, 2021) If you’ve read this column in the past, you probably know I love meals and memories – meals that we’ve attached to positive memories in our life. Meals we’ve shared with loved ones while recapping our day or having important life conversations. As families head back to the classroom, memories […]

Cooking With Ease: Texas Pie Fest

Cooking With Ease: Texas Pie Fest

ROCKWALL, TX (June 23, 2021) Something very special happened a few weeks ago here in Rockwall County. The Texas House of Representatives recognized June 12, 2021 as the official Texas Pie Fest Day. Brittany Hardin of Bonafide Betties Pie Co. and I, Melissa Tate of Tate Farms, started Texas Pie Fest in 2019. That first year, […]

Cooking with Ease by Melissa Tate: Easter Banana Pudding Cups

Cooking with Ease by Melissa Tate: Easter Banana Pudding Cups

ROCKWALL, TX – April 1, 2021 – It feels like Easter 2020 was a lifetime ago and yet, we have only lived one year in that amount of time. I remember last year we were all still filled with immense uncertainty. Churches scrambling to find ways to reach their congregation without meeting in person, shelves […]