From California to Alabama
Calibama Cooking
Recipe Library
A little California ease, a whole lot of Alabama soul, and every recipe made with heart.
This is the Love Lab — my kitchen, my testing ground, and the reason this site exists. Everything here gets tried at my own table first: a new seasoning, a quicker method, a plate that still has to work on a Tuesday night. It’s called a lab because I’m always experimenting, and it’s called love because that’s the part no recipe can skip. If it makes an ordinary day taste better, it earns a spot.
Hi, I’m Chef Lorious. Tell me what’s in your kitchen, and I’ll pick something for us to cook tonight.
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The recipe library
96 recipes
Dinner
Tex Mex Lasagna: Spicy, Cheesy Comfort Food Delight
Somethings just make sense. There’s really not a lot of discussion necessary it just makes sense. This is one of those things. Who loves lasagna?…
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Appetizers
Dr Pepper BBQ Sauce for All!!!
I’ve been a moderate fan of Dr Pepper for as long as I can remember. I’m actually more of a Pepsi girl, but occasionally, I like to switch it up and…
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Dinner
The Ultimate Guide To Irresistible Baked (Smothered) Turkey Wings
The absolute easiest recipe you’ll every find for delicious, tender, juicy turkey wings. You won’t believe how simple these come together and how…
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Appetizers
Fried Green Tomatoes with Parmesan Basil Aioli
A Calibama favorite from the Love Lab, made with heart.
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Appetizers
Hot Honey Wings (in the Air Fryer!)
A Calibama favorite from the Love Lab, made with heart.
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Soups & Chowders
Lobster Bisque
A Calibama favorite from the Love Lab, made with heart.
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Desserts
Chocolate Pound Cake
This chocolate pound cake is so moist and delicious you won’t believe it.
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Dinner
Creamy White Chicken Lasagna
A Calibama favorite from the Love Lab, made with heart.
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Dinner
BBQ Bacon Cheddar Meatloaf
As if meatloaf could get any better, I had a new meatloaf baby, y’all. It’s got BBQ sauce, bacon and cheddar cheese. Basting it with BBQ sauce only…
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Desserts
Key Lime Pound Cake
Key Lime is one of those things you either love it or you don’t. Thankfully I fall into the category of people who love it! I also love pound cakes.…
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Appetizers
The Ultimate Crab Dip
Crab dip never lets you down. It is always delicious and it you’ll always want more…unless you don’t eat seafood! I recommend using jumbo lump crab…
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Dinner
Classic Chicken Pot Pie
Some dishes are so classic they’re in a class all by themselves. Chicken Pot Pie is one of those dishes. I have all kinds of ways I want to be…
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Dinner
Garlic Parmesan Roasted Game Hens
Little baby chickens, bathed in garlic, parmesan cheese, herbs and butter. It really doesn’t get much better does it? Since they’re little, they…
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Breads
Cheddar & Chive Biscuits
There’s nothing like a good biscuit. Until you add cheese! These are an easy upgrade to biscuits making them a delicious accompaniment to pretty much…
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Breads
Brown Butter Honey Cornbread
As if buttermilk cornbread couldn’t get any better, meet the favorite family member: Brown Butter Honey Cornbread. Brown butter adds a delicious,…
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Dinner
Brined & Roasted Turkey
Cooking a turkey can be a daunting task. There are several methods to cooking a turkey, but today I’m sharing one of the more straightforward…
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Sides & Veggies
Extreme Green Bean Casserole
Let’s have an honest moment, shall we? Green Bean Casserole is a common Thanksgiving dish. But if I’m honest, I’ve never liked it…and I don’t thin my…
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Dinner
Mama VJ’s Candied Yams
A Calibama favorite from the Love Lab, made with heart.
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Sides & Veggies
Truffle and 7 Cheese Mac & Cheese
Well, Family! I believe I have found The Answer to all of our problems. Are you ready for it? Here it comes......Truffle and 7 Cheese Mac & Cheese.…
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Desserts
Apple Crisp
I’d like to introduce you to Apple Pie’s baby cousin: Apple Crisp. They are definitely related! I like to say Apple Crisp is the “lighter calorie…
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Desserts
Lori’s No-Mess Pie Crust
Pie makers rejoice! If you’re anything like me, you enjoy making pies…especially home made pie crust. But generally speaking, the process is messy.…
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Desserts
Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Fall is upon us, and it's pumpkin season!! I love a good bread pudding, so I figured why not make it even better with pumpkin! And my oh my, this is…
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Breads
Caramelized Banana French Toast
Let’s start with the obvious. French toast is a fancy way to have dessert for breakfast. You take sweet bread (Challah or brioche, typically), you…
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Desserts
Flourless Chocolate Cake
You know, some times it’s really difficult to fid the words to describe a dish. If you’ve followed me for a while, you know that I’m not a…
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Appetizers
Hot Bacon Dressing
Honest moment here: I’m not much of a salad person. I sometimes get a real hankering for a salad, but as a general rule, I’m not a salad eating type…
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Breads
Pumpkin Spice Scones
A Calibama favorite from the Love Lab, made with heart.
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Sides & Veggies
Grandma’s Collard Greens
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Desserts
Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Salted Caramel Sauce
A Calibama favorite from the Love Lab, made with heart.
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Sides & Veggies
Black Eyed Peas
When I was a little girl I couldn’t stand black eyed peas! I loved my grandma’s cooking, but something about them just didn’t work for me. Well, as…
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Soups & Chowders
Unlock the Hidden Power of Homemade Chicken Stock
Chicken broth is the building block to so many delicious dishes. From soups, to rice to mac & cheese…even homemade Alfredo sauce! Making your own is…
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Dinner
Grandma’s Smothered Chicken
My grandma was an Alabama Church Mother - born and bred! She could smother chicken, steak, pork chops...you name it. I especially loved smothered…
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Breads
Lori’s Homemade Yeast Rolls
A Calibama favorite from the Love Lab, made with heart.
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Sides & Veggies
Chili Roasted Acorn Squash
Squash season continues! Today, it's acorn squash. Acorn squash is relatively sweet,, and actually reminds me of sweet potatoes. There are a number…
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Dinner
Chocolate Bread Pudding with Irish Whiskey Caramel Cream Sauce
I enjoy traditional bread pudding. There’s nothing like it. Delicious, full of carbs…you know….everything that makes food good. And then, I added…
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Desserts
Lemon Meringue Pie
This pie takes me back to my childhood. As soon as I take a bite, I’m an eight-year-old “Little Lori” again, running around the church parking lot,…
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Sides & Veggies
Corn Pudding
A Calibama favorite from the Love Lab, made with heart.
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Sides & Veggies
Cheesy Bacon Scalloped Potatoes
A Calibama favorite from the Love Lab, made with heart.
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Desserts
Home Style Coconut Cream Pie
If you know anything about old fashioned pies, you know about Lemon Meringue and Coconut Cream Pies. Trends come and go, but the classics, the…
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Breads
Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies
A Calibama favorite from the Love Lab, made with heart.
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Appetizers
BBQ Rib Eye Steak Nachos
Everything you love all on one platter!
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Desserts
No Bake Cheesecake
Perfect for those hot summer months! This is the basic vanilla flavor, but please...switch it up and make it your own.
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Desserts
S’Mores Dip
A Calibama favorite from the Love Lab, made with heart.
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Dinner
Cilantro Lime Grilled Watermelon
A Calibama favorite from the Love Lab, made with heart.
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Dinner
Crab Cakes
A Calibama favorite from the Love Lab, made with heart.
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Desserts
The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie
A Calibama favorite from the Love Lab, made with heart.
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Breads
Everything Stuffed Waffles
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Sides & Veggies
Calibama Succotash with Fireball Glaze
When I think of succotash I instantly hear Sylvester the Cat and Yosemite Sam exclaiming "suffering succotash"! Actually, there is quite a history to…
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Appetizers
Sweet & Spicy Grilled Pineapple
A Calibama favorite from the Love Lab, made with heart.
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Breads
Chocolate Chip Scones
A Calibama favorite from the Love Lab, made with heart.
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Dinner
Hearty Vegan Chili
I am a meat lover. There is no shame in my game, I love beef, pork and chicken. I also enjoy a challenge. So I challenged my meat lovin' self to make…
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Dinner
Spicy Southwestern Chicken Chili
This chili is so good, I don't even know where to begin. You make it as spicy or mild as you like. In my house, this chili is always very very spicy!…
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Appetizers
Crispy Potato Chips
Rinse off all of the starch before you soak the potatoes. That can take several rounds of rinsing, but trust me, it will be worth it. That extra…
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Appetizers
Garlic Parmesan Air Fryer Wings
A Calibama favorite from the Love Lab, made with heart.
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Appetizers
Honey-Poblano Corn Muffins
This has become one of my new favorite cornbread recipes. Usually, people spice up corn muffins with jalapeno peppers. But I prefer poblano peppers.…
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Appetizers
Easy Ricotta Cheese
Did you know that you can make Ricotta cheese at home, in under one hour, and it tastes waaaaaayyyyy better than the stuff you buy at the grocery…
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Sides & Veggies
Triple “B” Baked Beans
A Calibama favorite from the Love Lab, made with heart.
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Sides & Veggies
Glorious Lorious Pasta Salad
You know the phrase "everything but the kitchen sink" ? That's how you make a good pasta salad. What makes my pasta salad Glorious (besides the fact…
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Sides & Veggies
Corn on the Cob with Garlic Parmesan Aioli (oh…and Bacon Dust!)
Corn on the cob is a staple at summer time cookouts. It's kind of hard to make it interesting -- if we're being honest. Well never fear! Over here in…
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Dinner
Cajun Seafood Pasta Carbonara
Here in Calibama, we create things. We think of the stuff we like and we conceive dishes to make ours taste buds smile. This is an example of that.…
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Sides & Veggies
Potatoes Au Gratin … with flair!
I love potatoes as much as the next girl, so any time there's a way to up the ante, I'm all about it. Years ago I found a fancy recipe for these…
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Soups & Chowders
Crock Pot Vegetable Bean Soup
A Calibama favorite from the Love Lab, made with heart.
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Desserts
Red Wine Chocolate Cake
A Calibama favorite from the Love Lab, made with heart.
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Appetizers
Super Seafood Dip
Dips are an amazing thing. You can do so much with a good dip, it's really hard to get your head around the whole thing. This is a party appetizer…
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Appetizers
Old Bay Wings
Just in time for the big game, I've created an error-proof recipe for spicy, crispy chicken wings. I recently purchased an Air Fryer, and can I just…
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Appetizers
Jam Vino Limited Holiday Edition
What makes the holidays even better? How about some Limited Edition Jam Vino!
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Appetizers
JAM VINO IS HERE!
Exciting news from the Love Lab! Jam Vino, our exclusive hand crafted, wine-infused jams are now available! These jams are uniquely designed by Chef…
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Desserts
Poached Pears
The holidays are fast approaching! Poached pears are a simple and elegant dessert that will impress everyone. The key to poached pears is the…
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Appetizers
Olive Tapenade
A Calibama favorite from the Love Lab, made with heart.
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Dinner
Seafood Lasagna
The holidays are quickly approaching, and if you're anything like me, you're always on the hunt for something new to add to your holiday spread.…
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Appetizers
Curried Butternut Squash Deviled Eggs
I know this sounds a little strange, but trust me! It’s Fall and squash is everywhere. Most of the time we make butternut squash and make…
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Dinner
Four-Bacon Pasta Carbonara
Nothing says "I love you" like carbs. At least that's my opinion! And there's nothing like a classic carbonara to make you feel warm inside and just…
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Dinner
Hennessy Glazed Soul Food Sliders
Where oh where do I begin with this post! First of all, I got the inspiration for this dish after the passing of Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul.…
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Dinner
Peppercorn Seared Salmon with Caramelized Shallots & Fig Chutney
A delightful new twist on seared salmon! Searing the salmon with a fresh blend of peppercorns, combined with the sweet delight of caramelized…
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Desserts
S’Mores Panna Cotta
I have had so much fun with the summer dessert series we’ve been cooking up here in Lori-Land. It’s been excited and fattening! LOL But, alas,…
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Appetizers
Avocado Aioli
Burgers and things need sauces! Mayonnaise is the most common of the sauces on burgers, but dare I raise the stakes! Aioli is a cousin to mayonnaise.…
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Desserts
Strawberry Shortcake
We are officially into the summer season and everywhere I look there are strawberries! Ripe strawberries are so sweet and delicious, they speak to…
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Dinner
Swine & Cheese Burgers
Summer is here and it's burger time! I shared four signature Chef Lorious burgers on WJLA's Good Morning Washington. This one, the "Swine and Cheese"…
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Breads
Perfect Pizza Dough
The best pizza starts with the best pizza crust. Making your own pizza dough is not difficult, you just need to have a few things down. Here's my…
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Dinner
Broiled Lobster Tails
Broiled lobster tails are a very elegant and amazingly simple meal to prepare. Honest moment coming: I've never really liked lobster tails much, but…
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Desserts
Easter White Chocolate Mousse
So I had a brilliant idea this year for Easter! I didn't feel like dyeing eggs, and my littles (my nickname for my 5 and 10 years old) told me they…
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Appetizers
Valentine’s Day Fun Tray
A Calibama favorite from the Love Lab, made with heart.
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Desserts
Blueberry-Peach Bourbon Caramel
There are few things in life, well actually, few things in the world, that leave me speechless. Anything that makes me lose the ability to speak, is…
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Dinner
Sage-Honey Glazed Pork Chops
A Calibama favorite from the Love Lab, made with heart.
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Breakfast
Quick and Healthy Oatmeal Breakfast
As much I enjoy cooking everything from scratch, there are many days....ok, most days....I don't have time to make my family full scale pancakes from…
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Breads
Red Velvet Waffles
Nothing says the holidays like Red Velvet anything!!! This is a simple, delicious and festive recipe for red velvet waffles. You’ll be in love and…
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Breads
Stuffed French Toast
This delicious recipe was initially shared during the Christmas season. It’s great for Christmas breakfast, etc…but the truth is, this is great for…
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Sides & Veggies
Sweet Potato Casserole
A fall classic, sure to leave you satisfied and full.
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Appetizers
Egg Nog Scones
A Calibama favorite from the Love Lab, made with heart.
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Desserts
Red Velvet Pound Cake
Christmas isn't Christmas without red velvet cake! Here's another confession... Layered red velvet cakes are sometimes a little bit a pain to put…
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Appetizers
Warm Baked Brie
Nothing says party time like Brie. Step it up several levels to warm baked Brie and all of a sudden, you’re a super star! This recipe is like an…
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Appetizers
Calibama Quiche
This is one of those recipes that you stumble upon and it turns out you're really happy with the results. It was birthed from a lovely Friday night…
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Desserts
Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake
A Calibama favorite from the Love Lab, made with heart.
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Dinner
Herb Crusted Prime Rib Roast
There is nothing quite as good as an excellent cut of beef. I grew up eating my steaks well done. Then years later, my dear husband talked me into…
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Sides & Veggies
Easy Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Nothing like it....add some cheese...YASS HUNNY YASS! (LOL)
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Desserts
Calibama Pralines
There's nothing quite as good as a piece of homemade candy! Enter Pralines. Historically, pralines are a New Orleans, Louisiana specialty. But y'all…
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Dinner
Easy BBQ Baked Chicken
I don't know about you, but despite my best plans, very frequently I end up not knowing what to make for dinner! Sometimes - especially during the…
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