A few months back, I received a request from a friend of mine. She was requesting a recipe of course, one that would solve all of her problems, one that would make her days easier and her meals more delicious, and of course it had to go in the Crock Pot. And it couldn’t be soup. “And don’t make it too fancy,” she said. “If I have to go to the grocery store to get some spice, I ...
Dinner
“Life Changing” Harissa Chicken and White Beans
After 8 years of cooking and then writing about it, I have enough confidence in my skills to say that I am an above average home cook. I can, on a fairly consistent basis, put a meal on the table that doesn’t kill anyone. I have also been fortunate enough to produce some pretty amazing creations that have been met with rave reviews, but, until last week, I have never made ...
Italian Braised Short Ribs
My husband and I have been working on our own little project. It’s been going on for the last 6 or 7 months and was brought on by the rising cost of cheap cuts of beef. Cuts that, 5 years ago, most folks didn’t know existed. We have seen some of our favorites such as flank steak, skirt steak and beef shank go through the roof! I would have never imagined that it would be ...
Ham and Cabbage Soup
Ham and Cabbage Soup is a family favorite that has been passed down through the generations. Turn a leftover meaty hambone into a dish that will have you going back for another bowl. This post has been updated with new pictures and such. Whenever I see or smell ham and cabbage soup, I think about a brief moment in time (late 80’s perhaps?) when my parents dove head ...
30 Minute Mini Meatloaves
To say that this Summer has been one of rest and relaxation would be a big, fat lie. So far, this particularly hot and muggy season has been nothing but exhausting; new job, new house, new projects, and new routines (if you can call anything in our life right now “routine”). I’m not complaining (ok, maybe a little), everything that has happened has been ...
Grilled Ribeye Steaks with Blue Cheese Butter
I would venture to say that most hard-working Dads out there don’t get all of the credit they deserve. I mean, they go to work every day to provide for their families only to be tackled by their children as soon as they walk through the door and commanded to then proceed to be the most entertaining toy in the room. My husband in particular must perform the duties of “the fun ...
Cabbage Strudel
There is a bag of dirt on my kitchen floor and little cups of seedlings in my window. My garden has been generously turned over and tilled by a neighbor. I have drawn out my plans for this year’s planting, hoping that this season will be better than last season. I have vowed to stay on top of the weeds and the squash bugs and construct a fence to keep the critters and the ...
Chicken Stew
Chicken Stew is one of the best ways to warm up a cold winter's day. If you can rustle up some fresh rosemary, this stew will be all the better for it. Hello, Winter…you are late. We have been waiting for you since December. We would have been very appreciative of your wintery precipitation during the Christmas holiday but this February delivery of ice and snow ...
Teriyaki Turkey Meatball Stir-fry
Bring two favorites together in one dish! Meatballs and stirfry are a great way to make this healthy quick dinner even more kid friendly! I’m sure that I have mentioned this before, but I LOVE Asian food. Not only do I love how fast and fresh most Asian food can be, but I also love all of the sauces and condiments that go along with it. The Asian pantry is teeming with ...
Buffalo Salad with Shoestring Fried Onions
I have to ease into the healthy eating of January. Even though the guilt and the elastic in my waistband is reminding me of all of the pie that I had for Christmas, I can't just dive headfirst into a menu of green smoothies and power bars. After all it is the middle of Winter.It's cold. It's dreary and all my stubborn body seems to want to crave is comfort food. Why, oh, why ...
Southwest Rice Bowls
Some would say that lunch is my life. Ok, maybe no one would say that, but sometimes I certainly think it. For the last year and a half I have been catering lunch to the fine folks of my small town and this has really forced me to explore the possibilities of the midday meal (it has also made me develop an unhealthy obsession with take-out containers that only someone who ...
Mini Chicken Gyros
My first encounter with Greek food was in Chicago during a trip that seems like forever ago now. My friend, Renee, had been living there for a few years and I flew my pregnant self to Chicago for a “last-hoorah” kind of girls’ weekend. We went all over the place, but my favorite place was this little Greek restaurant around the corner from her apartment. We dodged angry drivers ...
Lemon Dill Shrimp Salad
Light and refreshing, Lemon Dill Shrimp Salad is a divine summer lunch or light dinner. Use up any leftover shrimp from the night before in this simple salad. I feel like we are on the cusp of something here and the excitement (and certain amount of fear) that new opportunities bring is not exactly a situation that I am used to. The last time I felt that we were on the cusp ...
Shrimp Tacos with Jalapeno Slaw
Right now, in my mind, I am on vacation. I am not actually on vacation, I am somewhere towards the beginning of what will eventually turn into the busiest, most stressful, and exhausting month of my life. The month of May has now been dubbed Hell Month. Do you ever have one of those months? Where you just stare at your calendar in disbelief and wonder how all of this got ...
Yogurt Marinated Chicken
Yogurt Marinated Chicken thighs are an easy Spring meal and perfect for rainy days. The yogurt marinade gives the chicken a tangy moist flavor and browns up beautifully in the oven. The first day of Spring has already passed but I can't say that Mother Nature got the memo. It has been cold and wet and windy for what seems like forever. I'm sure that the rest of the country ...