I’ve decided that January is the unofficial month of soups and stews. It’s bitterly cold, you’re exhausted from the holiday madness, you just want to hibernate under multiple blankets, and eat nothing but soup, stew, or chili until spring finally emerges. This Spicy Cilantro Lime Salmon Chowder has been a recipe I’ve returned to time and time again especially in winter months and I decided to finally share it with… Keep Reading
It’s Spring, but Iowa isn’t participating. We woke up to a dusting of snow and day three of cold biting winds that make you want to just curl up under the covers and sleep until May. Aside from reading gardening books and impatiently waiting for “real Spring” to arrive, I love making a big bowl of noodles to warm up with. This Garlic Lime Bok Choy Mushroom Soup only takes… Keep Reading
I’ve been on a roll with making soups lately and can you blame me? Once the cold weather hits, all you want is something delicious that warms your bones and this Spicy Cilantro Lime Sweet Potato Soup does just the trick. This is also one of the easiest soup that I’ve made to date. The sweet potato, onion, and red bell pepper get roasted to perfection in the oven while… Keep Reading
I’ll admit it right now.. I’ve always been a winter hater. Waking up extra early to scrape about an inch of ice off your windshield, white knuckle driving icy/snowy roads, negative temperatures that give you a brain freeze when you step outside… I can keep going, but I think you get the picture. We got our first taste of what’s to come when it snowed a few days before Halloween…. Keep Reading
Sometimes you want your burger to be a little bit extra, but rather than pay for a jazzed up version from a restaurant, there’s a few simple elements you can add for a different take on the traditional hamburger. There’s also no need to own a grill to make these sliders since they cook up in a cast iron skillet in a matter of minutes. Although that smoky grill flavor… Keep Reading
When I found myself with one whole day off, I thought I would create several new dishes, spend the rest of the afternoon editing, and then maybe get a few house projects accomplished. No such luck… This is the day our dog showed up. I had just finished photographing this dish when I spotted a dog in our backyard and then spent the next several hours trying to find her… Keep Reading
Valentines Day is just a few days away and if you want to skip the crowded restaurants and impress your partner with a simple, but restaurant quality dinner at home instead, I’ve got just the dish! Not only does this walnut crusted salmon cost a fraction of what you’d pay for it in a restaurant, but it’s surprisingly quick and easy to throw together and can be prepped the night… Keep Reading
Ever since our trip to Italy I’ve been craving a big plate of decadent buttery seafood and pasta.. and of course wine.. and beautiful views.. and listening to everyone speak in perfect Italian. But since I won’t be venturing back to Italy this year I opted to at least satisfy my cravings for the pasta, seafood, and wine! I’m happy to say that this dish did the trick and the… Keep Reading
Beets will forever be on that fine line of you either love them or hate them and if you hate them… this recipe is NOT for you. I like to channel my inner Dwight Schrute and fully embrace beets and their earthy flavor. This time I went even further by using their greens in this salad and pickled the stems to use in other dishes, putting every bit of them… Keep Reading
When you think of nachos, you usually picture the version that’s served at a sporting event.. A pile of chips in a plastic container, loaded with liquidy cheese that you pump out of a dispenser, and topped with canned jalapeno rings. I mean, those are still pretty amazing when washed down with a big over priced beer, but if you’re looking for something a little healthier, a little more filling,… Keep Reading
This is always my favorite season to come up with new soup and chili recipes to help warm the bones after a particularly shitty (whoops.. I meant chilly) winter day. If you checked out the last couple of posts then you know I have an abundance of pumpkins and squash leftover from this summer’s garden that I’m trying to put to good use and now I’m wishing I had more!… Keep Reading
While making this recipe the other day I was reminded that winter is essentially here and found myself scrambling to snap photos of the final product with the last little sliver of dusk light. I’m not 100% happy with the photos I managed to get, but I am over the moon with how the recipe turned out! It’s loaded up with eggs, whole grain bread, butternut squash, apples, fresh sage,… Keep Reading
Yesterday I shared how to make Simple Homemade Pumpkin Puree, so today I thought I would share a round up of some of my favorite recipes using pumpkin. Some of these posts are from my first year of blogging, which means cringe-worthy lighting, angles, and composition with the photos, but the recipe itself is something I wouldn’t change at all. They’re tried and true recipes that I use often, especially… Keep Reading
This may seem like a spaghetti squash recipe, but this is really all about the sauce.. A good homemade tomato sauce can take a lot of time.. blanching, peeling, and then cooking down tomatoes for hours on the stove top. But let’s be real.. most of us are lucky if we even have time to wash our hair during the week (thank you Dry Shampoo Gods) so there’s no way… Keep Reading
Looking back on the majority of my recipes from the last year I realize I definitely lean towards using what I have on hand from the garden and this pizza is a perfect example of that. I collected squash and pumpkin blossoms, cherry tomatoes, and garlic from the backyard making this a quick, easy, and cheap recipe to put together. The only topping I didn’t grow was the goat cheese,… Keep Reading
If you want to know how these delicious veggie-friendly tacos taste you can go on and skip to the third paragraph, but I wanted to start out by explaining why recently I’ve opted for making more vegetarian recipes on the blog. Being born and raised in Iowa I’m definitely a meat and potatoes kind of girl. I love a good rare steak, sizzling bacon, and fried chicken, however I want… Keep Reading
Our spring was off to a really slow start, but now that everything is slowly budding and turning lovely shades of green I wanted to put together a roundup of some of my favorite spring-inspired recipes from the blog! First up are these scrumptious Spring Fruit and Basil Bruschetta appetizers. Toasted baguette slices, rich goat cheese, sweet fruits, and honey make for a delectable combination. Click here for the full… Keep Reading
Nashville is best known as being the Music City and home to some of the most delicious hot chicken. When we took a road trip there last spring everyone told us it was an absolute must try and being a lover of all things spicy, I was up for the challenge. We seem to be plagued by rain on most of our trips and it was a particularly chilly day… Keep Reading
I have been craving grilled cheese sandwiches lately so I put this one together with a few twists. First off I never thought I’d be consuming a grilled cheese that had green apples or purple cheese on it, but holy cow.. I don’t want them any other way now! I diced up some jalapeño and mashed up blackberries into the goat cheese to create this purple-people-eater concoction of cheese. It’s… Keep Reading
My days off seem to pass by within the blink of an eye so I’ve been taking them a bit slower to savor every minute of them. Cooking is the best way that I know how to do that as it involves all of my senses. It forces you to focus, be present, and be patient. And of course I purposely made sure the recipe called for some wine so… Keep Reading
After one last gasp from summer in the form of a 3 day heat wave in the 90’s.. we’re finally into fall with gloom, rain, and falling leaves. I don’t know about anyone else, but it makes me want to snuggle up with Punk (my 17lb cat), marathon the last season of Game of Thrones (again), and make a big pot of spicy chili. With my garden still producing a… Keep Reading
It’s been tough trying to make time to cook and create new blog recipes, so when I do, I make sure they count. And not to toot my own horn, but this is a damn good one! I originally set out to make a simple pasta bake with tomatoes and basil, but when I saw my cilantro just sitting in the windowsill on the verge of wilting, I made a… Keep Reading
Clearly the weather is all over the place here in the Midwest because yesterday I was outside digging the beginnings of my garden in a lightweight flannel and now it’s in the 30’s and we’re anticipating snow over the next few days! Regardless of the weather I find myself always craving this soup, but it’s really perfect for those extra chilly days! This was an adaptation of my slow cooker… Keep Reading
I write this from the comfort of a warm bed after work was cancelled today. Iowa roads are a treacherous ice skating rink from freezing rain so here’s a hearty and comforting soup recipe to help warm you all up! This particular one is a combination between a bacon cheddar soup and my spicy butternut squash soup. Big chunks of bacon, zesty onion, and a blend of aged white cheddar… Keep Reading