I finally had a bit of time off from work and since I still don’t feel comfortable enough to travel anywhere, I spent most of that time at home instead. It’s been a lot of dog and chicken snuggles, cleaning, working on the basement projects with my dad, and COOKING. I feel like I lost my love for it a bit last year and it was all about quick uncreative… Keep Reading
At the end of fall I couldn’t bear to part with my garden, so I transplanted some of my herbs into pots that now have a happy and warm home in front of my window. The Italian flat leaf parsley was starting to get a little crazy because I really just don’t cook with it all that often. I challenged myself to look for recipes where parsley was more than… Keep Reading
If you haven’t embraced cauliflower into your life yet maybe this will be the post that makes you do it! I never used to be a fan of it myself, but after learning how to make it taste like hot wings.. I was sold! For a good throwback recipe you can see what I’m talking about here. I decided to challenge myself with THREE new flavor variations and the best… Keep Reading
This summer I let one side of the garden become a pumpkin patch full of ghost pumpkins and sugar pumpkins. I got a lot of questions asking why the sugar pumpkins were so small and why you can’t use the regular carving pumpkin variety to cook and bake with. The difference is this: The carving varieties have less flesh, they’re stringier, and have more water in them, not making for… Keep Reading
If you’ve ever grown mint before then you know that once it starts growing it takes off like a weed. When it was overgrowing the pallet planter box it was in I decided it was time to take action and put it to good use in some recipes. Aside from mojitos and garnishing my other favorite cocktails I never utilized mint as the starring hero in my recipes, especially not… Keep Reading
I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with salads, but I quickly fell in love with them again after pairing it with this deliciously addictive dressing. It’s fresh, tangy, and also makes a great dipping sauce for sweet potato fries, tortilla chips, and burritos. After I let my husband taste test it he said, “You can just give me a spoon and hand me the rest of the bottle!”… Keep Reading
Salmon is one of my favorite go-to proteins to cook with. It’s healthy, lean, full of great flavor, and quick to cook, but to be honest, I’ve been a little bored with it lately. I decided to switch things up and pair it with a fresh cucumber cilantro yogurt sauce. The vibrant flavors from the sauce paired perfectly with the citrus and herbs I used to season the fillets. I added… Keep Reading
Lately we’ve been on a bit of a yogurt kick and I’m finding other uses for it besides my morning breakfast. I’ve always been a sour cream person when it comes to burrito toppings, but I thought I’d give a yogurt sauce a try to change things up. What I discovered was that I had been missing out on some serious flavor! This creamy tangy sauce added the perfect zip… Keep Reading
Every time we hit Trader Vic’s for happy hour I order their lamb sliders. I had never really tried lamb before and was actually surprised at how much I liked it! I was inspired to try out my own version of them and they turned out far better than what I expected! The sweet and spicy tomato chutney and cool cucumber mint raita make the perfect compliments to the burgers!… Keep Reading
Salmon tends to be the easiest fish to cook, but it can be a bit boring. To liven it up I encrusted it with flaked coconut, lime zest, and spices and topped it off with a sweet mango rum sauce! It’s a restaurant-style meal, but on a home-cook’s budget and schedule!
A few weeks ago my fiancé and I ate at Delta Café, where (in my opinion) you can get some of the best Southern food in the Pacific Northwest. Not more than a day after having dinner there, I found myself craving collard greens and po-boys again! I decided I had to come up with my own versions of both and I’m so happy that I did! If you’re ever… Keep Reading
I recently started buying a lot of my spices in bulk and it’s already saved me quite a bit of money! I save my old containers and just refill them when needed. It’s great for making large quantities of BBQ rubs, taco, and most recently..Cajun seasoning ahead of time. See how easy it is to make your own!
For years I’ve used store-bought vegetable, chicken, and pork stock that were lackluster in flavor and packed full of sodium and preservatives. I decided to try out the old-fashioned way and make my own! Not only is the stock much tastier than store-bought, but I wound up with 15 cups of it! That’s more than enough to last me through an entire year of recipes!
I feel like salads get a bad reputation of being weak, light, and unfulfilling, but this salad is anything but! I’ve been craving a hearty summer salad for a few weeks and this definitely hit the spot! Juicy grilled chicken breasts on a bed of green leaf lettuce, cherry tomatoes, dried cranberries, freshly cooked crumbled bacon, and avocado. I topped the whole thing off with homemade honey mustard dressing that… Keep Reading
A few weeks ago when I went berry picking with friends, I went a little overboard! We already had a huge carton of blueberries we had picked up from the store and then I brought home 4 more full pints from the farms! I don’t like seeing food go to waste so I decided to make a sweet and tart blueberry sauce to top a stack of warm fluffy buttermilk… Keep Reading
I think the moment you realize you’re an adult is when you find yourself completely giddy about receiving a food processor for Christmas (thank you once again Mom!). One of the main reasons I even wanted one was just to make a basil pesto. Never-mind the fact that this food processor has a million and one different functions and items that it can make, I just wanted pesto! It’s simple… Keep Reading
Snazz up any sandwich, pasta dish, or chicken with this easy and zesty cilantro pesto!
Spiced Pork Chops with Cranberry Apple Chutney Do you ever feel like the meals that take the most effort are usually the best? I sure do! This meal is honestly not that complicated.. unless you don’t check the expiration of the pork chops and have to run back to the store for fresh ones ANNNND almost chop your middle finger off while prepping the ingredients! OTHER THAN THAT.. you should… Keep Reading
Scallion Quinoa Cakes with Cilantro Lemon Sauce I’ll admit, I was a little weary about trying quinoa for the first time, hell I couldn’t even pronounce it correctly, but a friend made it for us and we loved it! We recently went out to eat and the salmon I ordered was placed on top of a scallion quinoa cake. I was in heaven! It was such a great meal and… Keep Reading
Coconut Shrimp with Spicy Mango Sauce Spice up winter a bit with these delectable coconut shrimp! The mango sauce has a subtle spice and sweetness that pairs perfectly with the shrimp!
Lemon Pepper Salmon with Garlic Mushroom Sauce I love cooking salmon, but I’m always looking for different ways to cook, season, or change it. The latest way is with this amazing garlic mushroom sauce! It’s zesty and hearty and would go great with chicken or steak as well!
Why spend money on honey mustard sauce at the store when you can make your own! That’s also ten times more delicious I might add!
Homemade taco seasoning tastes so much better than store bought and if you already have all of the spices and herbs in your cupboard, then it’s that much cheaper and convenient to make!
When I moved out of the house at eighteen I was broke, as most 18-20 somethings are when they’re first getting set up on their own. Among eating canned ravioli and a LOT of ramen noodles, I learned how to make the easiest, cheapest, tastiest red sauce. To this day this is still my go-to-sauce for pasta, chicken parmesan, marinara dipping sauce, pizza sauce, etc.. You can add diced tomatoes,… Keep Reading