Posts

Apple season is one of the best times of the year with lots of delicious recipes to make! Be sure to check out some of these reader favorites like German Apple Cake, Apple Salad with Candied Walnuts and Poppy Seed Dressing, and Apple Crisp! Picture this, you sitting on your couch curled up in your favorite sweater and holding a cup of fresh homemade apple cider. Sounds ideal, right? Making your own apple cider is an easy autumn/winter past-time that not only warms your soul but also doubles as a great way to make your home smell unbelievably good!...

My family’s favorite fish to eat is salmon, but I like to change things up now and then with another option when I’m wanting to serve fish for dinner. We are all big fans of fish and tilapia is a great choice for easy weeknight dinners because it is often more affordable than some other types of fish and has a mild, delicate flavor, making it versatile and suitable for various cooking methods....

This easy recipe for Pumpkin Turkey Chili is perfect for warming up when the weather is chilly. You can enjoy it any time of year, so long as you have some pumpkin puree on hand. While traditional chili has its roots in the American Southwest, this Pumpkin Turkey Chili incorporates the sweet and savory elements of pumpkin to celebrate the fall season. The pumpkin in this recipe doesn’t taste like pumpkin spice, but rather just lends an earthy, robust flavor that makes for a delicious dinner for any kind of gathering, even a busy weeknight dinner!...

We love enjoying smoked salmon flavors any time of year, and for all kinds of meals. From morning breakfast dishes like this Smoked Salmon Scrambled Eggs to lunchtime Smoked Salmon Chowder and dinner mains like this Hot Smoked Salmon recipe, it’s so versatile! This creamy smoked salmon dip is perfect for any salmon lover. It’s so flavorful, with a mix of smoky flavors as well as bursts of lemony citrus and tangy notes throughout....

The robust flavors of this bold sun dried tomato pesto sauce make for a winning dinner any night of the week. We like to add this to our favorite pasta and serve it with a protein like grilled chicken, pork chops, or pan seared salmon for a quick and easy meal with no fuss. Like our basil pesto recipe, this simple red pesto with sun dried tomatoes comes together in just a few minutes with a handful of ingredients, most of which are already in your pantry....

Dessert charcuterie boards are such a fun way to put together a showstopping display of treats to make any occasion more special. The possibilities are endless and they never fail to impress friends and family with the eye-catching display of treats and goodies that are perfect for grazing. This Valentine’s Day-themed dessert board was so fun to put together using some of our favorite treats and a few small heart-shaped bowls that I picked up at the Target dollar spot a few years ago....

After so much love for my Baked Chicken Meatballs, which have carrots in the mix, I wanted to try a version that used zucchini as the veggie in the mix and add more flavor—which is where this pesto meatball idea came from. This is like the best aspects of the basic recipe with so much more deliciousness. The pesto flavor is so yummy in the mix, and they are great dipped in marinara or pizza sauce as a snack or meal component and can be used like any other meatballs—so with pasta or in sandwiches....

I helped host an etiquette dinner for a bunch of teens not too long ago and this flourless chocolate cake was the dessert I made for them because 1) I wanted something they might not have had before that would challenge them, and 2) I still wanted them to love it and enjoy every last bite while also catering to some dietary restrictions. We served it with my raspberry sauce and a small scoop of vanilla ice cream....

Delicious warm bread rolls don’t just come from a fancy restaurant or bakery. In fact, I think they are even better when they are homemade because then you get to enjoy them fresh out of the oven! I love to make Lion House dinner rolls or my sister-in-law Deborah’s knotted orange sweet rolls for something a little fancier and special. But these potato rolls are amazing in their own right and perfect for using up leftover mashed potatoes....

Picadillo is one of my favorite dishes. Be it some Caribbean style like our Puerto Rican Picadillo or Mexican Picadillo or this Filipino version of the same popular and famous dish. It just takes on different colors, flavors and tastes everywhere it goes! Ground meat comes to my rescue when it’s a busy weekday evening and I want to put some decent meal on table, without spending too much time in the kitchen....

Healthy Chicken Meatballs I love making meatballs for kids since they are easy for them to eat and chew, and since they are so simple to make healthier! For these Chicken Meatballs, I combine Italian chicken sausage and roasted sweet potato for a flavorful, yet mellow meatballs that pair well with a variety of sauces. These are a great baby-led weaning food or protein for 1-year-old recipes, though they’re really delicious for any age....

When it comes to cooking meals with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, it can be easy to get stuck in a rut. They are so handy to have as an option, I always have a bag of them in the freezer that I can just grab and cook when I don’t have a plan for dinner already—but they can end up boring and bland unless they’re seasoned well and cooked properly....

Pupusas are one of my favorite foods. And it’s not just because of my proclivity for dishes with exciting names, but they are just really really good. Imagine a fluffy, almost creamy masa cake stuffed with a delicious filling and topped with a crisp fermented cabbage and a mild tomato salsa. Because they are made with masa harina, they are accidentally gluten free. And filling possibilities include anything from cheese, vegetables, beans, or meat (or some combination of those, though usually involving cheese)....

It’s creamy, tangy, fresh, and the perfect accompaniment to your fried seafood and more! I love my fried seafood, but without a side of tartar sauce the meal is just incomplete. I mean, can you imagine a big basket of Fried Catfish without that tangy, creamy goodness to dip it in? Well, having grown up in a family of avid fishermen, I was whipping up bowls of tartar sauce long before I ever turned on a stove....

How to Freeze Peaches The next time you see peaches on sale at the store or farmer’s market, or you find them at peak flavor, pick up a few extra to stock the freezer for future use. This is one of my favorite ways to have the best flavor and lowest cost for fresh fruit throughout the year. And I love that it means I have a stash of fruit on hand to use easily, even when we’re out of fresh fruit....

Last year I shared my favorite Southern Cornbread Dressing recipe, which always elicits groans of pleasure from hungry dinner guests. But this year I wanted to switch things up with offer something spicy and savory and different. This homemade sausage stuffing totally fit the bill! My husband would be perfectly content with a box of classic stovetop stuffing, which is what he grew up with. It’s so fascinating to me how different families approach their holiday foods....

I don’t remember where I first heard about the famous Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies, but they have been on my New York bucket list for a long time. So when I finally got to go visit, I made sure to stop at a Jacques Torres location to pick up a few of their phenomenal cookies. They absolutely lived up to the hype. The textures and flavors are chocolate chip cookie perfection, especially if you love a thinner, more traditional chocolate chip cookie as opposed to NYC’s other popular CCC – the super thick, almost scone-like Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookie with walnuts....

We love old-fashioned cookie recipes! Some of our other favorites are Lime Meltaway Shortbread Cookies, Oatmeal Fudge Bars, and Oatmeal Rolled Sugar Cookies. Joe Froggers Cookies Last 4th of July, my family visited the Colonial Fest in Orem, Utah, which is part of the area’s larger Freedom Festival celebration. As part of the festival, there are demonstrations and reenactments of colonial life, including debates, storytelling, and “citizens” being mustered into the colonial army....

Kids Food The term “kids food” can be loaded and I think sometimes it makes us feel like there is a whole separate category of food that we need to be feeding our kids…which I don’t think is very helpful. To me, this idea actually means any food that tastes good, has nutrition, and is easy for the kids to eat. Which is broad and so much more inclusive! And since I know that our unique kids have their favorites, I wanted to put together a list of homemade versions of classic kids food to help expand accepted foods and to make it a little easier to make foods that the whole family will enjoy eating....

I’ll share all the stories behind this classic Greek dish. This delicious, fork-tender Lamb Kleftiko is cooked in a very peculiar way. I take a well-marinated huge chunk of lamb, plenty of olive oil, garlic, and lemon along with a few aromatic Greek herbs. I wrap everything in parchment paper along with potatoes and vegetables. All I have to do then is wait patiently while it slowly roasts in the oven....