Asiago Pesto Spread

Two types of cheese and two types of nuts provide nuanced flavor in this time-tested pesto recipe that will add memorable flavor to so many meals. (Freezes well, too!)         The flavor of pesto is unbeatable and its uses are many.  The only downfall of so many pestos is that they are…

Cheater Macaroni and Cheese

This shortcut recipe is ideal when you’d prefer not to clean messy pots and pans. You don’t even have to precook the noodles!      Settling on a Father’s Day recipe was particularly challenging this year.  As is often the case, my inability to decide what to share in this space was more a case…

Strawberry Chicken Salad with Candied Walnuts and Goat Cheese

Easy jam jar dressing and candied walnuts add amazing flavor to this crisp, fresh plate.  Leftover chicken makes it a satisfying, complete meal.   Friends and family provide some of the best recipe feedback, which often steers me towards sharing a particular dish sooner than later–or in some cases, going back to the drawing board.…

Amish Baked Oatmeal

This wholesome family favorite can be prepared in advance and tastes a lot like a cinnamon oatmeal cookie. I typically take a minimalist approach, but the recipe is easy to customize through the addition of raisins, nuts, etc.   Twenty years ago, when baked oatmeal was hardly a blip on anyone’s breakfast radar, a friend…

Easy Chicken Fajitas

These flavor-packed wraps come together in a snap and always garner rave reviews. As an option, serve the chicken fajita mixture over rice or salad greens.    Week to week, I find myself falling back on easy Mexican-inspired recipes for a variety of reasons. Tex-Mex cuisine often begins with a foundation of convenient pantry staples…

Green Goat Grilled Sandwich

A recreation of a customer favorite at a local restaurant, this recipe is the best combination of crisp salad and crunchy sandwich. Sometimes good things just keep getting better. Last week, I reported that Tom + Chee will be featuring my recipe for Cannellini Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Dippers throughout the month of April. The exciting…

Mushroom Ground Beef (a clever trick that’s healthy and super delicious)

The use of mushrooms and a simple technique seamlessly adds nutrients and flavor to regular ground beef, making it an ideal way to incorporate more plant-based eating into our diets, even if we still enjoy meat.   Ground beef that tastes “meatier” and is healthier, too? This kitchen hack tastes great and, at the same…

Beef Pot Roast

There’s something special about the aroma of a roast as it slowly cooks to fork-tender perfection. The savory smell is homey, comforting, and makes me want to curl up on the sofa with a good book. Curiously, I recently read that one’s sense of smell accounts for 75 to 95 percent of a food’s perceived…

4-Ingredient Low-Carb Cloud Bread

Use these unconventional but tasty rolls for hamburgers, breakfast sandwiches, and the classic ham and cheese. Lightly toasting the rolls and topping with peanut butter and jam is a very good option, too.   Sometimes, I post photos of in-the-works recipes on Instagram or Facebook.  If I want to do some trouble-shooting or tweaking, I…

Pan-Seared Heart Chicken

A few simple cuts of the knife transform a boneless, skinless chicken breast into a festive meal. Fun for Valentine’s Day…or any time! ❤️ Special occasion dinners can be memorable for many reasons. Perhaps the artistically plated tapas at a swanky new restaurant made an impression, or the view while cracking crabs by the bay…

German Steam Pot with Special Sauce

An authentic recipe from a German friend, a steam pot is one of the easiest, most flexible dinners – and the special sauce bumps it up an extra level!   What, you may ask, is a steam pot? I first learned about this rustic yet satisfying meal through Marga, a former neighbor and self-described war-child…

Build-Your-Own Veggie and Grain Salad

It’s January.  The weather is cold (at least it is here!) and the holiday festivities are behind us. Eating well can be a challenge when the mercury plummets, colds and flus rear their ugly heads, and warm sunshine and flip flops seem a long way off. Of course, all of this makes heavy comfort foods…

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