Shortcut Blender Tomato Sauce
Great tomato sauce is so easy with this simple technique. The recipe may be doubled or halved based on the amount of tomatoes you have. Simply blend larger quantities in batches and choose a pot that accommodates. Freezes well! It never fails. Every summer I anxiously await the first of the red, ripe tomatoes…
Beef & Rice Stuffed 8-Ball Zucchini
8-ball zucchinis offer a fun option in this all-in-one meal, but if they aren’t available, by all means use regular zucchini or summer squash. The savory filling can even be used for stuffed peppers. The first time I laid eyes on an 8-ball zucchini, I was intrigued. Its forest green skin with pale green striations…
Teriyaki Salmon Bowls
This heart-healthy, flavor-packed meal takes advantage of the cook-once-eat-twice method and can be customized to taste! When considering foods that taste good as leftovers, lasagna, chili and the Thanksgiving turkey likely come to mind. Fish, not so much. Once cooked, however, leftover seafood can be safely stored in the refrigerator for…
Teriyaki Sockeye Salmon
The simplest of ingredients come together with ease in this wholesome, quick-cooking, family friendly meal. How does an email request for a few new recipes jump to a story about living in a remote shack in Alaska and making trips to the outhouse, shotgun in hand, to fend off bears? Two words: wild salmon.…
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
I conducted a family taste test with both versions of this recipe and our favorite store-bought brand, and we were surprised by how much we preferred the fresher taste of the homemade options. I like to prepare the sauce in advance to have on hand for easy dinners of baked or grilled chicken, pork, or…
Prosciutto Fig Pizza with Fresh Mozzarella, Arugula & Manchego
Like many of you, I frequently use the “a little of this, a little of that” approach to cooking. But when writing for this blog, I keep pencil and paper beside my mixing bowl and precisely measure or weigh every ingredient. Oftentimes, however, ingredients really can be eyeballed. So I encourage people to use certain…
Hamburger Wedge Salad
You’ll never miss the bun when you serve a juicy, protein-rich burger over this crisp wedge salad…and you need not be cutting carbs to adore this meal! Various sources credit the early fame of the wedge salad to diners in the 1950s and 1960s. Its appeal waned in the 1970s as consumer…
Shrimp Creole
Easy to make but company-worthy, a spoonful of rice is all you need to complete this flavor-packed meal. Convenient prep-ahead options included. Shrimp Creole was one of my mom’s “special dishes,” a meal she served when company came or there was something to celebrate. But the flavor and ease of this southern Louisiana staple makes…
Easy Egg & Guacamole Breakfast Pizza
Two nutritional powerhouses join forces for a filling, savory breakfast that satisfies just as well when served as a super simple dinner! Chances are good that if you make guacamole for a crowd, the serving bowl will be scraped clean. But if you make it for your family, you may have some leftover. This…
Chicken Fried Rice
The flavor of homemade fried rice will rival your favorite takeout version and be healthier too. Make use of leftover rice and chicken for the easiest of meals. Leftovers seldom get the credit they deserve. Some meals, of course, really do improve over time, but perhaps the best way to forever change the perception of…
Slow Cooker Mexican Flank Steak
Slow Cooker Mexican Flank Steak combines veggies and lean protein in one, easy-to-assemble meal that can be customized with a variety of toppings. It’s family-friendly and worthy of a spot on the weekly rotation! I’m a big fan of recipes that incorporate a variety of vegetables with a basic protein in one,…
Loaded Tex-Mex Potatoes
I have a random memory of a bitterly cold day last winter. I was standing in front of the washing machine, folding laundry. It was such a simple task, yet I was completely exhausted. Folding one more shirt or matching one more pair of socks seemed just plain impossible. As I slumped over my pile,…
