Meals Under 30 Minutes
Prosciutto-Wrapped Roasted Asparagus
For added convenience, these pretty little bundles of savory deliciousness may be wrapped several hours in advance. Simply cover and refrigerate until ready to bake. In the final months of my second pregnancy, my legs were swollen to a rather extreme degree. My friends—and sometimes strangers—often noticed and offered advice based on personal…
Homemade Lattes (and how to froth milk without a fancy gadget)
Café caliber lattes are easy to make in your own home with no fancy equipment and at a fraction of the usual cost － hot, iced, with foam or without! As I was getting breakfast ready on Monday morning, a news story about lattes caught my attention. Teasing his upcoming “exclusive,” the…
Cannellini Tomato Soup… with Grilled Cheese Croutons or Dippers
The unexpected addition of a simple can of cannellini beans provides protein and added creaminess when pureed into the soup…and nobody ever knows it’s there. Whether served with grilled cheese croutons or dippers, what kid (or adult) wouldn’t love it? Plus it’s easy to make with basic, inexpensive, pantry items. You may be wondering how…
Coconut-Banana Bread Breakfast Cakes
Gone are the days when flour as we know it meant all-purpose flour. From almonds to garbanzo beans, rice, and oats, flour is made of almost anything these days. I recently made pancakes with banana flour (yes, really…and they were good!) and sampled chestnut flour crackers (we liked the pancakes better 😀). When used the…
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…
Homemade Seasoned Salt
So often it’s the simple things made with run-of-the-mill pantry items that serve us best in the kitchen. Thanks to their ease, versatility, and great flavor, staples like classic balsamic vinaigrette, basic marinara, homemade Bisquick, and aptly-named “everything” sauce have found their way into many recipes in my kitchen and throughout this blog. An amped up salt fits nicely…
Not-Mushy Oatmeal (aka Chewy Granola)
This tasty, toasty twist on the usual bowl of stovetop oatmeal may be served hot or cold with your favorite milk. Or layer it with yogurt and fresh fruit for a satisfying breakfast parfait. Did you ever think a bowl of stovetop oatmeal could look like this? I mean, you can actually…
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…
Winter Porridge
The formula for the basic porridge is easy, and you can prepare it in advance for speedy breakfasts throughout the week. I’ve always been amazed by people who go sockless in cold weather. When my feet are cold, everything is cold. So, it’s remarkable that, since the beginning of fall, I’ve only worn socks…
5-Ingredient Tropical Green Smoothie
I was skeptical. I purchase fresh spinach in a 5-ounce box, and the thought of putting all of it into a single smoothie recipe seemed…well…excessive. But in the name of helping a friend, I gamely tried this recipe. Ally Phillips, cookbook author, blogger, and longtime friend in food, was looking for a little assistance as…
Pineapple Serrano Hummus
I grew up watching the Parade of Roses every New Year’s Day. Flowers have always been a hobby for my mom. She had a greenhouse, an undisputed green thumb, and a knack for arranging flowers in the most beautiful way. I remember being utterly amazed when she told me that all of the parade floats…
Easy Winter Fruit Salad
A straight-forward combination of fresh fruits with a little something extra to elevate the simple salad into something sublime. From the time my kids could hold a crayon, I helped them make the gifts they’d give their loved ones on Christmas morning. My hope was that amidst all the material trappings of the holiday,…
