In the past seven years, I have written a number of columns that stemmed from my life goal of being the “cool aunt.” This week’s is another in that installment, after I asked our family group chat if anyone had any dessert requests for Easter, and my sister responded with one from my niece for …
Continue reading “Take a poke at creating a whimsical cake this week”
Sometimes, in reflecting on my childhood, I realize just what a weird kid I was. I’ll forever be thankful that I had supportive parents who had a “go with the flow” attitude about my idiosyncracies. One of those strange traits flashed in my mind recently, when I decided I wanted to make a Mexican-style rice …
Continue reading “Prepare to paint the town red with a from-scratch Mexican rice”
I had a moment recently where I thought I was going crazy. Joey was making something that required kitchen twine, which I knew I had, and I even knew which drawer it was in. But after shuffling everything around in that drawer and several others, I just couldn’t find that darn ball of twine. About …
Continue reading “Holy ‘mole’ were these enchiladas out of this world”
I’ve struggled over the years with the definition of coffeecake. Generally speaking, it’s cake that is meant to be enjoyed with coffee and doesn’t actually contain any. But then I run into a recipe like I made for this week, which is a coffee cake—a cake that includes coffee. We hosted an event at the …
Continue reading “Every night is date night with this great coffee cake”
Joey and I have a shared joke when we go out to eat about which one of us “won” dinner, especially when we’re trying someplace new. A few weeks ago, Joey definitely won. He ordered a special that included fish (which I was not all that interested in) on top of an absolutely amazing mushroom …
Continue reading “Prepare to be mesme‘riced’ by creamy risotto”
Several years ago, my parents gifted me with a gorgeous, red braising pot. It’s a ceramic-coated cast iron pot, and I always feel like whatever I put in it should be really extraordinary. This week’s recipe really fit the bill for using my special pot, since I was getting ready to embark on a dinner …
Continue reading “Don’t skip this week’s a‘braising’ recipe”
Throughout the winter months, Joey and I make a lot of soups, chowders and chilis, which I still firmly believe are perfectly great recipes to pull out of the box any time of the year. But sometimes I find myself in the mood for a casserole—something with a ton of flavorful ingredients, all nestled beneath …
Continue reading “Put some pep(per) in your step with a tasty, cheesy casserole”
I’ve been going through a strange Brussels sprouts obsession lately. I’m sure there’s something in my Pinterest algorithm that is driving that obsession, but honestly, I’m not mad at it. Unfortunately, while it might be adding a few extra vitamins to my system, the overall effect of the recipe I chose to try this week …
Continue reading “Mac and cheese a ‘grate’ way to eat your veggies”
With plans to have company over recently, I was on the lookout for something easy to share for our snack table. After perusing several websites, I landed on one of my favorite ways to make a quick sweet without working all that hard for it: a cake mix transformation. The recipe I tried promised to …
Continue reading “Turn to easy lemon cake when you’re squeezed for time”
Just when I think I have explored every part of the produce section, I find something new to try. This time, it was bok choy. Bok choy, according to the Food Literacy Center website, is considered the oldest green in China, harkening back to the fifth century. It is sometimes referred to as “Chinese cabbage,” …
Continue reading “Easy potsticker soup will have you shouting for ‘choy’”
