I was so glad this week that the smoke detector in my kitchen isn’t particularly sensitive. As I sauteed thin slices of steak on my stovetop, the room filled with a fine smoke that my exhaust fan just couldn’t keep up with. I am normally really nervous about cooking anything on high heat. I think …
Continue reading “Make a great Asian dish like you’ve never had ‘beef’ore”
I was remarking to some friends the other day about how Joey and I are complete opposites when it comes to socializing. As an extroverted social butterfly, Joey draws his energy from being around people and generally loves a crowd. For me, while I love to socialize, I tend to be reenergized by some alone …
Continue reading “Don’t crumble under hosting pressure; make a quick and easy dessert”
I don’t know about you, but I find myself searching the Internet every summer for new side dishes to take to barbecues. Joey is really, really not a mayonnaise fan, so the traditional offerings like potato salad and coleslaw are mostly out of the question. But then you also have the problem of how to …
Continue reading “Flex your cooking ‘Brussels’ with a new summer side dish”
I have to confess that I have never been much of a cyclist. I finally learned how to ride a bike—mostly because I was embarrassed that my younger sister was (literally) riding circles around me. We would go out riding occasionally, and I rode a bit when I was in college, but it has never …
Continue reading “Put a little pep in your pasta with veggies and feta”
I have made a lot of dishes over the years that are extremely recognizable to many Midwesterners. From cornbread and biscuits to casseroles and pies, I haven’t made too many recipes that scared folks off. This week, though, I’m afraid that I may have upped the fear factor for some of you who aren’t overly …
Continue reading “‘Eggs’plore a new treat with Mayak Gyeran”
On evenings where there isn’t much on television and we can’t decide on something to stream from the myriad of services we subscribe to, Joey and I will often find ourselves scrolling through our respective social media feeds, sending each other funny or interesting videos from our spots across the couch from one another. Quite …
Continue reading “Don’t tarry(yaki), and make this chicken dish today”
You know summer is here when you start seeing area kids trying their hand at entrepreneurship with lemonade stands. This past weekend, I saw several friends posting photos of their children with toothy grins, sitting behind card tables adorned with homemade signs. As much as some things change, there are so many that seem to …
Continue reading “Summer means it’s time for a ‘mango-nificent’ lemonade”
We have a friend we lovingly refer to as “the human jukebox.” He has a ton of songs floating around in his head, and all it takes to get him to launch into one is to subtly mention a lyric. Joey and I sometimes make a game of seeing if we can make a comment …
Continue reading “Combination of chicken, veggies, herbs more than just fair”
I have always been a sucker for poppy seeds. If there is a tray of pastries that includes poppy seed bread or muffins, that is what’s going on my plate. That nutty flavor is just irresistible. That being said, I rarely bake with poppy seeds, for some reason. I had to change that, and what …
Continue reading “‘Poppy’ in the kitchen and try some beautiful scratch-made cupcakes”
This past weekend, Joey found whole chickens on sale and proceeded to put three on his smoker. I told him I wanted to try a different way to make stock from the bones, once he was done pulling the meat, and he graciously put the pieces into my large crockpot for me. Normally, we make …
Continue reading “This creamy chicken soup was fabulous, ‘gnocchi’dding”
