While watching random cooking shows over the years, I picked up the advice from several chefs that if you’re cooking with wine, you should choose a bottle you would actually want to drink, or it isn’t worth using in your recipe. I have never heard the same advice for beer. I have used some of …
Continue reading “Everyone will polish off their plates with this sheet pan meal”
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”
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”
As soon as the weather forecast called for snow this past week, I immediately began reviewing soup recipes I saved over the past year. It was time. Joey and I prepared our “get ready to be snowed in” list for the grocery store, and I was thoroughly ready to make some awesome, hearty meals while …
Continue reading “There’s ‘snow’ excuse for waiting to try this great soup”
I was in such a hurry this week, trying to toss together a quick dinner for Joey and I before we headed back out the door for more commitments. In the moments before I headed home, I popped into the grocery store, a new recipe on my phone, grabbing quick ingredients before trying to get …
Continue reading “Don’t have time to get ’round to dinner? Make meatball soup.”
I was listening to a podcast this week about a scammer who managed to get millions of dollars out of his marks by pretending to be a Saudi Arabian prince. In one case, he was found out because he ordered a dish with pancetta in it at a restaurant, and since his dining companion knew …
Continue reading “Chop, chop! It’s time for a fabulous pork dinner”
Last weekend, Joey attended a day-long bowling tournament. The day before he left, he lamented that he didn’t think he would have time to throw a whole chicken we bought on the smoker and may have to toss it back in the freezer. Instead, I offered to put it in the oven on my day …
Continue reading “You can cook a whole chicken—even under pressure”
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”
We always host friends at our house for the NFL playoff games—especially if the Chiefs are still in the race—and the recent AFC Championship game was no exception. Along with having folks over to yell at the TV with us, we try to put out a good spread of food for everyone to enjoy. While …
Continue reading “Get ready to ‘chowder’ down on some hearty soup this week”
I have officially reached the hibernation stage of winter. Once I’m home from work, I am constantly clad in my fleece pants, thick socks and carrying a fuzzy blanket for our schnauzer and me to curl up under on the couch. On top of that, I’m mostly attracted to meals that are warm and carb …
Continue reading “Creamy chicken and tortellini is ‘pasta’tively perfect for dinner this winter”
