I recently watched a video that explained why there are so many different shapes of pasta out there. I always assumed it probably had a practical purpose and it wasn’t just because of ancient pasta makers’ boredom and creativity. And it does. If you’re wondering, it all comes down to the sauce. Have a thinner …
Continue reading “Cajun pasta shapes up to be an excellent, quick dinner”
For two days last week, a huge, beautiful summer squash graced my kitchen counter. It took me a bit of time to mull over what I wanted to do with it. I hunted the Internet for ideas, finding lots of savory applications, as well as a few sweet ones I could use it in, but …
Continue reading “Oh my squash! A fresh, simple dish will wow your dinner guests”
There are a few dishes that feel specifically American. Meatloaf is one of those, despite it also being the butt of many sitcom jokes over the years. According to an article by Erica Martinez for “Food Republic,” meatloaf has been on recipe cards since the 1870s, but it may be even older than that. “[F]ood …
Continue reading “You’ll ‘loaf’ this lightened-up classic dish for dinner”
There are many times when I silently curse my past self for inconveniencing me in the present. I’ll fail to put something away correctly or decide I’ll totally remember we’re out of something rather than putting it on the shopping list, etc. But the past couple of weeks, I have been pretty proud of past …
Continue reading “Wrap up your dinner plans with crispy lumpia”
People often comment that they don’t understand how Joey and I can work together as a married couple and not want to kill each other. Honestly, 99 percent of the time, we get along really well, both at home and at work. If there is something that could spell trouble in paradise, though, I’d say …
Continue reading “Want a veggie stir fry this week? I say go ‘floret’”
There is really only one part of winter that I like: getting to eat soup. But then I realized one day that you really don’t have to reserve having a big bowl of soup, stew or chili to the cold months. Honestly, despite being a warm food, it’s not an awful summer meal. You don’t …
Continue reading “Think you can’t eat chili in summer? That’s your ‘poblano’”
According to the website “The Kitchen Project,” asparagus is a very old vegetable. Historical records show it was grown in ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt. It takes a few years to get a plant going, but once you have an asparagus plant established, the growing season will last about three months, and a healthy plant …
Continue reading “A fresh veggie-based pasta sauce will keep them ‘aspara’guessing”
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”
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”
