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’”
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”
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 know it’s January and I should have tons of goals in my mind for 2025, but honestly, I haven’t considered very many resolutions for myself. Well, I do have a couple, but of course, they’re all cooking related. The first is to master my new pasta roller, which already had its maiden voyage with …
Continue reading “It’s a wrap on these tasty dumpling pockets”
In a blog post she entitled, “What’s the Deal with Hasselback Potatoes,” Nutritionist Tina Marinaccio explains that the dish, which features potatoes cut crosswise in thin slices that don’t quite cut the potato all the way through, hails from Sweden. It received its name, she says, from the tavern that created it: Hasselbacken. Regardless of …
Continue reading “Baking potatoes, kielbasa on a sheet pan makes for less ‘hassel’”
