Summer is the time for light and refreshing meals and I always find that lettuce wraps hit the spot on warm days, like my Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps did a few weeks ago with my own garden greens 😋. Today’s spin features ground beef, since we had burgers with the fixin’s, including butter lettuce, over…
Category: Dinner
Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
These Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps taste better than any restaurants (i.e. PF Chang’s) and you need them in your recipe repertoire, trust me! Plus, they can be ready in 20 minutes 👍 I was inspired to create this dish for 3 reasons: We have an overabundance of lettuce ready from our garden and lettuce wraps…
Beer Butt Chicken
My favorite way to prepare a chicken is roasted with garlic butter and wine, but in the summer, Beer Butt is always our go-to. The beer can method steams the inside of the chicken and the result is juicy delicious chicken 😋, making it a favorite in our household. We’ve been known to smoke or…
The Perfect Grilled Cheeseburger
Last Sunday I saw Jim Gaffigan’s segment on Sunday Morning about cheeseburgers being in “grave danger” and it prompted me to reflect on my own cheeseburger consumption 🤔 I am with everyone out there, I love a great sloppy cheeseburger; but Jim might have a point. As he stated, “To put it bluntly we need…
Salsa Verde Pulled Pork Enchiladas
This is a winner for sure and one you need to hold onto because it’s super easy to make; and it’s enchiladas stuffed with pulled pork and red onion, smothered with green chiles and salsa verde 😋 Please do not be intimidated by the red onion, green chiles or salsa verde because this dish offers…
Smoked Pork Shoulder
Low and slow, is the secret to all great smoking. We love smoked meats (i.e. beef brisket, pork butts, pork ribs) and have even experimented with salmon 😋. Sadly, when smoking meats, we are often challenged with the patience of low and slow because we typically start the smoking mid-day. Anywho, in this post, I’ll…
Shakshuka
Shakshuka, aka Shakshouka, a traditionally a North African dish of eggs poached in a delicious sauce that combines tomatoes with onions, garlic, chili peppers and spices like cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper and nutmeg. My spin will combine some of those spices and I’ll also plan to add sumac, which is a tangy Middle Eastern spice; and…
Birthday Mexican Fiesta
No better way to spend a birthday 🎂 then poolside with family and friends and I was lucky enough to have that, this weekend! I wanted to plan something special since we were entertaining and as I was searching Pinterest for inspiration and I came across a taco bar. Voilà, the evening was masterminded featuring…
Maine Lobster Mac & Cheese
Today I’m featuring a creamy delicious Mac & Cheese my brother made over the weekend. But this ain’t your standard Mac & Cheese, this has a lobster cream sauce and succulent lobster meat to amp up the classic comfort food. While the recipe below features what my brother used for pasta and cheese, you could…
Chicken Tikka Masala
This Chicken Tikka Masala is deliciously creamy and flavorful and it is very easy to make, if you have some time! Indian food is a favorite for David and I struggle with our local Indian Restaurants because we’ve been spoiled with UK Indian in our many travels across the pond. Yes, we can get Indian…
Taco Tuesday with Homemade Taco Seasoning
It’s Taco Tuesday and since we have ground beef in our fridge, it’s Ground Beef Tacos for this Taco Tuesday! I LOVE TACOS and boy can I make delicious tacos; Korean Short Rib Tacos, Tacos Al Pastor, and my Carnitas Street Tacos which I NEED to post. But tonight it’s simple Ground Beef Tacos since…
American Chop Suey
American Chop Suey is a comfort food classic for sure, with it’s beefy, tomatoey, elbow macaroni goodness 😋 I remember my mother making Goulash when I was young, which is essentially American Chop Suey and on Mother’s Day; a throwback was necessary. I don’t remember the meal being a favorite when I was young because…
New Orleans BBQ Shrimp
New Orleans BBQ Shrimp is an absolute favorite in our household. However, these aren’t grilled or served in BBQ sauce. These are prepared in butter sauce flavored with Louisiana Hot Sauce, Worcestershire, creole spice, lemon and white wine, so tasty! Typically you see BBQ Shrimp served with bread so you’re able to scoop up all…
Antipasto Tortellini Pasta Salad
I was looking for ham leftover inspirations and came across antipasto pasta salad and was immediately intrigued by the thought of pasta and pickled italian goodness (i.e. olives and pepperoncini peppers). Of course, I always throw my own spin on the recipes I see and tonight I’m sharing that spin! I hope you enjoy and…
Pineapple Ham Fried Rice
What do you do if you have leftover Pineapple Honey Glazed Ham and pineapple, you make Pineapple Ham Fried Rice. I love ham leftovers because you’re able to make lots of yummy dishes and this dish is no exception, enjoy. This recipe can be prepared in 30 minutes and it serves 4 with leftovers. Ingredients…
Pineapple Honey Glazed Ham
I’ll admit, I’m not a fan of ham; but if you season it the right way, it can be pretty fabolous. This year for Easter, I used the Instant pot to warm-up the ham since my Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes were in the oven. The Instant Pot is great because it concentrates flavors and for this…
Moroccan Chicken and Onion Tagine (Djej Besla)
You know me, I find inspiration with foods from other cultures. Chicken and Onion Tagine or Djej Besla has its root from Morocco. I was first introduced to this dish by a friend years ago and I was completely blown away by the spices, acid and brightness from the dish. I had dinner with this…
Homemade Chorizo
How do I love thee, let me count the ways…Boy, does chorizo take sausage to an entirely new level, with it’s spice and acid. I fell in love with chorizo after spending a Thanksgiving with friends in Reno, NV. This trip was back in 2011 when I was really starting to experiment with new flavors…
Korean Short Rib Tacos with Apple Kimchi Slaw
Korean Short Rib Tacos with Apple Kimchi Slaw are a match made in heaven with so much umaminess! Check out my Korean Short Rib recipe for creating a yummy short rib ragu, but instead of adding the shredded meat back into the stock for the ragu, just introduce enough stock to provide the shredded short…
Korean Short Rib Ragu with Pappardelle
Thank Nyesha Arrington for this inspiration ❤️! When I was searching Tastemade for some new cooking inspirations, I came across her Short Rib Dumplings and I was immediately drawn in because she focused on recreating one of her grandmother’s Korean recipes. My grandmother definitely influenced my love for delicious food and I remember many Sunday…
Dinner at Sonny’s Tavern
Sonny’s Tavern is hands down one of our absolute favorites in Dover, NH. It’s the ultimate gastropub, serving up amazing cocktails, beers, and delicious food. Sonny’s could easily be in NYC, with it’s inventive cocktail menu and chic ambiance; and we’re lucky to have such a gem in our town. Mark Ryan, is Sonny’s very…
Spicy Peanut Pork Noodles
In case you don’t know yet, I ❤️ Asian food. I’ve been craving spicy noodles and since I knew we’d have pork leftovers, an Asian dish worked it’s way into our weekly plan this week. I credit this meal to Blue Apron. Back in 2017, David and I did Blue Apron for about 1 year….
Tacos Al Pastor (aka Mexican Style Pork Tacos)
Get ready for this taco deliciousness! This recipe offers heat, acid, freshness and umami 😋 I saw Tacos Al Pastor on a Tasty video and I felt the need to recreate the dish because it reminded me of a gyro or shawarma cooked on a vertical rotisserie. Meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie always entices…
Scotch Pies
This is my first time trying to make Scotch Pies and I’m super excited to tackle this for my Scottish husband on his birthday 🎂. A Scotch Pie or Mutton Pie is a small, pastry meat pie filled with mutton (i.e. lamb) or other meat. The pies are often served at Football games and at…
Tom Kha Gai (Thai Chicken Coconut Soup)
Tom Kha Gai (aka Thai Chicken Coconut Soup) has it’s orgins in Thailand and this home chef LOVES finding inspiration from other countries. As you may know already, I love food and cooking programs and this dish has been featured on multiple programs highlighting amazing Thai food. What I love about Thai food is the…
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
Since I have homemade chicken stock and we had more snow ❄️, it’s time for delicious chicken noodle soup. But this isn’t your standard cold and winter classic, this is kicked up with some great spice and cream 😋 I consider this a simple crock pot meal! Cut up some fresh vegetables. I’m using scallots…
Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
This is a guilty pleasure recipe, for sure, and soooo delicious. However, if you cut your portions small, you’ll feel less guilty 😉 I love creating this meal before a weekend because it makes for incredible brunch on Saturday or Sunday with a poached egg 🥚 Two, this casserole tastes even better the next day!…
Italian Gravy
Italian Gravy is slow cooking wonderfulness. However, you need time to allow the flavors to come together and thankfully, I have that today because I’m enjoying a day off! My gravy recipe is inspired by my many work visits to New York and lucky for me, my work colleagues shared their secrets to great Italian…
Homemade Cheeseburger Helper
I remember hamburger helper from my childhood and as I was planning for Sunday night comfort food, that pulled me in! But my version isn’t your processed box hamburger helper, it’s Instant Pot magic ❤️ I love my Instant Pot because you can cook food quickly and the pressure builds incredible flavor and this recipe…
Mushroom & Bacon Risotto
Mushroom & Bacon Risotto is one of our favorite winter meals ❤️ because it’s comfort food at it’s finest. It has acid and is an absolute umami bomb. The way I prepare my risotto is first by frying some bacon. I cook all of the fat out of the bacon making it super crispy and…
Asian Chicken Stir Fry
Tonight is Asian Chicken Stir Fry! I’m using my leftover chicken (from my Sunday Roast Chicken), but you can also use fresh chicken. I think a stir fry is great when you have a drawer full of veggies and lucky for the hubby, I do 😉. First I made a quick marinade of garlic, ginger,…
Roast Chicken with Epic Chicken Gravy
Everyone has their own way of making roast 🐔. I go with a garlic, thyme, lemon and rosemary compound butter under the skin & through the cooking process I baste the chicken with white wine and lemon juice 👌 This method makes the MOST AMAZING chicken gravy which is perfect for David’s roast potatoes. Step…
Asian Chicken and Ramen Bowl
I LOVE Asian food. There’s so much freshness, heat, acid and deliciousness in each dish. Ramen is one of those dishes that’s becoming a winter staple for us, but this isn’t your college ramen folks…this is AMAZING and so EASY. This past weekend as I scanned my fridge I knew Ramen was in order. Between…
Change to midweek plan – Jalapeno Cheddar Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup
Sometimes you need to deviate from the plan when inspiration beacons 👍 Yesterday I made some Jalapeno Cheddar Bread for our chili and since the bread was fresh today and I had beautiful tomatoes, I decided Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup MUST happen. Since it’s a midweek meal, I want to be quick about the…
