Posts

We all know and love the classic corn casserole recipe from the 60s that uses boxed Jiffy cornbread mix. I’m not knocking it—it’s nostalgic and delicious. Thus, it is with the utmost respect that I do declare: this recipe is SO much better. With each bite, sweet corn kernels pop against the creamy, cheesy cornbread-y filling. Nothing beats homemade! Just like my Healthy Green Bean Casserole and Pineapple Casserole, “from scratch” doesn’t have to mean complicated....

A thick, creamy chicken pot pie filling that cooks hands-free in your slow cooker, then is topped with golden, buttery biscuits for a less-fuss “crust,” this easy recipe is the kind of cozy that can convince me that a snug night around the table is made more special when the cold wind is blowing outside (I feel the same way about this flavorful Crock Pot Chicken Marsala). In any season, comfort food favorites like Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings, Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup, and chicken pot pie are comfort foods that speak to my soul....

The fact that the French put fried goat cheese balls on salads is one of the many pleasures you’ll find on their café menus. I’d long had the idea to recreate the experience at home. Instead of the large coins of goat cheese I was served in Paris, I opted for these highly devourable mini goat cheese balls. The mini size gives you a more balanced ratio of crispy breadcrumb exterior to creamy goat cheese interior....

I’ve had some wonderful, special bowls of green chili throughout the southwest, and especially on colder nights, I find myself missing it. I set out and create an easier green chili recipe (same logic applied when I created this Baked Pork Tenderloin). After a few tries, however, I quickly realized this would be no easy feat. The marriage of flavors in green chili is both an art and a science....

An easy vegetable side dish I can put in my slow cooker, ignore for a few hours, then return to find perfectly cooked, all without having to turn on the oven? SOLD. Also, where this is a baked potato, there will bacon and cheese and maybe even avocado if I’m feeling crazy. SOLD AGAIN. Crock Pot Baked Potatoes – A Better Cooking Method Here is how the idea of “baking” potatoes in the crock pot came to be....

Other days tantamount to epic Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Taco day: The day I realized the correct phrase is “for all intents and purposes,” not “for all intensive purposes.” (It’s true…and I didn’t find out until I was in my 20s!)The day I peeled a banana from the bottom instead of the top (TRY IT).The day I discovered baked bacon. Shredded chicken tacos have been a trusty, easy recipe standby in my emergency dinner rotation since I first learned to combine salsa and chicken in a slow cooker and turned it on....

Don’t have a cocktail repertoire? This Italian Margarita recipe is an easy, low-risk and high-reward place to start! An Italian Margarita is a twist on a standard margarita cocktail made with tequila and fresh lime juice. However, instead of an orange liqueur like Cointreau, an Italian margarita uses an Italian liqueur like limoncello, Aperol, or amaretto. For reasons I will explain momentarily, I opted to make this Italian Margarita with amaretto, an almond liqueur....

Spicy ginger and warm cinnamon are two of my favorite spices, and while they appear most commonly in baked goods here in the United States, they are more frequently used in savory dishes in Moroccan cooking. When combined with other traditional Moroccan ingredients, such as cumin, parsley, and lemon, these warm spices make for recipes bursting with flavor—and today’s turkey Moroccan meatballs are no exception. Sorry Italy—you might be the first country named in a meatball word association game (thanks to classics like Meatball Casserole), but meatballs are a dish loved around the world, and today Moroccan flavors are taking center stage....

The holidays are prime season for dips, chips, and all sorts of cute little morsels made to be munched in a single chomp like today’s mushroom puff pastry bites. Whether you’re hosting a soiree, feeding surprise guests, or drifting from party to party in your light-up snowman sweater, the appetizer spread is a critical component of any holiday event. I mean, a party without Crab Stuffed Mushrooms or Salmon Croquettes is just sad—right?...

Unless you are about to depart for the Virgin Islands or live in Hawaii, I highly recommend you shut down your Facebook feed. The current onslaught of warm-weather vacation photos being posted by extended acquaintances can be a little demoralizing. I could become bitter, but instead, I’m fighting back with this glazed pineapple salmon. It’s a beach vacation in every bite! If you live near a sunny beach, I hope you enjoy this recipe (or try this Blackened Salmon) with some freshly caught large salmon fillet from your local market (I’m not jealous at all!...

If you spend any amount of time in the kitchen, you likely have a signature dish. That one recipe everyone knows you for, and always garners requests for the recipe when shared for the first time. This pumpkin chocolate chip bread is that recipe for me. I’ve been perfecting this easy pumpkin bread recipe now for more years than I care to admit, but it’s always a crowd-pleaser (as are these Pumpkin Snickerdoodles), and never ceases to get rave reviews when I serve it at brunch or gift a loaf to a neighbor....

In elementary school, when I back to school shopped out of actual necessity instead of the love of salty snacks and pretty markers (both of which I would argue still qualify as necessities, if you are willing to be liberal with the term), lunchbox chips were at the top of my essentials list. My mom always bought a value-sized box that contained 20 to 30 smaller, personal-size bags of chips in assorted flavors....

Have a few vegetables and some eggs? Excellent, you can make a frittata! Add a protein and some cheese, and you can make an exceptional frittata. I like my frittatas sturdy, sliceable, and containing a respectable serving of vegetables and protein. These standards (and you should have frittata standards too) mean my frittata recipes tend to lean heavy on the mix-ins. When I want all eggs, I make a scramble....

My newest wish (one that I didn’t know that I had but now pine for desperately) is that sweet potato hash browns replace white potatoes as the standard diner-issue side. They’re decidedly more interesting, delicious, and nutritious than white potatoes. And before you ask—yes, I’ve had what I would consider “good” hash browns and no, I’m still not a hash brown person. While I ordinarily jump behind anything with a crispy exterior and starchy interior (especially if it’s of the tater tots and baked fries variety), regular hash browns never did it for me....

From the lean ground turkey, to the Southwest spices, to all of the best taco fixin’s, this Mexican-inspired recipe has it all. Adios wimpy salads. This is the best taco salad recipe that satisfies. It’s high in protein and fiber packs a wide array of taco toppings like cheese, avocado, corn, baked tortilla chips, and beans.This wholesome salad is a classic taco done lighter so you can enjoy it more often....

Joy is not exactly the first emotion that strikes on a Monday morning. Today, however, I say we take 30 seconds to set the Monday-morning blues aside and focus on one thing that makes us do a happy dance. For me, it’s the return of asparagus that’s making my soul sing this Monday morning. Whether we’re keeping it simple with Roasted Asparagus or Grilled Asparagus, using it to top this Easy Asparagus Tart, or busting out the good stuff for Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus, I try to take as much advantage of its preciously short season as I can....

Even vegetables deserve to get dressed up once in a while. While I’ll never turn down a platter of simply seasoned Roasted Broccoli or Grilled Asparagus, it’s fun to throw in a bit of a show off like these baked acorn squash slices. Brushed with butter and maple syrup and sprinkled with brown sugar, pecans, and spices, this baked acorn squash slices recipe is the perfect way to sneak something sweet but still healthy-ish (like Roasted Carrots) onto your dinner spread that perfectly complements the savory dishes on your menu....

During summer, we are meant to be in flip flops, eating easy skewer recipes like this one (or Shrimp Kabobs with Pineapple), and wiping away the watermelon juice that’s running down our chins. These Greek chicken kabobs have pieces of juicy chicken flavored with an easy marinade and a colorful stack of veggies. They can be prepped ahead for a cookout or assembled at the last minute when you need to land a healthy meal on the table before hangry pandemonium sets in....

Warmly spiced with cinnamon and cumin, sweetened with golden raisins, and protein-rich with chickpeas and juicy chicken, this healthy crockpot chicken recipe is comforting, filling, and addictive. It’s a fantastic, easy crockpot chicken recipe you should add to your menu this week. For me, however, it tastes something of more than warm spices: its flavor is one of warm welcome, hospitality, and a joyful night with new friends. Despite the fact that I haven’t been to Morocco (bucket list!...

I spent nearly four years pouring every ounce of myself into making this book the best possible resource for you. To enter, leave a comment below or over on the Instagram post. Launching a cookbook in 2020 was really, really difficult (to put it mildly). It meant a number of personal disappointments, like having to cancel my book tour and worries over sales being negatively impacted. Your encouragement through it all meant the world to me!...