Dinner
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Pineapple for Dinner
I could always go for Chinese take-out. I love dishes that combine spicy and sweet, served with delicious chewy rice or satisfying noodles. When I found a recipe for Pineapple Chicken from www.delish.com, I knew we had to try it. This recipe is a relatively easy weeknight dinner, which makes it an automatic winner for me. I usually have chicken on hand, and we are huge pineapple fans, so this seemed like a great option for us. I decided to make it one evening when our youngest daughter had her boyfriend over for dinner. This was potentially risky, but I went for it anyway. Delish uses chicken thighs for their…
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A Perfect Classic
If you were a child of the 80s, you may have fond memories of Sloppy Joe sandwiches. You might have had them at the school cafeteria. You may even be familiar with the ode to Sloppy Joes and lunch ladies made famous by Adam Sandler. If not, Google it. The song may forever be stuck in your brain, as it is in mine. Sloppy Joes, Sloppy, Sloppy Joes…. Anyway, the origins of the tomato sauce-based minced meat sandwiches can be disputed, but many of us grew up with the Manwich version. A can of Manwich sauce could elevate a pound of ground beef and make a fast and satisfying weeknight…
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Recipe Repeats
Time flies, as they say, and I realize that I have been writing this blog for almost 3 years now and have yet to repeat a recipe. I am not saying this as a point of pride, but rather an observation. Many food bloggers are great at repeating content, and changing and improving recipes at they go. Since Easter is this week, we will be having our traditional family meal of baked ham and Potatoes Romanoff. I have shared this recipe before, as we also have Potatoes Romanoff for Christmas. So, I thought I would revisit the recipe with one small tweak. Potatoes Romanoff is a deliciously rich dish of…
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Puffy, Cheesy Breadsticks
I first learned about Halloumi cheese a couple years ago from a fellow food blogger. It is a delicious Mediterranean cheese that is salty, chewy and very versatile. It is widely available in Europe, but thankfully, it is becoming more popular here in the US. I have been able to find it consistently at Wegman’s, but recently I found it for significantly cheaper at Lidl. Our favorite way to eat Halloumi is to slice it and fry it in a pan with just a little bit of olive oil. This turns it into an upgraded snack, or a great addition to a salad. But a few months ago, I found…
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Is It Shepherd’s Pie or Cottage Pie?
I am a day late and a dollar short on just about everything lately. I skipped the blog entirely last week, so I missed the opportunity to talk about all things Irish for St. Patrick’s Day. I did, however, make a meal attributed to the Irish for this week’s blog. While Shepherd’s Pie popped up on all kinds of food sites last week for St. Patrick’s Day, it is actually thought to have originated in England or Scotland as an economic meal and an easy way to use up leftovers. Shepherd’s Pie comes from sheep country and traditionally contained minced lamb. The recipe I used to adapt my own calls…
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Slightly Simplified Lasagna
I love lasagna, but homemade lasagna is a labor of love. There are some good frozen, pre-made lasagnas out there, but homemade is always better. Something about the cold rainy weather put me in the mood to make a nice big pan. While visiting friends recently, our host made lasagna by winging it almost entirely. I was very surprised and skeptical, but it turned out delicious. This made me wonder if I was making it too big of a deal in my mind. Could it be less complicated and pulled together relatively quickly? I admit I didn’t really pay attention to all the steps my friend took, so I poked…
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Warming Yourself From the Inside Out
This has been quite the weather week for most of the country. Thankfully, here in the Raleigh area, all we have gotten is cold rain – LOTS of cold rain. It is the perfect weather for a big pot of comforting soup. We have always liked chicken tortilla soup, especially when it’s creamy. I found a recipe for just such a thing hiding in my saved files and thought we would give it a try. The recipe comes from www.thecookierookie.com. Her recipe can be made with uncooked chicken breasts, or with cooked rotisserie chicken. I had a package of pulled rotisserie chicken I had recently bought at Costco just waiting…
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Comfort Combined
While I may still remain the most unknown food blogger in the world, there are several more successful bloggers that I follow and admire. One such blogger is Julia Frey. Her food blog can be found at www.vikalinka.com. She makes amazing dishes and makes them all look effortless. I chose to cook and review one of her recipes this week that combines two of my favorite comfort foods – homemade macaroni and cheese and Bolognese sauce. Her recipe is called “Layered Italian Baked Mac and Cheese.” I had all of the ingredients on hand and it continues to be cold and rainy here, so comfort is in order. Now, I…
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Good for the Soul
Last weekend, we took a little break from reality and ran away to Disney World. It seems a little crazy, but it really is a good time to visit the parks. Disney is still limiting how many people can enter the park each day and masks are required everywhere, all the time. They are diligent about cleaning, even more than usual, and there are hand sanitizer stations everywhere. Last time we went, our girls were 5 and 3. Needless to say, they were able to enjoy themselves quite a bit more this time around. We were able to conquer all of the roller coasters and experience Galaxy’s Edge, the new…
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Comfort in the Form of Carbs
I hate to admit it, but carbs are my love language. There is nothing more comforting to me than noodles. I guess I am the human version of the Kung Fu Panda. I have noodle dreams way too much. Well, it’s Finals week for our high schoolers, so extra comfort is in order. Whenever I make spaghetti or Bolognese like I made last week, my oldest just wants plain noodles with butter and Parmesan. She is 17 – I can’t explain it. Anyway, I decided to make the grown up version of that as our recipe review this week. I found a recipe for One Pan Garlic Parmesan Pasta from…
