Chicken. Mushrooms. Gravy. Yum. Chicken marsala is an Italian dish that is traditionally made with pasta. First made this years ago, and prefer to serve the marsala sauce over mashed potatoes instead of pasta. Chicken marsala with mashed potatoes is made with tender chicken, reduced mushrooms, green onions, all wrapped in a rich gravy sauce….
Don’t Be Skimpy with the Scampi I thoroughly enjoy seafood, especially shrimp if cooked properly. Shrimp scampi is a dish of large, plump jumbo-sized shrimp served in a buttery, savory, saucy bath of goodness. White wine is a traditional ingredient in shrimp scampi. I rarely keep white wine in my house. So today, we are…
Today friends, we are going to make an egg salad! Egg salad fits well in the nostalgic, frugal food file. I hope that most of these ingredients are also consuming space in your refrigerator. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say that 80% of my fridge is condiments of all kinds. Relish,…
Does Sourdough Make Good French Toast? Because sourdough is, well a bit sour, I was skeptical. Could a sourdough make a good, sweet breakfast? Yes. Yes, it does. Quite well. The flavor of the sourdough is a good balance with the sweetness of maple syrup. A crusty loaf of Italian or French bread will do…
My Guilty Pleasure I’ll be frank… I love a loaded hot dog. A good hot dog should be topped with a good coney sauce. But before we cook, let’s go back a bit. I grew up eating hot dogs sliced open and pressed flat between two pieces of soft white bread. Why? Because sandwich bread…
Easy, Super Easy Weeknight Dinner Crock pots or slow cookers are amazing. But don’t rush them, let them do the work… they’ve got all day, so use it. Low and slow is the key to a tender bottom round roast. Everything in one pot, set it in the morning and when you are ready for…
Cheesy, Savory, Tasty Two side dishes I remember from my childhood are scalloped potatoes and au gratin. What’s the difference you ask? Au Gratin has cheese and scalloped does not. They are both made with thinly sliced potatoes, cream sauce, and are baked. We’re adding ham and green onions to make this ham au gratin…
Vacation Cooking Bacon mushroom carbonara is inspired by my Aunt who introduced this Italian dish to me on a family vacation. We had a hungry group of eight including the tenacious appetites of four juveniles. Vacation cooking calls for simple, fast, and delicious dish. What I like best about this dish is the interesting combination…
Put This in The Dinner Rotation In the past, pork tenderloin or chops have not been on my list of go-to entree items for dinner. Why, because my experience with pork had been dry, bland, and tenderloins must take all day to cook. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Goal for this recipe is to make a tender,…
Fun, Easy, and Impressive Hey Friends! Today, we’re making a baked potato bar. I always like to start out with the ‘why’ for the post. Three words: baked potato toppings! There’s nothing earth shattering about the flavor of a Russet potato. Alone, potatoes are pretty low on the Richter scale of flavor. But, add all…
This Sauce is So Good I’m not trying to toot my own horn… in fact I’m surprised at how well this ragu alla bolognese turned out. The objective for this recipe is to make an amazing spaghetti sauce that is thick, sweet, with that extra something, but is still super easy to prepare. Please give…
Why Is Chili So Great? This easy stovetop chili recipe is such a simple go-to for dinner. I especially love chili on a dreary, frigid day. The namesake is after the pepper, not the forecast, but it easily could be on a cool fall day or wintery weekend. Aside from being a delicious, beefy, hearty…
Grilled Cheese Is an Art Making Texas toast grilled cheese sandwiches are a childhood favorite of mine. Gooey, warm American cheese melted between two slices of bread. What’s not to like? And so simple, right? So tasty, the outside all buttery, the inside a mild cheese, a bit salty. All you need now is a…
This Dish Has Grit Somewhere over the last year, I started to order grits whenever they were offered. Grits have quickly become one of my favorite side dishes. I would classify grists with potatoes, rice, couscous, and other starchy sides which are kind of dull on their own but can be flavored into something amazing….
A Big Slice of Pizza Pie I love pizza. I think I could eat it just about every day. Not the same exact pizza, but different kinds from different shops. I’ve been to Chicago a few times and the deep dish Chicago pizza made a lasting impression on me. If fact, now Chicago style pizza…
Nostalgia In No Time Ok, I already know this is going to be a polarizing post. For some, the idea of making anything with bologna is politely, not on the top of your list. For others, you’ll be right there with me when I say a bologna salad sandwich with white bread takes you immediately…
Side Dish or a Main Course? Love me some hummus, and today we’re going to try creamy hummus with pine nuts. A personal objective for creating this blog is make recipes for things I really enjoy but have been purchasing. Hummus is on the list. One of my favorite store-bought hummus offerings comes in a…
Breakfast on the Brain I must have breakfast on the brain because the last few recipes I’ve published have been all about how to enjoy egg based brunchy foods. Making this ham and spinach quiche recipe isn’t just for breakfast. You can modify the ingredients to make this an easy weeknight dinner option. Keep pre-made…
Quintessential Brunch Food In my house, overnight breakfast casserole with sausage and cheese has been a longstanding tradition on New Year’s Day. Prepare the casserole the night before, let it soak and meld together, then bake in the morning. Amazing when served alongside a tall glass of well chilled orange juice and fresh fruit. Great…
Breakfast Time! Easy huevos rancheros on Texas toast is a quick, super hearty breakfast. It’s also a great way to use up left over taco meat or guacamole. Avocado on toast seems to be all the rage, why not top it with taco meat, cheese, and super drippy dippin’ egg? Making this tasty dish to…
Taco Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday… If you can’t tell already by the recurring theme in my recipe posts, I love Mexican food. I think it’s the variety of flavors and components all wrapped up (sometimes literally) in the same dish. ‘Taco Tuesday’ has become a catch phrase and the alliteration rolls off the tongue. So, my…
The Most Perfect Breakfast In my opinion of course! Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and I rarely get to sit down to enjoy it unless it’s the weekend. I might even love brunch more, mid-morning meal it’s more about the time of day then the food. If dining out, poached eggs Florentine…
Beef Up Your Dinner… Friends, this is a really easy weeknight dinner! A hearty, beefy, fill you up kind of meal that comes together quickly. One of my favorite recipes, this can be elevated with beef top sirloin or with simply with ground beef. Beef stroganoff with heavy whipping cream and baby bella mushrooms is…
A Deliciously Decadent Dinner Why make fettuccine with creamy herbed tomato sauce and mozzarella? First, so yummy. This is definitely a rich dish with ricotta and heavy whipping cream. It must be the sweet of the onions, against the acidity of the tomatoes, all tempered with the fatty richness of the cream and cheeses, but…
Layers of Flavor Friends, this one is coming in hot! I am so excited to get this Easy Roast Pork Tenderloin Cuban Sandwich recipe published so you can start building your own layers of flavor. I first had a Cuban sandwich years ago and immediately loved the unique combination of meats, mustard and pickles. An…
There’s No Going Back Bacon, lettuce, and tomato (BLT) sandwiches are now a regular on my dinner rotation. For years, the method I used to cook bacon was in a skillet on the top of the stove. Who wants to deal with all the mess the spitting grease creates? You are guaranteed to have a…
Simple, Delicious This recipe is my take on ground beef and cheese enchiladas. My goal for these ground beef enchiladas with flour tortillas is to create a thick, sweet, homemade enchilada sauce. Combine plump, colorful cherry tomatoes, onions, spices, and fresh herbs to build a flavorful gravy. Rolled tortillas stuffed with a creamy, cheesy, ground…
Creamy Pasta and Tender Chicken So far this sounds amazing, right?! Lemon pepper chicken with fettuccine Alfredo is an easy peasy weeknight recipe. For this one I wanted to create a creamy Alfredo sauce that was thick, rich, and flavorful. My Alfredo sauce is a little different in that it’s about half parmesan and half…
Made from Scratch Mac and Cheese Seriously, who doesn’t love macaroni and cheese? It has been a staple dish throughout my childhood and now it makes regular appearances on menus as a main entree for adults. The best part of making it from scratch is that it’s so simple and tastes amazing. Put the boxed…
So Delicious! Hello! Street tacos have become my go to when I dine out at a Mexican restaurant. With a variety of protein options in a compact portion, these entrees allow me to try a variety of flavors in one meal without feeling like I overindulged. Today we’re making shrimp street tacos with slaw! For…