Cookbook

Food is one of my love languages, and it makes me happy on many levels.  I actually enjoy cooking for my family even though there isn't always a lot of time to do it.  And I definitely enjoy eating. So here you will find all food-related posts. Some of the recipes I've created on my own, and others I've curated from cookbooks, family, and friends.  May a few of them find their way into your kitchen.

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A Little Something Sweet

When kids are sick, some scratch cinnamon rolls can make it all better.

Cider Pork Stew

Sweet apple cider mingles with succulent pork, herbs, and veggies in a comforting seasonal stew for a crisp autumn night.

Sleepy Hollow Corn Cakes

"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" inspires more than just Halloween fright - it encourages us to embrace the harvest that is autumn.

Weeknight Gumbo

The rich, savory spice of silky tomato broth gives this quick gumbo just enough kick to make it both comforting and adventurous. Succulent shrimp and sausage offer decadence, but it is also chock full of veggies. A scoop of rice helps to balance everything and keep the kiddos happy.

Skillet Lemon Parmesan Chicken with Farro

Chewy farro pairs with nutty parmesan and bright lemon to liven up those chicken breasts.

Summer Raspberry Loaf

Fresh summer raspberries and Greek yogurt give this loaf its tangy-sweet softness, but the crunchy sugar topping takes the cake…or is it bread? You decide.

Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja

The slow cooker does the work breaking down flank steak into savory, tender threads in a richly spiced sauce with sweet peppers and briny olives.

Homemade Coffee Creamer: 5 Ways

Ditch the store-bought creamers and make your own! These homemade coffee creamer recipes are simple and contain nothing artificial. Know exactly what’s in that sweet, creamy cup, sip after steamy sip.

Crispy Potato Stacks

Parmesan potatoes with olive oil and herbs stacked in a muffin tin and crisped to perfection? They might as well come with bows on top.

Christmas Snowballs

Finely chopped nuts and powdered sugar are the star ingredients of these rich but delicate yuletide treats.

Cassoulet: Conquered.

If you've ever tasted classic French cassoulet, you know the glory that can be achieved through baking beans with meat. And if you've ever wondered how to make cassoulet, the recipe is not for the faint of heart. Today, though, I made Julia Child's cassoulet and lived to tell the tale.

Pumpkin Banana Bread

I don't care how clichéd pumpkins are in the fall. You bet your latte I'm loading up on the canned orange stuff as soon as September hits. I don't really cook with it throughout the rest of the year, so during the fall months I like to make a point to incorporate it into meals for my husband (who thinks he doesn't like pumpkin), the kids (who don't always take to novel vegetables), and the dog (yep, it's good for them). Today was actually our Newf's birthday, so he got some pumpkin peanut bu

Julie's Butternut Squash Soup

This recipe came from my lovely friend, Julie. We first met in the fall, when our little girls were babies, and we spent their first Halloween together. It was raw and wet outside, and I was a sleep-deprived, sore-boobed, somewhat lonely new mama, but in her living room she had a fireplace going, a pumpkin candle lit, coffee brewing, and a bag of goodies ready for the girls. I left feeling warm through and through. I discovered that day that she is one of those truly hospitable people who pu

Summertime Tian

I come back to this recipe summer after summer when the eggplant, tomatoes and basil are in season. This year we actually grew all three in our backyard garden. A “tian” is a French term meaning vegetables that are baked au gratin. This recipe is adapted from a Weight Watchers Cookbook called Simply Delicious (2002 Weight Watchers International, Inc). I’ve altered it because, like Hugh Grant says in the movie Two Weeks Notice in regards to Sandra Bullock’s fat-free muffin basket, “

Changing Habits

I used to buy scores of tiny plastic tubs of yogurt without a second thought. It’s a solid breakfast choice, and those flavors are pretty fun to pick out. Boston creme pie? Strawberry cheesecake? Gimme a spoon. But a while ago I found something better. I always steered clear of plain, fat-free Greek yogurt because I thought it tasted like sour cream. And truthfully, it can, especially if you add savory spices to it. But I buy the big container of the thick, creamy stuff and here’s wha

Strawberry Sourdough Muffins

Since I came to possess sourdough starter about a month ago, I’ve been discovering new worlds. Sourdough starter is a living thing that you keep in a jar in your kitchen. It is simply flour and water, but the fermentation process harnesses the wild yeast naturally present in the flour and the mixture transforms into a bubbly leavening agent (mine's name is Pan). To keep it going, you feed it, keep it warm, and it loves you back with gorgeous, crusty loaves of chewy bread. But I’m learnin

No-Chop Chili

Tonight I needed dinner to come together quickly. I have made chili a bunch of times, but this was the first time I tried a shortcut. My kids wanted to play outside all afternoon and are too little for me to watch from the window while prepping dinner (a 2-year old and a 2-story playset...you get me). So I had a little brainstorm and used salsa to save the time spent chopping garlic, onions, and peppers. Why not, right? After browning the meat, the rest was literally dump and stir. Even th

Potato Corn Chowder with Kielbasa

“Ka-BA-see”, as it is pronounced in my family, is always on the table at Easter and Christmas Eve dinner. My grandfather is Polish, so I grew up with the good stuff from the European specialty store. The huge, garlicky smoked rings were always accompanied by spicy brown mustard, horseradish, and sometimes sauerkraut. Everyone was sent home with leftover slices, which could be sizzled up with eggs for breakfast the next morning or layered on rolls with honey mustard for lunch. Not to ment

Pantry Cooking

Whether we are waiting for that grocery delivery, stretching until the next paycheck, or just avoiding a stop at the store on the way home, knowing we can pull together dinner with what’s already in the cabinet and fridge allows us to take charge without take out. Most of these are not actual recipes, but ideas to keep in mind when figuring out what to put on the table.If you have eggs…There are of course breakfast-for-dinner options in the form of omelets and such. But consider using them

Almond Oat Pancakes

Last year I learned that I have a gluten sensitivity. Now, while wild horses can't keep me away from pizza and pasta, the truth is that when I have too much gluten in my system I get itchy. So I look for ways to cut it where it doesn't kill me to do so, like in these delicious pancakes. Believe it or not, my kids have come to prefer these over the traditional pancakes we've been making them for years. I owe my version to this recipe, which I came across when searching for a gluten-free panca

Pick Your Party Snack Mix

This snack mix delivers salty crunch and satisfying sweetness held together with pretty white chocolate. It's customizable for any holiday, and great for parties and kids.

Sweet and Saucy Beef

My mom used to have this yellow plastic bin of printed recipe cards that I would leaf through and organize, pretending I was a librarian in charge of a card catalogue (yep, I had a lot of friends) and when I wasn’t forcing my brother to play along, I was hanging out in the kitchen. Out of those hundreds of cards, my mom had a few that were go-to recipes, and this is a version of one of those. She made it a lot when we were growing up but I hadn’t eaten it in years when it popped into my he

Veggie Cream Cheese

Here in NJ we have an embarrassingly large selection of excellent bagel shops. My husband heads down to the corner a couple mornings a month to fetch that paper bag filled with a warm, freshly baked dozen. We freeze whatever we don’t eat in two days, then defrost and toast them up to tide us over between visits. The kids can never get enough. However, I try to healthy-up these carb bombs a bit by serving them with veggie cream cheese. I used to pay $8/lb for the stuff at the bagel place,

Prescription Chicken Soup

The healing benefits of homemade chicken soup are no secret, and this bowl is the real deal.

Just Right Porridge

Perfectly creamy, wholesome porridge will help you gather your little bears around the table for a sweet weekend breakfast.

Sloppy Not-So-Buffalo Joes

All the deliciousness of buffalo wings in a healthy, kid-friendly sandwich that is perfect a quick weeknight dinner.

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