While planning meals for the week I couldn't stop thinking about ways to make things a little easier on me, let's face it, I cut corners, sometimes. Creating a healthy main dish recipe for my family isn't  a total challenge because I know how to make things easier but not compromising my family's health. I'd rather cook my family a semi-homemade meal than completely eating take-out day in and day out, or meals from the freezer section at the … [Read more...]

My husband loves lighting the pit and cooking outside. Outdoor cooking is highly encouraged in my house, saves money on energy and doesn't get the house warm or smokey. Total win-win! We've been doing this for a while and I finally decided to photograph our most recent drunken chicken roasted on the grill just for you. Very first thing, you'll have to head to WalMart, Home Depot or Amazon.com to buy a roaster. This is the one we use most often … [Read more...]

This was a joy to make and the entire family loved it. I had most of the ingredients on hand. I had to run out for the panko and cheese though. My little 4-year old really enjoyed these chicken strips so I would definitely consider them to be kid-friendly. Put these yummy panko crusted chicken fingers to the test with your family. Let me know how they came out. Feel free to print off this recipe or pin to your food board on pinterest. … [Read more...]

Alaskan Halibut With Pea Puree A few weeks back I made this recipe but wanted to improve it. This recipe calls for smoked paprika and I thought that just meant regular paprika, little did I know that there is actually something called smoked paprika out there.  The regular paprika made the fish a little bland and I knew I had to get more flavor in this dish. While shopping yesterday down the bulk aisle at Whole Foods I found smoked paprika. … [Read more...]

Homemade Chickpea Chicken-Noodle Soup. I make this soup recipe at least twice a month. My husband absolutely loves it and we are always playing with spices. Sometimes we add extra cumin and cinnamon. This recipe is very easy to stretch too. If you want to make sure just add extra water, bouillon, cumin, cinnamon and cilantro. I made this the other night and we had some unexpected company so I stretched this recipe and easily added a few extra … [Read more...]

Last week at my house I tried a slew of new recipes on my family and I'm having a great time-sharing them with all of you. This soup turned out so good. I had never made any kind of soup before, let alone homemade. I had also never had chickpeas. I like them now and I've been busy searching for my recipes with chickpeas. Ingredients 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 4 oz spaghetti broken into small pieces 2 carrots, sliced thin 2 … [Read more...]

Last week I made Tangerine Beef with Scallion for my family. My husband is sweet, he complimented me all night on it. I'm really having fun cooking new recipes every night. I really enjoyed making this and it tasted so good. I can't wait to make it again. Ingredients 1 1/2 lbs beef tri-tip steak 1 tangerine 3 scallions sliced 1/4 soy sauce 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 2 tablespoons chopped … [Read more...]

Last week I made it a point to plan a meal for everyday of the week. I lugged my Food Network Magazines out of the closest and found their weeknight recipes. On Monday I made the Baked Penne with Fennel. This dish was a major success and everyone loved it. I'm actually going to make it again this week because it was so good. Ingredients salt 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing 1/2 pound pancetta, diced 1 small … [Read more...]