In your day-to-day life, pasta can be a pretty practical vehicle to pack some extra vegetables into your daily diet. It also presents an opportunity to meal prep or batch cook, because it reheats easily and can also be flash frozen to warm up later during the week, when in a pinch and looking for a hearty, quick dinner. But what I’m focusing on today, is dressing up pasta for special occasions, like a holiday meal!
Quinoa salads are life-saving, great-tasting dishes for the upcoming holiday season. They feed a crowd on minimal prep time, and are easily customizable to your audience. Because the holidays are fast approaching, I am rolling out all the bright and bold, red and green, hearty and easy dishes imaginable. Let’s face it; as exciting and joyful as this time of year may be, it can also be a little stressful. Especially if you’re hosting; that’s a game-changer, for sure.
Butter tarts, pecan tarts, anything tarts- they all have a place in ma’ heart. I definitely don’t discriminate. Most importantly; I have a well-known penchant for so-called “Fall Treats”. You see, Fall Treats sort of exist in a league of their own. A-L-S-O, they have pretty distinct ingredients like; apples, pecans, pumpkin, maple, pears, ginger…… Continue reading Date Caramel Pecan Pie Bars
This summer, I ate my weight in fresh and healthy pasta salads which got you guys (very) excited about the pasta possibilities once more. This autumn, I am back with more nutritious dishes that are hearty, cozy, and feature the BEST array of authentic seasonal vegetables. Cue in creamy, roasted cinnamon butternut squash and crispy,…… Continue reading Roasted Butternut Squash and Balsamic Brussels Chickpea Fusilli
As an active home cook and recipe developer, I make a conscious effort to reduce food waste on an everyday basis. But that wasn’t always the case. I’ve come a long way since my days of mindless grocery shopping, having zero concept of food storage and a fridge packed with goods that, more often than not, went bad before I got to them. For me, changing these habits meant making some smalls changes that turned into bigger ones in the long run. This epiphany came one fateful day a few years ago when I was living by myself in a cozy bachelor apartment. I was trying to book a summer holiday and realized I had little to no disposable income. Turns out, I spent far more on takeout than I did on actual groceries. And the groceries I did buy often went to waste. So, I started thinking about how I could save money by putting what I bought to use and preparing quick and healthy meals at home.
My well-documented obsession with macaroni and cheese began somewhere in the mid-1990’s when my mom (an avid home cook herself; who makes absolutely everything from scratch) decided to relinquish into my begging for the coveted blue box of cheesy noodles. I clearly remember shaking it up and down while imploring and the dry pasta was making the most annoying maraca-like sound you can fathom.. I grabbed another box off the shelf and had one on each hand and I was shaking them as to say “please” a little louder.
Ever feel like brunching like a boss, but with minimal prep time involved- (AKA: I don’t want to spend ALL morning in the kitchen)? Someone, somewhere felt just like you and came up with a frittata bake! It feeds a crowd or a few; the process is the same. You can double up or double down on this recipe and still win. Loved by all those who try it and enhanced by whatever seasonal vegetables you have flying around; this will become a breakfast table staple. Or, a quick and practical lunch or dinner. Or spoiler alert, the single-best way to clean-out-your-fridge before your next grocery shop.
I have a well-known penchant for ALL desserts that involve baked apples. Simply said, there’s a very special place in my baker’s heart for apple pie, apple crisp, apple tarts, apple muffins… you name it! the list goes on… and on! There’s nothing better than the dispersing smell of warm, cinnamon-dusted apples, with a little nutmeg sprinkle. I wish I could bottle up that scent and share it with you all. They should totally make apple pie scented candles, I am 100% behind that.
Let’s be honest; Napa Valley has always been on my bucket list of top travel destinations. I’m a little bit of a red wine aficionado and the thought of the rolling valleys and green hills of wine county in hot and sunny California have always made me want to venture out there. When the California…… Continue reading Prune, Mushroom, Leek & Buckwheat Risotto
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