Have you ever wanted to challenge someone’s palate? Has a loved one ever told you that they “dislike” a vegetable, but you are determined to find a way to prepare it that will change their mind? This is the recipe that changed my husband’s mind about Brussels sprouts. 1/4 lb bacon ends, small dice 1…

When I started making pulled pork, my husband asked if I could find a fresh element to accompany the meat. I tried a number of options, but once I found this recipe online, we were hooked! The original recipe is from http://www.billyparisi.com, but I have made some changes that I hope you’ll enjoy. It is…

In a previous blog, I mentioned my pantry. Let’s chat about that for a bit. What’s in your pantry? What are your staple ingredients? Do you feel like you have enough ingredients to scrape together a meal for your friends or family on a moments notice? For the most part, I can confidently answer yes…

Have you ever had leftover rice from Asian take out and no clue what to do with it? This recipe is for you! Fried rice is best made with day old rice, so using leftover rice is perfect. Believe it or not, fried rice is so simple to make that it will make you mad…

My son could eat dumplings everyday. No lie; he absolutely loves them. If I allowed him to eat just dumplings as a meal, he would. This version of dumplings is very similar to my mom’s recipe, just with a few tweaks. Envision a little Thai woman trying to explain how to make them, “just add…

Have you ever been sick? Or have a little one who is sick? Well, that’s how my day started out. Little guy woke up not feeling good; he couldn’t keep anything down. Lunchtime rolls around…I ask if he wants “soup noodles”, aka ramen. He instantly lit up because he knew ramen is not something we…

Have you ever gotten impatient with someone? This is how I ended up with this beautiful version of Mexican rice. If you ask my son, he is always asking for what he calls, “red rice”. But dad was never home when our son would ask for it. Before long, he was working later hours so…

This…this is the dish, that I believe was the “closer”. Let me explain. When my husband and I were still dating, he was in the Marines and stationed at Camp Pendleton in California. Just outside one of the base gates was a super tasty Mexican restaurant he discovered. His description of a particular dish made…

Have you ever been too busy that you can’t or don’t want to leave the house to grab a bite to eat? This bake was created for that very reason. While at a friend’s house in college, I raided her kitchen because we were studying. And from this, the pasta bake was born. Over the…

“The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” ~Fanny Fern These words ring true in the story of my life. I remember always cooking for my husband while we were dating. Was it always from scratch? Heck no! I did not think I could manage life and cooking from scratch, since I worked a…