Yam Beef Biscuit Pot Pie

I had purchased some canned biscuits on sale for really cheap, but maybe they were on sale for a reason! They weren’t at all flaky and they were a bit bland. But I hate letting food go to waste, so I thought maybe I could make them work as a pot pie topping. Judging by…

Spicy Spanish-Style Rice

Cookbook Club – Cinco de Mayo In honor of Cinco de Mayo, we did a Mexican themed Cookbook Club in May. We sourced recipes from three places – Joy of Cooking (2019 Edition), America’s Test Kitchen, and Chef John’s Food Wishes. Feast your eyes on the whole fiesta on my Cookbook Club site. For now…

Instant Pot Pinto Beans

I rarely cook beans, mostly because it takes FOREVER. But not with an Instant Pot! I finally got one and have been experimenting, with varying levels of success. It’s been a process, gradually figuring out cooking times, liquid quantities required, and seasoning when you can’t taste as you go. This was the first Instant Pot…

Fried Heirloom Tomato Salad

More fun with heirloom tomatoes! Hearty enough to fry into a tasty topper for a bed of arugula. Drizzled with a creamy balsamic dressing, this made for a salad so good that my boyfriend (who’s preference is pretty much an all-carb diet) chose it over gnocchi. Guessipe 1/4 cup parmesan 1/8 cup cornmeal 1/8 cup…

Molasses Roasted Red Cabbage and Carrots

My boyfriend invited some friends over for dinner with very little advance notice. I had the ingredients on hand to make my Butternut Squash Pasta, but I wanted a vegetable side to go with it. I looked in the fridge and found red cabbage and carrots. With Mission: Molasses still in mind, I wondered if…

Roasted Spiced Carrots with Molasses Yogurt Dressing

I couldn’t stop thinking about the molasses yogurt dressing in my Harissa Roasted Broccoli with Molasses Yogurt Dressing. I decided it would also be good over carrots roasted with turmeric, cumin, and coriander. I managed to get 2 pieces before my boyfriend gobbled up the rest. Guessipe 1 lb carrots, halved lengthwise 3 TBSP olive…

Harissa Roasted Broccoli with Molasses Yogurt Dressing

Still on Mission: Molasses. This time I had the idea that a smoky sweet yogurt dressing would be a great complement to spicy roasted broccoli. It turned out even better than I’d hoped. My boyfriend said, “I would eat this over pizza, and I don’t even like broccoli”. Guessipe 1 head of broccoli, cut into…

Pizza Sauce

My boyfriend is obsessed with pizza. I got him a pizza stone for Christmas one year, and he has been steadily honing his pizza-making skills by throwing regular pizza parties. My role is to make the pizza sauce. This recipe was one from a friend which I have tweaked to give it a bit more…

Sweet Pea Soup with Coconut and Ginger

Cookbook Club – In Bibi’s Kitchen In October we used Hawa Hassan’s cookbook In Bibi’s Kitchen for Cookbook Club. Hassan gathered the stories and recipes of bibis (grandmothers) from eight African nations: Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, Madagascar, and Comoros. To get a taste of the foods we tried from these bibis’ kitchens,…

Butternut Squash Pasta

After avoiding going grocery shopping for far too long, in hungry desperation I threw this dish together using the remains of the food I had left in the house. My boyfriend declared it one of best meals he’s ever eaten, saying it tasted like a perfect autumn day. It has since become a regular part…

Cotija Chicken Breakfast Biscuit

One morning I needed to throw together a quick breakfast, but was in the mood to mix things up with something new. Using ingredients I had on hand, I came up with this breakfast biscuit. It was such a hit that it has become a regular morning request. Guessipe 2 tsp red onion, diced 4…

Artichoke Dip Omelette

One day I was eating artichoke dip and had the inspiration that I could use the leftovers to make a kick-ass omelette. Silly me – there were no leftovers. For a long time I kept waiting for the day when I would actually have leftover artichoke dip… and then it finally occurred to me that…