Lettuce Wraps

I find myself drawn to lettuce wraps when I see them on a restaurant menu. But they’re also pretty easy to make at home, and people are so excited when I serve lettuce wraps. You can pre-assemble them, or just put out all the elements and let people build their own. Interactive dishes are always…

Turkey Tetrazzini

This was one of my mom’s go-to dishes when I was a kid. The creamy cheesy goodness made it such good comfort food. I always imagined it was a lot of work to make, so I was thrilled when my mom told me it’s pretty much just an assemblage of freezer and pantry items plus…

Preserved Lemon Chicken and Leeks

I was feeling pretty good about cooking with preserved lemon after successfully making a Moroccan Lemon Chicken. That seems to be the predominant way that people use preserved lemons, but I still had a lot of preserved lemons left and wanted to find other ways to cook with them. My mom mentioned that she’d had…

Moroccan Lemon Chicken

A friend of mine gave me a jar of homemade preserved lemons. I was super excited because I love homemade food stuffs… and then I realized I didn’t know what to do with them. So I asked around and was given several versions of what is apparently a traditional Moroccan Lemon Chicken dish. Using those…

Veggie Bowl with Apple Carrot Dressing

In the last couple years, it seems like “Assemble Your Own Bowl” places have popped up everywhere. It got me thinking that I could buy my own favorite ingredients, whip up a tasty sauce/dressing, and for the price of one restaurant bowl have a large enough quantity to share with friends. My friends immediately declared…

Broccoli Mac n Cheese

As a person who loves homemade food and isn’t much for packaged foods, I know this might sound crazy but… I have a fondness for boxed mac n cheese. There’s just something about the creaminess that results from that cheese powder that is so compelling. I’ve tried a bunch of mac n cheese recipes, most…

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…

Japchae

Japchae is a Korean dish that uses noodles made from sweet potato starch. I love the flavor and texture so much that I eat it at AYCE Korean BBQ, even though I should be getting my money’s worth with the meats instead of filling up on noodles! It usually has beef in it, but I…

Canton Noodles

Canton noodles are dried Chinese noodles that are great to keep in the pantry for when you need to throw a meal together quickly – they don’t even require boiling separately. And you can use up whatever vegetables you have (I make some suggestions below). Guessipe Olive oil for sautéing 3 boneless skinless chicken thighs,…

3 Bell Pepper Cheesy Pasta

My aunt used to make this dish whenever we visited her. It uses Velveeta, and while fake cheese isn’t a typical ingredient for me, it is hard to beat the creamy goodness it brings to this dish. I adored this 3 Bell Pepper Cheesy Pasta as a kid, but sometimes your favorite childhood things don’t…

Panang Curry

Panang curry is my favorite Thai curry. Panang curry paste has peanuts blended into it so that it has a nuttiness that mellows the spiciness a little. Combined with some coconut milk and sugar, it is a salty sweet treat that’s perfect over a bowl of rice. You can put whatever meats and vegetables you…

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…