When starting out cooking there are several key things to keep in mind when planning a menu. You can follow these steps whether you’re cooking full recipes or just assembling a snack plate to have a balanced, healthy meal. Think in threes When planning a balanced menu, I think of 3 components: a vegetable, aRead more
This Christmas I received the Smitten Kitchen Everyday cookbook (Thanks V and C!). Smitten Kitchen is one of my favorite blogs, and is often a first stop when looking for a particular type of recipe. In my typical fashion these days, I read the cookbook cover to cover picking out which recipes I simply hadRead more
While I’m usually all about a baked oatmeal, Sister made this Pumpkin Oatmeal over the holidays and it hit the spot! Pumpkin makes the oatmeal extra creamy and toasted pecans add the perfect crunch. Since we all have different sweetness preferences, I tend to serve maple syrup on the side (although brown sugar could alsoRead more
Dinner doesn’t get much easier than this chicken. With only five ingredients, only 5 minutes of prep work, and 30-40 minutes in the oven, this honey mustard chicken is the perfect answer to “what’s for dinner?”. It doesn’t get much easier than this. This is another meal my mom made for me that was soRead more
As 2017 comes to a close, I thought I’d highlight a few of my favorite posts from 2017. I hope this blog continues to provide inspiration for you in 2018! Please leave me a comment if there’s something you’d like to see more of in 2018! I love a good cooking challenge, so I’d beRead more
As part of my dietetics degree, I had to take a food service class this semester. One of the main projects was planning, cooking and serving a theme meal for 55 that was 4 courses, under 900 calories, and less than $5.50 per plate. One of my friends did a vegan theme and these ChocolateRead more
These Belgian Brownie Cakelets are divine. While I typically think of a brownie as being dense, these are very light but oh so chocolatey. I had some very cute mini quiche pans that worked perfectly for these, but if you don’t want to buy something specific, Smitten Kitchen says these can be made in regular muffinRead more
As requested in a reader comment, this post is all about how to chop onions. Mastering knife skills is definitely the hardest part of cooking. My top tip for better knife skills is to always make sure that your knives are sharp! Dull knives are more likely to slip, require more force, and are muchRead more
I can’t believe it’s already time for Thanksgiving planning! This year has gone by so quickly! Organizing Thanksgiving can be a bit of a challenge, especially when everyone is so busy and there are tons of other things going on. Fortunately a few years ago I got SUPER organized and decided it was silly toRead more
These turkey meatloaves are awesome. They’re tender, packed with vegetables, and individually portioned. These are ideal for packing lunches since they’re conveniently pre-portioned. While the original recipe used zucchini and mushrooms, my version just contained onion, bell peppers, and carrots (just a few of the ingredients from my Hungry Harvest). The vegetables help keep theseRead more