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Is there such a thing as wedding brain? You know like baby brain, where pregnant women get to say silly things and can unapologetically forget information? I know that baby brain is actually a thing, you know, since you’re body is changing and yada yada. But I really think that wedding brain should be a [...]
I’m a self-proclaimed sodium addict when it comes to food and nearly all of my distinct food memories pertain to the savory. I can still remember the very first time I realized I loved red meat when I tried a filet mignon from Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and I’ll never forget when I tasted homemade ravioli [...]
Today marks the third installment of Monday’s homemade ricotta. In my homemade ricotta journey, I’ve brainstormed a million different ways to utilize it in creative ways; a necessity since I might otherwise be sucked into it eating it straight from the bowl day after day. I went the straightforward approach with ricotta, lemon zest and [...]
Rav–ee–oliii…. How I lovvee theee… I’m singing these words if you can’t tell. Most times I’m singing to my dog Ravioli (yes we named our dog Ravioli) but today I’m singing to actual raviolis. Perfect little raviolis… Perfect little raviolis that melt in your mouth… Perfect little raviolis that look so incredibly elegant yet are [...]
Homemade ricotta. Why would anyone time the time make homemade cheese? What’s the point? Can’t you just buy it at the store and save yourself the hassle? At least that’s what I would have previously said before I actually tried homemade ricotta at one of my favorite restaurants. Infinitely better – and now I’m hooked. [...]
It doesn’t even seem possible that it’s May and I’m painting my nails neon pink (you know, because its spring and all) while simultaneously watching snow accumulate well past an inch in my front yard and covering any trace of green that may have been. The only thing keeping me from curling up into a [...]
> When is it going to end???????????? I feel like a meteorologist over here for as much as I’ve been talking about the weather. But I mean, COME ON. A winter storm in May? I don’t really curse that much, but what the h*** I’m sorry that was totally un-ladylike and all that, but it [...]
It’s here! It’s here! Spring is finally here! (Knock on wood) I spent the better part of today basking in the sun, reading up on some of my fav cookbooks and menu planning for the next zillion months. There’s something about the sunshine and warm weather that just inspires me. I’m dreaming of caprese salads, [...]
It’s no secret I’m watching my caloric and fat intake lately – I must have talked about it every day for the last month (sorry if you’re annoyed!). While I thought this whole eating super healthy thing was going to be impossible, I’ve actually found that it’s quite manageable. You don’t have to starve yourself [...]
Salads… Normally I can’t eat a salad for my main meal, whether it be lunch or dinner – it’s just not satisfying enough for me. I may get full, but usually I’m still left wanting something else – like a cheeseburger or big bowl of pasta or stick of butter – just kidding on the [...]
I used to love flying when I was a kid; sometimes it was even more exciting than the actual trip itself. My favorite part was take-off and I didn’t even flinch when there was a little (or lot) of turbulence – in fact, I actually thought it was fun. Humph, how times change. As I [...]
This post is going to be short and sweet. Yesterday, I talked about my crazy busy schedule this past week and my early morning flight to New York to visit my BFF Jackie. I was planning on getting some blogging done on the plane ride out to New York, but as I was reaching for [...]
This week has been one of those weeks – it’s been crazy busy, but crazy busy in a good way. Here it is in a nutshell: I had my first bridal shower (see pic below with my adorable future niece Caroline and newphew Will), my wonderful future in-laws were in town, we had dinners out, an end [...]
You know how some things may seem daunting at first glance, but come to find it was all in your head and wasn’t scary at all? For me, these are things like speaking in front of groups of people – big or small. In my head I play out the worst case scenario – forgetting [...]
A few weeks ago the folks over at Chobani contacted me about trying out some of their low-fat Greek yogurt, and challenging me to substitute the plain variety in some of my recipes that included sour cream. Being the polite girl that I am, I happily obliged. Fast forward a few weeks when a massive [...]
Ok, so the other day I talked about lemon curd – today I’m talking about coconut cupcakes with lemon curd. If your one of those people that’s a little weary of lemon in desserts, these cupcakes might just change your mind. I think (and I could be completely off base) the culprit of a lot [...]
Most people have very passionate opinions when it comes to lemon desserts – they either love them or hate them. I’m on the love side since I don’t really gravitate towards super sweet desserts. Instead, I tend to lean towards tart and delicately sweet flavors, so lemon suits me just fine. Plus my favorite cocktail [...]
Kevin doesn’t eat sandwiches for dinner – or so he says. But this is a serious sandwich. So serious in fact, that Kevin actually approved of it for dinner – which never, ever happens. If I served him the fanciest sandwich made with truffle butter, perfectly rare roast beef, and gooey brie cheese on fresh [...]
Surprisingly at the ripe age of 26, I’ve had my fair share of hosting experiences and I’ve learned from previous disasters that it’s ALWAYS best to have a couple of quick, easy hors d’oeuvres to serve and only one or two complicated dishes that take up a significant chunk of time to prepare. Trust me [...]
Needing a last minute treat for your Easter basket this year? Look no further than these Easter themed Rice Krispie Treats made with peeps and festively colored M&M’s. Inspired by these unique Rice Krispie treats I found on Pinterest. After drooling over them for the better part of an hour, the idea to create an [...]
I’ve wanted to share this recipe for a while, but thought I might be overloading you with too many healthy recipes – and if you’re anything like me, you can’t eat super healthy everyday. So after a slightly indulgent intermission of vegetarian but not-super-healthy-for-you baked rigatoni, I thought it would be a good idea to [...]
I’m not even going to complain about the snow. And the cold. And that it’s almost April and it’s not 60 degrees and sunny. Oh, and did I mention the snow? No, I’m not going to do that to you. Complaining is unladylike. BUT let’s talk about others complaining, that just might make me feel [...]
I’ve been asked a couple of times what I eat for breakfast on weekdays, and most times it’s just a boring piece of whole wheat toast with a tablespoon of peanut butter or plain greek yogurt with blueberries and a little honey. Lately, I’ve been getting up earlier to feed and let the dog out [...]
Ok, so these pictures don’t do this cannelloni justice – but it was seriously good. I lost light before they were done baking due to an extended lunch with some of my girlfriends (totally worth it), so you’ll have to excuse me for the less than stellar photos. If you could put a little faith [...]
Going out to eat is good – actually it’s great and I love it. I spend a majority of meals in my own kitchen preparing my own food, so I relish in the opportunity to have someone cook (and clean up!) for me instead. When Friday rolls around, I’m ready to have a nice meal [...]
I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but Kev is a CPA for a public accounting firm here in KC, so his work load increases about 90% when the good ole’ month of January rolls around. At this point the poor guy goes into work on the weekdays around 7:00am and then doesn’t get [...]
It’s the simple things in life that make that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Am I right? Things like lazy Sunday mornings Watching my trashy (but awesome) Real Housewives shows Getting off work at four on Fridays Getting a close parking spot at Trader Joe’s when there’s no spot to be had [...]
It’s March. And it’s 25 degrees out. I really shouldn’t be surprised since this is Kansas. I do this every year though. We have one nice day at the beginning of March when the snow begins to melt, my winter coat is too heavy, and a piping bowl of soup just makes me hot. I [...]
If you’re under the impression that everything comes out of my kitchen looking beautiful and perfectly put together, let me ease your mind a bit and show you this… Not pretty. This was my (very) unsuccessful second attempt at a potato galette. I’d previously made a mini potato galette for our Valentine’s Day dinner that [...]
Contrary to what the pictures show on today’s post, I’ve started a detox. And sadly, this little piece of heaven isn’t included in it. Bummer, I know? Wouldn’t it be nice if we could “detox” and lose weight eating things that looked like this cake? Maybe in a world where nothing cost money, everyday was [...]
I know this is a food blog and all, but I have a non-food related post to share today. As I’ve said before, Kevin and I recently bought a house in a little suburb of Kansas City called Prairie Village. It’s quite the charming little city where there are masses of kids playing, dogs being [...]
I feel like I’m in the twilight zone…or maybe Alaska since I’m two seconds away from calling myself an Inuit and becoming permanently frozen from the blistering cold and endless snow. After last week’s blizzard and what the Weatherman deemed “thundersnow” I declared winter FINALLY over and Spring just around the corner. I predicted warm [...]
Ok so I know I’ve hit you with an overload of roasted red pepper recipes, but I have just one more. I promise after this, there will be no roasted red pepper recipes for the foreseeable future. Ok, I can’t promise that, let’s re-phrase. I will try to stay away from roasted red peppers for [...]
Kansas City has been hit with a massive snowstorm – I’m talking can’t-leave-the-house-might-die-if-you-do snowstorm. We’re pretty much trapped here until a plow comes to take away the 12 inches plus that were dumped on us in a matter of hours. So, consequently we’ve been cooped up here all day just watching the snow fall from [...]
Ok so is it weird that when I think of scones I think of two elderly little English women sipping tea with pinky fingers extended, discussing the latest that’s going on with the Queen? I don’t know, I can’t explain it, but that’s just where my mind goes. I also want to call the scone [...]
Well, it’s official, Valentine’s Day 2013 will go down in the record books as the best Valentine’s Day to date because it’s the day Kevin FINALLY gave in to my relentless pleads to add a puppy to our already crazy busy life and surprised me with this little ball of fur. Friends, let me introduce [...]
Hope everyone has a lovely Valentine’s Day, filled with lots of love and chocolate!
Valentine’s Day wouldn’t be complete without a little (or a lot!) of chocolate. Right? Since cookies reign supreme in our household, that’s what I’ll be serving for dessert this year, but of course with a super chocolaty addition. Kevin’s biggest weakness is cookies – traditional cookies that is – he loves to complain that I [...]
Last week, I gave you a Valentine’s Day appetizer and entrée; and because we both know that crostini and pasta alone do not a Valentine’s dinner make, I figured the most sensible thing to do would be to give you some recipes to complete the meal. So today I’m thinking about balance. Perhaps something green [...]
If there’s any dish I want for my Valentine’s dinner, it’s without doubt pasta. Pasta of any kind will do really, but this roasted red pepper linguine sort of feels like Valentine’s Day to me. Maybe it’s because the long never ending strands of pasta remind me of the iconic spaghetti scene from The Lady [...]
Ever since I was a little kid I’ve always loved Valentine’s Day, whether I had a Valentine or not. Of course as a young child, no one really has actual boyfriends or girlfriends to spend the day with or buy presents for. You just make a super cute Valentine shoe-box, dress head to toe in [...]
Ok, so how incredible was Beyonce’s halftime performance last night?! I’m pretty sure I’m the 1,237,912th person in the blogosphere to mention the stellar performance of Mrs. Jay Z, but I just had to mention it again. Honestly, I’m not even an obsessed fan of Beyonce’s like most people are, but after seeing her, I [...]
I’m going to make this post short and sweet. These chipotle chicken flautas are the shiz nit. I loved them. Kevin loved them. And when we both can’t stop eating something, you know it’s good. Of course [...]
*For those of you reading in google reader or my rss feed; sorry the post is jumbled up, the site is currently under a little bit of construction and should be working properly in the next few days! There also might be some glitches in the actual website. Please be patient! [...]
Hi! Thanks for coming by, sorry if there are some malfunctions happening in the next day or two. There are some minor changes coming to Cooking for Keeps! Please be patient and come back later. Thanks!
Hey kids! It’s that time. You know, the time where we get together with all of our friends, drink ample quantities of beer, and stuff our faces with massive amounts of fat laden and high caloric food. Your poison of choice could be deep-fried wings, pigs in a blanket, cheese dip, or seven layer dip. [...]
Would you be surprised if I told that I had never made a cake from a store-bought box until today? I know you probably think I’m lying, but I’m not. I’m kind of a snob/overachiever in the fact that I feel like I have to make everything from scratch – even if it means I’ll [...]
Have you ever heard of that show on the Food Network, The Best Thing I Ever Made? It’s (surprise) a bunch of celebrity chefs describing (duh) the best thing they’ve ever made. I bet you couldn’t infer that from the title. For those of you that have never seen it, be warned, you’ll be dying [...]
I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m short. Real short. Like pushing five foot short. I get mistaken for a kid or teenager pretty frequently, get carded anywhere I go, and I’ve even had a stranger repeatedly call me a “little person” and think it was hilarious. Normally it doesn’t bother me [...]
