Content
Every year, by mid-August like clockwork, I get hit with a teensy wave of nausea when I think about eating one more hamburger or hot dog. Does this happen to anyone else?You know, it's that "if-one-more-person-serves-me-a-Bubba-Burger-on-an-undersized-potato-roll-I-may-need-to-reconsider-my-friendship-with-this-individual" kind of feeling. I sincerely hope
My mom can do anything. I know yours can too. Pound cake for everyone this Mother's Day, what do you say?Seriously, though, when I think about my impending motherhood status, I think my mom sets the bar pretty dang high. How will I ever compare?This is someone who made me the most kick-a** Halloween costumes from scratch when I was little. One year I was Rainbow B
And now...just in time for Cinco de Mayo 2014...Ugh, I'm the worst at this. The worst! Common sense should tell me to post our Cinco de Mayo feast prior to May 5, you know, since the point of this blog is to equip you with fun, healthy, and timely recipe ideas for weeknight meals and holiday gatherings.(Did you think the point of this blog was to ramble be a so
Really, this is just an excuse to get drunk.Or, I mean, an excuse to drink some wine.Well I mean I don't drink drink wine, I just sip it here and there right now.Ok, I mean the closest I get to an alcoholic beverage these days is when it's cooked down and boiled off and flavoring my ground beef. Sigh.I might not have to tell you that my desire for margaritas this weekend will be twice a
Nothing to see here.I mean it. What you see here? It's all I got for you in the visuals department today. Not much to see but so much to taste, I promise!This weekend we traveled up to Rochester, NY, to visit good friends with whom we hardly get to spend enough time. I'll admit that the idea of being away for the whole weekend right now seemed a lit
Let's go to Hungary. Wanna go to Hungary? I want to go to Hungary.That's where this meal takes me. I'm not sure why because I actually think stroganoff is Russian. Maybe I'm thinking of goulash? Either way, this meal takes me to Hungary-town. See what I did there?In other news, it might be a subconscious thing (...or I might be very aware since I'm wri
So this one time...in my kitchen...there was this incident between a wooden spoon and a mixing bowl of zucchini bread batter and my stomach.We'll call it an accident. I don't know, I must have blacked out or something. Zucchini bread batter seems to be a siren song written expressly to torment my self-control and lady-like sensibilities. Something about the simple combi
As a food-loving maniac trapped in a Type A personality, I am constantly seeking the "right" way when it comes to recipe and cooking basics.I'm also constantly making lists and getting on my own nerves, but I suspect you knew as much already. Another story for another day.When I really think about it, I find I have this ever-present need to know that I'm operating the rig
Spring is the time. Do you know about it?It's the time for newness, for freshness, for green. What's your springtime routine? What do you do to let the freshness in, to start anew again?In my house, it's about opening the windows on that first nice day. A fresh breeze can get the stale out of any situation, I'll tell you that much. And it's al
Is it a problem that I could eat, like, 100 bowls of this?Good Lord! If you answered yes, then clearly you haven't experienced this flavorful and complex Cuban dish, and clearly we were not meant to be best friends. I don't know if I can deal with that, so listen.My most recent edition of Cooks Illustrated magazine detailed this amazing Cuban-Style Picadillo, and I had to make it.
Life gets real on Mondays.Ever notice that? On Monday, the most routine things seem a little blurry, a little slow to focus. As if I've passed Go but only rolled a 1. Know what I'm saying?For instance, this morning I'm pretty sure I spent more time driving to and from the gym and searching for an elliptical machine that had a working TV, s
Oh hello, Spring.Haha, just kidding. There are no signs of Spring here. I am still showering twice a day to stay warm and still cranking up the thermostat to 69 degrees on the days I work from home.Really, Spring, take your time. This is a welcome and fabulous drain on our resources, and my dry skin and still thanks you.Fortunately, I know a great way to pave
Hello, friends! Today I bring you a wet salad.Before I get down to business, how was everyone's Easter weekend? Was it chocolate-y? Carrot cake-like? Lambed up in all the right places? I hope it was, friends. I hope it was.Today we're recognizing a few things, and because of these few things I am sharing with you a recipe for a delicious, healthy,
It sort of freaks me out how easily I can become obsessed with something.It just happens so fast. One minute I try something new, and then the next I cannot live without it in my life even for the short time it takes to mail in and get back a new Netflix DVD. My need for immediate gratification may be reaching new levels as I age.So, speaking of being freaked out and obs
I'm having a baby in less than 15 weeks. As in, bearing a child. That I must take care of on my own. And for which I must be responsible forever. Gah!!!The reality of this is becoming more abundantly clear as days go by, especially as we start counting down the weeks instead of counting up. And everyone keeps asking me about nesting! Please, people.&nb
If you asked me yesterday, I'd have probably said plaid.Yesterday was plaid. As in not sad, glad, or mad....but plaid. A mixture of everything at the same time, because sometimes you can't pick just one. Sometimes you don't want to. Sometimes you have nothing and everything to say, and sometimes when there's nothing left to say that's saying so
This is a casserole with an identity crisis.It's part cheesy beef and pasta bake, part loaded cheeseburger, part healthy dinner. It's as if Giada DiLaurentiis, In & Out Burger, and Joy Bauer got together for a throw-down and decided to hug it out instead.For the record, my money would've been on Giada and that giant culinary head she's wielding. During a recent trip t
Don't trust me with your surprises, people. Just keep your lips zipped.Because I'm a spiller. Especially when it comes to food surprises! I just...I get too excited. I can't keep things to myself. Food excitement must. be. shared.Today, I had fully planned to surprise my husband with homemade Tiramisu for his birthday dessert. It's his very f
There's a debate going on in our house.Actually, there are probably four or five debates going on in our house at any given time, many of which may never get resolved. But I won't bore you with all the domestic details.Except to say that for the record I'm NOT spatially-challenged, and I DO know how to efficiently load a dishwasher. I mean, if my life depended on it I'm
You know how sometimes you spend a long period of time making decisions, and when you get home all you want to do is NOT have to make any more decisions?Like, you know how sometimes you spend two and a half hours walking around Babies R Us with a registry gun, and then have to spend the next two hours on the couch in a state of mental overload with a security blanket
Today we're eating a post-breakfast breakfast snack.Because today is one of those days that starts out totally normal with the alarm clock, the gym, a shower, and breakfast, and then evolves into car sputtering, my service engine light, a frantic phone call to the husband, and meeting cancellations. And then anxious thumb-twiddling as I sit around not knowing what to do with myself for an ho
You know that moment when you're watching the Oscars Red Carpet Special while eating a slightly over-scooped ice cream cone, and you "shush" your husband three times while trying to listen to Jennifer Aniston's crucial assessment of celebrity couture...with Piers Morgan?No? Well, I do. And it's this moment where I realize that A) I still have a hair cr
Let's talk about complements.No, not compliments...although I'm sure you're lookin' super cute today.I said complements. You know, a thing that completes another thing. A thing that, when added to the mix, makes another thing perfect. The English language is totally weird, am I right?I like to think my husband is my perfect complement in the kitchen and otherwise.
GIRL!!.......and it's a post without a recipe today. Don't get mad! I can explain.Yesterday my husband and I hosted a "Gender Reveal" dinner for our immediate family. We gathered, we ate a delicious dinner, we tried to contain our excitement and talk about other things besides the gender of our baby hiding out within a double layer of moist, chocolate cake sitting on the kit
Happy Valentine's Day, my secret internet admirers.Do you know what this day is all about? I do. I finally have it all figured out. It's only been oh, I don't know, like years, but here's the secret to a happy Valentine's Day: smiles, drinking lots of water to balance out the cupcake or chocolate-induced sugar high, not checking Facebook until all of the Earth's time
This one...takes me back.Like waaay back. Back to a time when......Saved by the Bell was on WPIX from 5-6pm every. single. day. I coudln't sleep awhile back and came across the show on The Hub at like 4am and almost died....book reports and the scientific method gave me as much anxiety as organizing my translucent plastic pencil case and Lisa Frank folders. Why would you not
Well, hey there. Are you completely lost among all the words in this post's title? I know, I'm wordy and long-winded. I sort of forgot what I had made by the time I finished typing it.And you know what? This is ironic considering this meal is all about short cuts! And now you guys are going to make me look up what irony means in the dictionary, are
If we're being totally honest with one another, I somehow messed this one up entirely.I'm not even gonna try and say I made you granola on purpose, because I didn't.The thing is, I have no clue what went wrong! I followed the directions, I took my time, and I sure as heck paid attention to the details. The recipe was so easy! What gives?The title of this post was origin
THIS!I'm pretty sure this is the reason that two teams of burly men in brightly-colored, too-tight uniforms will be smashing their heads together repeatedly this coming Sunday. I'm convinced the NFL's sole intention this weekend is to get you into the kitchen and making this recipe for loaded rosemary oven fries with shredded chicken and spicy ranch sauce. It h
Let me tell you about my work-from-home days.These are the days when I sleep in an extra half hour and get weird "don't you have to be at work?" eyes from the older folks at the gym at 7:30 am.These are the days when getting dressed means changing out of pyjama bottoms and a t-shirt and changing into yoga pants, a more fitted t-shirt, and a little mascara. A very little.These are the days wh
Hey, remember that time I made a big mess in my kitchen, dirtied every utensil and bowl I own, and dipped my camera lens in sauce while making and photographing Sunday dinner?I did it again! Happens every weekend. When it comes to Sunday dinner I can't leave well enough alone. I just wanna get in there, get messy, and rustle up a hot and hearty masterpiece.Winter weekends are for
It is what it is, you know?Um, so have I ever conveyed how much I hate that phrase? Dislike it with every fiber of my being. To me, it's a bland way of saying stop making a mountain out of a molehill and quit yer bellyachin'. And for someone who can make an Alp out of a pile of sand I take offense! So here's my comeback to the loathesome phrase: this recipe f
How are you feeling today?Are you stuck in bed, sick as a dog, blowing through Kleenex like it's being manufactured in your garage? You're not alone! It seems like everyone I talk to has the flu present in their household in some form or another. It's a real drag, you know? A total buzz-kill.I don't know about you but I'm a big fan of comfort when I'm sick.
Don't ask me about my New Year's resolutions.Because I bet you won't like my answer. At least my husband doesn't.Husband: What's your resolution this year?Me: Ummmm. I think be kinder to others and to myself. Yeah, that's it.Husband: I'm pretty sure that was your resolution last year.Me: Well...what's yours?Husband: I dont have one.Me:
Do you have a restaurant meal that makes your eyes bulge out of your head when you see it on the menu? One that you order no matter what restaurant, neighborhood, time zone, or psychological state you're in?My sister orders pasta alla vodka whenever it's on the menu. No matter where we are. No matter what noodle they use. Winter, summer, raining, snowing
Hello, friends! Happy New Year!Long time no oversharing, I know. Seems like it's been a thousand years since we chatted last, doesn't it? Well, it does to me. I really miss ya.In case you couldn't tell, I took a little break from making dinner for about two weeks straight there. Not because I don't enjoy making dinner during the week (because you know I do)
I know you. I know what's going through your mind riiiight about now.You're rocking the Christmas spirit, but you're just about maxed out on the Carpenter's version of "Home for the Holidays." Don't even get you started on "The Christmas Shoes," oh God no.You're down with all this Christmas joy, but if you eat another gingerbread man or peppermint crinkle the button
I've had this pork tenderloin in my freezer for ages.It was taking up precious freezer real estate and making the neighboring rolls taste like hot dogs. Not good. It had to go.But with no immediate plans for a fancy pork tenderloin-appropriate dinner in the works, what were my options on a hum-drum Sunday night? I considered pulled pork tacos. I considered pulled pork
It's now time for another installment of "letters to my unborn children". #CreepyandIknowitbutstaywithmeDear Future Children,I'd like to take this time to acquaint you with the concept of "sometimes" during the holidays. "Sometimes" is a perfectly acceptable word to generally justify the Type A craziness you may encounter from my end this time of year. Because,
At what point does it really "feel" like Christmas?Is it when the house is finally decorated?Is it when the first presents get purchased or the first cards arrive?Or how about when the first holiday commercials make their way to your TV (oh my gosh please tell me you replay that Pier 1 commercial on You Tube as much as I do)?Or when the first taste of Peppermint White Choc
Listen up! Your grocery shopping prayers are about to be answered.If you're a frequent reader of my random food thoughts, you know that I have been in a 4-year love affair with Trader Joe's. Obsessed would be an extreme word to use...but not totally inaccurate. I can't stay away!While I don't do 100% of my weekly shopping there (and I would if I could), I've made T
I've been thinking again.I'm now convinced that there's more than one way to spend the perfect afternoon. Turns out that acrylic paint, wine, good friends and family, taco dip cups, happy accidents, mint oreo popcorn, and an open mind can also shape up a pretty complete Sunday afternoon.Gosh, what am I even talking about?This Sunday, I spent the afternoon with some f
I have a problem.Can we talk it out? Cool.I have a problem managing expectations. My own, to be specific. In short, I have too many of them, and they're slowly killing me.This isn't about my penchant-for-melodrama problem, ironically.But yeah. This time of year my To-Do lists get frantic and my patience gets short. 'Tis the season? I say heck no. Let's
Do you know who eats two separate Thanksgiving dinners plus baked manicotti and a second helping of dessert on Thanksgiving?This girl.For real, I was full after our noon-time antipasto platter. And I was full after baked artichoke squares. A little somethin' new I tried.I continued to be full after our 2pm tradition of delicious baked manicotti courtesy of a generations-old r
In my perfect Type A world, my freezer is well-stocked with all sorts of ready-made, carby delights just waiting for your unexpected mid-afternoon coffee visit.In my perfect Type A world, I effortlessly serve banana bread, spiced bundt cake, or apple cider muffins to you, my unexpected holiday guest, while Nat King Cole croons from the living room and my Chr
You guuuuuuys!You know how I post up here all the time about how OMG I have something for you that you're really going to love and you just have to keep reading and make this recipe, like, TODAY because it's so healthy and easy and fast and I'm not joking you're really going to love it?Well this time I really mean it. The other times were just practice.Today! Today I have for you a del
Sunday night dinners have to be special.It should be a law for no other reason than Mondays are hard, the "Sunday night blues" is a real condition, and if our football team has to lose AGAIN I'd at least prefer that they do it while I'm eating a bowl of something cheesy, melty, and gooey.That usually makes anyone feel better, right? Yeah, no. Not the husband.I knew we were in for&
Hi. Hello. Hey! We're having chicken for dinner. Are you shocked?If you were to stop over at my house unexpectedly on any given weeknight, you'd probably find us eating chicken. You'd probably also find the TV on with us glued to it even though we're sitting at the kitchen table pretending to eat dinner like civilized adults.You'd probabl
I'm going to blame it all on Daylight Savings, ok?Yeah, definitely, that's fair. Daylight Savings gets blamed for people's kids being up at 5am, for the onset of Seasonal Affective Disorder, and for showing up too early to that aerobics class at the gym (oops). So I feel justified in saying that today's post is completely devoid of mouth-watering, Pulitzer Prize-winning
It was supposed to be Halloween on Halloween.My doorbell was supposed to be ringing non-stop with cute and curious Trick-or-Treaters NOT wearing coats because it was supposed to be 65 degrees outside. (Didn't you hate when your mom made you wear your coat over your perfectly-awesome Rainbow Bright costume? Didn't you hate when you looked like a weird kid in an orange wig, oversize
