Scrumptious Food, Lightened Up
Happy Summer! It finally feels like it here in Illinois where we've been in 90 degree temps (and it feels like the 100's) this week. With Fourth of July cookouts and BBQs upon us, I have a special side dish recipe that's a favorite of mine and my friends. I've served it at big group …
Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner, and I’ve got an easy-to-whip-up recipe for your weekend festivities. These Air Fryer Cheese Taquitos are the ultimate crunchy, cheesy appetizer. And if you don't have an air fryer, they can easily be made in the oven. Reflecting on the food I cook, I gravitate towards Mexican …
I was a teenager the first time I tried a calzone. One of my first jobs was at a pizza parlor in downtown Overland Park called Papa Keno’s. And one of the perks of the job was free food. There I tried a number of food combinations I had never been ambitious enough to try …
Continue reading "Calzones with Chicken, Spinach, and Mushrooms"
"This is great. You just keep bringing me shrimp to eat," Craig remarked from the couch last night as I tested various versions of Asian Glazed Shrimp for this post. Most people I know like shrimp. But Craig and some of his Blean relatives really like shrimp. A couple years ago at a Blean family …
Do you guys know what espinaca is? I know my Kansas City-area friends will be familiar with my recipe for this week – Slow-Cooker Espinaca Dip. For those who haven’t heard of it, espinaca is this mouth-watering spinach queso dip. I've had it at two popular Mexican chain restaurants in KC - Jose Peppers and …
Football is officially back! I love football season and couldn't be more thrilled. And with football season comes lots of tasty snacks, apps, and game day grub like these quick and easy to prepare Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels. As I explained in my post for Mozzarella-Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Meatballs, I am a sucker for anything buffalo …
There's something delightfully retro about pea salad. It's also such a social dish, which comes in handy for Labor Day gatherings this weekend. When I wrote my first blog post five years ago, I described how food has the power to rouse memories of the past. I've always associated deviled eggs with a feeling of …
This week, I bring you Insta-Pot Italian Chicken Sandwiches, a fool-proof meal that can be made with last week’s recipe: Insta-Pot Italian Giardiniera Chicken. I needed something easy to post on the blog after some cooking misfortunes earlier in the week. Monday – in the middle of grilling an expensive hunk of halibut for fish …
I love beans. Any kind of beans – refried beans, chili beans, pinto beans, black beans, white beans, navy beans, kidney beans. I love ‘em all! So when Weight Watchers made beans 0 points on the Freestyle program, my beating, bean-loving heart was content. I better admit that I am too lazy to soak beans …
There's so much to love about summer - swimming pools, lightning bugs, vacations, BBQs - that it's hard to pick one thing. But this low-carb bruschetta recipe combines two of my summer favorites: grilling and freshly grown produce. Fresh produce from the garden or the local farmers' market makes for some good summertime eating. I …