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 …
Air Fryer Cheese Taquitos
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 …
Air Fryer Asian Glazed Shrimp
"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 …
Light & Creamy Pea Salad
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 …
Insta-Pot Italian Chicken Sandwiches
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 …
Insta-Pot Italian Giardiniera Chicken
I truly enjoy cooking...most days. When I am making something from scratch, going through methodical steps can be cathartic for me. If I’ve had a long day, it can sometimes help me relax. But then there are some days, I just want to throw a meal in my Insta-Pot or slow-cooker and let the appliance …
Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry
This week, I decided to share ways you can use leftovers from some of my other recipes. Tuesday, I published Cheese-Stuffed Roasted Red Pepper Chicken which was made with leftover Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. Today's post is Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry that can quickly and easily be made with leftover Teriyaki Chicken from my Pineapple Swiss …
Cheese-Stuffed Roasted Red Pepper Chicken
Ever since Weight Watchers launched their Freestyle Plan, which made chicken (among many other items) zero points, I have been eating a lot more of it in my diet. I love that Freestyle allows me to eat zero or low point meals throughout the day so that I might splurge on a craving - something …
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Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
I'm a sucker for a good homemade pasta sauce. Before I ever attempted to make sauce from scratch, I felt intimidated and thought it was a lot of unnecessary work when I could easily open a jar. But once I gave it a try, I realized that there are two reasons I prefer to make …
Bacon Garlic Parmesan Green Beans
Do you ever look for ways to dress up your veggies to make them more appealing? Maybe for your kids, other picky eaters in your household, or even just yourself? When I was a kid, the only vegetable I would eat was green beans. But there was a caveat to this. I would only eat …