This meal deserves the title “Make Your Own Take Out.” Rachael Ray would be proud of me. :) Crispy, juicy, tender and spicy, you will definitely want to make these Chicken Tenders for dinner this week! The best part of this recipe is the heat level is completely in your control. In fact, if you’re not […]
Beef Stir Fry
Stir fry (done right) is one of the healthiest, easiest meals anyone could make. There are no “rules” just a general destination in mind. You can use whatever ingredients you have on hand–broccoli, mushrooms, snow peas, carrots, bell peppers, garlic, onions, meat or no meat at all. The options are endless! From the moment I […]
Baked Penne Pasta with Sausage (Slow Cooker)
I have never experimented with cooking pasta in the Crockpot, but tonight was the right time to try! I didn’t really have a dinner plan (or even a dinner thought) until almost 3pm. My first piano student was arriving at 4pm, the last would leave around 5:35pm and we had to be at church for […]
Spicy Beef Burgers
This is the perfect follow up to the Light Brioche Burger Buns. YUMMO! I have become a bit of a burger queen thanks to Rachael Ray. Before a couple years ago, I never realized burgers could be so delicious, so versatile, and so exciting. The possibilities are endless! We have burgers and (some form of) […]
Light Brioche Burger Buns
When I first saw these beautiful hamburger buns on Annie’s site, I knew they would be great. I put this recipe into my mental “to do” file, and I am SO GLAD I finally got around to trying it. Kevin and I both said they were the best hamburger buns ever. Simple to put together with […]
Classic Meat Lasagna
I’m proud of my Italian heritage. Almost everything I prepare starts with sauteing onions and garlic–a pretty good way to start any meal from the Italian perspective. Unfortunately, I had NEVER made a lasagna. Ok, that’s kind of a lie. I’ve made Eggplant Lasagna and that was delish. But I’ve never attempted a classic meat […]
Italian Style Hearty Vegetable Stoup
Yes, “stoup.” Yes, I stole that from Rachael Ray. But it’s totally applicable here–this is somewhere between stew and soup. Stoup. Ok, now that we’ve got that cleared up, on to the recipe. This deliciously filling meal was created out of my need to use up an eggplant, my longing for a bowl of warm […]
(Quick and Easy) Ricotta Tomato Penne
This is an amazingly quick (15 minutes!), surprisingly elegant, and super delicious dish. I came up with it as a dinner idea in a pinch last week. We didn’t have much time but I had some quality ingredients. Sometimes less is more. Nothing fancy. Just pasta. tomatoes. cheese. and of course garlic. It’s perfection in […]
Salsa Soup
I came up with this recipe on a whim. After church on Sunday, we were trying to figure out what to eat. I wanted something serving-worthy as my mom was here for the weekend, and I wanted something warm and comforting as it was 45 degrees outside. I decided to make a pot of soup. […]
Melanie’s Eggplant Lasagna
I had eggplant and Italian cheeses in the fridge. I wanted to try my hand at eggplant lasagna once again. I had made Rachael Ray’s version twice–the first with great success, the second with complete failure. It was awful. We literally scraped the cheese and sauce off of the eggplant and ate that for dinner. […]