This is a quick, easy, and healthy weeknight meal and can be easily altered to fit your family’s preferences.  I like to serve this dish over brown rice, but you could serve it with tortillas, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, and any other toppings you may enjoy.   2 Tbsp chili powder 1 tsp ground cumin…

When I think of summer vegetables, the first that come to mind are zucchini and bottleneck squash.  They make their way into my summer meal rotation at least once a week.  I love how each serves as a tremendous vehicle for flavor, while maintaining their own light sweetness. In this recipe, I have paired the…

I have always loved ham and peas together—the salty and sweet.  Last night, when I was searching through my ingredients, trying to decide what to make for dinner, the idea of including this combination in a Quiche came to mind.  It turned out better than I had hoped!  I used aged white cheddar, but this…

This recipe is my version of Ina Garten’s truffles.  She uses Grand Marnier in her recipe, which is heavenly, but I found that you can substitute a wide variety of liqueurs and liquors.  These are amazing with Chambord, Creme de Cassis, Creme de Menthe, Kahlua, or Amaretto, but my favorite is bourbon.  This is a…

When planning our Independence Day Party, I wanted to have a couple of signature drinks that could be made with or without alcohol.  One of the drinks I created was a Roasted Strawberry Sparkler.  This beverage uses the syrup created while roasting strawberries, which tastes like a cross between strawberry pie and caramel sauce and…

If you have never tried roasted strawberries before, you have no idea what you’re missing.  Seriously, drop everything, go to the market, buy strawberries, and follow this recipe immediately.  They are that good. I first came across the recipe for roasted strawberries a few years ago through a Facebook link shared by Country Living Magazine….

If you ask my dad, a martini is made with gin and a very small amount of vermouth, otherwise, it’s not a martini.  That very well be the case, but I, like the rest of the world, assign the title of martini to anything served in a martini glass.  Dirty Martinis happen to top my…

I love guacamole, but I don’t always have the energy to mince garlic, dice onions, and chop jalapeños (or other ingredients such as tomatoes, which I occasionally mix in).  One day, while looking through one of the Pioneer Woman cookbooks, Ree Drummond mentioned mixing her Pico de Gallo with avocado to make a killer guacamole….

I found this recipe in Of Tide and Thyme, the cookbook produced by the Junior League of Annapolis, Maryland.  It became an instant favorite.  In order to make it healthier, I substituted applesauce for some of the oil.  The applesauce adds moisture, flavor, and sweetness to an already delicious recipe.  It’s a perfect way to…

      The first time I served a parsnip purée was when I made Deb Perelman’s braised short ribs from her first Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.  The combination of smooth, creamy parsnips with buttery braised meat was incredible.  It honestly blew mashed potatoes out of the water.  Last fall, when my parents came to visit…