We love rich and indulgent dishes, particularly around the holidays. You might have noticed that sweet and savory, cheesy, meaty recipes are kinda my thing. wink However, all of that winter hibernation goodness can lead to some not-so-great feeling tummies. So we usually like to take a little break and kick off the new year with a lighter, healthier detox soup… What is a detox soup? While there are many different ideas and versions of what constitutes as a truly detoxifying dish – depending on whether you adhere to a paleo, keto, vegan, gluten-free, or Whole 30 diet, for example – a detox soup typically features wholesome and non-processed ingredients that are incredibly nourishing....

A Yellow Squash Recipe and Seconds Chances. As a child, I hated summer squash. My mother would try to sneak it into casseroles and mixed veggie dishes, but like a bloodhound on a mission, I would always sniff it out. I can’t tell you why I had such an aversion to it, other than I thought it was slimy. Many nights, I would sit at the table long after everyone else had finished, refusing to eat my squash....

Can you feel the cool breeze or the white cold snow scattered everywhere? For me, these are signs that the holiday season is so close. During these times, the most frequent question to ask is, “What gift should we buy?”. You might want to cross out “buy” and replace it with “make” because nothing beats a gift made with so much effort and love. And as a home cook and baker, I really love creating the gifts I give....

Last night, my hubby and I had the television to ourselves because my son had to go to bed early. Whenever we have this time together, we binge-watch our favorite series until our snack runs out. I don’t know if it’s the flavor, the crunch, or the slip-off-the-bone tenderness that makes it so addicting. I guess you’ll have to try it for yourself to find out. I’ll show you how to make the best-smoked chicken wings at home so that you can indulge as well....

Why We Love Cast Iron Steak and Gravy Aren’t cast iron pan recipes the best? There is just nothing quite like a wicked hot skillet to seal in juiciness and give nearly any piece of meat a great smoky flavor. Slightly fatty, thin-cut steaks are terrific to sear since they can hold up to high heat. And when smothered in a thick, luscious, and savory gravy… Mmmm, there’s no way you can go wrong!...

If you’re loving exploring exactly what you can do with a trusty slow cooker like me, you MUST give this recipe a go. It’s hearty, simple and so tasty. I’ve tested (and eaten) this enough times to know it really is possible to make a Slow Cooker Lasagne successfully, and BONUS… it gives us another go-to recipe that we can prepare in minutes and leave for a few hours unattended while it bubbles away happily!...

Why We Love This Steak Diane Recipe The holiday season is a great time to pull out all the classic recipes that will impress. From Prime Rib to roast turkey with flair, we love a main dish that makes everyone at the table say oooh! If you are looking for something a bit different this year, we have a real winner of a recipe… Folks either already know and adore Steak Diane (or Chicken Diane) from the Cheesecake Factory, or they are about to become big fans....

10-Minute Sugar Snap Peas Recipe I love snacking on raw sugar snap peas during the day to get a crunchy food fix without busting my calorie bank. However, my favorite way to enjoy sugar snap peas (and snow peas as well) is to quickly stir fry them with sesame oil, garlic, and ginger. Stir Fry Sugar Snap Peas are a fabulous side dish that goes with Asian dishes and many main dish proteins as well....

Stuffed Flank Steak Stuffed Flank Steak was one of the first “fancy meals” I made when learning how to cook. It was also the first meal I ever made requiring kitchen twine. I had all the ingredients ready for a recipe I found in an old cookbook, and was about to get started when I looked over the page and realized I needed kitchen twine. This was before the internet (can you even imagine?...

Mexican Stuffed Cornbread – Why We Love It This is where tacos and cornbread collide to create Stuffed Fiesta Cornbread Casserole. It is a one-dish meal that satisfies all of your cravings for both tacos and cornbread. Golden cornbread is laced with green chilies and sweet corn, stuffed with abundant layers of your favorite taco fillings, and topped with more delicious golden cornbread, cheese, green onions, and cilantro. Stuffed Fiesta Cornbread Casserole is hearty, gratifying, and loaded with flavorful veggies, ground beef, and cheese....

Hina Says – The Mediterranean region is renowned for its wholesome and nutritious cuisine, characterized by fresh ingredients, bold flavours, and a celebration of seasonal produce. Tomato Salad is one of the simplest Mediterranean salads. Minimum Effort. Maximum Flavour! Ingredients Required Tomato: Pick ripe, juicy, red salad tomatoes like beefsteak, vine tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, or a variety of heirloom tomatoes. Onion: For sharp flavour try to use red onion. It balances the acidity of tomatoes....

Some other local names for these leaves are tagate soppu, tajank soppu, tora leaves, tajanka or tojanku. What do you call it in your local language? You can get a glimpse of tora leaves here. Various recipes are prepared using taikilo in Konkani cuisine; some are ambado, mudde, idli, polo (dosa), tambuli, and ambat. Among these, taikile ambado is my all-time favorite. First version: The one given below is an instant way of making taikile ambado where you just form the dough using rice flour, tora leaves, chile powder, salt, and hing....

I do get a little adventurous with my food cravings. But when it comes to Japanese food, either I order them at my favorite restaurant or just buy takeout. Sure, they are delicious, but why go through all the trouble of going out when you can easily make a close-to-authentic Teriyaki Chicken right at home? And not to mention how inexpensive it is. Once you try this lip-smacking chicken dish, you’ll want this on your weekly rotation and even make it on top of your family’s favorite list!...

What is Texas Ranch Water? Light, citrusy, refreshing, and boozy! Texas Ranch Water is made with silver tequila, lime juice, and Topo Chico for a bubbly drink that’s deceptively strong. These old-school cocktails have been around for generations. And thanks to the recent flavored spiked sparkling water craze, you can now find readymade cans of these drinks at most local stores. However, they typically contain a few more ingredients you might not be crazy about, like refined sugar and artificial preservatives....

Seriously, where has this Texas Sheet Cake been my entire life?! Just our little secret—sssshhhh—but I had to make a second batch of this cake since my family and I ate the whole pan before I could even take pictures of it. Yes, it’s that GOOD! And you won’t believe how EASY it is to make! Instead of cake pans, you use a regular sheet pan, thus the name sheet cake....

Over the next few weeks, look for #TravelTuesday articles featuring cities and regions we visited, highlights of our trip, planning tips, notes on where to eat and what to do, etc. Yet after much consideration, I think it’s best if we begin our Italy travel series with a few pointers on traveling with kids. A little background… Lt. Dan and I both traveled abroad extensively before we got married. In fact, I’m sure that was part of the attraction....

These Veggie Enchiladas are one of my favourite dishes when I’m trying to eat a little less meat, or if I’m cooking for vegetarians. They are filling, tasty, easy to make AND affordable. What more could we want from a vegetarian family meal? Oh yes. A delicious bubbling cheesy top OF COURSE! These do take a while to bake in the oven, but honestly, it’s very ‘hands off’ time. You just throw the veggies in and leave them....

I was kinda torn apart on what to post on the blog that would make a perfect fruity dessert for this season. And I couldn’t be more proud that I chose this utterly addictive Watergate Salad. With its pretty pastel color, bits of fruits and nuts and marshmallows, this makes as a fun side or dessert to your Easter meal. Honestly, it is simply appealing anytime of the year!...

Falls Park in January I grew up in the midwest. Now that we live in the southeast, there are certainly things I miss about the central expanse of our nation. The wide brilliant sunsets. The hard-work-pays-off mindset. The friendly vibe you find in most midwestern states. But most of all, the concept that it’s important to say what you mean and mean what you say. Honesty carries over in so many areas of life… In attitude....

I think it’s fascinating how honey’s flavor depends on the flowers that the bees visit. Clover is the most common, but orange blossom honey is also pretty popular. I have to admit; wild pepper honey has been my favorite so far. And no, it wasn’t hot; it’s from the flower, not the pepper. 😉 When I started looking for all my recipes that include honey, I was surprised at how many I have....