Our family loves quinoa. I have photographic evidence of my 18-month-old trying to lick his bowl clean. A bowl that was filled with one of our favorite quinoa meals. I love that it's filled with protein, that it's gluten free and that you always leave the dinner table satisfied. This dish is a perfect weeknight meal, great as a main or side dish for company, as well as a … [Read more...]
Allergy-Free Roasted Potato Chunks
This is such a fantastic, remarkably simple side dish free of just about everything. It's perfect for a very restricted diet! This recipe yields 2-3 servings, so feel free to double it and put the potatoes in a 13x9 rather than the suggested 8x8. Roasted Potato Chunks These are the PERFECT side dish! 1 medium sweet potato (chopped into 1 inch pieces)1 large … [Read more...]
Spicy Calico 15 Beans
Perhaps it's the season...but these spicy calico beans make me think of football games...and friends gathering together to cheer on (or rival against each other) their favorite teams, their alma maters. These beans just belong on the countertop at such gatherings. Drop a bowl of potato chips next to them and scoop them up by the chip-ful. Or place them next to the burgers that … [Read more...]
Best Butternut Squash Recipes
Best Butternut Squash Recipes I'm on a mission. I tell people all the time that they're missing out on butternut squash. (At least the people who've never tried it before.) I encounter people all over...from coast to coast...who have never tried this golden gem of a fruit. (Although I think of it as a vegetable...it has seeds, so it's technically a fruit, … [Read more...]
Spiderweb Cupcakes
My quadruplets' birthday is this week and somehow they always end up with a Halloween themed birthday party since they were born in October. I've made a ton of Halloween themed treats over the years, but so far these spiderweb cupcakes have been their favorite. I made three dozen of these to take to their school for snack time yesterday and all of the kids went crazy for the … [Read more...]
Chicken and Summer Squash Skillet
The inspiration for this recipe is extreme fatigue. My family was craving a home-cooked meal and I really wanted to make them one. I went so far as to plan on making garlic chicken and sauteed squash. But as I started cutting up squash in preparation for dinner, I began to wonder if I could get away with combining the ingredients from the two recipes and quickly cooking the … [Read more...]
Potato-Mushroom Smothered Pork Chops
I'd really like to call this a one-dish dinner. But I'm not going to. I could. But I won't, because I can't. Because yes, the second step in the process involves cooking all the food together in one dish. But there's a first step that involves 2 other pans. One for the potatoes, another for the mushrooms and onions. So too many dishes to justify not calling it … [Read more...]
Best Pumpkin Recipes
This is the ultimate list of all the best pumpkin recipes! Loving these brisk Fall mornings (yes, we've had a few in San Antonio, and I've enjoyed a few this week in Atlanta too!). And loving that it's "bake with pumpkin" season again. (Not that you can't bake with it all year!) I wanted to pull together some of our favorite pumpkin recipes, so without further … [Read more...]
Beer Bread
This Beer Bread Recipe is Perfect for Leftover Beer and Octoberfest fun! Sometimes a beer finds its way into my house. It's pretty rare because my husband will only drink one or two a month maximum, and I never developed a taste for it. When he does get a six pack, the leftovers just lurk in the refrigerator forever. Well, until recently! It turns out, that beer bread is … [Read more...]
Rice and Pinto Beans with Andouille Sausage
Love me some dried beans! I love cooking with dried beans...it's easy, cheaper and I love to play with flavors. Our boys love beans too...so it's a win-win situation for this busy mom! Cooking beans does take a little over an hour and they do have to pre-soak, so it does take a little pre-planning and a little time in the kitchen to get them going on the … [Read more...]