Hi again y’all! Yesterday I posted about the easiest way to cook salmon, and today I’ll share the easiest way to cook broccoli. (Just think, if you make the salmon and the broccoli together, in 20 minutes or less you can have what might be the easiest and healthiest meal on the planet!) Here’s what you do: Place […]
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Pesto-Prosciutto Chicken: Quick and Easy Dinner
Pesto-Pancetta Pork Tenderloin has been my go-to dinner-party dish for years. It’s easy and yummy and a real crowd pleaser, especially if you brine the pork. But who has time to brine pork?! Seriously, people. So lately, for a quick and easy weeknight dinner, I’ve been making the same dish with chicken and prosciutto instead […]
Whole-Grain Snack: Animal Tracks Cookies
Remember that moment in Big when Josh raises his hand and says, “I don’t get it.”? I love that scene. (You can watch it here.) It so perfectly captures the 1980s, and the genius of a child’s mind. I had my own Big moment here at home the other day. Jack had asked to make cookies, and […]
Crock-Pot Pork Verde
So this recipe began as an experiment and has become one of our family’s all-time favorite meals. We first served it as part of a big Tex-Mex spread for John’s birthday back in December. And it was a hit! Since then, we’ve made it several times for weeknight meals or weekend get-togethers. One of the […]
Crock-Pot Beef Stew
Okay, so maybe I was wrong. It is getting cooler. Kinda. Sorta. I mean, it was in the 70s over the weekend. Which, after a summer of 100+, feels downright cold. So on Sunday afternoon, with the cooler weather and a long-overdue Longhorn win, I was in the mood to make beef stew. Only problem? Sunday […]
Spaghetti Squash: The Universal Side Dish
We have been trying to eat less white carbs over here, which means that I don’t cook a lot of rice, potatoes, bread, and noodles. Which is great for my hips but hard on my brain. Meaning, I have to think a bit harder about what to serve with what. My two go-to sides of […]
Cheesy Puréed Cauliflower
John and I agree on a lot. But not everything. Cauliflower, for one. I love it, he doesn’t. I won’t give up that easily, though. So the other day I made this Cheesy Puréed Cauliflower to go with our Crock-Pot Barbacoa. I thought if I served it just like mashed potatoes, maybe John would think that it […]
10 More Ways to Bless Your Child
I read this post recently: 200 Ways to Bless Your Child with a Happy Childhood, and loved it. It includes a long list of simple ways to have fun with your kids, like: Build forts Let them jump in piles of clean laundry Have staring contests Make a refrigerator box rocket and fly to Mars for […]
Dulce de Leche Icebox Pie and Other Summer Dinner Party Ideas
We are settling in well in our new house. I love being closer to family, downtown, and the neighborhood pool. And I especially love the way the sun seeps through the west windows in the early evening. (Sissy likes it, too.) Now that most of our boxes have been unpacked (or at least hidden in […]
Secret to Happiness: One Line A Day
The last thing any parent needs is one more thing to do. (Or in my case, one more thing to not do, and then feel guilty about for a few hours.) But I am going to share this anyway because it makes me feel happy at the end of each day. It’s called “One Line A […]
Salmon Tacos with Cilantro-Lime Sauce
As I’ve mentioned before, if there’s anything I love more than cooking, it’s not cooking (especially when it’s really hot or I’m really hungry). In other words, although I do love to be in the kitchen, very often I just want to enjoy some good food without a lot of fuss. Which is the way Jack […]
Soup When You’re Sick (or Not): Lime Soup With a Thai Twist
Belize is my kind of place: White sand, blue water, rum punch, lime soup. Have you been? I went with my best friend Elissa and our mutual friend Rob back in 2007. We left a few days after Christmas and stayed through the New Year. This was back when John and I had just started […]
On the Mediterranean Diet: A Recipe for Lentils
Did you hear the news? A recent study confirmed what many suspected: A diet rich in olive oil, nuts, beans, lean protein, fruits and vegetables can reduce your chances of having a heart attack or stroke. By a lot. As was reported in the New York Times a couple of weeks ago: The magnitude of the […]
Quinoa with Butter, Almonds and Cranberries
Okay, so I am officially becoming my dad. I am usually in bed before 9 p.m. I have a Japanese car (with light-colored seats!) that gets good gas mileage. I’m an over buyer, especially as to milk and paper towels. I use my blinker like a Driver’s-Ed instructor. I can’t stand loud restaurants. And my […]
One Helluva Texas Chili Recipe
I’ve been a bad Texan. Yes, I own boots and a Stetson hat. But I don’t have my own chili recipe. Oh the shame. My dear Texas, I want to make it up to you. Will this suffice? What if I told you that it was made with 12 ounces of Shiner Bock Black Lager? […]
Easter Treats: Easter Bunny Marshmallow Pops
I love this TED Talk about art. It’s by Korean novelist Young-ha Kim. His premise is that, as children, we are all artists and have an innate desire to play. He says that, as we get older, this type of free play and creation is discouraged. For example, he says that, as an adult, if you were […]
How to Make an Angel Food Easter Bunny Cake
My husband and I have a running debate about the proper use of the word “rich” when describing food. (Lame, yes, but that is what happens when two lawyers get together.) I say “rich” should only apply to very buttery or fatty foods. Whereas, John uses it to describe any highly-seasoned cuisine. Well, good news […]
Easter Treats: Rice Krispie Treat Nests with Candy Eggs
I rarely know what day it is. Probably because I don’t write checks very often or work a regular job. And probably also because I have a three-month-old and three-year-old at home, neither of whom has any concept of time. (Although I did get a laugh the other day when Jack, the three-year-old, told me […]
Personalized Favor Tags
If you enjoyed these personalized cupcake toppers, I bet you will love these personalized favor tags, too! These were also for a wedding shower, so all of the pics are of the bride- and groom-to-be. I also included a few of their sweet doggie, Hank. Ar. To make them, start by following the instructions for […]
Easy and Elegant Recipe for Pork Tenderloin
Isn’t in funny how times change. A decade ago, it was perfectly acceptable for Martha Stewart to provide a recipe that took multiple days to prepare. Whereas, these days, Rachael Ray doesn’t even waste time on extraneous syllables! (EVOO, veg, sammy, delish.) I think I’m somewhere in the middle: I love a recipe that looks […]
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