I learned a master recipe for making Fresh Herbed Salt during my culinary school days. This technique is handy because fresh herbs can spoil quickly. I hate to admit how many fresh herbs  I have thrown away because I didn’t use them fast enough. With …

There are many reasons to use lettuce instead of a bun for a burger. Here’s how to make the perfect lettuce bun using iceberg lettuce. If you’ve ever been watching carbs, eating keto, or wanting to increase your vegetable intake, chances are you’ve ordered a …

Braising a pot roast low and slow in the oven is the absolute best way to guarantee a fall-apart, moist, and tender pot roast. I have made a few overcooked dry pot roasts. So, I can tell you with absolute certainty, the foolproof way to …

I’ve been making French Chicken in a Pot with Garlic and Herbs for years. It’s a lovely fall and winter dish because it slow braises in a Dutch oven for 1 hour and 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Besides searing the garlic cloves, …

Yes, it is possible to roast a whole spaghetti squash without cutting it in half first! Most posts I see on the internet call for cutting a spaghetti squash in half. I have a large sharp knife but I still don’t like cutting it in …

Do you want to know the secret to making the best baked sweet potato fries? It’s the potato. My favorite market, Jimbo’s, carries three to four kinds of sweet potatoes on a regular basis. You can see them from left to right in the picture …

Guess what? You don’t need a barbecue to make delicious flank steak or skirt steak. All you need is a clean oven heated to the broiler setting. The clean oven tip is from a cautionary tale. Since, an oven on broil gets to 500 degrees, …

I’ve been making sauteed zucchini for years but only recently (and by accident) did I discover the ultimate secret to perfectly sauteed zucchini. Here are a few important tips for making Perfect Sauteed Zucchini: Whether keeping the zucchini sliced in half or quartered the seeds …

I love going to a produce store and seeing bins of fresh vegetables like snow peas, snap peas, mushrooms, and green beans up for grabs. You can buy as many or as little as you need, and you can hand-pick them to be uniform. It’s …

Vegetables are such an important part of our diet and most people don’t eat nearly enough. Vegetables are loaded with important vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, phytochemicals, and fiber. Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable and it is especially beneficial—like medicine. Making cruciferous vegetables a regular part of …

I’m not sure where I’ve been that I have not heard of delicata squash until this year. A couple months ago a dear friend had a small birthday party for me. It was a delightful party for eight. We enjoyed appetizers and conversation outside while …

We shouldn’t automatically brine a turkey. It depends on the turkey. If we buy a self-basting turkey then we ought not to brine because it will be too salty. Essentially, it’s already brined. This year I bought a heritage turkey from a small family operated …

There is nothing like crispy chicken skin. It’s to chicken what bacon is to pork. I remember fighting to get “one more bite” of chicken skin as a kid. Then sadly during the low-fat craze of the 80’s and 90’s the family threw it away …

We all know that broccoli is good for us. Why exactly? It provides vitamin K, vitamin C, a variety of B vitamins, calcium, potassium, loads of amino acids, and fiber. Not to mention broccoli contains cancer-fighting antioxidants and feeds your gut microbiome.  Until recently, I’ve …

If you are carb conscious one of the very first things you learn is skip the bun on a burger and swap it for a lettuce wrap, or have the burger with a side salad. That’s why I love Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar. They have …

Doing a Whole30 challenge brought sweet potatoes back into my life. I shunned all potatoes, fruit, and starchy vegetables for far too long. I put them in a “bad food” category. I’m recovered from that thinking. I now know that they are good for me …

I have been making homemade chicken stock for years. I started making stock from scratch because I wanted to know exactly what I was eating, and I thought it would taste better. It does taste better! A lot better as a matter of fact. Years …

Brussels sprouts weren’t on my radar. I don’t remember the first time I had them. I don’t remember my mom making them. My best guess is that I was at a restaurant that served them roasted. I was probably at a steak place with friends …

Flat iron steak is my new favorite steak for two main reasons. One, it tends to be a bit less expensive than flank steak. Two, it’s easy to cut into even portions which is perfect for entertaining. The other day I bought a 1.5 pound …

I love to grill chicken as long as the temperature is warm enough. I plan on doing as much outdoor grilling as possible. Two of my favorite things about grilling: That open-flame flavor (especially if I add wood chips on the grill). A clean kitchen …

I thought I bought three packs of chicken breasts. But, no, turns out I bought boneless skinless chicken thighs. I must say that thighs are not my favorite. As a matter of fact, it’s only in the last couple of years that I’ve started liking …

Recently, friends invited my husband and I to a dinner party where the theme was “burgers.”  Everyone was supposed to bring a burger condiment as well as a side dish or dessert.  I decided to bring a bacon and onion relish. It was a huge …

My husband and I had the privilege to vacation in Costa Rica a couple of months ago. One of many activities that we enjoyed was going to Rainforest Spices. Of all the things people can do on vacation you probably wouldn’t think that going to …

I have to confess that I’ve made this guacamole recipe a few times. The problem is that I’m usually whipping it up so fast I forget to take pictures of all the steps. Now, I think I have enough pictures to piece together for a …

When recently volunteering to prepare fresh fruit for 50 people, at first I thought I would create  a couple of  extra large fruit salad bowls similar to my “Strawberry, Orange, and Grape Salad with Basil” post.  After doing some shopping and seeing what looked fresh, …

I remember being surprised the first time I ordered chicken in a restaurant and there was 1/2 of a chicken on my plate. I’m calling this Greek Lemon Chicken with Potatoes “restaurant style” because I’ve left the chicken cut in half like you get at …

Recently, my husband and I entertained another family for dinner. Our guests were unexpectedly surprised with a menu that was Thanksgiving part II. We did the whole thing all over again: roaster turkey, crock pot mashed potatoes, classic turkey stuffing, etc. We were all happily …

Now I know what the fuss is all about. I think everyone knew about kale chips except for me. Several months ago I saw an episode of Down Home with the Neely’s on Food Network. When I finally got around to making these and tasting …

If you are trying to reduce the amount of your sugar intake in your daily diet be sure to check the ingredient list of your salad dressing. I’ve read the back of a few bottles of dressing, and not recognized an ingredient or two. Now, …

I have made this recipe several times now, and it just keeps getting better and better. I used to try to put all sorts of spices on top of the chicken, stuffed inside of the chicken, stuffed in between the skin and the chicken (not …

The other day I was walking through Whole Foods admiring their salad bar area (I often cruise by to get ideas) and I saw the biggest station of roasted garlic cloves that I had ever seen—hundreds of little cloves in a light amount of olive …

For the last couple of years in preparation for November’s Thanksgiving feast I have made two half turkey breast roasts, or one whole turkey breast roast. Really? You may be wondering why. Answer: homemade turkey broth for Thanksgiving day stuffing—of course! While turkey broth might …

Yesterday, I found organic strawberries on sale—three pints for $6.00 and I couldn’t pass that up. While at the grocery store my husband and I decided to invite some friends over for a casual dinner and a movie. With our usual dinner-for-two bumped up to …

Herb-Stuffed Chicken Breasts is an easy way to use fresh herbs you might have on the counter or in your fridge. I have been buying more fresh herbs lately. Sometimes I feel like those fresh herbs are like a ticking time bomb in the fridge, …

You have heard of wilted spinach, right?  Well, here is another version of a wilted green, and it is oh so good for us.  According to Wikipedia “Kale is considered to be a highly nutritious vegetable with powerful antioxidant properties and is anti-inflammatory.  Kale is …

I love sweet potatoes!  I didn’t know this until last week. Until now, I have confused sweet potatoes with yams. I didn’t realize that there was a difference until I went to a grocery store that had both and were clearly marked! Yams are the …