If you are a fan of beef jerky then you know it’s an expensive snack, not to mention, it can often contain significant added sugar and salt. So, learning how to make your own beef jerky can save you a lot of money, and you …

Knowing how to make Simple Boiled Baby Potatoes (or New Potatoes) will be handy for dinner salads, raclette parties, and meal prep.

Mom’s Iceberg Salad with Cucumber, Tomato, and Black Olives is my family’s “house” salad. We ate this salad with an Italian vinaigrette.

Simple Raspberry Chia Pudding Cups are nutritious make-ahead treats that can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, snack, or dessert.

A mixture of collard, Swiss chard, and dandelion greens makes a great trifecta of greens for Easy Weeknight Southern Garlicky Greens.

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 …

Steakhouse Purple Sweet Potato Wedges are an easy weeknight side that goes with just about anything! I can pop these in a high-heat oven while I’m chopping up a salad and frying up some burgers or air frying some chicken thighs. Dinner can be on …

This Japanese Steakhouse Edamame with Flaked Salt is a restaurant-quality appetizer made at home. It’s even better than what we get at most restaurants because of my secret ingredient—toasted sesame oil. The majority of time I’ve had this appetizer at restaurants the edamame comes to …

Roasted Curry Sweet Potato Wedges make an easy weeknight side dish. The sweet potatoes are quartered—cut in half length-wise and then cut in half again. Lightly coat the potato wedges with olive oil. Sprinkle them with a simple curry spice blend consisting of curry powder, …

These Mini Beef Meatballs are a perfect addition to soup. And, they are so simple to pull together with just 5 ingredients.

Homemade ghee is easy to make and less expensive than store bought. When you see butter on sale, it’s the perfect time to buy extra to make this easy homemade ghee. Ghee has a high smoke-point. Therefore, it’s perfect for frying, sauteing, and roasting meat, …

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 …

Prime Rib Rub Seasoning is easy to make. You’ll want to make it in large batches. This is like having your own top-secret house seasoning, because not only can it be used on its namesake rib roast, but it’s also great on steaks, burgers, and …

As I become more of a nutrivore (someone who pays attention to the nutrient density of their food), I tend to challenge myself to make family favorites from scratch with the healthiest most nutritious ingredients. This recipe for homemade cranberry sauce is healthier than the …

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 …

Not too long ago, a friend invited us over for some crab cakes. She received a tub of fresh crab cake mix from G & M Restaurant via Fed Ex for her birthday. They were amazing. So, I started to wonder if I could make …

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 …

What is Remoulade A simple homemade remoulade is a mayonnaise based condiment and you likely have the herbs and spices on hand. You don’t have to use ingredients like capers, cornishones, but you can add them if you want. Remoulade is a delicious dipping sauce …

Easy Homemade Seasoned Salt works well with eggs, soups, and stews; in salad dressings; and on proteins like fish, chicken, and pork. In other words, you can use seasoned salt instead of plain salt in almost every savory recipe for extra pizzazz. Make a basic …

I’m about to share with you the best (and easiest) two-ingredient fry sauce in my humble opinion. The best because it uses something better than plain ketchup as the counterpart (not that there is anything wrong with ketchup). The easiest because there are two ingredients …

This Caesar Salad Dressing (Outback Copycat) has a mayonnaise base, does not require a raw egg, and tastes just like Outback’s dressing. My husband and I love Outback’s Caesar salad. We order it every time. As a matter of fact, Caesar salad was the only …

I’ve had a bottle of Marsala wine in my pantry longer than I care to admit. And, I’ve been meaning to use it to make Chicken Marsala. Finally, I got around to it. I have no idea why I waited so long. It’s not a …

This Pan-Seared Oven-Finished Tri-Tip has a robust beefy flavor, and is easy enough for a weeknight meal. I never had a tri-tip until I lived in California, and even then I didn’t know what to do with it, so I made these Slow Cooker Tri-Tip …

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, …

My Mom is practically famous for her oven-roasted spare ribs. We have this “thing” where the family member who is celebrating a birthday can choose what they want for their birthday dinner. Hands down my husband would choose my Mom’s Oven-Roasted Barbecue Ribs. As you …

I have been making my Mom’s Classic Deviled Eggs for years. Mom would make them for almost every family gathering and party. If people were coming over for Christmas dinner, New Years Day, a Superbowl party, Easter dinner, or a summer barbecue then most likely …

Why hard boiled eggs can be challenging for home cooks Something that seems so simple, boiling an egg, can be a challenge. On the one hand, there are two ingredients eggs and water. Yet, I’ve had under cooked, over cooked eggs with a green ring, …

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 …

Sometimes you just need a sauce to take an ordinary dish to an extraordinary dish. Arugula walnut pesto is a universal sauce that can be used on roasted vegetables, grilled chicken, sauteed fish, scrambled eggs, and pasta. Not only does it taste delicious but it’s …

When I did my first Whole30 challenge I wasn’t sure if I would like chili without beans. How silly. Yes, chili tastes just fine without beans! This turkey chili has such a unique flavor profile my husband and my guests rave about it. What’s funny …

This Ranch dressing made with mayonnaise, parsley, dill, garlic, chives, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper tastes fresh and clean. The dressing tastes so good people always ask me for the recipe. Not only does it taste great, it’s a Whole30, Paleo, and Keto …

This vinaigrette is delicious and satiating. It’s wonderful with steak or chicken entree salads. One guest said, “Wow, this dressing really makes the salad.” You can also use this vinaigrette as a dip for spring rolls. Cashew-Lime Vinaigrette1/2 cup lime juice (about 5 limes)1/4 cup …

Making a simple vinaigrette only adds an additional five minutes of prep time and yields many benefits. Just think about it. You’ll know all the ingredients your dressing contains. You can control the amount of sugar or leave it out all together. Have you ever …

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 …

What do you think of when you hear the word “meatloaf?” For some, it may be an all-beef meatloaf with a ketchup glaze. Others may think of  a meatloaf with a thick gravy on the side. This recipe is not all beef, does not have …

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 …

The first time I had blistered shishito peppers was at a speak-easy in Ft. Collins, Colorado called The Social. My husband and I celebrated many special occasions there: birthdays, anniversaries, and out-of-town guests. They had the best atmosphere (in the basement of a building like …

I love getting the wonton soup that comes with my dinner at Chinese restaurants. It qualifies as comfort food. If we are honest with ourselves, some wonton soups are better than others. Who knows what’s in the soup from restaurant to restaurant. Does it have …

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 …

Leaving behind processed foods and embracing a more whole and real food diet can sometimes be a shock to the wallet. Why is it that food not good for us costs less? Why does eating healthy cost more? Hmm. I’ll have to save that for …

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 …