Kale Salad With Honey Mustard Dressing
This kale salad is full of dried cranberries, sliced red pears, crispy bacon, honey goat cheese and a hint of lime juice, and then topped with glazed honey almonds. A simple homemade honey mustard dressing drizzled on top adds a final sweet and savory note! Fall is without a doubt my favorite season. The weather’s cooler, but snow is still a month or two away (hopefully), which means I’m able to don layers and scarves, build roaring fires in the fireplace, and spend plenty of time curled up with a blanket reading or writing. Ahhh… That time of year is also when family and friend gatherings abound and holiday celebrations…
Sweet Potato Casserole
The very best sweet potato casserole EVER. And not a marshmallow in sight! My paternal grandmother passed away many years ago and, even today, Thanksgiving isn’t complete without her tried and true — and terribly addicting! — sweet potato casserole. This isn’t your typical sweet potato casserole that’s served on Thanksgiving. There isn’t a marshmallow in sight. Not a one. Instead, it’s a fluffy, creamy, crunchy, gooey, can’t-believe-it’s-a-side-not-a-dessert accompaniment to an already spectacular spread. And it’s better without the marshmallows. It. Just. Is. My aunt traditionally made this sweet potato casserole during our large family gatherings every Thanksgiving since my grandmother’s passing. For one, it’s super…
Chicken and Lentil Soup in the Instant Pot
This simple chicken and lentil soup made right in your Instant Pot (or any pressure cooker) is a hearty meal that’ll warm you to the bone! Ever since getting an Instant Pot back in 2017, I’ve wondered how I managed without a pressure cooker for so long. Don’t get me wrong, a pressure cooker’s no substitute for a slow cooker… It’s just, I’ve found many of the same recipes can be whipped up in a fraction of the time — which can be helpful if you’ve not planned a meal hours in advance. It’s been fun to play around with ingredients I’ve had in the fridge and pantry, particularly when…
Chicken Sausage and Apple Rigatoni
Chicken sausage and apple rigatoni takes about thirty minutes from start to finish, which means it’s a snap to pull together on a busy weeknight! And, with fall right around the corner, busy weeknights are about to be status quo. Ahhhh, fall. Apple “everything” is about to be in the air: apple scented candles, apple cider, homemade slow cooker applesauce, apple pie, etc. Pretty soon the leaves will turn brilliant sunset shades and evenings will start getting crisp and cool, even though the sun still warms the day. It’s a phenomenal time of year; one of my absolute favorites! Though many of the recipes I make with apples are…
Old Fashioned Creamy Potato Salad
This old fashioned creamy potato salad is a huge favorite of ours, and a perfect side dish to burgers and dogs on the grill! Don’t like potato salad? I hear that a lot. That is … until people try this potato salad. No, seriously. My husband won’t typically eat potato salad unless it’s this potato salad. And, he’ll eat leftovers, which is worth noting because he’s not typically a “leftovers” kind of guy, unless it’s steak or his mother’s enchiladas. Starting in spring, this particular potato salad is requested at every family gathering. Yes: Every. Single. One. Friends who’ve tried it? Same request. You might be wondering what it is…
Creamy Penne With Spinach, Mushrooms, and Seared Chicken Sausage
This easy weeknight pasta dinner uses ricotta to make the delicious creamy penne sauce. A little out of the box, yes, but I like to make a game out of leftover or partially used ingredients in my fridge and pantry. Like, how can half a lemon, six ounces of chicken stock, and sour cream be repurposed into some sort of delectable savory sauce to brush over a lightly salted grilled chicken breast? Hmmm… Or, maybe a handful of berries, a bruised pear, and a mostly used carton of half-n-half can be whipped into one of the best cobblers on the planet. Not only is that “game” fun, it’s also practical. Like…
Homemade Snack Bars Recipe
After hearing my sister rave about these homemade snack bars for a few weeks in a row, I asked if she’d mind sharing the recipe here — and, lucky for us, she accepted the challenge. Enjoy these easy-to-make, vegan, gluten free, tasty treats! I always need a snack at work sometime between breakfast and lunch. Always. I usually carry a piece of fruit, but that doesn’t always fill me up. So, a month or two ago, I decided to try making snack bars. Obviously I need it to be tasty, but I also need it to be a recipe that is easy enough for me to want to make it…
Chocolate Lime Zucchini Bread
This chocolate lime zucchini bread turns a breakfast snack into a yummy dessert, and with zucchini still in abundance here, we need all the zucchini recipes we can get. I mean, will those plants ever stop producing? Seems like the answer should be “no,” but we all know that in a few short weeks we’ll be reminiscing about the fresh veggies from mid- to late-summer. When I get my hands on a ton of zucchini, whether it’s from the garden or from the farmers’ market or grocery store, I decided to save it by freezing it, rather than using it right away. That process is really simple, too — no blanching…
