Slow Cooker Marinara

An Italian friend of mine once told me the secrets to a great marinara sauce are good ingredients and patience. Good ingredients? Yep, I’ve got that one down. It’s the patience part that always has me stumped.
I suspect the only time you will see me standing over a stock pot of sauce for hours is [...]

Mac & Cheese Revisited

As Lady Summer makes her graceful exit, her rambunctious son Fall has clearly stated he’s here to stay for a bit. It’s this time of the year when I crave comfort food like creamy gratins, hearty soups and baked pastas.
My Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese has been, by far, one of the most popular recipes [...]

Pesto Pea Pasta Salad

I totally enjoy reading and making Ina Garten’s recipes. Even as I write this post, I’ve finished watching an episode of her popular Barefoot Contessa television show on the Food Network. Her food has great flavor, beautiful visually, and extremely easy to prepare. But there are times when I feel like her food tends to [...]

Impromptu Pasta

One of the perks of writing a food blog is the opportunity to sample ingredients I wouldn’t normally consider buying.  The brown boxes with big bold letters saying “perishable” are like receiving a special gift from a magical food fairy every couple of weeks.  I can only imagine what my mail person must think.
This time [...]

Lemon Vegetable Pasta Salad

When I’m in the kitchen, I get into a zone.  It’s hard to have anyone help me because my head typically spins 100 miles per minute as I’m stirring, chopping and baking.  Time is always of the essence when it comes to styling the food for a photo.  I try to plan in advance how [...]

Whole Grain Pasta Salad

Spring is in the air with a light aroma of charcoal and grilled meats hovering over my neighborhood.  In the back of my mind, I can hear the sizzle of a juicy steak hitting the hot grates of a shiny new grill.  I’m looking forward to this weekend when I will attempt to find an [...]

Asian Green Bean Salad

For the first time ever, I have a proper guest room.  There is no desk in the corner.  There aren’t even spare clothes in the closet.  There’s just a bed with clean sheets, a rocking chair and a bookshelf with an extensive collection of reading material.  It’s amazing how few times I have actually stepped [...]

Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese

Somedays I am completely surprised by the reaction certain posts receive.  There are times when I think something is going to be hugely popular because of a great picture or my brilliant writing.  Then it receives minimal reaction.  Or I think something will bomb completely and it gets rave reviews, like my Pesto Pasta for One.  [...]

Cheesy Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells

Ever have one of those weeks when you wished you could have something prepared in advance to be baked later?  Well if your week is as busy as mine, then this recipe is a perfect option.  The entire pan can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.  [...]

Pesto Pasta and Tomato for One

Brent is in Miami this week for work, which means I am left here all alone with my pots, pans and TV remote.  Now…Now, my life isn’t really that simple.  I have other things to fill my free time besides cook and watch TV.  I can’t remember what any of those things are right now, [...]