There’s nothing terribly special about that meal, but that’s one reason I love it so much. I’ve talked before about how doctoring up a little Hamburger Helper can make a simple meal really fancy. Adding fresh mushrooms and onions (sauté them separately, please!), a splash of wine and some fresh asiago to Hamburger Helper Stroganoff [...]

QUICK TIP: Just Say No to LaChoy. Look, I’m sorry; I know there are plenty of wonderful people out there who work for LaChoy and all, but if you want real Asian, Chop Suey ain’t it. (I feel the same way about American-brand Mexican food). Now, bear in mind that this is coming from a [...]

CONFESSION: For a very long time I was a well-done girl. Meat needed to be cooked through… meat-colored meat was unacceptable. I still sort of am, in many ways. I’m venturing into the medium range for my steaks, but burgers must be well-done, and a drip of blood-red meat juice still makes me squick. But [...]

Without fail, whenever we go someplace where pan-seared tuna is on the menu, my husband orders it. For years I’ve been terrified to make it myself. It was just one of those things that was so deceptively simple, I knew it had to be easy to screw up. And when dealing with fish that’s $24/lb [...]

Tastefully Simple makes some really great sauces. When my friend Angela hosted a Tastefully Simple party a few months back, I picked up a number of things. Their Garlic Garlic has become a new staple in my house, and the beer bread has been a longtime favorite.
The Bayou Bourbon Glaze was appealing immediately, even though [...]

When I was growing up, apparently we didn’t eat a lot of the traditional home cooking that are familiar to friends. Among the “traditional family meals” that are a mystery to me has always been Frito Pie. Can of chili, covering Fritos with cheese and onions sounded both fascinating and terrifying. However, it fascinated me [...]

Part of fine cooking on a budget means minimizing waste and utilizing leftovers, and one of my favorite ways to do that is by making my own breadcrumbs. For the first time, though, I tried something different.
A recent dinner party left us with a couple baguettes, which we used to make homemade garlic bread, full [...]

Yes, my dearhearts, this grown-up grilled cheese is exactly as good as it sounds. This recipe was born from the bargain bin. Two packages of brie, nearing their “sell-by” date, less than half price. Sign me up, right?
It was also born from a really bad day, and what better comfort food than macaroni and cheese? [...]

CONFESSION: By stereotypical “Mom’s home cooking” standards, I overseason everything. At least, that’s what it seems like when I read recipes in church and family cookbooks. I need a lot of flavor in my food and I don’t use much salt at all, so I compensate for [...]

Curses! I hate when I forget to take a photograph of the completed meal, and this chicken makhani (Indian Butter Chicken) was absolutely freaking phenomenal. It was, without question, one of the most amazing meals I’ve made at home. And yet, no photos. But I have pics of the biryani, which was also fantastic.
CONFESSION: You [...]

Okay, this recipe doesn’t make me terribly clever. Plenty of people have done this before, but boy do I feel like a genius for trying it and succeeding.
This was actually an improvisation on my part, but it worked out really well. When a local silicone cooking tools manufacturer had their outlet sale they had a [...]

This is no shortcut recipe, but it is really simple. It just involves occasionally babysitting while you go about your day. Also? I just made this recipe up. I call it Country French Turkey because the flavor reminds me of Chicken Tonight’s Country French sauce, but I don’t know how French it is. I just know it’s delicious. It’s beautiful comfort food and a super elegant meal that certainly doesn’t taste like it costs so little per serving!