Pizza Beer? Pizza-beer-bread? A wonderful addition to a standard Crock Pot Roast.

An excellent recipe for a rich mushroom sauce that’s perfect for steaks, polenta or over pasta.

Some folks turn to Hamburger Helper for quick meals. Well, I do too time and again, but there are other, more interesting options out there. Some of my favorites come from Kitchens of India.
As easy to use as any ready-made sauce, their curries and other dishes bring the taste of our favorite Indian buffet home [...]

Homemade Naan? That’s right, I made this from scratch!
I can’t take all the credit; my husband was kind enough to start the bread machine going to make the dough before I got home from work. We used this recipe but modified it based on some of the reviewers’ feedback. We used only 3.5 cups of [...]

TOO MANY PUMPKINS! A friend of a friend had a fall wedding and left my friend, the maid of honor, with dozens of pumpkin gourd favors left by guests. She decorated her home with them and wondered what to do with them. I didn’t actually believe I’d do anything with them, but I shocked myself [...]

This super-simple glaze adds a really unique kick to pork chops or chicken. To make the glaze, I mixed 3 tbsp honey with 1 tbsp water and chopped up 3 chipotle peppers (seeds removed). That’s it. Seriously.
I made it with Near East brand Curry Rice, one of my favorite quick-side-dish brands. With a wide variety [...]

CONFESSION: I kind of love Hamburger Helper. Hamburger Helper, Chicken Helper, Tuna Helper… I kind of love them all.
Personally, I think the helper line of products made simply per the package directions is bland, over-salted, boring and virtually inedible. It is, however, a brilliant springboard for creativity. By adding your own vegetables (absolutely necessary) [...]

No more excuses. You need a garlic press and you need to crush your own garlic. Seriously, it’s not that hard.

This favorite recipe is modified from a pretty well-known basic recipe using Lipton Onion Soup Mix, but it’s an easy winner when you want a comforting stew and you didn’t prepare things ahead of time.
I served this over some mashed purple potatoes acquired at the Oak Park Farmer’s Market. The result is a bit [...]

Awhile back a woman on Freecycle was giving away “a bunch” of Patak’s curry pastes. Why not, I said, that stuff’s expensive! So I picked up all 7 jars and they have lived at the back of my pantry because I’ve been, simply, afraid.
After nearly 6 months I finally decided it was time to step [...]

It’s no secret that I love prepared ethnic sauces, but Iron Chef’s line of Asian sauces is far and away the most tasty and restaurant-quality that I use for Asian sauces. Any combo of meat and vegetables can be quickly thrown together and tossed over rice for a quick and awesome meal. Last night’s was [...]