Salted caramel is always a good idea in my book! I almost feel like a traitor to chocolate because of how much I love caramel. When you combine caramel with vanilla bean, the combination is perfect for all types of summer fruit. Since it’s late summer, I’ve been loving the combination of peaches and blackberries in particular. For this easiest of all no-bake desserts, I started out with vanilla bean ice cream and mixed in a caramel swirl....
We love a good charcuterie board, which seems to be the catchword for anything you want to throw on a board these days. A true charcuterie board is focused on cured meats, while a cheeseboard is focused on cheese. Charcuterie boards are the perfect easy-to-assemble appetizer when entertaining. But they are also our absolute favorite way to have an easy date night with no cooking required. You’ll find all my tips below and variations for different ingredients to use....
There are certain experiences in life that stand out in vivid memory, and the day we hiked Takakkaw Falls in Yoho National Park was just such a day. Everything lined up perfectly with amazing weather, great food, awesome company, and scenery that just wouldn’t quit. We started the day early with coffee and breakfast while watching and listening to the roar of Takakkaw Falls from the parking lot. (As a side note, you can actually see the falls right from the parking lot, but the short hike gives you a better vantage point....
Summer is fantastic for the abundance of fresh fruits and veggies. However, nothing like a heat wave leaves you uninspired in the kitchen. Light but filling and simple ingredients are my main qualifications for the perfect summer dinner. So I hope you find some new favorites, and you’ll find my personal favorite listed below as well. Before we dive into the specific recipes for light summer dinners, I wanted to give you my super simple summer dinner formula....
I didn’t have my first bowl of real ramen until I was well into my twenties. Even though ramen has been really popular for awhile, there still isn’t anywhere local here in Montana where you can get a bowl. I had my first bowl at a little place in Calgary where they make the best tempura I’ve ever had – it’s shatteringly crisp and not at all heavy. As it would happen they served this sublime tempura alongside bowls of traditional Japanese ramen, and all I can say is wow… just wow!...
Caesar Salad is one of my husband’s all time favorite meals, in fact I think we eat it every week. So, when I handed him a plate of this salad, I was a little nervous about whether or not it was going to pass the test (especially since I’d already had some and loved it)! Well he was hooked at first bite, and since it’s in the regular rotation now, I thought you might like the recipe as well!...
We don’t tend to make very many recipes over and over again because I’m always recipe testing new things. But this Guacamole Salad has been a staple on our menu for about 5 years now. I’m not sure why it’s never occurred to me to write it down before, but here it finally is. I’ve made this many different ways over the years, and I’ll be sure and add those variations below....
Chicken and rice dinners always remind my of my mom’s home cooked meals. Most often she made things from scratch, but sometimes she’d also make rice-a-roni. And I can tell you I absolutely loved this stuff. In fact, I probably would’ve lived off of it, and ramen noodles solely given the chance! But more recently my mom started making chicken and rice in the Instant Pot. And of course like many good home cooks, there’s no recipe to go along with this most wonderful of comfort food dinners....
This is my favorite curry of all time, and I promise I’m not exaggerating. I love curries from all types of cuisines, but this one has always had my heart. The inspiration for this one is based on #54 on the menu at our local favorite Thai restaurant. Over the years I’ve tried to come up with a yellow curry that is even close, but I’ve mostly been disappointed. It wasn’t until I started using a specific curry paste which we’ll talk about below that I finally started getting some good results....
Pizza… it’s a tradition around our house. Crispy, with just a slick of tomato sauce and melty cheese. Aww yes, this is what weekends are made of! For years we had pizza every Saturday night after we came home from hiking in the mountains. But since we’ve changed our eating habits, pizza has been the hardest thing to let go of. I mean nothing quite replaces it. These days, you’ll find us eating a Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad instead....
This salad is based on my all-time favorite order at a little Vietnamese place we used to go to. It was our favorite spot for quick lunches when we lived in Calgary. I always got B8 off the menu which was a Saté chicken bun vermicelli dish. I have a version of that exact dish here on the blog with this Vietnamese Saté Chicken Noodle Bowls recipe. But I wanted to do a super veggie-packed salad with all of those addictive flavors, and here it finally is....
I love anything ranch, and so today I have a brand new recipe for any of you that love ranch too. This recipe is inspired by a friend who had us over for dinner a few weeks ago. She made roasted pork chops, potatoes, and asparagus. I loved the spice mix she used and so I asked what it was. Of course it was really no surprise when she answered that she used ranch seasoning mix....
From the first bite of this dish, I knew it was going to go into the regular rotation. While I love every recipe I’ve ever posted here, I definitely have my favorites, and they tend to be the easiest weeknight dinners. This enchilada skillet dinner has a lot going on it it’s favor, from the comfort food aspect right down to the fact that it’s packed with veggies. (And more even importantly, it uses up tons of zucchini which is overflowing in both my garden and my fridge right now!...
Pasta paired with a simple homemade sauce must be one of life’s greatest pleasures! It’s just a bonus that pasta is pretty easy to make. Keep this creamy tomato pasta ultra simple, or add the optional chicken or shrimp listed in the recipe. How to make this recipe step by step I hope you enjoy this Creamy Tomato Pasta! If you do get a chance to make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you in the comments....
Is there ever a time when garlic butter isn’t welcome? Probably not, and this classic combo is very tasty over chicken thighs as well. And since I like to keep things simple around here, I turned those chicken thighs into a sheet pan meal. One and done with this easy-to-make dinner! So grab your biggest sheet pan and let’s get cooking. You’ll need just 6 ingredients for this wonder of a meal, and a few minutes of prep work....
This has got to be the easiest meal ever – 30 minutes tops from fridge to table, and my husband couldn’t stop saying how good it was! I used to make the traditional Italian Sausage Pepper Pasta for him all the time. But our eating habits have changed a bit, and he’s been missing some Italian favorites. This grill platter today is my effort to add more veggies to a classic combination that never gets old!...
This recipe was inspired by a request for a salad with grilled romaine. I had a salad once in a restaurant that had grilled romaine in it, and it was so awesome! But somehow I’ve just never translated the concept into my at home cooking. So I’m so glad I had this request because it’s high time to add grilled romaine to the repertoire. Just a few minutes on the grill turns ordinary lettuce into something special....
Envision a sticky, chocolate cookie dough crust with a satin smooth chocolate filling. This no-bake wonder of a tart has been a long-time favorite in our house and one of our oldest recipes ever published. It’s back again with new photos and all the tips and tricks I’ve learned in 10 years of making this recipe. So if you haven’t made this one yet, add it to your ‘must-make’ list right away....
They have plenty of deep conditioning properties, but they leave a nice gloss behind as well. In the depths of winter you might be better off with the really intense conditioning of a chapstick. But for most of the year, lip balms are my favorite. I hope you’ll feel free to change up the different scents in this recipe because you could really use any essential oil you’d like. Since it’s still technically summer and I have an abundance of lavender, that’s the direction I went today....
Meet one of my favorite meal-prepping recipes. This shredded salsa chicken is so versatile we love to have it on hand in the freezer for quick and easy Mexican-inspired meals. While the instant pot turns it into flavorful shredded chicken, you can prep any sides and toppings you’d like to serve it with. You’ll find lots of suggestions below about how to turn this chicken into taco bowls, burrito bowls, quesadillas, and more....
