Along with the wontons, this was my first attempt at getting in touch with the takeout box I so longed for. Fried chicken pieces, sticky sauce. General Tso’s Chicken. Why General Tso’s and not orange chicken, sesame or even sweet and sour? To be honest, I never really liked sweet and sour. There was always something a bit too sweet for me. Orange chicken is good, but there’s something missing, that bit of spicy kick, and sesame? Well, I really love a good sesame chicken,... more

Things have been a little crazy around here. I’ve been juggling one thing after another, starting up this and working on that. It’s exciting, encouraging and hectic. And because of this added component as I try to fit a slice of life into my already jampackedfullwithnoroomtospare schedule, I’ve been cutting some corners on dinner lately and – gasp – planning ahead. A funny thing this planning ahead on how it gets you prepared for the unexpected. I wish I could say I plan... more

I have been craving pasta lately. While doing one of our menus I suddenly realized I’d added three pasta dishes to a five-day span. Carb overload. I adjusted the menu to just one pasta meal, albeit begrudgingly, and left this gem on the menu, and I was not disappointed. It may have had something to do with the giant tub of blue cheese I had purchased to make a tomato salad for a potluck, to top my maple-glazed steak salad and for this pasta. Orecchiette means “little ear,” which... more

Around our house, chicken rules. Beef is king, but due to the higher fat content, we try to limit our red meat intake. We eat plenty of fish, but with the cumulative toxins that can come with it, we hold off on going overboard. Sure, there’s pork, but the only way Shaina is not a fan and will only occasionally allow it in some smoked varieties – you know: bacon, ribs, pulled pork. So, by default, we are left with either more exotic meats like lamb and ostrich or we fall back on the most... more

I have been running around frantically for the past week or two with more things to do than i can possibly keep track of. There’s been coordinating the book fair, baptisms for itty bitty babies, hospital visits with my sister-in-law and niece, doctor’s appointments and, of course, the ever present work that fills my days. Luckily, simple dinners like this can be assembled a day or two before and require only minimum prep work to get them in the oven and steaming hot to the table. If... more

While this lemon chicken pasta salad could function as a side dish or a potluck item, we eat it on top of a bed of organic spring mix greens as a meal. It’s fantastic paired with garlic bread or pesto cheese bread as well or even just a few raw vegetables for dipping. It’s easy to make ahead, and it stores well in the fridge. As with any creamy pasta salad, it absorbs the moisture the longer it sits. If this bothers you, simple stir in a tablespoon of milk or two tablespoons of ranch... more

That, up there, is flat-leaf parsley, growing in a pot. And down below here? Those are all things that I had sitting around the house. No joke. If I had shopped for this meal, I would have picked up a better wine. As it happened, we don’t often drink white wine (we drink red), and so I keep white cooking wine around. And it is all I had on hand. Cooking wine = cheap wine with salt. Also lying around? Chicken breasts. Sometimes we just buy chicken breasts without a plan. We just... more