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

Meat-a-balls? You know, like Tony in Lady and the Tramp, “Hey, Joe! Butch-a, he say he wants-a two spaghetti speciale, heavy on the meat-a-ball” Isn’t puppy love sweet? Maybe you’re looking to impress a special someone (or potential special someone) and don’t have Tony’s special spaghetti and meatballs to do it for you, or maybe you just want to bring life to the flickering flame that lies between you and your significant other; spaghetti and meatballs, a tall... more

Summer is great, picnics, pot lucks and back yard grill outs are plentiful, especially in Minnesota where these types of activities are off limits for six months out of the year.  Unfortunately for us, this situation can lead to busy schedules and multiple engagements per week.  And while we always like to socialize, the traditional fare of burgers, brats and hot dogs can wear a little thin, so this year we decided to bring a little flair to the picnic table. The inspiration stemmed from a recent... more

I used to be afraid of baking bread. It felt like this giant activity that required time and planning. And time. Lots and lots of time. Baking bread is for people with time, and time is something I don’t have, I would tell myself. Because, really, I don’t. There are things like a job and four kids that take up most of that, and then there’s the cleaning that is never. ever. done. It’s more of a balancing act, and I promise you that someday (hopefully soon) I will give... more

I first made this dish several years ago for a ladies’ night I was hosting at my house. Instantly a hit, I knew I’d be adding it to my list of favorite easy meals. Adding (or not adding) the meat at the very end makes it vegetarian friendly. There is a lot of dumping from jars and cans into a pan involved and not a lot of cutting and chopping. The fresh basil makes it perfect for summer and summer it is, as evidenced by the heatwave we’ve been experiencing here in the Midwest.... more

A Philly cheesesteak isn’t something to mess with, so we didn’t. Instead, we created our own variety of steak sandwich, topped off with a mound of fresh grilled vegetables and a simple chipotle mayo for a bit of kick. It is the combination we keep coming back to. The vegetables balance the steak and cheese and serve to lighten things up a bit. I even topped mine with some iceberg we had sitting around taking up space to give a little crunch. For these we’re using leftover bacon-wrapped... more