-
Chuck Roast Lasagna with Pulled Beef
Why You’ll Love This Lasagna Ground beef lasagna is great, but pulled chuck roast takes it somewhere else. The beef is tender and rich, and it stays in real shreds between the layers instead of disappearing into the sauce. Add a quick tomato sauce built on anchovy and thyme, a creamy ricotta filling, and a…
-
Orange Braised Chuck Roast: Tender Shredded Beef Recipe
Chuck roast is one of the most forgiving cuts for a cozy, low-effort dinner, and this version makes the most of it. A salt-and-pepper dry brine seasons the beef deeply, and a hard sear builds a rich crust. Then the orange braised chuck roast cooks low and slow in a Dutch oven with fresh orange…
-
Vietnamese Coconut Iced Coffee (Easy 5-Minute Recipe)
Vietnamese Coconut Iced Coffee: My Favorite Souvenir from Vietnam In August, we traveled to Vietnam with friends. The flights were reasonable and the lodging was affordable, which, in hindsight, should have tipped me off. The timing was probably a mistake. We arrived to insane heat and even more insane humidity, bouncing between steamy rainstorms and…
-
Brown Butter Sage Tortellini with Chicken (30-Minute Dinner)
I made this brown butter sage tortellini because I needed something quick to eat. I had two leftover chicken thighs in the freezer, and my sage was ready to be harvested from the garden, so dinner more or less decided itself. With fall settling in, I was craving anything warm and comforting, and that instantly…
-
Olive Focaccia Loaf with Rosemary and Kalamata Olives
This olive focaccia loaf is baked in a bread pan, so you get a taller, softer slice than the usual sheet-pan version. The dough is very wet and sticky, closer to a thick batter than a traditional dough, and that’s what gives the crust its open, airy crumb. A stand mixer does most of the…
-
Easy Pumpkin Pie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Pumpkin pie is wonderful, but it isn’t exactly portable. These pumpkin pie bars give you the same warm, spiced flavor in a pan you can cut into squares and hand around the table, no pie server required. The base is a buttery crumb crust that doubles as the body of the bar. Over it goes…
-
Whole BBQ Wings: Crispy Oven-Baked with Homemade Sauce
These whole BBQ wings get their crispy, golden skin from a simple baking powder rub and a hot oven, no frying required. They’re tossed in a homemade BBQ sauce that’s sweet, smoky, and tangy, built on ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, and a handful of pantry spices. Serve them whole with your favorite dips for game…
-
Crunchy Chickpea Salad with Creamy Greek Yogurt Herb Dressing
This crunchy chickpea salad is crisp, bright, and loaded with fresh herbs. Shredded cabbage, cucumber, and Granny Smith apple are tossed in a zesty Greek yogurt dressing made with lime, jalapeño, cilantro, dill, and parsley, then topped with salty feta and oven-roasted chickpeas for crunch. It’s easy to prep in pieces, and the dressing, chickpeas,…
-
Brie Chicken Pot Pie with Mushrooms, Leeks & Honey Thyme Crust
My favorite charcuterie bite is simple: a slice of brie on a cracker with a generous drizzle of honey. It’s creamy, salty, sweet, and gone in one bite. So I started wondering what would happen if I brought that combination to the ultimate comfort dish. This brie chicken pot pie is the answer. It’s rich…
-
Philly-Style Tomato Pie
For me, this recipe is pure nostalgia. Almost every large gathering at home came with a tomato pie, and the best ones came from our runs to Altomontes Italian Market. You would be handed over a massive cardboard box and have to maneuver it into the car. I never could wait for the guests. We’d…
-
Smoky Andouille Sausage Soup with Apple and Gouda
The Story Behind the Soup This one was born from friends asking if there were any soup recipes in the testing pipeline. Now that had me thinking, was that out of general curiosity, or were there certain motives behind the question? Either way, it got my brain spinning and dinner with friends scheduled. As I…
-
A Spartan in Badger Country: Our Madison Game Day Weekend
I’m a Spartan. My husband, Neil, is a Badger. So when Michigan State was set to play Wisconsin in Madison this year, we didn’t hesitate to pack the air mattress and crash Neil’s college friends’ parents’ condo. The crew was Neil’s UW friends Jack, Lauren and Cait, plus Nick, a friend of Jack’s from work…
-
Homemade Caesar Salad with Sourdough Croutons
This recipe was passed down from my Poppi, and the original is about as simple as a Caesar gets: romaine, olive oil, lemon juice, egg yolk, garlic, salt, and pepper. Anchovies are written in as optional, but my mom never used them. Every time I ask why, I get a squeamish wince and an “I…
-
Butternut Squash Seed Chili Crisp with Aleppo Pepper
Don’t throw out those butternut squash seeds! This chili crisp turns them into the star of a crunchy, savory, gently spicy condiment you’ll want to spoon over everything. Toasted squash seeds and sesame seeds join crispy fried shallot, garlic, and ginger in a warm chili oil built on Aleppo pepper, which brings a fruity, mellow…
-
Thai Red Curry Butternut Squash Soup with Chili Crisp
This creamy butternut squash soup gets a bold twist from Thai red curry paste, lemongrass, ginger, and coconut milk, then gets finished with a spoonful of crunchy chili crisp. The squash simmers until it’s meltingly soft, then blends into a silky, velvety soup with a warm curry flavor that’s balanced by a little brown sugar,…
-
Herb-Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom Risotto
This herb-crusted pork tenderloin with mushroom risotto is an easy dinner recipe that tastes like it came from a restaurant. The pork tenderloin is coated in a simple dry rub of rosemary, thyme, smoked paprika, garlic, and ground fennel seed, then seared in a cast iron or oven-safe skillet and roasted in the oven until…
-
Crispy Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
These slow cooker carnitas are tender, juicy, and packed with flavor, with crispy caramelized edges that make carnitas so irresistible. Pork shoulder is rubbed with a warm blend of cumin, oregano, Aleppo pepper, and smoked paprika, then slow-cooked with fresh orange juice, garlic, onion, and jalapeño until it falls apart. The softened aromatics get blended…
-
Chilaquiles Verdes with Crispy Carnitas and Fried Egg
These carnitas chilaquiles are the kind of brunch that makes a slow weekend feel special. Crispy tortilla chips are tossed in a bright, charred salsa verde, then piled high with citrusy slow-cooked carnitas seared until the edges caramelize. A runny fried egg, tangy sumac pickled onions, crumbled cotija, and fresh cilantro finish it off. Most…
-
Quinn’s Table: Too Much and Garlic are not friends
From a spotless kitchen in Chalfont, Pennsylvania, to a backyard chili party in Osceola, Wisconsin, this month’s recipes celebrate family favorites, happy accidents, and the joy of feeding the people you love. The kitchen was barely wider than a hallway. Quinn’s Minneapolis apartment had been built in the late 1950s, and its galley kitchen held…
-
Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cake Bars (Easy Layered Bars)
These Dark Chocolate Raspberry Tasty Cake Bars stack three simple layers: a dense, eggy cake, a bright homemade raspberry spread, and a smooth dark chocolate topping. The cake has no leavening, so it bakes up rich and spongy rather than light and fluffy, making it the perfect sturdy base for all that fruit and chocolate….
-
Blistered Tomatillo Salsa Verde
This Blistered Tomatillo Salsa Verde is bright, smoky, and full of layered flavor. Broiling the tomatillos, jalapeño, and onion gives the salsa a deep char that balances the natural acidity of the tomatillos. A touch of avocado oil, honey, and cumin rounds everything out, creating a silky, vibrant sauce that tastes both fresh and complex….
-
Sumac Pickled Red Onions
These Sumac Pickled Red Onions are a bright, citrusy twist on the classic condiment. Red wine vinegar gives them a deep, punchy backbone, while sumac adds a lemony lift that makes the onions taste fresher and more complex than standard quick pickles. They come together in minutes and keep their crisp texture for days, making…
-
Baked Ziti with Italian Sausage Meat Sauce and Creamy Béchamel
This is the kind of baked ziti that makes the whole house smell like you actually planned dinner. It starts with Italian sausage that you don’t just cook, you BROWN. The sausage goes past “done” into deeply crisp, dark edges that leave a layer of flavor on the bottom of the pot. That delicious coating…
-
Rustic Sausage & Tomato Sauce
This meat sauce builds deep flavor from simple ingredients by leaning hard into browning and caramelization. Italian sausage is cooked until deeply crisp and dark, creating a rich, savory base. Onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes add warmth and aromatics, while tomato paste is toasted for extra depth. A mix of whole peeled and crushed…
-
Creamy Baked Leeks with White Wine and Parmesan
If you’ve never baked leeks in cream before, prepare to fall in love with one of the most underrated vegetable side dishes out there. These Creamy Baked Leeks with White Wine and Parmesan turn humble leeks into something silky, and unbelievably savory. The leeks become extremely tender in the oven, soaking up a fragrant sauce…
-
Cream Cheese Marbled Gooey Butter Cake Bars
This dessert bar is a direct inspiration from my Great Aunt Kathy’s butter cake, which I only recently learned is actually a classic St. Louis butter cake. Growing up, it was simply our family recipe. I loved helping my mom make it: pressing the yellow‑cake‑mix crust into the pan and spreading the rich cream‑cheese topping…
-
Hearty Tomato Beef & Sausage Chili
Every fall, my husband and I host our annual chili lawn party. A tradition built on one simple promise: everyone gets a truly delicious bowl of chili. That means every year I have to deliver, and every year I try to make it better than the last. Chili is one of those dishes that rewards…
-
Caramelized Onion & Sausage Mac and Cheese Bake
This baked mac and cheese is my take on the dish my mom made for every birthday, holiday, and family gathering. It was the kind of creamy, cheesy pasta that everyone went back for, and it’s still one of those recipes that instantly brings me home. Her version was rich and nostalgic, with full‑fat mayo,…
-
Lemon-Garlic Shrimp Scampi
There are certain recipes that become part of your relationship’s lore — the meals that show up in stories years later, usually accompanied by laughter, a little embarrassment, or both. For my husband and me, one of those dishes is shrimp scampi. When we first started dating, I wanted to cook him something impressive but…
-
Pumpkin Spice‑Ricotta Chocolate Cake Bars
These cozy fall bars layer a soft, vanilla‑pumpkin spice cake with a warm, spiced ricotta‑pumpkin topping and a glossy chocolate shell. The base stays tender and light, the pumpkin layer melts slightly into the hot cake for extra moisture, and the Hershey‑chocolate finish hardens into a smooth, candy‑bar‑style top. A little flaky salt brings everything…
-
Lime & Honey Grilled Chicken Thighs
There’s something about summer that just begs for the grill to be fired up. This lime, honey, and soy chicken marinade has become a staple at my family and friend get-togethers. Bright, savory, and just sticky enough to caramelize perfectly over the flames. It’s the kind of dish that pairs best with an ice-cold can…
