Sweet & Spicy Cucumber Salad

Posted on 23 May, 2013 by Christine

Earlier this week, I shared a recipe with you for some homemade Vietnamese Summer Rolls. This is the salad I served alongside them. Even if you’re not making Summer Rolls for dinner any time soon, this salad is light and fresh, and perfect for warm summer days.

I start by prepping my cucumbers. It’s a simple salad, but the cucumbers needs some time to hang out with some salt, so that some of their excess moisture pulls away. I peeled and sliced up 1 1/2 lbs. of cucumbers and tossed them with some kosher salt. Then, they hung out in a colander in the sink to drain for about an hour. Read more... (481 words, 6 images, estimated 1:55 mins reading time)

Summer Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Posted on 21 May, 2013 by Christine

Summer rolls are one of my favorite things to order whenever we head out for Vietnamese food. They are crisp, and light, and unlike a deep-fried egg roll, don’t leave me feeling guilty after dinner. They’re kind of fun, too…crisp salad, sometimes shrimp, sometimes pork, sometimes both, all wrapped up in chewy rice paper and then dipped in peanut sauce? Good stuff. Read more... (1077 words, 8 images, estimated 4:18 mins reading time)

Ramen Egg Foo Yung

Posted on 16 May, 2013 by Christine

We’ve now reached the chapter in our pre-move process where it’s crucial to try to use up what we have in the fridge/freezer and in the pantry. This is a super meal for times like these, if you happen to have these items hanging around. If not, well, groceries don’t get much cheaper than Ramen noodles.

(Contrary to popular belief, you can consume Ramen noodles in the comfort of your grown up home…not just off of a hot plate in a college dorm room.)

My kids love twisty, twirly Ramen noodles, and I love when I can turn something simple into something delicious. This dinner was a win-win. Read more... (669 words, 8 images, estimated 2:41 mins reading time)

Bacon-Corn Chowder with Shrimp

Posted on 14 May, 2013 by Christine

The weather may be warming up, but I’m still a sucker for a good bowl of soup, even when the temperature rises. The key is bringing some of that fresh spring/summer flavor into the soup to brighten it up. This recipe does that perfectly, and the fact that you can throw it together in no time flat, and go from stove top to table in less than 20 minutes is pretty fantastic, regardless of the time of year. Read more... (743 words, 8 images, estimated 2:58 mins reading time)

Grandma’s Baked Pork Chops

Posted on 7 May, 2013 by Christine

My Grandma was a wonderful cook. It’s been sixteen years since she passed away, but I still remember Sunday dinners at her house like it was yesterday. I remember crowding in, knee to knee, around her tiny dining room table, with my parents, brother, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. We’d dive into course after delicious course, and the sounds of laughter and love would fill the house.

(She was Italian, and in case you haven’t heard, Italian people like to eat.) Read more... (656 words, 7 images, estimated 2:37 mins reading time)

Sweet & Salty Frito Snack Mix

Posted on 2 May, 2013 by Christine

I’m a sucker for snack mix. I’m also a sucker for a good sweet and salty combo. Throw all of that together, and I’m a very happy girl.

Throw some chocolate in as well, and it bumps the happiness up another notch.

This is good stuff.

I will be forever grateful to Shelly over at Cookies & Cups for coming up with this magical combination. Sugar coated Fritos? It’s genius!

I started by mixing together those salty little Fritos, some Rice Chex, a bunch of pretzel twists and some peanuts. I used peanuts because I already had them on hand. Throw in whatever kind of nut you like, though. Next time, I’m going with mixed nuts or pecans. Read more... (545 words, 7 images, estimated 2:11 mins reading time)

Skillet Chicken and Ravioli

Posted on 30 April, 2013 by Christine

We’ve gotten to the point in our pre-move period where I’m trying, desperately, to limit what I’m buying at the grocery store. I’m attempting to go through what I have in my cupboards and freezer and buy as little “new” as possible. One of the items I need to move through is a gigantic bag of frozen chicken breasts from Costco. You know the bag I’m talking about, right?

That’s a lot of chicken.

I try to change up what I put on this blog, so that you’re not seeing chicken dish after chicken dish week after week. If you start seeing chicken dish after chicken dish in the coming weeks, now you know why! (Sorry about that!) Read more... (767 words, 7 images, estimated 3:04 mins reading time)

Dinosaur Slaw

Posted on 25 April, 2013 by Christine

I have a few friends (I won’t name names) who have poked fun at my love of kale. Well, Friends, get ready to poke some more.

I don’t know why, but when other really green things have scared away my children, one in particular, kale hasn’t. It started when I baked up my first batch of Kale Chips. Both kids could eat an entire batch in the blink of an eye. So, I started adding kale to soups and salads, and even smoothies, in an attempt to get more “good” into my kids. Nine times out of ten, it works! Kale is really, really nutritious. I won’t bore you with the nutritional nitty gritty, but if you’d like to know more, check out there article here. (Not only will you learn something about nutrition, you’ll learn about “massaging your kale”, which I’ve never done, and I find hilariously funny for some reason.) Read more... (675 words, 7 images, estimated 2:42 mins reading time)

Rhubarb and Raspberry Crostata

Posted on 23 April, 2013 by Christine

Ah, Aaron’s birthday. It’s that one day a year, when I can look into my dear, sweet husband’s eyes and say, “You’re officially older than I am again. HA!”

And in turn, eight months from now, he’ll enjoy looking at his dear, sweet wife, and saying, “HA! You’re old like me!”

For Aaron’s birthday this year, I decided to throw the birthday cake idea out the window and make something more his speed. I’m a cake kind of person. I love chocolate, rich, cakey kind of desserts. Aaron? He’d much prefer a pie. Ultimately, he loves a good berry pie, so I knew that he’d probably really enjoy this free form raspberry and rhubarb crostata recipe that I’d been eyeing for a while. Read more... (958 words, 7 images, estimated 3:50 mins reading time)

Stir Fried Noodles with Beef and Vegetables

Posted on 18 April, 2013 by Christine

I like to think that person who created stir-fry was a busy parent. It really is the perfect meal for a crazy, running-the-kids-to-and-fro kind of night.

We had this for dinner on one of our crazy evenings, and it reminded me that I need to make stir fries more often. The meat and veggies in this version could easily be substituted with other things I have hanging out in my fridge. Gotta love a meal that’s easily adaptable.

Instead of serving this one over rice, it incorporates some fun, chewy, cellophane noodles into the mix.

Read more... (659 words, 8 images, estimated 2:38 mins reading time)

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