seasonal : spring

Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad Bowls with Berries

This Vietnamese rice noodle salad is a vegetarian-forward version of the traditional bún salads drizzled with nuoc cham—the popular Vietnamese dressing and dipping sauce—with spring lettuces, crunchy fresh vegetables and sweetened with the season’s best fresh berries.

Yes, this noodle salad does taste as good as it looks. And it’s just the beginning of my job to convince you to try this baby soon.

I’ve been a fan of fresh and crunchy Vietnamese vermicelli noodle salad bowls (bún) since my college days way back when, and ever since visiting Vietnam last Christmas, lighter, healthier, simpler recipes with a flare of these worldly-inspired Asian flavors have been at the top of my must-have cravings.

Today I’m sharing this recipe for vermicelli noodle salad to be served as a main meal noodle bowls for four. Or, the salad can be served in smaller portions as a side dish to this lighter chicken satay, tossing it all together in one big bowl the same as I do in my basic, fresh and easy Vietnamese noodle salad for serving to a party or salad recipe for a potluck or bbq.

There’s no cooking involved with this salad, just some peeling and chopping, so let’s get on to getting our salad cravings cured.continue to the recipe… about Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad Bowls with Berries

Vietnamese Dressing and Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Mam Cham)

Nuoc mam cham is a simple Vietnamese dipping sauce made with rice vinegar, fish sauce, and sweetened with sugar that does double duty as a tasty salad dressing.

Just as Italy is known for it’s olive oil with balsamic vinegar, and Greece for it’s tzatziki, every culture has a dipping sauce that makes it’s signature mark. Vietnam is no exception.

This easy recipe for nuoc cham Vietnamese dressing and dipping sauce turns a bowl of rice noodles with raw veggies into a spectacularly slurpable flavor bomb and it’s the last touch of zest when Vietnamese spring rolls pass your lips.

It may take a minute to figure out nuoc cham’s pronunciation when ordering at a restaurant, but once you make it at home, you’ll see this sauce is easy to master.continue to the recipe… about Vietnamese Dressing and Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Mam Cham)

Strawberry Arugula Salad with Watermelon and Feta

This healthy strawberry and arugula salad recipe with a simple balsamic vinaigrette dressing gets even sweeter with watermelon that’s topped with feta cheese and nuts.

Strawberries. Watermelon. Arugula. Feta.

Sweet. Sweet. Bitter. Tang.

This super simple arugula salad with fruit and a quick balsamic dressing melds so perfectly together it creates a total flavor explosion. It’s smooth, it’s crunchy, it’s fresh, it has bite. And it lets every one of your senses know that baby, summer is on its way.

During spring and summer, I bet I make a version of this strawberry and arugula salad with watermelon, feta cheese and nuts at least once or twice a week. I LOVE the ying and the yang of the flavors and textures. Shockingly, the other two in our trio of a family didn’t get the fruit-in-salad-loving-gene.

Since meal time it’s a democracy in at 0ur house, when I say fruit goes in salad, this democratic (?) Queen (that’s me!) gets her way every time. And guess, what? Thanks to repeated exposure, my king and my princess have seen the light and converted to fruit-in-salad-lovers too.

All hail the Queen! (Still, me.)continue to the recipe… about Strawberry Arugula Salad with Watermelon and Feta

How to Serve a DIY Bagels and Lox Brunch Bar

Wondering what to serve a crowd at your next party? Make it easy on the hostess with this breakfast and brunch buffet idea: Serve a DIY bagels and lox brunch bar.

Last year when my niece Chandler announced she was engaged, I knew I wanted to host a bridal shower for her. With her wedding date set for early May, coming up with spring shower ideas would be perfect timing.

So this past weekend with 20 to 30 guests arriving for her bridal shower party (why doesn’t anyone RSVP anymore???) something totally unexpected happened, and it pretty much blew my mind.

For probably the first time in my hostessing career, I didn’t freak the freak out while prepping for the party.

Why didn’t I have my usual pre-party hostessing melt down? Because you guys convinced me to make it easy on myself and create a build your own bagel and lox brunch bar as the centerpiece of our day.continue to the recipe… about How to Serve a DIY Bagels and Lox Brunch Bar

Greek Cobb Salad

This Cobb salad with a twist loads all of my favorite Mediterranean salad ingredients plus the best Greek marinated chicken ever into one savage salad to make a complete, healthy meal in one big bowl.

This Greek Cobb salad is like the Woodstock of salads, bringing so much to one place to deliver peace, love, and joy with a trancelike glow that makes an incredible memory for anyone who experiences it. And just like Woodstock, you too will have wished you’d been there to eat it even if you didn’t.

I heard back from so many of you on my email list where I shared this healthier turkey sausage pasta dinner, when you answered my question, do you want more healthy recipes? The answer was a resounding, YES! like this reply from reader Ann, who wrote:

“Hi I would love any help cooking delicious meals “heart healthy”. I must live a low sodium diet/low fat/etc.., but I miss all the yummy comfort foods I loved. Any help would be appreciated!!”

I admit, this mediterranean Greek Cobb salad may not be everyone’s idea of typical “comfort food”—aka fried, buttered, and gooey-leyed cheesed—but to me, anything that shines with my favorite mediterranean flavors is a comfort to my taste buds—and a whole lot healthier too.continue to the recipe… about Greek Cobb Salad

31 Spring Chicken Recipes to Make Now

Seasonal ingredients and fresh flavors have arrived on the spring scene to liven up any weeknight chicken dinner recipe situation.

It’s spring! With the warming sun begging for baskers to break out of the house and go to the park and play, who wants to be inside cooking all day? Cooking a full-blown, multi-course dinner can be a challenge to fit into spring’s busy days when soccer practices, kite flying, and garden-prepping take center stage.

If there’s one request I get time and time again, it’s for new recipe ideas using everyone’s favorite protein staple, the almighty chicken. Just like your favorite basic white t-shirts, you can never have too many simple-to-prep chicken dinner recipes on hand. continue to the recipe… about 31 Spring Chicken Recipes to Make Now

Pasta with Turkey Sausage and Peas

This healthy recipe for pasta with turkey sausage and peas makes a fast Italian skillet dinner for any night of the week.

This recipe is brought to you by DeLallo Foods

My dad loves sausage. My husband loves sausage. I love sausage. What is it about the comforting flavors of sausage and pasta that feels like a big family hug in a bowl?

But sometimes that big sausage-ey hug can feel a little too tight, a little too snug; just like my jeans. That’s why I’m lightening things up where I can and making small changes toward a healthier diet. For me, my husband, my dad, and you.

Subbing ground turkey for pork sausage is an easy switch to make, and it’s one that’s not even noticed because I have the secret to losing the fat but keeping all the flavor, and it’s all thanks to adding the same herbs and spices to ground turkey that make regular sausage taste so good.continue to the recipe… about Pasta with Turkey Sausage and Peas

15 Asparagus Recipes that Make a Meal

Asparagus is the king of the spring crop, and we’re big fans. Prep these 15 asparagus recipes for healthy dinners all week-long.

Spring has sprung, and everything’s coming up green — especially asparagus.

We’re quite fond of this stalky superfood veg, which is essentially a mascot for spring. We love it simple and sweet when it’s roasted with just a squeeze of lemon, drizzled with browned butter and nuts, but also in pastas for dinner and salads for lunch, and for brunch in quiches, frittatas and tarts.

Asparagus may make our pee smell weird, but that won’t keep us away.

Because it’s in season right now and we can’t get enough of those tender emerald spears, we’re switching gears to dinner tine with 15 asparagus recipe ideas for your main meal if you feel the same.

You get the idea. Now get cooking!continue to the recipe… about 15 Asparagus Recipes that Make a Meal

Roasted Asparagus with Browned Butter and Almonds

Roasted asparagus gets a leg up on the basic side dish with a drizzle of nutty browned butter and the crunch of buttery marcona almonds.

There’s nothing better in cooking than to take an easy, basic recipe and give it just a little twist to move it up a notch.

Basic oven-roasted asparagus is one of my meal-making staples. It’s fast. It’s easy. It’s delicious.

But sometimes I’m craving just a bit more flavor. So when I’m feeling flush and lush, browned butter made even more nutty is my asparagus drizzle got-to.

continue to the recipe… about Roasted Asparagus with Browned Butter and Almonds

Roasted Asparagus Recipe

Oven roasted asparagus is a healthy, fast and easy side dish that goes with just about anything on your table. And it’s even good for snacking straight from the fridge!

No matter what type of diet you follow, asparagus is a good addition to it, and obviously good for you too. It’s high in fiber, loaded with nutrients, and won’t spike glucose levels like carrots or potatoes can after you eat it.

But the even better part about enjoying asparagus is that it’s an incredibly easy side dish to prepare with a quick roast in the oven.

One of my favorite ways to enjoy roasted asparagus is to roast a batch of it for eating all through the week. I add it to salads, breakfast toast, grilled cheese sandwiches, and veggie bowls.

And of course it’s a great side dish to any main meal dinner, making it a simple side dish work horse everyone loves.continue to the recipe… about Roasted Asparagus Recipe

Easy 3-Minute Blender Hollandaise

Homemade blender hollandaise is a quick and easy classic sauce any French cook would declare très bien.

Classic hollandaise sauce is one of those lush additions to a dish that immediately elevates the stature of whatever it drizzles or lathers. I mean, an Egg Benedict is really just an Egg McMuffin until it gets the hollandaise treatment.

However, from scratch hollandaise can be a tricky recipe to master and feel like one of those recipes only a trained chef can carry off.

Not the case monsieur!

Unlike traditional hollandaise that requires whisking and tempering over a water bath and a fair amount of practice to master, this blender hollandaise is incredibly easy and fast with no cooking involved, and can literally take just about 3 minutes to whip up.continue to the recipe… about Easy 3-Minute Blender Hollandaise

Greek Salad Dressing

This easy Greek salad dressing with olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, and dried herbs is one of my favorites to dress any salad and tastes so much better than store-bought.

Home cooks are too often conditioned to grabbing a bottle of store-bought dressing off the supermarket shelf. Where in reality, making a homemade vinaigrette truly couldn’t be easier, takes hardly any skill, and is more economical too.

This traditional Greek salad dressing is a multi-functioning super hero. It’s amazingly good on simple greens and sliced onions for an every day dinner salad. Or soaked into crisped veggies and tossed with feta in a Greek pasta salad. And it works wonders as a marinade for garbanzo beans, chicken, pork, or to drizzle on grilled vegetables or shrimp.

Honestly my husband’s favorite is simply drizzling it on slices of crisp cucumbers and I’m partial to marinating blocks of feta in it. Yum.

This is the salad dressing that’s about to become a secret weapon to always keep on hand.continue to the recipe… about Greek Salad Dressing

Slow Cooker + Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage

You can cook it fast or cook it slow, but either way this corned beef and cabbage creates tender, fall-apart chunks of beef thanks to braising it in the crock pot or Instant Pot with beer and vegetables for an unbelievably easy and delicious one-pot dinner.

When asked whether corned beef is actually good for you, I say it may not be something to eat each and every day of the year, but I feel it’s totally fine when you eat it just like everything else you should—say it with me—in moderation!

But is corned beef actually Irish or not? Sure it’s traditionally served in the U.S. each and every St. Patrick’s Day and while you won’t likely find it served at the local pub in Ireland, it IS Irish-American.

I make corned beef and cabbage every single year around St. Patrick’s Day. Because like many of you, it’s a tradition that just can’t be ignored. It’s a ritual. And I’m good with that.

In fact I will cook a whole corned beef just so I can make my favorite Reuben sandwiches loaded with sauerkraut, that delicious sauce and melted cheese piled high on grilled rye bread, because seriously…who can say no to a killer reuben??

continue to the recipe… about Slow Cooker + Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage

30+ Lucky St. Patrick’s Day Recipes

Sometimes hearty, sometimes boozy, whipping up St. Patrick’s Day recipes is the perfect excuse to gather friends for a potluck, brunch, and yes, even if you’re in the mood for easy green food ideas.

There are many reasons traditional St. Patrick’s Day recipes are so beloved. If you’re wondering what to serve or how the Irish actually celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, this list of recipes has you clovered. (See what I did there?)

There’s always my classic slow cooker corned beef and cabbage for the main meal or 20 different stout recipes for dessert, but don’t leave out these fun Irish brunch ideas below like potato pancakes to whiskey ice cream for dessert, and find the lucky dish to make your day complete.

continue to the recipe… about 30+ Lucky St. Patrick’s Day Recipes

Lemon Chicken Thighs with Artichokes

This lemon chicken recipe makes juicy, bone-in chicken thighs with the Mediterranean flavors of white wine and artichokes for an easy chicken dinner ready in 30 minutes.

30-Minute Lemon Chicken Thighs with Artichokes

Easy chicken dinners are always at the top of FoodieCrush readers most requested recipe list. Healthy, flavorful, and fast to make slides right along into that list too.

Guess what friends? I’m right there with you. And if a chicken dinner doesn’t make the flavor grade, what’s even the point?

I’m happy to report, this lemony chicken thighs with artichokes recipe ticks all those fill-in-the-blank boxes and then some.

While this skillet lemon chicken recipes is an easy one to make, there are definitely a couple of tips to follow for success every time.

Let’s skillet to it.continue to the recipe… about Lemon Chicken Thighs with Artichokes

31 Days of Healthy Snack Recipes to Make Now

Healthy snacks for adults and kids, weight loss, work, and on the go can literally be at hand with these easy recipes.

Healthy Snack Ideas Any and Every Time

Snacks are the key to keeping good nutrition habits on track, and the first thing to totally derail our best intentions of the day.

Keeping a stash of healthful snack ideas for every situation makes it a whole lot easier to pass right on by the sabotage of the dastardly vending machine, and makes it so much easier to just say no to that tub of Ben & Jerry’s in the freezer.

This month long list of 31 healthy recipes makes it easy to snack any time, for:

healthy snacks for weight loss
healthy snacks for work
healthy snacks on the go
healthy snacks for adults and for kids

They’re sure to become your new go-to to stave off the 3pm slump at work, or even just a late night indulgence that you can still feel good about in the morning.continue to the recipe… about 31 Days of Healthy Snack Recipes to Make Now

Thai Coconut Chicken and Rice

This easy Thai Coconut Chicken and Rice dinner has just the right amount of spice from jalapeño and ginger to flavor this creamy coconut sauce for a simple all-in-on meal.

Thai Comfort Food: Thai Coconut Chicken and Rice

“Make it with extra sauce!” my husband always says.

Those are the words I hear ringing in my ears every time I cook any of my Thai recipes made with coconut milk like Shrimp in Thai Coconut Sauce or Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Soup. He’s a saucy kind of guy and simply can’t get enough of the Thai flavor-infused coconut flavors. And since every month those two recipes are in the top 10 recipes readers make from my site, it’s obvious you love them too.

The sauce is one reason why this creamy ginger and coconut chicken recipe has been a favorite of ours literally for years. I originally tore it out of a 2006 issue of Real Simple magazine, and like any magazine addict who also has a penchant for ~~saving~~ hoarding, I’ve kept it all these years.

The recipe page is now a little kitchen war-torn and splattered so it was high time to add it to the blog so I could refer to it more easily. See, this blog isn’t just a place for me to make recipes for you, it’s a place for me to keep track of my many favorites.

And hopefully like this Thai chicken recipe, you’ll love ’em and make them all as much too.continue to the recipe… about Thai Coconut Chicken and Rice

15 Air Fryer Recipes to Try Right Now

If you’re wondering if the air fryer is worth it and hesitant to jump on the trend, this list of 15 air fryer recipes proves this cooking appliance is more than just a lot of hot air for making fried food without the added fat.

Every now and then new kitchen appliances come out that promise to make our lives easier, only to get used twice and put into storage. I’m finding this isn’t the case with my air fryer.

The air fryer is a great option for anyone who craves the crispness of french fries, chicken nuggets, and melty crisped mozzarella sticks but wants to avoid the guilt and calories from the extra oil and fat the deep fryer or seems to sadly miss the mark when baked in the oven.

But, there’s even more reasons to hop onto the air fryer oil-less cooking trend.continue to the recipe… about 15 Air Fryer Recipes to Try Right Now

Garlic and Herb Rub Pork Tenderloin

Fast dinners don’t come together much quicker than this garlic and herb rubbed pork tenderloin recipe that’s seared on the stove then finished in the oven for a lean and juicy main dish cooked in just 30 minutes.

How to Cook Pork Tenderloin

Low-fat and healthful meals are my jam. And when they’re simple to prep with minimal steps to follow or time to allow, it’s even easier to add them to my weeknight recipe rotation.

This pork tenderloin is the latest addition to my stash of dinners that can be ready in a flash and fits right in with my love of flavors in the Mediterranean diet where pork can become the main protein.

The other bonus of this recipe is it leads a double life of looking a whole lot fancier than it its humble roots, making it a reliable recipe to prepare for a party of two or twelve.

So who’s ready for dinner? Let’s cook.continue to the recipe… about Garlic and Herb Rub Pork Tenderloin

Healthy Caprese Breakfast Sandwiches

Healthy breakfast sandwiches you can make fast at home can be the saving grace when you don’t have time to eat at the start of your day.

This recipe is brought to you by Dave’s Killer Bread

We’ve all lived in that split-decision moment of choosing whether to make your healthy breakfast at home, or say there’s not enough time and instead do the drive thru cruise to pick up a bagel and coffee or a not-always-so-good-for-you breakfast sandwich on the go.

The thing is, you can totally have the best of both worlds.

Breakfast sandwiches don’t have to be exclusive to the drive thru and are one of the easiest solutions to your morning meal dilemma—and a healthy one at that.

Whether it’s a make-ahead freezer breakfast sandwich, egg and avocado toast on the fly, or an egg sandwich cooked in the microwave, breakfast sandwiches made at home (or at the office) are the quick and easy way to get breakfast on the go.continue to the recipe… about Healthy Caprese Breakfast Sandwiches

How to Make a Bouquet Garni

How do you make a bouquet garni and what do you use it for? This little fresh herb packet is all part of the flavor building game for soups, stews, stocks and more.

A bouquet garni is literally a bunch (or bouquet) of fresh herbs and spices wrapped in a piece of cheesecloth and tied with twine to make into a little purse or bag.

Used as a flavoring for soups, stews, stocks, and roasts, bouquet garnis are used for recipe you want to add fresh herbs and/or spices for flavor but don’t want to fish the spent herbs out of the finished dish one by one once the cooking is done. These herb purses keep your spices all in one place and can be added to a recipe whole so no extra work of chopping, mincing, or grating involved.

It’s really as easy as 1, 2, 3, 4 :).

Here’s how to make a bouquet garni.continue to the recipe… about How to Make a Bouquet Garni

The Best French Onion Soup

This traditional French Onion Soup recipe has a rich, decadent broth loaded with caramelized onions and topped with everyone’s favorite part: the toasted bread and melty cheese.

Rich and Delicious Homemade French Onion Soup

If there’s one soup I absolutely cannot resist, it’s french onion soup. I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to F.O.S., so don’t bother with that watery broth or get stingey with the onions. And please, make sure that cheese is plentiful and melty and creates a serious cheese pull.

As an expert french onion soup taster, I’ve narrowed down my very most favorite versions. There’s that one from that French Bistro in San Francisco, and the one I first had when I was probably 11 or 12, shopping with my mom at Trolley Square with lunch at The Pub, now known as Desert Edge Brewery, where they still serve a very good version. I seriously thought I had hit adult hood with our special lunches out.

But my new number one favorite French Onion Soup is from Nordstrom Café Bistro. It’s where my mom and I usually stop for a bite when we go shopping together, which in all honestly is actually our excuse to get this french onion soup. I loved it so much after eating it so many times that I asked them for the recipe, and surprise, surprise, they said yes. It’s now replaced my original french onion soup recipe here on the blog because it really is so much better.continue to the recipe… about The Best French Onion Soup

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Crunchy Slaw

If you’re feeding a crowd, there’s not many recipes easier or more beloved than slow cooker pulled pork sandwiches topped with a simple, crunchy, vinegar-dressed slaw.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Whether it’s summer get togethers or a laid back game day gathered ’round the TV, there’s no better option for easy eats like pulled pork sandwiches. They’re simple to make, easily customizable, and it’s rare I don’t hear enthusiastic, “Oh, that sounds so good” from those I’m making them for.

These sandwiches start with my slow cooker pulled pork that seriously tastes even better the longer it sits in the fridge, making it perfect for make-ahead menus and weekly meal planning.

And in the world of recipe making, how many can claim that distinction?!

continue to the recipe… about Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Crunchy Slaw

Easy Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes

When your main dish recipe needs a decadent side dish side kick, there’s nothing like a creamy, thyme-infused cheesy au gratin potatoes recipe to do the job, and to do it easily too.

Au Gratin Potatoes Recipe

There are few side dishes that are more comforting than those made with potatoes. Creamy mashed potatoes. Buttery parsley potatoes. The best potato salad ever. Smashed, twice baked, and roasted potatoes, and so many more.

But au gratin potatoes hold a special place in my food loving heart. They’re creamy, cheesy, and no matter how you slice, spoon, or stack them, they fit in just right alongside both special occasion main dishes or simple weekend burgers.

Creamy on the inside with crisped bites along the edges, these au gratin potatoes don’t call for a floured roux or canned soup, instead letting the potatoes, cream and broth combine to do their creamy thing they do so well.

And here’s the final fact of this potato act…whether you make au gratin potatoes for a crowd of one or a crowd of many, they’re going to be a crowd pleaser every which way.continue to the recipe… about Easy Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes

Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Slow cooker pulled pork is one of the easiest, foolproof recipes to make in the crock pot, and since it makes plenty of leftovers, it should be a staple for every home cook’s meal prep plans.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Whether serving for a crowd to cheer for on game day, or adding to your weekly meal prep plans, slow cooker pulled pork is one of those meals that keeps the masses happy. And since it’s so easy to make, it’s a natural favorite of the cook in the kitchen, too.

Next to classic baked chicken breasts, pulled pork is pretty much the gold standard for batch cooking. It’s plentiful in portions yet still leaves enough for leftovers to be turned into loads of different recipes stemming from just one base.

With just a few basic rules to follow, the method for making Crock Pot pulled pork is a cinch to master:

Choose the right cut of meat
Layer your flavor builders
Low and slow is the way to go
And finally, shred it like you mean it

Let’s do this.

continue to the recipe… about Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Just Like Taco Bell Tacos Recipe

Forget the drive thru, this is how to make a beef tacos recipe that tastes just like Taco Bell tacos for an easy Taco Tuesday dinner at home any night of the week.

You Quiero Taco Bell Tacos

“So, where did you have lunch today?”

It’s pretty much the same question I ask my husband every day. I mean, there’s only so much stimulating conversation to be had when documenting our day to day after all these years of marriage. And pretty much every day for the past 20 years he has the same answer. “Taco Bell.” If he was a guy who was into tattoos, it’s likely he’d have, “Yo quiero Taco Bell” emblazoned somewhere on his body.

And I have to say, I can’t blame the man for loving his tacos, because say what you will about fast food—I’m not much of a fan—but Taco Bell tacos are pretty much the cat’s meow when it comes to drive thru Mexican food.

I blame my mother in law for creating my man’s Taco Bell taco obsession. Because my MIL makes the best homemade beef tacos ever, and while it took me a while to realize it, one of the reasons they are so good is because they taste eerily similar to the beloved Taco ala Bell.

Years ago I ditched my own taco recipe in favor of hers, and today I’m finally sharing the secrets to these homemade tacos that make them taste so good they could very well curb your drive thru habit too.

continue to the recipe… about Just Like Taco Bell Tacos Recipe

Gwyneth’s Blueberry Muffins Recipe

These blueberry muffins are moist, loaded with berries, and so easy to make from scratch I’ll never make the boxed kind again.

There are several recipes for my favorite baked goods that I am perennially trying to find the PERFECT recipe for. My top three recipe-seeking baking obsessions are: the best chocolate chip cookies—CHECK! and with chocolate chip with oatmeal—CHECK!, the best brownies—CHECK!, and the best blueberry muffins—now it’s CHECK CHECK CHECK!

I made these blueberry muffins as I always do for Christmas morning, and then I made them again a week later, and then I made them again just a few days ago. After referring to this post that many times I wanted to give it a refresh. So here we are, all shiny and new.

A few years ago when I purchased my copy of the multi-faceted-actress-singer-Goop-creator-now media mogul Gwyneth Paltrow’s My Father’s Daughter cookbook, and discovered her mother’s recipe for blueberry muffins, my heart skipped a beat.

The photography plus my girl crush on Gwyneth back then made me pick up the book. But it was that blueberry recipe that sold it. And why I’m sharing it again today.continue to the recipe… about Gwyneth’s Blueberry Muffins Recipe

Ina Garten’s Easy Cioppino Recipe

You don’t have to be a chef to make this recipe for the Barefoot Contessa’s authentic cioppino, a tomato-based seafood stew loaded with shrimp, cod, mussels, and clams for a healthy soup and surprisingly easy dinner that goes from fridge to table in just about an hour.

Fun fact. Back in the day I worked as a server (we called ourselves waitresses then) in the best seafood restaurant is Salt Lake City. It was the summer after graduating college and I was saving money for a trip to Europe. It was the most fun I’ve ever had at a job, and even better, it’s where I met my husband.

I was a good waitress. Most of the time. But there was that one time I definitely was not, that dinner service I was carrying a tray loaded with three iron serving skillets atop china plates filled with hot-as-hell cioppino to be served to my table that was up the stairs and around that always tough-to-navigate corner.

As I rounded the corner, I felt it happening. The heavy platters saddled with those steamy pots of Italian fisherman’s stew slowly began to slide. I braced myself and tried to rebalance. It didn’t work. The platters of cioppino slid off the china plates. And then off the tray. And then directly into the lap of my hungry customer. It was a waterfall of tomato stew. My customer had been totally cioppinoed.

That poor guy was not one bit happy about it. But then who would be? And yes, his dry cleaning bill came out of my check.

Luckily that whole nightmare of an experience didn’t tarnish my love for cioppino. In fact, it inspired me to learn to make it at home. Safely at home.continue to the recipe… about Ina Garten’s Easy Cioppino Recipe

Sautéed Spinach with Garlic

This sautéed spinach recipe with sweet, caramelized slivers of garlic takes just 10 minutes to cook for a healthy side dish that goes with any meal.

Who else is joining me on the eat-more-plants train? And doing it the super easy way? I see you! You’re coming along for the ride too!

Getting more greens in our diets should be the focus of every eater, and the darker and leafier, the better.

While pretty much everyone likes a wedge of Iceberg, it’s the dark, leafy greens where you’ll find the real health benefits of getting in your veggie greens. Sorry iceberg, but all greens are not created equal.

This spinach side dish is fresh and light, with chunks of sweetened, caramelized garlic that infuses the oil the spinach is cooked in. It makes a perfect pairing for just about any main meal.continue to the recipe… about Sautéed Spinach with Garlic

5 Easy Tips for Juicy Roast Chicken

A juicy, crispy roast chicken with vegetables is one recipe every home cook can—and should—easily master.

Roast Chicken Recipe

Why would a little old bird seem so intimidating to me? Maybe because the little clucker has inspired more failed recipe attempts for me than any other recipe I’ve tried to master.

Am I alone here?

Roast chicken is supposed to be easy. It’s not like you need new technology or fancy schmancy ingredients. It’s one of the basics and cooks have been roasting birds for, like, forever.

So what was my problem?

continue to the recipe… about 5 Easy Tips for Juicy Roast Chicken