cheese

Caesar Salad with Garlic Croutons

This Caesar salad recipe with homemade garlic croutons and a creamy Caesar dressing (with or without anchovies) makes an easy main meal or favorite side salads for a crowd.

The last time I visited Mexico was for a yoga retreat in Tulum. Right on the beach, feeling the yoga burn and subsequent relaxation had every one of us hungry all of the time. Given that the original Caesar salad originated in Mexico, it’s no surprise the resort served an incredible version with nearly every meal.

Some eaters worry about Caesar salad’s calories, but when keeping portions in check, and if you avoid drowning it in dressing, the calorie count can stay within realistic bounds. I mean, if it’s served at a beachside yoga retreat, it feels alright to me.

Here on the blog, I’m not shy about my love of the Caesar. I’ve turned this classic steak house primer into a kale Caesar salad, my daughter’s favorite chicken Caesar salad, and I made sure to share my classic Caesar salad dressing you can make with or without anchovies because some of you aren’t all that fond of the little fish.

Grab your tastebuds, and let me show you how to make a killer Caesar salad.

continue to the recipe… about Caesar Salad with Garlic Croutons

Easy Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes

When your main dish recipe needs a decadent side dish sidekick, there’s nothing like a creamy, thyme-infused cheesy potatoes au gratin 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 potatoes au gratin 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 homemade 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

Heavenly Funeral Potatoes Recipe

Funeral potatoes are an easy-to-make and even easier-to-love comfort food casserole that is totally heaven sent.

This recipe is brought to you by Cache Valley Cheese

The Best Funeral Potatoes Recipe

If you grew up in Utah, there’s a 99.9% chance you’ve had (and loved) funeral potatoes. If you haven’t lived in Utah, you’re likely scratching your head wondering what in the world am I talking about?!? Unless you’re from the South, then you may be in the know, too.

This potato casserole’s roots run deep in the LDS faith and are a long-lived staple at family gatherings of every sort, including potlucks, family dinners, and any Sunday night dinner. My Grandma used to serve them at Christmas with her Roasted Turkey Breast with Oregano and Lemon with warm potato rolls, and believe me, rarely were there any hash brown potato casserole leftovers to be found.

So where did funeral potato casserole get it’s name? It’s from years and years of being served following Mormon funeral services, typically prepared by the ladies of the ward (aka the Mormon congregation) for a luncheon gathering for families and friends and pretty much anyone who crossed the threshold.

I’m not Mormon, but I’ve been to several Mormon funerals, and I can bear witness that you’ve never seen so many pans of hash brown casserole with corn flakes than at a Mormon funeral. Proof that food does indeed heal.

But there’s another reason they’re called funeral potatoes, and that’s because they’re absolutely heavenly.

continue to the recipe… about Heavenly Funeral Potatoes Recipe

The Best Homemade Mac and Cheese

The combination of creamy gouda and havarti cheese make a silky, cheesy homemade mac and cheese sauce that tastes far better than the boxed kind.

Easy Homemade Mac and Cheese

There are several basic, classic, everyone-loves-them-because-even-when-we-shouldn’t-we-still-crave-them recipes I am driven to master.

The best steak. Check.

The juiciest roasted chicken. Got it.

The best potato salad. Double check and thank you mom.

The best homemade fudge. Ever. End of story. Period.

I’ve made several macaroni and cheese recipes on the blog, one with lobster, another with gobs of cheese and bacon, and yet another loaded with veggies and such, and I’ve deemed each of them a wonder in their own right.

But I was missing something. I was missing the basic, homey, comfort food classic of a good old-fashioned baked mac and cheese. But not anymore.

This easy baked mac and cheese recipe, affirmed by all of the “mmm-this-is-so-unbelievable,” “can-I-have-more-please” comments, THIS recipe, with it’s incredibly silky, cheesy sauce, is the best classic yet.

continue to the recipe… about The Best Homemade Mac and Cheese

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

These easy cheesy scalloped potatoes are as comforting a dish as you can make. Pair this hearty side dish with roast chicken, steak, ham, and more!

It’s hard to face reality after a week of vacation. To remember what it’s like to plot and plan the coming week’s menu of cooking. Instead of perusing a restaurant menu for your vacation’s three square meals after hiking about or lounging at the pool.

And let’s not even talk about how 5 o’clock somewhere comes along a lot slower or sometimes not at all.

Sigh, let’s not even get started. Vacation, where did you go?

So now that I’m back home after a week of spring breaking, I went straight to one of my top favorite recipes, one that teleports me to my childhood and the warm fuzzies that always leave me going back for seconds. Okay, maybe thirds.

Taters. Cream. Cheese. Comfort-centric Sunday dinner just isn’t the same without them.

Scalloped Potatoes are almost always paired with one of my favorite hams or my very favorite home cooked, steak house-style dinner. You just have to go rich and big if you’re going to go at all.

My mom always made her cheesy scalloped potatoes with cream of mushroom soup. It was one of my favorite parts of one of my favorite dinners ever. But as I’ve grown older, I’ve moved away from the canned stuff and on to basic cream, chicken broth, and butter that envelops tenderly sliced potatoes to create a seriously decadent side dish with minimal effort.continue to the recipe… about Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

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

Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup

This creamy and cheesy potato soup with broccoli comes together quickly for an easy and quick weeknight meal that everyone will love.

Cheesy Potato Soup with Broccoli

I was a bit of an anomaly as a kid.

I didn’t care for peanut butter, opting for liverwurst instead. I loved oatmeal for breakfast and salad was one of my favorite snacks. And what was my pre-dinner ritual? Two tall glasses of milk before the food ever even hit the table.

Who was this kid?

I also liked broccoli. I mean I really, really, liked broccoli. When other kids wouldn’t touch their “green trees” unless they were camouflaged under a blanket of cheddar cheese (not that there’s one darn thing wrong with that!) I loved them simply steamed with a little butter, salt and pepper and drizzled with vinegar. That side put me in heaven every time.

But even while I enjoyed my broc in that cleaner way, the soup that always rang my bell was a creamy cheddar cheese broccoli fusion. I don’t know that my mom ever made it at home, but when we went out, it was my kryptonite.

Like most recipes you love as a kid, the cravings for them simply don’t go away. And as things go as an adult, the extra lbs don’t always go away as easily either. But this broccoli potato cheese soup recipe doesn’t sacrifice flavor in it’s ingredient modifications, but instead is a healthyish version of my childhood fave.

continue to the recipe… about Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup

Skillet Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

This easy and extra cheesy one-pot cauliflower mac and cheese dinner gets a heathified veggie bump thanks to caramelized cauliflower added to the velvety cheese pasta to create a whole new take on a comfort food favorite.

This post is in partnership with Cache Valley Cheese

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a 783 times. There’s nothing like sneaking a little healthy into dinner and knowing the thrill of everyone at the table loving it. And even better when they ask for more.

Break out the mom victory dance!

It’s one of my secrets when it comes to feeding kids of all ages. For instance, my husband. He’s the biggest kid I know and not the biggest fan of cauliflower. But when that bulbous head of a vegetable is cooked to become caramelized and sweet, and mixed with macaroni that’s coated in a silky, creamy, cheese sauce? Suddenly, he’s just as much a fan as Smudge has been since she was a wee toddler.

Sneaking healthy in. It’s my secret weapon at meal time.

This year I couldn’t be more pleased to be partnering with a brand I grew up with. Not only grew up with, but honestly ate every. single. day. I don’t think I can even remember a time when Cache Valley Cheese wasn’t in my parents’ fridge waiting for me to slice and layer in one of my famous turkey sandwiches, melt over a freezer burrito, or add a perfectly cut square slice to my liverwurst and pickle topped Triscuits for my after school snack while watching re-runs of The Brady Bunch. Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!

And please, don’t even judge me when I admit to slathering thick slices of mild cheddar with mayo and eating it just. like. that.

Cache Valley Cheese has been with me and my family forever, and I can’t wait to share my food memories and favorite recipes featuring it’s high-quality, calcium-rich cheeses here on the blog this year.

So let’s get started!

continue to the recipe… about Skillet Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

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

Vegetarian Crockpot Lasagna Soup

This crockpot lasagna soup is like a deconstructed lasagna made in an Italian tomato broth full of vegetables with a creamy dollop of a three cheeses mixed in.

This recipe is brought to you by DeLallo Foods

Vegetarian Crockpot Lasagna Soup

If you’ve found yourself trolling Pinterest there’s a pretty good chance you’ve seen the meaty stove top version of this easy vegetarian lasagna soup floating around. And there’s a perfectly good reason for that.

Because it’s so dang good!

I’m very much into giving my favorite comfort foods a different spin to make them brand new again. And when it comes to lasagna, I have a couple of recipe twists on this classic Italian comfort food up my sleeve, or at least, in my recipe box.

This time around, a healthy change-up to everyone else’s lasagna soup was in the works.continue to the recipe… about Vegetarian Crockpot Lasagna Soup

Stuffed Zucchini Hasselback Pepperoni Pizza Style

Stuffed zucchini takes on a whole new look when it’s cut hasselback-style then stuffed with pepperoni pizza fixins’ for an easy, healthy, all-in-one 6-ingredient meal or pull-apart appetizer.

For most every backyard farmers the question isn’t how to grow zucchini, it’s what to do with it all once the harvest begins. These guys are prolific!

So what are some ways to use up all that zucchini? Stuffed zucchini is likely one of the first recipes on your idea list.

But how about this…how about we make the method even simpler and forgo the scoop and hollow method and simply slice these bad boys hasselback-style instead?

They’re ripe for the stuffing, so let’s get slicing.

continue to the recipe… about Stuffed Zucchini Hasselback Pepperoni Pizza Style

Healthy Homemade Egg McMuffin

Grab and go breakfasts can be the saving grace of any weekday morning. The eggs in this homemade Egg Mcmuffin sandwich recipe can be batch cooked in the oven, on the stove top, or in the microwave, and make eating a healthy breakfast your easiest decision of the day.

This recipe is brought to you by Kroger

We’re all guilty of it. The alarm blares at some ungodly time of the morning (no matter what time it is) and our first reaction is to fumble about and emphatically hit that snooze button for just.10.more.minutes.of.I.NEED.MORE.SLEEEEEP.

And that my friends is how you your morning time table suddenly becomes irrevocably out of whack. So what’s the first thing to go in your morning routine? Breakfast.

You think to yourself as you hustle out the door, “I’ll just grab something later,” or “Here honey, just eat this pop tart,” and load everyone into the car and buckle up for your day.

But that muffin/bagel/donut you impulsively picked up as your cruised through the drive-thru with your grande skinny latte is loaded with sodium, fat, and calories? Where’s the skinny or the healthy in that? Or worse, you don’t grab anything at all so you overeat at lunch. And your kid finds herself starving thanks to those empty carbs before 1st period is even over.

That’s why having a stash of make-ahead breakfasts ready to run out the door along with you is the secret to your morning’s success.continue to the recipe… about Healthy Homemade Egg McMuffin

How to Make an Awesome Antipasto Salad Platter

Making a salad for a crowd doesn’t get any easier than adding all the antipasto toppings like olives, pickled veggies, artichokes, pepperoncini, salami, salumi, prosciutto, pasta and mozzarella balls to a big pile of lettuce for an Italian salad everyone will love.

This recipe is in partnership with DeLallo Foods

Antipasto is known as the first course of the Italian meal. It’s the time to get a nibble of olives and pickled peppers or a bite of cured meats and cheeses, and to prepare your belly for the feast about to come.

What I love about this Antipasto Salad Platter is it bridges the gap between that appetizer course and the salad course, for a more relaxed vibe that mixes all my favorite tastes together, and can easily be made into a meal all its own.

And when you serve this salad family-style in the middle of the table, everyone can add “just a little more” to suit their taste and their appetite, creating a more festively communal way to share.

continue to the recipe… about How to Make an Awesome Antipasto Salad Platter

Truffled Mushroom Pizza

A simple mushroom and cheese pizza gets an upscale twist with truffled mushrooms and a light arugula salad topping one of the easiest homemade pizza doughs you can make.

I’m pretty sure we can all agree that pizza is the quintessential meal. It crosses all boundaries and pleases people of all ages and gender. And with nearly every culture cultivating its own version of the classic pizza pie, it doesn’t matter if you’re a drunk at 2 a.m. college student, a family ordering it for Friday night, or a high society maven who serves it as a dainty appetizer, if you like food it’s likely you’re a pizza pie fan.

Making pizza at home is one of life’s simple pleasures. At home you have complete control of what tops your pie and make it your choice to keep it super simple, or load on all the fixins’. Mushroom and cheese pizza is always a favorite of mine. I like to keep my pies simple, but simple certainly does not mean boring.

Sure, I like my mushroom pizza topped with simple ingredients, but I like my ingredients fancied up with an upscale twist.

Say hello to my truffled mushroom pizza.

continue to the recipe… about Truffled Mushroom Pizza

Beyond Easy Chicken Mole Enchiladas

This super easy, no-cook, homemade mole sauce is made from scratch, and gives regular chicken enchiladas a delicious twist for a super fast Mexican dinner to meal prep or even throw together for a quick and easy weeknight meal.

I recently heard about a study that reported that no matter how many recipes they have on their Pinterest wish list or the dog eared in their favorite cookbooks, the home cook generally makes the same 15-20 recipes over and over and over again.

Now, on one hand, this limited recipe strategy can be a bonus, because:

They’re recipes you know you and your family will eat.
They’re proven recipes that work.
Since you’re familiar with them, there’s no time wasted leaning into a recipe learning curve.

But on the other hand, those recipes can get you totally get stuck in a rut. And who wants to be the boring cook in the kitchen anyway??!!

Today’s recipe is a hybrid of one of my go-to recipes to cook (enchiladas) with a twist (mole sauce!), because:

It’s totally familiar = enchiladas. Approachable = chicken. But with the addition of just two ingredients to regular enchilada sauce, this recipe gets serious brownie points for uniqueness.
When they’re as easy to make as these, enchiladas are pretty much impossible to screw up.
All you need to know about these babies is how to use a blender, an oven, and how to roll with the best of them.

How to Make Mole Enchiladas

Because mole sauce isn’t found at most ordinary Mexican American restaurants, many people aren’t familiar with it which leads to the most popular questions about mole sauce: what is mole made of and what does mole taste like?continue to the recipe… about Beyond Easy Chicken Mole Enchiladas

Instant Pot Creamy Macaroni and Cheese Five Ways

With just 5 minutes cooking time (thank you Instant Pot!), this lush and creamy macaroni and cheese recipe is made with 100% real cheese and couldn’t be easier or faster to make in the pressure cooker. Plus, I’m sharing 5 more recipe ideas for jazzing up this old-fashioned family favorite for adults and kids alike, especially when it’s time to party.

I grew up on the blue-boxed variety of mac and cheese. In high school my friends called it yellow death. I called it delicious. In fact, it’s still one of those things we always have in the cupboard for emergency situations…like when it’s Tuesday…or Wednesday…or Thursday…or…you get the picture.

But after making this homemade mac and cheese recipe in less time and with all real ingredients, I don’t think I’ll be replenishing my stash any time soon.

I honestly can’t think of a food that is more comforting to me than a lush and creamy macaroni and cheese recipe, and I am ALWAYS on the lookout for a new variation on my favorite cheesy noodle. So when I was introduced to this pressure cooker version by my friend Ashley, it went straight to the top of my bust-out-the-Instant-Pot-must-make list.

And that’s how in just 5 minutes cooking time, we had this velvety lush mac and cheese ready for devouring.

Now that this recipe has become a super fast, weeknight solution for what to have when there’s no time to cook, I’ve come up with 5 doctored up versions of this basic mac and cheese recipe depending on what I had hanging out in my fridge to create a super easy solution for easy entertaining and creating a mac and cheese bar where guests can mix and match to make their own.

Who is ready to dig in?continue to the recipe… about Instant Pot Creamy Macaroni and Cheese Five Ways

Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Stuffed Bell Peppers

Fresh green bell peppers become their own all-in-one serving vessel when stuffed with chicken, rice, mushrooms, and a creamy mushroom-infused sauce to create a weeknight dinner that puts the all the essential nutrients in one easy-to-make and totally delicious dinner.

You know how you have staples in your culinary repertoire? Those dishes that no matter how gourmet you try to fool your family and friends into thinking you are—and more often trying to convince yourself? The recipes that are the staple for Sunday night comfort food cravings and oh so easy to make on a weeknight, too?

This here recipe is one of them. Crave-a-licious.

I first shared this stuffed bell pepper recipe nearly 5-years-to-the-day-ago and after referring back to it so many times over the years, I felt it needed an update. Five years ago it was one of our go-to, favorite dinners then, and it absolutely still is today.

My mom used to make stuffed peppers with hamburger and tomato sauce, but as I kid I was so. not. into. peppers. Ew. But true to form, I began to like them the more I had them. I keep telling myself my little girl AliSmudge would be making the turn too. And she has. Oh yes, she’s a fan too.

My man and and I came up with this stuffed bell peppers recipe that will forever be in our top 5 favorite meals to make at home: Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Stuffed Bell Peppers for the all-in-one-dinner-for-the-stuffed-bell-pepper-win.

continue to the recipe… about Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Stuffed Bell Peppers

Turkey Bolognese Lasagna Toss

Turkey takes over for traditional pork, veal, and beef in this rich and delicious homemade bolognese sauce to create a short cut lasagna dinner that cuts the calories, without sacrificing flavor.

It’s raining. The leaves on the mountain outside my front window are in the most vibrant change of fall colors I’ve seen in ten years. We pulled the tomato plants this weekend and I’ve harvested all my basil to make pesto before frost does it for me. There are days when comfort food is absolutely called for. And that’s when a rich, delicious lasagna raises its hand and squeals, ” PICK ME!”

I love a good lasagna with a rich, delicious meaty sauce with loads of cheese layered throughout and then melted on top. I mean, is there anything better?

But the thing is, my skinny jeans don’t always agree. My solution? Put all that rich flavor in a healthier turkey bolognese sauce and instead of layering my lasagna, toss it together instead.

I borrowed this lasagna toss idea from my Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup where the creamy ricotta mixture is added on at the end as an accent instead of playing equal parts to the noodle and sauce equation. I’m a cheese girl through and through, so that way, I meet my comfort food cravings but my jeans won’t revolt. continue to the recipe… about Turkey Bolognese Lasagna Toss

Harvest Squash and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Busy nights call for easy recipes and once harvest time has hit, it’s time to slink into comfort food territory. These stuffed shells with zucchini, butternut, and yellow squash baked in a creamy white alfredo sauce couldn’t be easier to prep and are even easier to crave.

This recipe is brought to you by McCormick

I’ve been working hard on my meal planning skills and trying to pay a lot more attention to food waste. What I’ve discovered is I waste way too much food. I do my weekly Farmers Market shopping with the best of intentions of cooking and eating up all I buy, but what family of three can truly eat 4 pounds of peaches, 10 gorgeous bell peppers and a bakers dozen of fresh sweet corn in just one week?

So when I’m in a funk of what to pull out of my back-to-school-weeknight-dinner-making hat, I head to my fridge and rummage through the crisper drawer to capture any veggies, lettuces or fruits that are just shy of taking a turn for the worst.

And that’s how today’s recipe puts last week’s farmer’s market find of zucchini and yellow squash on the top of my meal planning list.

continue to the recipe… about Harvest Squash and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Chorizo Queso Dip with Beer and Chiles (Try It Over Fries!)

This spiced up queso cheese dip skips the fake stuff and is made with real cheese instead. Chorizo and chiles add the heat that’s then cooled down with every football lovers favorite flavoring: BEER! Serve it with chips or even better, pile it on french fries for a riff on the classic poutine.

This post is brought to you by Kroger

Football season has it’s signature trigger words ending in -ING: Passing. Scoring. Tailgating.Watching. Cheering. Drinking and eating.

But for this foodie, my favorite action word ending in -ING has been and always will be GRAZING.

At this stage in life’s game I’m miles away from being an arm-chair quarterback when it comes to tailgate snacking. Listen guys, I’m a pro. For me, it’s all about getting in the game and grazing on a little bit of this and some more of that, and bites of all of the shareable eats game days are known for.

So whether it’s a high school play-off, college rivalry, or the Super Bowl, this girl is ready to go the distance.

One of the most popular recipes to make around game day is a cheesy queso dip, and while I typically like to eat healthy, when it comes to tailgating, all bets are off, but I still want to eat real food.

Too many of the recipes I’ve seen use pasteurized cheese to achieve that creamy texture so that’s why I set out to make one that’s creamy, but still real, and loaded with flavor.

continue to the recipe… about Chorizo Queso Dip with Beer and Chiles (Try It Over Fries!)

How to Make a Kid-Friendly Cheese Board Even Adults Will Love

Cheese boards aren’t just for adults anymore. Here are my top 10 tips for creating the ultimate kid-friendly cheese board that kids will love and the host will serve proudly at the main table.

This post is in partnership with Cache Valley® Creamery

Everyone loves a party. And at every party there’s always the most popular one in the group. The one that the whole group gathers around. The one that everyone comments about how pretty they are. The one that no one can get enough of.

Yes, we are talking about the cheese board.

But here’s the deal. Cheese boards are typically geared to the more refined tastes of adults. You know, the cheese boards that with a hand gripped around a glass of Beaujolais, pinkies instinctively jut into the air as guests gaze over the extra strong blues and extra ripe cheddars, the peppered and spiced charcuterie and the fancy triple-creamed wedges you spent a fortune on that nobody ends up eating.

Ya. Those. This is not that cheese board.

Creating a kid-friendly cheese board doesn’t have to look…well…cheesy. No animal shaped formations out of cheeses and veggies, or ships sailing through a sea of fruit or salamis and toothpicks somehow tinker-toyed into action figures. Sorry guys, not at my party.

Instead, this is a cheese board every child would happily dig into and any adult would gladly place center stage at every party.continue to the recipe… about How to Make a Kid-Friendly Cheese Board Even Adults Will Love

Friday Faves

Happy Friday friends!

And what a happy Friday it is indeed! I’m on my way home! It’s been 17 days today that I’ve been away, the longest time probably, like, ever.

It’s interesting what you miss when you’re away from home for an extended period of time, and just how easy it is to adapt to new places, too. But, I can’t wait to get home and nuzzle my 3 dogs, check on the progress of my tomato plants (I’m scared), cook in my own kitchen, and of course, lay in the big bed and watch CBS Sunday Morning with my man and my Smudge who will be firmly snuggled up between us. Seriously, it’s the best thing on regular TV. Maybe the only thing.

I’m so lucky to have a job that offers up so many opportunities and gives me the flexibility to mix work with pleasure and family time, and to do it all on my own accord. I mean, the majority of the workforce is beholden to someone else’s expectations and time tables (just like I was for 20+ years) and that makes it a whole lot harder to swing an adventure like I just completed. But with time comes normalcy, and it can be pretty easy to take fortunes and flexibility for granted.

My goal is to never let that happen.

I won’t go into a recap of all that I experienced on my travels right now, but if you want to read a snippet of my last travel leg’s travel mishap, you can read more about it here.

But enough about me, let’s get to why you’re here: THIS WEEK’S FRIDAY FAVES, with a few guest contributors mixed in. Enjoy!

continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

5-Ingredient Chipotle Chicken Taquitos

Crispy, crunchy, and oh-so-incredibly easy, these chipotle pepper flavored chicken taquito roll-ups call for just 5 ingredients and can be baked or fried for a super fast appetizer, dinner or snack.

When I was a teenager in high school, my friends and I would sprint from 4th period class and load into my friend Brenda’s car (lucky for us she had a very early 16th birthday and a mom who gave her free use of the car), roll down the windows, and crank up Madonna’s “Borderline” as we high-tailed it to one of our two favorite spots for lunch.

The first spot was Rax Roast Beef where I always ordered the Fried Chicken Sandwich. The second spot was Taco Time, where the crispy bean burritos with extra packets of mild salsa would always leave me with blisters in my mouth because they were hot out of the fryer and it was torture to wait until they cooled to eat them. I can STILL smell their crispy aroma lingering in my memory bank.

Taco Time was usually first on our list because in the newspaper each week they would include a promotional brown paper sack that when you took to Taco Time, you could get 5 tacos, crispy bean burritos, or soft beef burritos for $1.00. Or was it $2.00? Either way, as a high schooler with no money, it was a total steal.

Back then I didn’t know that my crispy bean burritos loved by cheap teenagers are known in more authentically-inclined parts of the country as taquitos, or even more authentically known world wide as flautas.

Either which way, they’re simple to make and deliciously good and this time around, made with chile-spiced shredded chicken.continue to the recipe… about 5-Ingredient Chipotle Chicken Taquitos

French Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Today is a big day in the world of cheese lovers. It’s National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day. Two snaps and let’s celebrate.

I know. They make food holidays out of the oddest of food themes: Bologna Day (October 24). Fruit cocktail day (May 13). Bicarbonate of soda day (December 30). What?

But for pretty much every food lover everywhere, Grilled Cheese Day is officially one to break bread for. I mean, it’s cheese. And I’ve made it my goal to share a cheesy fave every GCDay since I started this bloggity blog back in 2011. So let’s dig into this melty onion, cheesy favorite between two slices of sourdough bread.

Who needs brothy soup anyway?continue to the recipe… about French Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Game Day Sheet Pan Nachos Two Ways

Game day snacking won’t leave you feeling guilty thanks to these two recipe ideas for sheet pan nachos that’ll make you the winner at the end of the day.

This post is in partnership with Bolthouse Farms

My dad was always the nacho maker in our family and when my mom would throw her hands up in the air and declare she had no idea what to fix for dinner that night, she’d usually suggest something super simple like nachos and cross her fingers he’d be willing to take over the kitchen reigns for the night.

But dad didn’t make nachos the way most of us know nachos. There was no pile of chips and loading on of ingredients. My dad’s nachos were simple precision and consisted of the same 4 ingredients every time. Each tortilla chip was precisely laid out in rows on the baking sheet, then precisely topped with a teaspoon or so of refried beans, and then topped with a slice of cheese. They looked like little cheese topped tortilla cookies as they baked in the oven, and once they came out, they were topped with a slice of jalapeño.

And that was it. Done.

Sure they tasted great to me as a kid and quite honestly, I bet they still would win a nostalgia award. But as I got older and visited restaurants (okay, I’ll tell it like it is—BARS!) and someone at the table would order nacho, and then they’d come out as a big pile of cheesy deliciousness you had to dig through layers of taco meat, and beans, and guacamole, and sour cream to get to, my taste for nachos went up a notch or two.

Now these nachos, they’re taking it up even more, but I’m feeling totally good about that.continue to the recipe… about Game Day Sheet Pan Nachos Two Ways

Cheesy Texas Trash Dip

This favorite Mexican bean dip gets its popular flavor from taco seasoning and green chiles baked in a mix of cream cheese, sour cream, and Mexican cheese—it’s definitely a crowd pleaser!

This post is in partnership with McCormick

I have several good friends who are true Texans. They’re the kind that are proud to bear a full-blown Texas sticker on the back window of their car (Nicole). They’re also those in the group photo who throw up the Longhorns hand signal whenever a group photo is taken (Laura). It’s cute. It’s endearing. And bless their hearts, they are a proud bunch.

My sister, a Utah transplant, also lives in Texas. Houston to be exact. Home to a certain football team that just might be working their way through the playoffs and who I’m in a football viewing dippable face-off where I’m representin’ Houston.

While it’s the state that bears my sister’s address on her drivers license, after 15 plus years, I think we’ve finally convinced her and the husband that they’ll eventually be coming back home to the Wasatch front. Right Holly? RIGHHHHHT???? Mom, and dad, and I are waiting for you. Just sayin’. #throwthelonghornsignhere

But until then…continue to the recipe… about Cheesy Texas Trash Dip

Garlic Butter Pepperoni Pizza Rolls

These easy, from scratch garlic-slathered pizza dough bites are stuffed with cheese and mini pepperoni, then baked for an appetizer everyone at the party will love.

This post is in partnership with DeLallo Foods

One of the earliest recipes I shared here on le bloggity blog was for little nuggets of garlic joy called Killer Garlic Rolls, inspired by a popular restaurant in our old neighborhood of Marina del Rey in California.

Those rolls. Pure love right there.

Today they’ve provided a nod of inspiration to this recipe for stuffed pizza rolls that are bathed in a simlilar garlic and herb butter—and bursting with a cheesy pepperoni pop.

These rolls. Pure love right here X 10.continue to the recipe… about Garlic Butter Pepperoni Pizza Rolls

Beef and Butternut Squash Enchiladas

These enchiladas are the best, and they’re such an easy meal to prep ahead, with slow cooked beef and roasted butternut squash, they’re delicious and ready to serve in no time.

This post is in partnership with Kroger

For the past few months, I’ve been focusing on creating meals that take a little more planning, and doing a lot more batch cooking when I use my weekly meal planner. It’s led to our whole family eating dinners that are far less stressful, a little healthier, and far more budget friendly.

I was shocked at how much we’ve saved from not going out to eat as much now that there’s quick meals in the refrigerator that are ready to roll.

So when Kroger asked me to create a holiday recipe I immediately went into time- and money-saving mode.

We all have so much going on during the holidays that having a quick and easy meal on hand means holiday cheers-ing is a whole lot easier to enjoy. This Beef and Butternut Squash Enchiladas recipe checks all the boxes on my Christmas wish list.

And even better, you’ll want to keep it around all year long.continue to the recipe… about Beef and Butternut Squash Enchiladas

Salsa Verde Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This easy, cheesy Mexican casserole recipe with salsa verde makes it simple to serve a nutritious dinner for a crowd on even the busiest of weeknights.

Arrrrrriba! This year I’m happy to share recipes created as a Kroger blogging ambassador, where I will featuring all sorts of products from Kroger grocery stores for my family, and for yours including this festive dish aimed squarely at celebrations for Cinco de Mayo.

But even before our South of the border bash was a 🎉 festiva in our eye 🎉, my Smudge decided an impromptu sleepover with her gal pals was in order.

Also in order? An easy dinner that would feed a crowd. Even the picky ones.

This chicken enchilada bake totally delivered, with one of my favorite tricks added right in to it: I snuck a little healthy in.

continue to the recipe… about Salsa Verde Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich

This grilled cheese is like everyone’s favorite jalapeño poppers melted between two slices of bread for the ultimate gooey grilled cheese sandwich.

It’s finally here and if you’re at all like me, you’ve been patiently waiting like a toddler patiently waits for his or her turn behind 8 other kids for a ride on the slide, or to be told to wait until after lunch for that popsicle. Tantrums, tears and frustration may or may have not all played a part in this waiting game.

But the wait is over and today we’re enjoying a different kind of meltdown. It’s National Grilled Cheese Day!

Since I first started the blog, April has heralded the arrival of one of my favorite themed months: Grilled Cheese Month. See for yourself and check out my other grilled cheese recipes here. This year I’m thrilled to be partnering with Arla to share recipes featuring their cheeses and we’re starting things off with a cheesy classic: grilled cheese sandwiches of course!

This recipe all started with “the pull”. No, not tractor pulls. Not the pull of the moon either.

We’re talking about the determining factor of every perfectly made grilled cheese. It’s “the pull” of melty, gooey cheese when two halves are divided from one.

And this recipe has what it takes to get “the pull” every time.

continue to the recipe… about Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich

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