garlic

How to Make Homemade Croutons

Nobody’s going to give you the side-eye if you buy a bag from the grocery store, but homemade croutons are so quick and easy to make, they’re totally worth making from scratch instead.

Homemade garlic croutons. They’re the crunchy toppers I crave for my fave tomato basil soup, and an essential part of every classic Caesar salad. And let’s face it, what kid doesn’t pick out all of the croutons from their dinner salad before they even touch the greens? Okay, and a whole bunch of adults too.

Grocery store or salad bar croutons can be dry, hard nuggets that could nearly break a tooth with each bite. But this homemade crouton recipe makes soft on the inside, crisp on the outside flavor crunches with each cube of bread bit bites.

Making croutons at home is super easy to do and takes only about 15 minutes to bake a batch. Baking them in the oven is the easiest way to cook them, but I’m sharing how to make them on the stove top as well. Add your own favorite seasonings and spices—garlic and herb is my favorite—and you’ll find yourself making these bread bites all of the time, too.

continue to the recipe… about How to Make Homemade Croutons

Pasta Pomodoro Sauce

A simple pasta topped with fresh tomato pomodoro sauce couldn’t be more authentically Italian, and like most things Italian, simplicity is key in this 5-ingredient recipe that’s ready in just 20 minutes.

This recipe is brought to you by DeLallo

Pinch me for sure, because I am lucky indeed. I recently visited the homeland of authentic Italian pomodoro sauce, on the Amalfi Coast near Naples, Italy—the hub of authentic Italian pasta manufacturing and tomato farming. It was the trip of a lifetime, complete with amazing views of the dramatic coastal cliffs, white-knuckled winding roads I luckily didn’t have to chauffeur, so much amazing time with friends on the tour, and more real-deal authentic Italian food than I could dream of—so fresh and delicious I never wanted to leave.

But why would I expect anything less? I was there with DeLallo Foods, a brand I’ve worked with for many years and shared many recipes using their products here on the blog, and who imports only the best ingredients direct from Italy to the U.S. We were in Italy to visit their pasta factory and learn more about what makes pasta made in the small southern city of Gragnano in the Campania region of Italy, the best, certifiably authentic pasta in the world—and the only way DeLallo produces their delicious Italian pasta.

In addition to learning about how pasta is made, we took a cooking class and learned how to make this classic Pomodoro al Spaghetti from the chefs of the two-star Michelin awarded restaurant Don Alfonso, where among all of their highly regarded recipes, this is their most popular recipe. It may have been the simplest meal we had on the trip, and might be the reason it ended up being my favorite.

I couldn’t wait to get home and master this classic pomodoro sauce myself, and now, you’re about to as well. continue to the recipe… about Pasta Pomodoro Sauce

Rosemary Garlic Butter Smashed Potatoes

This hybrid of roasted and mashed potatoes is literally a mash up of cooking techniques to create a creamy potato on the inside with the crispy edges everyone craves on the outside, and it’s all made extra good thanks to garlic, butter and rosemary flavored smashed potatoes.

Easy side dishes should be a dime a dozen but I keep hearing from you guys that this is one of the most challenging parts of putting the finishing touch on your dinner time meal.

The beauty of a simple side dish like potatoes is they go with pretty much any main dish. Personally, I could eat them as the main dish all on their own.

So why mash when you can smash?

Because smashed red potatoes that are crisped with garlicky butter and rosemary like these smashed rosemary garlic potato babies here are the sure cure for your dinner-finishing cravings.

continue to the recipe… about Rosemary Garlic Butter Smashed Potatoes

How to Make Easy Basil Pesto

Homemade pesto is one of the quickest ways to brighten any dish from caprese chicken to pizza and even to macaroni and cheese. This is my tried and true method to make the perfect basil pesto recipe every single time.

I’ve made homemade pesto many times and totally loved it. And just as many times I’ve totally screwed it up. Why? There are likely several reasons, but it’s mainly because I veered away from my perfected proportions and added too much garlic or not enough olive oil or didn’t season my basil pesto sauce nearly enough.continue to the recipe… about How to Make Easy Basil Pesto

Simple Roasted Tomato Sauce

This roasted tomato sauce is made with 6 simple ingredients and requires less than 10 minutes of hands-on prep work. Enjoy now or freeze it for later!

“Toast to the tomato roast!” Or in perhaps more trendy speak, “totes tomahhhto roast.” Either way, roasting tomatoes has a hold of my heart, and I’m not letting go any time soon.

I spent this past weekend rocking the nostalgic. It was my yearly girlfriend getaway with my college besties. I’m a sorority girl, and because of the amazing friends I made in it, I’m damn proud of it.

The trip is the same as it is every year. No boys. No kids. Just the girls with cocktails and Jell-o shots, trashy magazines, and corn hole, and there always seems to be some sort of water in the form of an ocean, a river, a lake, or even just a hot tub. This year it was the tropical pool that saved us from the Las Vegas heat.

We are a group of girls that know way too much about one another’s past, and know one another well enough to help navigate the present in hopes of a fulfilling future. We’re nothing if not happy to share our opinions in helping one another grow.

It’s all in the name of love.

It was an anniversary year, one of those numbers that you never in your life would think would come so soon, and yet when it does, you marvel at the fortune you’ve found in developing a level of friendship and bond that runs this deep for this long. And the reason it does is because — it’s simple. It’s easy. We all put in and we all draw from the well. We just always have and we always will, at each and every milestone.continue to the recipe… about Simple Roasted Tomato Sauce

Shrimp Scampi Pasta

Fresh tomatoes, garlic and basil bring summertime flavors to a classic dinner of Shrimp Scampi Pasta.

Fresh tomatoes, garlic and basil. Three ingredients that magically transform into very special recipes when a few simple additions are made. Add toasted bread and you have Bruschetta. Add mozzarella and you’ve just made a classic caprese. This recipe for shrimp scampi pasta takes those simple, classic flavors and with a twirl of a fork wrapped around slinky angel hair pasta puts the fresh taste of summer smack dab on your dinner table.

When the summer temps hit 95 degrees and up, as they do from July through August since I live in the desert mountains of the West, you won’t usually find me in the kitchen cooking over a hot pot on the stove. I’m much more of a grill girl when it comes down to dinnertime in the summertime.

Correction: I’m much more of a watching my guy grill when it comes to dinnertime. That’s why if we’re having shrimp, it’s usually been seasoned and skewered and lit up on the charcoals. But a summer of grilling isn’t always what I’m craving when I’m chilling.

The essence of summer was what I was craving when I saw shrimp at the grocery store and had a bunch of ripe tomatoes on my counter. Toss in some fresh chopped garlic, a handful of basil from the garden and I was on my way to a summer dinner wonderland.

I made this with low-carb pasta, which requires less time to cook than traditional pasta, making it an even quicker cook than usual. Getting me out of the kitchen and back to summertime chilling.continue to the recipe… about Shrimp Scampi Pasta

How to Make the Best Chimichurri Sauce

This Argentinian chimichurri sauce is a fresh parsley and cilantro salsa that gives grilled steak, chicken, fish and vegetables a garlicky kick.

Firing up the grill is a summer habit I’ll never get enough of. The smokey flavor and char of any protein or veg is something I crave all year long. But I also crave the tangy ying to grilling’s savory yang, which is why I totally dig a zesty, herb-infused chimichurri sauce.

Adding flavor to foods that hit the hot grill grates is usually accomplished with marinades like this versatile Greek marinade or adding a simple spiced dry rub. But when I want to keep things super simple, my secret to the best flavor bomb is adding loads of that favorite vinegar/garlic/herb flavor AFTER simply grilling my steak, chicken, pork, fish or vegetables.

And that’s when I am very generous with spoonfuls of classic chimichurri sauce.continue to the recipe… about How to Make the Best Chimichurri Sauce

Killer Spicy Garlic Dill Pickles

A healthy dose of fresh, peeled garlic cloves, a homemade pickling spice, and hot peppers give these spicy pickles a seriously delicious kick.

Homemade Spicy Pickle Recipe

Let’s be clear about one thing: I am a lot of things, but a mathematician I am not. Instead of adding up numbers or figuring out right quadrangles, I’ve always been more of a visual kind of gal.

I can tell with one sideways glance when a picture frame is slightly askew. Let’s just hop over and fix that. There. Much better. I notice when the grocery store clerk gets a haircut. “Looks great!” “Oh, why thank you.” And it’s second nature for me to pick out the subtle variations of Periwinkle from Azure. Periwinkle for the win.

Therein lies the reason I was an art major.

I suck at math.

So when figuring out exactly how many cucumbers are in a bushel to share for this crazy good spicy pickle recipe, well…you’re just going to have to join me and go with the flow on this one. Even though I did indeed get out my pencil, my calculator, and conferred deeply with Google, my calculations may not be exact science.

But, then, except for baking, when ever IS cooking a science?continue to the recipe… about Killer Spicy Garlic Dill Pickles

Oven Roasted Chicken with Lemon Rosemary Garlic Butter

This perfectly tender and juicy whole oven roasted chicken gets brushed with a fresh lemon rosemary garlic butter and stuffed with aromatics for extra flavor. It’s perfect for Sunday dinner, but easy enough for a weeknight!

Whole Roasted Chicken Recipe

Searching through cookbooks, leafing through food magazines and trolling through food blogs proves one fact over and over again: cooks love making recipes with chicken.

While the boneless chicken breast seems to be the star in most recipes, the whole bird cannot be ignored. There’s nothing quite like a juicy hen, perfuming the whole house, to get the salivating started.

This whole roasted chicken recipe is like a butter infused invitation to belly up to the Sunday dinner table. But it’s so easy you could totally make it any day of the week.

Chicken on the bone. Chicken with skin. Those two things give chicken a flavor all on its own.

But when you layer that baby bird with the soft, buttery mix of garlic, lemon, and rosemary a totally new flavor permeates our chicken-little under, and over, the skin.

And that skin, oh that lovely, golden skin. Butter baby. It does the trick.

continue to the recipe… about Oven Roasted Chicken with Lemon Rosemary Garlic Butter

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

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

Juicy Roast Turkey Breast

The best way cook roast turkey breast isn’t in the crockpot, but in the oven instead, and it only takes 30 minutes to cook!

Thanksgiving isn’t the only time of the year to talk turkey. Sure, it’s a popular protein over the holidays, but it should totally be considered as a dinner contender any time of year.

Turkey. It isn’t just for sandwiches anymore.

Turkey has so much more to offer than just a side dish to mashed potatoes, stuffing, and gravy. Especially when it’s cooked as a roasted turkey breast like this easy-to-make recipe.

My turkey-making-tricks result in an oven roasted turkey breast that’s juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside, and ready to gobble down, whether it’s served with all the fixins’, in my favorite turkey pot pie, or yes, even as an awesome grilled cheese turkey sandwich.continue to the recipe… about Juicy Roast Turkey Breast

Linguine con Vongole (Linguine with Clam Sauce)

Linguine with fresh clams in a garlic white wine sauce (authentically known as linguine vongole) is one of those dinners that sounds totally chic and fancy but is actually one of the easiest and budget-friendly Italian pasta recipes you can make.

I was recently sent the new Fred’s at Barney’s New York Cookbook by Barney’s New York’s chef Mark Strausman who teaches us how to make some of the famous dishes beloved for years by celebrities and chic shoppers in the fashion store’s Fred’s restaurant.

Flipping through the cookbook there were tons of recipes that looked divine, but when I found this recipe for Mark’s Baby Clams and Spaghetti, fresh clams went directly on my shopping list.

Clams and spaghetti at Fred’s became clams and linguine at my house, and now no matter which pasta you choose to prepare, this recipe is on it’s way to yours.

continue to the recipe… about Linguine con Vongole (Linguine with Clam Sauce)

Killer Garlic Fries with Rosemary

This copycat recipe of the famous Gordon-Biersch garlic fries couldn’t be easier to make at home, and because they can be baked in the oven or the air fryer, they’re a healthier version, too.

This recipe is brought to you by Alexia Foods

At first I didn’t even see them. I could just smell them. The punch to my olfactory sense with their intoxicating aroma literally had me twisting in my seat, cranking my head like Linda Blair in the Exorcist, searching for where that heavenly scent was coming from.

Ahhh, garlic. And loads of it. It was like the perfume of the food Gods.

This was many years ago at an L.A. Lakers game, and someone a row behind me and a few seats down was busy digging into what I soon discovered as the famous Gordon-Biersch garlic fries.

I’d never even heard of Gordon-Biersch before, but that certainly didn’t stop me from seeking out the concession stand where my husband and I joyfully purchased a few frosty beverages and our first batch of garlic fries that what would later become our Laker-game-going ritual.

But the best part of this story is that you don’t need to wait ’til game day to make this copycat recipe for Gordon-Biersch garlic fries at home. And even better, I’ve made them healthier by skipping the deep fat fryer and added even more flavor with a hint of fresh, herby rosemary, because that’s just the way I do.

continue to the recipe… about Killer Garlic Fries with Rosemary

Asian Marinade Master Sauce

Whether it’s used as an Asian marinade for beef, chicken, pork, tofu or fish, or as a dressing for vegetables, salads, or pastas, or even as a flavoring for rice, quinoa, or any number of grains, this is the ultimate Asian master sauce and is the secret to making meal prep easier than ever before.

Healthy and delicious food doesn’t have to be complex. In fact, when your cooking method centers around meal prep and batch cooking, the most basic of ingredients can easily be transformed into craveable dishes everyone will want and come back asking for more.

The secret is in the master sauce, and it’s the whole idea behind batch cooking.

This strategy is the centerpiece of our Nourished Planner Batch Cooking Basics meal prep guide, where we share the strategy and recipes for preparing five basic master recipes as the interchangeable base to build just one meal, or even a whole week’s worth.

This Asian master sauce recipe is a multi-layer tool that isn’t limited to just being a seasoning added to a dish at the end. With a simple shake of a mason jar, this master sauce can become a marinade, a salad dressing, added to the cooking water for a more flavorful grain or sautéed or tossed with vegetables for even more infused flavor within reach of your garlic-scented fingertips.

continue to the recipe… about Asian Marinade Master Sauce

Easy Homemade Beef Broth Stock

A rich and flavorful homemade beef broth stock is one of the essential recipes every home cook should have in their array of kitchen cooking basics.

Back in the day there were recipes home cooks didn’t even have to think twice about how to make because they made the same dishes so often no recipe was needed. Cooking was done by touch, intuition, and repetition.

Remember when you’d ask grandma how she knew when the pie dough had enough moisture or how she could tell the chicken was cooked through? The answer was annoyingly cryptic and didn’t really help things when she replied, “You just know.”

But now, with pre-made ingredients and an avalanche of recipe options at our fingertips, we can make just about any style of cuisine without batting an eye. But as a byproduct of creating these dazzling Pinterest friendly meals, making some of the good-old, most commonly used basics, like homemade broths and stocks, has fallen out of favor.

It’s time to get back to the basics friends. Back to real good real food.

A few months ago I shared my recipe for the very best chicken stock because it seems that homemade broths and stocks are rarely on the must-make radar of today’s home cook. The reasons vary from assuming it takes way too much time to make them from scratch to being unsure what ingredients go in the dang recipe (and fyi it isn’t just the meat that matters, its the bones!)

That’s why I’m waving my foodie recipe wand and pulling the beefy secrets out of my hat so that….TADAAAA!!!! Your bone stock broth cure is here.

This post breaks it all down, with simple steps and fool-proof instructions that’ll put you on your way to making homemade beef stock with confidence. Let’s go.continue to the recipe… about Easy Homemade Beef Broth Stock

Easy Creamed Swiss Chard with Garlic Breadcrumbs

Healthy swiss chard gets the comfort food treatment thanks to a light but creamy sauce topped with crispy garlic panko breadcrumbs that make a recipe so good it’ll give creamed spinach a run for it’s “most-loved side dish” title.

This post is brought to you by McCormick

Swiss chard is one of those wallflower vegetables, sitting in the bleachers at the high school dance while watching the likes of spinach and kale bust their moves with all the hottest admirers.

But just like any wallflower, there comes a time for even the humblest of vegetables to burst out of the shadows and shine all on its own.

And that’s why I declare here and now, it’s high time that swiss chard get it’s dance in the spotlight, and there’s no better place to do so than at the head of the Thanksgiving table.

Growing up I don’t think I ever even had a bite of swiss chard. But like my latent admiration of Brussels sprouts, I’m more than happy to say those days are gone and this super easy, healthy-ish dish is going on my turkey table to balance out my splurging on my mom’s sage-flavored stuffing. I may not have room for my now-famous herb butter turkey! This year may be the year of Thanksgiving sides.

Bring on the turkey side dish disco ball, ’cause we’re gettin’ down tonight.continue to the recipe… about Easy Creamed Swiss Chard with Garlic Breadcrumbs

How to Make a Healthy Tzatziki Sauce and Dip

This easy to make 5-ingredient Greek yogurt tzatziki sauce recipe is not only great with grilled meats, fish and gyro sandwiches, but makes a terrific, healthy dip for vegetables of every color.

This post is in partnership with Oikos Greek Nonfat Yogurt who has compensated me to create a recipe using their product. All opinions are my own.

Just yesterday, I happily discovered I have something in common with the famous food philosopher Alice Waters. Yep. Me and Alice Waters. It’s like we’re twins, living the same foodie ways, and it all stems from our refrigerators. Because apparently, she…like me…is a condiment junkie. Okay, so it’s a stretch, I know, but hey, when you’re 6 degrees of separation from the queen of slow food, you take what you can get.

Condiments are just as important to a dish as the dish itself. They’re the flavor builders. The meal toppers. And they’re all the things that make my mouth go “ZING!”, and that’s why tangy Greek yogurt fits really well into the condiment category for me.

Besides being a favorite part of breakfast parfaits or acting as the base to my fave afternoon bowl of fruit and nuts, nonfat yogurt does double duty in so many more ways. It subs for buttermilk to tenderize chicken, it’s a lower fat alternative to sour cream or mayo-based sauces for grilled meat and fish, and it’s my healthier stand-in for mayonnaise in any classic mayo-mixed sandwich. I even use it on my summer BLT’s.

But while yogurt is a great sub for other ingredients, there is one recipe that can not, should never, would totally not be PC to flip the tables on, and that’s to replace yogurt in the classic Greek tzatziki sauce.continue to the recipe… about How to Make a Healthy Tzatziki Sauce and Dip

Marinated Flank Steak with Asian Chimichurri Sauce

Thanks to a simple soy sauce, orange, and garlic-spiked marinade, this easy flank steak recipe can be ready to grill in 30 minutes, or left in the fridge over night for a deeper flavor that’s topped with a fresh, garlicky chimichurri sauce with an Asian spin.

It’s Wednesday night at 5:00 p.m., and while you’d much prefer to be cheers-ing friends at happy hour and announcing, “It’s 5:00 somewhere!”, instead, you’re face-palming your forehead and exclaiming, “Oh crap! I forgot to get dinner started!”

Yep, this is the picture of the food blogger (me) and any other meal-maker with the best of intentions to make meal planning goals stick (you?), who has lost track of time and been foiled by the ticking clock.

Are you feeling it too?

Luckily, having a few simple, time-saving recipes like this quick-to-marinate, Asian-flavored grilled steak recipe in our back pockets can always be dinner-prep’s saving grace.

I’ve been making one version or another of this Asian-flavored marinated flank steak for years. In fact, it’s likely one of the first recipes my man and I ever cooked together, proving that it’s a recipe that’s perfect for beginning cooks to jump right into.continue to the recipe… about Marinated Flank Steak with Asian Chimichurri Sauce

Pan-Seared Citrus Shrimp Recipe

This simple, bright, and fresh shrimp dish is ready in under 30 minutes, making it an easy dinner for anyone on the go or the perfect appetizer to take to a party, and it’s lush orange and lemon citrus sauce leaves out the butter and cream but will still have you dipping your bread in for more.

I’d have to say one of the most common complaints I hear about cooking at home is when you suddenly realize it’s one of those days when dinner slips up in front of you and you have absolutely nothing planned to cook. Typically, that’s when some would throw their hands up in the air, concede defeat, and then reach for a bowl, some cereal and milk—or the closest take-out menu, whichever is easiest to get to first.

I know. I’ve been there.

That all-too-common predicament is one reason why this recipe spoke to me, because:

The ingredient list is short and simple.
It’s healthy, low-cal, high in protein, and frigging delicious.
99% of the time I have the ingredients in my freezer, fridge, and in my pantry.
It’s ready in under 30 minutes.
And it’s amazingly adaptable to be served with a variety of sides or re-invented in other dishes for just about every one of the picky eaters.

Sorry cereal, you’ll have to wait for your time to come.continue to the recipe… about Pan-Seared Citrus Shrimp Recipe

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

40 Cloves of Garlic Roast Chicken

Garlic becomes soft and sweet roasted alongside this whole chicken, imparting a mellowed garlic flavor for everyone’s favorite chicken dinner.

The stinking rose. Dracula’s repellant. A bad blind date’s breath mint. This is the beauty of garlic.

I don’t recall where I first read about a recipe calling for 40 cloves of garlic, but I do remember being somewhat shocked by the fact it was actually a recipe and not a misprint. It was when I first really started exercising my cooking chops and exploring things in the kitchen other than my mom’s spaghetti or our favorite Parmesan noodles. 40 cloves of garlic sounded so contrary, there must be a secret! I mean, I’m a real garlic lover, but 40 heads of garlic loving? That might be stretching things a bit.

But after making this dish over and over through the years, there’s really no mystery to it. Except for the fact that roasted garlic becomes soft, buttery and surprisingly sweet, making it a chicken dinner everyone will wonder why you don’t make more often.continue to the recipe… about 40 Cloves of Garlic Roast Chicken

Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri and Heather Christo

A garlic marinade infuses grilled skirt steak topped with a garlic and herb chimichurri sauce with fresh cut tomatoes and red onions.

Everyone has a love language and blogger Heather Christo’s is food.

Her way of saying “I love you,” comes in the form of sweet and spicy apricot chicken wings, creamy mushroom pasta, and blackberry scones with vanilla glaze. Those are just a few of the recipes from her new book, Pure Delicious: More Than 150 Delectable Allergen-Free Recipes Without Gluten, Dairy, Eggs, Soy, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Shellfish, or Cane Sugar.

We’ve been fans of Heather’s for years (as featured on my list of 5 Food Blogs I’m Following Now), and always come back to her blog for the brightly-hued, eye-catching photography and inspiring recipes. This culinarian honed her culinary chops at the famous Le Cordon Bleu and for years brought those skills to family favorite recipes on her blog Heather Christo.

But then things took a swift left turn.

Two years ago, Heather and her young daughters, Pia and Coco, discovered they ALL had a slew of food allergies that were wreaking havoc on their health. As a result, they were forced to drastically change their diets.

As daunting of a task as it sounds, Heather changed her cooking style without sacrificing any flavor, and transitioned the recipes on her blog to food-allergen-free recipes fit for families, that then turned into a cookbook with delectable recipes like this Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri recipe at the bottom of this post.
continue to the recipe… about Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri and Heather Christo

The Best Garlic Burgers EVER

These juicy, world famous garlic burgers have just three seasonings and a legion of fans, and are simply one of the very best burgers you’ll every bite into.

It’s here! Grilling season is dead set upon us and that’s just one reason I’m happy to partner on this post with Cowboy Charcoal, because just like this recipe, Cowboy Charcoal is a classic.

And this garlic burger recipe is one of my all-time, forever favorites, and the favorite of thousands upon thousands who’ve eaten it for themselves. Not cooked by me, but by one of the most classic joints in Salt Lake City, the spot that has held the title of Best Garlic Burger in Utah.

Until now.

The first time I had this burger was on a date with my then boyfriend, now husband, at Salt Lake City’s notorious The Cotton Bottom Inn. Resting at the base of two ski canyons, this dive bar is THE spot in the city to stop in for a beer and a round of pool or two after skiing one of the Cottonwood Canyons in the winter or to soak up the sun out on the patio after hiking in the spring, summer and fall.

I don’t know if anyone actually comes for the beer, and I highly doubt it’s for the ambiance. No. It’s the garlic burgers they’re known for. They’re legendary. In fact, I don’t think I’ve EVER seen ANYONE order anything else.

And like the success of all legends, their recipe is top secret. But. I’ve cracked the code, and this is it.

continue to the recipe… about The Best Garlic Burgers EVER

Classic Gazpacho Plus 5 More That’ll Make You Say “WOW!”

This classic, refreshing no-cook gazpacho is a mix of fresh veggies and store-bought tomato based vegetable juice for a perfect blend of smooth and chunky textures.

Why am I standing in the closet talking to my phone at 11:30 at night? My husband’s in bed. My Smudge has been tucked in for hours.

And I’m talking into my phone.

He probably thinks I’m crazy.

Or that I’m cheating on him with someone else on the line.

But I’m not either of those two. Or at least not the latter.

I’m dictating a blog post as I get ready for bed. Because something popped into my head, and Lord help me, if I don’t write it down, or talk it into my phone, the thought will disappear as quickly as my dog eats her dinner as if she hadn’t been fed for days. Oh…this brain of mine.

continue to the recipe… about Classic Gazpacho Plus 5 More That’ll Make You Say “WOW!”

Gnocchi With Pomodoro Sauce

This simple tomato sauce gets tons of flavor from herbs steeped in olive oil that lusciously coats potato pillows of gnocchi, topped with fresh balls of mozzarella.

It’s a lunch I remember with fondness, and regret.

Fondness because it lit my fire for choosing gnocchi as my favorite thing to order on each and every Italian menu for the rest of my eating out days (ask my husband, I am not kidding) and regret because I didn’t go to that restaurant for more gnocchi more often than I did.

That gnocchi dish was truly made of little pillows of heaven. In fact, that was the name of the dish, Pillows From Heaven, roughly translated into English. I’ve since moved away and honestly, the way restaurants go, it’s probably gone too. But I’ll never forget my first time.

But it doesn’t matter much now, because while I still love going out, I’m just as happy making gnocchi at home.

continue to the recipe… about Gnocchi With Pomodoro Sauce

Creamy Yogurt Cucumber Salad Recipe

Greek yogurt spiked with garlic, dill, lemon and mint dresses crunchy cucumbers for a favorite, refreshing and creamy summer salad that’s so simple to make.

Well would you look at that??!! I GOT SERVED!

No, I didn’t run a red light with sirens a-blazing in the rear view, and I didn’t get ambushed on my way into the nail salon by some sketchy looking stalker who then delivered papers to call me to court. Whew. Not this time anyway…another story for another day.

This is a good thing, and one I’m honored to share thanks to a fellow food blogger who I think is tip-top talented. In the words of David Byrne (with a slight alteration to the lyrics), “Wow, how did I get here?“

According to Kristin, it’s from recipes like this cucumber salad that put me in her sights.

continue to the recipe… about Creamy Yogurt Cucumber Salad Recipe

Baked Chicken Wings with Thai Peanut Sauce

These chicken wings may be skinless but they still bake up nice and crispy in the oven, and are served with a creamy Thai peanut sauce that’s to die for.

I had a hunch chicken wings might fill the bill.

A hunch that these skinless, baked wings (say what? healthy-ish even?) might fit right into a round of lounging about with friends and family who are perfectly positioned with beverage in hand while the big game rambles on in the background because we’re all ignoring the commentators and waiting for the commercials anyway.

The commercials. And the food. It’s all about the food.

I say I had a hunch, but I really wanted to know, so I asked you what you craved on Facebook and here’s what you had to say.

This is a recipe that begs for the reach-in. Where there will be no penalties or unfair, uncalled for whistles, except for that holy-cow-show-me-more-low-slow-whistle that you only hear on construction sites when a hot chick ambles by.

Woot-twoo. Whistle away. These Baked Chicken Wings with Thai Peanut Sauce deserve every pursed lip.continue to the recipe… about Baked Chicken Wings with Thai Peanut Sauce

Shrimp Tacos with Garlic Avocado Crema + Giveaway

These healthy shrimp tacos with tomatillo salsa, avocado crema, and broccoli slaw couldn’t be easier, and totally fit the bill for Taco Tuesday or dinner any night of the week!

New Years has always been a bit overrated for me.

It was always that one holiday that put on the pressure, that created too much expectation that it was for sure going to be the best. night. ever! and who know’s who you might kiss at midnight?!? It could be Prince Charming!!! Fingers crossed!

And then when Prince Charming failed to show, and there was no kiss, all of that hope you pinned as a sign that this year would be YOUR year, suddenly you realize you overshot your expectations, made them bigger than you might truly achieve, and it put your ultra fancy lip glossed pucker into a serious pout. I mean, is there really such a ‘thing’ as Prince Charming anyway?

It’s the same with New Years resolutions. I’ve had too many years of high expectations, big dreams and plans to restart and recharge that I chart out, document and make lists of that will surely make over my entire life into the perfect dream I wish it could be and BAM! everything will be rosy!

That doesn’t work.

Yesterday I got a little personal but made some admissions that needed to be made, and outlined my reSolutions for 2015.

Too much of the time we think we need a complete overhaul to improve our habits, our health our ways of thinking. When really, it’s the little victories we choose, those that we can actually achieve, that add up to those big changes.continue to the recipe… about Shrimp Tacos with Garlic Avocado Crema + Giveaway

Maple Apples, Blue Cheese and Bacon Pizza

This pizza started out as sushi. Well, sort of.

After getting my roots done this week (just in the nick of time) I hit the bookstore to try and find the latest issue of my favorite foodie inspiration Donna Hay magazine (to no avail) and ended up soaking in a few other publications (rags) instead. Mila and Ashton had their baby! Get ripped abs in 10 easy steps! Theresa and Joe go to jail! Celebrity beach bodies gone wrong! Who wore it best? For sure, she did!

Ugh, why did I wander away from the food magazines?

Afterward, I walked over to Whole Foods to cure my craving for lunch-on-the-go-sushi. Instead, I left with a new craving and all of the makings for this pizza.

continue to the recipe… about Maple Apples, Blue Cheese and Bacon Pizza

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