mushrooms

Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Crostini

Thinly sliced onions and chunky mushrooms caramelize with butter and Marsala wine to make the perfect jammy topping for this easy crostini appetizer with a silky sweet taste.

This recipe is brought to you by Vermont Creamery

Carmelized onions and mushrooms are my jam. Literally. Jammy. Because that’s what happens when the sugars of these two basic ingredients hit the heat and do their dance with sweet cultured butter. The sugars bloom and the onion and mushroom’s earthy flavors deepen to create a savory jam that becomes nearly as sweet as any preserve you’ll spread on toast.

That’s what makes this mixture the perfect topping for hand-held toasted crostini appetizers. And they are super easy to prep and cook too. Let’s party!

continue to the recipe… about Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Crostini

Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe With Ground Beef

Classic stuffed peppers with rice, ground beef, and a rainbow of sweet red, yellow and orange bell peppers makes the best easy dinner idea any night of the week.

Ever since I was a starry eyed pre-teen, I’ve been a fan of drawing rainbows. Now I eat them.

But as a kid, I wrinkled my nose at the sight those orbed vegetables, and when they showed up on my dinner plate, I plotted how to ditch every single bite in a napkin that was slipped slyly to the dog anxiously waiting under the table.

But just like spending Sunday afternoons lazily visiting with family or friends, or relishing the time to simply sit and read a novel, eating the food you hated as a kid suddenly becomes not. that. bad. as an adult. And sometimes really, really good.

Plus, whenever I can serve a meal in it’s own vessel, it’s bonus time. Enter, stuffed bell peppers.continue to the recipe… about Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe With Ground Beef

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. To make the soup even simpler to make while coordinating the fam’s busy schedules, I took this vegetarian lasagna soup from the stove to the crockpot for cooking with ease.

Slow cooking makes lasagna soup easy to make any night of the week, and it can be made with the slow cooker function on the Instant Pot too.

continue to the recipe… about Vegetarian Crockpot Lasagna Soup

Grilled Vegetables with Chimichurri Sauce

Grilled vegetables get a serious flavor boost with a few spoonfuls of this spunky Argentinian chimichurri as a bright and zesty finishing sauce in this easy vegetarian side dish.

When it comes to grilling vegetables, most figure it takes a soak in a marinade before grilling to infuse flavor into those healthy, veggie plain-janes.

That’s hardly the case.

Times have changed and so have our ideas about how to eat our veg. Adding this easy and tangy homemade chimichurri sauce to the savory flavors of grilled vegetables perks up and adds to the delicious gusto that comes along with cooking them over the fire.

This summer, grill first, marinade after. Rejoice and eat more plants! It’s what all the cool kids are doing.continue to the recipe… about Grilled Vegetables with Chimichurri Sauce

The Best Easy Grilled Vegetables

After years of practice on the grill, these are my tips for the best easy grilled vegetables, enhancing the natural sweetness of summer’s favorite vegetables with each smoky bite.

Adding more plants to meals is always at the top of my menu planning, and summer’s bounty makes it even easier to do. With a hot grill already fired up for grilled chicken, fish, or kebabs, I love slicing up whatever fresh vegetables I have in the fridge and tossing them on the grill for a simple mezze-ish platter side.

Even more, grilled vegetables are a healthy vegetarian main when chopped and added to this favorite healthy pasta salad (with avocado!), or added to healthy Mediterranean grain bowls, or made into one of my favorite easy grilled veggie sandwiches slathered with ricotta cheese.

Grilling coaxes out every bit of deep, roasted, sweetness from any plain old veg, softening and flavoring and bringing a lush, smoky char to each deliciously addicting bite.

This grilled vegetable recipe is another that isn’t so much of a recipe but a method to master, and easy to master it is. These grilled vegetables skip the marinade and the skewers, and there’s no need for a grilled vegetable grilling basket either.

Summer eats are meant to be simple, and these grilled vegetables are falling right in line.

continue to the recipe… about The Best Easy Grilled Vegetables

Puff Pastry Chicken Pot Pie with Asparagus and Mushrooms

This chicken Pot Pie—one of my favorite comfort food recipes—is a lightened-up version thanks to a puff pastry crust, loads of fresh veggies, and a creamy yet lower-fat and lower-calorie sauce that brings all the flavors together.

This recipe is brought to you by Almond Breeze

Chicken pot pie, with its homemade buttery crust and thick creamy sauce, rings in the comfort food season each and every Fall and then continues well into the cozy vibes of winter. Who’s with me in calling this pure comfort in a bowl?

But when winter gives way to spring and we start easing into our summery daze, those cravings for traditional chicken pot pie get a literal gut-check when faced with the fact it’s time to transition from hiding underneath winter’s cocooning cardigan sweaters to strutting our stuff in summer shorts and sassy swimsuits.

But that’s what I love about this lighter chicken pot pie recipe: It cures my still-holding-strong comfort food cravings (because do they ever really disappear?) with a healthier adaptation of ingredients, making it a favorite home-cooked dinner no matter what season it shows off in.

continue to the recipe… about Puff Pastry Chicken Pot Pie with Asparagus and Mushrooms

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

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

Slow-Cooker Mediterranean Egg Casserole

This hearty, filling slow cooker egg casserole recipe with Mediterranean flavors, goat cheese, and prosciutto is simple to put together and can be assembled the night before so it’ll cook while you sleep!

This post is in partnership with KraftRecipes.com. As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. All opinions are always my own.

We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief because the finish line is close. The end of 2016 is drawing near and holiday reverie is slowly slipping from our candy cane-grubbed-grasp.

There’s just one downside to the holidays. Okay, make that two.

The first one is that the holidays eventually come to an end. I’m a Christmas girl so holiday time for me is honestly the most wonderful time of the year.

The second—and the one we need to watch out for the most—is the supreme pressure we put on ourselves to make the holiday perfect. We overcommit, over-extend and over-do. This year I say we cut ourselves a little slack and take an easier way out—especially when it comes to cooking. How? By taking a few shortcuts to create a homemade holiday from the heart.continue to the recipe… about Slow-Cooker Mediterranean Egg Casserole

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms With Hollandaise

These baby portobello mushrooms stuffed with cream cheese and Italian sausage and drizzled with a rich and creamy hollandaise are the perfect appetizer for your next party.

When my friends at Arla asked me to come up with a holiday recipe featuring their cream cheese, I knew in the wink of an eye it would be the most crave-worthy holiday appetizer to appear on the buffet table –> Sausage and Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms.

You know the deal with sausage stuffed mushrooms. You’ve seen the eager eaters in action. Heck, you’ve probably been one of them. When you’re mid-conversation and suddenly spy a plate of these bite size poppers magically appear from the oven. You lose your train of thought. Your host carries the platter and drifts in slow motion to the appetizer table. And then like a swarm of locusts, guests swoop in, make their grab, and the delicious little nuggets disappear from the party platter.

And you are definitely one of them.

Because studies show, stuffed mushrooms are ALWAYS the first bite people reach for at a party. Okay, it may be my own personal study that’s proven this true, but I’m concluding it nonetheless.

But these aren’t just any ‘shrooms. Oh no. These poppers are taking the uptown route with a drizzle of creamy, homemade hollandaise.continue to the recipe… about Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms With Hollandaise

One-Pot Skinny Pasta Primavera

Almond milk replaces cream and butter in this easy and healthy, spring-inspired version of the Italian classic, that’s loaded with fresh veggies and herbs.

This year I’m partnering with Almond Breeze to create and share recipes using almond milk. The previous recipe I created using almond milk was breakfast-centric. This month, we’re heading to the dinner hour for a savory way to end the day.

I was in my Weight Watchers meeting this week where the theme was rediscovering your kitchen. We were asked to bring in some of our favorite healthier recipes to share.

As is par for the course, I couldn’t choose just one. Hello, I’m a food blogger.

So instead, I took this cookbook and this list of 5 food bloggers weight loss success stories to share. Because inspiration breeds determination. Am I right? *btw, did I just make that up or is it a real saying?*

continue to the recipe… about One-Pot Skinny Pasta Primavera

Roasted Mushroom Beef Stroganoff

A slow beef braise and roasted mushrooms are the secret to the best beef stroganoff recipe, the most popular dish at Salt Lake City’s Copper Onion, and the only way I’ll ever make beef stroganoff again.

Salt Lake City is on a local food scene high and I’m one of the lucky locals to reap the benefits. This Beef Stroganoff recipe is just one meal of the many that locals call a favorite.

The first time I had it was while sitting at the counter of one of the most popular restaurants in Salt Lake City, Copper Onion, and I immediately started quizzing the chef cooking directly across from me for details about the recipe. I absorbed about half of the instructions in between forkfuls, but now, thanks to the new cookbook Salt Lake City Chef’s Table, I don’t have to rely on my fading memory.

Instead, it was the first thing I made from the cookbook’s pages authored by Becky and Josh Rosenthal of the food blog The Vintage Mixer. And I’m sharing the recipe and it’s secret as to why its my comfort food fave.

continue to the recipe… about Roasted Mushroom Beef Stroganoff

Broccoli and Shiitake Mushrooms With or Without Soba Noodles

Hearty soba noodles are tossed with stir-fried broccoli and shiitake mushrooms and ponzu sauce for an easy, healthy, and delicious dish that pairs well with any protein.

I tend to get into the trap of not always sharing our tried and true dishes. The ones we eat over, and over, and over again.

Why not? I’m not sure.

I guess I think they’re mundane. Too boring. Not enough Pow! Bam! Wow!

When in reality, we’re all searching for ways to make our lives easier, and that should start with our favorite foodie eats.continue to the recipe… about Broccoli and Shiitake Mushrooms With or Without Soba Noodles

Easy Chicken Breasts with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Pan fried chicken breasts are cooked to golden-brown and cloaked in the creamiest, easiest white wine, lemon, and thyme mushroom sauce with a hint of cream.

Chicken breasts.

They can easily become the same-old, same-old. The same boring and blah, no-flavor piece of poultry.

Except for this chicken that’s simple? Yes. Flavorful? You know it. Boring? Hell no.

This 30-minute, weeknight chicken breast recipe makes all of your gluttonous, weekend brunches, boozes and binges merely a flash in the memory bank. In yes, 30 minutes.continue to the recipe… about Easy Chicken Breasts with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Portobello Mushroom Burger with Avocado Chimichurri and Capsule Kitchen Challenge

This grilled portobello mushroom burger is not only healthier than a beef burger, it’s also super delicious and easy to make, plus, it features the most incredible avocado chimichurri sauce!

My word for 2015 is constantly ringing in my ears. “Enough. Enough. Enough.”

Now if I would just listen to it I’d be head and shoulders in front of the game instead of doing double duty trying to catch up.

But when I’m ignoring my conscience and going along my route path, I have a constant reminder to put my word “Enough” into action. Sort of like the little angel who sits on my shoulder whispering subtle reminders of “do good” and “don’t be bad!” and “it’s okay to take it easy and not go overboard” like I’m doing once again.continue to the recipe… about Portobello Mushroom Burger with Avocado Chimichurri and Capsule Kitchen Challenge

Truffled Gnocchi Macaroni and Cheese

Gnocchi macaroni and cheese is bathed in an easy white cheddar and truffle infused sauce to add an elegant touch to everyone’s favorite comfort food.

There are some things that come from the kitchen that you just don’t mess with. The classic French onion soup, the best filet mignon ever and my mom’s Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole. Some recipes are just better left alone.

Mac and cheese is not one of those recipes. Mac and cheese just begs to be fashioned to fit your cravings.

In honor of today being National Cheese Lovers Day (hey! did they get my memo and create this day just for me?) I directed my cravings to my brain to create a surprisingly easy, silky and cheesy sauce for a not so traditional macaroni and cheese.

Isn’t eating your cravings the best way to celebrate a day like today?

continue to the recipe… about Truffled Gnocchi Macaroni and Cheese

Scrambled Eggs and Sausage Breakfast Burrito Plus 5 More Recipes to Fold and Go

Breakfast is big deal at our house.

It might not always be big in portion or production value (hey, I’m all good with frog in the hole or a microwave egg sandwich or even basic scrambles) but we do make it a point to have something substantial and wholesome in our bellys before we walk out the door (Smudge and my man), or down the hall (me), to face the day.

We’re privy to spending a little more time on the process come weekend time. Isn’t that always the case when it comes to cooking?

So while my man was easing into his Sunday by flipping through the channels with switch ups of Meet the Press (“Hey, I’m digging the new addition of Chuck Todd,”) to Food Network (“Babe, we should make this for dinner,”) and settling upon the FOX NFL Sunday (“Kaepernick said WHAT?”), I was staring at a refrigerator full of blog post leftovers that had no combination value for breakfast, too many condiments and an overflowing crisper of farmer’s market finds.

This scrambled egg recipe isn’t so much about a “recipe” per se, but what you have in the refrigerator that needs to be used up. Choose flavors that meld together, in this case, our breakfast burritos went in an Italian migration sort of way.

continue to the recipe… about Scrambled Eggs and Sausage Breakfast Burrito Plus 5 More Recipes to Fold and Go

One-Pan Chicken with Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Sauce

You might have a secret desire to be Suzy homemaker. Or to be known as the Martha Stewart of your neighborhood. Or strive to be just like whoever that overachiever is on Pinterest who makes, creates and cooks every. single. thing. from scratch.

I’m here to tell you that it’s okay to let those dreams die.

It’s okay to take a short cut here and there.

You don’t have to do it all, every. single. time. Especially when it comes to weeknights in the kitchen when all you’re craving is some simple, easy comfort food.

Hey! Let’s jump on the short cut, one-pan-dinner train together.

continue to the recipe… about One-Pan Chicken with Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Sauce

Filet Mignon with Porcini Mushroom Compound Butter

I bet it started in the ‘50s. Maybe the ‘40s even. Of course I could be wrong, but it seems to me a perfect timeline fit. Back when sips of bourbon-and-bitters-based Manhattans and nibbles of caviar topped deviled eggs started the meal and Baked Alaska ended it and The Joy of Cooking lived in every good housewife’s kitchen cupboard.

Somewhere along the food heritage line, steak became the poster child for decadent dinners. And there’s no steak seemingly more decadent than the petite filet mignon.

Maybe it’s how it’s spelled with that sneaky, silent ‘g’ that shows off it’s Frenchie, linguistic ways. Maybe it’s because when you say “filet mignon” it simply rolls off the tongue and you sound so upscale. “Minnnnn-yon.”

Or maybe it’s because it’s such a dang expensive cut of meat. Because doesn’t expensive mean it’s the best? Maybe if you’re a Real Housewife of Beverly Hills, but when it comes to especially flavorful food, hardly ever.

As things will happen over time, the filet mignon went from rock star status to a C-list contender on Dancing With the Stars, even getting lambasted by some of America’s top chefs. No flavor because it’s so low in fat. Overrated after becoming overexposed on nearly every American menu for years. And far too often, way overcooked for such a lean meat. Why oh why do people cook their meat well done?

But when this tender filet is cooked just right at a medium rare temperature, and a pat of fat is added to the ingredient list, suddenly we have a whole new ball game.

continue to the recipe… about Filet Mignon with Porcini Mushroom Compound Butter

Pizza Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms to Feed a Child and Nourish a Mind

There are so many reasons to eat well in this world. For the fortunate—those that have a paycheck to spend and nutritious food nearby to invest that paycheck in—there are many opportunities to do so.

But for some life doesn’t work that way. There isn’t a paycheck. Sometimes there isn’t even a store. And others to provide for you? That could very possibly be out of the question too.

For adults in this situation it can become a circular battle that just keeps spinning out of control. For an adult who isn’t sure of where their next meal is coming from, at least they can be hopeful that there is a way out and work toward that goal.

But what about the children? Children who don’t have access to food? Kids who are forever hungry. Starving even. Those little faces who have no control over where or if they’ll be eating today, tomorrow or next week? Can you imagine how scared they must feel? How overwhelming it must be to simply. not. know.

Today I’m asking that you join me in making a change in the lives of those that go hungry. I’m challenging you to join me in donating just $10 to The Lunchbox Fund to provide lunch for 100 school children for one year. A lunch that could possibly be there only meal of the day.

continue to the recipe… about Pizza Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms to Feed a Child and Nourish a Mind

Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken

When I received an S.O.S. comment on Facebook from one of my favorite readers, Maribel, I put on my thinking cap and went straight into action.

With Christmas Eve approaching in just a wink of an eye, Maribel commented that she was in need of a recipe that had enough style to impress at the holiday dinner table.

But there was one condition. The main dish had to be cooked in a slow cooker.

See Maribel doesn’t have an oven. No, I don’t know why—I’m fantasizing it’s because she’s either in the midst of an amazing kitchen remodel or lives in a teepee fashioned with an es long extension chord to a chugging generator or possibly just doesn’t believe in the clutter an oven adds to her kitchen?

continue to the recipe… about Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken

Spring Vegetable Gnocchi

Before I talk about today’s recipe, I want to send my heartfelt thoughts to those that were affected by the bombing yesterday at the Boston Marathon finish line. Thankfully my friend, and many of yours, Dara of Cookin’ Canuck and her family—in Boston to cheer on her husband Steve who crossed the finish line just 3 minutes before the bombing—have let us all know via Twitter that they are fine even with the blast happening just one block and three minutes away from them.

Timing. It’s a tenuous thing.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all of the families and participants, volunteers and emergency care workers who were affected, especially those that could not walk away. Special prayers to the family of the 8 year old who was killed in this manic event. That hits way too close to home. I cannot imagine.

Why did this happen? Why do any of these deranged plots happen? What are people thinking? I just can’t wrap my head around why anyone, ANYONE, thinks this is a good way to prove a point, gain notoriety or to simply create chaos through terror.

The only way I know how to address this is to love my loves and look for beauty and unselfishness in this unstable world. I hope you can too.

I’m very much a creature of habit. Or more likely a creature of cravings. When it comes to going out to eat I can rarely motivate myself to deviate from my standard favorites, especially when it comes to any sort of ethnic food. Mexican food: I always gravitate to the Chile Rellenos. Sushi: I must have Spicy Tuna anything.

When it comes to Italian, its rarely a question of what to order once the waiter rolls around: Gnocchi please. The sad thing is, at most Italian eateries gnocchi isn’t always standard fare. That’s why Sea Salt in Salt Lake City is one of my favorite spots to eat, since they have at least 5 different gnocchi recipes on the menu.

While Gnocchi alla Norma is my favorite and will make the blog sometime in the future, I’m working on spreading my wings and rallying through the rest of the menu at Sea Salt. Yep, I’m going wild around here. At least in the gnocchi department.

How it has taken me this long to get these potato pillows on the blog is beyond me.continue to the recipe… about Spring Vegetable Gnocchi

Sausage and Marsala Pappardelle Pasta

We all have our favorite recipes. And we all have vices. This recipe combines the best (best?) of both of them in my little world.

I’ve been sitting on this recipe ever since I started blogging. It’s one of those recipes I make it at least once a month, a favorite staple in our house and one I break out when company shows up unexpectantly because I always have the ingredients on hand.

But because it’s such a favorite for dinner, it’s usually dark by the time I’m done cooking and we’re hungry and there’s no light to take a pretty picture or any pasta left anyway. Oh, the life of a food blogger, balancing hunger pains of the family for you my lovely readers.continue to the recipe… about Sausage and Marsala Pappardelle Pasta

Chicken Piccata Pasta and Friday Faves

Seriously people, where does the time go?

I recently marked 5 years at my day job, my one year anniversary of blogging, today is the last day of this year’s school year and tomorrow is my baby girl’s 8th birthday. Seriously how does time whiz so quickly by?

Each of these milestones reinforces my resolve to take more time to enjoy the most important people in my life and take control of my own destiny. And I couldn’t be more determined, felt more inspired and have been given more encouragement to do so.continue to the recipe… about Chicken Piccata Pasta and Friday Faves

Friday Faves plus Truffled Mushroom with Prosciutto and Tallegio Grilled Cheese

It’s almost over. My weekly ode to the grilled cheese will soon be on hiatus until next April.

If you missed my Sweet Pear and Rosemary Honey with Havarti Grilled Cheese, Honey Smoked Ham with Fig Spread Grilled Cheese or Turkey and White Cheddar with Caramelized Onion & Grape Grilled Cheese you can still add them to your weekend honey-do list.

But until we make the move into margaritas and Mother’s Day brunches, I have two more sandwiches to squeeze in.

This week’s grilled cheese is all about the aroma. As in the stink. Tallegio is a creamy Italian cows milk cheese that at first waft might send a 411 alert to your tastebuds to brace themselves for an alarmingly strong bite. But contrary to its aroma, Tallegio’s flavor is more mild, even more so than the far more popular blues or gorgonzola. Its more like a brie, with a bit of a fruity nutty flavor to top it off.

And creamy? Oh baby. It’s creamy.

Speaking of baby, before we get into the cheese let’s get into this week’s Friday Faves.continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves plus Truffled Mushroom with Prosciutto and Tallegio Grilled Cheese

Garlic Soba Noodles with Grilled Shrimp

Wow, what a week its been. And before I can even think of digging into one of my favorite recipes, I have to say thanks. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

This week Maria and I launched Cookie Cravings, Two Peas and Their Pod’s first foray into the cookbook arena and another publishing adventure for me. We both agree its been such a rewarding project to create and finally share with our readers.

So again, thank you, thank you, thank you for all of you for your amazing feedback and support; I can finally uncross my fingers and toes thanks to the digital delivery process going off without a hitch. If you haven’t already, visit my cookbook page for all of the cookie details.

continue to the recipe… about Garlic Soba Noodles with Grilled Shrimp

Grandma’s Scrambled Egg Recipe and 6 Ideas for Brinner

I have a love/hate relationship with Daylight Savings Time.

I love it for giving me more time to do “fun stuff”—verses “boring stuff”—with Smudge, like flying kites or taking the dogs for walks. I hate it for making me get up earlier than my body wants to and making me eat my breakfast at work because I’m running late.

But one thing that comes of missing my breakfast routine is that since I still have the craving, why not switch it up and serve up a little breakfast for dinner? Or as I recently learned via some of my Twitter friends, brinner anyone? And that’s a meal that always throws me back to my youth.

When my dad would get a March hair and decide to take over the dinner cooking duties, he had four recipes he rotated in and out: Pheasant, nachos, daddy’s hamburgers and my Grandma’s Scrambled Eggs.

continue to the recipe… about Grandma’s Scrambled Egg Recipe and 6 Ideas for Brinner

Green Beans and Shiitake Mushrooms Plus 5 Simple Thanksgiving Sides

The stories are what I remember the most.

Everyone gathered around my Grandma Mary Jane’s dining table set with her best crystal and china—that I now have. The ambrosia salad that she’d make just for me. Helping my Aunt Jill make the relish tray and sneaking the squeeze cheese minus the celery.

But the best part of Thanksgiving was my Grandma M.J. retelling the same stories each year, with the same style and wit as if it was the first. Her memories of when my mom and and her siblings were young. No matter how many times we’d heard the story, the entire table would wait anxiously, grinning from ear to ear, and roar in laughter at the punch line.

No one could tell a story like Grandma MJ. Except for Uncle Tom, whose laugh was positively booming and infectious, and whose motto is, “I’m on a seafood diet. I see food and I eat it.”

Ah, words to live by.

Lucky for you, I’ve started—just barely—to move out of my ambrosia salad phase.continue to the recipe… about Green Beans and Shiitake Mushrooms Plus 5 Simple Thanksgiving Sides

Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Crostini

Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe With Ground Beef

Vegetarian Crockpot Lasagna Soup

Vegetarian Crockpot Lasagna Soup

Grilled Vegetables with Chimichurri Sauce

The Best Easy Grilled Vegetables

Puff Pastry Chicken Pot Pie with Asparagus and Mushrooms

Truffled Mushroom Pizza

Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Stuffed Bell Peppers

Slow-Cooker Mediterranean Egg Casserole

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms With Hollandaise

One-Pot Skinny Pasta Primavera

Roasted Mushroom Beef Stroganoff

Broccoli and Shiitake Mushrooms With or Without Soba Noodles

Easy Chicken Breasts with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Portobello Mushroom Burger with Avocado Chimichurri and Capsule Kitchen Challenge

Truffled Gnocchi Macaroni and Cheese

Scrambled Eggs and Sausage Breakfast Burrito Plus 5 More Recipes to Fold and Go

One-Pan Chicken with Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Sauce

Filet Mignon with Porcini Mushroom Compound Butter

Pizza Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms to Feed a Child and Nourish a Mind

Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken

Spring Vegetable Gnocchi

Sausage and Marsala Pappardelle Pasta

Chicken Piccata Pasta and Friday Faves

Friday Faves plus Truffled Mushroom with Prosciutto and Tallegio Grilled Cheese

Garlic Soba Noodles with Grilled Shrimp

Grandma’s Scrambled Egg Recipe and 6 Ideas for Brinner

Green Beans and Shiitake Mushrooms Plus 5 Simple Thanksgiving Sides

How to Make the Best Potato Salad

How to Make Classic Macaroni Salad

How to Make the Best Grilled Salmon

The Best Greek Chicken Marinade

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