chicken adobo recipe
Well, dear people, all good things come to an end and our trip to England came and went too quickly.  We had such a good time and just as importantly, we traveled there and back in one piece.  But...

slow cooker whole chicken and stock recipe
Daughter #2 asked me the other day if I was "ever going to put that thing away?"  She was referring to my slow cooker, of course.  Not that Daughter #2 is complaining since she's the first one to the...

slow cooker chicken tacos recipe
You have all waited patiently while my life changed with the arrival of my slow cooker.  Apparently, I am very late to this party.  I had no idea there was this...

deer valley-style turkey and black bean chili recipe
Are we having fun yet?!  Good, good.  I have been running around the house yesterday and today like a busy bee, very excited that the big day is almost here.  I'm taking a quick breather from the Thanksgiving marathon...

roasted whole bone-in turkey breast recipe
This is it, friends!  We're in the home stretch and I've got one last recipe to share before the big day.  By now you know I get most excited about the side dishes, but in my classes I spend...

thai (grass-fed) steak salad recipe (or with chicken)
Oh people.  We are on the brink of my favorite time of year.  A time of backyard barbeques, picnics at the beach, sand between my toes, fresh tomatoes and basil, peach pie, and long nights under starry skies.  Ahhhh,...

the secret to great-tasting chicken
If you choose to eat animal protein, chances are you prepare chicken more than any other kind.  Chicken's popularity is not surprising-- it is very versatile to cook with, neutral in flavor, low in fat and more budget-friendly than...

turkey meatballs
Have I shared with you that I don't really like meat and poultry all that much?  It's not even for ethical or health reasons.  I just don't enjoy the texture and flavor of animal protein.  I was a pescatarian...

“special occasion” chicken pot pie and other ideas for a delicious valentine’s day
Chicken pot pie is one of my family's favorite meals and this recipe, adapted from The Loaves and Fishes Cookbook, is the best one I've ever tried.  Pot pie falls in my "10%," that is 90% of the...

chicken and avocado soup
Even though I'm a big football fan and I love a good game (especially when my team wins), when it's over, it's over.  Whether the outcome of the game is favorable or unfavorable, life goes on and so do...

stir-fried grass-fed beef and broccoli
Happy Chinese New Year! Mr. Picky is very excited to celebrate the holiday at his school today and the girls are happy that I'll be making a Chinese meal for dinner tonight. I'm fun that way! My whole family...

traditional roast turkey with gravy
My husband and I offered to host Thanksgiving at our new home a few months after we were married in 1995.  We were young and naive, but we were excited to play house with all our new china and...

smoky braised lentils with (or without) turkey sausages
Do you have a son younger than college age?  Did you ever have one?  Do you know that he probably doesn't eat lunch at school?  I know you pack him something wonderful and maybe he even helped pick it...

easy no-fail roast chicken
If you eat chicken, you absolutely must learn how to roast one whole.  It is beyond easy to do, never fails me, everyone loves it and is arguably the most delicious way to eat chicken.  WHAT MORE CAN YOU...

chicken and vegetable kabobs with chimichurri sauce
This summer has been a blur.  My husband and I have (thankfully) been working a lot and Daughter #2 was just bat mitzvahed this past weekend.  There hasn't been too much free time to experiment in the kitchen as...

grilled chicken paillard with arugula and lemon vinaigrette
By now you have figured out that I promote one meal for the whole family.  I think there is a beautiful connectedness that comes from everyone sharing the same meal and sharing the same energy from that food.  In...

tasty turkey burgers
Let's play a little word association game!  When I say "turkey burger," you say ...?  I think I heard "bland," "dry," "flavorless," "pointless."  You know what I say?  "No thank you!"  Until now. I have never been a big meat-eater,...

grilled lemon-herb chicken with mint drizzle
I'm so glad you came back.  I was afraid I might have scared you off with that black cloud of grilling hanging over my website, so to speak.  But the important message in yesterday's blog is that even...

fajitas
You all know my seven-year-old son, Mr. Picky.  I need to re-introduce you to Daughter #2, who just announced last night that she is now a vegetarian.  That's Miss Vegetarian to you.  Hmmm.....She is the same child that asked to try...

orange and rosemary glazed chicken
It's not my husband's fault he can't find his way around the kitchen.  He grew up with a mother who is a very willing and capable cook.  She made hot breakfasts every morning and power lunches for school.  Each night...

chicken and vegetable curry
Growing up in a traditional Italian home, I learned very little about food that wasn't Italian.  I could tell you the names of about 80 different shapes of pasta (you could, too if you ate it four times per week)...

turkey (or beef or tempeh) tacos
In light of the recent discovery that Taco Bell's meat for its beef tacos is mostly, um, NOT beef, I thought it was necessary to get a high quality taco recipe out there.  One of the things I find...

harira
Harira is a Moroccan stew that is traditionally served during Ramadan to break the daily fast.  In my house it is a nourishing one-pot meal that is perfect for a chilly winter evening.  I have seen many versions of recipes...

lemon-thyme chicken
Once upon a time, I used to enjoy spending lots of time experimenting in the kitchen.  I had fabulous cookbooks in which I found interesting and challenging recipes to make for dinner.  On a weekday.  And then it was over....

turkey sausages with cabbage and fennel
People ask me all the time for more recipes that are Fast!  No, faster!  And easy!  I understand the challenges that people face when pulling together a weeknight meal, whether they are parents or not.  However, we need to put...

onion-braised grass-fed beef brisket
Let me come right out and say that I don’t like to promote the consumption of too much beef for several reasons (here come the hate emails from the National Cattle Industry – you think I’m kidding).  In our...