Odds and Ends Casserole

Don't you hate throwing out food?  It makes me feel so wasteful when I realize that I've let all the odds and ends in my vegetable drawer sit for too long and I have to throw them out.  I literally cringe and feel guilty.  At least we live in San Francisco where we can put them in the compost bin to be picked up and put to good use...being composted....somewhere...for something.  I'm actually not too sure how it...

Layers of Flavor: Spicy Squash, Potato and Beef Stew

So, I've been a little obsessed with Butternut Squash lately.  It all started when I made that savory Golden Winter Soup for Book Club.  I ended up with too much Butternut Squash, so I decided to try out this recipe for Squash, Chickpea and Red Lentil Stew in the crockpot.  Notice that I didn't blog about that dish and I'll let you guess why.   So I used the leftover Butternut Squash, but I didn't have quite...

CrockPot Creations Part 3: Pork Carnitas with Green Apple Slaw

My first week back to work was a hectic one and left me with very little time at home for cooking.  I managed to throw together a few meals, but one night The Hub and I decided to turn to our trusty friend, The Crockpot, for help.   We had bought a 3 lb. pork shoulder over the weekend and decided to make some tasty Pork Carnitas We had also bought a giant bag of Granny Smith apples over the weekend and needed...

Crockpot Creation Part 2: Meaty, Chipotle Chili

It was uncharacteristically chilly and rainy this Thanksgiving weekend, which meant that we had to come up with an alternative for The Hub's Birthday BBQ.  We decided to move the party inside and put together another Crockpot Creation! As usual, this creation was The Hub's brainchild.  He wanted to do a chili that included a LOT of meat and some slow heat, which can best be derived from chipotle chilis. ...

A Stuffing “For The Rest Of Our Lives”

You can probably tell by now that I like to use a recipe when I'm cooking.  I'm good at following directions.  When I need to improvise in the kitchen, I panic.  What can I say, it's the perfectionist in me!  I want to know that it's going to taste good.  I'm not sure what came over me, but when I made that Stuffed Acorn Squash last week, I just knew I wanted make a few small changes to the recipe and turn it...

Crockpot Creations Part 1: Pollo Loco

One of The Hub's favorite things to do is throw a whole bunch of random things in a crockpot and see what happens.  Surprisingly, his concoctions are usually very successful!  I like to call these meals Crockpot Creations.  Today I'm going to share a creation that we made last week and transformed into 3 different meals.  I call this creation, Pollo Loco. You'll need: 4 chicken breasts 6 cups of...

Another Quick Meal

The Hub and I just got back from a 10 day European adventure and it was amazing!  I can't wait to blog all about it and share my favorite travel spots with you.   But for now, we're just working on getting back into the swing of things and recovering from jetlag before we hope on a plane again next week. We've been a little hectic this week so I wanted something very simple and fast for dinner.  Gourmet Garden...

Super Easy Snack From an Almost Empty Fridge

Yesterday I came home from a long day of running errands absolutely famished!  Unfortunately, like Old Mother Hubbard, my cupboard was bare.  I was able to scrounge up a tomato from the Farmer's Market and one last piece of pita bread....not too appetizing.  But in 5 minutes, and with the help of my basil plant, I was able to turn my scraps into a delicious snack! Here's what you'll need: 1 large...

DETOX

Whenever it’s been a long weekend of drinking and stuffing my face, like this past weekend, I like to detox with a big, giant salad.  This warm salad is hearty enough that it will fill you up like a true meal, but low cal enough that you don’t have to feel as guilty as you have the last few days of binging. It’s super easy, so try it out! Ingredients:  Just put in as much of each thing as you feel...