Recent Posts

1 Pan Mexican Casserole
July 18, 2018

1 Pan Mexican Casserole

20 minutes || My rating: 9/10 || Difficulty rating: Easy In a large skillet, brown 1 pound of ground turkey. Season with 1 tablespoon of chili powder, 1 tablespoon of cumin, salt, and pepper. Remove from skillet.  Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the …

Dinner
Pro-tips on how to have the tastiest steak possible
July 14, 2018

Pro-tips on how to have the tastiest steak possible

Marinade your meat. I use a mixture of Italian dressing, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, spicy mustard, brown sugar, garlic, and black pepper to create a really tasty marinade for your steaks. Marinate for at least 30 mins, ideally overnight. When taking the steak out of …

Dinner, Em's Thoughts
BBQ Ribs
May 29, 2018

BBQ Ribs

3 hours || My rating: 10/10 || Difficulty rating: Moderately easy

I made a few tweaks and used the following seasonings and ingredients in the rub:

  1. Brown sugar
  2. Chili powder
  3. Paprika
  4. Cheyenne pepper
  5. Salt
  6. Black pepper

What I used for the liquid:

  1. White wine
  2. Apple cider
  3. 3 cloves of chopped garlic
  4. Worcestershire sauce
  5. Honey

Enjoy!

Dinner
Salmon with Broccoli and Rice
May 12, 2018

Salmon with Broccoli and Rice

30 minutes || My Rating: 10/10 || Difficulty rating: Easy This is one of my husband, Kenny’s, and my favorite meals. Directions for the Salmon: For the marinade, mix ¼ cup Italian dressing, 2 tablespoons of honey, 4 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of …

Dinner
No time to make meals during the week? Prep and make meals ahead of time!
April 7, 2018

No time to make meals during the week? Prep and make meals ahead of time!

When I know Kenny and I have a busy week or month ahead of us, I try to meal prep over the weekend, so we still have delicious home-cooked meals even when we are busy. I do this in a variety of ways.  Prep produce …

Em's Thoughts
Polenta Lasagna
March 21, 2018

Polenta Lasagna

45 minutes || My rating: 9/10 || Difficulty rating: Easy

Directions:

  1. Brown ½ pound of Italian sausage and add 1 pint of mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are cooked through.
  2. Add 1 jar of marinara sauce (my favorite is Prego) to the mixture. 
  3. In another pot, make 1 cup of instant polenta to the box instructions. Pro-tip: for this recipe, cook the polenta until it’s pretty thick, it will give the recipe more texture. Add ¼ cup of shredded Parmesan to the mixture. 
  4. In a glass baking dish, alternate layers of polenta, sauce, and mozzarella cheese, 2 layers of each. 
  5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 mins. 

For additional flavor, top with some giardiniera. Nom nom!!

Dinner
Chicken Lo Mein
March 6, 2018

Chicken Lo Mein

30 minutes || My rating: 8/10 || Difficulty rating: Moderately Easy Directions: Slice chicken in small thin slices, cook in a skillet on medium high heat with some olive oil. Season with salt and pepper until cooked through. Remove from pan.  In a large pot, …

Dinner, Lunch
Blistered Green Beans
February 24, 2018

Blistered Green Beans

15 minutes || My rating: 10/10 || Difficulty rating: Easy The Pioneer Woman, from Food Network, has some of the best recipes! This is one of my favorite side dishes and Kenny’s, too! Here’s the recipe:https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/blistered-green-beans-3345327 Pro-tip: Don’t be afraid to get some dark color …

Side Dish
Sauteed Bok Choy
February 7, 2018

Sauteed Bok Choy

20 minutes || My rating: 7/10 || Difficulty rating: Easy

Directions:

  1. Take your fresh bok choy and cut off the bottom inch to get rid of the tough part of the vegetable. 
  2. Chop the bok choy into large chunks, about 1-2 inches by 1-2 inches. No need to be particular, just get it all generally the same size. For the leaves, chop them up into a similar size.
  3. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a medium high saute pan with 2 cloves of minced garlic.
  4. Add the bok choy to start sauteing. 
  5. Add 1 cup of chicken broth (can substitute vegetable broth), 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of minced fresh ginger, 1 tablespoon of honey, and a pinch of red chili flakes. Feel free to add more of less chili flakes depending on how you like spice. 
  6. Cover the pan, turn the heat to a medium temperature, and let simmer for about 15 minutes or until the bok choy is fork tender. The greens will wilt and become delicious! Note: Bok choy can be really bitter if not cooked correctly, this is why I went with this method.

I served this with rice and chicken, but this is a great side for any Asian inspired dish.

Side Dish
Chicken Tortilla Soup
January 2, 2018

Chicken Tortilla Soup

15 minutes || My rating: 10/10 || Difficulty rating: Easy Directions: Take 2 chicken breasts and season with southwest seasoning. Grill until fully cooked through,165 degrees. Dice 1 medium onion and 1 clove of garlic. In a medium size pot, on medium heat, add 1 …

Dinner, Lunch