quick meal

Crispy butter garlic chicken is a quick, flavorful dish for busy weeknights. With just a few simple ingredients, this recipe creates tender, juicy chicken thighs topped with irresistibly golden, crispy skin. The secret to achieving perfectly crispy chicken is using a cast iron skillet. Its even heat distribution ensures the chicken skin renders beautifully while […]

There’s something profoundly comforting about a dish that marries simplicity with indulgence, and cheesy baked gnocchi perfectly encapsulates this sentiment. Gnocchi, those delightful Italian potato dumplings, have a knack for transforming even the most ordinary meals into extraordinary experiences. Originating from Northern Italy, gnocchi has been a staple in Italian cuisine for centuries, loved for […]

This beauty is a chickpea flatbread, known more traditionally as a “socca” (in France) or “farinata” (in Italy).  Translated to English, these are savory, tender, unleavened pancakes made from chickpea flour, water, and olive oil. Extremely popular in Mediterranean cuisine, these chickpea flatbreads are easy to whip up, and topping-wise, they are limitless allowing your culinary creativity […]

Summer squash pasta is a delightful ode to the vibrant flavors of summer, making it a perfect quick meal that celebrates the abundance of zucchini and yellow summer squash. This dish embraces simplicity without compromising on taste and captures the light and refreshing essence of the season. The addition of fresh lemon juice at the […]

Golden-brown, crispy fried coconut shrimp served with a chili garlic sauce is a culinary masterpiece born from the inventive minds of coastal kitchens and delivers a symphony of flavors and textures with each bite. This delightful dish, with roots likely tracing back to the vibrant shores of Southeast Asia, boasts a perfect marriage of succulent […]

This baked pasta with cauliflower is my latest and greatest easy meal and I can’t praise it enough. Baked pasta is a classic comfort food that’s been around, in some form, for centuries. Food historians can trace baked pasta dishes to the ancient Greeks, who would toss cooked pasta with eggs and cheese before baking […]

Crispy tofu with Napa cabbage slaw is a tried and true family favorite. Dredging the tofu in cornmeal and cornstarch, before lightly pan frying, creates a crunchy exterior with a soft, pillowy texture inside. This is not my recipe, it’s from Cook’s Illustrated magazine. I have adapted this recipe a little over the years, but […]

Easy dinner alert. This soy-glazed beef fillet is a lovely, Asian-inspired, dish that should be in your recipe arsenal if you’re a meat eater. A tender fillet of beef and flavorful shiitake mushrooms complement one another perfectly, with a prep-and-forget marinade I adore. A quick sear on high heat makes for a simple finish minutes before […]

Beef with broccoli reminds me of my childhood. My mom never made it from scratch, but we ordered it often when we ordered Chinese food and it remains, to this day, a favorite. And while this beloved Chinese-American dish graces the menu of almost every Chinese restaurant I’ve been to over the years, I never […]

Are you a carb counter? No judgment if you are, I know many. While I don’t classify myself as one, I have certainly become much more aware of carbs over the years. I still believe in having it all in moderation, and with that comes choices. And I can’t lie, I like pasta. But not […]

Soup is good for the soul they say and I believe it. Chicken tortilla soup is one of the most representative dishes of Mexican gastronomy and it’s one I’ve loved for ages. Also known as “sopa azteca“, which means “soup of the Aztecs,” the exact origin of this famous soup is unknown, although many assume […]

It’s no secret, I’ve blogged about my love for a great veggie burger before. But this time, it’s different. This is my chickpea veggie burger with sriracha mayo and it’s my new favorite. And although it sounds shocking, this meatless burger is a great quick meal option. Meatless burger recipes are often labor-intensive. But that’s […]

This is a lovely recipe from Ian Garten’s Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That? cookboo that I have been making for years. My husband first introduced me to this effortless shrimp dish years ago after having it at a friend’s house. Now, it’s considered a staple in my weekday meal repertoire. Ina Garten is a well-known […]

I have always loved linguine with clams, a simple, classic pasta dish. Honestly, what’s not to love? Called linguine alle vongole in Italian, this traditional Italian favorite is the perfect warm-weather go-to pasta dish no matter where you live. Widespread and popular on almost every Italian coast, Naples boasts it all began there and is actually […]

Sometimes a smoothie just doesn’t cut it. So I’m mixing it up a bit with this raspberry-pineapple protein slushy and it’s perfect for the Spring and Summer months. I thought a bright, fruity, protein slushy might be just what I needed to kick-start my Spring and give me a non-caffeinated energy boost. Personally, with all […]