Well hello, long time, no post! Things have been a bit hectic, so I took a much needed break from cooking. We had a few too many nights of frozen ravioli and breakfast for dinner, but I finally got back into the kitchen again this weekend– I missed it! The first recipe I created is a very tasty one. These summer chicken quesadillas were inspired by the fresh corn I had for the first time this season during a clam bake at a work retreat l» [continue]

I’m loving the trend of more and more food bloggers periodically featuring their favorite products, so I’ve decided to jump on the bandwagon and write a post about my own current obsessions every so often as well. I think I’ll do it whenever I have five goodies I can’t wait to tell you about! Of course, some items will be foodie related, but I also plan to touch on other topics too. 1. Let’s start with makeup! Apolinaras likes to» [continue]

This post is a little overdue, but better late than never. Here’s my favorite picture from Greta’s 7 month birthday a few weeks ago. I still can’t believe she spontaneously posed like this, and I managed to catch the shot! And here’s our little cutie with Apolinaras. Her sixth month was filled with some fun firsts, including our first jog in the running stroller (she inevitability falls asleep after a mile or so). » [continue]

I'm finally feeling like I can relax a bit and turn away from the news. Much love to Boston and all the incredible law enforcement officers who worked so hard to keep us safe this last week. I also got back in the kitchen on Sunday night, because I had volunteered to make a dessert for a coworker’s birthday. Since I was feeling too lazy to head out to the store, I rummaged around my kitchen and found frozen berries, cream, and coconut, a» [continue]

Our hearts were broken on Monday here in Boston. Thankfully, we were not at the marathon this year, but we've cheered on the athletes in the past when we've had friends running. Watching the marathon is a joyous tradition for many Bostonians. Our city is actually rather small, so everyone who lives here knows someone who was there on Monday. The stories of the first responders and heroes rushing to help the injured, the medical personnel l» [continue]

Have you ever ordered off a restaurant’s “secret” menu? I almost tried ordering the Quesarito when I was at Chipotle this week. Why didn’t I think to wrap a quesadilla around a burrito?! I also used to always order mint Oreo blizzards from Dairy Queen growing up. I don’t think they were officially on the menu, at least when I first started ordering them, so when my former coworker Libby told me she used to always do the same, I k» [continue]

I’ve been trying to get this post up for a few days now, but I'm nursing a cold and therefore more tired than usual, and I'm having the worst writer’s block....so I’m just going to keep this one short and sweet! Meatloaf is one of our favorite comfort foods and this version has a Cajun twist. It’s packed with spices and onion, green pepper, and celery. It’s very tasty and filling and pretty healthy too - enjoy! Cajun Meatloaf Pr» [continue]

One of my favorite things about making brownies is that you don’t have to wait for the butter to warm to room temperature since you just melt it with the chocolate. This is especially important when you spontaneously decide to whip up a treat for your hubby’s coworkers and all your butter is in the freezer! These are really rich and decadent triple chocolate brownies that aren’t too sweet. I hope Apolinaras' team enjoyed them at his » [continue]

Here is Greta on her March 11, her 6 month birthday! She is now 18 pounds 1 ounce and 28.5 inches long. I can’t really put headbands on her anymore because she pulls them off and then this happens.... We were super excited to start her on solids foods on her half birthday. Here she is enjoying her sweet potatoes! February was also a busy month. My parents visited over President’s Day weekend, and we had a great time. A» [continue]

I’ve always admired Ben and Jerry’s clever ice cream names and came up with a creative one for my recipe today - Top Tier-amisu Ice Cream Sundaes! I know, I know, I shouldn't quit my day job, haha. I’ve become more addicted to lattes since having Greta and recently tried coffee ice cream for the first time. It was quite tasty, but I wanted something more, so I made these indulgent adult ice cream sundaes. I started with a couple scoo» [continue]

Look at this lovely green pesto gouda, which somehow ended up in our cart at Trader Joe’s. It’s amazing how often this happens. I also discovered their caramel cashew cookies on this trip – so good! Anyway, this gouda is their spotlight cheese for March, so hurry and get it while you can! Green cheese for St. Patty’s Day just makes me happy. I obviously needed to use it in a creamy mac & cheese. To keep things interesting, I also » [continue]

I always look forward to grabbing lattes with my mom and wandering around the mall when we see each other. Miss Greta and I are already continuing this mother/daughter shopping tradition. We haven’t been to a mall yet, but we did go to Nordstrom Rack the other weekend and explored all the aisles of shoes. Greta was most captivated by this sparkly pair, so I had to explain to her that 5-inch heels are just too much when you’re 6 feet tall» [continue]

I’m convinced that Apolinaras buys more bananas than he knows we can finish in hopes of some getting brown....so he gets banana bread! Not that I mind. Banana bread is one of my favorites too, and I’m always thinking about new ways to mix it up. Since Apolinaras loves all things coconut, I decided to stir some coconut cream into the batter instead of buttermilk this time. I also added a hefty dose of sweetened flake coconut. I thought the» [continue]

Yesterday was my Blogiversary! Thank you all for spending a little part of your day with me. I appreciate each and every one of my readers, and I hope I’ve inspired you all to play in the kitchen! To celebrate my little blog turning four, I thought I would continue my tradition of having a giveaway! What cookbook are you currently lusting over? These are some of my recent favorites, and I would like this one. Any cookbook could be you» [continue]

Here’s Greta on her 5 month birthday a few weeks ago! She’s in her daddy’s favorite outfit – a fuzzy purple hoody, which he says makes her eyes pop, awww. Greta has been very busy this month learning to tripod (sitting while leaning forward when there are toys in front of her) and teething. She wants to chew on everything, including her fingers! We’ve set up a little play area in our family room, and she loves the mirror. » [continue]

I have my first how-to video for you today! I demonstrate an easy way to caramelize onions and show them every 10 minutes of the hour and a half process. Video shoots are fun, but I wish I had someone to speed along the editing process for me. I shot this one in October! Caramelized onions are one of those ingredients that make everything better. I used the batch in the video to make a really lovely pizza. The caramelized onions beca» [continue]

Woohoo, I’ve finally found a few minutes to blog! Hopefully this recipe was worth the wait. On super busy nights, like the ones I’ve been having recently, I love grabbing dinner from Chipotle on my way home from work. I always order the same thing – a chicken burrito with brown rice, onions and peppers, black beans, corn salsa, tomato salsa, and cheese! This Mexican casserole has a bunch of same yummy ingredients. I layered corn tort» [continue]

There’s nothing quite like a rich and hearty lasagna! I could dream up different versions all day. The one I’m posting today features a chicken sausage, ground turkey, and sun dried tomato meat mixture layered with whole wheat noodles, tender roasted eggplant , creamy ricotta, and a lovely pecorino romano white sauce. Oh, and several generous handfuls of shredded mozzarella cheese, of course! It does take some time to assemble all the » [continue]

  Brrr, there’s nothing like slurping up a large steamy bowl of soup when it’s cold out. Work has been crazy lately, so I haven’t cooked in a couple of weeks. I always try to have a few weeks of blog recipes ready to go for busy times like this though and actually made this soup back in December. Looking at the pictures is making me crave it again now that it’s so much colder out! I roasted carrots for the soup and added in» [continue]

Here’s a picture of our little pumpkin on her 4 month old birthday last week. She’s 15 pounds 15 ounces and 26.75 inches long and is already in size 6 to 9 month outfits. In the past month, Greta has started “talking” all the time and is also having a ton of fun choosing what toy she wants to grab and chomp away on. It’s been so amusing to watch her start to fixate on objects. I put a bag of chips on her lap the other day at Panera,» [continue]

I have a really lovely salad recipe for you today. It was inspired by the Tahini Sauce from Trader Joe’s, which is a very tasty blend of tahini, lemon juice, and garlic. I created an easy tahini dressing just by stirring a bit of milk into the sauce to thin it out a bit. Of course, if I was going to use a tahini dressing, then my salad obviously had to be topped with falafel! I added pumpkin puree to my chickpea mix, which resulted in very » [continue]

I’m back and finally have a recipe to share with you! We had a rough start to the new year when Apolinaras was hospitalized for 6 days with a very aggressive type of atypical pneumonia. Fortunately, the doctors finally found an antibiotic that worked well and he is home now and resting and recovering. It was a very stressful couple of weeks since he had to be quarantined away from Greta. We are so thankful that neither Greta or I got sick a» [continue]

I just spent an hour or so browsing through all the recipes I shared this year, so I could post a little roundup of my top 12 recipes. I hope you enjoy it! 1. We’ll start with some of your favorites. These Individual Breakfast Pot Pies packed with eggs, sausage, red peppers, mushrooms, and cheese, and then topped with puff pastry got the most page views. 2. And my decadent Late Night Snack Bars, inspired by the amazing Ben and Jerry�» [continue]

  Merry Christmas everyone!  We found the best present under the tree this year.  We are so incredibly grateful for our little girl and are having such a blast celebrating her first Christmas! We hope you all have an amazing holiday with your loved ones and many days filled with laughter and Christmas cookies! » [continue]

  Aren't these Christmas cookies pretty? We’ve really been enjoying the holiday spirit the last few weeks getting everything ready for Greta’s first Christmas. We picked out and decorated our tree and bought a couple of personalized ornaments for our little girl, along with a very cute stocking featuring gingerbread men. I also took Greta’s 3 month pictures in one of her holiday outfits. This month she’s discovered her hands a» [continue]

I love making a show stopping dessert when we have friends over. The extra company is a great excuse to make a large layer cake or cheesecake, since I’m usually able to convince our guests to take some of the leftovers home with them! Today’s decadent cheesecake was inspired by Trader Joe-Joe’s chocolate sandwich cookies stuffed with chocolate crème. I’ve recently decided that I have a very important mission. It’s my duty to featur» [continue]

I pick up butternut squash from the market almost every week when it’s in season. We just can’t get enough! It does take a few extra minutes to peel and chop up, but it’s definitely worth it - there are so many delicious ways to enjoy it. I recently roasted up some cubed butternut squash and mashed it into a delightful risotto. Apolinaras said it’s the best risotto he’s ever had! I also added a lovely mix of baby spinach, chard, » [continue]

I’ve started doing the bulk of my cooking on Sundays now that little Greta is here. Sometimes she’s napping or playing with her daddy while I’m in the kitchen, but I also occasionally prop her up in her highchair and explain everything to her like I’m on a cooking show. Well, a cooking show with lots of goofy singing and dancing around, haha. I try to make at least two dishes to get us through lunches and dinners until Wednesday, and » [continue]

Growing up, my mom always let me pick out one fun item during our trips to the grocery store. I could get whatever I wanted, so it was a big decision! I still do this to some degree today. At Trader Joe’s, for example, I limit myself to one treat per visit. Otherwise, I would end up walking out with half the cookies and chocolate covered goodies they carry, especially during this time of the year when there are so many festive options! The » [continue]

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving! I always admire bloggers who post recipes for holidays a few weeks before each celebration. I usually don’t quite have my act together to do so, but I do have a fun idea this year for what to do with your Thanksgiving leftovers! I actually made this Curried Chicken Pot Pie a few weeks ago, but you could easily use leftover turkey and mashed potatoes to whip it up as well. It’s classic comfort foo» [continue]