A heads up for this week, it’s unintentionally 4th of July appetizer week! When I was preparing recipes for my two weeks of traveling, I really had the mindset of creating 4th of July friendly dishes for you all to prepare this week! The 4th is, of course, the biggest holiday of the summer. And I know so many of us are looking for simple appetizers and recipes to just throw on the grill....

Complete with a fun little video too. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing. Please excuse the odd music and not so perfectness of this whole video idea. Alright, but here is thing, I am turning over a new leaf. Before a few days ago, I kind of thought drinks where a little lame. Maybe it’s because I do not actually drink alcohol straight up (I prefer it in my chocolate or even in my tacos) or maybe it is because I was just never introduced to these fruity drinks....

I am always on the look out for low-calorie snack recipes. As a matter of fact, I don’t enjoy deep frying but the severe snack craving kicks-in, it is always better to look for healthier options. I use two of my most trusted kitchen utensils – Paniyaram/Appe Pan and Iron Griddle when it comes to low-calorie cooking. I have moved onto cast iron cookware since more than a year and what a pleasant journey it has been....

I’ve always wanted to make a simple chocolate sheet cake. But that was just it, it felt too simple and basic to share with you all. I know that sounds kind of silly, but I like to share more unique recipes with you guys. My hopes are that I will inspire you to create something fun to cook up for dinner or dessert. To this day, I haven’t shared a super classic chocolate sheet cake....

This post is in partnership with KitchenAid. With the longer days, warmer weather, and springtime produce now in stores, I am really embracing the “hearty” salads right now. And when it comes to salads, I really like them big, plentiful, and robust. No wimpy bowls of lettuce, you know? Enter this roasted cauliflower salad. With a mix of roasted and fresh ingredients, it’s the perfect salad for summer. It’s also great for meal prep, and most importantly, it’s satisfying and delicious Just like you guys, my life is go, go, go....

Well, not really I just realized that I better get this posted. Time is running out. I mean jeez (or geez?? I never know), Thanksgiving is a week from Thursday! Yikes. Do you guys have your menus all planned out yet? I’m hoping not, since I have a few more Thanksgiving recipes coming your way. I feel so late to the game, especially since my family has somehow completely skipped over Thanksgiving and moved on to Christmas....

Remember yesterday how I said I was hoping the snow would hold out a few more weeks? Well, we got snow. Not much, but I saw some white this morning and I can confirm, I am not ready. I want these autumn colors to last, but sadly our fall is quickly coming to an end. I knew the day was coming, but it still doesn’t mean I am ready for it....

I’m always on the hunt for super easy side dishes to go along with dinner. Some of my favorites include roasted root vegetables, garlic mashed potatoes and this fresh and colorful sauteed green beans recipe. Sauteed Green Beans Ingredients To make delicious sauteed green beans you will need butter, fresh green beans, garlic cloves, Italian seasoning, parsley, salt and pepper. These green beans are fantastic with hearty everyday dishes like chicken Milanese or slow cooker Salisbury steak and holiday favorites like Cajun turkey, crock pot ham and smoked turkey....

The way I work and the way I develop recipes is just chaos. This recipe is the perfect example. Sometimes I’ll start a recipe and I just get bored. It’s not flavorful enough or too similar to something I’ve already made. There are so many reasons I don’t follow through with every recipe I set out to make. But it’s the recipes that I sit and stare at, then frantically develop because I’m always in a time crunch, that are my favorites....

I know it is only Wednesday, but this week has already flown by. I hit the ground running on Monday with meeting after meeting and it was the best way to start my week. It’s odd, some weeks can be full of meetings (either on the phone, or if traveling, in person) while other weeks are full of testing and photographing recipes in the kitchen and talking to almost no one accept the people I work super closely with....

Watch the How-To Video Here: Especially in the dead of winter?? It’s pretty much the only thing I can think about at this very moment. I mean, do you see the all that cheese?? I am dying. All the cheese please! So we have serious things to chat about today, and when I say serious, I’m talking about this very simple vegetarian skillet lasagna. I’m sure after looking at this gooey deliciousness that you might like to start making this pretty much ASAP, right?...

Thursday night Mexican food – yum! Even though I’ve been sharing a lot of Asian-inspired/influenced recipes lately, I’ve still been cooking plenty of Mexican dishes too! Tacos are always on rotation, and we all love my tortilla soup. But I don’t share all of the recipes I create; only the ones that taste so delicious—and this saucy skillet dish tastes so delicious! It was a dish I didn’t think I would share, but when it turned out to be not only simple but yummy, too, I knew it was something I needed to recreate for the site....

It’s strawberry season! We’re entering late spring, and the strawberries are abundant at my local Whole Foods. They look so pretty that I can’t help but want to bake with them! Like many of us, I love a really great strawberry shortcake or strawberries ‘n cream ice cream bar (my favorite). These sweets always remind me of summertime, which just makes me happy inside! I thought these could be the perfect cookie to share ahead of Mother’s Day this weekend!...

Because honestly smoothies are the laziest drink/snack/breakfast around. Truthfully, I never thought I would post a smoothie recipe because when I make smoothies, there is no recipe. Throw in a little of this, a little of that, oh and maybe some of that, in the blender and blend, blend, blend. But since my cousin Maggie requested a new smoothie recipe I wrote one down with pencil and paper. I figured I could come up with something good seeing as all I want to consume these days is mass amounts of fruit....

Because really, is there any other way to eat meatballs? Well, yes, there is, but pasta is the best way to serve up saucy meatballs like these. And pasta with a good dusting of parmesan cheese, because if you’re eating meatballs and pasta, you might as well add on the parmesan too. It’s kind of the only way. Seeing as though it is finally Thursday, and the weekend is right around the corner (yes, yes, yes), I thought I’d share this plate full of cheesy meatballs and pasta with you guys....

I don’t share many sandwich recipes, but when I do, I’m always very excited about them! This started out as something on a smaller scale, but then, as the idea grew in my head, it became this delicious dinner-style sandwich complete with melted cheese and the most delicious homemade Caesar dressing. When I set out to make this, I knew I wanted to include sun-dried tomatoes. In the winter, I love using these in place of fresh tomatoes....

Sweet and sour chicken is a super popular Chinese takeout dish. The combination of crunchy chicken, sweet juicy pineapple and crisp peppers just cannot be beat. I make this dish at home at least once a month to get my Chinese food cravings satisfied. Best of all, my kids love it too. Serve it with other Asian food recipes such as Szechuan beef, Hunan chicken, chicken lo mein, veggie fried rice or a cool Asian cucumber salad for a complete Asian inspired meal!...

I love sweet potato side dish recipes including hasselback sweet potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, sweet potato souffle and sweet potato casserole with marshmallows. I know that some people aren’t marshmallow fans, so I’ve developed a more adult version of the casserole with a sweet pecan topping. This is a must-make for Thanksgiving! Sweet potato casserole is a Thanksgiving recipe that cannot be skipped. There are so many ways to showcase sweet potatoes, but this sweet potato casserole recipe with pecans is one of my favorites....

I make steak tacos at least once a week, we can’t get enough of them. I use my homemade Mexican seasoning for extra flavor, and add side dishes like pinto beans and rice to make a complete meal. Mexican food is so fun and easy to make at home. That being said, the taco seasoning packets you get at the store are often loaded with undesirable ingredients like sugar, starch and preservatives....

Slider sandwiches are so much fun for parties, and can be made in so many different flavors like Cuban sliders, buffalo chicken sliders and chicken parmesan sliders. This Mexican version is full of meat and melted cheese to satisfy the heartiest appetites! I just love a good slider sandwich. They’re fun, easy to eat and filling. These taco sliders take all the best flavors of a classic beef taco and stuff it in between garlic buttered buns....