I have a friend who patiently cleaned, peeled and cubed a fresh pumpkin and then selflessly gave me some. Scratch that, a TON! I would have never even thought of doing something like that! But now that I have it in my fridge the ideas are flowing. First, I roasted some [...]

A few weeks ago the husband and I went to Chili's for lunch and I ordered the Chicken Enchilada soup. It was DIVINE! Just complete cheesy goodness with chunks of chicken and veggies and a delicious mild flavor. I never had a soup like it before. I immediately thought of ways I could duplicate it. [...]

I can't take full credit for this idea. Cindy sent me this in a wonderful email... On Taco night - ditch the shredded cheddar and instead stir in 2 wedges of the Queso Fresco & Chipotle Laughing Cow into the meat at the end of cooking.  It makes it creamy, moist, cheesy and DELICIOUS! [...]

This post isn't as much a recipe as an idea. Actually I consider all my "recipes" just ideas. I rarely make the same thing twice and if I do it's never the same exact way becuase I'm a reactor. No, I'm not going to explode at at moment, although I do feel like I am [...]

Let's start with a confession, as I normally do. I never make Portabello burgers. Actually, I RARELY even buy Portabello mushrooms. They are just one of those things that won't fly with husband or child so I don't bother. But when I saw them at the store this weekend, I couldn't resist. I'm home for [...]

So I'll admit it, I'm sick of turkey leftovers at least in the traditional sense of making a plate with all the fixins. Having cooked poultry in the fridge on the other hand, totally inspiring. Tonight I used those leftovers to make something completely different, enchiladas! All it took was some pantry items, a couple [...]

In the fall I could make a chili every weekend but unfortunately the husband isn't a fan. I know, crazy... right? I mean WHO doesn't like CHILI?!? Especially on a cool fall day! This drives me nuts as chili is the ultimate comfort food for me. I don't care if you make it with beef, [...]

I've never been a tuna salad person. I think we established that on my Garden Tuna Salad with Feta Post. But being home for lunch has me wanting to get creative and I always seem to have cans of tuna in the pantry. Nor sure why. Pair that with a crap load of veggies from [...]

You may not know this about me but I am a turkey burger fanatic. There's nothing wrong with a traditional burger but I like using ground turkey as a starter for some more fun ideas. So far I've come up with... Southwestern Turkey Burgers Grilled Honey Mustard Turkey Oat Burgers [...]

WOW I can't believe I received no complaints about dinner tonight. Not a single one! And we even ate bulgur and green beans. ;) Two ingredients that get mixed reactions in my household. I made something similar to my quick Sausage and Pepper idea but used bulgur instead of pasta and added green beans to [...]

I'm so glad I had leftovers!! I used the London Broil from yesterday, a green bell pepper and some onion to make the most delicious wrap! It worked out great as I had friend over for lunch today. The 6oz was perfect to make two loaded cheesesteaks. I decided to use a wrap to make [...]

Ok, don't stone me for this but I HATE tuna salad. I never order it. Ever. I think it's gross and totally disgusting. Not because of the tuna but because of the mayonnaise. I've never been a fan of mayo even as a kid. Once I saw them make it in a demonstration (blending oil [...]

I had no intentions of cooking last night. The husband was pissing me off. I had a long day at work. I have a messy house. A to-do list about as long as the yellow pages and I knew I was going to have to go to bed early just to wake up and start [...]

Believe me, I know, the title of this idea scares me too! First of all there's a vegetable in there not many of us are familiar with (kohlrabi) and then I'm mixing one of natures most amazing fruit (at least I think so), the watermelon with cheese. Not any cheese but FETA. Yeah.. my [...]

This is a semi-homemade style Sloppy Joe recipe I whipped up for small party I was having today. I wasn't in the mood to do a complete from scratch but I can't possibly serve a meal without veggies (it's just not in my blood ;) so this was a quick compromise. To my surprise... [...]

Sometimes things don't go according to plan but they still work out, like this idea for a Chicken, Kale and Sweet Pepper Wrap. Originally I was thinking I'd use the kale leaves for the wrap itself but once I pulled out the ingredients I realized it just wasn't going to work. Thankfully I had some [...]

Last night was taco night! I love family taco night. It's super fast and easy to make lighter and healthier by adding tons of veggies. You can check out some of my tricks by clicking here for my basic Taco Night post or click here to watch my taco night video. With the tacos I [...]

I whipped this up today with some aging peppers and a few cans I found in my pantry. We didn't go grocery shopping yet, I only had a small bit of onion yet and had to use kidney beans when I really wanted black but this worked out better then expected. Lunch is such a [...]

THIS is what happens when I don't have to make the husband or the child happy with dinner. Here's the story... We have a TON of leftovers from a get together we had this weekend but nothing I really want to eat, again (fried chicken) so I decided to simply cook for me and let [...]

I took a vacation day from work today after a fabulous trip to Boston. I don't know about you but I always need a vacation from my vacations. :) Anyway, I wanted to make a quick brunch and I happened to have a can of refried beans opened from some quesadillas I made on Thursday [...]

First I made Mini Egg Muffins. Then Mini Spinach Egg Muffins. Now I present Mini Western Omelet Muffins! :) Western omelets have always been my favorite. The combination of onion, peppers and ham with egg dipped in ketchup is a little taste of breakfast heaven for this breakfast lover. The little guy had NO interest [...]

I FINALLY got a minute to tell you about this soup. I made it on Saturday and I'm in love! I used my giant batch of turkey stock I made from the Thanksgiving bird and the last of the leftover turkey meat. Of course you can use chicken broth and leftover chicken instead. Whatever works! [...]

Sorry for my lack of posts. The holidays hit along with a bad case of bronchitis. I'm still battling cough and fever. :( I stayed home from work today and when I got hungry I reached for the leftovers, of course. I mean what else is there in the fridge the week after Thanksgiving? [...]

I'm a HUGE fan of baked tortilla chips. Nothing beats a big ol' bowl of salsa and a bag baked chips. That was until... I found my new friends Baked Scoops! These are basically a baked plan tortilla chip shaped into a bowl. I mean COME ON! Nothing is screaming to be made into an [...]

This recipe isn't polished as I totally butchered the preparation BUT it was SO tasty I had to share the flavor combination. I'll make it again with more detail and repost but I thought this may give you some ideas. Of course you can go chicken instead of pricey scallops, they just happen to be [...]