Creamy Pork Stew

I am not a big fan of pork. By that I mean pork chops, because YOU KNOW I love ham and am having a not-so-secret affair with bacon. But pork chops? Hard. Pass. BUT, since I’m always in the pursuit of new recipes, and diving into foods that I would normally say “No, thank you” too, I decided to give this Creamy Pork Stew a try aaaaaaaand…. I think I just found *THE* winter soup recipe of the year. Really. And it’s strange because one of my favorite parts of this was the pork. It was all juicy and tender

Cauliflower Steak with Chèvre Cream

I need to stop looking up recipes that are supposed to be healthier, because I’m finding that they are just not that fun for me. But, when I kept seeing “cauliflower steaks” like they were supposed to replace real steak, I thought, I’ve got to see what this nonsense is about. And it IS nonsense for the record. Cauliflower will never be steak in any way shape or form. That being said… The strange part about this recipe is… I actually enjoyed the baked cauliflower! I ate it and thought, “Okay, I sorta-kinda get why people substitute this for beef.”

Maple Oatmeal Scones

I’ve had quite a scornful relationship with scones. In my childhood, my family would always by them at the State Fair, cost a small fortune, and usually consisted of generic jam stuffed into big hunk of dry bread like substance. Everybody praised them as being awesome while I would mistakenly give them a try (again) and finding myself hacking up crumbs that got stuck in my throat. Yuck. But then I got to thinking. I like tea. Scones are supposed to go great with tea. Maybe I was eating the wrong scones at the wrong time. Maaaaybe, if I added

The Pumpkin Chocolate Tart by Any Other Name Would Be…

The Fuck Yeah Tart, or so the writer of Wholy Goodness believes. Sorry for the coarse language, but it IS what she called this vegan and refined sugarless masterpiece. Except, I didn’t make mine vegan. When it said to add coconut milk, all I could think was “HEAVY CREAM!” while grocery shopping and OOPS, I bought the heavy cream instead of the coconut milk. It was no accident and I’m SorryNotSorry. I’ll be honest, I gravitated towards this recipe because the man in my life is bemoaning the amount of sugar loaded treats I’ve been baking. So this is how

Food Ingredient: Russet Potato

I recently sent in a vial full of saliva to the 23andMe company and found out I’m pretty much just your average Irish girl whose family immigrated to America decades before I was born. Learning this, I also realized I’m probably made of potatoes and beer which explains my impeccable taste in food (i.e. I love French fries and other things cooked in a deep fryer). Seemed only sensible to dedicate a whole post to the russet potato, which is so diverse that it just begs to be used for every single course of the day. Really. The russet is

Chocolate Pound Cake

from Paris Sweets by Dorie Greenspan This ain’t your grandmother’s pound cake. Or maybe it is if she’s French and uses chocolate. And if it IS your grandma’s recipe? You are one lucky grandchild. This pound cake isn’t so much a cake as it is some really good bread that happens to taste like chocolate. It’s not make-you-sick sweet, and it barely registers as dessert… but it satisfies my sweet tooth. I particularly like slicing into this while enjoying a cup of black tea! The two go perfectly together. Will I make this again? Absolutely! As a matter of fact,

Vegetable Stock

I bought myself a Breville pressure cooker which has officially become my pride and joy. It doubles as a slow cooker as well, and mind you, I was able to cook up the soup that’s going to get me through the winter. Period. You can mock me for posting this. It’s something that I’m sure is basic and everybody can do it, BUT words cannot explain how excited I was that I was able to make my own vegetable stock using a recipe from those cook booklets that come with gadget you just ordered. Yes. You read that correctly. I

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

THIS IS MY FAVORITE DISH EVER. Okay, maybe not ever, but it’s CURRENTLY my favorite dish ever. When I first saw this recipe I gave it so much side-eye, I’d thought I’d go blind. Butternut squash and a “healthier” version of Mac and cheese? Who even made this recipe? And why are you putting vegetables in my bowl of carbs and fat anyway?! BUT, I sighed, and got to cooking because trying new things means also allowing some questionable things into my cooking. Which, if you haven’t caught on yet, I have ZERO regrets mixing my cheese with some squash.

Punitions

from Paris Sweets by Dorie Greenspan Punitions, or “Punishments” in English, is a butter cookie which lends itself well to different topping. According to Dorie Greenspan and her research, this cookie gained i’s name through grandmothers wheedling children by telling them to take their punishment and giving them a cookie. Cute, eh? That was SO not my childhood. And like any sane person on hearing the title of the cookie, my boyfriend said, “Are you sure you want to make those? They sound… ominous.” But I went THERE. I made them. And you know what? They tasted like hella good

Ground Bison Taco Salad

My man has a heritage straight out of Mexico. So anytime I make a recipe that is strongly influenced by flavors from south of the border, he gets pretty hyped. So you kinda know that when I said I was making ground bison taco salad, that he got pumped. And the recipe used brought the FLAVOR with cumin, paprika, chili powder, and some good old fashioned salt and pepper. It also was great to switch things up and use bison, which proved to be fun to try but really, you could make this with ground beef and be golden. But