Dinners

It’s no secret that I love to experiment in the kitchen, we’re always putting our twist on something. But every now and then you just have to go back to an old classic. The French know this better than anyone, which is why this recipe […]

The craze that’s sweeping the nation finally graces the blog – egg roll in a bowl! Egg rolls are always on the list when we order takeout (yes, in a blue moon we do it!), but my biggest complaint is that I love them so […]

  My true test of a “good” recipe is one that I actually make it again. I do so much experimentation in my kitchen and trying out new things that I don’t always repeat recipes, even the delicious ones. But this is one that I’ve […]

Inspiration can strike at the most random of times. Including the very moment that you’re writing your shopping list (like this one). In actuality, miso didn’t even hit me until after I wrote the list, handed it to my husband, and he walked out the […]

To say it’s been a “weird” year is an understatement. But as 2020 (finally) comes to a close and the holidays arrive, my rollercoaster of emotions is only exacerbated by the holidays, and the absence of traditions – and family – that usually make them […]

‘Twas the day before Thanksgiving … and in any normal year I would be holed up in the kitchen right now – baking, prepping, and gearing up for a holiday feast like none other. But not this year. It’s 2020, after all, the most challenging […]

It is officially fall which means ALL I’m craving is pumpkin and some warm, cozy soups! The only downside to this time of year is the return of cold season and it was my family’s turn this week! We will all passed around a case […]

    Whew – what a month it’s been! Apologies for the longer than usual hiatus, but for those who are following along religiously – you know I have a good excuse. We’ve been building up to this all year, and on Labor Day weekend […]

This recipe boasts a combination of flavors that doesn’t necessarily jump to mind, but you shouldn’t discount berries’ ability to pair nicely with meat, especially fish. I know – I’ll never think twice about it again! So how did we end up here? Marc gets […]

  It’s Monday (officially my least favorite day of the week these days), and after a very “busy” weekend of eating and drinking here (don’t believe me, our insta was on fire!), I’d usually hold off on making a pasta dish until later in the […]

What’s the next best thing after flying to Singapore and ordering up one of their famous chili crabs? Staying home and recreating them with my incredibly easy – but nearly identical – recipe! These sweet and spicy stir-fried crabs got their start at a small […]

One of the best parts about our summer expeditions to the farmer’s market is making some incredible new foodie discoveries. Case in point, this purchase of ground duck. It’s something I wouldn’t necessarily go out of my way to find at the grocery, but when […]

  As the last few months have dragged on and we’re clearly in this pandemic thing for the long haul (with not much end in sight), I’ve started experimenting with lots of different flavors to try to keep things interesting. I actually originally bought the […]

Last week was full of celebrations in our house. My son’s 2nd birthday, my Dad’s 64th birthday, Father’s Day and the end of the school year for my 3 year old. Between all of these “events”, cooking and blogging took a bit of a backseat […]

Looking for a simple, healthy and light summer pizza? Look no further than this “green” pizza. This is super versatile and super wholesome. And it makes the best leftovers. (I just devoured a slice for lunch today and am about to go back for seconds!) […]

I had the best intentions to post this last night, but then a raging thunderstorm blew through after bedtime and threw my kids into hysterics. So by the time the storm passed and I put them back to bed, all I wanted to do was […]

I know this recipe is a mouthful to say… but man oh man is it a good one – and couldn’t be easier to make. (And no, I’m not just saying that!) Now that summer has officially, finally arrived, this is the perfect time to […]

As we enter week 7… or 8, or 9? (I honestly can’t keep track anymore!) of this crisis and it’s now been almost 3 weeks since our last grocery delivery, I’m really scraping the bottom of the barrel right now when it comes to cooking […]

I can’t even tell you how much I’ve been craving steak lately. It’s like the one thing we didn’t stock up on and meat has been so overpriced right now that we haven’t prioritized it. But Marc picked up these flank steaks on our epic […]

  This recipe is a reinvention of one I did awhile back. I’ve been really into these all-in-one dinners lately (hence my Shepard’s Pie Cups from earlier this week and Loaded Sweet Potatoes); stuffed peppers are another great vessel to cook a full meal in and […]

  I love a good creamy soup (à la my Roasted Cauliflower Soup), especially when it’s one chocked full of veggies! But DYI you can achieve that same thick, creamy texture without any added milk or cream? It’s healthier, more satisfying, and arguably more delicious! […]

  It’s amazing how one recipe can inspire another… or, in this case, how one simple leftover (mashed potatoes) can inspire a whole new dish! I made these mashed potatoes weeks ago, back at the beginning of the corona-crisis. It was so long ago I […]

  Confession: I kind of hit a wall today with my kids. In less than a week, my 3-year old has become a full blown threenager and it just totally put me over the edge. For the first time during this quarantine (which will mark […]

This recipe is another product of my recent quarantine recipe exchange (thanks Joanna!). Her recipe came from bon appetit, but I adapted it so much that I want to share my version with you on the blog, especially since I made it so pantry friendly […]

As I mentioned in my last post (One Pan Maple Dijon Pork Chops), a big goal for this week was trying to simplify my recipes. Partially because I hit a wall this week and am struggling to keep my head on straight, but mainly because […]

I’m totally hitting a wall in the kitchen this week, but I know we’re all in that boat. We’re on quarantine week 3 here (I think? I am starting to lose track) in my house and it’s just getting harder by the minute. I’m finding […]

*Recipe adapted from Sugar Spun Run

  So today was Day 1 of our coronavirus quarantine. There is so much misinformation floating around that I don’t even know if it’s a self or mandated-quarantine at this point, but I’d rather be proactive as possible. Since my son was exposed to someone who tested […]

This recipe is one that looks way harder than it is. If you have that impression, I’m here to change all that. It actually takes place all in one pan (music to my ears!) and if you break it down, it’s really just a few […]

I don’t know about you, but I’ve easily passed on barramundi at the fish counter without a second thought. But thanks to my new shopping “strategy” (where I shop the sales and go from there, try it!) – it has opened my eyes to some […]

I have a backlog of recipe posts I’ve been trying to get to lately (including last night’s pork tenderloin roulade – soon!), but this recipe was so good and SO simple that I had to make time to post it for you tonight. You can […]

I’m still reeling from a weekend of food poisoning over here (don’t ask!) and haven’t regained an appetite quite yet, but at least I can look at food again! I promised I’d get this recipe up this weekend and a promise is a promise. This […]

I’ve been SO behind on posting this year (not keeping up with my New Year’s resolutions, sorry!), so I figured I’d make it up for it with this post, since it is actually 3 recipes in one. You can make just one pasta, make two, […]

If one of your New Years resolutions was to cook healthier for your family in 2020, then look no further than this recipe. And if your other resolution was to find time to do so, then you are definitely in luck. This is just about […]

I’m telling you, nothing beats a sheet pan salmon when you’re looking for a fast and easy weeknight dinner. If you’ve been following me for awhile you know salmon is almost always in my line-up; we easily eat it once a week. You can find […]

Is there anything cozier than a roasted chicken in a cast-iron skillet? Especially on a snowy weeknight (first snow of the season folks!) – this recipe is perfection. I am a big fan of the one-pan/one-pot dinner trend and this is most definitely going down […]

It’s the middle of the Thanksgiving push and since all of your energy is probably focused on T-day, having some easy family dinners in your toolkit is so necessary. This is one of those recipes. With just a few simple steps and less than half […]

Whoever told you that cauliflower is “so last year” could not be more wrong. Cauliflower is most definitely still having a moment and this recipe is living, eating proof. I can’t even tell you how many requests I got for it after I posted the […]

  I don’t know about you but I’m definitely digging the drop in temperatures, because it finally means it’s slow cooker season! October was so warm we barely even got to enjoy Crocktober, so we’re making up for lost time over here. I’ve been making […]

If I told you that this risotto took only EIGHT minutes to cook, I doubt you’d really believe me. But thanks to the Insant Pot, anything is possible. For those of you who are skeptics about the IP, it’s probably one of the best kitchen […]

    The leave are falling, the temperatures are dropping… it’s officially fall and the time of year I look forward to most – pumpkin season! If you don’t know this about me yet, I am an unapologetic pumpkin fanatic (my other obsession is pb&j – […]

  If there’s one thing we know in our kitchen, it’s steak. We bonded over our love for steak on one of very first dates and we have never looked back. Whether it’s steak frites, a bone-in porterhouse, or a gorgeous filet mignon – I […]

It is no exaggeration to say that I use my cast iron skillet at least 3 times a week. Gordon Ramsay clued us in to the miracle of cast iron nearly 3 years ago and we have never looked back. It’s durable, it’s versatile, and […]

After last weekend’s scallop recipe, “peach week” continues with a totally different but equally delicious dish – these bone-in pork chops stuffed with peaches, basil and a thick, melty gouda cheese. Pork chops have become a staple in our recipe rotation these days. They are […]

It’s definitely NOT a secret that I’m scallop obsessed. The blog is practically an ode to them. (You think I’m kidding – just search scallop on the home page!) And there’s probably no fresher scallops than the ones we buy from our favorite stand at […]

For those who are following the blog closely, you’ve probably noticed that I’ve been taking a little hiatus lately. First and foremost – I’m sorry you guys! Nothing personal! Just the working mom juggle taking it’s toll on me lately. Whoever told me summer was […]

Nothing says summer quite like grilled oysters and a bottle of rosé, am I right? We log a lot of hours at the grill in the summer (and all year long too for that matter), but one of my favorite new seasonal traditions is grilling […]

  Just because it’s summer, it doesn’t mean you have to forego those slow cooker Sundays… just put a lighter spin on them! It seems counterintuitive to the whole “crocktober” movement, but I actually love using my slow cooker in the summer. Especially on those […]

By accident, Cinco de Mayo has become one of our favorite holidays. It kind of started as a running joke with my family when one spring (many years ago when I was still in college) I asked my parents when Cinco de Mayo actually was…. […]

  Sometimes my weeknight dinner strategy literally just comes down to what’s on sale at the store. We are probably one of the few families left who haven’t signed on to grocery delivery service (really, what am I doing with my life?!) so unless I’m […]

  Mmmmm, you know spring is in the air once the outdoor farmer’s markets open! This was the kick-off weekend and we showed up in full force at the Pleasantville Farmer’s Market. Our fridge got a full restock, and then some (you think I’m exaggerating […]

If I could count the number of times Trader Joe’s has saved me in a dinner crunch… it would blow your mind! TJ’s is a bit of a hike for us, but I would even go HOURS out of my way for it, no questions […]

The weeknight dinner crunch is one thing that ALL Moms everywhere can appreciate, whether you’re a working mom or SAHM. I never fully understood what my Mom went through in our house week after week to get food on the table, especially when half the […]

I hate starting a recipe post off on such a negative note, but this has certainly been a month I’d never wish to relive. We ended up having to switch au pairs (such a long and frustrating ordeal, I don’t even know where to start), […]

  Today’s “word” of the day – “healthify” (yes I invented it, no judgment please!). It’s pretty self explanatory, but I’m using it to describe how you can take a recipe that’s typically an indulgence and make it a healthy guilt free meal by thinking […]

  This holiday season has been one for the records, the last few weeks have taken “busy” to a whole new level. I feel like I’m just holding on until January now when things will hopefully quiet down, but something tells me that might not […]

As much as fun as we had hosting Thanksgiving this year, I’m kind of excited to be cooking something totally unrelated for a change. We were eating, breathing, and sleeping Thanksgiving for weeks before and then eating leftovers for a week + afterwards. My freezer […]

By now, anyone who follows our blog knows that I’m a bona fide pumpkin fanatic. Between the months of September-November (the months when pumpkin is “seasonally acceptable”), there is almost nothing I will stop at to incorporate pumpkin into my diet. It’s a short season […]

Believe it or not, stuffing a bird is NOT just for Thanksgiving. Stuffing a whole roasted chicken with apples is a no-brainer and it’s something I don’t do often enough. But a whole roasted chicken yields beautiful pictures, delicious flavors and there’s something about it […]

Is it sad when the highlight of your week is a trip to Trader Joes? I certainly hope not! But it does say a lot about how this week has gone… I have been so overwhelmed this week juggling the kids and getting us back […]

It’s been a busy few weeks here between the whole family first coming down with coxsackie and then two back to back trips to New Hampshire and then South Carolina. I’ve really been missing my kitchen, but I’m getting so excited that fall is nearly […]

  It’s hard to believe that summer is slowly disappearing before our eyes (especially on days like today when it’s 100 degrees UGH)! Frankly, it’s probably crazy that I’m posting this in the midst of a heat wave -never mind making it!- but every time […]

  This has been a bucket list dish of my mine for a long time. Believe it or not, my first introduction to bibimbap was in my home state of New Hampshire (which, no, is not really known for it’s Korean food) at Street, an […]

These days, fast and easy recipes have become absolutely essential for us. We just haven’t been able to cook big elaborate meals like we used to; in fact, some nights we’re so pooped from juggling the two little ones that we’re lucky to get anything […]

  Hard to believe today marks 1 month at home with baby! Mom-ing to 2 under 2 has definitely been adjustment but we’re starting to get into a groove … more or less. The hardest part, besides the sleep deprivation, is finding any time to […]

Pairing lamb & peas is a pretty traditional combination but I’m going to bet you’ve never seen this take on it.  These chops were another farmer’s market score, this time thanks to the Cowberry Cross Farm at the local Pleasantville farmers market.  We have been […]

  I need to make a mental note that stuffed peppers are THE go-to for a fun and simple weeknight dinner.  Earlier this year we made a Shepard’s Pie version with ground beef and cauliflower mash topping and I’ve really been meaning to make them […]

  I’m pretty much excited about any recipe I post to the blog (hence why we share them in the first place!) but this is one that I’ve been dying to get up on the blog all week.  One of our AWNW “test kitchen” specialities, […]

  Strawberry season is in full force and if the success of my other recent strawberry-themed posts are any indication, I’m not the only one who can’t get enough of these juicy red berries!  There are so many creative ways to add strawberries into your […]

If there’s one thing I love as a chef, it’s discovering new kitchen hacks.  Whether it’s finding a substitution for an ingredient I need but don’t have on hand (ie, our buttermilk hack, featured in my Creamy Cauliflower Mash recipe) or something that just makes […]

  We were out to dinner last week and I did a little happy dance when I noticed what was on the specials menu: Soft Shell Crabs!  That could only mean one thing, one of my favorite seafoods is back in season!  Traditionally, soft-shell season […]

    We often get asked, how do you create a new recipe around one single ingredient? Where do you get your inspiration? While I will say it can depend on a lot of different factors (my mood, what we ate last night, what we […]

  Every time I hear of a new diet, I’m sorry, but I immediately think “fad.” The ketogenic diet was no exception to this judgment until I dug a little deeper and discovered that it’s basically my philosophy for eating.  I just never knew it had […]

  Almost any food blogger these days has caught on to the shakshuka craze (and my dad on the other hand is still googling shaka-whatcha?!). This traditional Middle Easter  egg dish has become so mainstream that there are even restaurants with whole menus devoted to […]

After two big weekends of cooking and entertaining, my fridge is once again stocked full of goodies!  It was so depressing when we had to dump everything in March after losing power for a week, but I’ve clearly made up for lost time.  We have […]

  We’re about halfway through the week of Passover and I’m not even close to running out of creative new matzah recipes to try. If you’re like us, your grocery store rewarded you with 7 boxes of matzah for free (well for spending over a […]

  This is the perfect example of a recipe I dreamed up around one ingredient – crispy kale! I don’t know where I got inspired to make it the star of a pasta dish, but I ran with it. Luckily, this dish turned out so […]

  Believe it or not, this is a recipe I totally and completely winged. Aren’t those the best?! It was the middle of our epic March Nor’easter and I knew that whatever I was going to make that night had to be sourced from my […]

  When you get hit with an impromptu blizzard (in March, no less!) just about the best thing you can do is hunker down and cook something hearty. Better yet, it’s the perfect time for slow cooking and this one recipe that you won’t want […]

  Having lived in Chicago for almost a year after college, it should come as no surprise that we quickly became deep dish fanatics. We lived literally a block from Giordano’s flagship location so, really, it was inevitable. Even though we have been back in […]

We’ve been really into whole-roasting things lately and this was a recipe we have been dying to tackle for years! Marc’s parents make a similar recipe a lot and they always rave about how amazing it is, and also how easy. So one cozy Sunday […]

  In my opinion, the best weeknight dinners are the ones that end up being so much easier than you expect. Especially now that I’m a working Mom and time is my most valuable commodity! This whole roasted chicken is the perfect example of one […]

Yesterday’s super bowl was one of the best “edge of your seat” football games I’ve seen in a long time! But for me, the excitement and anticipation started at least a week earlier with menu planning for our super bowl party. The central dish was, […]

This dish is one we’ve been dying to create ever since we discovered the “art” to this unique form of pasta. Grano arso (“burnt grain”) may not be familiar to you now, but I’m fairly confident it soon will be; word on the street is that […]

This might be one of my favorite ways to cook salmon, or any fish for that matter. In addition to it’s photogenic qualities (I think this might have been our most liked photo on Instagram to date!), there’s just something so satisfying about biting into […]

This recipe is a perfect example of why on some nights, we love to wing it. You just never know what you’ll learn and discover along the way. Here is our story of how the “loodle” came to be: It all started innocently enough, at […]

We love to entertain in our house, especially because entertaining usually means we have an excuse to go all out and cook something really fun and creative. And having a theme, like the Oscars, just takes it to the next level. We loved throwing theme […]

Just when you thought Fridays couldn’t get any better, we introduce fried chicken Fridays!  Sure, it’s an indulgence, so I’m not saying make this every Friday, but there’s no reason you can’t enjoy it every now and then. It may sound crazy but I truly […]

We are big believers in using up whatever’s in our kitchen and this particular week we had to use up those giant dried ancho chile peppers that were left over from our Chicken Tortilla Soup. I got in my head that I wanted to try […]

After a week of holiday travels and celebrations (and LOTS of eating out!) it’s so nice to be home in our kitchen and back to cooking some homecooked meals. In particular, we love this easy no-fuss pasta dish – it’s the perfect thing to whip up […]

Looks like another cold and wintry week in the ‘burbs, which means you should all stop whatever you’re doing right this second and make this soup! This is one of those recipes that we spent endless hours researching, tweaking and perfecting because we were determined […]

A few weeks back, I posted my Mom’s family spaghetti and meatball recipe and now that the weather has turned, this cozy dish is going to be making a lot of recurring appearances at our table. But you know us, we’re ever-experimenting in the kitchen, […]

The holidays are the perfect occasion for more themed menus and we’re kicking it off this year with Hanukkah! I was in a panic yesterday that I hadn’t had a chance to post my Hanukkah recipes (we are so behind on posting!), but thankfully Hanukkah […]

Somehow, I don’t think I really discovered Cornish hens until I was in my twenties. And even then, I think I only really ever ate them at restaurants. Hard to believe, I know, but it didn’t really occur to me that this was something we […]

I can’t believe that this is the first scallop dish we’ve posted! I am a scallop fanatic – it’s one of my favorite seafoods – and Marc is a pro at cooking them (thanks to our idol, Gordon Ramsay) so this protein was a go-to […]

We are big believers in carving out time for “date night” in our family, and now that we have a baby on board – we have learned to make time whenever we can.  Even what may seem like just a random Tuesday evening can be […]

My Mom’s spaghetti and meatballs are a legacy in our house, as they should be in any Italian household.  If I’m craving any dish from childhood it’s usually a tie between this recipe (or chicken on the bone).  This meal was always comforting to me […]

Thinking of entertaining on this beautiful fall evening?  When in doubt, turn to duck.  Once you’ve mastered the cooking technique, duck is one of those dishes that will impress even the pickiest of dinner guests.  Don’t get me wrong, cooking duck breasts requires a certain […]

Mussels are one of those dishes that I find so versatile.  The broth is like your canvas, you can add almost anything to it to spice it up and make it your own. Our combination here of bacon with saffron is unconventional, I know, but […]

The last time I tried to experiment with a new fish, it was a monkfish, and I can tell you one thing – that will not be making a reappearance in our household! (To this day when I mention it, Marc still cringes!) So, you […]

This is one of those simply elegant dinners that you can easily replicate for a weeknight or anytime you’re entertaining and want to impress. For those who are curious, Francese means just what you think – “in the French manner,” but it really refers to a […]

In our house, grill season lasts until the first snow (or if you’re really adventurous, all year round) and grilling on a cedar plank is such a great way to cook fish on the barbecue. “Planking” (as I like to call it) gives the fish […]

Marc’s parents make this dish on a regular basis so we finally took the plunge and decided to make it ourselves.  It’s a great Sunday night dish to try when you have a little extra time on your hands to tackle the prep and allow […]

I feel like we are going through a pizza kick at our house lately. We have owned a pizza stone for years, but now that Marc learned how to make fresh pizza dough in his bread maker (the absolutely hands down best gadget in our […]

The leaves are starting to change and Friday’s the first day of fall, so I am already dreaming up cozy fall dinners to feature on the blog. Duck Confit is one of those dishes that I will definitely be serving up as the temperature drops. […]

In any good recipe archive, there should always be a few old favorites. This recipe for crisp-crusted chicken (referred to as “chicken on the bone” in our house), is one of those tried and true classics. I used to beg my Mom to make it […]

Cod isn’t usually my go to fish, but I’m a sucker for wrapping anything with prosciutto.  Having to live 9 months without cured meats when I was pregnant was torture!  I swear, giving up certain foods was way harder than giving up wine.  (Never thought […]

Marc called me at work one afternoon and instead of the usual back and forth about “what should we have for dinner” he announced we were having linguine with white clam sauce.  He’d already gotten the ingredients and we were ready to go. What a […]

  If you want to try a new take on the traditional chicken parm, look no further than this “pizza” recipe.  There’s actually no dough or crust on the pizza, just a glorious base of breaded and *lightly* fried chicken.  I could seriously devour this […]

This recipe is one of our all time favorites, so it was a no-brainer that we would kick off our blog with this.  We’d seen chicken under a brick on restaurant menus over the years and were intrigued/intimated by the concept.  It wasn’t easy to wrap our […]