Rinse the Damn Rice!  People ask, “do I really need to rinse the rice? The short answer is yes. 100% yes you should rinse the rice. Some say it’s to rinse away some of the starches and prevent clumpy rice, some say it’s to remove…

Sheet Pan Anything is Amazing And these dill seasoned smashed sheet pan potatoes are no exception. They’re a nice and easy side for so many dishes. I love to serve them with baked salmon or my smoked salmon and cream cheese quiche (recipes coming soon)…

Should You Roast or Boil Butternut Squash Before Mashing?  Honestly, either would work, but here are some reasons that I prefer roasting my butternut squash instead boiling it. It’s much easier than peeling and chopping (I literally hate peeling and chopping butternut squash), you get…

How to cook asparagus in the microwave   I actually feel silly posting this, but I have had people ask me how to cook asparagus so many times, that I thought I might as well put it out there. There are many other fancier ways…

What are good Mashed Potatoes without a Great Pan Gravy?  Well, Mashed Potatoes are delicious either way, but we LOVE pan gravy in our house. I made it a point many years ago before I was really good at making gravy, that I would make…

Mashed Potato Myth Busted! I know, I know… We’ve all heard you can’t make mashed potatoes ahead because their taste and texture will change. I’ve heard it a million times, but Pepé and I are here to tell you it can be done. We know,…

Light, Healthy, Easy and of Course Delicious  Sometimes you just need something simple and light to balance those other heavy dishes on the table. That’s just what you get with these Lemon & Garlic Roasted Green Beans. They’re not too lemony or garlicky, and the…

This tomato, cucumber & dill salad is quick, light, healthy and delicious. Making it the day before gives you more time with your friends and family. Quick, Simple, Light, Healthy & Delicious This salad checks all the boxes. You can make this Tomato Cucumber Salad…

Simple Fried Cabbage This Simple Fried Cabbage goes perfectly with our Bangers & Mash with Onion Gravy recipe, but will go with many other pork or duck entrées as well. I have to give my hubby credit for this one. He suggested it and created…

If you think Pepé is cheesy, wait until you try this Gluten Free Mac and Cheese Never in a million years did I think I would be creating a Gluten Free Mac and Cheese recipe, but here I am. I have a couple of friends…

Looking for a healthier side dish to serve with your thanksgiving turkey?  Let’s face it… Almost everything on the table is high in calories and fat or going to be covered in gravy. With all that heavy food, these are a nice, lighter addition to…

Chanterelles are a fabulous foraged food     We have foraged many fabulous foods from our forest for sure, but the chanterelles are probably our favorite. We didn’t even know what chanterelles were before we bought our house many years ago, but thank the heavens…

Grillin’ & Chillin’ We just grillin’ & Chillin’, but Pepé is confused as always. He wants to know why I’m putting my sweet potatoes in the microwave when I said we were grilling. Fair question I guess. I like to put my veggies on the…

Because there are other options besides rice and beans Why does almost every Mexican meal in the United States come with rice and beans? OK, I like rice and beans, don’t get me wrong, but really? Let’s step it up already. Plus this Light Mexican…

What’s the Difference Between Dressing and Stuffing? It’s so simple… Stuffing gets “stuffed” inside the turkey or whatever is being stuffed, and “dressing” is cooked outside the bird. A particular brand of stuffing may or may not have had something to do with the fact…

Classic Bread Stuffing or Dressing with Fresh Herbs Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme Or should I say, comfort, strength, love and courage? These are just some of the ingredients that go into this classic herb bread stuffing, but because I was writing the recipe and…