Most of my childhood was spent in the Midwest, but I moved to North Carolina when I was 15 and stayed until I was 28. Those formative years yielded a deep appreciation for Southern cuisine, and now that I live on the west coast I often lament the fact that authentic country delicacies are hard [...]
Too Easy
I’m usually wary of recipes that promise huge shortcuts in traditionally labor-intensive dishes. Usually, such dishes are labor intensive because they need a little extra time and effort to become something spectacular. Risotto is a prime example of this; you stir and stir and stir to release starch and give the dish its trademark creamy [...]
Simple Comfort
My mom’s chicken potpie is the stuff of dreams. She takes chicken and veggies, coats them with a layer of gravy, and tops the whole shebang with homemade pie crust. The crust is the key ingredient, but it also makes it a rather labor intensive dish. I could take the easy way out and use [...]
Craving Fulfilled
Here’s a fun fact about me: I once appeared on a short-lived Food Network show called Calorie Commando. If you never saw it, the premise was simple: “real people” worked with the Calorie Commando, Juan Carlos Cruz, to come up with healthier versions of their favorite gluttonous foods. To be honest, I applied for the [...]
Old Friend, New Favorite
Remember when I outed myself as a Rachael Ray fan? Nowadays, I find most of her recipes by accident as I search the Food Network website for ideas. I happened upon this recipe for Chicken with Wild Mushrooms and Balsamic Cream Sauce and both Corey and I found it so delicious, we made it twice [...]

