Cheesy Spaghetti Squash Bake

Modified from TaylorMade Market Truthfully, I have not been much of a spaghetti squash fan when people have touted it as an alternative to spaghetti noodles. It always turned to mush for me and seemed kind of bland. I noticed this appealing recipe on Pinterest and decided to give spaghetti squash another try. As usual,… Continue reading Cheesy Spaghetti Squash Bake

Honey Mustard Wings with a Kick

I have a definite weakness for sticky-sweet-spicy chicken wing sauces, and this might be the ultimate. I know, I say that every time, but when you have to keep tasting the sauce “just to make sure it’s still ok” while the wings cook, you realize that some good things are about to happen to your… Continue reading Honey Mustard Wings with a Kick

Savory Custard with Bacon and Cheese

With the holidays approaching, maybe you’re looking for a simple but elegant brunch offering for your guests, or maybe just something a tad bit special for yourself. This savory custard should please about anyone – – I even like it and eggs are not my favorite! It must be the garlic-infused cream, or the nutty… Continue reading Savory Custard with Bacon and Cheese

Potatoes Au Gratin

Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Have you ever made a cheesy potato dish that you love, only to have it curdle or end up topped with an unappetizing pool of grease?  There’s a lot of variables at play – the amount of starch in the potato, the proteins in the cream and cheese, how well… Continue reading Potatoes Au Gratin

My Gluten-free All-purpose Flour Blend and Lemony Pound Cake

Gluten-free baking is a real challenge, so much that there are shelves full of cookbooks devoted to turning out baked goods that, hopefully, aren’t dry, crumbly, dense, starchy, greasy, gummy or tasting of cardboard.  The truth is, gluten-free flours just don’t act like wheat flour – it’s not in their chemistry.  In most circumstances, you… Continue reading My Gluten-free All-purpose Flour Blend and Lemony Pound Cake

Summer Squash Stuffed with Goat Cheese

Never mind the date on the calendar; it’s truly summer when summer squash are bursting out all over.  Whether you grow your own or depend on your local farmers,  summer squash is in season!  Luckily it is very versatile and I never get tired of eating it. We usually go for something simple with summer… Continue reading Summer Squash Stuffed with Goat Cheese

Banana Date Walnut Bread (grain-free)

Faced with rapidly blackening bananas in the fruit bowl, I turned to the ever-popular means of using them up…banana bread.  My old recipe for banana bread used wheat flour, but thankfully these non-yeast breads adapt well to using almond flour. The other big change in this recipe is the lack of processed sugar.  After 3… Continue reading Banana Date Walnut Bread (grain-free)

Cheddar Bacon Biscuits (grain-free)

These savory little shortbread cookies will taunt you until you have eaten every last one – I’ll warn you now!  I had to make batch after batch of these because I “forgot” to take a photo, and next thing I knew, they were all gone. I first set out on the path to make plain… Continue reading Cheddar Bacon Biscuits (grain-free)

Crispy, Baked Sweet Potato Fries (gluten-free)

Over the weekend I went on an internet mission to find the secret to sweet potato fries that are crispy, baked (vs fried), well-seasoned, and gluten free.  I wrote down what I thought were the best ideas from a multitude of recipes, added seasonings I like, and put it all together in a Hail Mary,… Continue reading Crispy, Baked Sweet Potato Fries (gluten-free)

Oven-Roasted Tomatoes and Vodka Sauce

Tomatoes are starting to roll in, and not even I can keep up with eating that many BLTs.  One of the easiest and most versatile ways to take advantage of this is to oven-roast the tomatoes.  I love the super-concentrated, sweet taste of roasted tomatoes – and you can use them in a sauce, eat… Continue reading Oven-Roasted Tomatoes and Vodka Sauce

Smoky Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon Topping

Adapted from and Inspired by Bakeaholic Mama I recognize that I use every excuse in the book to eat anything dripping with cheese and/or bacon….but this time I really needed some comfort food.  If any of you have ever had a pinched nerve in your back, you know what I’m saying.  Ouch!  Although I was… Continue reading Smoky Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon Topping

Chicken Lasagna with Mushrooms and Fontina Cheese

Modified from Daniel Boulud’s Chicken Lasagna I have to warn you straight up about this recipe – it is incredibly rich.  Not rich as in “I always fly first class.”  Not rich as in “We fly our own plane and have a time-share ski cabin in Aspen.”  It’s rich like “Please have the pilot ready… Continue reading Chicken Lasagna with Mushrooms and Fontina Cheese

Chicken Tamale Casserole (with Roasted Tomatillo, Cilantro and Green Chile Sauce)

When we are in Santa Fe, I like to attempt at least one Southwestern-inspired dish, and with that, hopefully add an ingredient that is new to me. This recipe for Chicken Tamales sounded interesting and included tomatillos – a tart little tomato-like fruit that I have not cooked with before. However, I didn’t want to… Continue reading Chicken Tamale Casserole (with Roasted Tomatillo, Cilantro and Green Chile Sauce)

Sunday Morning Bacon and Swiss Quiche

Prospects are grim for getting breakfast in this house, any day of the week. That’s the reality when the cook of the house is not a breakfast eater, made more difficult when the cook does not really care for the taste of eggs. My poor husband subsists on nuts, berries, and yogurt most of the… Continue reading Sunday Morning Bacon and Swiss Quiche