Fluffy Eggs, by Cheryl

I could eat eggs every day. Usually I have them over easy, but I've been making some omelets as well. However, I really like it when a nice brunch place has them really light and fluffy. They're so good and I always wanted to try them that way. I found an easy recipe that was very good! I would definitely make them again and maybe add some extra spices to them. I'm trying them again tomorrow! Yum!

Ingredients: 

2 eggs (I added one more egg white to the mix)

1/4 cup shredded cheese

2 tbsp butter

salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

1) Crack the eggs in a small bowl and whisk vigorously for one minute.

2) Melt the butter in a pan on low heat. Wait until it begins to foam. 

3) Remove the pan from the heat and add the eggs.

4) Whisk the top of the eggs vigorously again, careful not to scrape the bottom. 

5) Return the pan to the heat. Continue to whisk the eggs until the top is foamy. Sprinkle the cheese on top and whisk to incorporate. 

6) Let the bottom of the eggs set for 5-7 seconds. Run a silicone spatula from the edge of the pan into the middle. Tilt the pan so that the uncooked eggs can slide onto the surface area that you just created with the spatula. 

7) Continue to slide the cooked eggs into the middle with the spatula and rotate to allow uncooked eggs to hit the surface pan. 

8) After about 30 seconds or so, the eggs will be mostly set. Remove them from the heat. The heat from the pan will finish cooking them. 

9) Season with salt and pepper. 

Dot Cake, by Cheryl & Maddie

Maddie went to a baking camp for a couple of weeks this summer and fell in love with one of the desserts they made.. a dot cake! She brought the recipe home and wanted to try her hand at it. Her friend came over yesterday and they eagerly gathered all of the ingredients. We didn't necessarily follow the original recipe as that had us making the dough from scratch. Since this involved two 9 year olds who very much wanted to do this on their own, I found a recipe that used a funfetti box mix to help the process. These turned out SO well! And they (mostly) made them all by themselves. A sweet treat for all of us. Yum!

Ingredients: 

Cake: 

1 box Funfetti cake mix

3 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup milk

4 oz sour cream (we forgot this even though they took it out.. oops! Didn't notice it missing)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Buttercream:

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups powdered sugar

2 tbsp milk

Decoration: 

1 bottle rainbow sprinkles

Directions: 

1) Preheat oven to 325. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

2) In a large bowl, combine eggs, cake mix, oil, milk, sour cream, vanilla extract. Mix until smooth and fully combined. 

3) Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 33 minutes. 

4) While it cooks, make the buttercream. Beat the butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and mix. 

5) Gradually add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing after each cup. Add the milk a little at a time until the frosting reaches a sooth consistency. Continue beating until light and fluffy. 

6) Once the cake has cooled, use mason jars to use as cutters. Simply press each jar down into the cake and lift. 

7) Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag and pipe a generous amount into each cake. Use a spatula to smooth. 

8) Add rainbow sprinkles to the top. 

9) Serve immediately or refrigerate. 

Greek Ground Beef, by Diane

I recently saw an IG post by @birdee.lili on how to cook Mexican ground beef, and her method involved a few different approaches to cooking ground beef that I had not heard of in the name of flavor including not draining the beef to hold moisture (I previously thought this was all fat but it's mostly water) and letting beef get a brown crust for flavor when the water reabsorbs. I decided to try it this week but with Greek seasonings for some Greek hummus bowls, and this was so flavorful and moist! The only complaint is that it was pretty salty so I reduced the amount of salt as shown below.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp EVOO

1lb ground beef

1 tsp kosher salt

2 tbsp tomato sauce

1/4 cup or less beer or water (I used water)

Greek seasonings (cinnamon, clove, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder)

Directions:

1. Add EVOO to a heated pan, add in ground beef and crumble, cook until just browned.

2. Spread the beef into an even layer and let the water come out, continue cooking until water completely reabsorbs without draining, and then continue cooking further until the beef browns on a dry pan about 1-2 minutes. 

3. Make a circle in the middle of the beef and add the tomato paste, spreading around, and toast for one minute until flavor and smell deepen. 

4. Mix in tomato sauce and spices, cook one minute, and add in beer/water to deglaze the pan. Cook until glossy, another minute or so, then remove.

Marinated Eggs, by Diane

I decided to make a new version of marinated eggs because I love ramen eggs so much but have not yet stumbled upon a recipe I love (there are two others on here already!). I made this up at random with pantry ingredients, and this was the BEST combo! I loved these so much and will absolutely make them again. Yum.

Ingredients:

12 jammy eggs, cooked 9 minutes (drop in boiling water for 9 minutes then transfer to ice bath and peel)

1 cup water

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup ume plum vinegar

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp sugar

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp gochugaru

2 tsp black sesame seeds

Directions:

Cover eggs with marinade and refrigerate overnight.

Turkish Shepherd Salad, by Diane

This was AMAZING and I cannot believe how simple it was to make! I found this recipe from Zestful Kitchen and although I could not find the urfa pepper it was awesome without it. I made it for some Greek hummus bowls, but wound up eating it on it's own because it was that good! I also think this would be good with chicken. YUM!

1 medium shallot, thinly sliced

1 english cucumber, diced

red and yellow grape tomatoes, halved

1 anaheim pepper, diced (I omitted this)

1/2 cup chopped parsley

3 tbsp chopped mint

2 tbsp chopped dill

1.5 tsp sumac

1 tsp urfa pepper (can sub aleppo pepper)

1/2 cup cubed feta cheese

3 tbsp EVOO

1 lemon, juiced

kosher salt

Directions:

Mix all and combine, adjust to taste. 

Okra Kimchi, by Diane

 I love okra, and wanted a creative green veggie for the week. I came across this recipe from @korean.roots to turn okra into kimchi and it could not have been easier! This was really good, and while you can have this fresh right away I liked it the more it fermented in the fridge!

Ingredients:

1.5 lb young okra, tops and tails removed and cut into 1 inch slices

4 tbsp kosher salt

1/2 small red apple, minced

3 green onions, chopped (green parts only or can use both)

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp white sugar

3 tbsp gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)

2 tbsp black sesame seeds

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil

Directions:

1. Toss okra in salt, let rest up to 2 hours, rinse and drain 2-3 times. Okra should still be a little salty.

2. Combine okra with remaining ingredients.

3. Serve immediately or refridgerate/ferment in an airtight container.

Tuna Sushi Bowl with Crispy Rice, by Diane

 

I have been craving a chilled, easy lunch recipe for the week to batch cook, and created this bowl out of a few trending recipes I saw online. I used canned tuna for convenience here, but really any protein would work well. I thought this would be great fresh, but it actually worked better after a few hours to sit and marry all the ingredients together.

Ingredients:

3 tins canned tuna (I used fish wife albacore in spicy olive oil)

2 cups crispy rice (click link for recipe)

1 cup julienned carrots

4 scallions, thinly sliced, green and white parts

1 cucumber, thinly sliced (I used a mandolin)

1-2 cups edamame, shelled

2 packets seaweed sheets

2 tbsp black sesame seeds

3 tbsp fried shallots

Sauce: 3 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp mayo, 3 tbsp chili sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and enjoy!!

Crispy Rice, by Diane

 

I've seen this trend for crispy rice salads for a while, and I made a batch to put on my Tuna Crispy Rice Sushi Bowl this week! This was super easy to make, very versatile in terms of type of rice and flavorings, and can be used in so many things. I actually didn't love how this turned out as it was kind of tacky and not all crunchy, it may have been I needed to cook it longer.

Ingredients:

2 cups white rice (can be day old, or freshly cooked, I used a packet of microwavable rice that I did not cook)

2 tbsp chili oil

1 tbsp soy sauce

Directions:

Mix ingredients well and place in an airfryer basket in a single layer, cook at 400 for 15 or so minutes. Stir every 5 min to make sure rice cooks evenly and doesn't burn. I left this on a paper towel to absorb some of the oil.

Pillowy Ricotta Gnudi, by Cheryl

I was looking for a ricotta recipe that wasn't lasagna and came across this! I don't know what I was thinking this would be except a big ball of gooey warm cheese, but that's exactly what it is. I made it with a butter sage sauce, which was good, but I think a marinara sauce like the recipe stated would be better. These would be great on some doughy pieces of bread! I liked it a lot, but it's not for dinner. Maybe an appetizer? I'm still not sure how I feel about it. And I have about 12 balls leftover. Yum? 

Ingredients: 

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

30 oz ricotta cheese, (1 large container, or two small)

2 large eggs

1.5 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 cups all purpose flour, divided

Sauce: 3 cups marinara sauce or butter with sage

Directions: 

1) Place Parmesan cheese in large bowl with the ricotta cheese. Add two large eggs, salt, and pepper, and mix well. Add 1 cup flour and stir until just combined.

2) Dust a rimmed baking sheet with 1/2 flour. Scoop out a golf ball size gnudi and place them on the sheet. You may have around 35 balls. Sprinkle the top with the other 1/2 cup flour. Place is refrigerator for 20 minutes. 

3) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. 

4) Gently place the gnudi one by one into the boiling water without overcrowding. Boil until the gnudi float and are firm to the touch, about 3-5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the gnudi to the serving bowls.

5) Spoon the sauce over the gnudi. Garnish with chopped basil. 

Easy Zesty Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad, by Cheryl

Ooh it's been a hot minute since I've been on here! But I just had to make this new shrimp and avocado salad and I'm so happy I did! I've already made it twice in one week. It's so light and refreshing... perfect for a summer lunch or snack! Super flavorful, healthy, and quick! Yum!

Ingredients: 

1/4 cup red onion, chopped

2 limes, juiced

1 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

1 lb cooked jumbo shrimp, chopped

1 medium tomato, diced

1 medium avocado, diced (I used two)

1 jalapeno, seeds removed, diced

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Directions: 

1) In a small bowl, combine red onion, lime juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Set aside at least 5 minutes.

2) In a large bowl, combine chopped shrimp, avocado, tomato, and jalapeno

3) Combine all of the ingredients together, add cilantro, and gently toss. Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired. 

Pineapple Pickled Onion Salsa, by Diane

I had some leftover pulled pork from an event this weekend and decided to make lettuce cup tacos, and wanted to make a quick salsa to go with it. This wound up being so good I kept eating it plain with a spoon! It was super quick to make. Yum!

Ingredients:

Tomato (I used plum and grape here), small diced

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

Diced pickled onions (I do a quick pickle by slicing them and placing them into a jar covered with white vinegar, shake twice daily and ready after 1 day but can leave for longer!)

1 handful chopped cilantro

1 lime squeezed

1 small can crushed pineapple, liquid removed

1/2 jalepeño, seeds removed and diced small

Salt, pepper

Directions: Mix well, adjust to taste, enjoy!

 

The Big Salad, by Diane

 

A friend years ago introduced me to the concept of what we called 'The Big Salad', which is a giant kitchen sink salad but with things that follow a rough layout of 2 proteins, a bunch of veggies soft and roasted or raw and crunchy, toppings soft and crunchy, one sweet ingredient, herbs, dressings that are acidic and sweet, coarse finishing salt, and lettuce cut in a way that holds the dressing and ingredients. This may not feel revolutionary but I came from a house that made salad in one of 3 standard ways, as many restaurants do, and having a big salad with loads of good colors, textures, and tastes made things so interesting and delicious- and definitely a meal that is fun to shop for, easy to clean the fridge out with, and I always look forward to eating it for lunch or dinner. As a bonus it always keeps me fuller longer as well. 

Obviously, there is no recipe for this one but I made one this week that just sends and I'm including it here for future memories and inspo!

Ingredients:

Red Butter Lettuce, thin sliced horizontally

Crunchy Veggies: carrots, radish slices, mini heirloom color tomatoes, scallions, red onion thin sliced, green olives

Soft Roasted Veggies: sliced portobello mushrooms, asparagus sliced, golden beets cubed, garlic cloves, marinated orange hot peppers, gigante beans

Herbs: parsley, cilantro, taragon (all finely chopped)

Proteins: shredded rotisserie chicken, crunchy roasted chickpeas

Crunch: pepitas

Sweet: craisins

Dressings: lemon EVOO, blackberry ginger balsamic vinegar, pepper, coarse finishing sea salt

Directions- toss and devour!

Asparagus Caprese Salad, by Diane

 

I was clearing out the fridge and whipped this creation up, it was so good and I think it would be a great summer salad or side dish. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 bunch asparagus, roasted with EVOO salt and pepper, diced

1 container grape tomatoes, quartered

1 small container mozzarella balls, quartered

1 small pack basil, leaves minced

1/4 cup turkey pepperoni, quartered

Balsamic and EVOO (I had meyer lemon EVOO which worked great)

Coarse salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Directions: 

Mix all and adjust to taste.

Crockpot Green Beans with Ham, by Diane

I'm obsessed with this type of green bean at BBQ joints as a side dish, and a friend recently told me she makes them easily in the crockpot with a ham bone. I couldn't find a ham bone so I used ham chips (preseasoned cuts of fatty ham) and diced ham. These were so easy and came out really good, but I would eliminate the ham chips next time as it was WAY too salty and there was no seasoning in here. 

Ingredients:

2 large unsalted cans (38 oz) of cut green beans, drained (reserve 1 cup)

1 pack of ham chips or 1 pack diced ham or bacon 

1 sweet onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

Directions:

Put all ingredients in the crock pot and cook on high for 6 hours, stirring gently every hour or so. Discard ham chips if using.

Cinnamon Cardamom Apple Pecan Oats, by Diane

I whipped this up randomly this cold chilly morning with some leftover cardamom spice I got in Sweden, and oh my gosh was this so good and warming! Yum! I love adding manuka for extra immune support during winter, and anti inflammatory spices are helpful too like cinnamon and ginger!

Ingredients:

1/2 apple, cubed small

1/2 cup quick oats

1 cup water

Dash salt

1 tbsp manuka honey

Spices: baking spice, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom

Chopped pecans

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except pecans well and microwave for 2 minutes or until water is evaporated. Stir in pecans and enjoy!

Redo Indian Summer Chili, by Diane

 

This snowstorm I decided I wanted a pot of chili, and I created this hybrid version of my decades-long fave Indian Summer Chili. It is more robust in the flavors, not as sweet, and honestly the best flavor combo of chili to come out of this kitchen in a long time! YUM.

Ingredients:

1lb ground beef

1 tbsp EVOO

1 medium sweet onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1.5 cups sweet rainbow peppers, chopped

1 15 oz can sweet corn, drained

1 15 oz can bean trio, drained (whole foods has this- pinto black and kidney bean mix)

1 15 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes

2 15 oz cans tomato sauce

1/2 cup smoky bbq sauce

2 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp ground cumin

2 tsp Tony Chacere's (or enough until salted and spicy- the GOAT)

2 tsp Balti seasoning

Directions:

1. In a large stock pot, brown the beef into crumbles, drain partway and set aside.

2. Use the remaining liquid from the beef, add EVOO, and brown onions until charred. Add garlic in the last minute and brown as well. 

3. Remove from pot and cook peppers in the liquid until soft, then add back the meat and onions.

4. Add remaining ingredients and let bubble, then simmer for at least one hour. Adjust seasoning to taste. The longer this cooks the better it is, and always better the next day!

Sheet Pan Za’atar Chicken & Veggies, by Cheryl

I wasn't sure how everyone would love the spices in this chicken dish, but it was SO good! We gobbled it up and the flavor was amazing. I would definitely make this again as it was pretty easy and quick to prepare. YUM!

Ingredients:

Sauce:

2 tbsp za'atar 

2 tsp sumac

1 tsp sweet paprika

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 lemons, juiced

extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 cup

Chicken & Veggies:

5 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces (I used red potatoes, cut in half)

5 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces

1 large red onion, peeled, halved, and cut into thick half moons

salt and pepper

8 bone in, skin on, chicken thighs and drumsticks

Directions: 

1) Preheat the oven to 425.

2) Make the garlic za'atar sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the spices, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. 

3) Arrange the veggies on a large sheet pan and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle 3-4 tbsp of sauce over the veggies and mix well with your hands so they're coated. Spread them without overlapping.

4) Pat the chicken dry and loosen the skin by gently sliding beneath the skin with your finger, separating the skin and the meat. Season generously with salt and pepper on both sides and underneath the skins. Season underneath the skins with the sauce. 

5) Nestle the chicken into the veggies. Drizzle any remaining sauce on top of the chicken pieces. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Then take off the foil and bake for another 30 minutes or until the skin starts to brown and crisp. 

6) Remove from oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes. 

Candied Roasted Chestnuts, by Diane

 

This recipe is by @veganbunnyelle, and I thought it would be a cool take on one of my fave winter snacks. It is possible I got a bad batch of chestnuts, because the skins wouldn't peel off the meat itself even though the shells did, but these tasted awful. So, maybe another batch?! Yuck.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp neutral oil

1 tbsp rock sugar (like 10 chunks) (she says on her recipe you can use white sugar if you don't have this)

1 lb chestnuts, scored in an x (see her recipe)

Water

Directions:

1. In a dutch oven or large pot with lid, heat oil over medium heat and add sugar. 

2. Stir continuously until sugar turns amber and melts.

3. Add chestnuts, stir continuously until popping sound slows around 2-3 min.

4. Add water to cover the chestnuts, cover with lid and cook for 25 min on medium heat. 

5. Remove lid and stir, cook with lid off until water completely evaporates. 

6. Enjoy warm or chilled.

Girl Dinners, by Diane

 

I have been so into girl dinners/lunches, the idea of throwing a bunch of snacks on a plate as a meal. It's so freakin easy and can be planned or clean out the fridge at the end of the week. I'm posting this as a recipe because I feel like I've nailed the key to making these successful- make them visually pleasing and make sure you have a rough macro formula so they are actually filling. 

Here's the formula and some ideas:

Healthy fats (to keep you full)- think olives of all kinds, hummus, nut butters, and dips with olive oils or greek yogurt

Proteins (also to keep you full)- think rolled lunch meat, soft/hard boiled eggs with toppings (I love chili oil or everything bagel seasoning), turkey pepperoni

Snack items: different cheeses, crackers

Veggies: different colors look more pleasing, I love raw rainbow carrots and rainbow peppers or snap peas and celery, raw broccoli, or could be leftover roasted veggies if on hand

Fruits: my faves are apple slices with baking spice, or a rainbow medley of berries

Sweets: dark chocolate pieces or honey for the cheeses

And finally, for presentation which honestly makes me look forward to these, add a variety of colors and textures, a small cute bowl in the center for your dips, and arrange everything in a circle. Make sure you have at least 4 things on your plate so your brain feels like it has a lot of choices. YUM. 

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms, by Cheryl

Well hello 2026! To welcome the new year, Jon and I are doing Whole 30 for our 7th year in row! Wow! I wanted to add some different Whole 30 recipes to the list so in comes these sausage stuffed mushrooms from Paleo Running Momma. These were just okay. I wouldn't make them again. My daughter didn't like the sausage mix so she only had the mushrooms. And to be honest I wasn't a huge fan either. Jon ate them up though! Yum?

Ingredients:

18 large white mushrooms

4 tbs olive oil, divided

sea salt and ground pepper

cooking spray

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 lb Italian sausage 

1/4 cup almond flour

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/3 cup almond milk cream cheese

1 tbps plain unsweetened almond milk

3 tbsp fresh parsley, minced

Directions: 

1) Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9x13 baking dish.

2) Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop them finely. Set aside. Place the mushroom caps in a shallow bowl and toss with 2 tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle with a bit of salt.

3) Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in pan on medium heat. Add the sausage, crumbling it with a spoon. Cook unti lits completely browned, about 5-8 minutes. 

4) Stir in the onions and garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the almond flour, seasoning, stirring to combine. Finally, stir in the cream cheese and almond milk. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

5) Arrange the mushrooms in a single layer on the pan. Fill each mushroom generously with the sausage mix. Bake until stuffing is browned, about 30-35 minutes.  

Crockpot Pork and Sauerkraut, by Diane

One of my friend's mother uses this recipe to make Pork and Sauerkraut, a PA German tradition for New Years Day. I was a bit skeptical as I don't love sauerkraut and this recipe is fairly heavy on the stuff, but WOW was this one of the best recipes to come out of my kitchen (not the mention the easiest!). Everyone inhaled this stuff, and I will absolutely make this again. Traditionally this is served over mashed potatoes. YUM!

Ingredients:

2lb boneless pork loin  

2 16 oz bags (not cans) of sauerkraut, drained

1 can beer (cheap beer like budwiser is great here)

1 large apple, sliced (I used an unpeeled gala)

1 large yellow onion, sliced

1/4 cup brown sugar (I used slightly less)

1 tbsp butter

Directions:

1. Place ingredients in crock pot in this order: pork on bottom, covered with sauerkraut, sliced apples and onions on that, sugar sprinkled on that, beer poured over top, and butter on last. 

2. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours (or low for 8 hours).

3. Stir the toppings (not the pork) at 3 hours, and every hour after if desired, mixing the kraut/onion/apples until the apples are dissolved by the end.

4. Once finished cooking, shred the pork (it should fall apart easily) and mix into kraut mixture.

5. Serve over mashed potatoes with some of the liquid as gravy.