Momma told me about... Dinner

Chipotle Tamale Pie

May 04, 2012   Kristen   3 Comments
This casserole perfectly combines so many flavors: sweet, spicy and svaory! Beware: you will be asked for this recipe!

Looking for the perfect Cinco de Mayo recipe?  This is a delicious casserole-pie that is sure to impress! This is a recipe adapted from the show “Simply Delicioso with Ingrid Hoffman.”  Just a word of caution for you Mommas: if you have little ones (8 or younger), this dish might be too spicy.  My advice

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Vegetarian Buffalo “Chicken” Pizza

April 28, 2012   Kristen   6 Comments
This chicken-less version of the classic pizza topping, will leave your family amazed that it's meatless!

One of my favorite vegetarian “junk” foods are Morning Star’s Veggie Buffalo Wings.  I call them “junk” food because they are very processed and have an overly-lengthy ingredient list.  Still, they are far better for you than a fast food fried chicken sandwich any day!  I eat these soy nuggets by themselves and dunked in

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How to Make Better Beef Stew

March 12, 2012   Kristen   3 Comments
Beef stew is a hearty and comforting staple that can see your family through a blistery winter night.

Beef stew, like so many dishes, is pretty personal.  Everyone has their own particular version, it is actually a highly contested dish.  Some home-cooks use ketchup while others would scoff at anything but pure tomato paste.  In my quest to make the perfect beef stew recipe for my family, I’ve come up with a few

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Lemon Chicken Dinner

January 26, 2012   Kristen   7 Comments
Impress your family and friends with this lick-your-plate-clean, super-easy chicken dinner!

This is my all-time favorite home cooked chicken dinner recipe.  Handed down from my Grandma Shirley and reworked over the years.  Your family will love this moist and flavorful chicken dish that you can pair with mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, or steamed veggies.  I usually do my favorite mashed potatoes with steamed asparagus dressed in

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BBQ Turkey Meatloaf

January 20, 2012   Kristen   1 Comment
Turkey meatloaf is an easy dinnertime meal that pleases the whole family.

Is there any more comforting food than meatloaf?  Since becoming pregnant (and eating meat again) I’ve been craving the foods my mom used to make us growing up.  Using turkey instead of beef will save calories and forgoing the cheese will make you feel even less guilty to partake of this comfort classic. Make sure

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Perfect Holiday Mashed Potatoes

November 24, 2011   Kristen   5 Comments
By keeping the ingredient list short and the technique simple, these mashed potaoes are full or flavor and texture!

In my opinion it is hard to ruin potatoes as long as you keep it simple.  I have used this potato mashing technique for years now, for holidays and special family dinners alike.  Now with so many young children in the family I have simplified it even more.  Very important: always remember your mashed-potato-eating audience! 

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Ina Garten’s Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

November 23, 2011   Kristen   3 Comments
This soup blows anything in a can out of the water! The three varieties of mushrooms used gives it a brilliant depth of flavor!

Talk about the best of the best of Thanksgiving Day recipes, this soup has been reviewed 272 times on foodnetwork.com and it still carries a five out of five star rating!  I had the pleasure of enjoying this soup last year at my sister-in-law’s Thanksgiving dinner and it almost stole the show!  I seriously could

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Chic Thanksgiving Decor & Menu

November 12, 2011   Kristen   4 Comments
This tablescape was the perfect combination of color, elegence and simplicity.

Yes, you can have a chic and sophisticated Thanksgiving dinner even with your kids! Last Thanksgiving was a treat because my mom was in town.  My sister-in-law had us all over to her house and she made a beautiful, festive and sophisticated Thanksgiving celebration for all of us (including a total of 5 children under

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Beef(less) Broccoli and Noodles

September 25, 2011   Kristen   4 Comments
Get that rich, bold flavor by exchanging mushrooms for oyster sauce and black beans for beef stock!

I am now on my 4th official day of my 30-Day Vegan Momma Challenge!  Yesterday was a little difficult for me and I needed a pick-me-up vegan dish–so I created one!  I think it was passing by our neighborhood Panda Express (and almost heading in, zombie-like, and eating every carnivorous dish in sight) that sparked

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Healthy Salmon Dinner

September 15, 2011   Kristen   4 Comments
Present the ultimate "superfoods" dinner with salmon, asparagus and quinoa pilaf!

This is a collaborative recipe staring my husband’s favorite “healthy way” to prepare salmon and my addition of a pan sauce (I feel very proud of my stray “foodie” moment)!  The flavor is derived from the salmon’s own natural fats, lemon juice, herbs and vegetable stock.  It’s cooked first in the pan, for a slight

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Quinoa Pilaf

September 09, 2011   Kristen   7 Comments
Start incorporating this South American staple to your favorite side dishes!

First off, here is some interesting info on quinoa, coming to you straight off my box of Trader Joe’s organic Quinoa!  “Quinoa, pronounced keen-wah, was a staple of the ancient Incas, who called it ‘the mother grain.’  It remains an important staple in South America cuisine, as it contains more protein than most other grains. 

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Which is Best: Farm-Raised or Wild Caught Salmon?

September 08, 2011   Kristen   14 Comments
Pay the extra money for wild caught salmon and reduce your exposure to chemicals toxins and mad cow disease!

  A very important issue, especially in my household, because my son Kysen ADORES salmon!  It might not be a surprise to many of you that I have determined that WILD salmon is healthier than farm-raised.  What WILL surprise you are the scientific reasons why! Well, for starters, take a look at the picture (to

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Rotisserie Chicken Tacos

August 29, 2011   Kristen   4 Comments
Serve these super-quick chicken tacos with a side salad or chips and salsa!

Since I just posted a classic chicken soup recipe made from a rotisserie chicken, I wanted to also post the second meal that we got from our $4.99 Costco chicken!  This is one of those semi-homemade dishes that really benefits from the slow-roasting rotisserie process.  You can whip it up super-fast  because the depth of

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Classic Chicken Soup

August 28, 2011   Kristen   2 Comments
Soothe your next cold with this classic chicken soup recipe; so much tastier and healthier than canned!

  Seems like the cold and flu season is getting a head start as Kysen is sick for the second time in 3 weeks!  Luckily, his daddy made a batch of his homemade chicken soup, the perfect comfort food for when you’re feeling under the weather.  Chicken soup (or any broth-y soup) is actually great

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A Cuban Feast: Arroz Imperial Con Pollo

August 22, 2011   Kristen   3 Comments
Not only is this dish colorful but it is bursting with flavor! Be careful you can eat A LOT of this!

As I mentioned in my black beans post, I am half Cuban, and very proud–especially of our culinary heritage!  We got the best flavors from Spain, from the Caribbean, and from Africa all in one culture!  It is truly delicious and if you’ve never enjoyed a Cuban dish, this is a FANTASTIC starter recipe! As

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