Take your (wild) game to the next level of flavor with these venison steaks smothered in a sweet smoky aioli! Venison is a deliciously high protein meat that’s also low in fat which makes it perfect for individuals who are watching their calories but still …
Happy almost Easter! I survived having the kiddos home on Spring break last week and also hosted four of my daughter’s nine-year-old friends for her birthday sleepover. It never fails to surprise me at how rambunctious and LOUD a small group of young girls can …
Spring break is starting tomorrow. Yep, TOMORROW. Ever since college, spring break has always meant that it’s officially spring and time to bust out the warm weather clothes and go on vacation! Okay, well, I’m not actually going on vacation. A girl can dream right?!? Instead, my girls will be home with me all next week which will inevitably result in all sorts of chaos and some educational moments in spring cleaning (I made them a list of chores already). Sounds like quite a school vacation, eh? In the meantime, it’s also time to break out the summery fun food like these Asian steak tacos.
A couple of posts ago, I made this awesome Korean flank steak. Flank steak is usually quite large so there were plenty of leftovers which are always fun to dress up in new ways. The great thing about leftovers is that they are WAY easy. Especially this kind because these Asian steak tacos are quite literally a toss it together and eat it sort of variety. I use a sriracha mayo as the “hot sauce” and you can easily make it yourself by making homemade mayonnaise and just adding a bit of sriracha hot sauce until it reaches your desired spice level. Grab your favorite beverage, fill up a few tacos with a mix of avocado, cabbage, radish and cilantro and give a toast to the onset of spring!
Why has it taken three weeks to recover from the holiday season?? I’m guessing it has something to do with a full two months of busy-ness leading to I-just-want-to-do-nothing syndrome. I’m still trying to catch my breath. The outdoor temperatures here in Minnesota were comparable to …
I have a confession to make. I’m having an affair. An ooey-gooey, steamy, dirty and delicious love affair with this ricotta spinach artichoke dip. It’s bordering on inappropriate with how often I’ve courted and indulged my taste buds with this dip in the past few weeks. No …
Adventures in landscaping part 2: I turned my back from my planting project for a moment while the kids were out exploring the outdoor space between the large pine trees which is full of loose dirt perfect for digging and mud pies. I should have known better. I looked back and the girls had disappeared into the house. Inside, I found a set of muddy footprints across the floor and onto the (light colored) carpet but no girls… they had already returned to the outdoors and were shoveling (flinging) dirt high in the air so it rained down upon them. Awesome. My son then met be by the garage and I saw a good portion of dirt ground into his hair and stuck to his arms. When I angrily asked him and his sisters why they had tracked in mud and were so darn dirty, his sheepish response to me was simple and honest: “I was being happy, Mom”. I was instantly defused and gave him a hug. I sent him back to go play in the mud as I to, am happiest when I play in the dirt planting and digging my landscape and garden. Despite the inconvenience of being dirty and making a mess (gasp!), I realize that that a rich childhood (and adulthood) is often made of mudpies and that we all need to continue to find that little snippet of whatever makes us happiest so we can say in that moment that we “are being happy” too.
Aside from playing in the dirt, cooking is one of those “being happy” moments for me which can be equally fun and messy (just ask my kitchen). Today’s adventure is a dairy free poppyseed dressing poured generously over a spinach and berry salad. The poppyseed dressing starts with this awesome homemade minute mayonnaise and uses coconut milk to thin it slightly though you can certainly use almond milk or regular milk. The dressing gets its tang from a mixture of apple cider vinegar and citrus and its sweetness from local honey which I acquired at the farmer’s market.
Be extra fancy and put the dairy free poppyseed dressing in a cool little cruet or just use a mason jar for rustic appeal and it’ll keep for a few weeks in the fridge. The salad pairing is summery simple with fresh garden spinach, celery, red onion, blueberries and sweet cherries. Toss it all together and you have one awesome plate of happiness with a cherry on top.
I’m going to make this quick for a coupla reasons. One, we’re putting our house on the market this week so there’s work to be done and two, I’ve managed to catch a stomach bug so the work that is supposed to be getting done, isn’t. This …
I have a confession to make. I’ve made deviled eggs exactly once in my life. In fact, before these bacon deviled eggs, I hated the very thought of deviled eggs. My mother in law was impressed that I actually made them given my history of being …
Holy cannoli. Have you ever planned a family reunion? If you have, you probably know my pain. My cousin and I are trying to find a location that suits our family style with a mix of camping and cabins, has kid activities, is in a location convenient for all of us, doesn’t cost a million dollars AND still has availability. It’s becoming quite the challenge to just find places that have availability even 8 months in advance for cabins. Who would have thought!
Anyway… let’s talk about something easier than figuring out a family reunion. Easy, like Buffalo Chicken Sweet Potato Boats to be exact. I like things that are easy. The buffalo chicken filling can be made in advance simmering in the crockpot or it’s an easy way to use leftovers. I chose to crockpot the chicken breasts while I was out for the day so they were super tender and easily shreddable. Then the remaining ingredients come together quickly while the sweet potatoes are baking. I used this one minute homemade mayo recipe to provide the creaminess for this dish and the cheese is optional if you don’t do dairy. Top the piping hot taters with the chicken mixture and a sprinkle of chives and you have buffalo chicken sweet potato boats!
Sheesh. This eating a more strict healthy diet for the month of January has me craving some wicked bar food. Or it could be that I don’t exactly get to head out for happy hours anymore since having kids and staying home with them. I occasionally …
