Steph from Irvin’s invited TH and me for a meal so we headed down there last week for dinner. We got the most amazing welcome ever and TH was all “wow! what did you do to get treated like this?”. Hehe. We were greeted by a beautifully arranged buffet but we were there for food tasting from the ala carte menu, which btw, is quite extensive. Irvin’s is known for their very reasonably priced crab dishes, especially the salted egg crab which I tasted the last time I was there....

Lately, this has been our pre-dinner snack. It seems fancy (fancy for us, anyway) to have an appetizer just for two, but it’s less glamorous than that. When we’re cooking and photographing our meals, nights can get late and snacks have become necessary. Especially fast snacks. This one can be made in about 7 minutes, and if that’s too long for you, the components could even be mixed up (and kept separate) a few hours in advance....

If you have never made angel food cake before, it’s a fun process. A stand mixer is very helpful. To make the cake, we beat lots of egg whites in a stand mixer until they turn white and have firm peaks. By firm peaks, I mean that when you lift the whisk out of the eggs, the mixture doesn’t fall back onto itself and instead stands tall. Next we add sugar and beat until thick and shiny and finally we gently fold in flour....

Move over, dinner rolls, and make way for… cornbread muffins! Maybe it’s my Midwestern background, but I love corn, especially in this sweet & savory corn muffin recipe. My Cornbread Muffin Recipe Ingredients In my opinion, good cornbread should be golden & crumbly and walk the line between sweet and savory. These corn muffins do just that. Here’s what I use to make them healthy & delicious: Maple syrup sweetens them naturally and adds depth of flavor to this corn muffin recipe....

While the 5-min chocolate mug cake is great to satisfy instant chocolate cravings and is often quoted as the most dangerous chocolate cake recipe, sometimes you want the “real” deal. And you want it fast. I had one of those nights the other …err… night. I turned to Piece of Cake, the awesome book SJ recommended to me that gave inspiration to my Orange Cake Recipe. All the recipes are one-bowl, easy, and fuss-free and therefore perfect to whip up quickly even on a weeknight....

How to Make Authentic Enchilada Sauce I love the process of making my own enchilada sauce. It’s simple to do, is actually fun and makes the kitchen smell incredible. Our goal was to recreate an authentic sauce at home. This sauce is absolutely delicious and makes the best enchiladas! It’s honestly so good that I’m sad when we run out. Dried chili peppers are readily available and very inexpensive. I can find them in the International aisle of my local grocery store as well as in Mexican markets....

I’m so excited to share this incredible burger sauce with you! Our family has fallen in love with it, and it’s so easy to make at home. Use this homemade sauce for your next juicy burger or as a smash burger sauce. It’s even amazing with turkey burgers and bean burgers (really!). While at it, consider making a side of French fries (with fry sauce) or make a batch of our baked sweet potato fries!...

I love so many of our salad recipes, but this from-scratch Caesar salad recipe might be my favorite. I have wonderful memories from when I was young of being out to dinner with my parents, ordering a Caesar salad, and watching as our server made it tableside. The whole experience felt so fancy, and I was utterly captivated. This recipe reminds me so much of that tableside salad I enjoyed as a child....

Our family goes nuts for this English muffins recipe. Whenever we make a batch, they are gone within days (the recipe makes 12). Homemade English muffins are the best! The process is fun, and the results are almost magical. So many nooks and crannies! For the best flavor and texture, I slowly proof my dough in the fridge. I love this since I can make my dough one day, proof overnight, and then form and cook the next day....

Every time I make a batch of this homemade applesauce, I kick myself for waiting so long to make it again! If you like store-bought applesauce, then this homemade jar is really going to knock your socks off. Seriously, it’s so much better! This is a stovetop recipe for applesauce, but if you like to use your pressure cooker, look at our Instant Pot applesauce. Or, for something a little different, consider this recipe for homemade apple butter!...

These strawberry shortcakes are closer to an authentic shortcake than most recipes I’ve seen. The shortcakes have a buttery biscuit flavor with the most wonderful, tender, almost cake-like consistency (thanks to an egg in the batter). They are truly delicious and surprisingly simple to make! We worked on this incredible strawberry dessert with Richard Hattaway, and we’ve all fallen head over heels for it. What I love most is the simple strawberry syrup, which we drizzle over the base of our shortcakes before adding whipped cream and fresh strawberries....

Right now, I have three jars of this quick pickled asparagus lined up in my fridge, which, for me, is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that the slender, green spears are absolutely delicious – crisp, grassy, tangy, salty, and sweet. The curse is, well, pretty much the same thing. Every time I open the fridge, I promptly forget what I’m looking for. Seconds later, I find myself standing at the counter, downing spear after spear of pickled asparagus as a refreshing (and surprisingly addictive) spring snack....

We love a good burger and usually keep them pretty simple — See our No Fuss Hamburger Recipe. That being said, this burger topped with homemade queso sauce is one of my favorites. The star of this burger is the cheesy sauce. Before making it we char peppers on the grill until blistered and almost black. The peppers are thrown into a bag to steam and fifteen minutes later we can tear away the charred skin....

Pickled carrots don’t get as much love as dill pickles or pickled red onions do, and I’m really not sure why. They can add crunch to a salad, acidity to a sandwich, or unexpected depth to a simple crudité platter. They’re even great straight from the jar. Dripping with fridge-cold brine, pickled carrots are snappy, tangy, earthy, and sweet. You won’t find a more refreshing snack. So, if you’ve never tried pickled carrots before, make this recipe!...

Happy day-after Halloween, who’s ready to cook? No one… That’s what I thought. So before we head to Thanksgiving Town, I thought I’d share another quick and easy (and tasty) meal you can throw together using last night’s leftovers… Just like the picture says – take your leftovers from this salad, add some black beans (maybe a few more spices), and some cheese… fold it into tortillas… then dig in to some pretty hearty & healthy quesadillas....

We’re nearing the end of soup season here, but I just had to get this one in before we break into summer recipes. Or at least, before we break into cold summer soup recipes and before I go ga ga for gazpacho (ugh, I’m so sorry). This is a warm and spicy soup for the soul. I first started making it a few months ago when my mom was in town visiting while I was sick....

What’s more homey than spaghetti and meatballs? Twists of pasta doused in herb-flecked marinara sauce, with tender, spicy meatballs balanced on top… On a cold night, there’s not much that sounds better. Meatless spaghetti and meatballs might seem like an oxymoron, but trust me, there’s no shortage of ways to make them meat-free. In fact, I’ve been hooked on two veggie meatball recipes lately. I couldn’t pick a favorite if I tried, so instead of choosing one to share here, I’m sharing both!...

It’s been feeling summery around here, so I say – let’s bring on the colorful food! Lately, I’ve been slightly obsessed with these black rice veggie sushi rolls that are new-ish at (our) Whole Foods. One in particular includes mango, avocado and cucumber and I find myself craving it all the time. I’ve had it on my list to recreate it for you for awhile now, but the idea of rolling sushi has felt too labor intensive....

This very green salad couldn’t be more timely. Jack and I spent all weekend tasting inhaling food at the Austin Food & Wine fest. And then we spent last night in some sort of food coma. Overall, I think we showed pretty good restraint… That is until Saturday night’s “Rock your Taco” event. We rocked tacos alright… And then a few tacos rocked us. But no regrets… kale to the rescue....

Easter weekend might be a whole week away, but I figure it’s never too soon to start gathering with friends for a spring brunch. We could call it Friendster—get it? Like “Friendsgiving” but for Easter instead… (and not like the late 90’s social media website). Ok, maybe not. I can hear you groaning through the computer screen. Whatever you decide to call your spring gatherings – make this easy asparagus frittata....