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May 29, 2014

If you’re here for the parenting and education stuff, don’t worry! I am still working on those posts. They just take me a really long time to think through, write up, and revise, so I like to scatter the easier food posts in between :).

Wonton Recipe

I had a request to post more “dinner recipes” from a friend who has been following my food posts very closely. I am flattered to know she purchased several pieces of cookware on my recommendation, specifically to make the recipes listed on my blog! Since I know I will be making a ton of desserts in the next few weeks (baby and bridal showers galore!), I figured I’d squeeze in some savory recipes before shower season hits and y’all are inundated with pictures of cupcakes and bars and puddings.

Today’s recipe is Pork and Mushroom Wonton! Wonton always seemed so novel to me that it never really occurred to me to make it myself. It’s actually really easy! I was inspired to try making them when a friend told me how grinding your own pork is way better than using store-bought pork. She said that dumplings tasted so much better with freshly-ground pork, so of course I had to try it out with my new food processor. Never mind the toasty weather. Like I said before, warm weather is no deterrent for me when it comes to good eats!

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May 27, 2014

Terrific Turkey Chili RecipeOh happy day, my new food processor arrived this weekend! I was SUPER eager to test out the blades, and I couldn’t think of a better way to do that than to slice and dice a few bell peppers, onions, and zucchini for my husband’s favorite chili!

Yes, yes, it’s summer… and at 85ºF, it’s not exactly chili weather. It’s allllll good. A little sunshine never stopped us from enjoying foods we like, no matter how warm or unconventional! I love this recipe because it’s like a whole meal in one dish– meat, veggies, dairy, and carbs (errr do tortilla chips count as carbs? =P). I appreciate that this chili is packed full of healthy veggies but tastes so comfortingly delicious! Be sure to use the taco seasoning with the turkey. You won’t even miss the beef.

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April 7, 2014

As promised, I’m working on a series of posts on how to shape children’s behavior. It’s taking some time, so I hope you enjoy this tasty dish in the meantime!

whole resizedOne of my favorite meals to prepare is brunch. Not only are many dishes guilty-yummy, but brunch usually means good friends and warm conversation– YAY! I randomly came across this fun recipe a few years ago. It’s super easy to put together, and it’s a unique way to offer proteins other than the usual bacon and sausage. It’s been a hit every time I’ve made it; it looks great, but also tastes delicious. I also appreciate having a baked item for brunches, so you don’t have to man the stove when you’d rather be chatting with friends. A tasty, unique dish with a fun twist on a popular children’s book? Sold!

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April 1, 2014

crispy crust resizedIt’s quite possible that this is the food item that birthed this blog. Dan and Kim were over for a simple lunch of leftovers: butternut squash soup and quesadillas. They enjoyed the soup just fine, but when Daniel bit into his quesadilla–CRUNCH– his eyes opened wide and, through a mouthful of food, he exclaimed, “This is SO GOOD! What did you do to it?! It’s so good!”

I was beaming. Nothing elevates a compliment like someone giving it with their mouth still full of food.

The answer is simple. I gave it a parmesan crust! Mmmmm!! A lot of people seem to like burritos, but I’m a quesadilla girl myself. Quesadillas take the best parts of a burrito (meat, cheese), drop off the less tasty parts (rice, lettuce, beans), and are pan-fried for that delectable crunch! If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll notice that I love crunchy things: crispy skin on chicken, crispy cheese layer on quiches, crispy bacon… I could go on. Adding a parmesan crust does to a quesadilla what a good pan-fry does to a potsticker. You know what, I’ll just let the unfiltered iphone 4s photo convince you:

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March 11, 2014

quich resizedI have always loved quiches, and I don’t know what took me so long to make one. I guess I frequently see my pie and tart pans as vehicles for dessert, so quiches didn’t really come to mind until more recently, when we had a lovely brunch with the girls. One of the ladies brought a quiche, and I was enamored. After that, it still took me a while to re-remember that I wanted to make a quiche, but a frozen bag of kale from Trader Joe’s did the trick. Isn’t kale supposed to be a superfood? I had never cooked with it, but I had a kale salad once at Whole Foods that I wasn’t too crazy about. Well, nothing can taste too bad if it’s buried under a pile of cheese, cream, bacon, and eggs, right? Then again, there’s probably no food healthy enough to make up for all that junk too… but hey, this is no health blog. It’s goodeats. Consume at your own risk!

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February 28, 2014

The Secret to Cooking Crispy Bacon

bacon top

How fitting, that my first savory post should be about the most savory of them all: bacon. Even the word should get your mouth watering in a way that no dessert ever could. I have been in pursuit of the ultimate bacon-crisping technique for years now. I have pan-fried my bacon. I have baked my bacon, aluminum foil rack and all (which is useful if you’re feeding a crowd). I have even microwaved my bacon, which is okay if you’re in a hurry. However, none of these techniques have yielded the crispy, crunchy, intensely salty bite that I crave.

Until now.

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