Nothing against romaine lettuce, but I have always been a fan of arugula salad. The weather in New Jersey has been nothing shy of sweltering these past few days, and a crisp salad is perfect for those times when it’s just too hot to turn on the oven—or put in a lot of effort to cook a large meal. Tangy blue cheese and sweet apples … Continue reading arugula salad with crisp apples and blue cheese
I have always been a lover of pasta. It’s the Italian in me. On the contrary, I have always been a hater of store-bought pasta sauce. It’s the Italian in me. When I go to a restaurant, the first thing I look for on the menu is the pasta section (most restaurants don’t actually have a pasta section, so it’s an automatic five stars for … Continue reading creamy tomato alfredo chicken penne
When I was younger, the best part about going to a baseball game was the scent of greasy burgers and hot dogs that wafted my way with every breeze. There’s just something about a stadium dog—it’s like every bite is a taste of summer. Since I’m not a serious burger eater, every family barbecue calls for some tasty grilled dogs. My favorite part about this … Continue reading cheesy cheddar chili dogs
Pasta is one of my favorite comfort foods. But in the warm summer months, I’m not craving a heaping helping of baked ziti; I want something lighter and cooler—something like a pasta salad. A few months ago I experimented with a chipotle mayo dip to go along with some sweet potato fries I had cooked. When it came time to make pasta salad for a … Continue reading chipotle BLT pasta salad
Now that it’s almost summer, it seemed only necessary to kick it off with some juicy, succulent ribs. I am an amateur when it comes to ribs; I definitely had to do some digging to figure out the perfect way to cook them. But since ribs are one of my favorite foods (do I say that about everything?), it was well worth the research. For … Continue reading Oven-Baked Ribs With Cherry Cola Barbecue Sauce
Believe it or not, Memorial Day is one of the biggest holidays in my family. I grew up going to the beach, and this day has always been the unofficial first day of summer. Of course, let’s not forget the true meaning of this day – remembering fallen U.S soldiers and the sacrifices each of them made for our country. Remembering those who are no … Continue reading reuben-style cheeseburger sliders
I have always had something against mushrooms. Something about their flavor, or maybe their texture, never sat right with me. When I was young, I would avoid mushrooms at all costs. To this day, it’s one of the last toppings I would ever consider putting on my pizza (they are still ahead of anchovies). But stuffed mushrooms are an exception. The mushroom becomes a complementary … Continue reading stuffed mushrooms
Having recently had my tonsils out and the weather hitting a high of 77 degrees today here in New Jersey, it only made sense that today’s lunch should be some kind of fruit smoothie. I’ll be the first to say that having a tonsillectomy at 21 is not the ideal way to start off the summer, but things could be worse, so I have to … Continue reading raspberry pineapple smoothie
No matter how health conscious I become, I will never be able to give up cheese. And since I’m not willing to compromise on my undeniable cheese obsession, I constantly need to find other ways to keep my mac and cheese healthy (I use that term loosely). I’ve heard through the grapevine that Greek yogurt makes mac and cheese extremely thick and creamy. This isn’t surprising, … Continue reading creamy Greek yogurt macaroni and cheese
Every now and then I get tired of looking at the standard egg scramble on my plate at 9 a.m. Since eggs aren’t really my thing, I like to switch up my breakfast recipes every once in a while – both in style and flavor. Our senses work together; what our eyes find appealing has an effect on what our taste buds find appealing. A huge part … Continue reading baked egg muffins
simply delicious. 