coconut mango rice pudding

I've been obsessed...I'm talking obsessed with rice pudding lately. As in every night I make myself a heaping bowl of pudding topped with whatever fixings we have at home. Instead of paying the crazy shipping fee to snag some great flavors from Rice to Riches, I decided to be a little ambitious by making some from scratch and adding my own little twist to a classic Rodelle's recipe.

chinese ground pork & eggplant

When you live with 2 boys ground meats are part of our daily dinners.  One meat that is often overlooked is ground pork and when I'm on overload with beef, chicken or turkey I turn to the other white meat.  My go to dish with ground pork, aside from meatloaf, is this chinese ground pork and eggplant dish that is super easy to make.

froyo chicago

I admit that I'm a little biased in saying that my neighborhood is the best, but really it is.  Southport Corridor is like a suburban pocket in the middle of city limits with the combination of independent boutiques, retail chains and notable restaurants.  So as you can imagine when a new business opens on my street, and I find it to be truly life changing, for sure you can expect me to share the good news.  While I'd like to keep Froyo Chicago as my own little secret, the people have spoken , the word is out and it's spreading like wildfire.  If you think that this is just another frozen yogurt shop, think again - this is a genius concept for everyone in the family to enjoy!

meatballs & brown gravy noodles

If you haven't noticed based on the recipes I've been posting - my tot loves him some ground beef.  In fact he loves meatloaf specifically and since I can't eat that on the daily I've been experimenting with different variations of meatballs and meatloaves so that I don't get sick of eating it.

spiced hot wine

The other weekend we hit up the County Line Apple Orchard and after surviving light snow flurries (yes this did happen), the only remedy for the cold weather was a nice warm drink.  Don't get me wrong, I sipped on hot apple cider while we were there, but when we got home it was time for a nice warm adult bevvie.  Insert the spiced hot wine.

where to eat in Prague

Aside from taking a break from life, vacations are meant for indulging in food and wine.  That means eating what the locals eat, drinking what the locals drink and not feeling guilty about any of it.  Prague is a carnivore's dream with tons of hearty dishes full of meat, meat, and more meat.  Those meat sweats that Joey Tribiani talked about...they're for real and worth every bite.

asian spaghetti & meatballs

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you know that Matt and I recently returned from an amazing vacation in Prague, hence the blogging hiatus.  I had all intentions (seriously I say that on the daily) of sharing this post before I left, but well life happened...it always happens.  Next week will be dedicated to Prague and travel musts, but for now as I battle a mild case of jet lag, there's no better time to share this recipe. I fully intend to prep this meal for my family again over the weekend because yes it is that good. (Insert self pat on back).

cafe orchid

To say that I like Turkish food is a bit of an understatement.  I LURVE Turkish food! It definitely is a cuisine that I never seem to tire and even with many of my attempts in trying to recreate the butter rice dish I always fall short.  Luckily for us though, good Turkish cuisine is around the corner at one of our go to restaurants, Cafe Orchid.

cafe tola

If I could eat empanadas daily without any guilt I would.  Sadly, empanadas don't love me as much as I love them (I know TMI) and we had to break up, but I don't deprive Liam from eating these fried dough pies stuffed with amazing fixings.  In fact, I probably would have one hang-gry child if I eliminated it from his life.  We live down the street from one of the most amazing empanada joints called Cafe Tola and I'm telling you everything from food to coffee get two very enthusiastic thumbs up.

oven fried lumpia

I grew up on Filipino food, but I rarely eat it...or crave it.  So when I do, getting that fill is a must.  So last weekend, I rolled up my sleeves and made one of the most common Filipino dishes - Lumpia!  It's absolutely a process to make these suckers, but they're totally worth it.

gluten & egg free (damn good) choco chip cookie bars

Thanks to my friend Dana that manages Paleo Kitchen Stories I decided to see a nutritionist, allergist and internist about my digestive issues.  For many years I did a process of elimination to figure out what was upsetting my stomach, but I followed in Dana's footsteps and decided to see a professional.  Welp - come to find out that all visits brought to my attention things I didn't expect.  Allergic to all melons, kiwis AND bananas (not to mention seasonal allergies), but what's even more shocking is my sensitivity to yeast, rye and egg (whites and yolks).  Yup - eggs!  So all this while I thought I was gluten sensitive, but in reality - it's pretty much everything else that it's mixed with it that I can't eat.  Since these recent findings, I've been having to modify a ton of recipes to avoid  egg (PS - Dana is egg sensitive too so she has a ton of dairy free recipes on her site) and one of my all time favorite desserts I've been making are these chocolate chip cookie bars.  Warning - they're addicting.  Like for serious.

spicy thai peanut chicken

I suck at cooking chicken.  If I bake it - I always end up over cooking it, if I pan fry it - I always end up butchering every piece to make sure it's cooked all the way through, if I grill it...ok let's be honest I don't grill, but you get the picture.  Cooking chicken confidently is tough.  However, thanks to my trusty crock pot, my chicken dishes end up the right temperature and texture.  This spicy thai peanut chicken recipe is inspired by a Swimming Rama dish served at one of my all time favorite thai restaurants located in Seattle called Jai Thai.  With a little bit of this, a little bit of that and a whole lot of peanut butter this dish quickly became one of my family's all time favorite dishes.

crack pie

Over Easter while many people were planning meals around ham or roasted lamb...I was planning mine around dessert.  I stumbled upon a recipe for the famous Momofoku Milk Bar's Birthday Cake and the baking bug hit me.  While I would have LOVED to make this, the frosting calls for cream cheese and the Mr. will have nothing to do with it.  So, I went with the next best option...Crack Pie!

image via Let Me Eat Cake

chicken meatloaf

"Maaaaaa the meaaaatttloooaaaff!"  Let's be honest, who doesn't love that quote?  More importantly, who doesn't love a good meatloaf?

honey walnut shrimp

When I was in high school I remember weekend nights when friends would sleep over and at around midnight or so my parents would ask if we wanted to go out for Chinese food.  Yep - true story.  So we would meander over to Chinatown in Seattle and sit down for a 2nd dinner.  One of my favorite dishes that we would always order is Honey Walnut Shrimp and I've had a hard time finding any that can come close to the dish we used to order at Honey Court Restaurant in Seattle.

amy's candy bar

A few weeks ago I stumbled upon this article from DNA Chicago on my Facebook news feed featuring a mouth watering picture of a candy bar that made my stomach churn with excitement.  The article profiled local shop Amy's Candy Bar and a signature item  that is called the "OMG Bar" that included salted caramel, chocolate ganache and hazelnut praline all covered in dark chocolate.  After I read the article I bolted to the candy shop the next day to purchase a few bars...and  a few more unexpected sweet treats.

gluten free goods

For the most part I stick to a gluten free diet.  I don't have celiac, but I am a little sensitive to certain foods that have wheat or flour in the ingredients so I avoid it as much as I can to refrain from any digestion issues.  When I started eating gluten free it was a choice, but when I started cutting out wheat and flour I started noticing a huge difference in the way I feel after I eat.  Every now and then I get questions like, "Don't you miss bread, pasta, etc?" and quite honestly, the sensitivity to gluten is much more common that there are many great brands that provide a gluten free option that are just as delicious as gluten full options...if not better.

So I put together a list of my favorite gluten free items that you can pick up at your local store...and even if you aren't a gluten free eater, I highly recommend giving one of these (if not all) a try to see for yourself.

5 things to know before monday ~ 2.16.14

This week there was buzz in my social media feed and discoveries that had me laughing, crying, as well hosting a solo dance party in my office cube.  Check out my great discoveries of the week that include Le Tote, Happy Birthday Colin, iTunes Radio, and much more.

5 things to know before monday ~ 2.2.14

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!  While I grew up in Seattle and love seeing my Facebook feed with so many hometown friends excited for the big game, I'm not a sports fan so for me it's another day.  However, to show support for the place I grew up I'll wear some blue today.  Let's be honest I don't own an ounce of sports branded gear.  On that note, here are some things you should know before you head back to work tomorrow!

roasted squash, pear and apple quinoa

Every year my girlfriends and I host an annual gift exchange dinner.  We each bring a bottle of booze, a gift and a dish to share.  My friends brought fabulous dishes to compliment the main course of pistachio crusted salmon with a cherry sauce and I decided to make a roasted squash, pear and apple quinoa side dish.