Hello delicious semi-homemade meal. I'm just going to put it out there. I did not make the soup portion of this recipe. It's totally store-bought and I wouldn't have it any other way. I have a toddler and a husband that is gone 12 hours a day. I need store-bought soup sometimes. Ya feel me? Ok good. I only say this because I recently had someone make a rude comment about using canned chicken and store-bought hot sauce for a recipe. I was all like DELETE. I am huge believer that if … [Read more...]
Salmon Caesar Salad
This is not your typical caesar salad. I hope that's okay with ya! Caesar salads are one on my very favorite salads - I crave them often. I like how simple and crunchy they are and I can't get enough caesar dressing. But sometimes it's nice to switch things up, ya know? Spice things up a bit like roasting chickpeas and capers and adding them to your salad. Yes...you need to roast capers...it's the most amazing thing ever. Roasting chickpeas is not unheard of - very healthy and a great … [Read more...]
Tilapia Puttanesca
It's getting fancy over here! I am seriously dying over this dish. You guys...have you ever had chicken puttanesca? It's a popular Italian dish that's salty, tangy garlicky and so delicious. Well...Vin and I are on a fish kick, by fish I mean salmon. Salmon, salmon, SALMON. Don't get me wrong, I heart salmon, so much, but I needed to switch it up. Tilapia is nothing like salmon...it's cheap, white, not fatty and is similar to chicken in that it needs flavor to make it taste good, which is … [Read more...]
Coconut Shrimp Curry with Red Pepper and Spinach
Are you surprised? I know...me too. It may seem sort of random that I am sharing a curry recipe on the blog given that I often blog about dessert, Italian food and salad. It's not that I don't like curry, I do! I actually really like it but I didn't grow up eating Indian food (neither did Vin) and we don't currently indulge in Indian food that often. With that said, I LOVE CURRY. Confused? Well I love this curry recipe, at least. Awhile back I asked my friend if she had any … [Read more...]
Tuna and Olive Pasta
And it's time for another classic Italian recipe. Have you heard of Tuna and Olive Pasta? It's a staple Italian dish that mixes pasta, tuna, and olives with a light garlic white wine sauce, and is garnished with of course, some parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. I've never made it before (obviously), but my mother-in-law makes this for the family so I thought I would give it a try and come up with my own recipe. I'm so glad that I did because this recipe comes together in less than 30 … [Read more...]
Salmon, Pea and Bacon Pasta
Can comfort food be healthy? Well sort of healthy I guess. This Salmon, Pea and Bacon Pasta is a comforting dish that also has tons of flavor and nutrients. Buuut...there's some bacon involved...and bacon grease. It's just for flavor though! This dish has been on my mind for awhile now. I happen to LOVE tuna and was craving a creamy tuna pasta with peas and olives. Sound amazing right? Well, Miss preggo here can't have tuna so I decided to make a somewhat similar pasta dish … [Read more...]
Lobster Macaroni and Cheese
Lobster Macaroni and Cheese. Need I say more? Probably not. Lobster Mac totally speaks for itself. But I'm going to talk about it anyway mmmk? Macaroni and Cheese is the number one comfort food in the WORLD. I have no idea if that's true, but if I had to guess, I might put some money on that. Adding buttery lobster just takes it up like 420803 notches! Bread crumbs are a must in macaroni and cheese according to Vincent Loizzo. "Give me a lot with the crunchy topping." That's … [Read more...]
Roasted Salmon with Ginger Honey Glaze
Today's post is super special. I am not only sharing a delicious and healthy meal but I am going to talk a little bit about a very important initiative, The Sustainable Seafood Project. I met Jessie from Life As A Strawberry at BlogHer Food 14. She is the sweetest gal and an amazing blogger. She is also an advocate for sustainable seafood and started The Sustainable Seafood Project. Jessie and her team bring together food bloggers to help shed light on the importance of sustainable … [Read more...]
Greek Salmon Salad
eek! This salad makes me so happy. I have been vacationing the past few weekends in New Orleans and Okoboji Iowa. I hope to share photos with you from New Orleans soon - what an amazing place! I was in Okoboji celebrating one of my best friend's bachelorette parties. Okoboji Iowa is a lake town in the Northwest corner of Iowa. It's.so.much.fun. We had a blast celebrating my friend Beth, hanging in the sun, and drinking cold beers. That's the life people. When I'm on vacation I often … [Read more...]
lemon and parmesan panko crusted halibut
Who loves seafood? I do! My favorites include crab, lobster, FRIED calamari, shrimp, and for fish, halibut. Yeah...I like all the expensive stuff. Just my luck. It's not like we eat it all the time so it's fun to make a meal out of it every once in a while, especially during the warmer months. We're getting there...slowly, but we.are.getting.there. Can I get a woot woot!? So halibut, my fav. It's meatier, light, not too fishy, and cooks/bakes/grills pretty darn well. I also love … [Read more...]
Shrimp Scampi
Pasta and Shrimp. Really good stuff! Shrimp Scampi seems to be a popular dish to order at restaurants because people don't think they can make it at home. Well guess what? You can! It's simple...I know I say that a lot, but if I can do it, you can do it. The most important thing here - purchase GOOD shrimp and don't overcook it. The rest is simply following directions. I found these shrimp at Mariano's and they were $20/pound. Seems like a lot, but I bought 8 shrimp for $10 and … [Read more...]
Linguine with Clam Sauce
Classico Italiano. Today I am sharing yet another classic Italian dish, Linguine with Clam Sauce. Ugh so good. Don't be afraid of clams - trust me on this! As many of you know I married an Italian man hence the many Italian recipes I like to share on this here blog. I absolutely adore Italian food, always have and always will. I did not grow up eating Italian food at home, I am Dutch and from Iowa so we ate lots of desserts with almond, sloppy joe's, barbecue beef, tuna casserole and … [Read more...]