Sometimes, I like challenging myself to play the "pantry game". I like to spend at least one week per month, not buying anything new, but using up whatever I have. This can seem a little bit depressing, but it doesn't have to be. It's actually a lot of fun to see how creative and resourceful you can be. The trick to saving money on groceries is to have fewer trips to the grocery store. Not only will you save money, but you will also save so much time. With a well stocked refrigerator, freezer and pantry, you can go for a few weeks without having to go to the grocery store, as long as you plan well. One of my favorite tricks is to use up perishable ingredients first, leaving the ingredients that will stay fresh longer to be used during the later weeks. You can cook many delicious dinners that will not make you feel as poor as a church mouse. You can create many ingenious dinners that taste really fresh and even gourmet.
I'm always well stocked up on pasta of all shapes and sizes. Adding vegetables to a pasta dish is a very easy way to make it more interesting and add lots of flavor. You can keep canned baby artichokes in your pantry for dinners just like this one, or you can even use frozen artichokes instead. Fennel, onions and garlic are pantry ingredients that will stay good for weeks without spoiling, so they are the perfect ingredients to add fresh flavor.
Roasting vegetables gives them such a great caramelized and savory taste. Adding the roasted vegetables along with all the aromatics to the pasta creates a really memorable meal that even looks and tastes fancy. Crunchy and golden breadcrumbs add even more interesting taste and texture and fresh herbs is another trick that I like to use to make any dish fresh. Do you want to know how to store fresh herbs so they will last longer? I've got you covered.
Ever since I had the baby and we came back home from the hospital, I've not been feeling well enough to leave the house much. Besides, all my tubes, IVs and other medical equipment make it extra difficult. My husband does almost all the grocery shopping and I've only been to a grocery store once, which I deeply regretted on the way home:). Meals like this one are especially appreciated during times like this. Even when I'm perfectly healthy, meals like this are very convenient for unexpected company, extra busy times or when you just don't have the energy for something really time consuming. [Read more...]
Slow Cooker Beef and Onion Ragu is one of my favorites for a comforting dinner. Cooking meat low and slow is the best way to cook m
When a moist and chocolaty cake marries with crunchy meringue and hazelnuts, that is a match that was just meant to be. I absolutely love hazelnuts and always have a stash in my freezer, so it's a flavor that I like to use in many of my other sweet treats. 
Brunch parties are often overlooked and under appreciated. Why do dinner parties get all the glory and praise? Brunch menus are so much easier to cook and most people love breakfast foods. It’s so awesome to relax during the early part of the day with your guests, enjoying a different type of meal than the usual dinner fare.
Plump and juicy shrimp smothered in a creamy tomato sauce are just divine. I've been meaning to re-create this remarkable dish ever since we tried it at Bonefish Grill with my husband about a year ago. I would have never thought to pair shrimp with feta cheese, but as soon as I put it in my mouth I was instantly wowed and my fork kept reaching for another succulent bite.
Every cook should have a go-to method for cooking common side dishes, because we make them all the time. When you're making mashed potatoes, there isn't really a recipe, although there are many tips for best results (I have a whole post dedicated to
When we bought our house this past summer, one of the big projects that we tackled was a complete kitchen renovation. I am so excited to finally share the before and after pictures! Of course, it's my favorite room in the house. After cooking in really small kitchens for most of my life, this kitchen is a dream come true. 
As a food blogger, I’m often tempted to give each recipe a really creative flair. This was definitely the case with this dish as well. I thought about adding some mushrooms, green beans, asparagus or peas to give it a more unique twist, more color, flavor and texture. I also thought about adding a crunchy breadcrumb topping. All of these additions would be great. However, sometimes less is more.
You know what makes any dinner extraordinary? Dinner rolls. Think about it. Most holiday meals or special occasions have dinner rolls on the table. When we go out to eat at a fancy restaurant, they usually have some sort of bread to munch on. Warm, fluffy and tender yeast breads give any occasion a special touch. I actually survive mostly on carbs, (yes, I realize that is a very weird diet) and these cute knots are something I make when I want to give any weeknight dinner a special flair. They are so easy to make, that it's a shame we don't make them more often.
For the typical Slavic person, the idea of a sweet potato pie can seem a little bit odd. When our family first came to America, many ingredients that we saw in grocery stores were a mystery to us. We had never seen sweet potatoes in Belarus, and during the first years that we moved to the United States, we would gaze at sweet potatoes in the stores and cookbooks and have no idea how to cook with them.
I'm convinced that one of the most important factors that makes a home more cozy and inviting than the smells that waft through each room. That's why "scents" are a big business - candles, diffusers, air fresheners, potpourri, and probably lots of others things that make your car and home smell good. You know what's the most guaranteed way to make your home smell incredible? Bake some of these amazing Cranberry Orange Muffins. They won't hold a candle to any of the scent products available:). Seriously though, it will only take you 15 minutes to whip up the muffins and soon after you put them in the oven you will see what I mean. Citrus is one of my favorite scents in general and it works as a wonderful aromatic in cooking and baking too. Cranberries are plentiful this time of year and they go so well with the flavor of orange. The tart berries are a great addition to the tender muffins.
Holiday baking is fast approaching, and cream puffs are some of my favorite pastries to both prepare and indulge in. They can be made in advance, which always comes in handy during this busy time of year. My favorite filling for cream puffs is pastry cream, and this time, I used a recipe for Hazelnut Pastry Cream that I found on 
One day as I was roasting potatoes, I had a sudden burst of inspiration. Why not include some other ingredients with the potatoes that would make it into a complete meal? I already add