This was the first time I have ever made Spaghetti alla Carbonara and I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. I knew that Hubby would like it, considering it contains pancetta and eggs and pasta. What's not to love, right? I, on the other hand, wasn't so sure. I'm not a...
Cookbook of the Week: Molto Italiano by Mario Batali & A Foodie Field Trip to Eataly Chicago
Last weekend, hubby and I went to Chicago for the weekend to celebrate his birthday. As always, we had a wonderful time and ate as much delicious food as we could pack into one weekend. Aside from the stolen purse fiasco, it was magnificent. The only request I had for the weekend was that I...
Slow-Cooker Roast Beef with Red Wine Sauce + Alternate Pressure Cooker Method
Update December 2016: This post was updated to include additional instructions for making this recipe in a pressure cooker. Slow-Cooker, Crock Pot, call them what you like. They can be incredibly convenient at times. Other times, they're rather unpredictable and in my opinion, can yield a rather uninteresting texture to the recipe. When everything comes...
My Favorite Homemade Pizza Dough
Pizza is quite possibly my favorite food. I'm not referring to take-out pizza, which has its place, but the high-quality, made-from-scratch with fresh ingredients kind of pizza that somehow seems like an entirely different food group than the stuff that shows up at the door in a box. It's so easy, and so cheap to...
Homemade Caramel Popcorn
Sometimes you just need something sweet and crunchy. I'm talking about lay-on-the-couch and watch several episodes of your favorite show and be able to munch without shame or silverware. It's been one of those days. Definitely a homemade caramel popcorn kind of day. My purse was stolen over the weekend just as we were leaving...
Vanilla Bean Macarons
Is it just me, or are macarons quite possibly the cutest concoction on the planet? I've been dying to try some for a long time now, but haven't had the opportunity. I intend to change that soon though! Until I get to try the real thing in a bakery with rows and rows of colorful...
Three-Cheese Fondue
In the past, we've usually done our fondue menus with either chocolate fondue with fruit (amazing!), or oil fondue with meat. It is an incredibly easy way to prepare a sort of fun "experience" meal. For whatever reason, fondue restaurants are quite costly, especially considering how easily you can recreate the experience at home. This...
Soufflé Au Chocolat (Chocolate Soufflé)
It never ceases to amaze me how much more reliable a Julia Child recipe is than that of any other cookbook author I've followed. I've been reminded of that fact again this week on a few occasions, this chocolate soufflé being one of them. Julia’s Chocolate Soufflé has been on my “Bucket List” of recipes...
Homemade Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread
I've got the perfect thing for you to make for yourself this weekend. The recipe for this Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread is so incredibly easy and it tastes and smells incredible, similar to Amish Friendship Bread but so much quicker! It's lick-your-fingers delicious. I am a complete sucker for baked goods containing buttermilk. It makes...
Homestyle Turkey Noodle Soup
When it comes to soup, homemade is just better than store-bought. In my previous experiences making homemade stock (usually chicken), I didn't roast the bones in the oven prior to making the stock like I did this time. This method gives a more complex depth of flavor. What better way to use up leftover turkey?...