Since it is both apple and citrus season, I’ve brought them together for this seasonal treat. Along with sweet raisins and warm spices all topped off with crunchy pecans. If you’re looking for the easiest brioche French toast casserole that comes with a lot of flavor, this is your recipe. Christmas morning is the happiest and most fun part of the year that deserves a delicious feast. This is Christmas morning comfort food....

“Excuse me,” said the woman in line behind me, as we finished our transaction at Target, “did you know that you have – – (and then the longest moment passed where I’m stressing, thinking she’s going to say that I have toilet paper on my shoe, or that I’ve forgotten to button up after nursing the baby, or that one of my four kids has dumped a bottle of shampoo on the ground)...

Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram For years I remembered that as one of the strangest moments of my life, where my brain could not decide between laughing and crying. Now this happens to me all the time. Lest you think me heartless, let me just say I’m not the only one. I was too late to the hospital to get any drugs when Truman was born, and Eric said later that my primal screaming was so TV-like that he had to keep looking away so that I wouldn’t see him laughing....

Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram I’ve been trying to teach my older kids about the level of emergency they should have in their voice for things that are actual emergencies. They always get it backwards. Like, every time the baby does something like flood the bathroom (that happened last week, she had the faucet on full blast and flooded the floor with a half inch of water while she happily dumped Clorox wipes into the toilet), the older kids barely look up from reading their book to tell me about it....

Years ago I got a text from my best friend Sarah about a recipe she had fallen in love with for Ahi Tuna. She raved about it so much that somehow it got lodged in my long-term memory. Fast forward to last year when I went to visit her in Texas. She meticulously planned out our menu of course, because what is there to do in a sleepy border town in Texas besides eat like kings....

For as long as I can remember, I have always been a muncher. You know, the kinds who can nosh through meal times over little bites of delicious finger food. Growing up, I clearly remember warm summer afternoons, or even cold winter ones for that matter, where we would often substitute our dinner for a platter of the most guilt-ridden snacks. Lovely fritters deep-fried till crisp and drowned in a tangy chutney, smoky char-grilled tikkas and kebabs, scrumptious sandwiches with the most amazing fillings – like this Paneer Bhurji recipe, and of course, my personal favourites of deliciously spiced street foods....

The other night we had this delicious Parmesan Broccoli with my Easy Top Round Roast and my Roasted Baby Potatoes. It was so easy to make! You guys. One of my kids had three helpings of this amazing broccoli recipe. It’s absolutely delicious. Storing Broccoli Broccoli should be stored in the refrigerator. You want to keep it in the bag that it was purchased in so that it doesn’t dry out....

Homemade salad dressings are one of my favorite things to make for you. I just love this delicious poppy seed dressing recipe. It comes together with ingredients you have in your pantry and is like adding liquid sunshine to your salads. Poppy Seed Dressing Ingredients Olive oil: This is the base of the dressing so you want to use a good quality extra virgin olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is less processed and more pure than regular olive oil....

I’ve been craving a pulled pork sandwich lately, this happens a lot. But instead of pork, I made my pulled pork sandwich (pictured below) recipe using chicken breasts instead of pork which is much faster, but just as good. The chicken roasts for 1 hour, the pork for 6. The key to keeping the chicken moist is roasting it in chicken stock mixed with barbecue sauce because chicken breasts can tend to dry....

A simple risotto can be a base to add so many flavors. If you think that making risotto is time consuming and difficult, it is not. I have a great, step-by-step guide of How to Make Simple Risotto with tips and tricks. Leftover risotto If you end up with a lot of leftover risotto, you can turn it into another dish by making Risotto Rice Balls (Arancini). A crispy, fried Sicilian appetizer or snack....

INGREDIENTS: DIRECTIONS: Soak Chickpeas overnite and cook with a tea bag to get a suitable color. Alternatively add a pinch of salt + sugar while cooking Chickpeas. This process will require soaking only for 4 hours … I have used boiled chickpeas here. Chop tomatoes finely along with green chilly. Heat oil in a Kadai and drop in Cumin Seeds & Ajwain Seeds. Once they splutter, add in chopped tomatoes, green chill and ginger garlic paste....

We just got home from a week long trip to Eric’s tiny hometown in Montana, where his parents live. The population is about 5,000. It’s a nice change of pace from all the traffic and bustle here in Sacramento. It takes literally 5 minutes to get anywhere you want to go. Oh, except all the places you want to go that are 4 hours away. (Like Target.) But why go anywhere when the porch swing is calling?...

This holiday side dish is an update of an ‘oldie but goodie’ recipe of mine that has all the flavors of the season that you know and love. What’s the key to all this? Why, it’s the Maple Pecans that have everything to do with the amazing flavor. If you’ve tried my recipe for them, and I hope you have, you’ll know how good they are . Maple syrup and toasted pecans are a delicious flavor combination and one of my favorites of the fall/autumn and winter season....

I have a minor obsession with flowers, so you better believe I drag Eric to our local tulip festival every year. This time I tried to pass it off as a “date” even though we brought Charlotte with us and Eric was much more interested in wafting in the scent of fried food than squealing at the sight of so many flowers (which is what I was doing). Aren’t tulips so dang pretty?...

My husband has been working on and off in Palm Springs California the past few months. Known for their excessive heat (temperatures have already reached 120°F/49°C this summer) and more importantly, dates. Each week when he comes home, he brings a huge stash of dates with him in all sorts of varieties that I did not know existed. I’ve enjoyed such varieties as blonde, brunette, honey, halawi and the best of all, medjool....

Sauteeing mushrooms and onions sound like a straightforward recipe, and it really is, but I have a few tips to share with you to make this side restaurant-worthy. It will take your food to the next level, and you’re going to love it! I often make this to serve over grilled steak, or air fried steak with a simple side salad and creamy mashed potatoes. And honestly, this meal tastes as good as something I order at a fancy restaurant....

Planning a Family StayCation to Cambridge - this city has plenty to offer everyone! Soon after the school break in October, we went on a memorable staycation to Cambridge for three days and two nights. We started our trip on a late Saturday afternoon after my son’s weekend lessons. We have been to Cambridge twice before and have loved it every visit. There is so much to explore that we wanted to enjoy this trip leisurely....

The other night we sat down to dinner after what had been a really long, really hard day. And we were having spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. It was like the most delicious thing I had ever eaten. I don’t know what it is about pasta that is so comforting, but it is. And sitting there with my bowl of spaghetti, with all the people I love most in the world slurping away, I felt better....

Growing up, my mom was always trying to stretch ingredients. Chili was a super easy way to make canned beans, corn, meat, and a few spices into an amazing dinner we could eat for days! I made her recipe even easier with this Slow Cooker Turkey Chili your family will love! This chili takes a few hours to simmer. Luckily, your Crockpot will do all the work while you wait....

There’s nothing quite as cozy and comforting as a hearty, flavorful bowl of soup. With this slow cooker vegetable and meatball soup we’re not talking about some thin broth with a few paltry slivers of veggies floating around. No, this is a textured, rich, ladle full of goodness. It fills you up and warms you up in all the coziest ways. I thought you guys would love this soup for the new year....