On your marks. Get set. Bake!

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On your marks. Get set. Bake!

Stodgy. Sponge. Biscuit. Scrumptious. Scon. Frangipane. Soggy Bottom. Wagon wheel. Creme Pat. Pasty.

We’ve spent much of 2020 into 2021 watching the Great British Baking Show.

We started testing out our baking prowess this winter with biscuits and cinnamon buns and have made countless batches of cookies and brownies and cupcakes.

All this TV watching has left us thinking a balance of “holy mother how’d they do that” and “hmmm, could we do that?” Well now we will test that final question in the GREAT ROTHSTEIN BAKING SHOW

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Ring in the New Year with Overnight French Toast Casserole

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Ring in the New Year with Overnight French Toast Casserole

This is a dish that our family makes for every big family gathering that included a morning, from New Years Day to Easter to Christmas morning and even had for one of my homecoming (or prom?) morning brunches!

I now understand why it was present every big family morning. This is the easiest dish to whip up. You make it the night before, stick it in the fridge then pop it in the oven right as you are getting ready the next morning. Let people think you spent hours cooking, but let yourself enjoy the special day.

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"I" is for (Dairy Free) Ice Cream!!

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"I" is for (Dairy Free) Ice Cream!!

Last week, we worked on the the letter “I” … and our project was ICE CREAM.

Much to Teddy’s surprise it was making ice cream.

We made double chocolate, coconut milk ice cream, and then had banana splits. It was simple, fun, and NOT messy.

Until we ate the banana splits that is :-)

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Balsamic Roasted Pork Tenderloin

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Balsamic Roasted Pork Tenderloin

I’d say the key here is the balsamic, but is it the rosemary, or maybe the garlic, or is the butter? It’s really hard to say which one is the key element to making this simple dish an over the top winner but it doesn’t really matter! What you have here is a dish with about 10-15 minutes prep time 30ish minutes of hands off cook time (for 1.25lbs) and then some serious silence at the table while your family eats in joy.

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Bisquick (not necessarily quick) Chicken Pot Pie

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Bisquick (not necessarily quick) Chicken Pot Pie

OK, first off. How are you doing? Weird times, huh? Is anyone else strung out on family time yet? I mean this is A LOT of family time. A LOT of togetherness. A LOT of cooking for these hungry beasts all day long. I had no clue so much food was consumed by my family. Including the dog. No clue. I mean we eat pretty healthily, even the dog likes to snack on carrots (weird - yes) but it’s still a lot of food.

Here’s one of our favorite in between weather meals - pot pie! A 9x13 pan serves our family of 3 for 2 days - these days who knows? After a long day of playing in mud puddles or being outside in the damp spring weather it’s so comforting to smell the warm biscuits and veggies cooking in the oven.

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Italian Pot Roast

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Italian Pot Roast

Well that was a lovely 2 week break for fall before we dove straight into winter like weather. Pot roast is a meal that just feels right on wintery days. That being said, American pot roast is often extremely heavy with the gravy and potatoes and is just too more than I need (not that Teddy or Zach care, they will eat pot roast how ever I make it!).

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Bring on the Pumpkin

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Bring on the Pumpkin

Pumpkin is the fall’s version of shrimp in Forest Gump. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin soup, pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin … chili! While I’m not a fan of the PSL crazy I can totally get behind the rest.

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Chinese Cashew Chicken

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Chinese Cashew Chicken

Let’s talk every one’s favorite comfort food (next to mac’n cheese and ice cream) - Chinese food. Being gluten free makes eating Chinese food hard, the brown sauces usually contain soy sauce, and many restaurants don’t have gluten free soy sauce to sub out on the spot. Totally understandable. But I still crave it. What to do, what to do?

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Nanny's Peach Grunt Cake

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Nanny's Peach Grunt Cake

Fresh fruit from the farmers market gets me so excited.  To me peaches and apples might be my very favorite. signal a very special time of year.  Just like watermelon signals summer, and crisp apple says fall, peaches stand for the middle ground between the two.

Apples I buy in droves every weekend. When I find perfect peaches at the market I tend to buy a lot and make big plans for them.  Usually these plans involve desert.

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How Sweet It Is

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How Sweet It Is

If you were to only know me through reading my blog and recipes you may think that I only cook and eat healthy veggie packed meals.  

False.

I love to bake desserts - I've never met a cookie, or cake, or muffin that I haven't wanted to bake. 

Some people love to bake from scratch with a toddler and kuddos to you my friends!  Not me.  But I do still like to bake (and even bake with Teddy).  What a conundrum you say!  

Well, I'm going to share my baking secret with you.  Shhhhhhhh!

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Baked Fajitas

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Baked Fajitas

Fajitas yes, having your house smell like Chili’s for a week, no. Fresh healthy crowd pleasing food, yes, Cooking over a hot stove in the summer, no.

Enter baked fajitas!!  Even though these fajitas aren’t seared in a flaming hot cast iron pan they are still packed with that southwest flavor that will leave you wanting more!  I love that this easily makes a big batch, because we all love these fajitas! 

Enter baked fajitas!!  Even though these fajitas aren’t seared in a flaming hot cast iron pan they are still packed with that southwest flavor that will leave you wanting more!  I love that this easily makes a big batch, because we all love these fajitas! 

Even better, you don't even need mixing bowls for the chicken and veggies, just toss them straight onto the pan.  One less thing to clean - now you are speaking my language. Now go forth and enjoy your summertime!

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Coconut Curry Cashew Crockpot Chicken

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Coconut Curry Cashew Crockpot Chicken

A fragrant sauce of coconut and curry mixed with sweet red peppers, tender cooked potatoes, and crunchy cashews, with chicken or chickpeas, made right in your crockpot! A dish fit for a dinner party or an easy weekday night in.  So so easy and incredibly delicious!  

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Mainly Vegetable Turkey Bolognese (Parents: Just Call it Meat Sauce)

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Mainly Vegetable Turkey Bolognese (Parents: Just Call it Meat Sauce)

We are a busy bunch, late meetings, conference calls, school, work, practices, playdates.  So even though we may crave that hearty meal, some days we forget to meal plan, or are just too tired to cook.  That's where this bolognese comes in.  Oh, did I mention it is jam packed with veggies and your kids won't know at all?!  I call that a winning combination!

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Stuffing Dumpling Soup

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Stuffing Dumpling Soup

Thanksgiving in a bowl.  Happiness in a soup.  The non-Jew's Matzo ball soup.  

Whatever you dub this soup, I am sure it is going to become part of your fall and winter family faves.  Easy to make (even a day ahead of time!) and even easier to eat, this meal has all of the best part of Thanksgiving with out all of the mess and cleanup.

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Acorn Squash with Sausage and Broccolini

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Acorn Squash with Sausage and Broccolini

And just like that it is fall, and not a day too soon!  School has started, the leaves are turning, there is a crisp breeze in the air.  Time for roasty, warm, cozy meals.  

For our first official fall dinner I made Acorn Squash stuffed with Italian Sausage and Broccolini,  Rice and Lentils.  We eat a lot of spaghetti squash in the fall and winter and I had been looking for something similar, easy to cook but not a crock pot meal, hearty but healthy.  When I saw the acorn squash at Trader Joes and the sign said "I'm perfect for roasting and stuffing!" I was sold (it really doesn't take much).

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Taco Tuesday

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Taco Tuesday

Who doesn't love tacos?

Ok now that we have that out of the way, can I admit that I hate cleaning up after making tacos or even taco salad?  There are just so many things that go into them, there are so many pots and pans and bowls.  It's probably my least favorite meal.

Well my friend D came to the rescue the other day with a taco recipe that is no muss-no fuss and I think better than the original! Baked Tacos.

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