What day is it????
Come on you know it’s Tuesday so that means Tacos! Well for me a taco bowl, but still with all the yummy fixings. I went super San Diego style and used Butcher Box cod for the protein so it was tasty, but healthy and light …
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Sunday Summer Supper
I know it doesn’t feel like summer today if you’re in San Diego, but yesterday was the picture perfect sunny June day (no June gloom in yesterday’s forecast) so I was in the mood to make a light dish. I had a pork tenderloin defrosted …
All the “pastabilities” with summer salads
Summertime is here and that means light, bright, and colorful dishes. We had friends this weekend and I kept things simple, which meant BBQ and pre-prepped dishes so I could spend quality time with them. Burgers and Brats (will all the fixings) were on the …
Monday’s Memorial Day Lineup
We had such a nice long Memorial Day weekend. We got together with the family on Saturday and had a BBQ at a friend’s house Sunday (it was so great to give everyone hugs, finally!!), so Monday was just me and the hubs. I had …
Taco Tuesday is on deck
I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. Having that extra day off is so nice, but trying to squeeze in five days of work into four is no bueno. So I decided to make dinner easy for the first work day this week …
Meat take a seat, Eggplant Parmesan is on Deck!
So we are on day 254 of Covid containment, but who’s counting (insert sarcastic laugh). I’m trying my best to vary recipes so we don’t get tired of eating the same thing every single week. I love, love, love cooking, but even I am at …
Mama Mia Meatballs!
Meatballs are a staple in our house. When I’m not sure what to make and suggest meatballs the hubby’s eyes light up and a resounding yes is his reply. He’s a fan of my meatball meals, regardless of what I’m meatballing up (is that a …
Ain’t no thing but a chicken wing!
I get into this rut, or pattern, of always ordering the same appetizer when we eat out (I mean, when we used to eat out, pre Covid-19 ). For a while it was calamari, then it was ceviche, artichoke stepped in a few years ago, …
Santa Maria Tri (it) Tip
We love our Traeger Smoker. We’ve had it for over 10 years and I’ve posted previous recipes using the Traeger as our cooking method of preference. The smoker is wonderful, but it does require a lot of time to get that smoky ring and flavor …
A Quick Quiche…maybe
I love quiches! With Mother’s Day last weekend I decided to make a traditional bacon and cheese quiche. I took a shortcut and bought premade pie dough from Trader Joe’s, since this was only one of the many dishes I was preparing. The night before …
Zooming away with virtual Happy Hours
Wow, who would have thought two months ago that our lives would change as drastically as they did? I, for one, did not. Even when COVID-19 initially came out, I brushed it off like it was no big deal. I figured it was the flu …
Little chicks aka Cornish Hens
I grew up in a home where my mom was constantly cooking. As I’ve mentioned before, her traditional Syrian dishes were, and still are, my favorites, but she didn’t limit herself to Middle Eastern dishes. Cornish hens (aka little chicks) were always a staple we …
Tasty Tomato Tart
Happy Friday and hooray for the weekend?!? Seriously, is anyone else totally confused about what day it is? At this point, aren’t the week and weekend running into one another? Minus the fact that I don’t have to work the weekends (not complaining here), they …
Kitchen sink polenta
Hi there friends. Geeze…it’s been so long since I posted anything. You would have thought with this COVID 19 taking over our lives I would post more, but working from home’s got me blue; once I’m done for the day I don’t want to look …
Savory Stuffed Peppers
Growing up my mom cooked an array of meals, but I was most excited about food from her homeland Syria. She would sprinkle in Syrian dishes when she had extra time on her hands since most recipes were time intensive. I loved everything and anything …
Meatless Monday, on a Tuesday (whoops, a day late!)
I’ve been meal prepping for the past few weeks and most of the meals, well the lunch ones at least, have included chicken, pork, or beef as the main ingredient. So I decided to cut back on the animal proteins and go with a vegetarian …
Week Four and recipes galore!
Well I’m only posting one tonight, but my plan is to post multiple recipes this week since I’m trying to mix up our meals to combat boredom. As they say, “An idle mind is the devil’s playground” and we can’t have that, especially when we’re …
Got fish? Yup right down the street!
We love eating seafood and since we live in San Diego places to buy fresh fish are bountiful. We hit different markets depending where we are for the day, but I was just told (thank you Nancy!) about a new market that has opened literally …
Cursing into week three!
Two weeks down and six more to go for the OTF transformation challenge. Food prep has been going well, and overall I feel better about how we’re eating during the week. I’ve been okay about not over indulging come the weekend, but I think I …
Wine Wednesday on pause, but the weekend is almost here!
We made it to the middle of the week! I can almost feel the weekend coming on. Normally I’d be looking forward to a wine Wednesday, but since we’re eating clean and not drinking during the week, my glass of wine will have to wait …
Bye week one, hello week two, look at you!
Well, we have one week under our belts for the OTF transformation challenge and the clean eating weekly program. I have to say that it actually went really well. I felt satisfied and full, as did the rest of the bunch. However I have to …
Meatless Monday
Day one of the clean eating program went off without a hitch. We started the day with a nutrient packed bowl of overnight oats and had a Mexican inspired rice bowl for lunch. I wanted to take that healthy momentum into our evening meal, so …
And so it begins….
How is it already January 20th? The holidays are well behind us, work weeks are back in full swing, and resolutions have been made (some already broken) for the new decade. By this time of the year I’m always ready for a fresh start, and …
“Sea” shrimp disappear!
Happy New Decade! Wow, can you believe it. Not only has the year flown by, but we’re in a new decade! I’m so excited for some reason. I think it’s because 2020 seemed so far off at one point and now, suddenly, it’s here. I …
Gotta love a lota burrata
Mmmmm cheese. Who doesn’t like cheese? No one that’s who. Well except folks that have a dairy intolerance, they don’t like cheese because their tummies don’t like cheese🧀. Those poor people; I feel very sorry for them😔. Maybe if you’re cheese intolerant skip this post, …
Fancy Flank Steak in a hurry
I love cooking. For those of you that know me personally, this comes as no surprise, and for those of you following my food posts and (hopefully) this blog, you’re starting to figure out my happy place is the kitchen (or working out, but that’s …
Christmas Cookie Re-cap
As I mentioned in my last post my annual Cookie party was this past weekend and per usual it did not disappoint. I didn’t take the time to count the cookies, but even after everyone took a plateful I still had three large foil tin …
Chocolate Dipped Christmas Spoons
I know we are deep into the holiday season when my annual Christmas Cookie Party comes around. This year was no different from the last, we ended up with hundreds of cookies and enjoyed the company of some wonderful women as well. I tried out …
Beautiful Beefy Steak Tips
Now that I’m using Butcher Box as our primary protein source, I’ve had a chance to work with different cuts of meat that I wouldn’t normally buy. Although it pushes me out of my comfort zone it’s really great because it forces me to try …
Creamy Dreamy Carrot Soup
It’s fall again, again. If you don’t remember about a month ago in San Diego we had a cold snap and I thought fall was here to stay. Well, I thought wrong. Just a week ago we had another scorcher of a day; people even …
Unicorns, rainbow, and cupcakes!
I love sugar. Well, actually, to be more honest I’m addicted to sugar. Yes, I know, I know. Sugar is bad for you. Sugar is evil. Sugar is the devil. Sugar is Public Enemy number one. You know what, even knowing all that, it still …
Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
Mexican food is my hubby’s favorite ethnic meal and my tummy’s enemy. Don’t get me wrong, I love Mexican food, but for some reason it doesn’t love me back. I don’t know if it’s the raw onions, or the cooking fat used, or the fact …
Well hello there crockpot!
I recently helped my sis and bro-in-law move a few weekends back. This process involved going through their house, packing boxes and boxes of everything, and (the most rewarding part for me), throwing stuff away. This exercise put me in the mood to do the …
Butternut, beef, and bringing in fall!
It’s fall again! Well it has been for the past two days at least. Honestly this weather is crazy. We went from 90 degrees on Saturday to 70 degrees on Sunday. Now I’m not complaining, fall is my favorite time of year, but a 20 …
Cheesy Beefy Pasta Bake
Some days you just want some comfort food that’s warm, cheesy, and yummy. Although this isn’t the healthiest bake, I do try to incorporate veggies to give it a vitamin boost and make it a little lighter than a traditional heavy bake. I also use …
Rose “Summer” Spritz
Summer spritz?!?! Wait, it’s not summer anymore. Fall showed up about a month ago, what gives? Well I’ll tell you what. San Diego, and her breezy BFF Santa Ana, decided to give us a warm week, hotter than any summer day we had this year. …
A non-food food post
Up to this point on my blog I’ve kept my post mainly on food, but I decided to venture out a little and do a non-food food post. I know that sounds odd, so allow me to explain. If you know my hubs you already …
Pigs are the blanket!
You all remember pigs in a blanket, right? We popped open those ready made dough tubes trying not to scare the crap out of ourselves (I always hated that tube pop!), wrapped it around a hot dog, and into the oven it went. I guess …
It’s an Egg-strodinary breakfast!
I love breakfast. I’m one of those people who always wakes up hungry so breakfast is one of my favorite meals. Lately during the weekdays I’ve been fasting and waiting to eat until lunch (that’s a different topic that I may touch on later), but …
Butcher Box BLATs!
Mmmmmm bacon. Is there anyone out there that doesn’t like bacon? Well, unless you are a vegetarian, I get that bacon is off limits for you, but for my meat eaters, who doesn’t drool when they smell the sizzle of bacon? I do love the …
The last bit of summer spuds
I know the official first day of fall started last Monday, but I’m still savoring the last bit of summer. Plus in San Diego summer tends to linger on well into fall so this dish is still relevant, right? Well, maybe is isn’t but I’m …
Steak Paninis
I always seem to have leftovers. I make an inordinate amount of food that can’t possibly be consumed, whether it’s just for me and the hubs, or for a party of 20 plus. I blame this trait on my Middle Eastern background. It is ingrained …
Mangia mangia mangia!
I have a love for all things Italian. The Italian landscape is beautiful, the cities are historic while the countryside is idyllic, the wine is wonderful and continually flowing, and the food, in my humble opinion, is perfection. The hubs and I went to Italy …
