nachos, baby!

do you make nachos at home when the craving hits you like a mack truck? 

cuz you should.

sharp cheddar & parmesan bread

a few weeks ago i came across a recipe from shutterbean for a simple cheesy bread loaf that was just calling my name. imagine how pleased i was to discover that i had all the makings for it!

broccoli and cheddar twice baked potatoes

i was in folsom last weekend, dogsitting for some sweet friends, and as i was trying to figure out what i wanted for dinner the first night there, i remembered- they now have a whole foods! yah, yah, "whole paycheck" and all that jazz, but i can't help myself, i love that place.

greek chickpea salad with local feta

summertime means making as many meals as you can that require the smallest amount of effort possible. super bonus points if you don't even need to switch on the oven to get a healthy and delicious meal on the table!

asparagus + goat cheese quiche

the mister was out of town this week. the lucky so and so went to san francisco for a work thing and so i was on my own for meals for a couple nights. 

i don't know about how things work in your house, but around here, when one of us is absent for dinner, the other takes full advantage of that and eats the stuff that we like (and the other isn't a fan of). for me, that means that when the mister is not here, i like to eat mushroom laden food, goat cheese, foods dotted with olives and quiche.

glorious, lovely, silky quiche.

creamy broccoli + sharp cheddar soup, minus the guilt

you know what i love?

i love when i can make a meal that is awesomely delicious and i don't feel guilty after ingesting it. because you know there are all sorts of tasty, rich soup recipes out there that make your belly scream "yes, please!" but after you eat them, your belly, ass and thighs are screaming "whyyyy???!!! why must you do this to us?"

gobble, gobble

this year, my husband and i did a quiet thanksgiving at home, just the two of us. it was a peaceful, mellow day full of love, a couple bottles of fruity pinot noir and delicious food.

it was exactly what we needed.

sharp cheddar + gruyere macaroni and cheese with shallots + pancetta

dinner for one.

my other half was at a work dinner at sierra nevada tonight (lucky) and so i found myself faced with the glorious task of making dinner for one. now don't get me wrong, i love eating dinner with mr. brown sugar, and we love to sit down for dinner with a bottle of fancy, expensive wine and gaze lovingly at each other over softly glowing candles and our coq au vin (ala julia child, of course).

but, i also enjoy a night of dinner just for me.

sometimes, that may consist of thick spaghetti noodles cooked al dente and coated with butter and parm. sometimes, a bowl of ramen with an egg dropped in the last 4 minutes and a healthy drizzle of sriracha. rooster sauce, baby! tonight, it meant cheesy garlic bread with pecorino romano, sharp cheddar, butter, mayonaise...

wait! 

did i just lose you at mayonaise?? no, no, no. i haven't gone loco and started putting disgusting and weird things in my garlic bread. just hear me out...

baked pasta with ricotta, mozzarella + basil

do you know what lycopenes are?

no? get ready, i'm about to drop some knowledge on you...

pizza, furry puppies + fun!

did you know that there are people in this world that dont like pizza?

for serious.

i'm assuming these people are the same people that dont like furry puppies, ice cream or fun.

hot potato!

for whatever reason, i've been on a major freezer meal kick lately. these super stuffed potatoes freeze beautifully, are easy to make in large quantities (i made 12) and are an easy weeknight dinner paired with a salad or roasted vegetable.

i chose to stuff mine with sharp cheddar, butter, sour cream, scallions and what else? bacon!

baked eggs with parm and asparagus

 here is the tricky part about baked eggs...

epic pizza

i so wish that you could smell my house right now.

i have the oven cranked up to its maximum heat capacity at 500 degrees and am blasting the taco pizza til its crisp and bubbly. make sure you're oven is clean before you take it to heat temps that are equal to that of the surface of the sun!!! or you will burn your house down.

you have been warned.

do you like pizza? do you like tacos?

win.