cheddar bay biscuits and the day i ate 4 biscuits and really wanted to eat 3 more

i want you to know, dear friends, that what i said in the title of this post is true- i inhaled 4 of these and may have just kept on going until there was nothing left but crumbs, but my good sense came back and told me that was a bad idea. i had already posted photos on facebook and my husband would have found out the truth.

yes, that is all that stopped me.

whipped broccoli

this is a quick recipe for whipped broccoli for the bebe that can easily be adjusted and added to to make some tasty and healthy sides for the whole family. believe it or not, the whipped broccoli is delish as is, with just a small pat of unsalted butter whirled into the still steaming hot broccoli in the food processor.

crispy, crunchy baked zucchini fries

these super crunchy zucchini fries will satisfy your french fry craving with way less fat, no frying and (don't tell anyone) zucchini is good for you!

homemade salad dressings

(image via real simple)

a simple and delicious way to control how much fat and sodium is in your food is to make it at home. many home cooks will turn to salads for a quick and healthy dinner, but as soon as they grab that bottle of creamy blue cheese/ranch/thousand island dressing and douse their poor little greens with it, they are undoing any good that could be done by eating a veggie packed salad. store bought salad dressings are full of fat, sodium and weird stabilizers that are no bueno for your body. 

don't worry, i have an easy solution for you- homemade salad dressing. there are so many delicious and healthier dressings that you can make in about 5 minutes, and the jar of dressing will keep in the fridge for the entire week, just remember to give it a good shake, shake, shake to help it re-emulsify before you use it each time.

potato + kale cakes with rouille

these potato and kale cakes were a big hit, they were creamy and fluffy on the inside with a crispy crust on the outside. we had just them for dinner the first night and then i used the mashed potatoes + kale as a side for our awesome fried chicken the next night. i think next time i make these, and there will be a next time, i will add a bit more kale than the recipe asks for.

paleo cauliflower rice

tonight, we will be having paleo stuffed red peppers for dinner, and part of that recipe is cauliflower rice.

its so simple to make and we will be using it twice- tonight in our stuffed peppers and tomorrow night in fried rice.

getting closer

these dry little pinto beans are so humble and unassuming. they are a blank slate, mine to season and beautify any way that i see fit.

i have been striving to achieve refried bean nirvana (yah, it's a real thing) for years and am getting closer and closer to that place with each batch of beans that i make.

a pretty bird and a few words on excavating

i promise to post another tasty vegetarian recipe soon, but this ain't it, folks.

i have been waxing (maybe, not so) poetic about my love of comfort food since the temperature has dipped below 80. i'm currently going through some soul searching (what should i do with my life? what brings me true happiness? how should i get my hair cut???), and am feeling the desire to eat food that brings warmth and comfort to my belly and my soul.

have you ever searched your soul? it's kind of like excavating. gentle excavating. you dig, you get a little dirty and you have the knowledge, while you are elbow-deep in all the muck, that you will find exactly what you are seeking if you just keep at it and keep on digging. persistence is key here. try to ignore the dirt under your fingernails. and on your elbows. and on your cheeks.

keep at it. you never know what you may find.

tabbouleh salad

this salad is another simple recipe straight outta my new favorite cookbook, mad hungry. tabbouleh is a light, refreshing and lemony salad that is super filling when piled into pita bread with some salty feta shards and a smear of hummus.

sharp cheddar + gruyere macaroni and cheese with shallots + pancetta

roasted butternut squash stuffed with rice, thyme, bacon + gruyere

it is squash season, hooray! i adore all things squashy- pumpkins, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, and especially, butternut squash.

cut squash in half lengthwise. scoop out seeds and stringy flesh. cut each half into 2 or 3 smaller pieces. it's flesh gets all sweet and intense when roasted in the oven @ 375 degrees for about 45-50 minutes, or until a fork slides easily in and out. don't forget to rub it all over with olive oil, salt and pepper first!

jalapeno corn cakes. caliente!

okay, these weren't really caliente, but if you wanted them to be spicy-hot you could leave the ribs and seeds in the jalapeno when you chop it up.

here's what they actually were- savory, a little spicy, sweet from the corn, nicely textured from the cornmeal, super tasty.

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...

jacked up caprese salad

a couple posts ago i spoke of my intense desire to see summer receding in my rear view mirror and to see nothing but fall ahead of me as far as the eye can see.

but then i made this salad.

spiced indian chickpeas, naan and lemony garlic + mint yogurt sauce

these chickpeas were out of this world tasty. they are spiced up with lots of tantalizing and delicious spices like garam masala, cinnamon and cayenne and are feisty, flavorful and tangy if you add a squeeze of lemon at the end like i did. i also added some chopped up fresh cilantro at the end of cooking the chickpeas and that brought a nice, bright freshness to the dish.

chipotle, lime and honey marinated pork chops

i saw this recipe on a paleo blog, fast paleo, and even though we arent eating the paleo way, it just sounded like a delicious recipe. i try to throw in paleo friendly meals once or twice a week just to cut down on our carbs. all that matters to me when i choose a recipe is that it makes me want to put that food in my belly, but it definitely gets major bonus points if its healthy, too!

smoked pulled pork sandwiches + broccoli slaw

do you go to your local bbq joint and salivate over the tasty, juicy, smoky pulled pork sandwiches?

do you know that you can totally recreate that goodness at home?

fact.

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!

cold orzo salad on a hot summer day

hello there, summer. you are so dang hot.

i like to start the summer off with a nice cold beer or cocktail in my hand and a nice cold orzo salad in my bowl.

ponce's house rice + freezer burritos

i have to say it just one more time, shutterbean's idea for freezer burritos is awesome.

i roasted some chicken breasts and made some spanish rice (our favorite server slipped us the recipe from our neighborhood mexican restaurant in san diego, ponce's) and the rest was merely assembling the burritos. the rice was cooking on the stove as the chicken roasted in the oven and then i set up my work station and got to work.