Homemade pizza made simple

Simple, delicious, homemade cheese pizza is a staple at our house. I hit on the easiest, no-fail way to make and roll out (and transfer — always the trickiest part!) the dough several years ago, and I never looked back. The first time I attempted homemade pizza…well, let’s just say it didn’t quite work out. [...]

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Holiday traditions: Peanut butter balls

It’s the time of year when folks gather in the kitchen to prepare traditional treats that only appear around the holidays. For my family, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without peanut butter balls. Easy, delicious, and quick-to-vanish, it’s the annual treat we never quite get enough of — so we look forward to making them every [...]

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Slow cooker meat loaf on a bed of potatoes

It may not look pretty on the plate, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t supremely tasty. Adapted from Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook, this meat loaf recipe is a fantastic way to get dinner on the table with little fuss but lots of flavor. Meat loaf and potatoes à la slow cooker Meat loaf: [...]

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Whatchagot pasta: Creating a meal with whatever’s on hand

A friend of mine calls the soups she concocts from whatever she finds in her kitchen on a particular day “whatchagot” stew. I’m continually inspired by her creativity and the almost always successful culinary outcomes. Today for lunch I found myself stumped. Nothing looked good. But a few things from last week’s CSA lingered on [...]

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Layered bean dip: Comfort food whipped up in a snap

You can take the girl out of the Midwest, but you can’t take the Midwest out of the girl. There are some recipes that I never get out of my system. They aren’t fancy or unique. In fact, they’re simple and solid. But I made them when I was young, growing up in Iowa, and [...]

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Ditch that cancer-causing microwave popcorn bag, but still nuke the salty snack

Microwave popcorn has been added to the list of things that could, theoretically, cause cancer. Then again, what isn’t on that list these days? If you’re even the tiniest bit concerned about the possible dangers lurking in that flat Orville Redenbacher bag, skip it altogether — and save a ton of money in the long [...]

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No-chop chili that tastes like it simmered for hours — in just 30 minutes

The rain has returned to Olympia and there’s no better way to hunker down on a drab and drippy day than with a warm bowl of chili. Adapted from Cooking Light magazine, this deceptively simple chili is made with absolutely no cutting or chopping of ingredients (except for a spin in the mini food processor [...]

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Eggplant and tomato pasta, inspired by the Pioneer Woman

Our CSA from the Evergreen Organic Farm overflowed with eggplant and tomatoes this week, so I went in search of inspiration. I found it, as I so often do, with the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond. I substituted my bounty of fresh tomatoes for her canned, though I’ll definitely try this dish again during the off [...]

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Potato, pepper & onion wraps

Last summer, when our weekly CSA box began to overflow with peppers and potatoes, I came up with this simple, flavorful dish. Let’s just say we’ve had it a lot in the past year. It’s great for lunch or dinner, but you could add scrambled eggs to create a tasty breakfast burrito. Potato, pepper and [...]

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Summer means Caprese salad

Olympia is finally enjoying sustained summer heat. Like, above-90-degrees heat. Scorching. While many folks are excited about the heat, many others dread it. Can you tell on which side of that debate I fall? One thing everyone can agree on: don’t even think about turning on the stove or oven. Beigeland, like most in houses [...]

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