Chicken Quesadilla
Sunday nights at our house used to be a scramble—leftovers here, cereal bowls there, and five kids with five different cravings. But one evening, years ago, when my pantry looked …
Red Velvet Brownies
The first time I baked these Red Velvet Brownies, it wasn’t Valentine’s Day or a holiday. It was a Wednesday. My oldest had just come home from school, cheeks pink …
Red Velvet Cookie Sandwiches
The first time I baked Red Velvet Cookie Sandwiches, it wasn’t for Valentine’s Day or a birthday. It was for my daughter Lily’s back-to-school bake sale. She wanted something “cool …
White Chocolate Brownies
It was my daughter’s 8th birthday when I first made these White Chocolate Brownies. She’s not into chocolate—at least not the dark, dramatic kind her older brothers love. But white …
Reuben Balls
I’ll never forget the night I made these Reuben Balls with Spicy Thousand Island Dipping Sauce for the first time. It was late February, cold outside, and I had leftover …
Chicken Marsala Pasta
The first time I made Chicken Marsala Pasta, I wasn’t chasing restaurant nostalgia or tradition—I was chasing warmth. The kind of warmth you need on a cold, overstretched Tuesday after …
Honey Pepper Chicken Mac and Cheese
There was a night in late September—kids finishing homework around the table, my Dalmatian curled up by the oven, and the air just cool enough for socks and stories. I’d …
No-Bake Lemon Blueberry Cream Cake
Sunshine in Every Bite: A Simple, Zesty, Oven-Free Dessert You’ll Crave There’s a reason this No-Bake Lemon Blueberry Cream Cake made its way into my recipe journal in thick, looping …
Honey Garlic Meatball Rice Bake
I first made this Honey Garlic Meatball Rice Bake on a snowy Tuesday night when I had very little in the fridge besides leftover cooked rice, half a bottle of …
Easy Strawberry Dole Whip
There’s something about the first taste of Easy Strawberry Dole Whip that brings me straight back to a sweaty afternoon in Oahu, barefoot and sunburned, with a strawberry-stained napkin in …