Chicken Shawarma Bowl
Shawarma, according to Wikipedia, is meat roasted on a spit like a Turkish doner kebab or a Greek gyro, but...
Costa Rican Casado
Have you ever looked at where you can go with your Southwest frequent flyer miles, and noticed Costa Rica? It’s...
Pretzel Pigs-in-a-Blanket
Homemade pretzels have been something I’ve wanted to try for a long time. I’ve also always loved pigs-in-a-blanket. Pretzel Pigs-in-a-Blanket...
Green Chile Mac and Cheese
New Mexico loves green chile. We eat it in and on everything – like breakfast burritos, green chile stew, enchiladas,...
Ground Beef Tacos
Regular ground beef tacos are hardly a new recipe. But sometimes the classics are worth sharing. Street tacos are really...
Chicken Piccata
I’ve been making Chicken Piccata for several years now, but I always struggled to turn it into a meal. I...
Cod with Tomato and Basil Sauce
I’m always looking for more ways to cook fish because fish is so healthy. This Cod with Tomato Basil Sauce...
Thanksgiving Dinner
The thanksgiving dinner meal can be traditional or new, blending different family favorites as the guests change from year to...
Chicken Lo Mein
I’ve been trying different lo mein recipes for over a year, and I’ve finally found a combination that I really...
Green Chile Cheeseburgers
After breakfast burritos, green chile cheeseburgers are about the most popular food in New Mexico. You can make yours with hot...
Sriracha Beef Bowl
My oldest son introduced us to this one, based on a recipe he learned from a meal delivery service (EveryPlate). Yes...
Black Bean Burritos
I’ve been thinking about how much meat we eat, and trying to cut back a little. That’s not an easy task...
Chicken Tetrazzini
Chicken Tetrazzini is like an old Minnesota casserole, with three different kinds of cream-of-something soup, except I clipped this recipe...
Spinach and Ricotta Pizza
This pizza topping combination is a great tasting meat free option. Even my teenage boys approve, and they like a lot...
Fish Cakes
When we lived near the coast in Virginia, I loved crab cakes. I never made them myself but I ordered them...
Swedish Meatballs
I remember my Norwegian grandma making meatballs at Christmas, as an alternative to lutefisk. After a fantastic Swedish meatball lunch at...
Pesto Grilled Chicken
This is the summer of pesto. The boys have been practicing “stay at home” to stop the global pandemic, and they’ve...
Greek Turkey Burgers
With the global pandemic still raging on, we’re eating at home 7 days a week instead of the usual 6. This...
Peach Salsa Chicken Tacos
I have a scraggly but very productive peach tree in my backyard in New Mexico, in case you care. And New...
Grilled Chicken Salad
We’re in the middle of a heatwave combined with a global pandemic. It’s time to cook something new, healthy, grilled and...
Meatballs with Polenta
This Italian meatball recipe came from my parent’s Italian friends. Mom always made homemade spaghetti sauce when we were growing up,...
Green Chile Chicken Tacos
Tacos in the crock pot seem like an appealing way to make a quick meal, except that I really love...
Jambalaya
I used to make that boxed Zatarain’s Jambalaya, which is pretty much just spicy rice and sausage. At some point I...
Loaded Baked Potato
Cooking for one seems to mean eating a lot of pasta. But sometimes a potato just hits the spot. Although...
Green Chile Stew
Green Chile Stew is a New Mexico tradition with many variations. One of the guys at work, a native New...
Chicken Tikka Masala
This is an Indian inspired recipe, created for the British population by Indian (or Bangladeshi) migrants to England. It’s nicely...
Norwegian Salmon
Our “European Vacation” meal plan wouldn’t be complete without some Norwegian meals. Although our relatives made us some fabulous traditional...
Chicken Quesadillas
Quesadillas are a staple meal for New Mexico kids. They’re even served in the school cafeteria in place of grilled...
Minnesota Fish Fry
As a kid growing up in Minnesota, the Saturday night fish fry by the lake was a major part of...
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
My Minnesota mom made Chicken and Wild Rice Soup for us the last time she visited, and the boys immediately...
Beef Stew
Beef Stew is a great meal for a Sunday night, along with some freshly bread and a simple salad. So...
Lasagna
Lasagna has always been my mom’s go to meal for company. When we were kids, she always seemed to have...
Creamy Macaroni Salad
This pasta salad can be either a side dish or a lunch main dish depending on the optional addition of...
Pulled Pork
Pulled pork feels like a more modern and sophisticated version of the sloppy joes my mom used to serve us...
Spaghetti with Homemade Sauce
My mom always made homemade spaghetti sauce, which started with a can of Hunt’s tomato sauce. It’s not much more...
Greek Pasta
We’ve been making some variation of Greek Pasta since we were first married. The original version was meat free, and...
Fish Tacos
We first tried fish tacos in San Diego around 2012, and we thought they were very unusual and unique. Now,...
Pork Fried Rice
We eat pork fried rice as a main meal, and it’s really quick and easy. The more butter you add,...
Beef with Broccoli
Beef with Broccoli is a new recipe in our rotation, and an instant hit. It’s both easy to make and...
Hoppin John
I grew up in the north, so I didn’t discover the tradition of eating black eyed peas on New Year’s...
Quiche
Looking for an easy dinner after a long day? Quiche is always a hit. The French would serve this for...
Chicken with Italian Breadcrumbs
I’ve been making a meal we call “chicken, rice and veggies” since before we were married, more than 20 years...
Carne Adovada Burritos
This is a traditional New Mexican dish, adapted for a slow cooker. Carne adovada is just slow cooked pork, marinated...
Breakfast Burritos
Breakfast burritos are a New Mexico specialty. They are especially popular at the Balloon Fiesta on those cold dark fall mornings. ...
Risot
Grandma Leone used to cook this meal and always called it “Risot”. Although she was French, her husband Si (short...
Tuna Melts
Tuna Melts were one of my staple meals in college, cooked in a small countertop toasted oven. One can of tuna and 2 slices of bread made a meal for one.
Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki Sauce
Greek chicken souvlaki is easy to make at home, and a real hit with our teenage sons. I’ve made it...
Italian Pasta Salad
Summer time is salad time, and this pasta salad with cheese, salami and vegetables has everything it needs for a...
Chicken Stir Fry
Let me be honest from the start: I use a bottled stir fry sauce. The vegetables can be cut up ahead of time and stored in a zip top bag in the fridge.
Chicken, Broccoli and Cheese
My mom made this dinner for us when she was staying at our house and waiting for Alex to be born. It was perfectly warm and calming and delicious.
Grilled Salmon
I know it seems odd to marinate fish in Worcestershire sauce, but this recipe is really good. It is adapted from an old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.
Southwest Skillet Dinner
This skillet dinner is very quick to make, it has vegetables built right in, it reheats well, and it tastes great too. Serve with a side of sweet cornbread.
Fajitas
My dad, the good Norwegian that he is, does not care for Mexican food. The one exception is fajitas, which he has adapted to venison and shared with all his friends.
Chicken Stroganoff
This version of chicken stroganoff doesn’t use cream soup or dried onion soup mix, and it’s better than that old version too!
Ravioli with Creamy Pesto and Chicken
Although we eat Italian food almost weekly, this particular meal reminds us all of Rome. Our most memorable meal was...
Steak Fondue
As kids, our family fondue pot was used exclusively to deep fry steak. We never used it for melted cheese,...
Chicken Cordon Bleu with Dijon Béchamel Sauce
As part of our “European Vacation” meal week, I was looking for an easy French meal besides Steak Frite. Chicken...
Red Beans and Rice
This is one of Tim’s signature meals. He makes it in a slow cooker and brings it to potlucks at...
Pasties
My college age son has been making pasties fairly regularly, both for himself and for his roommates. This was not...
Chicken Pot Pie
This recipe takes at least an hour from start to finish, longer if you have to chop the veggies and...
Italian Sausage Soup
This soup is both beautiful and tasty, and I’m not a big soup person. It comes together really fast...
Macaroni and Cheese
I grew up on Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, made with the little packet of orange powder. When the boys were...
Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas
So let’s be clear, enchiladas are made with corn tortillas. Always. If you wrap up some filling in a flour...
Pan Fried Fish and Chips
I’ve tried several versions of baked fish and breaded cod, but putting the breading on one side only solves...
Turkey Burgers
The turkey burger is in the picture, under the lettuce and tomato. I’ll have to wait until turkey burgers come...
Homemade Pizza
I’ve made grilled pizza several times this summer, and it’s much easier than I expected. I found several recipes that...
Southwest Chicken and Black Beans
The kids now call this dinner “Chipotle”, and turn their noses up at the restaurant because we already eat the same thing at home.
Steak Kebabs with Cheese Grits
Cutting the steak into chunks lets the marinade reach more surfaces so the taste is more intense. I use lean...
Pork Chops with White Gravy
Tim loves white gravy. It seems to be a Texas thing. I used to use a package mix, but making...
Chili and Frito Pie
I actually have 3 versions of chili, including Frito Pie. Frito Pie is a bit like taco salad, but with...
Coney Island Hotdogs
This is definitely a Minnesota recipe, even though the name sounds like New York. There are a couple of fantastic...
Bangers and Mash
Who says British food is bad? How can anyone go wrong with sausages, mashed potatoes, and brown onion gravy? Before...
Schnitzel with Noodles
I know, schnitzel is supposed to be served with potatoes, at least in Germany. But we have several other meals...
Chicken and Peppers on the Grill
This meal was originally shish kebob, but it has evolved over the years to be much quicker to prepare, but...