As homebodies, making a delicious Valentine's Day dinner at home is usually more enjoyable than a romantic dinner out somewhere. It can be part of the fun—and entertainment—to cook together too. Jules would probably opt out of the actual cooking part...but hey, it's great to have time together chatting while I'm cooking, and she's hanging […]
The best way to make a steak is indoors. That's not a concession! It's done in all of the best steakhouses. They don't tend to use a grill, even though that is where most of us start when it comes to cooking a steak. This time of year? I'd rather be indoors than freezing outside, […]
Jules has a few dietary restrictions (mostly gluten- and dairy-free), but that's never stopped our family from indulging in our favorite foods. With a little creativity and a lot of taste-testing, I've found lots of great substitutes that are crowd-pleasers. No need to make any disclaimers on these Game Day snacks — your party people […]
Waking up to a nutritious and delicious breakfast that you made—the day before? That's my kind of morning. This vegetable-packed breakfast hash is high in protein, thanks to the made-to-order eggs, plus a really tasty maple chicken sausage that you can either make (recipe below) or buy. It's all about planning when it comes to […]
This is the soup I want when I'm feeling on the verge of "under the weather"—not quite sick, but the cold outside is draining me a little bit. There's the feeling that you could get sick. That's when you want a spicy soup. I like this chicken noodle soup with the flavors of Singapore noodles: […]
What do you make for Christmas dinner? Sometimes we'll do a prime rib or a roast turkey, but this year, I'm going all out with a Christmas ham that just looks festive. For this recipe, I made a cranberry-orange glaze with some warm winter spices that takes this ham to the next level. Oh and […]
'Tis the season for sweets and snackable treats to share with others in those cool tins. My mom (whom you met in my dinner roll recipe video) always used to make soft, chewy caramels around Christmas that would be some of the first things to go at any holiday gathering. Her recipe probably had butter […]
Baking Dish | Striped Dish Towel (similar) I have a few recipes that are perfect for the holidays, and this is one of them. I make a really delicious brownie that can be made gluten-free and dairy-free, but you won't even know it's missing those elements when the peppermint flavor hits. It's really simple, and […]
This year for Thanksgiving, I'm all about quick prep (we're talking as few as 5 minutes) and big flavor payoff. My Thanksgiving menu will be a mix of tried-and-true classics from the Chris Cooks archives, plus some new recipes that I created this fall. But what this Thanksgiving dinner won't be is stuffy, overly formal, […]
This year, I'm doing Thanksgiving easy-style. While I have over 30 recipes for Thanksgiving that I've created over the years, This year, I want to spend more time out of the kitchen with my family and less time prepping and cooking. (Enter supporting dishes like candied ham skewers and roasted honeynut squash.) To top it […]
I do a lot of cooking for food restrictions, but this recipe is none of those things. These dinner rolls are my mom's recipe, and they're one of her signature dishes. She has made them for almost every gathering since I was a kid. The smell of these...it's the smell of every family event in […]
There's a new squash in town that everyone's talking about, and that's the honeynut squash. A smaller and slightly sweeter descendant of the butternut squash, it's quickly become one of my favorite fall vegetables. And it makes an incredible side dish for your Thanksgiving table. This season, I'm all about high-impact, low effort dishes, and […]
As a home cook, this is my favorite time of year: the time leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas. But this year, I want to focus on low-effort, high-impact dishes. Something that can serve a crowd but is not too hard to make. And these spicy candied ham bites are just the ticket. Shop The […]
I use our Ninja CREAMi all the time. It’s just so easy to make a super delicious dessert with almost no effort (other than an overnight freeze.) If you have someone in your house who can't have dairy, this little ice cream maker comes in clutch. It really can turn almost anything into something frosty, […]
When the sheet pan dinner craze started, I was all on board. What's not to like about a dinner with minimal prep, minimal effort and maximum flavor? I decided to take advantage of that one-pan method, but I use a roasting pan as my sheet pan—shhh, don't tell anyone. That way, I can layer the […]
I'm excited to share today's recipe with you because it's more than just a dessert—this baked pears & rosemary caramel recipe inspired a lip balm flavor! That's right, we launched a collaboration with our friends at Poppy & Pout based on three fall desserts that I developed just for you. We love Poppy & Pout […]
Shop CLJ x Poppy & Pout Lip Balm Trio I'm even more excited to share today's recipe with you because it's more than just a dessert—it inspired a lip balm flavor! That's right, we just launched a collaboration with our friends at Poppy & Pout based on three fall desserts that I developed just for […]
I'm even more excited to share today's recipe with you because it's more than just a dessert—it inspired a lip balm flavor! That's right, we just launched a collaboration with our friends at Poppy & Pout based on three fall desserts that I developed just for you. We love Poppy & Pout because they're just […]
I'm straying a bit from our typical gluten and dairy-free theme this week, sharing one of the things I make my two daughters who don't have food restrictions. Everyone loves a good mac and cheese, but something I struggle with the number of commonplace foods that are just differently shaped combinations of grain and dairy. […]
Bowls (similar) | Platter | Copper Candlestick (similar) | Taper Candles | Wooden Serving Utensils | Plaid Tablecloth (similar) Late summer hits, and it's like the world collectively moves on to fall. But there is still an abundance of tomatoes and bright greens at the market. And it's actually the perfect time of year to […]
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Welcome to our online community where we've posted home, DIY, style, renovations, and family since '09. Renovating our #cljmoderncottage in Idaho and headed for new adventures in Raleigh, NC. #cljfam #cljtransformations