Chris Cooks
Food Writing and Why I Love It So
Chris Cooks
Food Writing and Why I Love It So
In college, my roommate was studying Culinary Arts (he's now the Chef De Cuisine of the Green Zebra in Chicago) and encouraged me to take a culinary fundamentals class. I was hooked. I loved everything about it and decided to take Culinary Arts on as my minor degree, with the goal of becoming a food writer […]
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January 30, 2015
Recipes
Light, Flavorful, Comforting. Let's Make Some Pho.
Recipes
Light, Flavorful, Comforting. Let's Make Some Pho.
So it's a new year, and a fairly standard resolution is to eat healthier. That goes good for a few days, but pretty soon we remember that it's still the middle of freaking winter and we need warm, comforting foods for crying out loud. Well I can give you at least one option. It's called […]
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January 8, 2015
Recipes
The Perfect, Traditional Pot Roast
Recipes
The Perfect, Traditional Pot Roast
I think every home cook goes through a period of complexity. I partly blame Pinterest, but I'm sure there's something deeper, too - superiority complex or need for change or something like that. I've gone through my own period of complexity, thinking that every dish needed to be new or different. And don't get me […]
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December 17, 2014
Recipes
Meatballs, Sauce, and a Little Something Called the Meatball Hoagie
Recipes
Meatballs, Sauce, and a Little Something Called the Meatball Hoagie
Jules shared a pic on Instagram of some meatball hoagies I made a couple weeks ago. At least two of you requested the recipe, so... I'm gonna share it... Pardon the crappy pics, I wasn't planning on posting about this so they're just from my phone. This post is really three parts. The first part […]
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December 4, 2014
Chris Cooks
A Gift Guide For Someone Who Wants to Be a Great Cook
Chris Cooks
A Gift Guide For Someone Who Wants to Be a Great Cook
Last year I created a gift guide for foodies. Since then, I've realized it's kinda silly to make a gift guide for "Foodies." Why? Because there are dozens of types of Foodies, each being interested in a different type of gift. One person might call themselves a Foodie because they love trendy kitchen gadgets. One […]
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December 1, 2014
Recipes
All of the Thanksgiving Recipes You'll Need
Recipes
All of the Thanksgiving Recipes You'll Need
I finished painting late last night and I can't wait to share photos with you all on Monday. Can you believe Thanksgiving is less than a week away? This year, we're hosting my parents which will make for, perhaps, the smallest feast we've ever had on the day but we're excited about keeping it intimate […]
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November 21, 2014
Recipes
Creamy Tomato Basil Soup in Under 30 Minutes
Recipes
Creamy Tomato Basil Soup in Under 30 Minutes
A quick meal deserves a quick post, don't ya think? Let's get to it then. Here's what you need: • 1 Tbsp butter • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped • 2 28oz cans of diced tomatoes • 2 cups chicken stock • 1.5 Tbsp sugar • 1 cup heavy cream • 10-15 basil leaves, chopped […]
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November 7, 2014
Recipes
Zuppa Toscana - One of My Favorite Soups. Ever.
Recipes
Zuppa Toscana - One of My Favorite Soups. Ever.
We don't eat at Olive Garden often, but whenever I find myself there during colder months, I always get the bottomless soup, salad & breadsticks. And even though they have several soups to choose from, I always stick with the Zuppa Toscana because it is, far and away, the superior option. So imagine my joy […]
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October 16, 2014
Recipes
How We Do Whole30 - Baked Coconut Curry Chicken Wings
Recipes
How We Do Whole30 - Baked Coconut Curry Chicken Wings
When Jules asked me if I wanted to do the Whole30 thing with her several months ago, my answer was an enthusiastic "Not a chance, but I'll support you if you want to do it." She's asked me probably twice a month for the last 5 months, and my answer was always the same. That […]
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October 8, 2014
Recipes
Shepherd's Pie With Ground Beef (Cottage Pie, I Guess)
Recipes
Shepherd's Pie With Ground Beef (Cottage Pie, I Guess)
You know what's crazy? Life! Goodness, I haven't posted a recipe for quite awhile. But the weather around here has been cooling quickly, which always makes me want to slow down and cook something hearty. My first Fall-feeling meal of the year? Shepherd's pie. Ok, well it's not exactly shepherd's pie, because I used beef […]
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September 18, 2014
Chris Cooks
A Chef In Training + A Cool Cutting Board Trick!
Chris Cooks
A Chef In Training + A Cool Cutting Board Trick!
While food posts usually come from Chris (he cooks our meals 99.9% of the time), we are really busy with our new side gig on top of everything else, we started eating later and later. So, I have been trying to cook a little more lately so we can eat as a family at a […]
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August 7, 2014
Recipes
Grilled Lemon & Rosemary Garlic Bread
Recipes
Grilled Lemon & Rosemary Garlic Bread
I grew up helping my mom in the kitchen, and I still remember the very first thing my mom ever let me make all by myself for family dinner. Garlic bread. I sliced the bread into really crooked, misshapen pieces; spread way too much butter on each piece; poured garlic salt from the wrong end […]
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July 3, 2014
Recipes
Bright and Fresh Panzanella (Tuscan Bread Salad)
Recipes
Bright and Fresh Panzanella (Tuscan Bread Salad)
A couple weeks ago, Jules called me up and gave me the news. "Well," she said, "my thyroid numbers are now completely in the opposite direction to where my doctor says I have HYPERthyroidism, instead of hypo." Being a husband who loves his wife, I immediately assumed this meant she was going to die and […]
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June 20, 2014
Recipes
Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu
Recipes
Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu
Chicken cordon bleu is a classic dish. Chicken stuffed with ham and Swiss, coated in bread crumbs and baked to perfection. Truly delicious. This version cuts the carbs and oils, while adding that hint of smoke characteristic of grilled food. It's also way easier and faster than traditional chicken cordon bleu - basically the same […]
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June 12, 2014
Recipes
5 Ingredient Lemon Poppyseed Dressing
Recipes
5 Ingredient Lemon Poppyseed Dressing
I know I'm all about grilling during the summers, but just important are the things served with your grilled food. To me, food in the summer is fresh and flavorful, especially the salads. But a less thought-out part of the meal is the dressing. There are thousands of recipes for lemon poppyseed dressing out there, […]
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June 4, 2014
Recipes
Potato, Bacon & Kale Tinfoil Dinners + A New Approach
Recipes
Potato, Bacon & Kale Tinfoil Dinners + A New Approach
If you had similar childhood experiences to mine, "tinfoil dinners" probably evoke memories of potatoes, onions and ground beef, rolled up in tinfoil, cooked over a fire. Maybe you had some carrots, too. While I actually love these traditional tinfoil dinners and the camp side memories that accompany them, I've recently adopted a new approach, […]
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May 20, 2014
Recipes
Grilled Potato Salad with Honey Mustard and Dill Dressing
Recipes
Grilled Potato Salad with Honey Mustard and Dill Dressing
The recipe I want to share today is a quick one, easy to execute, but so complex in flavor you'll go crazy for it. See, I've never been a fan of potato salad. There was one potato salad I had while living in Louisiana that was made with mashed potatoes instead of cubed potatoes, and […]
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May 14, 2014
Chris Cooks
My Review of the Char-Broil Tru Infrared Gourmet Series - Plus My "Go To" Recipe for Grilled Chicken Thighs
Chris Cooks
My Review of the Char-Broil Tru Infrared Gourmet Series - Plus My "Go To" Recipe for Grilled Chicken Thighs
Before we get into it, I want to let everyone know that Char-Broil has NOT paid me to endorse or review their product. This post is all me. Grilling season is here. Finally. For our long-time readers, you know I'm on the grill at least 4 nights a week, Spring through Fall. And when we […]
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May 8, 2014
Chris Cooks
Santoku VS. Chef's Knife - Sort of Answering Which is "Better" + An Awesome Giveaway
Chris Cooks
Santoku VS. Chef's Knife - Sort of Answering Which is "Better" + An Awesome Giveaway
Ok, so the title of this post is misleading. I'm not going to answer the question of "which knife is better," because there really isn't an answer. Even still, I'm asked this question quite often, so I felt like I should address it here. I'll start off by saying, neither one is better than the […]
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April 30, 2014
Recipes
Hello, Spring - Strawberry Rhubarb Sodas
Recipes
Hello, Spring - Strawberry Rhubarb Sodas
Even though we're only a few hours north of our last home in Utah, Spring tends to take its time making its way to Rexburg. And just when you think it's arrived, boom, snow. Well, we're a little tired of waiting for it to officially to be "Spring" here, so we made it Spring ourselves, […]
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April 25, 2014
