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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
So today we're wrapping up our 4 Courses to Love meal with a tasty ice cream dessert with fruit sauce, and hopefully you've found something useful along the way. And there's one thing I just want to make clear - you don't have to make all four courses! I posted each recipe separately so you could make […]
I'm not sure if it's the same for you, but whenever I think "special occasion," filet mignon jumps out at me. And of course, there's good reason for that. Filet mignon comes from a part of the back that cows don't strain too much. Muscles that a cow uses a lot will be tougher, as […]
This is the 2nd course in a 4 course meal, designed to be a springboard for your special occasion. See the first course here. Arugula and Prosciutto are not new ingredients on this blog. I use them often because they have good flavor, and aren't really that expensive. Sure, if you look at the "per […]
I've heard some people say they (and their significant other) don't celebrate Valentine's Day because they "prefer to show affection all year 'round!" ...didn't realize you had to choose between the two... To each their own, but Jules and I are always looking for an excuse to pamper each other, and what better time than […]
I love beef. Seriously, I'd eat it every day if I didn't care about being around for my daughters' weddings. And when I do have it, any cut that weighs less than 12 ounces just isn't worth my time. Horrible? Possibly. Wonderful? Most definitely. But as much as I love a viking's portion of beef, […]
This past summer, when I shared my favorite chicken wing recipe, I said that I'd probably share others. Here I am, making good on that. And usually I'm all about a great sauce on my wings, but every so often, we opt for the dry rub. And I have a pretty rockin' dry rub. Check […]
Yo peeps! Hope all is well and we're all stickin' with those resolutions. To be honest I've felt myself slipping the past few days. So to combat that, I signed up for a marathon relay in August. Yeah, it's only 5 miles. Yeah, it's 7 months away. But running has always been rough for me, […]
Hello e'rbody! Long time no blog. I've had a few questions asking about all the gluten in my cooking recently, and why we haven't been so strict on that. Well, because Jules has been so sick, her doctors told her to just eat whatever she could and they'd monitor her levels closely. For almost a […]
There are lots of ways to cook a ham. By far the most popular Christmas ham is a baked, spiral-cut ham with the bone in, coated with brown sugar and/or a range of spices. Why wouldn't this be the favorite? It's delicious. But for my ham this year, I decided to try something a little […]
Most people have things they want that they can't justify buying because they can get by with something not quite as good, that's still functional. Well, I use Christmas as an excuse to buy people the things they really want, not just the practical versions. So while browsing Williams-Sonoma's website the other day, I found […]
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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