Good news– these drip free chicken wings can be consumed while wearing your best white clothes… or at a business lunch… or maybe out on a first date. They are covered in a garlicky and spicy rub, which bakes into the wings for good flavor, but there is no sauce to run down to your elbow or stain your fancy new picnic napkins. And despite their tidy demeanor, they are also tasty and juicy enough to be a hit at a block party or potluck. All-in-all, a welcome addition to your appetizer repertoire. Read More
Not your mom’s meatloaf…
… unless she was ultra stealthy and determined to sneak fruit into your diet! This outlier of a meatloaf contains dried and diced fruit, mustard, sage and apricot preserves, as well as ground turkey instead of the typical red meat. But despite the odd ingredient list, it is actually very tasty, not too sweet, not dry, and bonus– the calorie and fat count is low! If you form the meat mixture into small or even individual loaves, it saves you cooking time. Read More
Sugar cookie bars
One bite of this retro style cookie bar and you will be transported back to those days after school with cookies and milk at the kitchen counter! This soft but sturdy cookie is buttery, full of vanilla flavor, and covered with a rich but not–too-sweet vanilla buttercream frosting. The bar cookie style saves time, and also means that if you cut your bars really big, you are still just having one delicious indulgence. Tint and bedazzle the frosting as you see fit– Read More
Black bean and sausage soup
Black bean soup doesn’t have a glamorous reputation for sure… it’s predictable and dependable, a sort of teacher’s pet among soups, in fact. And people tend to scoff at the teacher’s pet, which isn’t always deserved. This pet has outstanding qualities; it is economical, tasty, versatile, gluten free, vegan/vegetarian if desired, freezes well, and best of all, it comes together very quickly out of not too many pantry staples. This version uses turkey sausage, but other meats or no meats are also delicious options. Canned beans make it extra quick, but dried beans are preferable if you have the time. Just soak about 1 1.2 cups of them over night in a pan of cold water and they will be ready to go! Read More
Blueberry and lime swirl coffee cake
This is more than the run-of-the-mill coffee cake– it features fresh blueberries, lime zest and juice, a rich swirl of cream cheese, and a crunchy brown sugar crumble topping. It also freezes well, tastes better the next day and looks quite pretty when dusted with powdered sugar and some additional berries. You can also substitute raspberry, blackberries, strawberries or any combination of berries for more yumminess. Read More
Glazed coffee shortbread
Coffee and sweet treats… the quest to find even more sublime combinations is a very worthwhile mission. This homely shortbread bar isn’t a flashy discovery but it is a wonderful one nonetheless, with ground espresso beans flavoring the shortbread, and a buttery brown sugar coffee glaze on top to add some gooey richness. Read More