HEY I THOUGHT IT WAS 7-LAYER DIP! Yeah, so did I. I was perusing Pinterest one day and I saw a picture for a 7-layer dip that looked PHENOM, and I thought, I have to make that.  Except guess what?  It was a bad link.  ?  Supwitdat.  So I kind of had to wing thisRead more

I may have mentioned once or a hundred times that //Distrito// is one of my favorite restaurants in Philadelphia.  They used to have this dish on their menu that was so good it legit brought tears to my eyes – arroz con crema.  It was a rice side dish that was cheesy, creamy, warm, andRead more

Are you guys ready for the big game?  I get excited for football season in the fall because it means I can make game food on Sundays.  I care much more about the food than about the game.  Usually.  Our Eagles aren’t the best.  But in recent years I have become more interested in football. Read more

A great way to use leftover shredded barbecue chicken!

Ever since I threw together these //BBQ pulled pork nachos// a couple years ago, I have been wanting to do a BBQ chicken version. I typically prefer BBQ chicken over BBQ pork. So I wanted to put a new spin on it. These nachos feature my favorite //pickled red onions//, spicy pickled jalapenos, and aRead more

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, I have a yummy Mexican recipe for you!! A little while ago I made a batch of slow-cooked BBQ chicken for my husband’s work lunches.  And it turned out I’d made just a bit too much.  Like he wasn’t going to eat it all before it went bad. Read more

So there’s no ifs ands or buts about it – the thing that drew me in to try this recipe was the pictures on the website.  Go check them out //here//.  That cheese is so deliciously melty and the dish is so beefy and I just love Mexican food so I had to make thisRead more

As soon as I saw this video for //Bloomin’ Brie Bread// posted by Delish on Facebook, I had to try it.  WHO DOESN’T LOVE OOEY GOOEY OOZY CHEESE?! Well, we were sorely disappointed in this, but it’s not a #52NewEats fail because it actually still tasted very good. I really just think for video purposes,Read more

I have previously //waxed poetic here// about my love for blue cheese dressing.  I consider myself a blue cheese dressing expert.  I know what restaurants have good blue cheese dressing, and what restaurants have meh blue cheese dressing.  I have had my go-to recipe for forever, which is straight out of a //Morton’s Steakhouse cookbook//,Read more

Hello friends. As you know, I live in the Land of the Cheesesteak.  I love cheesesteaks.  You can hardly drive a mile in any direction in Philadelphia without passing a place where you can get a cheesesteak.  Cheesesteaks are the bomb. These nachos were inspired by my favorite neighborhood restaurant, The Blue Duck.  Back inRead more

Two years ago, a dear friend of ours, Lyle, came to visit at Christmas time and brought a beautiful jar of bourbon pecans, and I scoffed, because I hate pecans. Or… so I thought… Cuz then I ate one of these and I couldn’t stop eating them, and I insisted on getting the recipe fromRead more

You guys, this is the greatest dip ever known to man.  I’d put my life on it. When I was a kid, my dad was into politics, and my mom was forever hosting campaign-or-something-related events at our house.  All us kids had to hide upstairs while they had all these important people over till allRead more

I recently hosted a party and decided on a theme I thought all attendees could get behind – cheese and bread!!  ?  I mean, who can’t get behind that?? Back in November of last year I tore this recipe out of my Food Network magazine and could not WAIT to try it.  This party finallyRead more

Bruschetta! How do you say this, by the way?  Broo-skett-ah?  Broo-shett-ah?  Who knows.  I don’t care.  I say Broo-shett-ah. Anyway.  I love bruschetta because you know why?  It makes me think of spring and summer, because can you really think of anything fresher and more delicious than a juicy, ripe tomato and some fresh basil?Read more

Did you guys ever find yourself with like a ton of leftover bruschetta and no idea what to do with it? No?  Yeah, me neither.  Not often anyway.  But when I do have some leftover, I usually make this the very next day! So one of the ways I originally toyed with introducing cheese toRead more

Buffalo cheese fondue is another one of those recipes I pinned some time ago and WAS SO EXCITED TO MAKE and then just… never… made it.  Which is the whole point of the #52NewEats project!  To force me to go and make some of these recipes I’ve collected over the years. And like a totalRead more

A little while ago, I couldn’t decide which new recipe to make first, so I held a little contest on Instagram and Facebook to help me choose.  The winner, but not by much, was Buffalo Chicken Nachos!  So here you go, folks! A couple years back I actually made a buffalo chicken nachos recipe thatRead more

Happy November!! I don’t especially love November, at least not like I love October.  But, my husband’s birthday, my daughter’s birthday, and Thanksgiving usually all fall within the same week.  It makes for a hectic week, but I love it.  Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday of the year bc food duh.  This year weRead more

Holy cow! Let me just start by saying that I don’t think I can say enough good things about this cornbread.  This buttermilk cornbread was absolutely amazing.  I love cornbread but I don’t often make it at home because it can be dry, crumbly, and just kind of generally unsatisfying.  BUT NO MORE! This recipeRead more

My best friend Cara makes theeeeee best buffalo chicken dip. I’m sure there are a million ways to make buffalo chicken dip and I, myself, have only ever had two in my life, but I can assure you this one is amaaaaze. I remember the first time I had it – if my memory servesRead more

GUYYSSSSSSSS. I knocked these out of the park.  I really, really did.  They were SO GOOD. Last week I posted about my //Buffalo Chicken Nachos// and how they just barely won a contest for which recipe I would make next – well these came in a very close second.  I had been tossing this ideaRead more

So, you guys!  I’m pretty excited.  Def about these cheesesteak hoagie nachos, but first: Several posts back I mentioned how I wanted to get back into this blog thing after being away for so long because my life took over my life.  Well today I discovered that Facebook is *actually* good for something (I know,Read more

So if you’ve ever been to Philly, you probably have heard about Chickie’s and Pete’s.  It’s a famous sports bar chain whose original location is actually in my neighborhood.  They are probably most famous for their Crab Fries – crinkle-cut French fries seasoned with Old Bay seasoning, served with a cup of white cheese sauceRead more

I was perusing Facebook one day and because Facebook is a stalker, it showed me a comment a friend of mine left on someone else’s post.  My friend (‘sup Sara! ?) was asking for this recipe, and commenting on how addictive this snack mix was.  And like, who can’t get behind an addicting snack mix?!  ButRead more

I don’t really know what Chuy’s is, I am assuming it’s a restaurant of some kind, all I know is that when I saw //this dip// on Pinterest it looked creamy and delicious, and those are my two favorite criteria for anything going into my mouth. I was excited to make it for a Mexican-themedRead more

You guys.  It’s nachos. NACHOS! I don’t know how or when nachos became my most favorite food on the planet, but seriously, to me, there is nothing better in this world than a fat messy plate of nachos.  With or without meat, with or without beans, I could really care less.  There aren’t many nachosRead more

My brother is not shy about proclaiming his love for specific restaurants or dishes.  In fact, he can be downright forceful in his opinion.  “NO.  D’ALESSANDRO’S HAS THE BEST CHEESESTEAKS IN PHILADELPHIA.  I DARE YOU TO FIND ONE BETTER.”  Sometimes, I have found him to be right, and sometimes I just think to myself, ohRead more

One of my daughter’s favorite restaurants to eat at is Chili’s.  Personally, I also love Chili’s!  Chili’s holds a special place in my heart.  When my husband and I first started dating (way the hell back in the last century, in 1998), it was the “nice” restaurant that we would go to when going outRead more

I have to be honest, I wasn’t totally sure about this tip.  I 100% chose it because I knew my husband would devour it (and devour it he did), because he is a pickle fiend.  And I love pickles, especially Claussen pickles, but I was not sold on the idea of them being lost inRead more

Guys!  It’s my 3-year blogaversary! Yes, yes, yes, I can hardly believe it, but three years ago today, I started this little bloggity blog as a creative outlet for my writing, food photography, and enthusiasm for food.  My first post was (DUH) a nachos recipe inspired by one of my favorite food bloggers, Pinch ofRead more

Eggs Benedict Fries. Yes.  They are A Thing. They should be A Thing on your menu for this week too.  Because seriously.  Why not?!  Life is short.  Eat the French fries, topped with creamy, tangy Hollandaise sauce, topped with a glorious poached egg, topped with smoked paprika and chopped chives.  Eat them. Eggs Benedict FriesRead more

One of my best days ever was just a few weeks ago when I discovered that a local farm carries cheese curds.  I saw them and gasped on the spot and yanked the cold case door open and squealed with delight!  I made such a(n embarrassing) scene that the cashier a couple aisles away pokedRead more

So like.  Did y’all know you can make ricotta at home?  And that it’s better than almost anything you could buy at a store (unless you have access to some mom and pop Italian market that makes it fresh)? It’s true.  And it was SO easy to make, that of course I immediately had toRead more

I have a confession to make. Until about 5 years ago, I totally hated guacamole. I know.  Can you forgive me? Interestingly enough, what changed my mind was going to Mexico.  We went to Cozumel for Aaron’s 30th birthday, to a beautiful all-inclusive resort, where I felt like hey, if I don’t like it, atRead more

Herb and garlic cheese spread is another old recipe I found in my binder from my early days of learning how to cook.  I remember Aaron loved it back then, so when I saw this I thought it would make a good snack for him to bring in for lunch! It’s funny because the dayRead more

I discovered within the last couple of years that I am, indeed, a passionate lover of goat cheese. Not really the crumbly goat cheese – I like the stuff that comes in a log and is creamy and tangy and delicious. So when I saw //this recipe for Herbed Goat Cheese//, my mouth immediately startedRead more

Several years ago, I went to visit my friend Sara in Kansas City with some girlfriends, and we went out to dinner at this Italian place called Garozzo’s.  On the way there, Sara raved about the bread dipping oil.  WAIT TILL YOU DIP YOUR BREAD IN THAT OIL… OMG.  And I chuckled a little, thinking,Read more

My close friend told me the other day that she’s tired of looking at my Instagram because all that’s ever on there is nachos. Oops. I can’t help it though!  Nachos are my most favorite thing on the planet.  I’m pretty sure she was joking.  She loves me.  She’s not a meanie. And then aboutRead more

A friend of mine shared this recipe video on my Facebook feed a few weeks ago, and I knew immediately I had to make these nachos. La Bomba Nachos, fools! So I did change some things.  First, I nixed the mozzarella cheese.  People.  Mozzarella cheese has no place in Mexican cooking.  Stop mixing cuisines, mkay? Read more

I mentioned in my post for Mexican Street Corn Tostadas a couple weeks back that I was pretty inspired by that recipe and made a corn dip….thing. Is it weird that I think the words “corn dip” just don’t jive together?  I don’t know why.  It sounds pretty redneck.  Y’ALL COME FETCH YA SOME CORNRead more

This layer dip was inspired by one of my favorite recipes I made last year, the //street corn tostadas//.  I wanted a way to eat more of this flavor combination and came up with this super simple layer dip!  Enjoy!

So ya had to know it was only a matter of time before one of the new recipes I wanted to try was a nachos recipe, right?  🙂 This week’s recipe comes to you from Sunny Anderson a la Food Network fame.  I watched the episode these nachos were featured on, oh, I don’t know,Read more

I don’t know about you, but I don’t need an excuse to eat nachos.  Give ’em to me all day err day.  But tonight, I am attempting to recreate the Holy Grail of Nacho Wonderland…. Distrito‘s nachos.  I’ve got just about all the ingredients waiting for me at home, ready to throw together and devourRead more

I could eat cashews all day long.  I love them so much, but sometimes you want them to have some flavor, right?  So twice in the past 6 months I have attempted to make ______ Roasted Cashews, and I will now say, NEVER AGAIN.  Leave the flavored roasted cashews up to the experts, and justRead more

Earlier this year I discovered the amazingness that is pimento cheese. I went to Lexington for work and we went to this amazing little place to eat called Stella’s Kentucky Deli.  I really went for the hot brown, but came away with a newfound love and appreciation for pimento cheese.  (The hot brown was alsoRead more

As my first blog post, I think it’s only right that I post a recipe that was inspired by the blog that inspired me to start this blog!  (Did you catch that?) Pinch of Yum is one of my favorite food blogs.  Without even knowing it, I had a bunch of her recipes already pinnedRead more

What’s poutine? This: Aw yeah that’s it. Poutine is this amazing plate of Canadian goodness (you can find the official definition here).  We are talking about crispy fries, and a beefy brown gravy, and sweet, creamy cheese curds, and a bit of minced parsley on top cuz every plate should have some green on it.Read more

Hey guys. Like HAAAAAAAY GUUUUUYS!!!! I don’t even think I can tell y’all just how good things have been in the past week.  I have a new boss at work.  And the meetings and discussions I’ve had since he’s stepped into place have been so productive and motivational and for the first time in aRead more

Chips and salsa is one of our FAVORITE snacks around here.  And //this salsa// is one of our favorites. My daughter is so picky.  SOOOO picky.  SO.  PICKY.  And I don’t even know how she got that way because her father and I are pretty good eaters.  But she does like chips and salsa.  IfRead more

Last summer sometime, I hosted a Slutfest at my house with our friends Geoff and Becky.  Normally Slutfest is just the four of us getting together and pigging out but on this occasion we also invited our friends Jackie and Brandon. One of Jackie’s contributions to the party was some kind of cheesesteak or cheeseburgerRead more

Back when I lived in Spokane, there was a restaurant there called the Sawtooth Grill.  I heard it has since closed, but when we lived there it was one of our favorite places to frequent for cheeseburgers.  They had GREAT burgers.  And they had an appetizer on their menu which was skinny French fries dousedRead more

Spinach Dip. Really, SFB? I know, I know.  Everyone knows how to make spinach dip, right?  In fact, it just may be that you know how to make it the way I make it here.  Maybe what I have here is not even new to you.  But it’s new to me, and I’m excited toRead more

Listen.  When I started this blog, I felt like food creativity started coming at me from a hundred different directions.  And one of those things that popped in my head was ‘sloppy Joe cheese fries’. I’m not sure if I’d ever seen them on a menu before or something, but I know for sure IRead more

Some time ago I was Paleo, or predominantly Paleo, for the better part of about a year.  My husband really took to it – he likes meat and vegetables and has no problem turning away from potatoes and pasta.  Me, not so much.  I couldn’t last on Paleo like he could.  So he continued onRead more

There is an awesome foodie restaurant near me called The Butcher & Barkeep, and it’s about the only foodie restaurant around.  The waits there are regularly an hour or more during dinner time, any day of the week.  It’s a popular place with the locals, and for good reason – they have an excellent craftRead more

I love snack mixes.  They are usually ridiculously easy to make, and highly addictive, and great to have out at a party. I also love mixed nuts.  Planters Mixed Nuts – my favorite – I usually eat all the Brazil nuts first and then all the cashews and then it’s a free-for-all for the rest.Read more

Mmmmm, baked brie.  Warm, melty, spready cheese.  On a salty cracker.  With sweet, tangy balsamic strawberries on top.  Mmm, mmm, mmm. This recipe for baked brie was really, really decadent.  I had to make myself stop eating it so that I would eat my dinner!  I will definitely make it again, but I will changeRead more

If you were looking for a highly-addictive, semi-healthy, fresh-tasting dip to put on the table for Cinco de Mayo, you need look no further. This recipe has been in my family for as long as I can remember.  My mom used to make it all the time.  She probably got the recipe off some productRead more

Hey y’all! Today is National Tater Tot Day.  Or something to that effect.  Did you know that?  I mean I did because I’m a food blogger and of course I know all the food holidays so that I can celebrate them appropriately.  Or, as my husband says, so I have an excuse to eat badRead more

Ok so.  I’m just going to say this loud and clear: you WILL want this dip at your next family or friends get-together.  You just will. You WILL need to get over the idea of sauteeing the onions for 45-60 minutes.  You just will.  Because this step, this crucial step, is what sets this dipRead more

I met an adorable fellow food blogger, Daniela, in the food bloggers group on Facebook, and immediately fell in love with her work because….. well, because the very first post I read of hers had the F word in it, and I knew she was my kind of girl! Ok, ok, ok… also, because, sheRead more

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I joined a Facebook group for food bloggers.  The owner of that group is running a project called #365Recipes, which is somewhat similar to my #52NewEats and #12NewTreats projects.  It’s just another way to spark my creativity and get me in the kitchen!! The ingredient for today wasRead more

Have you guys ever had cinnamon chips? They are pretty amazing.  Every Christmas I make oatmeal cinnamon chip cookies and they are so delicious.  They’re my favorite cookie.  But I always buy too many bags of cinnamon chips.  I’m overly ambitious at Christmas-cookie-baking time.  At first I’m always like I AM NOT MAKING ALL THOSERead more

In true SFB fashion, I realize I am posting this way late, but it’s mostly because I made this poke cake over my Christmas break and then conveniently decided to try and be very lazy during my time off.  Of course, I wasn’t really very lazy at all, I was pretty busy, so I endedRead more

Hey ya’ll!  Sorry it’s been a while.  I’ve had some friends and family in town visiting which has been wonderful.  Bonus: I think I’ve eaten four cheeseburgers in two weeks – three of which happened in the last four days.  *insert googly-eyed emoji here*  I have eaten so much food, so much good food, inRead more

Eggs Benedict Fries. Yes.  They are A Thing. They should be A Thing on your menu for this week too.  Because seriously.  Why not?!  Life is short.  Eat the French fries, topped with creamy, tangy Hollandaise sauce, topped with a glorious poached egg, topped with smoked paprika and chopped chives.  Eat them. Eggs Benedict FriesRead more

This is one of those recipes that is so easy, you will wonder how you did without it all your life. Or maybe I’m just late to the game and people have been eating this forever and I’m the one who did without it all my life. I was never really an egg person growingRead more

So it’s sort of time for me to come clean about something, and that something has directly lead to the development of this smoothie recipe, so here goes. Back in May I woke up in the middle of the night one night with incredibly severe knee pain in my right knee.  I was laying inRead more

WHO IS READY FOR SPRING? I know I am.  This is like the winter that is never going to end.  I’m currently sitting on my couch covered in a heavy chenille blanket, with a heating pad wedged between my upper back and the back of the couch, freezing. I am so ready for spring. OldRead more

Does anybody else out there know the term, “food hug”? My friend and I use this term to describe the situations in which we are so stressed or angry or frazzled or crazy that we want to EAT ALL THE FOOD, ALL THE UNHEALTHY-FOR-ME FOODS, ALL THE SLUTTY FOOD because it’s the only thing thatRead more

Ok so.  I’m just going to say this loud and clear: you WILL want this dip at your next family or friends get-together.  You just will. You WILL need to get over the idea of sauteeing the onions for 45-60 minutes.  You just will.  Because this step, this crucial step, is what sets this dipRead more

I. LOVE. Blue cheese dressing. Like I kind of have a sick obsession with it. It’s literally THE ONLY salad dressing I ever use. And I use it on more than just salad. I dip cheese fries in it (because it’s better than ranch). I dip anything “buffalo” in it (because it’s better than ranch).Read more

I have previously //waxed poetic here// about my love for blue cheese dressing.  I consider myself a blue cheese dressing expert.  I know what restaurants have good blue cheese dressing, and what restaurants have meh blue cheese dressing.  I have had my go-to recipe for forever, which is straight out of a //Morton’s Steakhouse cookbook//,Read more

Bruschetta! How do you say this, by the way?  Broo-skett-ah?  Broo-shett-ah?  Who knows.  I don’t care.  I say Broo-shett-ah. Anyway.  I love bruschetta because you know why?  It makes me think of spring and summer, because can you really think of anything fresher and more delicious than a juicy, ripe tomato and some fresh basil?Read more

This cheese sauce has been tweaked and perfected quite a lot over the years, but it wasn’t till last year that I started adding chipotle to it to spice it up a bit. Prior to adding chipotle, I would add dry chili powder, pepper jack cheese, regular Tabasco, and sometimes even pickled jalapeno juice toRead more

Ok so let me just be honest up front and say that THIS IS NOT MY RECIPE.  It’s Bobby Flay’s.  But it’s so simple, and so perfect every time I make it, that I really have to share it with you.  There is literally no way that I could improve upon it and make itRead more

I don’t really know what Chuy’s is, I am assuming it’s a restaurant of some kind, all I know is that when I saw //this dip// on Pinterest it looked creamy and delicious, and those are my two favorite criteria for anything going into my mouth. I was excited to make it for a Mexican-themedRead more

I have to be honest, I wasn’t totally sure about this tip.  I 100% chose it because I knew my husband would devour it (and devour it he did), because he is a pickle fiend.  And I love pickles, especially Claussen pickles, but I was not sold on the idea of them being lost inRead more

So like.  Did y’all know you can make ricotta at home?  And that it’s better than almost anything you could buy at a store (unless you have access to some mom and pop Italian market that makes it fresh)? It’s true.  And it was SO easy to make, that of course I immediately had toRead more

When I was a kid my mom used to make the most buttery, salty garlic bread.  I am not entirely sure how she made it, I should probably ask her.  But one day while scrolling through Pinterest, I found //this recipe for Garlic Bread Spread// and it sounded so much like what my mom made,Read more

I discovered within the last couple of years that I am, indeed, a passionate lover of goat cheese. Not really the crumbly goat cheese – I like the stuff that comes in a log and is creamy and tangy and delicious. So when I saw //this recipe for Herbed Goat Cheese//, my mouth immediately startedRead more

Several years ago, I went to visit my friend Sara in Kansas City with some girlfriends, and we went out to dinner at this Italian place called Garozzo’s.  On the way there, Sara raved about the bread dipping oil.  WAIT TILL YOU DIP YOUR BREAD IN THAT OIL… OMG.  And I chuckled a little, thinking,Read more

I mentioned in my post for Mexican Street Corn Tostadas a couple weeks back that I was pretty inspired by that recipe and made a corn dip….thing. Is it weird that I think the words “corn dip” just don’t jive together?  I don’t know why.  It sounds pretty redneck.  Y’ALL COME FETCH YA SOME CORNRead more

Believe it or not, I never ate at an Olive Garden until I was well into adulthood.  I was in my early 20s and living in Spokane, WA with Aaron, and there is (or, was, rather) a major lack of non-chain restaurants in Spokane.  We couldn’t find a mom and pop pizza shop to saveRead more

Pico de gallo is like… the perfect condiment for Mexican food. I use it on almost everything I make that’s Mexican.  Tacos, taco salads, nachos, quesadillas, even as a dip on its own.  Obviously you want to make sure you have the freshest, ripest ingredients as this is a raw dish with simple flavors. TwoRead more

Earlier this year I discovered the amazingness that is pimento cheese. I went to Lexington for work and we went to this amazing little place to eat called Stella’s Kentucky Deli.  I really went for the hot brown, but came away with a newfound love and appreciation for pimento cheese.  (The hot brown was alsoRead more

If you know me at all, you know how much I like dips.  I like to dip things in dips.  Especially, especially, especially creamy, mayo-based dips!  I do not dip fries in ketchup.  Why would I do that when I could use the excuse to ingest more mayo?! My favorite thing to dip things intoRead more

I met an adorable fellow food blogger, Daniela, in the food bloggers group on Facebook, and immediately fell in love with her work because….. well, because the very first post I read of hers had the F word in it, and I knew she was my kind of girl! Ok, ok, ok… also, because, sheRead more

//Pinch of Yum// is one of my biggest food blog inspirations.  Sometimes I feel like Lindsay has my voice, like she writes in the exact way I think and talk (but have yet to figured out how to get into printed word).  The very first recipe I posted on this blog was a nachos recipeRead more

So I have two projects going on this year – #52NewEats which is where I make a new recipe every week, and #12NewTreats which is where my daughter and I bake a new dessert recipe each month. If she had it her way, we’d make a new dessert each week, but I managed to convinceRead more

Brownies are probably my most favorite dessert of all time.  I love chocolate, and I love a good, soft, gooey brownie.  I also like cheesecake, but I can’t eat a lot of it – it’s too rich for me. That’s why these //brownie cheesecake bars// worked so well, at least in my eyes!  I feelRead more

If you’ve ever done any kind of shopping for Valentine’s day, then surely you’ve come across how much chocolate covered strawberries cost. Seriously though, like $5 a berry?  It’s kind of ridic. I’m in the wrong business. Making chocolate covered strawberries at home is SO EASY.  There is really no need to buy them asRead more

So.  Here’s what I have to say about the Pioneer Woman’s recipe for Chocolate Pie. It was really friggin’ easy. It was really friggin’ amazingly delicious. I am already salivating at the thought of making it again. I might just turn it into pudding next time and skip the pie shell. I might just makeRead more

In case you haven’t been able to tell as of yet, my daughter is a bit of a chocoholic.  What kid isn’t though, right?  So when we started searching for the next recipe we were going to make for our 12 New Treats project, it didn’t surprise me one bit that she pointed her fingerRead more

Have you guys ever had cinnamon chips? They are pretty amazing.  Every Christmas I make oatmeal cinnamon chip cookies and they are so delicious.  They’re my favorite cookie.  But I always buy too many bags of cinnamon chips.  I’m overly ambitious at Christmas-cookie-baking time.  At first I’m always like I AM NOT MAKING ALL THOSERead more

In true SFB fashion, I realize I am posting this way late, but it’s mostly because I made this poke cake over my Christmas break and then conveniently decided to try and be very lazy during my time off.  Of course, I wasn’t really very lazy at all, I was pretty busy, so I endedRead more

One of my favorite restaurants in the area, Cantina Feliz, has this ridiculous brownie sundae on their dessert menu.  I took my best stab at it here, and it should be pretty easy to throw together if you’ve got the right components!

Now that March is almost over, I figured it was the perfect time to post about our February #12NewTreats recipe!  ? My daughter picked this recipe because she is obsessed with rainbows and ice cream, so it was perfect for her. The recipe itself was very easy to make – I would not have doneRead more

WHO IS READY FOR CHRISTMAS. I guess I am.  I’m as ready as I’ll be.  About 90% of my shopping is done and about 0% of my wrapping is done.  That will probably happen on Christmas Eve. Also only slightly more than 0% done?  My Christmas baking. Every year I turn into my mom andRead more

In case you were unaware, March is my birthday month! I normally like to celebrate as many times as possible, going to as many restaurants as people feel like taking me to, eating as much as people feel like feeding me. This year was no bueno. I woke up on my birthday with a soreRead more

I could eat cashews all day long.  I love them so much, but sometimes you want them to have some flavor, right?  So twice in the past 6 months I have attempted to make ______ Roasted Cashews, and I will now say, NEVER AGAIN.  Leave the flavored roasted cashews up to the experts, and justRead more

So I am always down to try Paleo recipes because they are grain-free and sugar-free, which I realize sounds icky, but can sometimes be really good!  I also love the flavor of coconut oil so when I saw this recipe for //coconut oil fudge//, I was all about it. This recipe literally could NOT haveRead more

Honestly I have no idea what these things are actually called.  I just made that title up.  Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups… seems legit  But for every Christmas for as long as I can remember, my mom has made these.  And they are SO SIMPLE. In fact I’m kicking myself now for spending $30Read more

//Pinch of Yum// does it again, folks. It’s no secret she’s one of my favorite bloggers, and when I saw this recipe I knew I had to make it. Guess what?  These are highly addictive.  So, don’t allow yourself to be in a room alone with them.  They would also be great as a substituteRead more

My daughter is a sucker for anything s’mores, and for this month’s treat we wanted something simple and tasty.  She picked //this s’mores snack mix// pretty quickly and so off we went to the store to get the ingredients! This is a fairly straightforward snack mix recipe, but next time I would do something different. Read more

I had a massive craving for chocolate chip cookies recently, and went off to my Pinterest to see if I could find a recipe for one that wouldn’t necessarily require me to go out and buy anything special.  With chocolate chip cookies, I am partial to soft cookies – I am not much a fanRead more

So we are a little late on posting about our May recipe for #12NewTreats… oops!  We totally made this at the end of May and then I blinked and the month of June was gone and July was upon us… So anyway.  My daughter is all pink and purple and rainbows and unicorns and mermaidsRead more

Guysssssss.  Who knew vegan desserts could be SO delicious? This is another recipe from my friend Daniela over at //dulce y natural// blog.  The //original recipe// was for chocolate chip cookies, but for whatever reason, the dough did not really come together enough for me to be able to roll into a ball, so IRead more

There is a Mexican restaurant downtown that is famous for its frozen blood orange margaritas.  They are sweet and tart and make your cheeks tickle, and are REALLY easy to drink.  Last time I was at Whole Foods, I saw that they had fresh-squeezed blood orange juice there, so I immediately thought I should findRead more

So it’s sort of time for me to come clean about something, and that something has directly lead to the development of this smoothie recipe, so here goes. Back in May I woke up in the middle of the night one night with incredibly severe knee pain in my right knee.  I was laying inRead more

WHO IS READY FOR SPRING? I know I am.  This is like the winter that is never going to end.  I’m currently sitting on my couch covered in a heavy chenille blanket, with a heating pad wedged between my upper back and the back of the couch, freezing. I am so ready for spring. OldRead more

My friends!  Behold, a delicious, maybe-a-little-too-easy-to-drink, tangy alcohol draaaank! A long, long time ago when I first started drinking, I found this recipe and fell in love with it.  It might be one of the first things my little sister drank that she really liked.  And once in a while it makes an appearance atRead more

I know what you’re thinkin’. You’re thinkin’ HEY CRISTIN.  WTF AM I SUPPOSED TO WASH DOWN ALL THIS DELICIOUS MEXICAN FOOD WITH. Amirite? You have to have sangria and margaritas mis amigos.  No Cinco de Mayo fiesta is complete without a proper drink! (I would also argue that no warm summer evening spent outdoors isRead more

We had a big BBQ over the 4th of July weekend and of course, abiding by American standards, I bought a big watermelon.  Well actually, I thought I bought a small watermelon, or at least a smallER watermelon, but it was still entirely too much for our party.  So, I served half of it inRead more

Hey ya’ll! So, I guess it’s been a little while.  Earlier this year I crashed and burned and suffered from what is commonly known as ‘blogger burnout’.  This is probably the second or third time I’ve gone through this since starting SFB.  If you’re not a food blogger, it can be difficult to understand justRead more

Hey there fellow foodies.  In case you noticed it, I’m sorry for my absence.  My life has been taking over my life.  Did that make sense?  It did to me.  Anyway.  There’s a lot going on these days.  But I need to get back to this blog, because I really love this blog, and IRead more

I may have mentioned once or a hundred times that //Distrito// is one of my favorite restaurants in Philadelphia.  They used to have this dish on their menu that was so good it legit brought tears to my eyes – arroz con crema.  It was a rice side dish that was cheesy, creamy, warm, andRead more

I am actually really proud of this recipe. This recipe came to me in bursts of ideas over the course of a day when I was trying to think of how I could use up some leftover bruschetta.  At first I thought about piling it onto a piece of grilled chicken.  And forking-and-knifing it. AndRead more

A great way to use leftover shredded barbecue chicken!

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, I have a yummy Mexican recipe for you!! A little while ago I made a batch of slow-cooked BBQ chicken for my husband’s work lunches.  And it turned out I’d made just a bit too much.  Like he wasn’t going to eat it all before it went bad. Read more

Earlier this year, I mentioned in a post that I joined a really inspiring food blogging group on Facebook.  This group is full of so much fun and positivity.  And, duh, photographic inspiration!  Seeing everyone else’s work cuts both ways for me – on the one hand, I feel like I have so much workRead more

So there’s no ifs ands or buts about it – the thing that drew me in to try this recipe was the pictures on the website.  Go check them out //here//.  That cheese is so deliciously melty and the dish is so beefy and I just love Mexican food so I had to make thisRead more

I’m not sure if you’ve paid much attention or not, but, I love Mexican food.  LOVE.  Mexican food.  Nachos are my absolute favorite food ever, but, enchiladas come in as a close second. I typically prefer chicken enchiladas, but these beef enchiladas caught my eye some time ago, mostly because of the enchilada sauce recipe.Read more

You guysssssss. If you’ve noticed, I’m SO sorry for my absence. If you haven’t noticed, it’s cool. So I am finding out very quickly that getting a house ready to put on the market is no freakin’ joke.  Since early January, I have spent part or all of every single weekend packing stuff I don’tRead more

So here’s some news for ya – my husband and I are going VEGETARIAN for the entire month of May.  ?  *gasp*  ?  Yes!  We are! Aaron adopted a project I did a few years ago, where instead of trying to abide by a few new year’s resolutions for an entire year, I tried toRead more

Hello friends. As you know, I live in the Land of the Cheesesteak.  I love cheesesteaks.  You can hardly drive a mile in any direction in Philadelphia without passing a place where you can get a cheesesteak.  Cheesesteaks are the bomb. These nachos were inspired by my favorite neighborhood restaurant, The Blue Duck.  Back inRead more

You guys, this is the greatest dip ever known to man.  I’d put my life on it. When I was a kid, my dad was into politics, and my mom was forever hosting campaign-or-something-related events at our house.  All us kids had to hide upstairs while they had all these important people over till allRead more

Since making my very first risotto a few months back and discovering exactly how not hard it was, I have sort of been on a risotto kick.  This is the third one I’ve made, and I can’t wait to try more.  I especially love this one because it’s a good way for me to getRead more

A couple weeks ago my girl Jodie over at //Two Lucky Spoons// posted a recipe on Instagram of her Ham Broccoli and Potato Chowder and my mouth instantly started watering.  Only problem is, I kinda hate ham (fight me), but I’m also leaning towards vegetarian lately.  So I asked her, could I make it withoutRead more

I love paella. Correction:  I love this paella. Until recently, paella was intimidating to me because of three things: It typically has seafood in it (ew!). I was under the impression it took forever to make. It typically has white rice in it. So mostly I avoided it until I stumbled upon this gem inRead more

Did you guys ever find yourself with like a ton of leftover bruschetta and no idea what to do with it? No?  Yeah, me neither.  Not often anyway.  But when I do have some leftover, I usually make this the very next day! So one of the ways I originally toyed with introducing cheese toRead more

Ok so here’s the thing. The lighting in my pictures these days SUCKS.  And I’m apologizing but not really because I’m kind of actually impressed with myself that I’m managing to keep up with blogging with all the crazy that’s going on in my life right now.  And while I certainly know that there isRead more

A little while ago, I couldn’t decide which new recipe to make first, so I held a little contest on Instagram and Facebook to help me choose.  The winner, but not by much, was Buffalo Chicken Nachos!  So here you go, folks! A couple years back I actually made a buffalo chicken nachos recipe thatRead more

Do you guys have any idea how fast the sun sets in the winter?  It’s not fair to food bloggers.  So you’ll have to excuse the appearance of these pictures.  I tried my hardest – twice! That’s my favorite from the first try.  Silly me was so excited about the pizza that I didn’t notice theRead more

Hey guys! It’s been like, a really long time.  Like almost a week.  Sorry.  I know you were all waiting on bated breath for my next blog entry but life happened there for a minute.  Snowmageddon last Thursday, birthday celebrations over the weekend, lazy days off parked on the couch with my cat catching upRead more

Over the summer, I took a girls overnight trip to NYC with my mom, sister, and daughter.  We had dinner at this amazing restaurant called //Cacio e Pepe//, and the whole reason we went was so we could eat… cacio e pepe.  I had seen some //videos on Instagram// of them mixing up the pastaRead more

If you follow me on Instagram, it’s no secret that I looooove cacio e pepe.  During #52NewEats last year I found a recipe that I really liked and I’ve made it many times since.  So when I saw //this recipe for cacio e pepe macaroni and cheese//…. well duh, of course I had to makeRead more

GUYYSSSSSSSS. I knocked these out of the park.  I really, really did.  They were SO GOOD. Last week I posted about my //Buffalo Chicken Nachos// and how they just barely won a contest for which recipe I would make next – well these came in a very close second.  I had been tossing this ideaRead more

HEY!  HI GUYS!  How are you?! It’s Friday and I just got the most amazing news and it’s a three-day weekend and I’m about to go party after work to celebrate the aforementioned amazing news and really THE ONLY thing that could make me happier is having one of these babies staring back at me.Read more

So, you guys!  I’m pretty excited.  Def about these cheesesteak hoagie nachos, but first: Several posts back I mentioned how I wanted to get back into this blog thing after being away for so long because my life took over my life.  Well today I discovered that Facebook is *actually* good for something (I know,Read more

If you don’t know by now, I’m from Philly – land of the cheesesteak, land of the soft pretzel, land of Wawa, land of Tastykakes. We love our Philly food, especially the cheesesteak.  What I love about the cheesesteak is that you could ask 50 different people what their favorite cheesesteak shop is, and you wouldRead more

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I joined a Facebook group for food bloggers.  The owner of that group is running a project called #365Recipes, which is somewhat similar to my #52NewEats and #12NewTreats projects.  It’s just another way to spark my creativity and get me in the kitchen!! The ingredient for today wasRead more

Despite how much I positively adore Mexican food, I have not always been much a fan of verde salsa or sauces.  Why?  I feel like they can be inconsistent from restaurant to restaurant.  Some places, it’s ridiculously spicy; some places, it’s really tangy.  Some places it’s well-balanced and I really like it.  But I haven’tRead more

Earlier this week I gave you a romantic steak dinner menu to serve to your special someone on Valentine’s Day.  But maybe you don’t like steak.  Or red wine.  Or broccoli (I don’t blame you, I eat it very begrudgingly).  This would be my next pick to serve to someone on Valentine’s Day.  Chicken piccataRead more

Ahhh chicken saltimbocca.  Not the prettiest dish to photograph, but a delicious dish to devour. I am not even really sure where this recipe came from, it’s one of those that have been in my family forever.  I probably found it on the interwebz back in the days I first started cooking and it hasRead more

My sister loves taco salads. Sometimes, when we go out to pig out on Mexican food, she will gravely disappoint me and order a taco salad.  Meanwhile I’ll order 3 enchiladas, 2 tacos, rice, queso, and who knows what else.  But she just loves taco salads and sometimes that’s what she gets while I sitRead more

One of my seriously all-time favorite cold weather recipes is Pinch of Yum’s //chicken and wild rice soup//.  I have never really been much of a soup person, but when I think about telling someone about this soup, I imagine that all the words coming out of my mouth are in CAPS LOCK.  It’s requiringRead more

I feel like I want to start every blog post with YOU.  GUYS. It’s just that I get so excited about food, and I want to tell you all about it, and I want to begin it all by saying YOU GUYS. YOU.  GUYS. If you could make only one kind of cheeseburger for theRead more

Holla ya’ll! We are well into January here in Philadelphia and you know what’s wonderful?  Today we received our first snowfall.  The snowfall itself is not actually all that wonderful, but the fact that it took so long to get here is pretty awesome.  I mean winter is already like almost half over.  I loveRead more

I am a Philly girl and in Philly we love our cheesesteaks.  Every Philadelphian you talk to will have a different favorite cheesesteak place.  Personally, I like Jimmy G’s, Sonny’s, and D’Alessandro’s.  I’ve never really thought to make them at home though because honestly, I am surrounded by so many good cheesesteak shops that canRead more

There’s this adorable restaurant over in Jersey called the Pop Shop that makes amazing food and they have a huge section on their menu just for grilled cheese.  One day I tried what they call their Frazer Grilled Cheese – it’s a griddled chicken breast with Monterey Jack cheese, jalapeno-onion relish, and chipotle mayo.  I’llRead more

Once I perfected my homemade //macaroni and cheese//, I started noticing that my husband was desecrating his plate of perfectly creamy mac and cheese with hot sauce.  ?  The nerve! Originally it was Tabasco.  I couldn’t believe such things.  Who dare muddle my perfectly perfected cheese sauce with Tabasco?  No!  No no no. But thenRead more

You guys.  It’s nachos. NACHOS! I don’t know how or when nachos became my most favorite food on the planet, but seriously, to me, there is nothing better in this world than a fat messy plate of nachos.  With or without meat, with or without beans, I could really care less.  There aren’t many nachosRead more

For this week’s 52 New Eats recipe, I chose – yet another – sorry not sorry but actually yes a little sorry – pasta recipe.  This week though, my daughter picked it out, and she wanted to choose because she hasn’t liked any of the recipes I’ve made so far.  ?  I know, I know.Read more

Hey ya’ll!  For this week’s 52 New Eats recipe I chose another mac and cheese dish – primarily because my daughter LOVES Brie cheese, and LOVES Ritz crackers, and I though, why wouldn’t she LOVE this?! Silly me.  ? She’s too picky I suppose.  She didn’t like this mac and cheese, but I thought itRead more

Creamy.  Roasted garlic.  Tortellini. Hands-down, without a doubt, my most favoritest pasta dish of all time. I know I know, it doesn’t look like a whole lot in the picture.  But I can assure you that this pasta dish is so flavorful and so filling and so creamy and so slutty. Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaany years ago, whenRead more

It is pretty much a given, that if a recipe has the word “creamy” in the title, I will be all about it.  I looooove creamy sauces and dishes.  Can’t get enough.  Creamy sauces for drowning, dousing, blanketing, dipping, smothering… are all my favoritest sauces ever.  I would eat piles of vegetables if I couldRead more

This is a story of two relatively-healthy recipes that got married to make one sluttacular recipe. Ok, maybe they aren’t totally healthy individually.  But together they are pretty much not healthy at all, and totally slutty. You might have seen the creamy Dijon chicken recipe floating around Pinterest a while ago.  I was sucked inRead more

Who doesn’t like sausage, peppers, and onions?  It’s one of my favorite Italian dishes.  I was recently at a work teambuilding event and they had a catered lunch for us.  I have been following an 80/20 grain-free rule over the past couple of months and all I could eat at this catered lunch was sausage,Read more

Guys!  It’s my 3-year blogaversary! Yes, yes, yes, I can hardly believe it, but three years ago today, I started this little bloggity blog as a creative outlet for my writing, food photography, and enthusiasm for food.  My first post was (DUH) a nachos recipe inspired by one of my favorite food bloggers, Pinch ofRead more

Hey ya’ll!  Sorry it’s been a while.  I’ve had some friends and family in town visiting which has been wonderful.  Bonus: I think I’ve eaten four cheeseburgers in two weeks – three of which happened in the last four days.  *insert googly-eyed emoji here*  I have eaten so much food, so much good food, inRead more

Eggs Benedict Fries. Yes.  They are A Thing. They should be A Thing on your menu for this week too.  Because seriously.  Why not?!  Life is short.  Eat the French fries, topped with creamy, tangy Hollandaise sauce, topped with a glorious poached egg, topped with smoked paprika and chopped chives.  Eat them. Eggs Benedict FriesRead more

This is one of those recipes that is so easy, you will wonder how you did without it all your life. Or maybe I’m just late to the game and people have been eating this forever and I’m the one who did without it all my life. I was never really an egg person growingRead more

Hey guys!  So today I have a super duper really super healthy pasta dish for you! (Did you detect my sarcasm through your screen?) Really all I was being sarcastic about was the “healthy” part.  This IS the slutty food blog, after all.  Not the healthy food blog.  There are enough of those. This isRead more

YOU GUYS!  It’s almost Cinco de Mayo! What, am I too early? Cinco de Mayo might be one of my most favorite food holidays.  To me, there is absolutely nothing better than a whole holiday dedicated to food that you can cover in cheese and sour cream. Here is a great recipe I’ve adapted forRead more

When I first made //this French onion dip// for #52NewEats last year, I was so blown away by the flavor that I was immediately interested in how else I could use French fried onions in other recipes.  And one of the first things that came to mind was a French onion grilled cheese! I choseRead more

One of my best days ever was just a few weeks ago when I discovered that a local farm carries cheese curds.  I saw them and gasped on the spot and yanked the cold case door open and squealed with delight!  I made such a(n embarrassing) scene that the cashier a couple aisles away pokedRead more

This dish popped my zoodle cherry. I have been wanting to try zoodles for a while now, but I hadn’t quite found the right recipe until I found this one. I love alfredo sauce too much to cover zoodles with it. I might try a Bolognese sauce on zoodles, but for this month, we needRead more

So like.  Did y’all know you can make ricotta at home?  And that it’s better than almost anything you could buy at a store (unless you have access to some mom and pop Italian market that makes it fresh)? It’s true.  And it was SO easy to make, that of course I immediately had toRead more

Today, I bring you one of my favorite old-time recipes from when I first started learning how to cook: fresh tomato and garlic penne. When I first started learning how to cook, I was also sort of discovering that I liked pasta.  Weird, I know, right?  Like, who am I?  I don’t even know sometimes.Read more

First and foremost, can I just lament how hard it is to photograph this dish? I mean, I don’t really know how you make homemade cheeseburger macaroni pretty.  I suppose I could have thrown something green on top of it, like parsley?  But then it wouldn’t really be a knockoff of Hamburger Helper. Let’s faceRead more

So I almost bought this shirt to wear on Thanksgiving.  Alllllllmost. Thanksgiving in my house is not about wearing dresses and tights and nice shoes and curling my hair.  No.  It’s about putting your eatin’-clothes on and vegging out. We don’t eat dinner at 1, or 2, or 3, or 4.  We eat dinner atRead more

My close friend told me the other day that she’s tired of looking at my Instagram because all that’s ever on there is nachos. Oops. I can’t help it though!  Nachos are my most favorite thing on the planet.  I’m pretty sure she was joking.  She loves me.  She’s not a meanie. And then aboutRead more

A friend of mine shared this recipe video on my Facebook feed a few weeks ago, and I knew immediately I had to make these nachos. La Bomba Nachos, fools! So I did change some things.  First, I nixed the mozzarella cheese.  People.  Mozzarella cheese has no place in Mexican cooking.  Stop mixing cuisines, mkay? Read more

Boy it has been a long, long, looooong time since I’ve made lasagna, and I would like to thank the #365Recipes project for giving me an excuse to bring it back into my life, even if momentarily. As you may know, I have been steadily cutting meat out of my diet in favor of aRead more

So like.  I just want to know when the heck I turned 35.  When did this happen, and why do I not feel 35?  I don’t believe that I’m 35.  No, not me.  I’m 26.  At heart. It’s a funny thing to come to terms with your age.  Before long I’ll be 40.  I rememberRead more

You guys!! I am pretty sure this is the very first recipe that I took creative liberties with – and it’s pretty damn good! Way back in like 2000 or 2001, when I was first learning how to cook, the only cookbook I had was your standard Betty Crocker cookbook.  There was a recipe inRead more

These tostadas were quite possibly my most favorite new recipe that I made when we went vegetarian during the month of May.  Oh GOSH these were so good!  Also, as a result of making this, I was inspired to create a delicious corn dip recipe, so stay tuned for that!  I have already made theseRead more

It should come as no surprise to any of you that I’ve been a huge fan of Grilled Cheese Social since the day I found her many years ago.  She is known for coming up with some of the most epic grilled cheese combinations.  I actually haven’t tried too many of her recipes, because theyRead more

So ya had to know it was only a matter of time before one of the new recipes I wanted to try was a nachos recipe, right?  🙂 This week’s recipe comes to you from Sunny Anderson a la Food Network fame.  I watched the episode these nachos were featured on, oh, I don’t know,Read more

I don’t know about you, but I don’t need an excuse to eat nachos.  Give ’em to me all day err day.  But tonight, I am attempting to recreate the Holy Grail of Nacho Wonderland…. Distrito‘s nachos.  I’ve got just about all the ingredients waiting for me at home, ready to throw together and devourRead more

As part of my 2017 new year’s resolutions, I would like to make one new recipe every week.  I’ve been in something of a cooking rut lately – creativity has escaped me, thanks to the stress of moving and renovating a house – and am looking for some inspiration and some new foods to droolRead more

You guys. My job is burning me OUT. Like I didn’t even have time to BLOG last week.  I was so busy and when I wasn’t busy I was completely drained. And now it’s 2 days before Cinco de Mayo – my most favorite food holiday of the year – and I have FOUR recipesRead more

A few years ago, before it became ridiculously popular and was still relatively unheard of, I went strictly Paleo for more than a month (no grains, no sugar, no dairy, no legumes) and saw some serious results in the way I looked and felt.  Paleo was really hard for me to maintain though, because IRead more

I have to tell you guys… I’m a late-blooming foodie. It’s true. I grew up a very picky eater.  We didn’t eat a lot of exotic or fancy food in our house.  Tacos was about as ethnic as it got.  Both my parents worked full time, and with five kids in the house, it wasRead more

It’s been a while since I made something to contribute to the #365Recipes project, but here you go! Who doesn’t like a nice warm, cozy bowl of creamy pasta?  On these cooler fall nights, it’s one of my favoritest things to eat.  This penne with four cheeses pasta recipe is one I dug out fromRead more

As my first blog post, I think it’s only right that I post a recipe that was inspired by the blog that inspired me to start this blog!  (Did you catch that?) Pinch of Yum is one of my favorite food blogs.  Without even knowing it, I had a bunch of her recipes already pinnedRead more

Ohhhh, this pork loin recipe!  Folks, I was quite pleased with this recipe.  I definitely recommend it!  I wouldn’t make this on a weeknight, but it’s a great recipe for Sunday dinner.  ?  The gravy is very flavorful, the pork turned out oh so tender, and served with my //balsamic potatoes//, it made for aRead more

What’s poutine? This: Aw yeah that’s it. Poutine is this amazing plate of Canadian goodness (you can find the official definition here).  We are talking about crispy fries, and a beefy brown gravy, and sweet, creamy cheese curds, and a bit of minced parsley on top cuz every plate should have some green on it.Read more

Hey guys. Like HAAAAAAAY GUUUUUYS!!!! I don’t even think I can tell y’all just how good things have been in the past week.  I have a new boss at work.  And the meetings and discussions I’ve had since he’s stepped into place have been so productive and motivational and for the first time in aRead more

As I grumbled yesterday, it’s still pretty cold here in Philly. I have been dying to fire up our grill and cook out every night but winter is just holding on by the skin of its teeth. I don’t typically want to eat meals like this in warmer weather because I think it’s just inRead more

Risotto is one of those dishes that intimidates people, and I am not even really sure why.  A few months back, I tried my hand at risotto by making The Pioneer Woman’s //sun-dried tomato risotto//, and it was FABULOUS.  And it was amazingly NOT HARD. I don’t know if you guys know me?  Or ifRead more

Last summer sometime, I hosted a Slutfest at my house with our friends Geoff and Becky.  Normally Slutfest is just the four of us getting together and pigging out but on this occasion we also invited our friends Jackie and Brandon. One of Jackie’s contributions to the party was some kind of cheesesteak or cheeseburgerRead more

Back when I lived in Spokane, there was a restaurant there called the Sawtooth Grill.  I heard it has since closed, but when we lived there it was one of our favorite places to frequent for cheeseburgers.  They had GREAT burgers.  And they had an appetizer on their menu which was skinny French fries dousedRead more

Listen.  When I started this blog, I felt like food creativity started coming at me from a hundred different directions.  And one of those things that popped in my head was ‘sloppy Joe cheese fries’. I’m not sure if I’d ever seen them on a menu before or something, but I know for sure IRead more

I found this recipe on Pinterest a while ago while looking for vegetarian meals.  I wasn’t sure how ‘on board’ hubby would be with a vegetarian chili-style meal, so when we decided to go vegetarian for a month back in May, I jumped at the chance to make this! This recipe was very, very tasty,Read more

There is an awesome foodie restaurant near me called The Butcher & Barkeep, and it’s about the only foodie restaurant around.  The waits there are regularly an hour or more during dinner time, any day of the week.  It’s a popular place with the locals, and for good reason – they have an excellent craftRead more

Does anybody else out there know the term, “food hug”? My friend and I use this term to describe the situations in which we are so stressed or angry or frazzled or crazy that we want to EAT ALL THE FOOD, ALL THE UNHEALTHY-FOR-ME FOODS, ALL THE SLUTTY FOOD because it’s the only thing thatRead more

A long, long time ago, in a West Philly apartment far, far away, there lived a girl who did not know how to cook. And, wanting a marriage proposal so terribly, having been with her boyfriend for several years, she started to wonder if he saw her as non-marriage material due to her lack ofRead more

Some time ago, when I discovered that I liked Italian food, I tried a stuffed shells recipe and fell in love. I can’t even remember whose recipe this is now, because I’ve modded it a little bit and am not sure what’s what. But I’ll tell you what my favorite thing is about this stuffedRead more

As much as I love fancy pants Mexican food, there will always be a place in my heart for good old Taco Bell.  There’s just something about that warm spicy saucy beef, fake cheese sauce, and salty taco sauces that will always bring me back.  I always always always get the same thing at TacoRead more

Oh hai. Welcome to the Slutty Food Blog, where I like to take seemingly boring holiday leftovers and slut them up with a sinful cheese sauce and call it a Kentucky Hot Brown. Seriously though – I know these pictures don’t tell much of the story, but you will just have to trust me onRead more

While I was vegetarian in May, I ate a TON of Mexican recipes.  It wasn’t even really on purpose… okay, maybe subconsciously it was, but… there are just a lot of options out there for vegetarians in Mexican cuisine.  This dish has become one of the ‘keepers’ out of all the new recipes I triedRead more

So I know I just shared a recipe last week for //chicken enchiladas suizas//, but I loved it so much that I immediately wanted to come up with a vegetarian version, so here it is! To me, there is just something about the combination of black beans, corn, and poblanos and that really sets myRead more

Two years ago, a dear friend of ours, Lyle, came to visit at Christmas time and brought a beautiful jar of bourbon pecans, and I scoffed, because I hate pecans. Or… so I thought… Cuz then I ate one of these and I couldn’t stop eating them, and I insisted on getting the recipe fromRead more

HEY!  HI GUYS!  How are you?! It’s Friday and I just got the most amazing news and it’s a three-day weekend and I’m about to go party after work to celebrate the aforementioned amazing news and really THE ONLY thing that could make me happier is having one of these babies staring back at me.Read more

Earlier this week I gave you a romantic steak dinner menu to serve to your special someone on Valentine’s Day.  But maybe you don’t like steak.  Or red wine.  Or broccoli (I don’t blame you, I eat it very begrudgingly).  This would be my next pick to serve to someone on Valentine’s Day.  Chicken piccataRead more

If you’ve ever done any kind of shopping for Valentine’s day, then surely you’ve come across how much chocolate covered strawberries cost. Seriously though, like $5 a berry?  It’s kind of ridic. I’m in the wrong business. Making chocolate covered strawberries at home is SO EASY.  There is really no need to buy them asRead more

So.  Here’s what I have to say about the Pioneer Woman’s recipe for Chocolate Pie. It was really friggin’ easy. It was really friggin’ amazingly delicious. I am already salivating at the thought of making it again. I might just turn it into pudding next time and skip the pie shell. I might just makeRead more

With Cinco de Mayo behind us, summer is fast on its way.  And after this winter in Philly, I can-not-wait-for-warmer-weather ! This winter really hung on for dear life.  It did NOT want to move on.  Today it’s 85 and sunny and I am heading down to Atlantic City with my sister for the night.Read more

You guys.  It’s nachos. NACHOS! I don’t know how or when nachos became my most favorite food on the planet, but seriously, to me, there is nothing better in this world than a fat messy plate of nachos.  With or without meat, with or without beans, I could really care less.  There aren’t many nachosRead more

It is finally here – it is finally upon us – one of my most favorite food holidays of the year! – THANKSGIVING. Thanksgiving wasn’t always one of my favorite food holidays of the year.  There was a time once when I couldn’t have cared less about turkey, it was really just another day offRead more

YOU GUYS!  It’s almost Cinco de Mayo! What, am I too early? Cinco de Mayo might be one of my most favorite food holidays.  To me, there is absolutely nothing better than a whole holiday dedicated to food that you can cover in cheese and sour cream. Here is a great recipe I’ve adapted forRead more

WHO IS READY FOR CHRISTMAS. I guess I am.  I’m as ready as I’ll be.  About 90% of my shopping is done and about 0% of my wrapping is done.  That will probably happen on Christmas Eve. Also only slightly more than 0% done?  My Christmas baking. Every year I turn into my mom andRead more

So I almost bought this shirt to wear on Thanksgiving.  Alllllllmost. Thanksgiving in my house is not about wearing dresses and tights and nice shoes and curling my hair.  No.  It’s about putting your eatin’-clothes on and vegging out. We don’t eat dinner at 1, or 2, or 3, or 4.  We eat dinner atRead more

Hey guys! Long time no talk.  I know.  I’m sorry.  My bad.  My job is extremely demanding and it’s been completely wiping me out lately.  Like, going-to-bed-at-8pm wiped out.  It’s a busy life.  I wish that all I had to do in life was cook and eat and blog about it.  And be a mom.Read more

You guys. My job is burning me OUT. Like I didn’t even have time to BLOG last week.  I was so busy and when I wasn’t busy I was completely drained. And now it’s 2 days before Cinco de Mayo – my most favorite food holiday of the year – and I have FOUR recipesRead more

I may lose my foodie card today, because I have to tell you that there is one food I have yet to master on a consistent basis – and that is mashed potatoes. Most of the time when I make mashed potatoes, they are just ok.  They aren’t terrible, but they don’t knock your socksRead more

Honestly I have no idea what these things are actually called.  I just made that title up.  Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups… seems legit  But for every Christmas for as long as I can remember, my mom has made these.  And they are SO SIMPLE. In fact I’m kicking myself now for spending $30Read more

Pico de gallo is like… the perfect condiment for Mexican food. I use it on almost everything I make that’s Mexican.  Tacos, taco salads, nachos, quesadillas, even as a dip on its own.  Obviously you want to make sure you have the freshest, ripest ingredients as this is a raw dish with simple flavors. TwoRead more

My friends!  Behold, a delicious, maybe-a-little-too-easy-to-drink, tangy alcohol draaaank! A long, long time ago when I first started drinking, I found this recipe and fell in love with it.  It might be one of the first things my little sister drank that she really liked.  And once in a while it makes an appearance atRead more

As I grumbled yesterday, it’s still pretty cold here in Philly. I have been dying to fire up our grill and cook out every night but winter is just holding on by the skin of its teeth. I don’t typically want to eat meals like this in warmer weather because I think it’s just inRead more

I know what you’re thinkin’. You’re thinkin’ HEY CRISTIN.  WTF AM I SUPPOSED TO WASH DOWN ALL THIS DELICIOUS MEXICAN FOOD WITH. Amirite? You have to have sangria and margaritas mis amigos.  No Cinco de Mayo fiesta is complete without a proper drink! (I would also argue that no warm summer evening spent outdoors isRead more

Spinach Dip. Really, SFB? I know, I know.  Everyone knows how to make spinach dip, right?  In fact, it just may be that you know how to make it the way I make it here.  Maybe what I have here is not even new to you.  But it’s new to me, and I’m excited toRead more

A long, long time ago, in a West Philly apartment far, far away, there lived a girl who did not know how to cook. And, wanting a marriage proposal so terribly, having been with her boyfriend for several years, she started to wonder if he saw her as non-marriage material due to her lack ofRead more

Mmmmm, baked brie.  Warm, melty, spready cheese.  On a salty cracker.  With sweet, tangy balsamic strawberries on top.  Mmm, mmm, mmm. This recipe for baked brie was really, really decadent.  I had to make myself stop eating it so that I would eat my dinner!  I will definitely make it again, but I will changeRead more

If you were looking for a highly-addictive, semi-healthy, fresh-tasting dip to put on the table for Cinco de Mayo, you need look no further. This recipe has been in my family for as long as I can remember.  My mom used to make it all the time.  She probably got the recipe off some productRead more

Oh hai. Welcome to the Slutty Food Blog, where I like to take seemingly boring holiday leftovers and slut them up with a sinful cheese sauce and call it a Kentucky Hot Brown. Seriously though – I know these pictures don’t tell much of the story, but you will just have to trust me onRead more

Ok so.  I’m just going to say this loud and clear: you WILL want this dip at your next family or friends get-together.  You just will. You WILL need to get over the idea of sauteeing the onions for 45-60 minutes.  You just will.  Because this step, this crucial step, is what sets this dipRead more

HEY I THOUGHT IT WAS 7-LAYER DIP! Yeah, so did I. I was perusing Pinterest one day and I saw a picture for a 7-layer dip that looked PHENOM, and I thought, I have to make that.  Except guess what?  It was a bad link.  ?  Supwitdat.  So I kind of had to wing thisRead more

Ever since I threw together these //BBQ pulled pork nachos// a couple years ago, I have been wanting to do a BBQ chicken version. I typically prefer BBQ chicken over BBQ pork. So I wanted to put a new spin on it. These nachos feature my favorite //pickled red onions//, spicy pickled jalapenos, and aRead more

Hello friends. As you know, I live in the Land of the Cheesesteak.  I love cheesesteaks.  You can hardly drive a mile in any direction in Philadelphia without passing a place where you can get a cheesesteak.  Cheesesteaks are the bomb. These nachos were inspired by my favorite neighborhood restaurant, The Blue Duck.  Back inRead more

A little while ago, I couldn’t decide which new recipe to make first, so I held a little contest on Instagram and Facebook to help me choose.  The winner, but not by much, was Buffalo Chicken Nachos!  So here you go, folks! A couple years back I actually made a buffalo chicken nachos recipe thatRead more

GUYYSSSSSSSS. I knocked these out of the park.  I really, really did.  They were SO GOOD. Last week I posted about my //Buffalo Chicken Nachos// and how they just barely won a contest for which recipe I would make next – well these came in a very close second.  I had been tossing this ideaRead more

So, you guys!  I’m pretty excited.  Def about these cheesesteak hoagie nachos, but first: Several posts back I mentioned how I wanted to get back into this blog thing after being away for so long because my life took over my life.  Well today I discovered that Facebook is *actually* good for something (I know,Read more

This cheese sauce has been tweaked and perfected quite a lot over the years, but it wasn’t till last year that I started adding chipotle to it to spice it up a bit. Prior to adding chipotle, I would add dry chili powder, pepper jack cheese, regular Tabasco, and sometimes even pickled jalapeno juice toRead more

You guys.  It’s nachos. NACHOS! I don’t know how or when nachos became my most favorite food on the planet, but seriously, to me, there is nothing better in this world than a fat messy plate of nachos.  With or without meat, with or without beans, I could really care less.  There aren’t many nachosRead more

Guys!  It’s my 3-year blogaversary! Yes, yes, yes, I can hardly believe it, but three years ago today, I started this little bloggity blog as a creative outlet for my writing, food photography, and enthusiasm for food.  My first post was (DUH) a nachos recipe inspired by one of my favorite food bloggers, Pinch ofRead more

My close friend told me the other day that she’s tired of looking at my Instagram because all that’s ever on there is nachos. Oops. I can’t help it though!  Nachos are my most favorite thing on the planet.  I’m pretty sure she was joking.  She loves me.  She’s not a meanie. And then aboutRead more

A friend of mine shared this recipe video on my Facebook feed a few weeks ago, and I knew immediately I had to make these nachos. La Bomba Nachos, fools! So I did change some things.  First, I nixed the mozzarella cheese.  People.  Mozzarella cheese has no place in Mexican cooking.  Stop mixing cuisines, mkay? Read more

So ya had to know it was only a matter of time before one of the new recipes I wanted to try was a nachos recipe, right?  🙂 This week’s recipe comes to you from Sunny Anderson a la Food Network fame.  I watched the episode these nachos were featured on, oh, I don’t know,Read more

I don’t know about you, but I don’t need an excuse to eat nachos.  Give ’em to me all day err day.  But tonight, I am attempting to recreate the Holy Grail of Nacho Wonderland…. Distrito‘s nachos.  I’ve got just about all the ingredients waiting for me at home, ready to throw together and devourRead more

As my first blog post, I think it’s only right that I post a recipe that was inspired by the blog that inspired me to start this blog!  (Did you catch that?) Pinch of Yum is one of my favorite food blogs.  Without even knowing it, I had a bunch of her recipes already pinnedRead more

Hey guys. Like HAAAAAAAY GUUUUUYS!!!! I don’t even think I can tell y’all just how good things have been in the past week.  I have a new boss at work.  And the meetings and discussions I’ve had since he’s stepped into place have been so productive and motivational and for the first time in aRead more

Hey y’all! Today is National Tater Tot Day.  Or something to that effect.  Did you know that?  I mean I did because I’m a food blogger and of course I know all the food holidays so that I can celebrate them appropriately.  Or, as my husband says, so I have an excuse to eat badRead more

Earlier this year, I mentioned in a post that I joined a really inspiring food blogging group on Facebook.  This group is full of so much fun and positivity.  And, duh, photographic inspiration!  Seeing everyone else’s work cuts both ways for me – on the one hand, I feel like I have so much workRead more

You guysssssss. If you’ve noticed, I’m SO sorry for my absence. If you haven’t noticed, it’s cool. So I am finding out very quickly that getting a house ready to put on the market is no freakin’ joke.  Since early January, I have spent part or all of every single weekend packing stuff I don’tRead more

Happy November!! I don’t especially love November, at least not like I love October.  But, my husband’s birthday, my daughter’s birthday, and Thanksgiving usually all fall within the same week.  It makes for a hectic week, but I love it.  Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday of the year bc food duh.  This year weRead more

My sister loves taco salads. Sometimes, when we go out to pig out on Mexican food, she will gravely disappoint me and order a taco salad.  Meanwhile I’ll order 3 enchiladas, 2 tacos, rice, queso, and who knows what else.  But she just loves taco salads and sometimes that’s what she gets while I sitRead more

YOU GUYS!  It’s almost Cinco de Mayo! What, am I too early? Cinco de Mayo might be one of my most favorite food holidays.  To me, there is absolutely nothing better than a whole holiday dedicated to food that you can cover in cheese and sour cream. Here is a great recipe I’ve adapted forRead more

There’s this Jewish deli in Bala Cynwyd, PA, near where I used to live, called Hymie’s.  And Hymie’s makes THE BEST chicken salad I have had ANYWHERE in this entire world. I know, I know, again – here we are – really SFB?  Chicken salad?  I know.  It’s so simple, probably everyone has a recipeRead more

Hey guys! Long time no talk.  I know.  I’m sorry.  My bad.  My job is extremely demanding and it’s been completely wiping me out lately.  Like, going-to-bed-at-8pm wiped out.  It’s a busy life.  I wish that all I had to do in life was cook and eat and blog about it.  And be a mom.Read more

So, I wouldn’t claim to be a meal prep professional by any stretch of the imagination, but I thought it would be helpful to at least share the methods that have worked for me and have helped me stay on track with meal prepping. Full disclosure: I track my macros and caloric intake in anRead more

You guys!! I am pretty sure this is the very first recipe that I took creative liberties with – and it’s pretty damn good! Way back in like 2000 or 2001, when I was first learning how to cook, the only cookbook I had was your standard Betty Crocker cookbook.  There was a recipe inRead more

I am actually really proud of this recipe. This recipe came to me in bursts of ideas over the course of a day when I was trying to think of how I could use up some leftover bruschetta.  At first I thought about piling it onto a piece of grilled chicken.  And forking-and-knifing it. AndRead more

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, I have a yummy Mexican recipe for you!! A little while ago I made a batch of slow-cooked BBQ chicken for my husband’s work lunches.  And it turned out I’d made just a bit too much.  Like he wasn’t going to eat it all before it went bad. Read more

Ok so here’s the thing. The lighting in my pictures these days SUCKS.  And I’m apologizing but not really because I’m kind of actually impressed with myself that I’m managing to keep up with blogging with all the crazy that’s going on in my life right now.  And while I certainly know that there isRead more

Hey guys! It’s been like, a really long time.  Like almost a week.  Sorry.  I know you were all waiting on bated breath for my next blog entry but life happened there for a minute.  Snowmageddon last Thursday, birthday celebrations over the weekend, lazy days off parked on the couch with my cat catching upRead more

HEY!  HI GUYS!  How are you?! It’s Friday and I just got the most amazing news and it’s a three-day weekend and I’m about to go party after work to celebrate the aforementioned amazing news and really THE ONLY thing that could make me happier is having one of these babies staring back at me.Read more

If you don’t know by now, I’m from Philly – land of the cheesesteak, land of the soft pretzel, land of Wawa, land of Tastykakes. We love our Philly food, especially the cheesesteak.  What I love about the cheesesteak is that you could ask 50 different people what their favorite cheesesteak shop is, and you wouldRead more

I feel like I want to start every blog post with YOU.  GUYS. It’s just that I get so excited about food, and I want to tell you all about it, and I want to begin it all by saying YOU GUYS. YOU.  GUYS. If you could make only one kind of cheeseburger for theRead more

Holla ya’ll! We are well into January here in Philadelphia and you know what’s wonderful?  Today we received our first snowfall.  The snowfall itself is not actually all that wonderful, but the fact that it took so long to get here is pretty awesome.  I mean winter is already like almost half over.  I loveRead more

I am a Philly girl and in Philly we love our cheesesteaks.  Every Philadelphian you talk to will have a different favorite cheesesteak place.  Personally, I like Jimmy G’s, Sonny’s, and D’Alessandro’s.  I’ve never really thought to make them at home though because honestly, I am surrounded by so many good cheesesteak shops that canRead more

There’s this adorable restaurant over in Jersey called the Pop Shop that makes amazing food and they have a huge section on their menu just for grilled cheese.  One day I tried what they call their Frazer Grilled Cheese – it’s a griddled chicken breast with Monterey Jack cheese, jalapeno-onion relish, and chipotle mayo.  I’llRead more

Who doesn’t like sausage, peppers, and onions?  It’s one of my favorite Italian dishes.  I was recently at a work teambuilding event and they had a catered lunch for us.  I have been following an 80/20 grain-free rule over the past couple of months and all I could eat at this catered lunch was sausage,Read more

Hey ya’ll!  Sorry it’s been a while.  I’ve had some friends and family in town visiting which has been wonderful.  Bonus: I think I’ve eaten four cheeseburgers in two weeks – three of which happened in the last four days.  *insert googly-eyed emoji here*  I have eaten so much food, so much good food, inRead more

There’s this Jewish deli in Bala Cynwyd, PA, near where I used to live, called Hymie’s.  And Hymie’s makes THE BEST chicken salad I have had ANYWHERE in this entire world. I know, I know, again – here we are – really SFB?  Chicken salad?  I know.  It’s so simple, probably everyone has a recipeRead more

When I first made //this French onion dip// for #52NewEats last year, I was so blown away by the flavor that I was immediately interested in how else I could use French fried onions in other recipes.  And one of the first things that came to mind was a French onion grilled cheese! I choseRead more

Last summer sometime, I hosted a Slutfest at my house with our friends Geoff and Becky.  Normally Slutfest is just the four of us getting together and pigging out but on this occasion we also invited our friends Jackie and Brandon. One of Jackie’s contributions to the party was some kind of cheesesteak or cheeseburgerRead more

Some time ago I was Paleo, or predominantly Paleo, for the better part of about a year.  My husband really took to it – he likes meat and vegetables and has no problem turning away from potatoes and pasta.  Me, not so much.  I couldn’t last on Paleo like he could.  So he continued onRead more

Does anybody else out there know the term, “food hug”? My friend and I use this term to describe the situations in which we are so stressed or angry or frazzled or crazy that we want to EAT ALL THE FOOD, ALL THE UNHEALTHY-FOR-ME FOODS, ALL THE SLUTTY FOOD because it’s the only thing thatRead more

Oh hai. Welcome to the Slutty Food Blog, where I like to take seemingly boring holiday leftovers and slut them up with a sinful cheese sauce and call it a Kentucky Hot Brown. Seriously though – I know these pictures don’t tell much of the story, but you will just have to trust me onRead more

I may have mentioned once or a hundred times that //Distrito// is one of my favorite restaurants in Philadelphia.  They used to have this dish on their menu that was so good it legit brought tears to my eyes – arroz con crema.  It was a rice side dish that was cheesy, creamy, warm, andRead more

Y’all know who Tyler Florence is, right?  I mean really, who doesn’t.  ?  He makes some pretty amazing food.  I have a bunch of his cookbooks, and in one of those cookbooks he posted a recipe for the ultimate garlic bread.  I tried it a few times and tweaked it a little bit, and IRead more

I’m sure this sounds kind of strange to you, right?  Balsamic potatoes?  But I assure you – they are so good.  I haven’t made these in years, and when I thought about them recently and how I should make them for the blog, my mouth immediately started watering. But!  I warn, they are not healthy.Read more

Two years ago, a dear friend of ours, Lyle, came to visit at Christmas time and brought a beautiful jar of bourbon pecans, and I scoffed, because I hate pecans. Or… so I thought… Cuz then I ate one of these and I couldn’t stop eating them, and I insisted on getting the recipe fromRead more

It is no secret that I looooove //smitten kitchen//.  Love her.  LOVE.  HER.  She was probably one of the first blogs I’ve ever followed, and I found so much inspiration in her photography.  She has taken some really mouthwatering pictures, famously, with only a single window in her NYC apartment kitchen to light the food.Read more

Since making my very first risotto a few months back and discovering exactly how not hard it was, I have sort of been on a risotto kick.  This is the third one I’ve made, and I can’t wait to try more.  I especially love this one because it’s a good way for me to getRead more

Holy cow! Let me just start by saying that I don’t think I can say enough good things about this cornbread.  This buttermilk cornbread was absolutely amazing.  I love cornbread but I don’t often make it at home because it can be dry, crumbly, and just kind of generally unsatisfying.  BUT NO MORE! This recipeRead more

Earlier this week I gave you a romantic steak dinner menu to serve to your special someone on Valentine’s Day.  But maybe you don’t like steak.  Or red wine.  Or broccoli (I don’t blame you, I eat it very begrudgingly).  This would be my next pick to serve to someone on Valentine’s Day.  Chicken piccataRead more

Once I perfected my homemade //macaroni and cheese//, I started noticing that my husband was desecrating his plate of perfectly creamy mac and cheese with hot sauce.  ?  The nerve! Originally it was Tabasco.  I couldn’t believe such things.  Who dare muddle my perfectly perfected cheese sauce with Tabasco?  No!  No no no. But thenRead more

With Cinco de Mayo behind us, summer is fast on its way.  And after this winter in Philly, I can-not-wait-for-warmer-weather ! This winter really hung on for dear life.  It did NOT want to move on.  Today it’s 85 and sunny and I am heading down to Atlantic City with my sister for the night.Read more

It is finally here – it is finally upon us – one of my most favorite food holidays of the year! – THANKSGIVING. Thanksgiving wasn’t always one of my favorite food holidays of the year.  There was a time once when I couldn’t have cared less about turkey, it was really just another day offRead more

Guys!  It’s my 3-year blogaversary! Yes, yes, yes, I can hardly believe it, but three years ago today, I started this little bloggity blog as a creative outlet for my writing, food photography, and enthusiasm for food.  My first post was (DUH) a nachos recipe inspired by one of my favorite food bloggers, Pinch ofRead more

This dish popped my zoodle cherry. I have been wanting to try zoodles for a while now, but I hadn’t quite found the right recipe until I found this one. I love alfredo sauce too much to cover zoodles with it. I might try a Bolognese sauce on zoodles, but for this month, we needRead more

As an “Irish” girl, I LOVE potatoes.  I mean, L O V E them.  I could eat them with every meal of every day.  Potatoes all the ways.  Hot, fried, boiled, baked, smothered in butter, smothered in sauces, //smothered in balsamic//; Cold, covered in mayo, mixed with bacon and scallions…  Potatoes.  All.  The.  Ways. SoRead more

When I was a kid my mom used to make the most buttery, salty garlic bread.  I am not entirely sure how she made it, I should probably ask her.  But one day while scrolling through Pinterest, I found //this recipe for Garlic Bread Spread// and it sounded so much like what my mom made,Read more

Several years ago, I went to visit my friend Sara in Kansas City with some girlfriends, and we went out to dinner at this Italian place called Garozzo’s.  On the way there, Sara raved about the bread dipping oil.  WAIT TILL YOU DIP YOUR BREAD IN THAT OIL… OMG.  And I chuckled a little, thinking,Read more

This is my favoritest Spanish rice recipe of all time.  It has become a true staple in my house, especially for me when I make lunches for work for the week.  It has evolved a lot over the past year, and I think I finally have a version that is both totally healthy and totallyRead more

So like.  I just want to know when the heck I turned 35.  When did this happen, and why do I not feel 35?  I don’t believe that I’m 35.  No, not me.  I’m 26.  At heart. It’s a funny thing to come to terms with your age.  Before long I’ll be 40.  I rememberRead more

Hey guys! Long time no talk.  I know.  I’m sorry.  My bad.  My job is extremely demanding and it’s been completely wiping me out lately.  Like, going-to-bed-at-8pm wiped out.  It’s a busy life.  I wish that all I had to do in life was cook and eat and blog about it.  And be a mom.Read more

I mentioned in my post for Mexican Street Corn Tostadas a couple weeks back that I was pretty inspired by that recipe and made a corn dip….thing. Is it weird that I think the words “corn dip” just don’t jive together?  I don’t know why.  It sounds pretty redneck.  Y’ALL COME FETCH YA SOME CORNRead more

It should come as no surprise to any of you that I’ve been a huge fan of Grilled Cheese Social since the day I found her many years ago.  She is known for coming up with some of the most epic grilled cheese combinations.  I actually haven’t tried too many of her recipes, because theyRead more

I may lose my foodie card today, because I have to tell you that there is one food I have yet to master on a consistent basis – and that is mashed potatoes. Most of the time when I make mashed potatoes, they are just ok.  They aren’t terrible, but they don’t knock your socksRead more

If there’s one vegetable I could eat for the rest of my life, it would be the potato.  (Shut up, they are too vegetables.)  I love potatoes.  I could literally eat them with every meal.  So when I was flipping through a recent edition of Bon Appetit, and saw this new method for roasting potatoes,Read more

Risotto is one of those dishes that intimidates people, and I am not even really sure why.  A few months back, I tried my hand at risotto by making The Pioneer Woman’s //sun-dried tomato risotto//, and it was FABULOUS.  And it was amazingly NOT HARD. I don’t know if you guys know me?  Or ifRead more

Back when I lived in Spokane, there was a restaurant there called the Sawtooth Grill.  I heard it has since closed, but when we lived there it was one of our favorite places to frequent for cheeseburgers.  They had GREAT burgers.  And they had an appetizer on their menu which was skinny French fries dousedRead more

A long, long time ago, in a West Philly apartment far, far away, there lived a girl who did not know how to cook. And, wanting a marriage proposal so terribly, having been with her boyfriend for several years, she started to wonder if he saw her as non-marriage material due to her lack ofRead more

My husband and I got married in a small seminary just outside of West Philadelphia, and had our reception at Morton’s Steakhouse downtown.  We reserved their private boardroom for the event, which was small at less than 45 people, and we treated everyone to an amazing steak dinner.  It was a lovely, memorable evening, andRead more

HEY I THOUGHT IT WAS 7-LAYER DIP! Yeah, so did I. I was perusing Pinterest one day and I saw a picture for a 7-layer dip that looked PHENOM, and I thought, I have to make that.  Except guess what?  It was a bad link.  ?  Supwitdat.  So I kind of had to wing thisRead more

Hey there fellow foodies.  In case you noticed it, I’m sorry for my absence.  My life has been taking over my life.  Did that make sense?  It did to me.  Anyway.  There’s a lot going on these days.  But I need to get back to this blog, because I really love this blog, and IRead more

I met an adorable fellow food blogger, Daniela, in the food bloggers group on Facebook, and immediately fell in love with her work because….. well, because the very first post I read of hers had the F word in it, and I knew she was my kind of girl! Ok, ok, ok… also, because, sheRead more

I may have mentioned once or a hundred times that //Distrito// is one of my favorite restaurants in Philadelphia.  They used to have this dish on their menu that was so good it legit brought tears to my eyes – arroz con crema.  It was a rice side dish that was cheesy, creamy, warm, andRead more

Are you guys ready for the big game?  I get excited for football season in the fall because it means I can make game food on Sundays.  I care much more about the food than about the game.  Usually.  Our Eagles aren’t the best.  But in recent years I have become more interested in football. Read more

Y’all know who Tyler Florence is, right?  I mean really, who doesn’t.  ?  He makes some pretty amazing food.  I have a bunch of his cookbooks, and in one of those cookbooks he posted a recipe for the ultimate garlic bread.  I tried it a few times and tweaked it a little bit, and IRead more

I’m sure this sounds kind of strange to you, right?  Balsamic potatoes?  But I assure you – they are so good.  I haven’t made these in years, and when I thought about them recently and how I should make them for the blog, my mouth immediately started watering. But!  I warn, they are not healthy.Read more

You guysssssss. If you’ve noticed, I’m SO sorry for my absence. If you haven’t noticed, it’s cool. So I am finding out very quickly that getting a house ready to put on the market is no freakin’ joke.  Since early January, I have spent part or all of every single weekend packing stuff I don’tRead more

So here’s some news for ya – my husband and I are going VEGETARIAN for the entire month of May.  ?  *gasp*  ?  Yes!  We are! Aaron adopted a project I did a few years ago, where instead of trying to abide by a few new year’s resolutions for an entire year, I tried toRead more

I have previously //waxed poetic here// about my love for blue cheese dressing.  I consider myself a blue cheese dressing expert.  I know what restaurants have good blue cheese dressing, and what restaurants have meh blue cheese dressing.  I have had my go-to recipe for forever, which is straight out of a //Morton’s Steakhouse cookbook//,Read more

I. LOVE. Blue cheese dressing. Like I kind of have a sick obsession with it. It’s literally THE ONLY salad dressing I ever use. And I use it on more than just salad. I dip cheese fries in it (because it’s better than ranch). I dip anything “buffalo” in it (because it’s better than ranch).Read more

Two years ago, a dear friend of ours, Lyle, came to visit at Christmas time and brought a beautiful jar of bourbon pecans, and I scoffed, because I hate pecans. Or… so I thought… Cuz then I ate one of these and I couldn’t stop eating them, and I insisted on getting the recipe fromRead more

You guys, this is the greatest dip ever known to man.  I’d put my life on it. When I was a kid, my dad was into politics, and my mom was forever hosting campaign-or-something-related events at our house.  All us kids had to hide upstairs while they had all these important people over till allRead more

I recently hosted a party and decided on a theme I thought all attendees could get behind – cheese and bread!!  ?  I mean, who can’t get behind that?? Back in November of last year I tore this recipe out of my Food Network magazine and could not WAIT to try it.  This party finallyRead more

It is no secret that I looooove //smitten kitchen//.  Love her.  LOVE.  HER.  She was probably one of the first blogs I’ve ever followed, and I found so much inspiration in her photography.  She has taken some really mouthwatering pictures, famously, with only a single window in her NYC apartment kitchen to light the food.Read more

Since making my very first risotto a few months back and discovering exactly how not hard it was, I have sort of been on a risotto kick.  This is the third one I’ve made, and I can’t wait to try more.  I especially love this one because it’s a good way for me to getRead more

A couple weeks ago my girl Jodie over at //Two Lucky Spoons// posted a recipe on Instagram of her Ham Broccoli and Potato Chowder and my mouth instantly started watering.  Only problem is, I kinda hate ham (fight me), but I’m also leaning towards vegetarian lately.  So I asked her, could I make it withoutRead more

Bruschetta! How do you say this, by the way?  Broo-skett-ah?  Broo-shett-ah?  Who knows.  I don’t care.  I say Broo-shett-ah. Anyway.  I love bruschetta because you know why?  It makes me think of spring and summer, because can you really think of anything fresher and more delicious than a juicy, ripe tomato and some fresh basil?Read more

Did you guys ever find yourself with like a ton of leftover bruschetta and no idea what to do with it? No?  Yeah, me neither.  Not often anyway.  But when I do have some leftover, I usually make this the very next day! So one of the ways I originally toyed with introducing cheese toRead more

Happy November!! I don’t especially love November, at least not like I love October.  But, my husband’s birthday, my daughter’s birthday, and Thanksgiving usually all fall within the same week.  It makes for a hectic week, but I love it.  Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday of the year bc food duh.  This year weRead more

Holy cow! Let me just start by saying that I don’t think I can say enough good things about this cornbread.  This buttermilk cornbread was absolutely amazing.  I love cornbread but I don’t often make it at home because it can be dry, crumbly, and just kind of generally unsatisfying.  BUT NO MORE! This recipeRead more

Over the summer, I took a girls overnight trip to NYC with my mom, sister, and daughter.  We had dinner at this amazing restaurant called //Cacio e Pepe//, and the whole reason we went was so we could eat… cacio e pepe.  I had seen some //videos on Instagram// of them mixing up the pastaRead more

If you follow me on Instagram, it’s no secret that I looooove cacio e pepe.  During #52NewEats last year I found a recipe that I really liked and I’ve made it many times since.  So when I saw //this recipe for cacio e pepe macaroni and cheese//…. well duh, of course I had to makeRead more

So if you’ve ever been to Philly, you probably have heard about Chickie’s and Pete’s.  It’s a famous sports bar chain whose original location is actually in my neighborhood.  They are probably most famous for their Crab Fries – crinkle-cut French fries seasoned with Old Bay seasoning, served with a cup of white cheese sauceRead more

Ok so let me just be honest up front and say that THIS IS NOT MY RECIPE.  It’s Bobby Flay’s.  But it’s so simple, and so perfect every time I make it, that I really have to share it with you.  There is literally no way that I could improve upon it and make itRead more

If you’ve ever done any kind of shopping for Valentine’s day, then surely you’ve come across how much chocolate covered strawberries cost. Seriously though, like $5 a berry?  It’s kind of ridic. I’m in the wrong business. Making chocolate covered strawberries at home is SO EASY.  There is really no need to buy them asRead more

Once I perfected my homemade //macaroni and cheese//, I started noticing that my husband was desecrating his plate of perfectly creamy mac and cheese with hot sauce.  ?  The nerve! Originally it was Tabasco.  I couldn’t believe such things.  Who dare muddle my perfectly perfected cheese sauce with Tabasco?  No!  No no no. But thenRead more

With Cinco de Mayo behind us, summer is fast on its way.  And after this winter in Philly, I can-not-wait-for-warmer-weather ! This winter really hung on for dear life.  It did NOT want to move on.  Today it’s 85 and sunny and I am heading down to Atlantic City with my sister for the night.Read more

Have you guys ever had cinnamon chips? They are pretty amazing.  Every Christmas I make oatmeal cinnamon chip cookies and they are so delicious.  They’re my favorite cookie.  But I always buy too many bags of cinnamon chips.  I’m overly ambitious at Christmas-cookie-baking time.  At first I’m always like I AM NOT MAKING ALL THOSERead more

It is finally here – it is finally upon us – one of my most favorite food holidays of the year! – THANKSGIVING. Thanksgiving wasn’t always one of my favorite food holidays of the year.  There was a time once when I couldn’t have cared less about turkey, it was really just another day offRead more

For this week’s 52 New Eats recipe, I chose – yet another – sorry not sorry but actually yes a little sorry – pasta recipe.  This week though, my daughter picked it out, and she wanted to choose because she hasn’t liked any of the recipes I’ve made so far.  ?  I know, I know.Read more

Hey ya’ll!  For this week’s 52 New Eats recipe I chose another mac and cheese dish – primarily because my daughter LOVES Brie cheese, and LOVES Ritz crackers, and I though, why wouldn’t she LOVE this?! Silly me.  ? She’s too picky I suppose.  She didn’t like this mac and cheese, but I thought itRead more

Creamy.  Roasted garlic.  Tortellini. Hands-down, without a doubt, my most favoritest pasta dish of all time. I know I know, it doesn’t look like a whole lot in the picture.  But I can assure you that this pasta dish is so flavorful and so filling and so creamy and so slutty. Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaany years ago, whenRead more

It is pretty much a given, that if a recipe has the word “creamy” in the title, I will be all about it.  I looooove creamy sauces and dishes.  Can’t get enough.  Creamy sauces for drowning, dousing, blanketing, dipping, smothering… are all my favoritest sauces ever.  I would eat piles of vegetables if I couldRead more

Guys!  It’s my 3-year blogaversary! Yes, yes, yes, I can hardly believe it, but three years ago today, I started this little bloggity blog as a creative outlet for my writing, food photography, and enthusiasm for food.  My first post was (DUH) a nachos recipe inspired by one of my favorite food bloggers, Pinch ofRead more

Eggs Benedict Fries. Yes.  They are A Thing. They should be A Thing on your menu for this week too.  Because seriously.  Why not?!  Life is short.  Eat the French fries, topped with creamy, tangy Hollandaise sauce, topped with a glorious poached egg, topped with smoked paprika and chopped chives.  Eat them. Eggs Benedict FriesRead more

This is one of those recipes that is so easy, you will wonder how you did without it all your life. Or maybe I’m just late to the game and people have been eating this forever and I’m the one who did without it all my life. I was never really an egg person growingRead more

Hey guys!  So today I have a super duper really super healthy pasta dish for you! (Did you detect my sarcasm through your screen?) Really all I was being sarcastic about was the “healthy” part.  This IS the slutty food blog, after all.  Not the healthy food blog.  There are enough of those. This isRead more

So it’s sort of time for me to come clean about something, and that something has directly lead to the development of this smoothie recipe, so here goes. Back in May I woke up in the middle of the night one night with incredibly severe knee pain in my right knee.  I was laying inRead more

When I first made //this French onion dip// for #52NewEats last year, I was so blown away by the flavor that I was immediately interested in how else I could use French fried onions in other recipes.  And one of the first things that came to mind was a French onion grilled cheese! I choseRead more

One of my best days ever was just a few weeks ago when I discovered that a local farm carries cheese curds.  I saw them and gasped on the spot and yanked the cold case door open and squealed with delight!  I made such a(n embarrassing) scene that the cashier a couple aisles away pokedRead more

This dish popped my zoodle cherry. I have been wanting to try zoodles for a while now, but I hadn’t quite found the right recipe until I found this one. I love alfredo sauce too much to cover zoodles with it. I might try a Bolognese sauce on zoodles, but for this month, we needRead more

As an “Irish” girl, I LOVE potatoes.  I mean, L O V E them.  I could eat them with every meal of every day.  Potatoes all the ways.  Hot, fried, boiled, baked, smothered in butter, smothered in sauces, //smothered in balsamic//; Cold, covered in mayo, mixed with bacon and scallions…  Potatoes.  All.  The.  Ways. SoRead more

WHO IS READY FOR SPRING? I know I am.  This is like the winter that is never going to end.  I’m currently sitting on my couch covered in a heavy chenille blanket, with a heating pad wedged between my upper back and the back of the couch, freezing. I am so ready for spring. OldRead more

So like.  Did y’all know you can make ricotta at home?  And that it’s better than almost anything you could buy at a store (unless you have access to some mom and pop Italian market that makes it fresh)? It’s true.  And it was SO easy to make, that of course I immediately had toRead more

Today, I bring you one of my favorite old-time recipes from when I first started learning how to cook: fresh tomato and garlic penne. When I first started learning how to cook, I was also sort of discovering that I liked pasta.  Weird, I know, right?  Like, who am I?  I don’t even know sometimes.Read more

I have a confession to make. Until about 5 years ago, I totally hated guacamole. I know.  Can you forgive me? Interestingly enough, what changed my mind was going to Mexico.  We went to Cozumel for Aaron’s 30th birthday, to a beautiful all-inclusive resort, where I felt like hey, if I don’t like it, atRead more

Herb and garlic cheese spread is another old recipe I found in my binder from my early days of learning how to cook.  I remember Aaron loved it back then, so when I saw this I thought it would make a good snack for him to bring in for lunch! It’s funny because the dayRead more

I discovered within the last couple of years that I am, indeed, a passionate lover of goat cheese. Not really the crumbly goat cheese – I like the stuff that comes in a log and is creamy and tangy and delicious. So when I saw //this recipe for Herbed Goat Cheese//, my mouth immediately startedRead more

Several years ago, I went to visit my friend Sara in Kansas City with some girlfriends, and we went out to dinner at this Italian place called Garozzo’s.  On the way there, Sara raved about the bread dipping oil.  WAIT TILL YOU DIP YOUR BREAD IN THAT OIL… OMG.  And I chuckled a little, thinking,Read more

This is my favoritest Spanish rice recipe of all time.  It has become a true staple in my house, especially for me when I make lunches for work for the week.  It has evolved a lot over the past year, and I think I finally have a version that is both totally healthy and totallyRead more

My close friend told me the other day that she’s tired of looking at my Instagram because all that’s ever on there is nachos. Oops. I can’t help it though!  Nachos are my most favorite thing on the planet.  I’m pretty sure she was joking.  She loves me.  She’s not a meanie. And then aboutRead more

So like.  I just want to know when the heck I turned 35.  When did this happen, and why do I not feel 35?  I don’t believe that I’m 35.  No, not me.  I’m 26.  At heart. It’s a funny thing to come to terms with your age.  Before long I’ll be 40.  I rememberRead more

I mentioned in my post for Mexican Street Corn Tostadas a couple weeks back that I was pretty inspired by that recipe and made a corn dip….thing. Is it weird that I think the words “corn dip” just don’t jive together?  I don’t know why.  It sounds pretty redneck.  Y’ALL COME FETCH YA SOME CORNRead more

This layer dip was inspired by one of my favorite recipes I made last year, the //street corn tostadas//.  I wanted a way to eat more of this flavor combination and came up with this super simple layer dip!  Enjoy!

These tostadas were quite possibly my most favorite new recipe that I made when we went vegetarian during the month of May.  Oh GOSH these were so good!  Also, as a result of making this, I was inspired to create a delicious corn dip recipe, so stay tuned for that!  I have already made theseRead more

It should come as no surprise to any of you that I’ve been a huge fan of Grilled Cheese Social since the day I found her many years ago.  She is known for coming up with some of the most epic grilled cheese combinations.  I actually haven’t tried too many of her recipes, because theyRead more

As part of my 2017 new year’s resolutions, I would like to make one new recipe every week.  I’ve been in something of a cooking rut lately – creativity has escaped me, thanks to the stress of moving and renovating a house – and am looking for some inspiration and some new foods to droolRead more

I could eat cashews all day long.  I love them so much, but sometimes you want them to have some flavor, right?  So twice in the past 6 months I have attempted to make ______ Roasted Cashews, and I will now say, NEVER AGAIN.  Leave the flavored roasted cashews up to the experts, and justRead more

So I am always down to try Paleo recipes because they are grain-free and sugar-free, which I realize sounds icky, but can sometimes be really good!  I also love the flavor of coconut oil so when I saw this recipe for //coconut oil fudge//, I was all about it. This recipe literally could NOT haveRead more

I may lose my foodie card today, because I have to tell you that there is one food I have yet to master on a consistent basis – and that is mashed potatoes. Most of the time when I make mashed potatoes, they are just ok.  They aren’t terrible, but they don’t knock your socksRead more

I have to tell you guys… I’m a late-blooming foodie. It’s true. I grew up a very picky eater.  We didn’t eat a lot of exotic or fancy food in our house.  Tacos was about as ethnic as it got.  Both my parents worked full time, and with five kids in the house, it wasRead more

It’s been a while since I made something to contribute to the #365Recipes project, but here you go! Who doesn’t like a nice warm, cozy bowl of creamy pasta?  On these cooler fall nights, it’s one of my favoritest things to eat.  This penne with four cheeses pasta recipe is one I dug out fromRead more

Pico de gallo is like… the perfect condiment for Mexican food. I use it on almost everything I make that’s Mexican.  Tacos, taco salads, nachos, quesadillas, even as a dip on its own.  Obviously you want to make sure you have the freshest, ripest ingredients as this is a raw dish with simple flavors. TwoRead more

Earlier this year I discovered the amazingness that is pimento cheese. I went to Lexington for work and we went to this amazing little place to eat called Stella’s Kentucky Deli.  I really went for the hot brown, but came away with a newfound love and appreciation for pimento cheese.  (The hot brown was alsoRead more

As my first blog post, I think it’s only right that I post a recipe that was inspired by the blog that inspired me to start this blog!  (Did you catch that?) Pinch of Yum is one of my favorite food blogs.  Without even knowing it, I had a bunch of her recipes already pinnedRead more

If there’s one vegetable I could eat for the rest of my life, it would be the potato.  (Shut up, they are too vegetables.)  I love potatoes.  I could literally eat them with every meal.  So when I was flipping through a recent edition of Bon Appetit, and saw this new method for roasting potatoes,Read more

Risotto is one of those dishes that intimidates people, and I am not even really sure why.  A few months back, I tried my hand at risotto by making The Pioneer Woman’s //sun-dried tomato risotto//, and it was FABULOUS.  And it was amazingly NOT HARD. I don’t know if you guys know me?  Or ifRead more

Chips and salsa is one of our FAVORITE snacks around here.  And //this salsa// is one of our favorites. My daughter is so picky.  SOOOO picky.  SO.  PICKY.  And I don’t even know how she got that way because her father and I are pretty good eaters.  But she does like chips and salsa.  IfRead more

Back when I lived in Spokane, there was a restaurant there called the Sawtooth Grill.  I heard it has since closed, but when we lived there it was one of our favorite places to frequent for cheeseburgers.  They had GREAT burgers.  And they had an appetizer on their menu which was skinny French fries dousedRead more

Spinach Dip. Really, SFB? I know, I know.  Everyone knows how to make spinach dip, right?  In fact, it just may be that you know how to make it the way I make it here.  Maybe what I have here is not even new to you.  But it’s new to me, and I’m excited toRead more

I found this recipe on Pinterest a while ago while looking for vegetarian meals.  I wasn’t sure how ‘on board’ hubby would be with a vegetarian chili-style meal, so when we decided to go vegetarian for a month back in May, I jumped at the chance to make this! This recipe was very, very tasty,Read more

There is an awesome foodie restaurant near me called The Butcher & Barkeep, and it’s about the only foodie restaurant around.  The waits there are regularly an hour or more during dinner time, any day of the week.  It’s a popular place with the locals, and for good reason – they have an excellent craftRead more

After a few weeks of #52NewEats recipes that fell flat with my daughter, I thought I’d look for something more up her alley.  And voila!  I found this recipe pinned from way back in da day for soft pretzel bites. My kid LOVES soft pretzels.  Like every time we go to Target – “Mom canRead more

I love snack mixes.  They are usually ridiculously easy to make, and highly addictive, and great to have out at a party. I also love mixed nuts.  Planters Mixed Nuts – my favorite – I usually eat all the Brazil nuts first and then all the cashews and then it’s a free-for-all for the rest.Read more

My husband and I got married in a small seminary just outside of West Philadelphia, and had our reception at Morton’s Steakhouse downtown.  We reserved their private boardroom for the event, which was small at less than 45 people, and we treated everyone to an amazing steak dinner.  It was a lovely, memorable evening, andRead more

Mmmmm, baked brie.  Warm, melty, spready cheese.  On a salty cracker.  With sweet, tangy balsamic strawberries on top.  Mmm, mmm, mmm. This recipe for baked brie was really, really decadent.  I had to make myself stop eating it so that I would eat my dinner!  I will definitely make it again, but I will changeRead more

Some time ago, when I discovered that I liked Italian food, I tried a stuffed shells recipe and fell in love. I can’t even remember whose recipe this is now, because I’ve modded it a little bit and am not sure what’s what. But I’ll tell you what my favorite thing is about this stuffedRead more

If you were looking for a highly-addictive, semi-healthy, fresh-tasting dip to put on the table for Cinco de Mayo, you need look no further. This recipe has been in my family for as long as I can remember.  My mom used to make it all the time.  She probably got the recipe off some productRead more

Guysssssss.  Who knew vegan desserts could be SO delicious? This is another recipe from my friend Daniela over at //dulce y natural// blog.  The //original recipe// was for chocolate chip cookies, but for whatever reason, the dough did not really come together enough for me to be able to roll into a ball, so IRead more

While I was vegetarian in May, I ate a TON of Mexican recipes.  It wasn’t even really on purpose… okay, maybe subconsciously it was, but… there are just a lot of options out there for vegetarians in Mexican cuisine.  This dish has become one of the ‘keepers’ out of all the new recipes I triedRead more

So I know I just shared a recipe last week for //chicken enchiladas suizas//, but I loved it so much that I immediately wanted to come up with a vegetarian version, so here it is! To me, there is just something about the combination of black beans, corn, and poblanos and that really sets myRead more

Ok so.  I’m just going to say this loud and clear: you WILL want this dip at your next family or friends get-together.  You just will. You WILL need to get over the idea of sauteeing the onions for 45-60 minutes.  You just will.  Because this step, this crucial step, is what sets this dipRead more

HEY I THOUGHT IT WAS 7-LAYER DIP! Yeah, so did I. I was perusing Pinterest one day and I saw a picture for a 7-layer dip that looked PHENOM, and I thought, I have to make that.  Except guess what?  It was a bad link.  ?  Supwitdat.  So I kind of had to wing thisRead more

I’m sure this sounds kind of strange to you, right?  Balsamic potatoes?  But I assure you – they are so good.  I haven’t made these in years, and when I thought about them recently and how I should make them for the blog, my mouth immediately started watering. But!  I warn, they are not healthy.Read more

You guysssssss. If you’ve noticed, I’m SO sorry for my absence. If you haven’t noticed, it’s cool. So I am finding out very quickly that getting a house ready to put on the market is no freakin’ joke.  Since early January, I have spent part or all of every single weekend packing stuff I don’tRead more

It is no secret that I looooove //smitten kitchen//.  Love her.  LOVE.  HER.  She was probably one of the first blogs I’ve ever followed, and I found so much inspiration in her photography.  She has taken some really mouthwatering pictures, famously, with only a single window in her NYC apartment kitchen to light the food.Read more

Since making my very first risotto a few months back and discovering exactly how not hard it was, I have sort of been on a risotto kick.  This is the third one I’ve made, and I can’t wait to try more.  I especially love this one because it’s a good way for me to getRead more

A couple weeks ago my girl Jodie over at //Two Lucky Spoons// posted a recipe on Instagram of her Ham Broccoli and Potato Chowder and my mouth instantly started watering.  Only problem is, I kinda hate ham (fight me), but I’m also leaning towards vegetarian lately.  So I asked her, could I make it withoutRead more

Earlier this week I gave you a romantic steak dinner menu to serve to your special someone on Valentine’s Day.  But maybe you don’t like steak.  Or red wine.  Or broccoli (I don’t blame you, I eat it very begrudgingly).  This would be my next pick to serve to someone on Valentine’s Day.  Chicken piccataRead more

With Cinco de Mayo behind us, summer is fast on its way.  And after this winter in Philly, I can-not-wait-for-warmer-weather ! This winter really hung on for dear life.  It did NOT want to move on.  Today it’s 85 and sunny and I am heading down to Atlantic City with my sister for the night.Read more

This dish popped my zoodle cherry. I have been wanting to try zoodles for a while now, but I hadn’t quite found the right recipe until I found this one. I love alfredo sauce too much to cover zoodles with it. I might try a Bolognese sauce on zoodles, but for this month, we needRead more

As an “Irish” girl, I LOVE potatoes.  I mean, L O V E them.  I could eat them with every meal of every day.  Potatoes all the ways.  Hot, fried, boiled, baked, smothered in butter, smothered in sauces, //smothered in balsamic//; Cold, covered in mayo, mixed with bacon and scallions…  Potatoes.  All.  The.  Ways. SoRead more

I mentioned in my post for Mexican Street Corn Tostadas a couple weeks back that I was pretty inspired by that recipe and made a corn dip….thing. Is it weird that I think the words “corn dip” just don’t jive together?  I don’t know why.  It sounds pretty redneck.  Y’ALL COME FETCH YA SOME CORNRead more

Believe it or not, I never ate at an Olive Garden until I was well into adulthood.  I was in my early 20s and living in Spokane, WA with Aaron, and there is (or, was, rather) a major lack of non-chain restaurants in Spokane.  We couldn’t find a mom and pop pizza shop to saveRead more

I may lose my foodie card today, because I have to tell you that there is one food I have yet to master on a consistent basis – and that is mashed potatoes. Most of the time when I make mashed potatoes, they are just ok.  They aren’t terrible, but they don’t knock your socksRead more

Pico de gallo is like… the perfect condiment for Mexican food. I use it on almost everything I make that’s Mexican.  Tacos, taco salads, nachos, quesadillas, even as a dip on its own.  Obviously you want to make sure you have the freshest, ripest ingredients as this is a raw dish with simple flavors. TwoRead more

As my first blog post, I think it’s only right that I post a recipe that was inspired by the blog that inspired me to start this blog!  (Did you catch that?) Pinch of Yum is one of my favorite food blogs.  Without even knowing it, I had a bunch of her recipes already pinnedRead more

If there’s one vegetable I could eat for the rest of my life, it would be the potato.  (Shut up, they are too vegetables.)  I love potatoes.  I could literally eat them with every meal.  So when I was flipping through a recent edition of Bon Appetit, and saw this new method for roasting potatoes,Read more

A long, long time ago, in a West Philly apartment far, far away, there lived a girl who did not know how to cook. And, wanting a marriage proposal so terribly, having been with her boyfriend for several years, she started to wonder if he saw her as non-marriage material due to her lack ofRead more

My husband and I got married in a small seminary just outside of West Philadelphia, and had our reception at Morton’s Steakhouse downtown.  We reserved their private boardroom for the event, which was small at less than 45 people, and we treated everyone to an amazing steak dinner.  It was a lovely, memorable evening, andRead more

Hey y’all! Today is National Tater Tot Day.  Or something to that effect.  Did you know that?  I mean I did because I’m a food blogger and of course I know all the food holidays so that I can celebrate them appropriately.  Or, as my husband says, so I have an excuse to eat badRead more