Recipes

Chicken Quinoa Bowl with Lemon, Feta, and Spring Vegetables

If you’re looking for a simple yet delicious way to make bread right at home, you need to try this no knead Dutch oven bread. This easy Dutch oven bread recipe is so simple to make, yet tastes really amazing.

I can’t guarantee I’ll ever have the patience to make these cheese crackers, but I love the idea of making these homemade instead of buying the processed version.

I think I’ve finally turned a corner with my kids. For the longest time I couldn’t get my 4 year old son to eat anything. Finally, he’s at an age where he’s more willing to try things. I’ve even found creative ways to sneak more fruits into his diet by making this Greek yogurt smoothie.

Most summers, I go back home to visit my parents, old friends and extended family. This summer, I’m bringing Rocco with me so I can introduce him to everyone. The thought of lugging an infant and all of the things he needs so I can take care of him while away (diapers, formula, baby food,…

I start jonesing for citrus fruits when the temperature rises. When I’m thirsty, I think lemonade (“that cool refreshing drink”). At the farmer’s market, I get all buddy-buddy with my favorite grapefruit vendor, which means laughing at his reoccurring jokes about the clash between morning toothpaste/mouthwash and citrus.

How did I come up with Oatmeal Molasses Cookies with Apricots? Awhile back, my friend Pam sent me a picture of some tarts she had purchased from a nearby bakery that they looked ridiculously good. They were from the Blackmarket Bakery in the Camp. I finally made my way over there a couple of weeks ago. Most everything inside the bakery looked delicious, but the one item I couldn’t pass up was their ‘Blackstrap Betty’, which is a chewy molasses cookie with chunks of dried apricot.

I’ve never made a tart before. Given it was Labor Day weekend, I wanted to create something new and a bit more challenging. Since I almost always choose to bake sweet things, I thought it would be fun to try something on the savory side. I originally wanted to make an heirloom tomato tart, but I was underwhelmed by the selection at the Farmer’s Market. I found this recipe while searching for tomato and onion tarts, so decided to change up the filling a bit, but used this recipe as a base.

I really like kale, but its bitter bite makes it a hard sell to my husband. With this soup, however, I figured the longer cooking-time would mellow the bitterness.

When you think of St. Patrick’s Day, do you think of chocolate covered beer and pretzel caramels? Probably not, but maybe I can change your mind. When I think of St. Patty’s day, the first thing that comes to mind is Guinness, the second thing is the green beer and green long islands they served at the Red Shed, a divey bar I frequented in college.

Most Saturday mornings, you will find my husband and me roaming the abundant produce-packed aisles at the Irvine Farmer’s Market. I mentioned this market last summer, when I featured a peach cobbler recipe.

This past weekend, the farmer’s market was brimming with citrus, winter greens, and first of the season strawberries. Of all the striking produce this weekend, the highly stacked, vibrant purple carrots with bright green stalks, were too gorgeous to resist.

I have a thing for lemons. As if it wasn’t already obvious from the numerous recipes I’ve made featuring lemons (lemon-lime margarita pops, lemon Bundt cakes, and lemon blueberry muffins).

“Fresh garlic? Are you sure those aren’t onions?” That’s what I asked the nice lady who stopped us at the farmer’s market to tell us how darling Rocco is. We exchanged some niceties and then she mentioned that we had to try this farmer’s fresh garlic. So we ventured over to the farmer’s stand and were allured by the sweet smell of the fresh garlic. We love trying new things, so we grabbed a few stalks, looking for ones with big bulbs.

Juicy, red strawberries lined nearly every stand at the farmer’s market last Saturday. You know it’s strawberry season when you can get three crates for under $10—we paid a mere $6 for all these gorgeous gems. So what to do with our overabundance of strawberries? We decided on an elevated version of strawberry shortcake by making orange pound cake with strawberry coulis.

School’s out for the summer! With graduation ceremonies wrapping up, it officially feels like summer is here. Let’s celebrate the start of summer with these must-try summer sangria recipes.

I miss my carefree summers in the Midwest. When I see corn on the cob, I’m immediately transported back to my childhood. I grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin. When we would venture outside our little suburb, we’d quickly be surrounded by cornfields and dairy farms as far as you could see. My dad would always say ‘knee high by the fourth of July’ referring to the corn’s growth that season. No, we didn’t live on a farm, but the crops’ growth was just a part of the summer time conversation.

Not sure what dessert to make this 4th of July? These quick and easy peach turnovers will not let you down. They are so super simple to make, and really delicious. All you need is fresh peaches, puff pastry, and a few other ingredients. I liked this recipe for easy peach turnovers so much, I shared it with SheKnows.

One of my favorite parts of summers as a kid were trips to my friends’ cottages in northern Wisconsin and vacations at my grandparent’s lake house in upper Michigan. I loved everything about it (well, except the mosquitoes). Trips to the lake meant boating, swimming, walks on the beach, sandcastles, bonfires, and grilling out. And a weekend up north wasn’t complete without s’mores.

We visit the farmer’s market nearly every Saturday. This past weekend, what stood out the most were brightly colored heirloom tomatoes. Jade always gives me a hard time because I’m Italian, but not really a tomato person. More accurately, I don’t like raw tomatoes that much—except for cherry tomatoes.

My favorite summer fruit is watermelon, no contest. I remember being a kid and getting so excited when my mom would cut up slices of watermelon for a snack on those hot and humid Wisconsin summer days.

I’ve mentioned my obsession with all things lemon before. During both of my pregnancies, I craved lemonade, which is odd since it’s not a drink I usually choose. Sure, it’s yummy, but I would almost always order an ice tea or diet coke over a lemonade. But while I was pregnant, I drooled over that combination of sweet and tart and couldn’t get enough lemonade.

Last week, I found my freezer chock-full of frozen blueberries. The only problem was, we were moving in a few days (more on that later) and I didn’t want them to go to waste. I looked up numerous dessert recipes trying to find one that would use the most berries–since I had four pounds to use quickly.

I’m a busy mom of two under two and a lot of times it’s a challenge fitting in a proper meal. My husband was out of town recently, and the only time I ate a full meal was when the kids were both napping, which I think happened, like once. During busy times, I sometimes grab an energy bar to tide me over to the next meal. The downfall of these convenience snacks is their price and (sometimes) their artificial ingredients. I decided it was time to try a homemade version, so I chose to make pumpkin spice granola bars.

I love cooking in our crock pot, especially on the weekends. You throw everything in first thing in the morning, and by dinner time, you have a hot and hearty dish. Crock pots dishes are just so easy to make and not at all fussy.

I’ve been on a soup kick lately. Maybe it’s because it’s winter (but it’s like 80 in Phoenix today, so cold weather isn’t the motivator). Really, I think it’s because soup is so comforting.

For my daughter’s first birthday, I decided to make a homemade funfetti birthday cake for a couple reason. First, it’s cute and looks pretty. Second, I made a low-sugar healthy smash cake for my son’s first birthday, and he didn’t dig into it like I had hoped.

My new office gives us unlimited hot drinks. Most days, I stick with my favorite earl gray, but the past couple afternoons, I’ve indulged by sipping a couple pre-packaged hot chocolates. Those little packets bring back memories of building snow forts and giant snowmen in my front yard.

My husband, Jade, heard about using a cast iron skillet to make deep dish pizza while listening to the Splendid Table. We finally got a cast iron skillet last fall to make honey sage cornbread, but we haven’t used it all that much. Jade was interested to see how a pizza would turn out in a cast iron skillet, so he decided to give it a try.

Asparagus was 88 cents a pound at the grocery store last weekend. Yay! Seriously, I was really excited. Sometimes, it’s the small things in life.

Do you do meatless Mondays? This asparagus farro risotto with sweet peas is a great choice. Farro is my new favorite grain.

Yay! It’s grilling season. My husband makes some mean grilled meats, but that’s so obvious. I like when he steps outside of the box–my favorite is the grilled pizza he makes on bricks or in a cast iron skillet.

Caramel, chocolate and marshmallows — oh my! This new phish food brownie recipe is everything I wanted to make two years ago but didn’t quite get right.

To make it through my work day, I rely heavily on iced coffee. It’s become something of a morning ritual to walk over to my local Starbucks and grab a venti iced coffee. At over 3 bucks a pop, my monthly coffee total is really starting to put a dent in my disposable budget.

You know when you have a bunch of leftover baking ingredients sitting around? I realized the other day, I had all these leftovers from previous recipes (phish food brownies). With extra marshmallows, chocolate chips, and toffee chips, I searched for a recipe idea and came up with an everything cookie recipe.

I’m on the hunt for the perfect summer cocktail recipes. Why? Because my new friends at the 5 O’Clock Fashionistas asked me to create an Arizona cocktail. I still haven’t put my finger on what I should make to represent the state of AZ. I decided to look for interesting summer cocktail recipes for inspiration.

I can’t believe it’s October already. But I’m happy it’s October because, in Phoenix, that means fall is here — the nights are the perfect temperature and days are a lot more bearable. Fall is also my favorite time of the year because it means Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner!

After researching homemade candy recipes, I couldn’t help but try making some myself. I haven’t met that many candies I didn’t like, but one of my favorites is junior mints — especially at movies.

I’ve had these mini marshmallows in my pantry for at least 6 months. For some reason, anytime I have a bunch of random ingredients like that, I feel compelled to create something. Mostly, because it seems wasteful not to use them before they get all stale.

Are you ready for some football, or at least, some football tailgating or homegating? I’m from Green Bay, Wisconsin, so let’s just say I’m very familiar with football and cheese. I figured out that this Baked Brie with Fig Jam recipe is a great way to enjoy both! Here’s the story.

Today is National Cheese Lover’s Day! I love cheese, so I felt compelled to create a cheese-based recipe. So, I had left-over puff pastry from this baked brie recipe and mascarpone from the holidays. After a quick Googling, I came up with this puff pastry and mascarpone cheese danish recipe.

The Super Bowl is less than a week away. We aren’t going to a party this year, since it’s a school night, but I plan to create a few fun recipes to celebrate the big game. For inspiration, I pulled together 12 party appetizers that are bite-size and perfect to bring to or serve at a Super Bowl party.

Silk invited me to create a recipe to pair with their new Nutchello drinks, which are dairy, soy and gluten free. I decided vegan strawberry scones made with coconut milk would be the perfect afternoon snack pairing with the new Toasted Coconut & Cashew Nutchello.

We celebrated my hubby’s birthday last weekend. For his birthday cake, I decided to make his favorite thing — cookies — but with a twist. I decided to make him a funfetti skillet cookie, which turned into a deep-dish sugar cookie with all the colorful sprinkles.

My absolute favorite salad is a pear and gorgonzola salad with a light lemon vinaigrette dressing. I recently had lunch with friends at one of our favorite lunch spots, Postino, and after having their mixed green salad, I knew I had to try to replicate it on my own.

Do you own special pans or cooking utensils that you never use? For me, it’s my mini bundt pan. I’ve made a few mini bundt recipes in the past (lemon, sock-it-to-me), but it often sits unused. I was trying to think of a good use for it, and I saw how people have used the back of muffin tins to make a cookie cup. Bingo! What if I used the insides of the bundt pan to make chocolate cookie cups?

I love lemonade. It was the drink I craved continuously during my pregnancies. I especially love it in the summer when it’s 110 (Phoenix gets mighty hot!). Simply Lemonade® invited me to create a drink recipe, so I decided to highlight the yummy lemonade by creating fruit and herb flavored ice cubes to create raspberry ginger lemonade.

My husband loves cereal. He would eat it at every meal if I let him. When Post invited me to come up with a creative recipe to use Great Grains Blueberry Morning from Walmart, I was up for the challenge.

I love shrimp on the grill for two reasons. First, it is a great source of protein. Second, it cooks up really quickly. When I was invited to create a recipe using the new Smucker’s Fruit & Honey Strawberry Jalapeno Fruit Spread, I thought of shrimp right away. Why? Because shrimp pairs well with a sweet and spicy sauce, and I knew I could create a simple strawberry jalapeno glaze that would compliment the shrimp perfectly.

I’ve seen lasagna rolls on Pinterest before, and I always thought they were so cute. Although I’ve shared a few vegetarian lasagna recipes on here before (brussels sprouts and mushrooms and vegetarian), I never tried making lasagna rolls before. I thought it would be a perfect kid-friendly meal to make for my family and I was right.

Do you prep your meals for the week? When I’m most organized, I use my Sunday afternoons to make meals I can take with me to work for the week. Some of my favorite take-to-work meals include vegetarian frittata, lasagna roll-ups, and my new favorite is this vegetarian Mexican quinoa bake.

Around the holidays, I struggle to make meals for my family. We’re all so busy running to a holiday party or our kid’s school performances, so I just can’t seem to find time to make a hearty meal. I always seem to forget that I can fit in the time if I break out my slow cooker. I created this crockpot enchilada soup recipe because I wanted something warm and comforting, but still healthy this holiday season.

One of my 2017 goals was to generally eat healthier, especially fitting in more servings of produce every day. I’ve found that making a smoothie bowl recipe is a super quick and easy way to get more produce into my diet.

When we lived in Kansas, we hosted a small dinner party for my husband’s law school friends. One of our guests brought this giant apple-shaped cheese ball appetizer and I thought it was the cutest thing ever. At first, I had no idea what it was.

My kids are picky when it comes to their proteins. Luckily, they will eat turkey meatballs. Since it’s National Meatball Day on March 9th, I thought it would be fun to come up with a recipe utilizing the Cooked Perfect Meatballs my kids already love. This meatball French bread pizza is a perfect appetizer or dinner. It is super easy to make and it’s ultra-tasty.

I’m always searching for ways to sneak healthy ingredients into my kids’ diet. They generally won’t eat much protein and they don’t like avocados on their own. I wanted to try this avocado pasta sauce because it seemed like a really simple recipe and I was hoping I could trick my kids into eating it since they do like spaghetti.

Are you into sweet potato recipes for your holiday meals? What are your go-to side dishes? We almost always make cornbread stuffing, mac and cheese, and roasted Brussels sprouts. Every now and then, we’ll also make a sweet potato casserole.

Have you ever heard of pasta fagioli? First, it’s Italian so it’s technically called pasta e fagioli, pronounced “pas-ta fa-jo-li” in English, and literally means ‘pasta and beans’. It’s a classic Italian soup, but depending on the variety of bean and type of pasta, it can almost be called a stew.

One of my absolute favorite parts about the holiday season is having more excuses to bake. I love to bake for a couple reasons. First, I find it very therapeutic and relaxing. Second, I love making things to share with the people I love.

In the fall and winter, I love to make a lot of casserole dishes because they are warm, filling, and can last throughout the week. My kids love pasta and I’m trying to sneak more veggies into their diet whenever I can. That’s where this roasted Mediterranean vegetable baked ziti comes in.

Are you a meal prep person? Lately, I’ve been trying really hard to pre-plan meals that I can take with me to work or eat while I’m on the go. This mini breakfast casserole recipe are a great on-the-go breakfast or dinner (if you like breakfast for dinner like I do ).

My kids are such picky eaters, especially my son. I’m constantly looking for new ideas for meals to change it up. These breakfast bruschetta with Nutella® Hazelnut Spread are super easy to make, taste fantastic, and are a fun way to shake up our breakfast routine. Plus, it is so versatile to use with toast, fruit, and yogurt.

Are you looking for some recipe inspiration for your next gathering or BBQ? You need to try some of these healthy and fresh summer vegetarian recipes I’ve created over the years. All of them use fresh produce that’s at its peak during the summer.

Have you heard of chickpea cookies? Sounds gross, right? Well, they aren’t! I don’t know how it’s possible, but when you add just the right amount of nut butter, honey and chocolate chips, they really do taste like some version of a chocolate chip cookie.

Mmmm…cauliflower! So I know there is a whole big movement to replace carbs with cauliflower. But it’s not just hype! It actually totally works. Now, if you’re expecting that cauliflower pizza crust is going to taste EXACTLY like pizza you’ll get at your favorite restaurant, well, then you’re going to be disappointed. But, I still think cauliflower is a great substitute.

I’ve been on a bit of a health kick lately after staring 2019 off not so well. I had the best of intentions when I started this year, to focus on my health. But moving to a new state is very stressful, and a lot of my healthy habits slipped earlier this year. Finally, a couple weeks ago, I got back on track with healthy eating and exercise. I’ve been focusing a lot more on whole foods, and that’s where this great recipe for broccoli salad comes in.

It’s strawberry season and my family is so happy. Strawberries are my son’s favorite fruit, so I always stock up on them when it’s the prime season. This year, I went a little overboard and had way too many. That’s why I decided to try baking with fresh strawberries this time around.

I’ve been on a major soup kick lately. It’s been cooler and rainy in LA a few times this month, so I stayed home and tried some new recipes. I recently made this Italian sausage and tortellini soup recipe and my whole family loved it. So I thought I’d try a vegan recipe this time. I’ve never tried 15 bean soup before, so I thought I’d give it a try. Instead of making mine with pork, like a lot of the recipes called for, I decided to make mine a vegan 15 bean soup recipe.

If you follow my page, you know that I love making easy recipes with puff pastry. Puff pastry is such a game-changer for baking and cooking because it saves so much time and also tastes so good. My newest recipe is these apple roses with puff pastry. They are such a pretty recipe, such a great breakfast pastry or dessert option.

It’s almost Cinco de Mayo, so I decided to make a classic Mexican dish with these green enchiladas. Enchiladas are a traditional Mexican dish that has been enjoyed for centuries. This chicken enchiladas with green sauce recipe is an easy way to enjoy quality Mexican food right at home.

If you’re looking for a classic dessert that’s both easy to make and sure to impress, look no further than homemade pineapple upside down cake. This timeless treat has been a favorite of home cooks for decades, thanks to its sweet, tangy flavor and iconic presentation. Best of all, it’s surprisingly simple to bake, even for novice bakers.

If you’re looking for a week-night meal that your whole family will love, you need to try this stuffed shells with ground beef and mushrooms recipe. I know it might seem weird to add mushrooms, but there are so many benefits to using mushrooms. Read on to learn why.

When it comes to irresistible party dips, few can rival the creamy allure of a good queso. And if you’re searching for the best white queso recipe that’s sure to be a hit at any gathering, you’ve come to the right place. In this blog post, I’ll guide you through crafting the perfect homemade white queso dip using the luscious Havarti cheese and zesty pico de gallo.

If you’re looking for an easy, healthy, and satisfying breakfast, oats for overnight oats are the perfect solution. Peanut butter overnight oats are simple to prepare, endlessly customizable, and packed with nutrients to keep you energized throughout the day. In this post, we’ll cover everything you need to know, including the best oats for overnight oats, and whether quick oats or steel-cut oats are suitable for this popular dish.

If you’ve ever found yourself torn between a brownie and a classic chocolate chip cookie, then chocolate chocolate chip cookie bars are your new dessert obsession. These bars are everything you love about cookies — rich, buttery, gooey centers — baked in a single pan and loaded with double the chocolate. No need to scoop out dough or wait for batch after batch to bake. One pan, one delicious mess of fudgy, chewy goodness.

When you’re in the middle of a busy week, there’s nothing better than having a few easy, reliable meals in your back pocket. This Savory Mushroom and Spinach Stir-Fry has become one of my go-to recipes when I need something quick, healthy, and satisfying — and it all starts with one of my favorite ingredients: crimini mushrooms.

Move over cupcakes—cake pop bites are the newest dessert obsession you need to try. These adorable, bite-sized treats are everything you love about cake pops, just without the stick or the mess. They’re easier to make, easier to eat, and perfect for parties, gifts, or even just a weekday sweet treat.

Fall baking is my favorite kind of baking, and nothing says autumn more than pumpkin cupcakes. They’re warm, cozy, and full of spice, perfect for everything from a Halloween party to a Thanksgiving dessert table. This season, I baked a batch a delicious pumpkin spice cupcakes recipe and topped them with swirls of buttercream frosting and adorable little candy melt pumpkins.

It’s officially pumpkin pie season and this year, I’m turning up the heat. Classic pumpkin pie is always delicious, but after making it the same way for years, I wanted something that felt a little more exciting, more flavorful, and honestly… more me. So, I took inspiration from one of my favorite mini-pumpkin pie recipes by Cooking Classy and gave it a bold, cozy makeover.

There is something so satisfying about creating a dessert completely from scratch, especially one as beloved as tiramisu. The mascarpone, espresso, cocoa dusting. It all feels decadent. But if you want to take your tiramisu to the next level (and impress your guests), making homemade ladyfingers is the secret.

I wanted to share these wonderful Cinco De Mayo margarita recipes because, during my coming of age in Green Bay, this wonderful holiday passed us by, which is a darn shame.

Halloween is just a week away. I searched Pinterest to find totally fun Halloween desserts that I think both kids and adults would love. There are so many cute desserts out there. I’m always so impressed with other bloggers’ creativity and craftsmanship when it comes to fun desserts.

On Halloween night, our friend invited us over for crockpot chili before we wrangled our toddlers into a wagon to go trick-or-treating. I asked my friend Amy what I should bring, and she said whatever I’d be baking for the blog next week. I didn’t have an idea in mind, so I decided to make the perfect side dish for chili— a honey sage cornbread.

As a kid, my Thanksgiving plate was basically white — turkey breast, mashed potatoes, and a dinner roll. It’s not that my family didn’t have more choices on the table, it’s that my midwestern palate just never got very developed. I never ate the cranberries, the gravy or the stuffing. Being the baby of the family, my parents never forced me to try things I didn’t want to try, so my experience with food was limited, at best.

A lot has changed this year. Two biggies—my daughter Giada was born and we left California and moved back ‘home’.

Cinco de Mayo is just a couple weeks away. I’m getting my margarita recipes ready, and scouting out the best guacamole recipe. But those are so obvious. I mean, I always have those things on Cinco de Mayo. I wanted to add something else fun to my menu, so I searched for interesting churro recipes. Mostly, I found what you’d expect–homemade versions of churros you’d find at a theme park.

How are you celebrating this 4th of July? We’re planning a pretty low-key long weekend at home with trips to the local splash pads and a few dips in our pool. We will definitely throw some burgers or brats on the grill and make some yummy side dishes, but I want to make some fun and festive.

My husband and I don’t eat very much candy. Our kids don’t eat much candy either — not just because we limit it, but mostly because they don’t like it. Crazy, right? This lack of candy-eating means that trick-or-treating yields a ton of leftover Halloween candy that we don’t really want around the house.

For me, Thanksgiving dinner is really about the sides. The turkey gets all the hype, but I could not care less about the bird (even though my hubby has a magical ability to make it really tasty). I’m a side dish gal all the way. As a kid, I would fill my plate with mashed potatoes (extra butter) and the fresh from the oven, still warm, dinner rolls. Yes, quite the healthy dinner plate.

I love the holidays for many reasons — spending time with family, decorating our tree, finding the perfect gifts for my loved-ones — but one of my absolutely favorite parts is finding and trying new Christmas cookie recipes.

I started Posh In Progress about 8 months after my first child, Rocco, was born. I told my husband I wanted to maintain my sense of self, and blogging was a way for me to express myself outside of the daily tasks of motherhood.

It’s already that time! Well, not quite, but I’m already thinking about Christmas and all the Christmas cookie recipes I want to make. The minute it turns into fall, I can’t help but think about all the baking I intend to do. I’m extra excited to bake this year because I finally (finally!) have a stand mixer.

Easter is a little over a month away. Now that my kids are a little older, I’m going to put a little more effort in to making it fun for them. I already started thinking about ways I could decorate, like with this little Easter Bunny candy jar. Last year, I found a bunch of creative uses for PEEPs. This year, I’m searching for cute Easter desserts recipes to try.