easy

Braised Chicken Thighs with Leeks

April 17, 2018 by Lindsay 27 Comments

Braised chicken thighs with leeks in lemon garlic butter sauce, that is. Hello, favorite skillet chicken recipes!

Braised Chicken Thighs with Leeks and Lemon

Here's your new favorite quick dinner method!

If you aren't already making something like this all the time, obviously. I see easy recipes for chicken thighs all the time, and for good reason: they're somewhat more affordable than chicken breasts, they have tons of flavor, and the possibilities for cooking them are just endless.

I have on occasion found boneless, skin-ON chicken thighs, and that to me is the mother lode of all chicken cuts, hands down. This is mainly because we still eat dinner every single night on the couch (because Beck goes down before we eat, we're only rotting OUR brains, don't worry) and chicken bones are tough to navigate with one hand.

This method for cooking chicken thighs is so foolproof I can't even waste too much time talking about it. The key is to be patient with searing the chicken skin so most of the fat renders out and the skin gets super crispy. Then we cook leeks and whole garlic cloves in the chicken drippings, add the chicken BACK in with some chicken stock and lemon, roast the whole thing, and done. Couldn't be easier, and the leek + lemon garlic butter sauce combo is just unreal.

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Easy Shrimp in Curry Cream Sauce

February 22, 2018 by Lindsay 2 Comments

This is me attempting to make a New Year's Resolution and stick to it. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

Ok so. Around the holidays I was talking to my sister, who is in marketing and graphic design, about this site and what I wanted to happen with it (nothing? everything?), and we talked about how funny it is that some of the most popular posts are these ancient non-recipes with horrible pictures. We talked about re-doing some for the sake of new pictures and updated measurements, and this is the first one!

Shrimp with Curry Cream Sauce, originally photographed in my parent's kitchen in 2012 under fluorescent lights. Ouch. Let the record state that my parents have a lovely kitchen.

The pictures are bad and the writing is awful (not much has changed there), but shrimp curry remains one of my absolute favorite things in the world. It's no secret that we are highly obsessed with all kinds of curry, and a yellow curry with coconut milk appears a few times per month on our dinner rotation. The original recipe had a bunch of chopping with garlic, ginger, jalapeno, and green onion. I LOVE starting curries with that flavor combination, but wanted to do a quick version using dried and jarred flavors to save time and effort.

The result is a 15-20 minute curry that tastes like tons of effort without any actual effort. Shrimp cooks in 3 minutes or less and there is a teeny bit of cream at the end in honor of the original recipe.

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One-Pan Meyer Lemon Roast Chicken and Veggies

January 14, 2016 by Lindsay Leave a Comment

Ok so here we go.

Dinner that can be done super fast or super slow depending on how your day goes and how long your newborn naps for.

Because that's how we plan our days now, right? Seriously, though, this dinner is one of those easy-peasy ones that is pretty basic but super duper delicious. I got the idea from my bff Rachael Ray and made it my own by...I don't know, I don't really remember what she did, I just had a note on my phone that said "chicken on one pan." So, I'm not saying this is an adapted recipes because I can't find the original to save my life, you know?

I'm the best Millennial EVER.

So, for this, we have veggies that roast in butter and rosemary and lemon, and then chicken roasts right on top of THAT in more butter, and then the lemon zest and some pine nuts go over everything. Pine nuts! So delicious, and also skippable if you don't have any on hand. This is one of those idea-meals where you can swap out the veggies, herbs, even use fish or pork chops...you get the idea...to make this taste different every time you make it. Rosemary and meyer lemon, though? The best there ever was. OF COURSE you can use a regular lemon and this would be equally delicious, but my friend Matt has a meyer lemon tree in his apartment and one fell off so he gave it to me! So I used it to roast these veggies and hot damn, veggies in butter and lemon juice are the best ever. Let's do this.

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Spicy Creamy Green Beans

November 18, 2015 by Lindsay Leave a Comment

Another recipe for Thanksgiving!

The one I told you about last week that we've been making a ton. It happened totally by accident, I buy the really thin haricots vert at Trader Joe's at least every other week, and one night they were the veg of choice to go with whatever carb and protein of choice were happening. I knew I wanted to add something pickly with something creamy because I think those two things just contrast so well and make boring side dishes exciting.

And these are, like, totes exciting for green beans.

I use pickled cherry peppers from TJ's too, but any kind of pickly pepper that you like will work great! Smoked paprika adds a ton of flavor almost in a grilled or bacon-y way, and I've never had anyone, even vegetarians, complain that things taste kind of like bacon. It's a really great spice to keep on hand to meat-up meat-free dishes!

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Easy, Fresh Weekend Food

May 31, 2013 by Lindsay Leave a Comment

It's GORGEOUS here.

Naturally I'm not outside, but I have grand plans to be in a few hours.

Please don't let my plans get wrecked, Earth.

Anyway, instead of forcing something new on you, I think we should revisit old favorites, and ESPECIALLY focus on fast/fresh/light foods. NO ONE wants to spend their whole weekend cooking (even me, just barely), and heavy food is just kind of meh when it's lovely and sunshiny outside - right?

Right.

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Bang Bang Shrimp Salad

June 19, 2012 by Lindsay 1 Comment

Ready to have your mind blown?

Maybe?

Hopefully.

You know Bang Bang Shrimp, that fried shrimp mixed in spicy-ish sauce that you find at a variety of Asian and non-Asian themed chain restaurants all over the United States?

No?

Well.

It's insanely easy to make.

Also, it isn't healthy. I have this....giggle....that happens when someone acts like ordering fried shrimp covered in, let's be honest, MAYONNAISE is in any way a healthy choice.

Delicious? Sure! Healthy? Sorry, buddy. Not quite.

That being said, to me, the deliciousness is enough to make up for the fried/mayo component every once in awhile!

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Tuesday Dinner - Blackened Chicken Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

April 10, 2012 by Lindsay 1 Comment

Yeah, I went there.

Last night, Jay and I went to give blood then promptly went to a local stage/bar/listening room dealio to see a band that was in town.

They started over an hour late, so we got tired and left before we got to see the band.

So, that was a bummer. BUT, we both had yummy wraps and bar salads which, when prepared well, can be super delicious.

I don't care, I like bar food. Get over it.

If you're thinking that my last night sounded really fun AND you want to eat some veggies AND you like massive salads with yummy dressing, this very well may be what you should make for dinner tonight!

Or lunch tomorrow.

Or on Saturday.

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Special Pot Pie (look, a drug joke!)

February 24, 2012 by Lindsay 3 Comments

I love when things involve gravy and puff pastry, don't you?

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Jay Cooks! Cauliflower Cream Soup

February 20, 2012 by Lindsay 8 Comments

Last week I decided to make dinner for Lindsay and me. This semester Lindsay’s classes fall on Tuesday and Thursday nights, so I wanted to have dinner ready for her when she got home (jealous ladies? I’m good looking, caring, I cook and I’m humble. OMG!). I decided to make a cauliflower soup since Lindsay and I are currently on a vegetarian diet. This was a snap decision that I put zero thought into. I saw a huge head of cauliflower and my brain yelled, “SOUP!”

Here is how I think I did it.

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Lasagna Two Ways

February 17, 2012 by Lindsay 4 Comments

Yum yum yum YUM!

Nothing is better on a weekend than a simple, delicious Italian/American meal, and you should DEFINITELY not be spending your dollars on Stoufers or anything else packed with chemicals!

I made these lasagnas a few weeks ago when my whole family was gathering for my great-grandfather's funeral.

Why do people eat so much when people die? I have no idea.

Anyway, we had a wonderful time sharing memories, laughing, crying, and enjoying cousins that we rarely see. Having the meal fully prepared (besides cooking) the night before was just an added bonus!

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Superbowl Recipe Numero Uno - Fake Cooking

February 1, 2012 by Lindsay Leave a Comment

/This isn't really a recipe, this is a free plug for a company that makes really fabulous dip mix.

It's good, otherwise I wouldn't tell you about it.

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Weeknight Dinner - Pasta and Veggies

January 26, 2012 by Lindsay 1 Comment

One of my favorite pasta dishes is SO simple and perfect for this time of year. If you're having a hard time figuring out what to make tonight, why not make this delicious sage-prosciutto pasta?

The picture above has the pasta with fish, but I'd make it even healthier by omitting a big protein (we all eat too much anyway in this country) and adding a salad or roasted broccoli. Easy, delicious, and healthy. Perfect for a Thursday!

Entertaining This Week? Go Italian!

January 22, 2012 by Lindsay 1 Comment

I love having people over on weeknights. It's wonderful to break up the week with friends, laughter, and great food.

But, it stinks to race home from work, clean, cook, and try to look presentable in the 36 seconds between work and when your guests arrive.

So, why not make a crazy-easy make-ahead meal TODAY and have it in the fridge any day this week?

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Entertaining this Weekend?

January 13, 2012 by Lindsay 2 Comments

We are! Our friends Katie and Tony are currently in the car on the way from DC, and we can't wait to show them around the area!

If you're entertaining, cook for your peeps! They'll love it. Here are some of my favorite things to make when I have guests.

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Got any Leftover Turkey?

November 28, 2011 by Lindsay 2 Comments

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving! Did you get any time off? I had 4.5 days with my family, friend, dogs, and bald boyfriend, and they were all glorious!

I also have gained approximately 19.5 pounds in those 4.5 days, so prepare yourselves for some healthy food in the near future!

In the meantime, though, let's make something creamy and comforting with our leftover turkey because it's raining and gross here today!

This wasn't originally a turkey dish, and I make it year-round with chicken. It's a VERY easy traditional southern casserole that can be made well in advance and has about 1,392 variations according to what YOUR grandmother did. This is how I make it, though!

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Sundried Tomato Risotto

November 21, 2011 by Lindsay 4 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

I know I should share with you things about collard greens, and I will, but today, before the madness sets in (sort of....I'm starting to cook tonight), I think it'd be nice to have one more meal that isn't super duper cliche holiday-esque.

This sundried tomato risotto is SO easy and could absolutely be added to a holiday meal, but it's also simple enough for any night of the week! Risotto, as you've seen me write before, is so easy and forgiving, no matter what Wolfgang Puck says.

I served this with lemon-crusted fish, which I'll show you next. It's easy too!

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Easy Dinner - Mexican Chicken Skillet

November 18, 2011 by Lindsay 2 Comments

I know you're getting sick of me telling you how much I love Mexican food, but I'm not sick yet of cooking it so....we're kind of stuck on that one, sorry.

I made this last weekend for my friends Corey and Patrick and WHOA was it good. It's also super duper easy! You'll love it, I promise. You'll also love the fact that the whole thing is made in exactly one pot - woohoo!

I hate dishes.

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Mexican Rice

November 18, 2011 by Lindsay 8 Comments

You know how Mexican cooks say that good lard is the key to the flavor in all great Mexican food and you really shouldn't attempt to cook without it or your world will spiral out of control and your tacos will be gross and you just really need to focus on the lard?

I'm not a Mexican cook.

This is easy and foolproof, and doesn't involve any lard.

Just butter.

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Party Component 1 - Curried Black Beans

October 31, 2011 by Lindsay 8 Comments

It's time to start working on our big, fun, easy, healthy meal for the next time you entertain! Like I said yesterday, we're going to make several things this week that can all be combined to form one fun meal at the end of the week - invite someone over now!

You can read the first part of this installment here.

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Braised Bok Choy

October 25, 2011 by Lindsay 3 Comments

There's a restaurant in Tokyo (is it still there? anyone? nope, it isn't. I Googled it. ) called Fujimamas that is amazing. Was amazing. That's all. It served Asian Fusion food with a Japanese emphasis (duh) and was one of my favorite places to go growing up. One of my favorite dishes was grilled shark with baby bok choy and avocado and WHOA was it good. I'm not actually sure I ever ordered anything else there, come to think of it!

Fujimamas is one of my first memories of eating bok choy, and it was a great decision each time I ordered the dish. I got some baby bok choy from the farmers market a few weeks ago, and while I didn't try to recreate the dish, I did try to recreate the flavors of the sauce with the veggie - this is spicy, easy, and super healthy!