Warm Chick Pea and Artichoke Salad

Man, have I been missing out! If you remember from my Black Bean and Corn Salad post, I vowed to start cooking with beans more. That means all kinds of beans. So far I've only used black bean, Northern white beans, and as of today, garbonzo beans. Now, I've had garbonzo beans (chick peas) prepared in other ways before, but none of those times have been with the whole bean. They've always been pureed or smashed into a hummus or burger or something like that.

Chicken and Dumplings - The Ultimate Comfort Food

Chicken and dumplings is a classic that has taken on so many different variations over time. It really comes down to the basics though: chicken, dumplings and a gravy. It's one of those meals that is always good. Kind of like pizza. (You know what I mean, right? Even when it's bad, it's still good...) Well, chicken and dumplings is so good at delivering comfort and warmth and happy thoughts and.... Well, I could go on and on but I'll just get to the good stuff.

Tropical Banana Muffins

I've had the idea for some tropical-inspired muffins in my head for a bit and I finally wrote a recipe last week. Two versions later, I had the best-tasting banana muffins with a hint of tropical flare.

Three Potato Chowder with Beans and Sage

I'm always trying out new and interesting soup ideas. Because it's winter, my need to create yummy, comfort foods is heightened and soup is usually on the top of that comfort food list. We're big fans of stick-to-your-ribs kinds of soups and chowders in the winter because they make such a great meal and they taste so good and they make you feel so warm and fuzzy inside and...well, you get the idea.

Fast Smoked Sausage Skillet

When it comes to getting dinner ready for a busy family, there's nothing better than a super quick meal that covers all the basis. This one-pan dish is full of everything you need for a well-rounded dinner including the meat, the veggie, the starch and the yummy goodness.

Super Simple Chicken Salad

I'm a big fan of chicken salad. I mean, a really big fan. It's just so good! It's creamy, it's full of so many different flavors and it can be made in so many different ways. I always hope that there's leftovers when I make dinner so I can chop it up the next day for a quick, yummy sandwich. If there isn't any, I'll just cook up a couple boneless, skinless chicken breasts to get my fix.

The 3rd Birthday Bash

My son turned the big '3' a couple weeks ago and I still can't believe it. I'm also surprisingly taking it much better than I did when he turned 2. He was never your typical 2 year old so I'm wondering if the terrible twos are still coming. It's just one of the perks of being a parent, right? That and having a birthday party every year...or in our case two with a third that still hasn't happened yet.