Category: Food

Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

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My mom has always told me that I’ve loved Hostess Cupcakes—you know, the chocolate cupcakes with the white curlicue on top sold in packs of two in convenience stores—since I was in the womb. She says that when she was pregnant with me, she used to have my dad pull over to random gas stations and convenience stores just so she could get some Hostess Cupcakes. So it’s for this reason that when I found a recipe for homemade ones, I knew I had to (attempt to) make them for my mom, sister and Nan’s first visit to Bethesda. Continue reading →

Three-Step Chicken Curry

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Growing up, my mom was great at cooking us healthy, balanced meals, complete with a protein, veggie and starch. Most days I try to emulate that in my cooking, though instead of putting together three separate components, I like trying to combine two or all of them into a single step. This super easy chicken curry does that deliciously, with help from one pre-made ingredient. Continue reading →

Simple Tamale Pie

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Tamale pie is a US-born, casserole-like dish meant to mimic the flavors of a tamale—the cornmeal wrapper, the Mexican spices, the meat and veggie filling—without the more difficult steps involved in making one. This recipe, which we got from Jeff’s mom, takes the simplicity one step further with the use of packaged cornbread mix and tomato soup. Continue reading →

Homemade Burrito Bowls

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I don’t think I knew what a “burrito bowl” was before I walked into my first Chipotle nearly 10 years ago—was it even a thing before Chipotle made it one? But now, the burrito bowl is as ubiquitous as its wrapped namesake, and in recent years burrito bowls have replaced taco night in our house. This is how we make ours, though every ingredient and topping can be changed to suit your tastes and cravings! Continue reading →

Spicy Chicken Enchiladas

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I’m not going to sugarcoat it: Enchiladas can be a pain in the neck to make. For that reason, they tend to fall in the category of food I often order in restaurants, but don’t make too frequently. However, when I came across a recipe for classic chicken enchiladas in my favorite slow cooker cookbook, I thought I’d give it a shot. It seemed like cooking the chicken in the slow cooker would at least make the process feel like less work since it was spread out over more hours. And it did! Continue reading →

Chain Restaurants: You Don’t Know What You’ve Got ‘Til It’s Gone

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Growing up, one of my favorite restaurants was the Ninety-Nine. I loved the jingle: “The 99 restaurant has 99 reasons you’ll always come back for more!” I loved the chicken broccoli ziti, which is probably all I ate for about four years. I loved the restaurant itself; it was warm and comfortable, and had some of those 99 reasons written on the walls. But here’s the kicker: the Ninety-Nine is a chain, Continue reading →

Simple Chicken Mole

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I love mole. It’s probably my favorite thing to order at Mexican restaurants. I know that mole technically just means sauce, but I’m talking about the rich, creamy version made with things like cocoa powder, cinnamon, tomatoes, star anise, peanut butter and about 10 other things. Because it tends to have so many ingredients, I’ve shied away from making it at home in the past. Enter my new favorite cookbook, The Complete Slow Cooker, where Jeff found a slow cooker chicken mole made with only seven ingredients! Continue reading →