Last week, my daughter had an impromptu play date at a classmate’s house. I hate showing up anywhere empty handed, but I didn’t have time to run out to the grocery store to pick up supplies, so I had to come up with something from the stuff in my pantry. Baked goods are always a hit with kids (and the mamas) so I decided to go sweet, and landed on making Muffins. I’ve made lots of different muffins before…. Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, Zucchini Muffins, Banana Muffins, Fall Spice Muffins…. But I wanted to make something I KNEW would be a hit with the kids (especially my kid who is Captain McPicky-Pants). My first thought was: Cinnamon Bun Muffins. Not sure how my brain took me there, but it did and I am glad it did! I’ve made Homemade Cinnamon Buns before which were BEYOND delish, but those are a ...

Last night was the first night of the NFL Draft, which for most people means nothing, unless you are a football obsessed family like mine. I have been a Giants fan my whole life and this past season for my Gmen was less than stellar (read: horrible)…but with a bad season, comes a great draft pick (second pick to be exact)… so with the excitement of an early draft pick, and the optimism of getting a great addition to our team, my husband and I decided to do a Draft Cook Off to celebrate. I knew immediately what I wanted to do. To me, the best kind of tailgate/football food is some form of comfort food….wings, burgers, mac n cheese, anything deep fried, etc – so last night I went with a classic Italian comfort food and made my version of Chicken Parmesan: A deep fried Chicken Meatball stuffed with ...

After what has seemed like an eternally long winter, this past weekend was the most perfect quintessential Spring weather here in Princeton, New Jersey. And since I base my entire life around eating, I knew that it would be a weekend of grilling. I love grilling…it’s actually one of my top five favorite things in life (my daughter, husband and dog, being the top three and wine being number four). We live in an awesome apartment complex, which has a courtyard with beautiful gas grills in it, and even when the weather isn’t ideal, I find myself out there ready to grill (I grilled in 30 degree weather a few months ago because to me, a flank steak NEEDS to be grilled). So yesterday, I decided to go with a homemade Asian marinade and Oh. My. Word. It was amazing. Very simple pantry ingredients paired with a super tender Sirloin ...

While living in NYC, one of my husband and my favorite places to order in from was a Korean place called Bonchon Chicken. They made what we referred to as “Crack Chicken” which was basically twice-fried, dark meat, boneless, super crispy chicken in a Soy Garlic Sauce that was to die for. Crack Chicken got it’s name because we would order enough chicken to feed a small army and demolish it bwtween the two fo us. I had tried many, many times over the years to imitate the taste of the sauce at Bonchon, but could never get it just right…either there was too much garlic, or it was too sweet….I played with various flavor combos but never perfected the Bonchon Sauce. Fast forward a few years, we’re now living in Princeton, New Jersey, miles away from any Bonchon and yet, we found the next best thing. My daughter’s classmate’s ...

Recently I have been crowd sourcing my recipes from my friends on Facebook by creating polls asking them, “would you rather eat ­­­­_________ or ________?” The polls usually tend to sway heavily in one direction over another until this past week….the poll was: Beef Chimichangas or Korean Grilled Steaks. With only 1 vote separating the winner from the loser, Beef Chimichangas won. I have to admit, I was kinda hoping it would, but I will definitely be making some Grilled Korean Steak ASAP (especially since I just learned about a local Korean Supermarket with all kinds of yummy goodies!) I tested out a new marinade for this recipe, which literally consisted of chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. You marinate your steaks in there for at least a few hours and then either grill them up or sear them over the stove! But getting back to the chimichanga itself; a ...

I am not really sure where to start this post… There is nothing I love more in the world (family & dogs excluded) than building the perfect Cheese & Meat Board. It goes without saying that I absolutely LOVE cheese – in fact there’s only 1 cheese out there that I haven’t been able to fall in love with and that’s Feta (sorry, Feta, you just ain’t my jam). And as much as I love cheese, I love any and ALL cured meats even MORE: Prosciutto, Salami, Sopresatta, Pepperoni, Capicola….the list is never ending… When I am given the opportunity either professionally or personally to put together a Cheese & Meat Board, I am in my element. I joke that I have a PHD in Cheese and Charcuterie, but in reality, I really do (just not officially….). I have big ideas and future goals to open a local Cheese and ...