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There are very few things that every time I try to cook result in complete failure: a simple grilled cheese is at the top of that list.  I’m not sure what it is about having two slices of bread and one slice of cheese that becomes so intimidating for me, but I either somehow melt the cheese into the bread so there’s no visible cheese remaining, burn the outside of the bread until it’s inedible, or a combination of the two.  Luckily, Josh is a grilled cheese master – carefully and lovingly flipping the sandwich to perfection. Good news is that if you make the sandwich at all more complicated, say add some veggie bacon or a slice of tomato, and I’m back on top.  Bonus points if I make...

Do you love a lazy weekend?  My favorite thing to do when I don’t have to work is literally nothing.  I briefly left my house to go to the bar, but mostly sat around, played silly games on my computer, did some baking, and watched Star Trek with a beer or two.  Aside from the laundry I had to force myself into late Sunday, it was a perfectly relaxing weekend. An integral part to my weekends is a delicious breakfast.  I never have time on weekdays (read: I like sleeping as long as possible) to make a real breakfast and clean up after myself, so I try to do it up on Saturday and Sunday.  I threw this all together after the bar on Friday, which should tell you how...

This whole month, I’ve been participating in “Frugal February”.  It’s too easy to feel exhausted after work and go out for dinner or drop $100 at Target because I’m bored – so I decided that at least for a month of February, I would make changes to the way I spend money and what I spend money on.  For a simple example, on days when I might have ordered a pizza I’ve been making a pizza from scratch.  There aren’t any amazing pizza places where I live, so this hasn’t been much of a sacrifice.  The pizza I make at home is way better than any pizza I could have delivered. Hand shredding mozzarella is easy enough.  For pizza dough, I’ve actually been using the same dough as for my...

I’ve been on a bit of a decadent banana breakfast kick lately.  Last weekend I made banana french toast and this weekend I made both these oatmeal banana pancakes and peanut butter banana breakfast rolls (recipe coming soon!).  I’m not normally so into bananas, but they’re cheap, delicious, and easy to keep around the house. Pancakes are definitely one of my top two favorite foods – it’s a close call for first between pancakes and tacos.  My favorite way to make them is super thick and fluffy.  One of my first memories is of my grandma making me oatmeal pancakes and I’ve been trying my entire adult life to mimic them.  These aren’t so much like my grandma’s pancakes, but they’re delicious in their own right and full of banana...

Ever since the delicious outcome of putting butternut squash in broccoli cheese soup, I’ve been trying to combine cheese and squash as often as possible.  Macaroni and cheese is usually a fatty, calorie dense food with little actual substance – but too delicious to resist.  Using squash in the base of the soup adds a touch of sweetness and a boost of nutrition.  Broccoli helps bulk up the macaroni, plus I just think it’s delicious covered in cheese sauce. I put my mac and cheese in a wide, shallow casserole dish because I like a high ratio of crispy topping to actual noodles, but feel free to use a smaller, deeper dish.  The texture of these noodles and sauce is oddly reminiscent of Stouffer’s mac and cheese or even KFC,...

I know it’s no where near bell pepper season, but I crave stuffed peppers all year round.  I like them a few different ways: fake meat and rice, chili and cornbread, full of veggies and tomato sauce– all are good choices!  My sister and dad mentioned last week that they were going to make chicken chorizo stuffed peppers, so I just had to figure out a way to do that vegetarian. I’ve never had “real” chorizo, so I bought a package of tempeh chorizo to try and match the flavors.  I’ve seen lots of recipes for chorizo and quinoa stuffed peppers floating around, so I figured I’d cut out the middle man and make chorizo flavored quinoa.  Though I’m not normally a spicy person, I added a good amount of...

After a week of particularly bad eating (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Halloween… the usual suspects), I like to get back on track with a vegan week.  Being vegan isn’t so bad: until you remember cheese.  This definitely isn’t a vegan week– in fact, my grocery bill was probably 50% cheese this week (Hello, pound of gouda!), but this “cheese” sauce is so amazing and easier to make than a real cheese sauce.  It’s my go to recipe to put on tacos, spread on sandwiches, or pour over Mexican stuffed peppers (recipe tomorrow ;-)). The sauce’s not-so-secret ingredient is nutritional yeast.  If you’ve never tried it, don’t be scared off by the name.  It is NOT the same as baker’s yeast.  I’ve read some pretty funny reviews of other recipes online from someone...

I debated with myself weather to post a Valentine’s Day-sy recipe.  Every blog I look at has had red velvet this and bright pink that.  While 99% of those recipes seemed amazing, I’m not really a red velvet, pink, or overly romantic kind of person.  I am, however, a dessert person, so I decided any excuse to post a tasty dessert is a good one, so I’ll call this a Valentine’s themed dessert. My next debate was over what to call these tasty little bundles.  Dessert wontons? Fruity dumplings? Cheesecake rangoons?  I’m pretty useless with the nuances between various fried Asian goodies, so I figured I’d just the pick one I think sounds the most fun and let someone tell me if I’m using it wrong. I tried several different...

Breakfast has always been my favorite meal of the day.  Lazy weekend breakfasts are even better, especially when they’re carby and covered in syrup.  While pancakes will probably be my favorite forever, sometimes I just really want french toast.  I don’t often keep eggs in the house, so most of my french toast recipes end up being vegan, because who really wants to run to the grocery store on a Saturday morning?  I’ve found that vegan french toasts can be even more decadent and delicious than their omnivore counterparts and trick you into actually eating fruit with your breakfast. When I make french toast, I like to use thick and crusty bread, but really any kind of bread will work in this recipe.  Feel free to play around and add...

*Photos updated 1/20/2014* Snow day! Here in Michigan, there is easily a foot of snow in my driveway this morning! Crazy.  I shoveled my way out to the road, only to find that the snow is so deep, even if I shoveled out my driveway, the bottom of my car can’t physically clear the height of snow in the road.   So I’m stuck here, at least until a plow comes through. So. Who likes cinnamon rolls?  Everyone?  Good.  Do you like apple pie?  Even better.  I personally don’t even like apple pie and I’m pretty sure these are the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever eaten, perfect for a super-snowy day like today.  Add to that, un-iced they’re only 100 calories EACH, and I’m pretty much in heaven! I’ve tried probably...