-
How to throw the ultimate brunch (+printables!)
If you know me, you know I love a good brunch, and not just because I heart any excuse to eat a biscuit. Well, maybe… Brunch can be a great option for entertaining if you love to play host but are sick of staying up late with chatty dinner guests who just won’t leave, or you are a rose-all-day kinda gal. Even better, brunch parties tend to be low cost and low maintenance. If I’ve caught your attention, read on for some fabulous hosting tips, and check out some free brunch printables to get the party decor started. Like all great parties that revolve around food, your brunch begins with…
-
Why is dinnertime so hard?!?
If your daily dinnertime feels fresh out of Groundhog’s Day – honey, you are not alone. Dinnertime is hard! Last year I set out to do research to better understand what made cooking dinner so difficult. As the feedback came in, the results were loud and clear: it wasn’t so much the doing part – the cooking – but it was definitely the thinking part – the planning, the sticking to the plan, the finding the time, and most of all, the figuring out what to cook for these people (aka your fam)! The feedback was consistent with most problems we face in life, it’s the thinking part that gets us. Sometimes the biggest hurdles we face are our…
-
More Than Just a Meal Plan
It’s been almost a year since the seed of an idea was planted, when I began exploring the notion that perhaps my success in the kitchen wasn’t about my recipes, but about my process. I started to ask some questions… Was there a process to unpack beneath my dinnertime routine? Could my method work for other people? The answers, to my great delight, are yes and yes. And thus, Dominate Dinner was born. So what is Dominate Dinner? The words began as part of the subtitle to my (work in progress) book… Biscuits ‘n Crazy: The Busy Mom’s Guide to Dominate Dinner. And then they were the name of my…
-
Korean Pulled Pork (Instant Pot)
Have I mentioned lately how much I love pulled pork in the Instant Pot?!? Well if not, it’s the greatest. Truly. A few weeks ago I had a craving for Korean inspired pulled pork lettuce wraps. Determined to scratch this itch, I did a bit of research to figure out just what would give it that distinct Korean flavor, and I discovered it’s gochjung! Ever wondered what made Korean BBQ so good? This stuff! It’s made of fermented chilis and has the consistency of tomato paste. It’s packed with flavor, and a bit spicy, but my goodness, I cannot wait to cook more meat with it! I found mine at…
-
Instant Pot Pulled Pork
This is one of my family’s favorite IP recipes! Each time I make it I’m amazed that I made this tender, delicious pulled pork in under an hour – it’s truly amazing! This takes less than 10 minutes to throw together, and then the Instant Pot does most the work! If you’re a BBQ fan, but don’t have time to smoke or slow roast a pork butt on a weeknight, this recipe is for you! Pulled Pork (Instant Pot) 3-4lb pork butt, cut into 3 to 4 inch pieces ½ cup brown sugar 2 tsp salt 2 tsp onion powder 2 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp pepper 1 tsp paprika ½ cup beef broth ½ cup BBQ sauce (all-natural is…
-
How to Host a Friendsgiving Your BFFs Won’t Forget
When it comes to entertaining for Thanksgiving, I’m either one extreme or the other – it’s either Chinet paper plates and plastic tablecloths, or a full-on beautiful fall tablescape with formal place settings. When I’m helping my grandma host, we typically go for the former (because we’re usually feeding 30+!) But when I’m able to host a smaller gathering of family or friends, I am all about gorgeous table settings and beautiful centerpieces. Fall is such a fun time to doll-up your home decorations and truly wow your guests! This holiday season, Friendsgiving is great opportunity to try out new styles and make entertaining more fun and personal. One decor…
-
Meal Planning through Thanksgiving
It’s Thanksgiving week!! For those of us who love to cook and entertain, it’s like our Super Bowl! And at the same time – for those of us who like to operate with a meal plan, it can feel like we’re drowning without our structure and routine! Meal planning through the Thanksgiving holiday can certainly feel like the wheels have fallen off! Between travel, all that cooking for the big day, and then the mountains of leftovers, it’s easy to feel like you’re out of control of your dinnertime – but fear not! Here are a few tips to help get you (and me!) through this week! Plan to not…
-
Green Bean Casserole (Gluten Free!)
Green bean casserole has always been one of my favorites on Thanksgiving. Fun fact – it was also the topic of my informative speech during public speaking class in college – how to make a green bean casserole – ha! But once I started getting funny about cream of whatever soups (trying to avoid MSG), I thought my relationship with green bean casserole was over. Until I found Alton Brown’s Best Ever Green Bean Casserole, that is. What I love most about his recipe is the homemade cream of mushroom sauce that makes the casserole. I’ve made this several times, first exactly as he wrote it, then I tweaked it…
-
5 Simple Tips to Dominate Thanksgiving Dinner!
Hosting Thanksgiving is exciting for some, and stressful for others. I’ve found that the key to keeping it low-stress (regardless of the size of the gathering or how many dishes you’re preparing), is having a plan! Doing the things that can be done ahead of time prior to Thanksgiving day will go a long way towards lightening the load! Here are my 5 tips to help you dominate Thanksgiving dinner! Tip 1 – Decide What Kind of Gathering You’ll Host– Size: Small and intimate or large and feisty?– How Formal: Will you be eating on paper plates or the special China?– Who’s Cooking: Is it a pot-luck or are you…
-
Instant Pot Shredded Mexican Chicken
This easy meal quickly secured it’s way into my family’s dinner rotation list! It checks all the boxes: delicious, quick, relatively inexpensive and is made in one-pot! I mean, what else could you ask for out of a dinner?!? I’m just saying! It’s one of the recipes that secured my Instant Pot’s hall of fame status in my kitchen (that machine earns its keep!). Hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Shredded Mexican Chicken (Instant Pot) 3 chicken breasts 1 16-oz jar of salsa ½ cup chicken broth 1 half onion, diced ¼ cup chopped cilantro Juice of half a lemon 1 tsp salt 1 tsp chili powder ½ tsp cumin ½ tsp garlic powder ½ tsp onion powder Place…
