Silas walked through the door last week, stopped mid-step, and asked me what on earth I had been doing all day. The honest answer? Almost nothing. I had put chicken and gravy in the crockpot before lunch, gone about my day, and let the house do the bragging for me. This is the dinner I … Read more
The little box of coating mix in your pantry has been fooling you for years. The real thing takes five minutes and uses spices you already own. Silas and I were staying in a rental kitchen last winter with exactly one baking sheet and zero patience. He grabbed a box of shake and bake from … Read more
Five ingredients. One slow cooker. And a jar of pickled peppers I swore I would never let near my chicken. Then Silas came home, lifted the lid, and went quiet. He ate two plates before he said a single word. That never happens. That is the power of Mississippi chicken. It looks a little odd … Read more
The first time I made teriyaki chicken from scratch, I stood at the stove and felt a little betrayed. Not by the recipe. By every bottle of store-bought sauce I had ever trusted. Silas and I have cooked in more tiny rental kitchens than I can count, and bottled teriyaki was always our “safe” dinner. … Read more
Dinner can be finished before 9 a.m. I know that sounds fake. But last week I dumped chicken, salsa, and a handful of spices into my slow cooker before my coffee even cooled down. Hours later, Silas walked in, sniffed the air like a golden retriever, and asked which restaurant I had ordered from. Nope. … Read more
Silas took one bite of this cake and went completely quiet. Then he asked if I had hidden a bakery in the pantry. I hadn’t. It was a box of yellow cake mix, a block of cream cheese, and a few things already sitting in my fridge. That’s the whole story behind the Neiman Marcus … Read more
Crockpot Marry Me Chicken: Most dinners with a dramatic name are all talk. This one actually earns it. Tender chicken, a creamy sauce, sun-dried tomatoes and a little garlic, all done while your slow cooker does the hard work. I’m not saying it will land you a proposal, but I’m also not saying it won’t. … Read more
Silas went back for thirds of this casserole, and he is not a thirds kind of guy. Then he asked what was in it. I told him: chicken, bacon, pasta, cheese, and ranch. He gave me a look like I was hiding something. I was not. It really is that simple. But there is one … Read more
Why does every potluck have one sad bowl of chicken salad with a single polite scoop missing? Because most versions are bland, wet, or both. This cranberry chicken salad is the opposite. It’s creamy, a little sweet, tangy, and crunchy in every bite. And it’s the bowl people actually go back to. It takes about … Read more
Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad: Chicken salad has a reputation problem, and honestly, most of it is deserved. You know the one. A pale, gloopy scoop that tastes like mayo and not much else. I used to skip it at every potluck. Then I added toasted pecans and chewy cranberries, and I’ve been making it on … Read more