Tater Tot Casserole With Ground Beef: Tater tots were never meant to live in a freezer bag next to the ice cube tray. They were meant to sit on top of a bubbling, cheesy beef bake. Silas asked for “that tater tot thing” three weeks in a row, which is how I knew this recipe … Read more
A grocery store chicken can turn into the lunch you keep making all week, and most people never even try it. This rotisserie chicken salad is what I make when I walk into a kitchen with almost nothing in it. Silas and I have been traveling full time since 2016, which means a lot of … Read more
Silas asked for seconds before he had even finished his first plate of these. That has happened exactly once in our kitchen, and I wrote it down. For years I avoided beef enchiladas because they seemed fussy. All that rolling, saucing, and a sink full of dishes afterward. Then I found a few small tricks … Read more
The first time I made ground chicken stir fry, it looked like gray gravel. Silas still asked for seconds. Politely. I think he was just being nice. That was in a rental kitchen with one wobbly pan and a spatula that had clearly given up on life. I have made this dish about a hundred … Read more
Last Tuesday, Silas lifted the slow cooker lid in the middle of a work call and went completely quiet. Then he muted himself and went back for a second scoop. I had been so sure this casserole would collapse into a soggy tortilla mess. I even had a backup pizza order saved on my phone. … Read more
Silas has asked me to put these bowls on repeat. Three weeks in a row, to be exact. This is a man who asks what’s for dinner while he’s still chewing lunch, so a request like that is basically a standing ovation. Here’s what won him over. Juicy lemon garlic chicken, fluffy rice, a crunchy … Read more
Last month, Silas and I were staying in a tiny rental with exactly one decent pan and a stove that heated about as evenly as a campfire. I was tired, hungry, and completely out of patience for dirty dishes. So I tossed chicken, orzo, lemon, and garlic into that one pan and hoped for the … Read more
Last month I pulled a sheet pan out of the oven and Silas asked if we were having charcoal for dinner. The chicken was dry. The potatoes were still hard in the middle. The green beans looked like they had survived a small fire. I had thrown everything on the pan at the same time … Read more
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