Maen Gamja Jorim

This gorgeous recipe for spicy Korean-style braised potatoes largely comes from Aaron and Claire's wonderful YouTube channel, with minor adaptations to make for a quicker weeknight dinner. With slight changes this was an incredibly easy, delicious recipe. It's usually served as a banchan (side dish) at meals in Korea, but it works beautifully as a main over rice. It was an instant hit in my family and medium-hot for us, but if you're not good with spicy food consider dialing back the hotter spices - the flavors won't be the same, but you'll be less at risk of burning up too! 

Beef Keema Aloo

I grew up eating South Asian food, but I often find making it myself to be a daunting task given the number of ingredients, toasting spices, and on and on. I appreciate the results, but often don't want to be responsible for them myself. That being the case, this simplified recipe for beef keema aloo (with some adaptations of my own) has become a favorite weeknight meal as it doesn't require a lot of extra steps or time to throw together. My apologies to any South Asian readers out there, I know this recipe is probably far from what it should be. It's a nice shortcut to a delicious weekday dinner, however, and I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does!

Spaghetti al Berberè (with beef)

One of my favorite meals when traveling by bus through the Ethiopian Highlands was Ethiopian-style spaghetti. I lived in Addis Abeba at the time, and there Italian food was beautifully faithful to Italian standards. (I'm still looking for a decent pizza place all these years later!) But in the countryside what Italian food there was made more in keeping with local tastes!

Spaghetti al Berberė (vegan)

One of my favorite meals when traveling by bus through the Ethiopian Highlands was Ethiopian-style spaghetti. I lived in Addis Abeba at the time, and there Italian food was beautifully faithful to Italian standards. (I'm still looking for a decent pizza place all these years later!) But in the countryside what Italian food there was made more in keeping with local tastes!

Chicken Fried Rice

Fried rice - what's not to like? I wish I could say my fried rice recipe comes from my Chinese mother-in-law or a good Taiwanese friend, but alas it's just the result of my experimentations over the years. This recipe is nothing fancy, but it's a lovely weekday go to when there's leftover rice on hand in the fridge. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to leave them in the comments!

Mushy Peas with Dill

This is another of my random home cooking recipes that developed on its own independent of any recipes. I'm sure there are plenty of recipes out there - it doesn't feel like a revolutionary combination to me! - but what follows is just what's evolved over the years when I've had a craving for peas. It's a lovely vegetarian dish, and is easily made vegan with a couple of substitutions. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Salmon Chowder

My family's been trying to eat more fish lately and we particularly enjoy salmon, so when it went on sale and our weather turned cold (the Canadian Prairies can get pretty chilly even in June!) I decided it was time to try making salmon chowder! What follows is an adaptation of this great recipe, tweaked to better fit my tastes. The original has good bones though plus a lot of great suggestions in the comments, so if you're not liking the sound of something in my recipe go check out the source!

Cheesy Black Beans 'n Rice

Necessity is the mother of invention...or in this case, some googling of what I had in my pantry and adapting of this lovely recipe to make it work for my family's tastes! One of us has a penchant for meat, and this recipe makes for a nice 'n quick vegetarian meal for busier days. Remove the cheese and it'll be vegan - I wouldn't do that myself if I didn't have to, but to each their own! However you make it, I hope you like it as much as my family has!

Beef Carrot Cutlets

Котлеты ("kotlety") or 'cutlets' are a staple across much of the former USSR. Originally developed in the Russian Empire, they became a standard feature of many of the work and school canteens of the Soviet Union and remain widespread today. They were always a favorite of mine, both in Russia and Ukraine when I lived there and at my godmother's house. 

Cheater's Handkerchiefs with Sauce

Recently I was trying to figure out a vegan use for some lasagna noodles that have been sitting in my pantry for far too long when I came across some gorgeous recipes for Genoa's mandilli de sea or 'silk handkerchiefs.' I'm not one to be discouraged by having the wrong pasta, not having the equipment to make the right pasta, or having the wrong sauce on hand, so what follows below is a poor adaptation inspired by both the lovely pesto mandilli de sea recipes I read and the necessities of Lent. This hit the spot for my husband and I, so I hope it will do the same for you! (If nothing else it's a great use for leftover lasagna noodles!)