Speedy Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken pot pie is one of those things I've often craved and rarely made because of what a process making pie crust can be. What follows is my simplified approach (based on this lovely recipe) using store-bought crusts that has made this a dish I can contemplate making without the thought being followed by pulling up the DoorDash app on my phone. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Flexible Dog Food

I usually stick to posting recipes for one species on here, but I keep forgetting the template I've been following for my miniature schnauzer's homemade meals and having to recreate it, so I'm posting this as a memory aid for myself! It's super simple and straightforward, and a big hit with my fur baby. If your dog enjoys it too, then all the better! Mine is small enough that she gets about 2/3 of a cup to a cup per meal, but obviously that is for a dog of her size - adjust accordingly if you want to try this out with your own!

Unstuffed Peppers

As anyone who's taken a look through my recipes know, I'm all about keeping things easy. (Life's busy enough as it is!) This past weekend I found myself with plenty of time...for a nap. After that nap I rummaged through the pantry to see what we had on hand for lunch, and realized I could make two stuffed peppers...or try unstuffing them to make a proper meal.

Bibimbap Basics

Bibimbap is a widely loved Korean favorite both in Korea and abroad and while I cannot claim that what follows is Korean, the sauce and beef largely come from this excellent recipe (albeit with some modifications). The recipe below is just one possibility of many (there are all kinds of bibimbap), but has a taste of Korea (the sauces and overall style) and northeastern China (the cumin-flavored vegetable dish) while also being North American in some of its ingredients (the ground beef and peas and carrots). It reminds me of past homes and friends and was an instant favorite from the first time I made it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

Cumin Peas and Carrots

This began as an effort to make a Korean-style side dish with very North American ingredients, but somehow ended up with more of the flavors of northeastern Chinese barbecue. I'm not sure where this dish is from in the end, but it's great on its own, over rice, or as a bibimbap topping. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family has!

Bulgogi Ground Beef

This excellent 'short cut,' North American-style bulgogi was an instant favorite the first time I made it and is great on its own over rice or as a bibimbap topping. It is largely based on this great recipe, but I made one or two adjustments to make it better fit my family's preferences. Whatever you prepare  it for, I hope you like it as much as we do!

Cabbage Roll Soup

This is another of those recipes whose flavors and smells bring back so many beautiful memories! As far back as I can remember - which admittedly is not very far! - I've loved eating cabbage rolls, but haven't much enjoyed making them. On the rare occasion I've attempted them on my own the cabbage leaves have either been to firm or too soft, cracking or tearing with abandon and leaving me with quite the mess afterwards. By contrast, my godmother and Ukrainian and Russian friends' cabbage rolls are always so beautifully perfect, a feast for the eye as well as the mouth.

Cucumber Salad with Gochugaru

This is a simple, delicious Korean recipe for oi muchim taken almost entirely from this site. My only adaptations were to add some garlic (because of course!) and substitute some Chinese black vinegar for the rice vinegar called for. What results is a beautiful side dish, especially for a hot summer or early fall day!

Cold Sesame Noodles

I don't remember having cold sesame noodles till I moved to Manchuria - it was when I was living there that they became a summertime favorite. The winters are cold in northeastern China, but the summers are sweltering and these noodles were a gift on hot, sweaty days at work. (Air conditioning was not much of a thing where I lived.) My favorite wonton restaurant had a delightful version of this dish with chilled wontons - if you have a brand you like, try adding a couple to each serving. Even without wontons this dish is gorgeous, however!

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!

Dill Peas

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. 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!)

Chickpea Pasta with Tomato Sauce

This lovely recipe is largely based off of this recipe with some tweaks here and there to make it more to my own tastes. (And why not, I'm the one eating it!) It's a hearty, warm, easy recipe that's perfect for the winter months and a nice dose of veggies and legumes regardless of when you make it!

Toasty Garlic Bread

This is another 'basic but good' post of a recipe I've long followed with very delicious results. It's quick, easy, and goes with pretty much anything!

Laogong Sour Phad Thai

We all have - I hope we do anyways! - that one exotic dish we tried on that one vacation that we dream of spending the rest of our lives eating, but can't because of geography and ecology and all the rest...and then we think, 'Wait! Surely there's a recipe with decent substitutes! I'll try that!' Well, what follows is exactly that, a blend of phad thai 'substitute' recipes.

Spaghetti with Parmesan

If you love pasta and you love parmesan, then this is the recipe for you! It's a simple but delicious working-at-home meal that has featured regularly on my menu since returning to North America at the start of the pandemic. (Parmesan was somewhat more precious a commodity in East and Southeast Asia!) You can of course make this fancier - fry some minced garlic in butter, swap out the cheaper parmesan crumbles for freshly imported and/or grated, et cetera - but that versatility is what has made this a staple in my family. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!