I was stumped on what to make for dinner the other night, but knowing I had leftover asparagus in the fridge that needed to be used, I at least had a starting point. Since we also had frozen bacon, dried pasta and citrus, I decided to toss everything together and turn it into a delicious pasta. The dish was light, flavorful and definitely hit the spot. Pretty sure it has become a new favorite in our house!
Although I don’t have kids yet, I feel like this would be a great dish to try and get your kids to eat vegetables. Sure, it’s pasta, but there is a lot of broccoli in here AKA lots of fiber and protein! The broccoli pesto sauce is full of flavor and perfectly coats the cavatappi noodles. You don’t have to top the pasta with crumbled bacon, but I highly recommend it!
Ever since watching Samin Nosrat’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat on Netflix a few years ago, I’ve wanted to make her Persian-ish rice with tahdig. Although simple ingredient-wise, the process is somewhat intimidating. I decided to give Samin’s recipe a try over the weekend with my mom while visiting home and to our surprise, the rice turned out incredibly fluffy and flavorful, with a perfectly golden and crispy crust. Guess we’ll just call it beginner’s luck?!
Carnitas are my absolute favorite. I order the meat at basically every Mexican restaurant, but when I want to make homemade carnitas, I don’t always have pork shoulder on hand (does anyone?). That’s where these chicken carnitas come in, as I almost always have chicken in the fridge or freezer. The meat is packed with flavor, super moist and perfectly crispy after a few minutes under the broiler. Add the chicken carnitas to tacos, a salad, a burrito bowl – you name it. SO delicious!
Ever since I tried Magnolia Bakery‘s banana pudding 10-plus years ago, I’ve been hooked. If you’ve tasted this dessert, you can understand the obsession. Although there’s a Magnolia Bakery just a few blocks away from where I live, the frequent banana pudding trips were becoming an expensive habit, so that’s where this homemade, copycat version comes in. For roughly $10 (if you shop generic brands), you can make this massive banana pudding trifle and share with friends and family – or just keep the whole thing for yourself. The dessert couldn’t be easier to prepare and aside from the chilling times, comes together super quickly!
Enchiladas have always been my go-to meal. When I’m not sure what to make for dinner and I’m craving Mexican food (which is pretty much 99% of the time), I make enchiladas. These creamy salsa verde chicken enchiladas were some of the best I’ve made in a while. They were even more special because they were made with a jar of Tejano Salsa Verde my brother shipped from his hometown of Dallas, Texas – and apparently you can only buy the salsa in Texas (but I guess there’s always Amazon). The enchiladas can of course be made with any jar of spicy salsa verde, though, so you really can’t go wrong!
Homemade dumplings are like Cheez-Its for me – I literally CAN’T stop eating them. I could easily eat 10-15 dumplings in one sitting and still want to go back for more. These pork dumplings are incredibly juicy and flavorful, and made even more delicious when dunked into some Chinese black vinegar or soy sauce for an extra bite. Although folding the dumplings is somewhat of a tedious process, the end result is completely worth it. If the process seems too daunting, just bring in a couple friends or family to help so you can enjoy the dumplings even sooner!
Over the years, I have become obsessed with Indian food – particularly chicken tikka masala, butter chicken, palak paneer, naan bread, you name it. I’ve been making this recipe from Bon Appetit for years and haven’t felt the need to create my own or find a new recipe because this one is just SO.GOOD. It’s beyond flavorful with just the right amount of spice. Serve alongside some buttery naan and you’re set!
Lately, I can’t get enough of the air fryer. I got the Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid for Christmas and since then, have made French fries, buffalo wings, chicken tenders (you know, all the healthy things), and now these delicious zucchini crisps. Although these took a while to make – since you need to cook in one layer batches and I only have the 6 quart Instant Pot – the crisps were completely worth it. These would make for an amazing appetizer while watching the Super Bowl in a couple weeks!
Every time I visit my favorite Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles, I order the carnitas plate. One time, I asked our server what makes the carnitas so good, and he mentioned that Coca Cola was one of the secret ingredients. Ever since then, I’ve wanted to make carnitas using Coca Cola. Fast forward to last weekend when I made the best carnitas I’ve ever made. The pork is juicy and tender and crisped to perfection once broiled. Squeeze a little lemon juice on top and you’re set! As a side note, I meant to photograph these tacos with lemons instead of limes, but honestly, the carnitas would be delicious with either.