Typically, the outer skin is forest green, though some varieties are sunset orange or red as well. My friend Kori gave me a kabocha squash this week, a big beautiful red one she grew in her garden. I had seen several peeking under the mess of sprawling vines and squash leaves when I visited her a while back. They were already red, but not quite ready to pick. Apparently, you have to wait for the vine to almost completely die back before picking the squash....

And they’re right. Bitter greens especially—kale, collard greens, mustard greens, etc. They’re good for you, packed with vitamins, and they help digestion. That said, frankly I never knew what to do with them until I started learning how to cook from my parents. Now I can’t get enough of them! Usually we offset the bitter with bacon. But you can also use nuts to provide balance. With this simple and easy side of sautéed kale I’ve added toasted cashews....

Thank goodness! We still eat fish almost every Friday (old habits die hard) and are always looking for new ideas to cook with the fresh fish we find at the market. Here is a recipe for petrale sole (a Pacific flounder) that is served with a quick sauce made with shallots, white wine, and butter. You could use this sauce over any mild fish fillet. Do you have a preferred way of preparing sole fillets?...

Until I started making them about a year ago, I didn’t realize how easy they were to cook at home! How To Make Scallion Pancakes To make the pancakes, all you need are four basic ingredients: flour, hot (boiling) water, scallions, and salt. The hot water makes the pancakes easier to flatten, especially during the first rollout. I tried this recipe with room temperature water, and the dough shrank back constantly....

What makes this sheet pan chicken thighs and potatoes recipe great What is not to love about this quick one-pan chicken and potatoes dinner? You put the marinated chicken and seasoned potatoes in a pan and let the oven do the rest of the job for you. I feel the same way about one-pot meals too like my popular one-pot rice and chicken recipe. You don’t need to marinate the chicken except if you have time and would prefer it....

Here’s where it gets interesting. Instead of just squeezing some lemon juice over the pasta, or grating lemon zest, we are sautéing thin slices of lemon until they are well browned and caramelized. Those sautéed lemons slices get minced and added to everything else. The browned lemon bits bring zippy bursts of roasted lemony flavor to the dish, providing a wonderful accent to the shrimp, spinach, and linguine. Try it, you’ll see!...

This is a quick dinner idea that’s based on using what you’ve got – so feel free to customise! Chicken Spaghetti I’ve affectionately dubbed this pasta as a Sicilian Chicken Spaghetti for no other reason than to add a little za za zoom to what is actually a very simple pasta made with pantry staples, but is nevertheless can’t-stop-slurping-it-good. It’s a basic tomato garlic pasta sauce, but it gets a flavour boost from a few little things: EFFORTLESS – This chicken pasta calls for little more than opening cans and jars, and pressing garlic through a crusher!...

Great produce is still coming into season in October. Keep an eye out in your food markets for corn, broccoli, cabbage, and kale this month! New to Meal Planning? Start here! Need More Meal Planning Ideas? We Have You Covered! 

Slow Cookers are one of our favorite tools for cooking pulled pork. We love how you can just dump everything in and leave it to do all of the work. Not to mention, there are so many variations for slow cooker pulled pork! This honey-chipotle sauce is our absolute favorite. The chipotle brings both a heat and smokiness to balance out the sweet of the honey. Add in some garlic and other seasonings and you have a finger-licking barbecue sauce....

Hearty, chunky, healthy, totally delicious! Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken Soup This is a soup that is particularly fantastic to make in the slow cooker. Cooking it low and slow lets the chicken breast cook gently until it’s tender and shreddable, the beans and corn absorb the heavenly spice flavours in the Mexican flavoured soup broth, and the tomatoes break down to thicken the soup. After tossing the shredded chicken back in, there’s nothing required to be done to finish it off before serving other than grabbing a few toppings....

Today we are recreating one of our favorite appetizers, slow cooker style. We love our original cheesy spinach artichoke dip, but everyone loves slow cookers. They allow us to easily throw it all together while the slow cooker does the work to make something delicious. The mistake that can be made here is that not everything was meant for the slow cooker, and sometimes you just have to get by the old fashioned way....

Yellow BBQ Sauce? Not all barbecue sauces are red. In fact, one of my favorites comes from South Carolina, and is a bright yellow, mustard-based sauce that is every bit as delicious as a vinegar or tomato-based sauce. Yes, I know such things are blasphemy in the Barbecue Belt, where your local style of BBQ is the only true one. Fortunately, I am from New Jersey, where we don’t really have an indigenous barbecue....

And although not quite the same, it closely mimics the experience of eating the original dish. Ingredients You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty meal. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here’s an overview of what you’ll need: I certainly knew I was going to have to find a replacement for pasta - one of my all-time favorite things to eat (and I know I’m not the only one!...

You can use whatever fish you like and have on hand - I like to mix cod and salmon. This truly easy recipe is ready in just 30 minutes! This delicious stew is so very flavorful. And although quite spicy, the heat does not overwhelm the dish. Rather, the seasonings allow the delicate flavor of the fish to shine through. It’s a fun recipe to make because you can use whatever fish you like and enjoy....

Ready in about 20 minutes, it’s as easy as it is delicious. Even the leftovers are good! Ingredients You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make this spinach and eggs scramble. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here’s an overview of what you’ll need: Today I just decided to go ahead and publish it. It’s so good, I don’t want you guys to miss out!...

Love pasta? Why not try my creamy cajun chicken pasta, pink sauce pasta, or vegetable pasta bake? Spinach and ricotta pasta recipe I love all things pasta especially when it uses a handful of ingredients and is quick to make. Today’s recipe is so simple to make and sinfully creamy, one would think tossing pasta in ricotta could end up dry, not this one, the addition of milk and pasta water helps to emulsify the ricotta....

So today, I’m excited to share my tips and tricks to ensure you always have truly superior oatmeal at your breakfast table. Steel-Cut Oats Make the Best Oatmeal In my cookbook Whole Grain Mornings, I talk about oatmeal and the importance of choosing the right oats. Occasionally marketed as Irish or Scottish oats, steel cut oats are made when the whole oat groat is chopped into tiny pieces. These are my favorite oats to use for oatmeal as they yield a toothsome, chewy texture and don’t break down like other oats when cooked....

The Best Strawberries for This Jam Though I envisioned this recipe for those glorious days when you come home from the u-pick farm with a flat of dead-ripe strawberries, don’t feel limited to making this in the thick of strawberry season. Grocery store berries will work fine. Frozen strawberries should be okay in this recipe. Let them thaw most of the way first. How to Make Strawberry Jam Without Adding Pectin Pectin is a big deal when it comes to jam....

“This is how you justify having dessert for breakfast…” The problem with these Strawberry Nutella French Toast Roll Ups is that they are way too easy to make. Because frankly, let’s not kid ourselves, these are not a normal breakfast by any stretch of the imagination. I made these in the morning to take photos and as I munched on them afterwards, all I could think was “damn, these are the best doughnuts ever”....

Sugared Pecans Are Dangerously Snackable! The only problem? They are so snackable. A friend of mine made me promise not to bring any over to her; the last batch that came her way never made it to her kids! Muchas gracias to Heidi H. for the recipe. Love Pecans? Try These Other Recipes! Pecan Pie Pecan Pralines Sweet Potato Pie with Pecan Topping Pecan Pie Bars Caramelized Pecan Tart How Long Do Sugared Pecans Last?...