Polenta was one of the first things I learned to make when I took an active interest in cooking, and it was basically everything I could have asked for as a college student: easy, cheesy, inexpensive, and versatile. To this day, it’s still one of my go-to recipes when I want something quick and comforting. ...
ground turkey
Bacon Cheeseburger Gnocchi
This summer has been remarkably busy so far—how is it already mid-July?!—but I’ve been doing my best to make the most of it, especially since it’s the last one I’ll be spending in Michigan (fingers crossed for completing my dissertation this next year!). ...
Three-Cheese Turkey Lasagna
Things have been a little hectic around here lately, as I understand is par for the course when someone in your household is preparing to defend his or her PhD dissertation. The good news? Mr. Cake Pants passed his defense and is now officially Dr. Cake Pants! In the days leading up to (and after) the big day, I’ve been busy supporting him the best way I know how: by cooking and baking all his ...
Jaeger Sloppy Joes
Messaging below is intended for ages 21+ and is intended to be enjoyed responsibly, in moderation. This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BeersAndBuns #CollectiveBias It’s a good thing that I don’t make diet-related New Year’s resolutions, because if I did, I would have broken them about a dozen times in the first week of ...
Italian Tomato Gnocchi Soup
As a kid, I dreaded science fair projects. I liked in-class science experiments just fine, because they always came with carefully articulated directions from start to finish. But coming up with my own idea for an experiment? That was a completely different beast. In seventh grade, I decided to test whether water temperature affected plant growth. ...
Lighter Swedish Meatballs
Swedish meatballs were on my radar (and my plate) long before I ever set foot in an IKEA. My mom got the recipe from her sister-in-law, who has Scandinavian ancestry, and it has been a part of her cooking repertoire for as long as I can remember. It wasn’t until I started living in an apartment and furnishing it with Klobos and Fjellses and Börjes, however, that I realized that my family does ...
BBQ Chipotle Turkey Meatballs
For some reason, I seem to have it in my head that foods like meatballs and meatloaf are particularly time and labor-intensive, and so I seldom make them. In reality, they’re pretty much the easiest thing you can do with ground meat, other than just cooking it up and tossing it into a sauce. In fact, the most involved step of making these BBQ chipotle turkey meatballs is cooking the ...
Hamburger Helper Copycat Pasta
This recipe came about not so much as an accident but as an act of frugality and conservation. A few years ago when I was moving to Michigan, I was trying to ensure that as little as possible went to waste, so after I had packed up everything I could for the movers to take and given away to friends whatever they could use, I was left with a rather random assortment of things and food items. ...