Creamy Basil Polenta with Roasted Tomatoes

I have been on the lookout for polenta based recipes and having been pinning and saving them left and right.  This one touted its ease and deliciousness and I thought I would give it a try on this perfect fall day in Chicago.  The roasted garlic and tomatoes have filled my house with amazing smells in addition to the combination of polenta, parmesan cheese and basil simmering on the stove top.  Today marks the first day of “going dark” with my nail polish for the season…bring on the dark reds, greys, deep purples and blacks!  Gotta love fall!

Roasted & Stuffed Acorn Squash

Columbus Day = no work!!  With this great gift of a three day weekend after coming off a month of travel,  I am putting it to great use…cooking, exercising, cleaning, prepping for fall, and yes, catching up on all the fall shows I keep missing during the week (gotta love Scandal and Quantico!).  After a 6 mile walk through Chicago and along the waterfront this morning, I decided to keep up the clean and healthy eating by making this acorn squash recipe I stumbled upon.  I loved that it was a full meal, vs just eating the squash as a side dish.  It is very filling and scrumptious!

Poached Eggs with White Cheddar and Tomatoes

Continuing on my weekend of home cooking, I decided to test out my new egg poachers.  Poaching eggs is something I have never been able to do on my own.  Last weekend, my girlfriends and I did a weekend trip up to the Kohler Spa in Wisconsin (so fab!).  On the way back to Chicago, we stopped for a quick power shop at the outlets and I picked up a pair of Poachpods hoping they would help me master this tasty style of egg (I love runny yolk!).  It was super easy and they turned out amazing!  This recipe was thrown together with what I had in my fridge and it was super tasty.  Enjoy!

Lemony Kale & White Bean Soup

Ten states, one month = exhausted!  After a whirlwind month of traveling for both work and pleasure, I am worn out, home sick, and wanting to get back into my normal eating routine.  Traveling can definitely expose you to amazing food, but after a month straight it takes a toll.  One of the few days I was in Chicago, I picked up some soup at Hannah’s Bretzel and was inspired to make it.  I stumbled onto this recipe on a blog that I have made many dishes from.  It is amazing how cathartic a perfect fall day in Chicago can be…picking up mums, pumpkins and squash to get in the fall spirit and doing some good old home cooking.  This soup has a scrumptious blend of flavors that are perfect for a fall day.

Ratatouille Polenta Bake

Earlier this year some of the girls I work with and I decided to start having a girls night dinner every other month that rotated houses.  Each person could show off their amazing cooking skills while we kicked back, relaxed and had a fun night decompressing after work while drinking a glass, or two, of wine.  It’s nights like these that I just love.  And, the best part about it is new recipes! This one comes from Kate Saletta and is a staple in her family.  I loved the combination of polenta and cheesy veggies! 

Vegetarian Crockpot Stuffed Peppers

Mexican is always one of my favorites and this is one of the best stuffed pepper recipes I have tried.  It has a great blend of spices, making it super flavorful and hearty enough with the rice and beans to be filling.  I loved the slight crisp of the onion and sweetness from the pepper.  And, if you have rice leftovers from dinner a previous night, it makes the cook time much quicker. 

Spicy Stewed Beef with Creamy Cheddar Grits

Maybe it’s because I am been feeling a bit run down recently, but I have been listening to a lot of country music, trying to feel connected back to my roots.  With this it got me researching a lot of southern comfort food recipes.  We all know the classic shrimp and grits (which I LOVE), but I came across this beef and grits recipe and was so intrigued by the combination of tastes that I knew I needed to make it.  With a long Memorial Day weekend ahead, I knew it was the perfect time to relax, disconnect and do some good home cookin’.

Now, I will say that you need to be a lover of spice because this is definitely spicy!  But the balance of the creamy cheddar grits and the spicy beef is pretty great! Enjoy!

Rosemary and Sea Salt Sweet Potato Chips

This week’s recipe was inspired by the fact that I had one sweet potato in the fridge and I needed to use it before it went bad.  Additionally I didn’t really have much else in ways of ingredients, so I had to be crafty.  Thankfully I stumbled across this recipe that turned out pretty awesome!  Such a great way to satisfy a craving. Enjoy!

Cuban Sliders

Whenever I see Cuban sandwiches, I think of my sister.  She loves Cuban sandwiches!  A few weeks ago my Dad was in town and we found a great Cuban restaurant as we were driving around the city.  I got a little inspired and started looking up recipes.  I know this isn’t a traditional Cuban, but any sandwich in the form of a slider makes everything a little better.  This recipe is definitely a keeper and so easy.

Blueberry Greek Yogurt Cake

62 degrees and sunny…Chicagoans have their fingers and toes crossed that spring is here to stay!  After a long walk this morning (who am I kidding…probably another one this afternoon because it's so nice) I got an itch to make something I have been waiting for warmer weather to make…for some reason blueberries aren’t very ‘wintery’ to me. This is super easy to whip up…a GREAT idea for an Easter brunch or baby/bridal shower! 

Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

Southern girl, southern biscuits…do I need to say more?  I set out to try and master the art of making classic southern biscuits and this was my first try.  I think they turned out pretty darn good, but I definitely need to keep practicing.  I have learned the key is in how cold you keep the butter and dough (along with the fact that I really need a rolling pin as I don’t have one – crazy!) as well as how many layers you make (this creates the flakeyness).  I paired these up with two things…honey butter (put a little elbow grease in and mix some butter and honey – so good!) and blackberry jam.  I think I could eat biscuits everyday…did I say I was from the south?!?

Creamy Vodka Pasta Sauce

 One of my fond memories from college was serving on my sorority’s executive board.  Despite being a while ago this blog recipe was inspired by a memory from that time.  While on the Exec Board we would occasionally invite fraternity exec boards over to discuss upcoming events and we would cook dinner.  One of those times we made a vodka pasta sauce that I absolutely loved.  Unfortunately I never got ahold of that recipe, but I decided to  try my hand at making it this weekend.  It was super easy and turned out just the way I like it!  The alcohol in the vodka burns off and it leave the sauce with a great little zing to it.  Enjoy!