Lunch

Let Me Tell You About Bow Tie Pasta Salad Okay, so grab a chair and let me ramble a bit. You know that one dish that always lands on your table in summer, no matter what you intended to cook? For me, it’s Bow Tie Pasta Salad. I started making this in college because someone …

The Story Behind My Obsession With This Pasta Salad You ever have one of those recipes that sort of sneaks up on you, then—bam!—becomes the thing you're randomly craving even when it's snowing out? That’s this Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad for me. I made it first on a sticky July afternoon, sweating buckets in …

First Things First: Why Big Mac Pasta Salad? Okay, so the first time I made this Big Mac Pasta Salad was because I'd promised to bring something “fun and not just another potato salad” to my cousin Mark’s backyard BBQ. (Let me tell you, Mark is not easily impressed, and last time my pasta salad …

I can't even count how many times I've made Ditalini Pasta Salad—it sort of sneaks onto our table almost every summer weekend. The first time was actually a total fluke; I'd run out of elbow macaroni and my neighbor (hey, Karen!) gave me a box of ditalini. That little switch just stuck. For some reason, …

Let's Talk Macaroni Salad (and Why I Make This All the Time) So, macaroni salad—it’s basically my summer side dish soulmate. I’ve been making some version of this since I was about thirteen, which mostly involved overcooking the pasta and “taste testing” half the dressing, but hey, practice makes, uh, better. This recipe is honestly …

Zesty Simple Dill Pickle Pasta Salad for Summer Fun Alright, friend, let me tell you about the all-star of my summer BBQ table for the last, what, five summers running? This zesty dill pickle pasta salad. I stumbled onto it last July when we got a bumper crop of dill in the garden (honestly, what …

Okay, so creamy pasta salad. If you’ve ever found yourself poking at a sad, gloopy version at some family potluck, trust me: this one’s better. I started making it because—here comes the nostalgia—my mum used to toss together some mystery combo every summer weekend. It was always a little different, and occasionally she'd go heavy …

Alright, Let's Dive Into My Go-To Creamy Pasta Salad Okay, so I have to tell you—this creamy pasta salad has been at just about every family BBQ I've ever hosted. Actually, one time I forgot to make it, and—no joke—my cousin still brings it up years later. So now it's just my summer ritual, right …

Let Me Tell You About Dill Pickle Bacon Pasta Salad Alright, friend—picture this: it's a hot summer day, you're at a backyard barbecue, and suddenly you spot that bowl. The one with spiraled pasta sticking out every which way, bacon poking through, and hints of dill like a green confetti explosion. Yup, that's the Dill …

If You Want a Story with Your Salad... So, the first time I tried making Gordon Ramsay's macaroni salad, I was aiming to impress my brother (he’s a Caesar salad loyalist, so the bar was high). Actually, to tell the truth, he ended up scraping the bowl and asking if I’d "accidentally" made extra. There’s …

Let Me Tell You About My Summer Panzanella Salad (and a Little Mishap!) Okay, so this Summer Panzanella Salad is basically my kitchen love letter to August. I first made it one sweltering July when my friend dropped off a sack of borderline-feral tomatoes from her garden — you know the kind, they're half-sunburned but …

Let’s Talk About This “Greek Orzo Pasta Salad” Thing You know those recipes that just refuse to leave your weekly meal rotation, even when you try to move on? Yeah, Greek Orzo Pasta Salad is mine. First made it on a whim (it was one of those what’s-left-in-the-fridge situations), and now my friends won’t shut …

Alright, first things first: I started making this Cottage Cheese & Chickpea Salad Bowl recipe on a random Tuesday when I realized my fridge had, among other slightly-sad items, cottage cheese, a can of chickpeas, and, for some reason, three half-used cucumbers (don't ask). It was one of those days you want real food, but …

Have You Ever Thrown Blueberries in a Salad? So, I first made this Blueberry Pistachio Spring Salad after finding a half-empty bag of pistachios I'd forgotten at the back of my baking cupboard (the fancy salted ones my aunt thinks are only for holidays). Anyway, I got inspired, tossed in blueberries—because what else can you …

Let Me Tell You About This Chickpea Feta Avocado Salad Okay so you know how sometimes you open the fridge and try to manifest a meal out of leftovers and here's a wobbly cucumber and there are half a dozen cans of chickpeas judging you from the cupboard? That's honestly how this Chickpea Feta Avocado …

Alright, Let's Talk Coleslaw (The Not-Boring Kind) You know, when folks say 'coleslaw,' some people picture that soggy, sad stuff in plastic tubs under the grocery store lights. Not in my kitchen. This here Bold Flavor-Packed Coleslaw Recipe is the one my kids call 'the zingy slaw' and my friends sneak extra servings of before …

Pull Up a Chair for This Crunchy Strawberry Romaine Feta Salad Alright, I have to start by admitting that I once made this salad for a Sunday picnic, thinking there'd be leftovers for lunch on Monday. Rookie mistake. Between my kids, my neighbor Ruth (she showed up magically right when I started chopping strawberries; does …

Hey, You Hungry? Let's Talk About This Tasty Salad Bowl You ever have one of those days when you open the fridge and just sigh? Yeah, me too. This Cottage Cheese & Chickpea Salad Bowl was born on one of those days: standing in my kitchen, hungry, and desperate not to just eat toast again …

Let Me Tell You Why I Can't Stop Making This Salad If you're anything like me, your best memories are half about the food you were eating at the time (the other half is probably bad karaoke, but let's not go there). This dill pickle bacon pasta salad made its debut at our annual family …

Let's Chat About Cucumber Feta Salad Alright, pull up a chair. I have to tell you: I basically live on salads once spring rolls around, but this Cucumber Feta salad? It's the one I make when it's too flipping hot to even blink, let alone turn on the oven. Honestly, it reminds me of those …

French Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwich: My Comfort Food (With a Side of Rambling) Okay, so picture this—rainy Tuesday evening, kids grumbling, me debating whether to order pizza again or finally use up that loaf of sourdough glaring at me from the counter. That’s usually when French Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwiches come to the rescue. The …

So, Here's Why I Keep Coming Back to These Pancakes I remember the first time I tried to make crispy cabbage pancakes—I had too many cabbages rolling around in the fridge, a couple of kids whining about being hungry, and nowhere near enough time (or energy!) for anything fancy. That night, I just started shredding, …

The Salad I Can’t Stop Making (No Matter the Season) If you grew up around American potluck tables like I did, then you probably met Mandarin Orange Salad years ago—if not, boy are you in for something joyful! This is one of those salads I bring out for any last-minute BBQ invite or when I …

The Tale of My Caesar Salad Adventures Alright, let me tell you—this Caesar Salad recipe has been through the wringer at my house. I first tried it after completely botching store-bought dressing on a hot summer day (never again; that stuff somehow tasted like old gym socks). But then, my aunt showed me the ropes, …

Just Let Me Tell You About This Crunchy Wonder Okay, so here's the scene: it’s July, the kitchen’s hotter than a jalopy with no A/C, and my kids are whining for something “cold but not boring.” Enter cabbage and cucumber salad with dill – seriously, my go-to. (True story: my uncle once called this "rabbit …

Let Me Tell You About These Sliders (And My Odd Dishwasher Timing) You know, whenever I make these melty ham cheese sliders, I honestly end up thinking back to that one Friday lunch when my nephew swiped three in a row (he claimed it's because they're 'gobble-able', but really I think it was just the …

Let Me Tell You About This Toasty, Melty Sandwich... So, the first time I made this pear & apple grilled cheese with caramelized onions, it was basically out of desperation (read: I had pears that were about to go all mush and half an apple nobody wanted). I'd just finished a long day, socks still …

Sneaking Veggies and Cheese: Why I Love This Soup Alright, confession time. The first time I tasted Panera’s broccoli cheddar soup, I was halfway through a long Saturday of errands and honestly, just needed something cozy (and, let’s be real, something I could eat one-handed in the car). Ever since, I’ve been slightly obsessed, so …

So Here’s the Story—How I Became a Grinder Devotee Maybe it's nostalgia, maybe I'm just a sucker for crunchy lettuce and a mountain of meats—you decide. Anyway, the first time I saw the Italian Grinder salad sandwich floating around on TikTok, I didn't really get the hype. Salads ON a sandwich? (I know Italians probably …

So, Street Corn Pasta Salad? Here’s How I Ended Up Making It I can’t remember who first suggested smushing together street corn and pasta salad, but hats off to whoever did! The first time I made this, my cousin Julia had brought way too many ears of sweet corn to a backyard BBQ, and I …

Oh, the Cozy Chaos of This Fall Pasta Salad You know those afternoons when the wind smells like cinnamon and woodsmoke (or, let's be honest, someone burning leaves down the block), and you just want something that feels like a hug but isn’t another soup? That’s when I make this Fall Pasta Salad with Butternut …

This Feta & Cranberry Penne Salad Has a Quirk or Two So, story time. The first time I tried this Feta & Cranberry Penne Salad with Orange Vinaigrette, I accidentally used grapefruit juice instead of orange (don't ask, I was in a rush and the labels were tiny), and my husband made that face he …

The Time I Fell in Love with Thai Fried Chicken Sandwiches If I had a dollar for every time I’ve stood in my kitchen, crumb-covered and mid-chicken flip, daydreaming about a vacation in Bangkok—I’d probably still be making my own sandwiches at home. My introduction to this glorious mashup came from a street vendor in …

Oh, This Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Salad...Let Me Tell You! Alright, I’ll be straight with you—this Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Salad came to the rescue one Tuesday when I was staring at way too many half-used jars of sundried tomatoes and leftover rotisserie chicken. You ever have one of those weeks where the fridge feels like a …

Have You Ever Made Gnocchi Like This? If you’d told college-me I'd be craving crispy gnocchi with spinach and feta as an adult, I’d have probably given you a funny look. But here we are! This dish honestly started as one of those throw-together “what’s left in the fridge” experiments on a rainy Thursday evening …

Pull Up a Chair: My Stewed Great Northern Beans with Kale and Tomatoes I have a confession: I make this stew every time I want to feel a little bit clever in the kitchen, but also deeply lazy. You know those days when you dig around your pantry and realize the only thing more abundant …

Let's Talk Cabbage Roll Soup (Trust Me, It's Easier Than Actual Rolls!) This Cabbage Roll Soup is one of those recipes that happened in my kitchen not because I'm clever—but because I'm lazy (or smart? I'll let you decide). See, there's this memory I have of making actual cabbage rolls with my grandmother (and wow, …

Let Me Tell You About My Street Corn Pasta Salad Obsession You know how people say, “Oh, I just whipped this up” at parties? Yeah, that’s my Street Corn Pasta Salad. I started making it after our neighbor’s Fourth of July bash, mostly out of jealousy (okay, I said it). Their “secret” was store-bought everything. …

Let's Chat Mushrooms, Shall We? Okay, confession time: I used to think making mushroom soup from scratch was like, advanced wizardry or something. My mum always made it from a tin (no shame there) but one rainy Tuesday I thought, what if I just tried making it myself? Turns out, it’s honestly not much harder …

Let Me Tell You About This Spicy Chicken Sandwich Okay, so here's the deal—I’m not always what you’d call a sandwich person (give me a roast dinner most days), but this spicy chicken sandwich with my not-so-secret, creamy homemade sauce? It's basically become the bribe I use to get my kids to help unload the …