Lunch

So, You Want Chicken Fried Rice Like the Restaurants, Eh? I remember the first time I tried to make chicken fried rice at home. I thought, how hard could it be? Turns out, my rice was mushy, the chicken chewier than gum, and my smoke alarm got a good workout (my dog still is suspicious …

Let's Make Hibachi Fried Rice with Garlic Butter—My Kitchen's Crowd-Pleaser You know that fried rice they make right in front of you at those hibachi grills? The one that makes you want to lick the plate and maybe ask for seconds (or thirds)? Well, I finally caved and tried to make it myself after a …

Let Me Tell You Why This Fried Rice Is a Lifesaver (and a Story or Two) If I had a dollar for every time I’ve made fried rice with veggies and egg, I’d probably have enough spare change for a new spatula (which, come to think of it, I desperately need). This is the dish …

Why I Always Come Back to This Fried Rice So, egg fried rice. You know how some dishes just sort of sneak their way into your weekly routine, and before you know it, you’re making them every other Tuesday because, well, they're easy—and everyone likes them (even the picky one who claims not to like …

Let Me Tell You About These Pita Pizzas… Okay, so picture this: It’s a Tuesday night, my kid’s got soccer, I’ve got laundry, and, true story, the dog just ate my shopping list. I needed dinner fast, but I didn’t want to just throw cereal at everyone (again). That’s when these Tuscan Garlic Chicken Pita …

Let's Chat About This Couscous (Spoiler: It's So Good!) Alright, grab a cuppa and settle in—because I need to tell you about the time I accidentally made this "Whole Wheat Couscous with Roasted Vegetables" three times in one week. My partner still teases me about it! I mean, it's not my fault this stuff's the …

So You Can't Eat Couscous? Welcome to My World You know, I remember the first time someone told me couscous wasn’t actually a gluten-free grain—my jaw basically hit the kitchen tiles. I’d been making these, like, “healthy” salads for ages and serving them at family BBQs, blissfully unaware. My cousin (hi Jamie!) finally set me …

Let Me Tell You About This Street Corn Pasta Salad So, let me set the scene: last summer, I was knee-deep in grilled corn cobs, frantically searching for anything but the usual potato salad for our backyard BBQ. I mean, I do love a good potato salad, but sometimes your taste buds want to go …

Oh, Street Corn Pasta Salad… Let’s Talk About It Okay, so have you ever started making something for a family BBQ and then realized halfway through you’re just throwing in whatever’s left in your fridge? That’s basically how Street Corn Pasta Salad with Creamy Chili Dressing first happened in my kitchen. I won’t lie, the …

Let Me Tell You About This Mushroom Soup (Pull Up a Chair) Alright, here's the deal. Every time the weather dips below what I like to call “British cardigan temperature,” out comes my big soup pot and a big ol’ pile of mushrooms. There's something about making Creamy Mushroom Soup with Garlic and Thyme that …

Let's Talk Cheesy Garlic Chicken Wraps (with Ranch!) Alright, so you know how sometimes you just want something cheesy, garlicky, and a little bit messy? That's basically my whole philosophy in the kitchen, if I'm honest. The first time I tried making these Cheesy Garlic Chicken Wraps with Ranch Sauce, it was a Wednesday (I …

Hey There, Pull Up a Chair You know those days when you just want dinner to basically make itself so you can binge a bit more telly or, let's be honest, finally tackle that laundry mountain? That's when I whip out my slow cooker for French dip sandwiches with au jus sauce. Seriously, this is …

Let Me Tell You About This Pasta (Grab a Seat!) You know, some dishes just sneak up on you and become a staple—and for me, this Italian Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes and Mozzarella is absolutely that dish. I first made it after a long, rainy Tuesday, when all I wanted was something that tasted like …

A Salad That Feels Like Summer (Even If It's Raining) You ever get that craving for something cold and creamy that tastes like every family picnic rolled into one? That's basically how I ended up making this macaroni salad with pickles and creamy mayo dressing the first time. It was one of those humid afternoons, …

How This Watermelon Salad Became My Summer MVP Let me paint you a picture: It’s July, I’m already a bit sunburnt from sitting in the backyard, and I’ve got a watermelon that’s roughly the size of a small dog. What am I supposed to do with all that fruit, right? One summer, my friend Jess …

Let's Talk Goulash: Why This Dish is a Keeper You know that feeling when you get home late, maybe the weather’s gone sideways (and your stomach's already doing its rumble dance), and you just want something that tastes like a hug? That’s when I reach for my trusty goulash recipe. I actually started making this …

If You Need Comfort Food Fast, This Creamy Ricotta Pasta Is It So, picture this: it's one of those days where all my plans fell through—burnt toast for breakfast, forgot my wallet at the store (don't even ask), classic Monday-style chaos. And then I remember this creamy ricotta pasta with fresh herbs and garlic. It’s …

So This Chicken Bowl with Rice and Ranch Drizzle—Here's the Story Okay, so let me set the scene for you: It’s Tuesday, I’ve managed to burn the toast again (how does this keep happening?), and my brain is basically a jumble sale. My daughter strolls in, pokes her head in the fridge, gives me that …

Okay, Let Me Tell You About This Street Corn Salad So, last summer, I got completely obsessed with those elote street corn carts at the fair. You know the type: corn everywhere, mayo on your chin, cheese stuck in your teeth, and zero regrets. Well, one day I decided, why not just make it a …

Let Me Tell You About This Rice (and My Kitchen Disasters) I first tried making Mexican Rice with Tomato and Garlic back when I was a broke uni student living in a flat with, honestly, the worst kitchen. The stove was so wobbly I had to wedge a folded beer mat under one leg just …

Let Me Tell You About Mac and Cheese Stuffed Peppers (And That One Time…) Alright, listen, I've been making some version of these mac and cheese stuffed peppers ever since my little sister tried to "improve" my classic mac by mixing in leftover veggies, which—surprisingly—worked. (Don't tell her I said that.) Anyway, somewhere along the …

So, Here's the Scoop on My Macaroni Salad Obsession Okay, confession time: Classic Macaroni Salad with Boiled Eggs is basically my potluck secret weapon. I think I've tweaked this thing a hundred times—once even when the power went out halfway through boiling the eggs, oops—so what I'm sharing here is the recipe I actually make …

Let Me Tell You About My Lazy Weeknight Go-To Alright, so you know those nights when you open the fridge and everything's just sort of staring back at you? That was exactly how I started making this Veggie Stir-Fry with Brown Rice – Fast and Flavorful recipe. One evening, when I was about this close …

Let Me Tell You About These Turkey Taco Bowls (And How I Ended Up Making Them... A Lot) Alright, story time: I used to think anything with extra veggies would be met with the side-eye of doom (my youngest is a notorious veggie detective). But then, one Wednesday night after a truly boring PTA meeting, …

Alright, So Greek Chicken Bowls Saved My Lunches I have to start by admitting something: I am not a morning person. So, the idea of prepping lunches for a whole week always sounded a bit like a fairy tale to me. But a few months ago, I tried these Greek Chicken Meal Prep Bowls out …

Seriously, Let’s Talk: The Only Way My Kids Eat Veggies Alright, picture this: it’s a Tuesday evening, the laundry’s got its own Everestish ambitions, and I’m standing in the kitchen trying to convince my youngest that carrots are not, in fact, poison. That’s when I started making this hidden veggie mac and cheese. Honestly, it’s …

Let Me Tell You About This Lentil Soup I’ve always said there are two kinds of weeknights: the ones where you want to cook, and the ones where you just want something warm and filling but also kinda healthy (I’m usually in the second camp, especially after a long day at work and my socks …

Just a Chat About These Cheesy Zucchini Fritters If you’d told me a few years ago that I’d be singing the praises of zucchini fritters, I would’ve raised an eyebrow (or both) and asked if you wanted to see my freezer full of frozen waffles instead. But here we are. The first time I whipped …

You Won’t Believe How Fun Muffin Tin Mini Pizzas Are Okay, so you know those random days when you open the fridge and just stare, hoping dinner will magically appear? That's exactly how my muffin tin mini pizza adventures started. I wanted pizza, my kids wanted something “cool,” and honestly, I just didn't want to …

So, Let Me Tell You About These Baked Ziti Cups… This is one of those recipes I stumbled into out of pure desperation. Picture it: I’m running home after a monster shift, the kids are already circling like sharks, and my husband’s got that 'what's-for-dinner?' look. Enter: prep-ahead baked ziti cups. I swear, these little …

Let Me Tell You About My Lunch Miracle If you’d told me a few years ago that my kid (the self-declared anti-sandwich crusader) would not only eat lunch but ask for seconds, I probably would've snorted my coffee. Yet here I am, chatting with you about this no-sandwich bento box with ham & cheese rollups …

Let Me Tell You About These Mini Turkey Meatballs Okay, so—I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve made these Mini Turkey Meatballs more times than I can count. I remember the first batch I made (my youngest was about 19 months old and was in that delightful phase where only beige foods were acceptable). I …

The Bento Box That Actually Gets Eaten Alright, so let me tell you a little secret: I never actually planned on becoming the "bento box parent." I used to think those lunchboxes were just for Pinterest-perfect parents with dinosaur-shaped cookie cutters and way too much free time. But then one morning, out of sheer desperation …

Let Me Tell You Why These Broccoli Cheese Quinoa Bites Are a Lifesaver So, picture this: it’s 4:30pm, I’m tripping over LEGO, my toddler’s wailing for something “yummy” (but not too green), and suddenly these Healthy Broccoli and Cheese Quinoa Bites come to the rescue. Not sure about you, but my afternoons always seem to …

Stir-Fried Thai Pad: Chatting You Through My Favorite Messy Noodle Dinner Okay, so, confession — I didn't even like "Stir-Fried Thai Pad" the first time I tried it. There. I said it. Maybe it's because I attempted it after a long day, noodles overcooked, sauce too salty, toddler underfoot... you get the picture! But then …

Have You Ever Tried Shrimp in a Waldorf Salad? Well, Let Me Tell You… Okay, so I have to start with a confession: the first time I made a Waldorf salad, I accidentally tossed in cooked shrimp because I grabbed the wrong container from the fridge (don’t judge, it was a wild Thursday). Turns out, …

Let Me Tell You About This Wild Strawberry Minestrone Okay, first off, I know what you're thinking: Strawberry minestrone? Has she lost the plot? Trust me, I thought I had too, the first time I threw strawberries into what’s basically a fruit and veggie soup. But one blazing July, my cousin Amy dared me to …

The Story Behind My Chickpea Salad Obsession Okay, full disclosure: I started making this chickpea salad out of pure laziness. You know those days when you just can't be bothered to cook but also don't want another sad sandwich? That was me, ages ago. But here’s the kicker—it actually turned into one of those accidental …

Let's Talk Tuna Salad (And Why I Keep Coming Back to It) Hey! So, you know how some recipes just sort of hang around in your family for years, popping up whenever you need something quick, tasty, and (if we're being honest) requiring almost zero effort? That's what tuna salad is for me. My mom …

So, About This Greek Salad—Let Me Tell You Alright, so this Greek Salad. I’ve been making it since—well, honestly, I can’t remember if it was a uni flat dinner flop or some summer BBQ where I thought I’d impress people with my “international” cooking skills (spoiler: I once used cheddar instead of feta, and my …