Caprese sirloin burgers with balsamic mayo

Almost a month after my birthday, and people are still asking me, "How does it feel to be 30?  Do you feel old?  Or even different?"

I don't know what they're expecting me to say but, based on their reactions, I know it's not this: "Feels good.  Exactly the same!"  Maybe they wanted to hear of my new affinity for "simpler times" and subscription to AARP magazine?

I'm only sort of kidding.

Truthfully, though, what I've seen of 30 so far has been nothing short of outstanding.  And, more importantly, what I've tasted has been outstanding, thanks to one of my birthday gifts -- a meat grinder!

Old Bay summer corn & zucchini chili

Summer vegetable garden abundance?  I've got you covered.

No patch of your own but have a friend whose garden is overflowing, thus supplying you with his/her summer vegetable garden excess?  I've definitely got you covered.

Or, if your growing situation is somewhere in between -- like ours -- I've got you covered, too.

Sally's baked beans

These.baked.beans.

Good gracious, almighty.  I'll get to them in a minute.  But these beans!!!  First things first, though.

Hi, howdy, hey there, friends!  It's been a little while since I posted something new -- cough two months cough -- but I promise this was worth the wait.  I want to thank you for your words of understanding and encouragement.  I've never once viewed blogging as "work" and never want to get to that point.  I cook, photograph, and write because I truly enjoy it.  The past two months were so filled with good stuff (running, baking orders, travel, etc.) that I didn't have time for it all and knew something had to give.  Realizing that my blogging hobby could take an unwanted turn into "obligation" territory, I gave myself a little vacation.

All of that being said, I really, really missed you/this!  I have multiple lists around my office, apartment, and various purses with new ideas to make and share.  In other words, I hope you've worked up an appetite :)

Shepherd's pie burgers

This burger thing isn't going away.  Neither quietly fading into the background nor stepping aside for something shiny and new to take its place.

Instead, it's craning its neck, waving its hand around like the class know-it-all, and yelling, "Pick me!  Me!  I know the answer!"

Confession: I was that know-it-all.  I also had thick plastic-rimmed glasses.  I'm proud of none of these things.

I don't know what's come over my appetite with these burger cravings... in winter, no less.  Is it some screwed up subconscious longing for the summer grilling season?  I doubt it, though I suppose it's possible.

Salsa burgers with guacamole

Can I tell you something?

I'm in the throes of a major burger kick.

For the past few weeks, I've been craving meat like more than I can ever remember.  Wherever we go, I'm scanning the menu for a steak or a burger.  Doesn't have to be beef necessarily, but it's gotta be sizable and cooked just right.

I've wracked my brain as to what could've triggered this, and the only real change is that I've been running more.  A lot more, to be exact.  But I would've guessed my cravings would be for pasta, breads, and spaghetti sandwiches.  Not so, apparently.  My muscles want protein.

Cheese-stuffed cocktail meatballs

Whew, good morning, icicles!   It is fah-reez-ing here in Pittsburgh, and I'm so thankful I don't have any reason to step one (or both) of my feet outside in the foreseeable future.

I won't mind being cooped up inside this week since I was able to get out and enjoy lots of time with friends this weekend.  Dessert and dinner dates, chick flicks and baking, and discussing spring and summer vacations.  It was so much fun!  But, I was happy when Sunday night rolled around because that meant Matt returned from his weekend visiting his folks.  I missed the guy!

I also missed his man-ppetite -- that's "man's appetite" FYI.  I was working on new recipes for Super Bowl Sunday and desperately wanted a guinea pig.

Fast Friday: Bistecca alla Pizzaiola (steaks pizza style)

It's Friday!  And, on this fabulous Friday, I approach you sheepishly and ask for your forgiveness.

For what?

For keeping this recipe from you for much too long.

I could say it was an accident.  That I didn't plan on hoarding this recipe.  That I did everything in my power to share this deliciousness with you, come Hell or high water.  But my silence was very much intentional.

When I first made this, it seemed too simple to warrant an official recipe and proper blog post.  Sure was delicious and knocked our socks off, though.

Orange balsamic slow cooker roast

My husband will eat almost anything I make, from the dainty to the exotic and hard to pronounce.  His is an appetite that's very easy to please.  But, when push comes to shove, his appetite is easily satisfied.  When I ask what he wants for dinner, his response is simple and predictable: "Beef and potatoes."

How terribly unoriginal and stereotypically male, right?

Let's be clear about one thing: I love beef.  Love love love it!  There's nothing like it.  No amount of salmon in the world can satisfy me when I'm craving beef.  That's easy to see considering the umpteen recipes featuring ground beef that I've posted over the years.  Sandwiches, lasagna, sauces, meatballs and meatloaves!

Personally, I prefer to eat my beef in the form of a burger.  It's no coincidence that burgers come with fluffy rolls, sauce, and usually cheese.  Always cheese, in my case. I'll take a burger over a steak any day of the week.

Beef & butternut squash stew

I first posted this recipe nearly two years ago in 2010 when I was a) new to butternut squash, and b) new-ish to food photography.  To this day, it remains one of my favorite soups/stews.  I made it recently and decided you lovely folks deserved some updated pictures and a reminder of a delicious recipe to add to your dinner menu this week.  Bon appetit!

Here's (most of) the original post and how to make it:

...the sun has gone, and the clouds are here.  Late October cool rains are perfect for cozy foods.  You know, the kind that makes you want to literally hug your knees to your chest and pull a steaming bowl of something close to you.  This is exactly what happened last week when I wrapped my hands around a cup of this stew.

There's a saying that suggests making lemonade when life hands you lemons.  I'd like to submit a revision -- when your friend gives you an unwanted (due to excess) butternut squash from her latest CSA pick-up, you make stew.  (Thanks, L!)

Mini apple bacon meatloaves

My brain and calendar say it's Wednesday, but my heart and stomach are still in weekend-mode.  That's what happens when you have too much fun.  Shame on me.

We kicked things off with homemade pizza and TV catch-up on Friday.  On Sunday, Matt and I went on a lunch date and visited the Heinz History Center.  But Saturday was so much fun that I still can't handle it.  We spent the day celebrating my sister's birthday, starting with a visit to Soergel's Orchards.

There were oodles of pumpkins, delicious BBQ, warm homemade doughnuts, and so, so many apples.  We brought all of them home with us.

Just kidding.  We only brought half of all of the apples home.

Italian meatball soup

We're barely a few days into fall, and I've already embraced one of my favorite cool weather traditions: soup Sundays.

(Actually, I brought it back over 3 weeks ago with a batch of my favorite chili because I couldn't wait any longer.  Try to act surprised.)

I love lazy Sunday afternoons.  Open windows inviting a crisp breeze into the apartment.  TV alternating between football and the movie du jour on Comedy Central while folding laundry.  Oh, and did I mention the sweatpants?  Lurve the sweatpants.

It's all enough to make you want to push the "Pause" button and linger in those moments for the next week.  Especially when everything is perfumed by the most fantastic aromas coming from something simmering over the kitchen stove.  Cozy, thy definition is quite simply "autumn."

Sloppy Joes

If you've ever hosted friends or family for dinner, you've most likely put some time and effort into planning the menu.

Early in my cooking life (which is later in my real life, relatively speaking) I thought the way to my guests' hearts and stomachs was with fancy food: marbled steaks, roast chickens, and any dish whose name contained foreign words.  "Au gratin" this and thing-I-had-to-Google-in-order-to-pronounce that.  The name of the game was to impress.

Turns out that same game had other names like "uncertain new recipe" and "expensive and difficult to find ingredients" and "sweating bullets when guests arrive." 

Fortunately, there were never any true meltdowns or burned dinners that required a call to Domino's.  The food was good, conversation enjoyable, and the evenings pleasant.  What more could you ask for?

Deconstructed reuben salad (round 2 recipe)

Fellas, pay attention.  I've got a salad that's right up your alley.  It's got beef and cheese!

(Ladies, you'll love this, too, but your attention span is much longer and the word "salad" won't scare you off.)

Yesterday, I shared with you my first experience with roasted cabbage.  It was cheap, sweet and garlic-y, and utterly delicious!

But there were leftovers.  As much as I wanted to polish off the rest of the wedges, cabbage is fill-ing, with a capital F.  I'm already at a slight disadvantage being petite and having the stomach capacity to match, and there was no way I could eat 1/2 of a green cabbage.

Half of a cake or a quart of ice cream?  Absolutely.  Cake is really half air, and there's always room for ice cream.

Lighter old fashioned meatloaf

Springtime Summertime seems to be in full swing around these parts, and I'm totally on board!  The will-it-or-won't-it weather of spring is not my jam, so I'm loving these super sunny and nearly-hot days of the past week plus.

This weekend, Matt planted cherry tomato seedlings and transferred the flourishing basil to bigger pots.  I'm so, so, soooooooooooo excited to devour the fruits of his labor.  Homemade pesto!  Fresh salsa!  Basil cookies!  And, my oh my, caprese salads.  I could legitimately eat the classic combination of tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella every day for the entire summer.  I love it!

Alas, it isn't yet technically summer for another month, and those little seedlings aren't ready to feed us.  But my appetite has switched over to summer mode, and I'm craving fresher dinners.  Like meatloaf!

Blue cheese and onion meatballs

I recently finished reading The Happiness Project and absolutely loved it and have talked it up to anyone who would listen.  I've described it as Eat, Pray, Love within the context of a normal life and without a lump sum of money to ditch everyday responsibilities and run off to exotic places.

Gretchen's book was engaging and insightful without being preachy or soapbox-y.  And I basically loved the author and her type-A self and want to have dinner with her ASAP.  I found myself laughing out loud while dog-earing pages at the same time.

I eventually flattened out those dog-ears and, instead, made photocopies of those pages I wanted to keep for one reason or another. Some copies were of two page ideas while others were to highlight a simple phrase.  This is possibly my favorite bit of happiness advice from the entire book:

"What do you think about when you're sitting on the toilet?  Because that's what you WANT to think about."

Or, modified slightly, what do you think about when you're in the shower?  Because that's what you WANT to think about. 

Fast Friday: Steaks with blue cheese onion sauce

Whoomp, there it is!  "It" being Friday.  Nothing like some old school Jock Jams to pump you up and get you excited for the weekend!

But, really, you don't even need Jock Jams to get your blood flowing.  You need only look at these pictures, knowing this was BY FAR the best dish I've ever made.  Like, ever ever ever.  Take that, T. Swift.

Grilled steaks with blue cheese onion sauce.  Swoon!  Be still my fluttering heart and longing taste buds.

Slow cooker lasagna

It's sizzlin' slow cooker February 'round these parts, in case you haven't heard!

And, though I'm only two recipes in, I've got a secret to share with you: I'm falling head over heels in love with my Crock Pot all over again.  I totally did not see this coming!

What's not a secret is how much I love to cook.  It's such an important part of my evening routine.  Cooking dinner gives me a chance to work with my hands, create something something delicious, and step away from everything else in my life for a little while.

But, as I noticed last week, everything else in my life seems to be requiring a little more of me lately.  "Pay attention to me!" scream the overflowing laundry basket, still-ailing desktop computer, and pile of W-2s and other tax materials.

In other words, the annoying adult stuff is being super immature and throwing a fit, drowning out the pleasant chirping of the fun stuff ("Pay attention to me!  I'm fun!").  Not cool, adult stuff, not cool.

Easiest Sunday beef stew

Hey, I like you!  I like you a lot. :)

So, it pains me to say that I'm really sorry to do this to you.  I'm about to confuse the heck out of ya by raving about the most delicious and utterly simple stew.

Ready to be befuddled?  It's called Sunday beef stew.  But, I made it on a Monday.  And today is Thursday.  So, really, there's nothing Sunday about this stew matter.

Maybe we can learn something from my terrible timing.  I've always thought of myself as an optimist.  A positive thinker.  A "hey, let's find the silver lining somewhere... seriously, it's gotta be here" kind of gal.  So let's see if we can't turn this negative Nancy situation upside down.

Sneaky easy baked ravioli

Semi-homemade!  Totally unscripted!  Or, as I like to call it, Wednesday's surprisingly really, really awesome dinner.

(Public Service Announcement: I might get a little italic and bold happy with this recipe.  It was just so unbelievably good and, you know, since you couldn't be here to taste it, I've got to convey that to you somehow.  My apologies if anything other than normal font offends you.)

Okay, so it wasn't that much of a surprise that Matt and I both loved the heck out of this dish because we also loved every single ingredient that went into it!  As Joey would say: "Tomatoes - good.  Beef - good.  Ravioli - good.  Cheese - good."

Don't worry -- there were no lady fingers or jam in sight.

My all-time favorite three bean & beef chili with Fritos

Everyone's got one.

A guilty pleasure TV show?  Gossip Girl.  Hands down.

A way to distract one from eating the entire pre-Halloween stash of candy?  Knitting.  Yes, knitting.

A morning routine at work before getting down to business?  Log in, get water, check Gmail, and check CNN People.com.  Don't judge me, please.  I get my "real" news during breakfast from Good Morning America.

But, I digress.  If you are much less superficial than I am or just as much so but don't openly admit it, I bet you can agree with this next one:

Everyone's got a favorite chili recipe.

One that you know like the back of your hand.  One that will cure whatever ails you, be it the first cold of the season or simply an intense hungry for a delicious hearty meal.  And one that you are proud to serve to anyone who comes a'knockin'.

I live for chili that's that good.  Don't you?