Green chicken enchiladas

I don’t know about you, but ever since I started working from home, I’m spending way more time in the kitchen.

Without commenting on how long I ACTUALLY spend in the kitchen on a daily basis, the number of minutes has definitely increased. Because, for me, one of the big perks about having to work from home during this time of isolation is that I have more time to food prep. When I’m working at the office or out at a client site, I get home much later in the day, and generally won’t come home until I’m completely done with work for the day. But when I’m working from home, I can take a pause during the day, prep some ingredients, throw dinner in the oven, and then finish up another hour of work while it bakes away. I love the flexibility that this brings me.

What I cooked for Christmas – 2020

Christmas is a time for joy, for presents, for family, and of course, for EATING. I have to admit, out of all of the ways to celebrate the season, eating good food was at the top of my list. I was lucky enough to host my inlaws this Christmas, and I couldn’t resist planning a set of delicious meals for them while they were here. I’m sharing everything I cooked for Christmas in this blog post.

Peach margaritas

Mitcher and I both lead busy lives, so when we have a weekend night that’s just the two of us at home, it can feel like a rare treat. One way to mark these special occasions of having time together is by making a fun cocktail.

I looked for inspiration and found a recipe on Pinterest that intrigued me: Peach margaritas. I already have mastered the traditional lime margarita, but I loved the idea of a sweeter version, especially one that uses in-season fruit like peaches.

I already had the liquor needed for a margarita, so all I had to do was get some in-season peaches, and I was ready to dive in and make these margaritas.

Things to do with leftover taco meat

Over the past few years I’ve been trying harder to be conscious about my food waste. For me, creating a menu for the week is critical. I usually create my menu for the week on Sunday and add only those things to my shopping list. If I have any leftover items, like an open can of coconut milk or spinach leaves that I didn’t finish from the week before, I try to incorporate those ingredients into my meals for the upcoming week.

Another thing I do is try really hard to use up any leftover if I happen to have cooked too much of. Taco meat is often one of those things for me. If I make a pound of taco meat, since it’s just Mitcher and me, we don’t finish the entire pound in one sitting. So I’ve come up with three ways to use up that leftover taco meat: 1) Taco pizza, 2) Stuffed bell peppers, 3) Zucchini boats.

Cilantro lime chicken with mango avocado salsa

I’ve been making this recipe for years now. It’s absolutely delicious, and is one of the recipes that I always have in the back of my mind when I see a ripe mango in the store.

I also always keep this recipe in mind when I am making something for a gluten-free friend, since the recipe is completely gluten-free.

Ep. 9 – Mexico: Jalapeno Paloma + Spicy Crab Tostadas

For Episode 9 of Cocktails Under Quarantine, we’re traveling south of the border to Mexico!

How have I gone 8 episodes before this without getting to Mexico? Mexican cocktails are some of my favorites, and Mexican food — I mean, can you even go wrong at all?

As you know, I lived in Australia for two years. When you live abroad, you definitely find that you miss certain foods or drinks from back home more than others. Weirdly enough, one of my American favorites was actually not even American: it was Mexican food.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

I realized recently, when looking back at the recipes I’ve posted, especially my vegetarian recipes, that many of them include sweet potato. I’ve always loved sweet potatoes, and it’s really starting to show.

In this case, the sweet potatoes are going inside enchiladas. Rolled up inside these fluffy flour tortillas are a creamy, flavorful mashed sweet potato mixture, and black beans. Once the enchiladas are nestled snugly in the dish, then they’re topped with a tangy green enchilada sauce. The best part is that inside the enchiladas is a special ingredient that kicks things up a notch.

Breakfast Quesadilla

As I’m writing this post, I just finished a very different post about a very different breakfast. In my post about banana nut bread pudding, I talk about how it’s very unlike me to make a dish that takes such preparation and has a long baking time; the default option for me for breakfast is something quick! Yep, these breakfast quesadillas are a much more traditional “Emily” breakfast.

3-2-1 Margarita

If I’m making a cocktail at home, the chance is about 50% that it’s a margarita. I make margaritas more often than other cocktails not only because they’re delicious, but also because they’re so simple to make, especially if you follow the 3-2-1 rule.

The 3-2-1 rule refers to the measurements of each key ingredient. So all you have to remember is which ingredient goes with which measurement and you can’t go wrong. So let’s jump in.

Mexican black bean-stuffed sweet potatoes

I’m not a vegetarian, but I really like to try to have some good vegetarian-friendly options in my repertoire, and this Mexican black bean-stuffed sweet potato recipe is the perfect one.

This black beans come together in just about 20 minutes, and they are so rich and filling. Then, when spooned over a halved baked sweet potato, it’s clear that the two are the perfect match. Read on to see how I make these black bean-stuffed sweet potatoes.