Author Archives: Laura Youngquist

National Pasta Day is today and what better way to celebrate than with homemade pasta!  If you haven’t had a cheat day yet this week, I highly recommend it be today 🙂 If you don’t mind putting in a little elbow grease and work, homemade pasta is the way to go.  If you’re on a time crunch or just not that interested in cooking, boxed noodles or a heat-and-serve pasta dish is just fine.  My preference is homemade pasta.  Yes, it can be time consuming, but the flavor is incredible, and it has a great texture! My go-to recipe is for Homemade Egg Noodles.  You do need a stand mixer and pasta attachment for this recipe to work.  You can also use this recipe with a hand cranked pasta maker, but I have yet to try that method. Start by adding your ingredients to the bowl of the stand mixer.  … Continue reading

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National Dessert Day is October 14th and boy was I excited when I found out!  It’s a day to indulge and enjoy sweets, and I love dessert…. any dessert….so I could not pass up sharing three of my favorite dessert recipes with you.  When I say I love sweets, I mean I REALLY love sweets.  If I’m offered a second helping of food, I would rather turn it down to save room for dessert.  Or start my meal with dessert so I’m not too full afterward.  National Dessert Day is my day 🙂 The 3 recipes I want to share with you today are: Tres Leche Cake Butterscotch Budino with Salted Caramel Pistachio Cheesecake   First up is Tres Leche Cake.  This is an authentic Mexican cake, soaked in a sweet milk mixture, and topped with homemade whipped cream, cinnamon, and berries.  Tres Leche means “three milks” and that is … Continue reading

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Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing is a wonderful salad that works as a main dish or side dish.  I do think this is a great salad for colder weather because I like to serve it warm, but it is light enough that you can enjoy it during warmer months. The veggies Melt. In. Your. Mouth.  They are THAT good.  The spiced chickpeas have a good amount of heat and flavor, so they complement the mild tasting cauliflower nicely.  The chickpeas also have a crispy outside, so they add a bit of crunch to the salad.  When you drizzle the Lemon Tahini Dressing over the top and take your first bite you will be in heaven. The Lemon Tahini Dressing adds the perfect amount of citrus and tang to the warm and smoky salad.  I could eat this dressing on any vegetable – it’s that good!  It’s also oil-free, … Continue reading

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Stuffed Peppers are a favorite at my house.  There are so many possibilities for stuffed peppers so you can really cater the filling to meet any dietary need.  Our recent craving has been for Greek Orzo Stuffed Peppers.  They are quick to make, fairly simple to assemble, vegetarian / vegan, healthy, and tasty 🙂 You can make this dish more colorful by using a combination of green, orange, red, or yellow bell peppers.  I’m partial to red bell peppers for no particular reason so that is what I choose to use.  I typically serve these as a main dish, but they could easily be a side dish if served with other items. Look for medium to large bell peppers because they are easier to stuff and hold more ingredients. The recipe can be found here. Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. Cut each bell pepper in half, length … Continue reading

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I love a good fried chicken sandwich and want to share my go-to recipe with you.  This Beer Battered Chicken Sandwich with Lime Coleslaw is crispy, juicy, and doesn’t disappoint.  The batter includes beer, giving it a light and crisp texture once fried, plus a slight beer flavor comes through in the crust and who doesn’t love that? I suggest using a brown ale for the best batter flavor but any malty ale or heavier seasonal beer (such as Oktoberfest) will work.  You only use 2 cups of beer so you will have a little extra in the bottle to enjoy while you cook 🙂 The chicken is only fried once and then finished in the oven.  Once an internal temperature of 165 degrees is reached, you could fry the chicken again for a very short amount of time to maximize crunch.  I’ve never done this but if you like … Continue reading

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Do you ever ask your family what they want to for dinner and no one can agree on the perfect meal?  That’s a common occurrence at my house too but recently I received a request for lasagna and thought it was a great suggestion…but what kind should I make?  Andrew is more of a meat eater so I knew he would want a traditional lasagna, but I would prefer something more veggie based.  Luckily, I have the perfect pan for the job, so I was able to accommodate both! ***Disclaimer – if you click on the link to any of the recipes listed in this post you will be directed to the full recipe.  The recipes posted are for use in a 9×13 pan.  Please reduce the recipe to 1/3 if you are using a similar 3-lasagna pan*** All of the recipes I’m going to share with you are delicious!  … Continue reading

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Lemon Orzo with Roasted Vegetables is not your typical pasta salad.  It’s packed with texture and flavor yet is very light and refreshing.  It works well as a side dish or as a standalone meal.  I think it’s best served warm but room temp or chilled is also fine, it’s all about your preference. The vegetables are delicious when roasted because they are slightly caramelized.  I like to use bell pepper, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and red onion but you can substitute any veggies you like – eggplant, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, etc.  You can really make this your own by using the veggies you crave. You can also top this salad with pine nuts for a little crunch or some crumbled feta cheese.  If you choose to skip the cheese, this is a great vegan based dish. Start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees and lining a baking sheet (or … Continue reading

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Today is National Waffle Day and what better way to celebrate than with some yummy waffles!  Traditional waffles are best when smothered in syrup or topped with fried chicken or fruit.  I bet really anything would be delicious when paired with a waffle 🙂 but I thought it would be fun to try something different.  I’m making Cinnamon Roll Waffles and Hash Brown Waffles to enjoy while observing this fine holiday! Cinnamon Roll Waffles are exactly what you think – waffles made from cinnamon rolls.  These are SUPER easy to make and take about the same amount of time as a traditional waffle when using a waffle iron.  Still undecided?  You don’t need to make any batter because you are using refrigerated, store-bought cinnamon rolls. Open a can of Pillsbury Grand! Cinnamon Rolls and pull each roll apart.  I like to set them on wax paper, so they don’t stick … Continue reading

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Black Bean Brownies are moist, rich, and fudge-y.  I bet you never thought you would hear “black beans’ and “brownies” in the same sentence 🙂  Most people look at me like I’m crazy and ask if they heard right.  Yes – Black Bean Brownies are a thing and they are delicious!  They are also healthy and easy to make. The recipe can be found here. One thing I want to mention is this recipe can be Vegan, if Vegan chocolate chips are used, and it can also be Gluten Free, if the oats used are Gluten Free. Start by preheating the oven and prepping an 8×8 baking pan with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor, except for the chocolate chips, and process until smooth.  You might need to turn off the food processor and scrape the sides a few times. Once processed, I like … Continue reading

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Today is National S’mores Day.  A s’more traditionally consists of a roasted marshmallow on top of melted chocolate sandwiched between two graham crackers.  It’s a very popular campfire treat loved by people of all ages!  It’s ooey, gooey, toasty, deliciousness!  What better way to honor this classic treat than by testing out a few recipes 🙂 First up is No Bake S’Mores.  This recipe only requires 4 ingredients and is the perfect indulgence! The recipe can be found here. I find it easiest to line a bread pan with parchment paper or plastic wrap.  Then place the graham crackers in a plastic bag and smash into fine crumbs.  Melt the butter and add the graham cracker crumbs to the melted butter. Pour the mixture into the bread pan but make sure to reserve 1 Tbsp to sprinkle on top.  Press down to make a flat layer.  If you want a … Continue reading

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