Make-Ahead Meals
Muesli Baked Oatmeal
If you were to choose your career all over again, what would you be? I love what I do, but I could have been very happy as a scientist. Given my love of experimenting in the kitchen, a career in the lab would have suited me well. Though it’s not exactly research for a new…
Cannellini Tomato Soup… with Grilled Cheese Croutons or Dippers
The unexpected addition of a simple can of cannellini beans provides protein and added creaminess when pureed into the soup…and nobody ever knows it’s there. Whether served with grilled cheese croutons or dippers, what kid (or adult) wouldn’t love it? Plus it’s easy to make with basic, inexpensive, pantry items. You may be wondering how…
Lemon Dijon Kale Salad with Sweet Potatoes & Apples
With a combination of creamy, crunchy, and crisp ingredients, this wholesome salad is sure to satisfy, and leftovers hold up well. For a protein-rich complete meal, top with grilled or roasted chicken or salmon－or white beans or seared tofu for complementary meatless alternatives. Every fall, when the days start to grow shorter and colder, I sell…
Curried Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Soup
Red lentils add a hearty dose of protein and minerals to this much-loved seasonal soup, yet no one would ever know they’re there. This Curried Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Soup is kosher, gluten-free, easily made vegan, and so very satisfying! Many of us hardly know what we’re making for dinner next week, let…
German Steam Pot with Special Sauce
An authentic recipe from a German friend, a steam pot is one of the easiest, most flexible dinners – and the special sauce bumps it up an extra level! What, you may ask, is a steam pot? I first learned about this rustic yet satisfying meal through Marga, a former neighbor and self-described war-child…
Easy Cheesy Enchilada Casserole
When I began my little Fountain Avenue Kitchen adventure four years ago, I hadn’t the slightest idea where it would take me. I had never posted anything on social media, didn’t own a real camera, and didn’t follow a single blog. In fact, I was reluctant to call my website a blog because, to me,…
Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
This hands-off slow cooker meal brings great flavor to the table with tremendous ease. The recipe is also flexible, allowing for several complementary substitutions and additions. For many years, I owned a slow cooker that I hardly used. It was my grandmother’s old Crock Pot, and it had a small crack down the side of…
Greek Pastitsio
My make-at-home version of this classic Greek dish, which is often compared to lasagna, is lighter than the traditional recipe yet still packed with flavor. A family favorite for sure. November is bookended by two incredible feasts. Thanksgiving is the obvious end-of-month celebration, but if you live in my hometown of Lancaster, you may very…
Smoked Kielbasa, Kale and Cider Quinoa Skillet
A unique, one-pan meal you’ll come to crave all season long. This is wholesome comfort food at its best! Of all the recipes available in books, magazines, and online, only a small handful grab our attention enough to make it to the dinner table. What makes those stand out? The clincher might…
Sausage Soup with Tortellini (and/or Beans)
In a world where monumental decisions are made every day, choosing which recipes to include on this blog and in my weekly newspaper column ranks pretty low on the relevance scale. Yet I deliberate long and hard on this! What will she want to eat? Which recipes might he not merely read, but also…
Chicken Fried Rice
The flavor of homemade fried rice will rival your favorite takeout version and be healthier too. Make use of leftover rice and chicken for the easiest of meals. Leftovers seldom get the credit they deserve. Some meals, of course, really do improve over time, but perhaps the best way to forever change the perception of…
Classic Chicken Rice Soup
As a long-lasting stomach virus worked its way through my family early last month, this soup (along with toast and ginger ale) was the only food some of us wanted to eat for days on end. In the last couple of weeks, I prepared this recipe two more times for friends who were fighting the…
