dinner
Chipotle Shrimp Tacos with Pineapple-Mango Salsa
¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo! I have often said that if I could only eat one food for the rest of my life, it would be tacos. Tortillas are the perfect vehicle for consuming so many of my favorite foods and the filling ideas are endless. These shrimp tacos are a delicious and easy addition to [...]
Italian-Style Braised Oxtail
Slow-cooking meat is one of my favorite kitchen activities. There is something really gratifying about spending the whole day nurturing a dish until it is cooked to tender perfection. The aromas permeate every inch of my apartment, creating a calm, inviting atmosphere that I consider home. Oxtail is a new adventure for me. I have [...]
Healthy Bison Burgers
There is one commandment I hold dear when it comes to making a good burger. Thou shalt not excessively season the meat! Sure, there are other important guidelines to follow, like not patting the burger down with a spatula on the grill or not cooking it until it resembles that lump of coal you found [...]
Saffron-Infused Mushroom and Leek Ravioli
In my family, ravioli are wrapped in tradition. Along with gnocchi, we save ravioli for special occasions. Every year, sometime between Christmas and Easter, my mom dusts off all of our ravioli making tools and we get to work. Making ravs is like a family sporting event. Brothers, sisters, aunts, and cousins all gather to [...]
Broccoli Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
Before I tell you about the amazing dinner I made with my mom last night, I wanted to update everyone on the Elise’s Kitchen Leftover Contest. There have been so many amazing entries. I’m having a lot of trouble choosing so far. I may end up picking a few winners. You still have until 4pm central [...]
Elise’s Leftover Recipe Contest
This weekend was a crazy food extravaganza for me! Between having relatives in town and planning a baby shower, I had more than my normal share of heavy, unhealthy foods around the apartment. Now all that’s left are some bits and pieces of everything and I want them out of my fridge as soon as [...]
Baking and Scrabble
Notice anything funny about this Scrabble game? My hubby’s sister and grandma are still visiting. We decided to break out the board games this afternoon, while I had some things in the oven. At some point we all realized that the game wasn’t going very well, so we abandoned the rules…all of the rules. It [...]
Elise’s Favorite Pot Roast
This weekend my husband’s sister and grandma are visiting from Philo, IL. They spent all day in the car traveling, so I thought that a nice home-cooked meal was in order. Now, technically every meal I make is “home-cooked”, but I think what I really mean is a meal that contains butter, lots of butter. [...]
Coffee-Spiced Pork Tenderloin
This week is getting crazy! My Sister in-law and my husband’s Grandma are coming to visit from Illinois this weekend and I’m hosting a baby shower on Sunday night. I am super excited about both these things, but the weekend is really starting to sneak up on me! Today I did some grocery shopping to [...]
Baked Coconut Chicken Fingers
Another busy day today. My brain feels numb. When brain numbing sets in, chicken fingers are my go to meal. They are easy to make, require little thought, and my hubby always likes them. Coming up with your own chicken finger recipe requires two things. First you need something sticky to coat the chicken in, [...]
