With a velvety broth loaded with the goodness of corn, potatoes, and bell peppers, this cheesy, Creamy Vegetable Soup is one heck of a hearty meal.

The first time I tasted this soup, I’d arrived at my aunt and uncle’s house in Arizona around 8pm, after a long flight. I wasn’t especially hungry, but the kitchen smelled so good that I couldn’t resist a bowl of the warm soup that was waiting on the stove.

We sat down to eat and I simply grinned at the first bite. This soup adds up to a whole lot of delicious flavors that are much more than the sum of its parts. It turns out that this was one of my Grandmother’s recipes and I’m thrilled to be sharing it with you now.

Over the past few months, this soup has become a family favorite for my husband and kids, as well as for the friends we’ve shared it with. I hope that you will enjoy it as much as we do!

Creamy Vegetable Soup

It’s honestly kind of rare for dinner at my house to be completely vegetarian. My boys love meatier fare. But, this soup was very well received. It’s hearty even without the inclusion of any meat.

Still, if you want to make it with meat, you could easily add chicken to the recipe. Or, bacon. Definitely bacon. Actually, I may have to make this creamy soup again with bacon just at the thought of it.

There are very few traditions that I recall from ch

Browned Butter Pork and Butternut Squash Lasagna

This isn’t your traditional lasagna, but oh good heavens, the flavors of pork, butternut squash, browned butter, sage, and cheese is pure comfort! Browned butter pork and butternut squash lasagna is about to be your new favorite lasagna recipe!

You won’t find tomatoes, ricotta cheese or tomato sauce in this lasagna, but it is bringing all the feelings of warm winter comfort food to our family! The flavors are the most amazing combination! I mean it’s got pork, one of my all time favorite meats, browned butter-pure heaven, carbs-who doesn’t love carbs, and melty, gooey, delicious cheese. BOO-YAH!

I love comfort food more than anything else. Sure smoked pulled pork is stinking delicious, and Hawaiian Pulled Pork is absolutely mouth watering, but make me choose between one of those recipes and a comfort food like Browned Butter Butternut and Pork Lasagna and hands down the lasagna wins.

Creating Butternut Squash Lasagna

As soon as I got the email from the National Pork Board to create a few recipes for them I knew I’d say yes to working with them, but then they wanted comfort recipes?! Heck yeah I’m on board with that. And this lasagna was born. And we loved it. And now you will too.

I was looking through the recipe section on the Pork Be Inspired site and man, everything looks so juicy and delicious! I’ve found many a wonderful recipe there, but I was actually trying to make sure that there wasn’t a recipe like this one, which there isn’t. Butternut squash actually smells comforting. It’s so warm, nutty, and creamy. I just knew that a combination of my favorite fall/winter flavor with pork was totally the way to go. Oh, and there’s a secret in the puree, Ginger Snap cookies. Trust me, it’s exactly what the puree needs.

Ingredients for Butternut Squash Lasagna

I’m going to divide this recipe into 3 different parts – the butternut squash, the browned butter sauce (béchamel sauce) and the lasagna layers.

For the Squash

• Butternut Squash: peeled and chopped, ready for roasting
• Olive Oil: helps roast and caramelize the squash
• Salt & Black Pepper: adds flavor
• Sage: you’ll want fresh sage and we will use it to add flavor to the butternut squash puree
• Ginger Snap Cookies: an unexcepted ingredient but the flavor it adds it crucial

For the Browned Butter Sauce

• Butter: browned for added flavor and creates the base for the béchamel
• Garlic: adds flavor and can be increased or decreased to your liking
• Flour: combined with the butter is creates the creamy base for the béchamel
• Low Fat Milk: helps thin out the sauce
• Half and Half: adds creaminess and richness
• Nutmeg: adds flavor and warmth
• Salt and Black Pepper: adds flavor

For the Lasag

The Easiest Korean Ground Beef Recipe

This easy Korean ground beef recipe is a tasty dinner idea that is light on the budget but heavy on the bold Korean flavors! You’re family is going to love it!

So, you need an idea for ground beef that isn’t casserole, taco, or soup? Yeah, me too, so I set out to make something wonderful and delicious and then couldn’t help myself and made it a budget friendly dinner idea too!

I grew up with the same plate my entire life:

• Meat
• Veggie
• Carb

And then I grew up and did the exact same thing with a few twists to our staple dinners that Mom had made:

• Cheesy Ground Beef and Rice Casserole
• Pork Chops and Rice
• Stew
• Potato Soup
• Idaho Tacos (don’t knock it until you try it)

But then I got to thinking, just because it isn’t 1999 doesn’t mean that mom’s don’t want quick, easy and cheap dinner ideas. It just means they need them with a modern twist! So, Korean Ground Beef was born. It’s a cheaper version of bulgogi, and we love bulgogi!!

I’ve made it with mushrooms, peas, peppers, and all sorts of additions but the truth is, it doesn’t need anything but ground beef, sauce and rice. It’s easy to make, even easier to freeze (both pre and post cooking) and all you have to serve is a little steamed veggie next to it.

Recommended Equipment

• Meat Chopper
• Cast Iron Pan

Before You Begin…

If you’re planning to serve this Korean ground beef over rice, then the first thing you will want to do is get your rice cooking. That way the rice will be ready when the beef is finished.

Ingredients for Korean Ground Beef

I mentioned that this recipe is budget-friendly so let me prove it now by listing out the ingredients you will need. Everything is easy to find at the grocery and might even be in your pantry already. Here is your shopping list:

• Canola or Vegetable Oil: used to cook the ground beef and garlic
• Ground Beef: You can also use ground chuck.
• Garlic: adds flavor to the meat
• Soy Sauce: adds Asian flavor and saltiness
• Orange Juice: adds flavor and acidity
• Brown Sugar: adds depth of flavor and sweetness
• Sweet Chili Sauce: adds a little heat and sweetness

Soft and chewy oatmeal cookies are infused with tart cranberries, sweet oranges, and fragrant cardamom in these Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Cookies.

Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Cookies

These cranberry orange cookies made me grin with each bite. I love the unexpected flavors and the way that orange zest transforms this classic oatmeal cookie into something fresh.

Fruit in cookies is a whole thing. A lot of people stick to chocolate and nuts, but if you’ve never tried something like these orange cranberry oatmeal cookies, you’re missing out. Cranberries are an amazing match for citrus and warm spices.

Cardamom is intensely aromatic (if you are familiar with the fragrance of chai tea, it is likely the cardamom that you are remembering) and it adds a distinct flavor to these cookies.

The spice works beautifully in baked goods, but don’t worry if you don’t have it. Cinnamon with orange zest is a fantastic combination on it’s own.

Orange Oatmeal Cookies

You’ll need the following ingr

Chicken Chile Verde

Tender, juicy chunks of chicken simmered in a bold chile verde sauce. Serve it over rice or load it up in a burrito! It’s so flavorful and melt-in-your-mouth scrumptious!

I love this even more than our pork chile verde which means I must be going crazy! Usually I’m all about a bunch of tender, shredded pork but there’s just something so good about this chicken dinner recipe that calls my name! I especially love it with rice and beans but my family is starting to prefer it in a freshly made tortilla from our most recent cookbook, Raised in the Kitchen.

Whichever way you eat it, you’re going to devour this yummy Mexican chicken dinner.

What is Chile Verde?

The term “chile verde” translate to “green chile” or “green chili” and is a Mexican stew that is traditionally made with chunks of pork that is simmered until tender in a roasted tomatillo and green chile sauce. For this recipe we are swapping out the pork for chicken.

We have a salsa verde recipe on the blog that is inspired by this same flavor profile. It is so yummmmmmmm!

The Ingredients You Need for Chicken Chili Verde Recipe

I’m going to break up the recipe ingredients into two parts – ingredients for the verde sauce and ingredients for the chicken. Here is your shopping list:

For the Verde

• Vegetable Oil – used to roast the veggies
• Tomatillos – those green tomato looking things in the produce section that have a papery layer on the outside. They are used a lot in Mexican recipes and are so tasty!
• Poblano Chiles – large, mild peppers popular in Mexican cuisine
• Red Onion – these get blended into the sauce and add so much flavor
• Garlic Cloves – flavor of course
• Jalapeño – roasted jalapeño adds heat and tons of flavor to the sauce
• Pepper – flavor
• Cilantro – freshness and flavor

For the Chicken

• Chicken Thighs – boneless, skinless and cut into bite size chunks
• Kosher Salt – helps dry brine the chicken
• Bacon – flavor
• Chicken Broth – helps deglaze the pan after cooking the bacon and adds moisture to the chicken
• Dried Oregano – flavor
• Cinnamon – may seem strange in a savory dish, but trust me!
• Cumin  – it has to be in pretty much all Mexican dishes
• Ground Cloves – again, trust me here!
• Sugar – enhances the flavor
• Bay Leaves – flavor
• Orange Juice – acidity and tenderizing the chicken
Read more