Imma bout to show you the way to my heart.

How To Cook Grilled Artichokes

Artichokes are one of the first foods that the Pilot and I would make to go along with our dinners. When we first started dating, money was tight so instead of going out to eat, we’d share an ahi tuna steak and cook two artichoke hearts as our fancy dinner at home. The Pilot is kind of the artichoke king and over time, he’s shared the method to cook them perfectly. They can seem like an intimidating veg – they’re covered in battle spears for goodness sake – but they’re a simply-prepared and nutrient-dense side.

Here’s the step-by-step artichokes recipe!

How to Prepare Artichokes

Artichokes need a bit of a trim before you cook them. You’ll pull off the artichoke leaves, trim the top and the stem, and scoop out the chokes.

After trimming, place the artichokes in a bowl of cold water with a squeeze of lemon juice to prevent browning. You can also rub lemon juice on the cut areas of each artichoke, but I find it much easier to just dunk them in lemon water.

Now it’s time to cook them!

How to Cook Artichokes

Read more

Skip the store-bought spice mixes and stir together a batch of homemade Cajun seasoning!

Cajun seasoning is a blend of herbs and spices often used to add a kick to dishes running the gamut from popcorn to veggies to meat! Most of your favorite Cajun-style recipes likely call for some version of a Cajun seasoning mix.

I first shared this recipe in The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook several years ago. This seasoning mix has been a staple in my spice cabinet ever since.

I use it at least twice a week and I figure it is long past time to share it here so that I can more easily link to it for you in other recipes.

What is Cajun Seasoning?

To the best of my knowledge, Cajun seasoning originated in Louisiana (which is why it’s also sometimes known as Louisiana cajun seasoning). The green can of Tony’s Creole Seasoning is a staple in the home of our Louisiana family and for years, Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning was a staple in ours too.

Those are clearly the popular name-brand favorites, as you will often see them sold together. However, after trying my hand at making a homemade Cajun Seasoning, I’m pretty sure that this mix is going to be in my spice cabinet at all times now.

How to Make Cajun Seasoning

Many years ago, I first made this blend of Cajun spices when a recipe I was following required Cajun seasoning. I didn’t have any on hand at the time, but I did have every single one of the spices that goes into a Cajun seasoning mix.

So, what is in Cajun seasoning? The signature reddish brown color of Cajun seasoning comes courtesy of a hearty helping of smoked paprika. The peppery flavor is heightened with ga

Easy Ham and Cheese Scones

A few weeks ago I was making our apple pie scones and suddenly had the brilliant idea of making a savory version, easy ham and cheese scones!

The only way I could ever convince our family to ditch the amazingly wonderful sweet version of a scone was clearly to add cheese. Cheese makes everything better. And bacon. Shoot, I need to try a bacon version!

Grab your leftover Easter ham and make these buttery and flaky scones!

What Ingredients are Needed for Ham and Cheese Scones?

Tender scones are just a few pantry staples away! A good scone needs only a few ingredients, butter (or shortening if you must), buttermilk, salt, and baking powder. Everything else is just to adjust the flavor. Here is a complete list of all the ingredients you will need:

• Flour: gives structure to the scones and regular all purpose flour is all you need
• Sugar: adds a touch of sweetness to balance out all the savory ingredients
• Baking Powder: the true raising agent that adds the real height you’re looking for. Do not use a substitute.
• Salt: necessary in both sweet and savory dishes as it provides the flavor. Yes, cheese and ham are in there, but everything needs seasoning. I love that salt not only flavors a dish but it also makes the other ingredients stand out even more.
• Unsalted Butter: gives you those tender, flakey layers and margarine just wont cut it in this case. As the steam rises so does that beautiful hunk of dough, creating a pillow of bread once cooked.
• Buttermilk: use for savory scones while cream is great for a sweet scone. This allows for the dough to come together but still have enough fat to keep it a tender dough.
• Colby Jack Cheese: we love colby jack, but you could use cheddar cheese, swiss, pepper jack or really any type of cheese you love.
• Diced Ham: a perfect way to use leftover spiraled ham or you can buy cubed ham from the store.
• Fresh Chives: fresh herbs make all the difference when it comes to flavor but if you need to use dried chives, use just 1 teaspoon. You could also use scallions.
  • TIP: If you’re not a chives fine, you can use fresh parsley or thyme.
• Butter: I know butter has already been listed, but we use it again brushed on top as a finishing touch on these perfect scones.

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

Recommended Equipment

Pizza Cutter – This is a MUST in our house. The Dexas pizza cutter isn’t a steel blade, but a plastic blade and if you watch our videos you’ll notice I use a plastic pizza wheel all the time to cut dough. It is so much easier than a knife and wont harm any pans or counter tops. This pa