Of all the dishes in my regular repertoire, I probably make chicken lettuce wraps the most. They're fast, super delicious, totally customizable, and after ordering them at P.F. Chang's approximately 4,345 times, I still can't get over how much easier (and cheaper) they are to make at home. After trying [...]
Boring ol’ cauliflower is starring in a LOT of recipes these days, and I’ll confess that I’m not crazy about it as a pizza crust. Or “riced” in place of, well, rice, in Asian stir fries. Some people also swear it makes for a convincing mashed potato alternative with a [...]
Given we had exactly two unsightly bananas gracing the counter, I thought the only responsible thing to do was make banana bread. And considering how good it smells in the house as we speak, I’m glad I followed my instincts. I’m thinking it’ll make for a pretty good breakfast tomorrow [...]
I’m about to let you in on a little secret… Almost every morning, we eat toast for breakfast at the Banister house. It’s quick, it’s tasty, and with a little peanut or almond butter, there’s a nice kick of protein with the whole grains. But my favorite part of the [...]
Ever notice how salads taste SO much better when you order them at a restaurant? Well, it’s been my goal to remedy that, so I started experimenting with one of my all-time favorites, my beloved Greek. One of the qualities that immediately separates the salads of home cooks and professional [...]
Anyone know how Taco Tuesday became a thing? I know, I know, I could Google it, but aren’t tacos pretty fantastic any day of the week? I know one Ashlee Jordan would wholeheartedly agree. Anyway, when Casey came to visit recently, we took our taco game to the next level [...]
When it comes to bread, I’m not all that picky. Even gross ol’ white bread is pretty darn good in grilled cheese form. But when I serve Italian food, which is my go-to for special occasions, I’ll admit that I can get in a bread rut sometimes. I usually just [...]
It was several years ago now, but I still remember it so fondly. Will and I were having dinner at an Italian joint (big shock, right?) in West Hollywood called IL Piccolino. We’d shared a plate of Fritto Misto (Italian for delicious fried goodies like calamari, zucchini and shrimp). Spotted [...]
While I’m pretty sure it was perpetually stuck in the crayon box when I was a kid because it always seemed a little less interesting than all the other colors, I’m a big, big fan of all things yellow these days. It’s the color of sunshine, lemons, my favorite new [...]
It’s been well documented on my blog that I’m a big fan of Thanksgiving. So it probably comes as no surprise that I like to make a second Turkey Day-inspired meal just in case some of my favorite dishes were left off the menu on the big day. So I [...]
