S’mores Cookies

s'mores cookies with marshmallows and chocolate chips

The original concept for these s’mores cookies was something Chef Baby came up with called “vanilla explosion cookies”, which involved lots of vanilla extract plus vanilla chips. But then I told him vanilla chips do not exist (although white chocolate chips are kind of like vanilla chips, but white chocolate chips are terrible in my…

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Look it’s Tostadas

baked tostadas with refried beans and cabbage

I made tostadas the other day and felt super-duper accomplished. They’re easy, though. Very simple, really. Just goes to show you what “accomplished” has come to mean around our house, because it damn sure don’t mean getting any kind of work done. But, feeding yourself and your family is work so I pat myself on…

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Stay at Home Food

You’ve heard the heed, so heed the call and please try to avoid the grocery stores as much as you can these days. It helps the employees and it helps your neighbors if you can just stay home. Personally I have always loved the challenge of pantry cooking, and as soon and Chris and I…

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Winter Seasonal Recipes

Winter seems to get a lot of people feeling kinda down in the dumps. The shorter days, not enough sunshine, the stress of holidays, the annoyance of wet shoes and jammed up jacket zippers. Not to mention, there’s nary a good tomato or peach in sight for the next six months. But even if we…

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Butternut Squash Risotto

A very simple vegetarian holiday side dish or main dish, butternut risotto is creamy and pretty and how many things can say that about themselves?! I started with my basic risotto recipe BUT I DIDN’T STOP THERE. Obviously. Instead, I added a cubed butternut squash to my simmering broth and let it soften up in…

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Jalapeño Fried Chicken

Jalapeño fried chicken! Boneless chicken marinated in pickled jalapeño brine, breaded with masa harina and fried crispy

I had the idea to marinate chicken in straight-up pickled jalapeños (see this copycat Chick-Fil-Gay for a pickle brine recipe!) and once that got started, it wasn’t a far leap to a Tex-Mex style fried chicken … and that means corn. To me, anyway. I took my standard super-crispy fried chicken recipe and changed it…

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Kabocha Squash Pie

kabocha squash pie with nut crust

Kabocha squash pie is incredibly better than any other kind of pumpkin pie, because the kabocha pumpkin is naturally denser and sweeter than even a sugar pie pumpkin. And fortunately for everyone, kabocha squash (aka Japanese pumpkin) are getting to be pretty easy to find in these modern days. They can look a little funky…

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Elvira’s Adraka Kozerole

Elvira's Adraka Kozerole Recipe

Inspired by my hero, Elvira, and the dinner scene in Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, I present Elvira’s Adraka Kozerole. If you’ve seen the movie, the dinner scene is one of the most memorable. It was to me, anyway. Watch the HilahCooking Halloween special video now to see how to make Elvira’s Adraka Kozerole! Picture…

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Kabocha Pumpkin Salad

kabocha squash salad with avocado dressing

Roasted kabocha pumpkin salad. Look at this gorgeous thing! If you’re unfamiliar with kabocha squash, you may know it by the name Japanese pumpkin. Or maybe you’ve really never seen one. I hadn’t seen one until a couple of years ago. I feel like they just recently have hit the US markets en masse. But…

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