An explosion of flavors and textures- these dumplings are pure bliss in a bite!

I received free samples of Progresso Cooking Stock mentioned in this post at no cost. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Progresso Cooking Stock and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

Did you know that bone broth is one of the hottest recent culinary trends?  High quality cooking stock is made by simmering real bones, flavorful vegetables and aromatic herbs for hours.  It’s this process that gives it rich depth of flavor.  That’s how Progresso’s new line of premium Cooking Stocks are made.  All of that flavor is packed into a carton that you can open up and use immediately with none of the work.  It's a great addition to soups, stews, sauces, chili- the possibilities are endless!  And at just 15-45 calories and 0-1 gram of fat per serving, it's a quick and clean way to boost the flavor of any dish.     

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Get your kids in the kitchen and make a batch of these yummy and nutritious fries together.

Recently, I was asked to participate in the new Be More Here campaign by Dixie^®.  This campaign is all about the importance of spending time with family and friends and being present in the moment.  It’s definitely a topic that I can relate to.  When it comes to spending time with loved ones, it’s all about quality, not quantity.  As a working mom, I often feel stretched for time.  So I really value the time I have with my daughter Sienna, especially when I see how quickly she is growing every day. 

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This Father's Day, celebrate the most important man in your life with this show-stopping steak dish that's sure to be a hit!

With Father’s Day just around the corner, are you still trying to figure out what to get that special guy?  Instead of the typical gifts, this year why not get him something unique that he’ll really enjoy?  I’m talking steak.  Big, beefy, marbled, meaty goodness.  If he’s a steak lover, then Snake River Farms and Double R Ranch have the perfect Father’s Day gifts to please the most important man in your life.

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Crunchy, refreshing and delightfully tangy- who doesn’t love a good pickle?  Plus, they’re a cinch to make at home! 

This month, the Recipe Redux challenged us to write about our favorite DIY kitchen essentials.  Specifically, they wanted to know what healthy kitchen staples do we now make from scratch that we used to purchase in the past?  When I read the challenge, a few ideas popped into my head right away like homemade frozen pancakes, fish sticks, salad dressings, and popsicles.  But then I thought about it some more and found the perfect recipe- my Super Easy Refrigerator Dill Pickles.  Once you make these, you’ll never buy pickles at the store again!

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I love a good cup of coffee in the morning.  For years, when I lived in NY, I would set the timer on my coffee pot at night and then wake up in the morning to the aroma of freshly brewed coffee.  That was until I moved to South Florida.  Now it’s all about iced coffee.  Nothing beats a tall glass of home brewed iced coffee in this heat, especially in the summer when the temperature is usually 90 plus. 

I had heard about cold-brewed coffee and seen it on the menu at coffee shops but never really thought about making it at home.  I was used to brewing hot coffee and then pouring it over ice or refrigerating my leftover hot brewed coffee and then using that to make iced coffee.  Then I tried making cold-brewed coffee at home and I haven’t gone back since.  

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A lot of people think of scallops as gourmet, restaurant food but the truth is that they’re really easy to make at home.  They’re perfect for a light, fast and easy meal because they only take minutes to cook.  I didn’t grow up eating scallops and didn’t really discover them until I was an adult.  Now it’s a safe bet that I’ll order them if I see them on a restaurant menu.  When I was in culinary school, I learned the proper way of cooking them and now I love to make them at home.  In restaurants, scallops are often basted in butter and served with rich sauces but on their own, they're actually really good for you.  Scallops are low in calories and packed with lean protein.  They’re rich in a wide variety of nutrients including selenium, phosphorus and zinc.  In addition, compared to other seafood, scallops are typically low in mercury.  Scallops are also low in saturated fat but have heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.  Because of the numerous health benefits of omega-3s, the USDA dietary guidelines recommend eating two servings of seafood per week.  So the next time you reach for salmon or tuna, consider trying something different and grab some scallops instead.

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One of my favorite ways to eat vegetables is to roast them in the oven. Roasting vegetables at a high temperature caramelizes their sugars and brings out their natural sweetness.  As the vegetables roast, they brown on the outside, become buttery soft on the inside and their flavors intensify.  I usually make a couple of large trays of them and store them in the refrigerator so that I can snack on them throughout the week.  They're great with rice or quinoa or as a side dish with grilled chicken or fish.  I also like to add them to salads, sandwiches, quesadillas and pasta dishes.    

My Perfect Oven-Roasted Vegetables are colorful, delicious and packed with nutrients.  For this version, I used a mixture of bell peppers, zucchini, carrots and red onion but you can use your favorite combination of vegetables.  I simply toss them with olive oil and season them with salt and pepper.  I also like to throw some whole garlic cloves on the pan along with the other vegetables.  As the garlic roasts, the flavor mellows out and it becomes soft and sweet.  In the winter I make the same dish but with heartier vegetables like sweet potatoes, parsnips, turnips and butternut squash.  Asparagus, beets, fennel, brussel sprouts and cauliflower are some other great options for roasting.  

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When my daughter Sienna was born, one of the most common questions that people asked me was whether I was going to make my own baby food.  Usually I would just laugh nervously and say something along the lines of “We’ll see…” The truth is that even though I had always pictured myself creating culinary masterpieces for my baby, in reality I couldn’t imagine finding the time to do it.  Now that Sienna is nine months old, I am happy to say that I’ve been making all of her food and it’s not as hard as you would think.  In fact, it’s pretty easy.  All you need is a food processor, blender or immersion blender and preferably a steamer (or steamer basket).  If you can set aside a couple of hours one day, you can make enough baby food to last for weeks.

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