Kristine Cocchiarella
Classically trained Cordon Bleu chef turned anti-GMO, pro-organic, food hippie blogger with a passion for REAL food.
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Pan-Fried Cumin-Cayenne Tilapia
Today’s dish is one of our favorites. I know. I say that a lot, but it really is true. We have so many favorites and I keep testing new recipes that we don’t always get to eat our favorites as often as we’d like. Whenever I do make this dish, The Stud Muffin is a happy man. Tilapia is one of the few fish that TSM likes. I enjoy fish a lot. I’d eat many other kinds if I knew he’d enjoy them, but he’s picky about his fish. I want fish in our diets, so Tilapia is one of the fish that we eat and enjoy. I’ve done a fair amount of…
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30-Minute Monday- Speedy Pork Pozole
Today’s recipe is really yummy. There is something about a rich, spicy, pork and hominy stew to get the taste buds revved up and bring a smile to my face. I typically make this dish over several hours in a Dutch oven and I buy some red chiles and make a sauce with them to enhance the flavor of this stew, but in this rendition, we’re short on time, so a few teaspoons of adobo sauce from a can of Chipotle chiles will have to do. This is one of the first 30-Minute Monday meals that TSM (The Stud Muffin) did not like. At all. He’s not a big soup/stew guy and apparently…
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Real & Simple Homemade Pizza
Pizza night! Who doesn’t look forward to homemade pizza night? I know we sure do. Once I got over my aversion to making my own organic fail-proof pizza dough, I started playing around with sauces and toppings and after years of experimenting, this is our family favorite and I’m excited to share it with you. Shortly after starting my blog I shared my homemade Stromboli recipe. In that post I share my pizza sauce recipe. I’ve since tweaked it slightly, and will share the ingredients in the recipe card below. Our favorite toppings are a Calabrase Salame, fresh mozzarella and when we’re feeling particularly fancy, I’ll add some prosciutto. What are your favorite…
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How To Make Black Beans- So You Don’t Have to Buy Canned
This post has bean a long time coming. <— Ha! See what I did there? All puns aside, I love dried beans and they are so easy to prepare. I do enjoy the convenience of canned beans and there are some decent organic brands out there, yet there is something to be said about preparing them from scratch. I’ve been trying to use fewer canned items and because they are cheap and basically low maintenance in the preparation department. I thought I’d share with you how to make your own beans so that you can use them in other dishes such as my Skillet Tamale Pie or you can add them to my…
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30-Minute Monday- Pan-Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Maple-Mustard Sauce
Welcome back to another fantastic 30-Minute Monday! I’m seriously enjoying this series and I hope that you are, too. The Stud Muffin (TSM) has enjoyed trying new recipes, and I’ve enjoyed the extra time I’ve had because dinner isn’t taking as long to prepare. It’s a win-win for everyone! The first time I made this dish I set off three smoke detectors in the house. The second time I made this dish I did NOT use the amount of fat called for to pan sear the tenderloins which helped exponentially to reduce the amount of “smoke” coming from my oven. I was also able to open some windows, just in case. Thankfully, no…
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Maple Dijon Sweet Potato Mash
I’ve been eating a lot of sweet potatoes lately in an effort to switch things up a little. I’m trying to come up with different ways to serve them because The Stud Muffin is a meat and regular potatoes kind of man. When I put sweet potatoes in front of him, he’s expecting a turkey and all the fixings to accompany it. Don’t get me wrong, I love regular potatoes, but they don’t love me. I feel a bit sluggish after eating them. The only time that I don’t is when I’ve made potatoes Au Gratin, which includes lots of cheese, cream, bacon, onions and butter. If I put enough protein in a…
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30-Minute Monday- Crunchy Baked Cod
I’ve been looking for ways to add more fish into our diet. The Stud Muffin has been requesting it, and it’s just not something that I happen to have a ton of ideas for. I have a few French recipes, but my husband isn’t going to want to watch me turn cute little trouts bright blue with vinegar (Truite au Bleu). If I make that dish, and put it in front of him he’s going to tell me “I don’t eat Smurf fish”… So- you can see my dilemma. You’ll be happy to know that this recipe won’t turn your fish blue, and it’s quite tasty. So is Truite au Bleu, but that’s…
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Skillet Honey Cornbread
There is something about a big square of warm cornbread straight from the oven that’s been rubbed down with copious amounts of butter. Ahhh, heaven. I’ve wanted to share this recipe for about 7 months now, but after we moved from Minnesota last summer down to South Carolina, I noticed that a lot of my recipes went missing. I have no idea how- I packed all the boxes, but some boxes got unpacked so things could fit in the moving truck, and my guess is my recipe binders got sucked into some vortex as we crossed the Mason Dixon Line. I’ve been testing various recipes to find something that came close, and I…
