Cranberry Brussels Sprouts

With the holidays upon us, I have been eager to cook festive foods that reflect the cheer of the season. We recently bought cranberries with the intention of making cranberry sauce, Orange-Cranberry Bread, and Thanksgiving Leftovers Turkey Salad. One day, I noticed the bag of leftover cranberries next to a bag of brussels sprouts and I realized they might work well together.

Most recipes online that combine cranberries and brussels sprouts involve using the sugar-sweetened dried cranberries or add lots of sugar or honey to mix to counter the tartness of the cranberries. I was determined to create something that tastes great without the added sugars.

This recipe came together after just one less-than-perfect experiment and a few recommendations from Brent. As the whole dish cooks, the balsamic reduces and adds its own sweetness. Coupled with the sweet and nutty pecans, the whole dish comes together with a nice balance of sweet, savory, and tart. Plus, it’s beautiful!

Balsamic Flank Steak

Of all the vinegars in the world, there’s something really special about balsamic vinegar. It’s great with proteins, vegetables, even many fruits. It can be used in salad dressings, marinades, sauces, and more. One of the easiest ways to enjoy this dynamic condiment is on steak.

Prepare this recipe the night before, and you’ll have most of your dinner cooked in 10 minutes or less! We recommend you serve the flank steak over lettuce greens for a salad, or with our oven-roasted brussels sprouts for a delightfully quick and easy to prepare dinner that won’t disappoint!

Key Lime Pie Chia Pudding

It’s past key lime season, but we’ve had a few warm days in the past weeks that felt like late summer. This recipe was partially inspired by those days. Also, truth be told, we have a big bag of chia seeds that we rarely use and I randomly had the urge to make use of them.

While it might be more accurate to make this with key limes, I used a regular lime and the flavor was great. This recipe makes for a light, sweet dessert on a warm day. Or, make it on a gloomy and cold day to transport yourself to the golden days of summer. Either way, we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Easy Chipotle Pumpkin Soup

Fall in the mid-Atlantic region is funny. We have a couple of perfectly crisp days in September, but summer temperatures often linger into October. Then, suddenly, the temperatures drop and it’s cold. Sure, 55 °F may not be cold to our family in Wisconsin or friends in Boston. But when it’s 80° one day and 55° the next, 55 is cold!

Once the weather snaps like that, I’m ready for steaming tea, cozy sweaters, and hearty soups. Isn’t everyone? This week’s recipe was inspired by that desire and by one of the seasonal soups now being served at Cosi.

I call it easy because I kept it super simple. You don’t need to buy pumpkins for roasting and you don’t need to scour the grocery store shelves for chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. We actually had everything in our pantry or fridge already! I hope you find it as simple to make and enjoyable to eat as we did.

Pad Kra Prow Beef

This recipe is one of our favorites at the local Thai restaurant. Initially, I was hesitant to even try it because it smelled incredibly spicy. Brent continued to encouraged me, and I finally tasted it one day he chose to order it without the “extra spicy please” request. I was surprised by how much I liked it.

Our version came out a little less saucy than our Thai place, but the flavor is just as rich and delicious. Plus, it comes together rather quickly—in 15 minutes or less. We hope you will enjoy it as much as we do.