My version of tomato soup
When I find something that I enjoy eating, sort of like the arugula salad, I tend to have it often. For the first two weeks of January I have been having soup for lunch, mostly [...]
Chicken Tinga Tacos
I've never had much success with slow cooker chicken recipes because there is usually a can of soup involved. However, this one seemed like it had promise and it turned out great. The simplicity [...]
Homemade Beef Stew
This is a family favorite when it gets cold out -- warm, savory and comforting. While Sabina and I prefer the beef and carrots, Rob and Robbie look forward to the dumplings that go on [...]
Meatloaf & Mashed Potatoes
I wish there was a good story behind this meatloaf but really it's just the version I've settled on over the years. My recipe has one important change from others I've tried, and it's [...]
CPS Strike Chowder
This recipe was born out of the frustration of the Chicago Public School strike of 2019. It went on far longer than anticipated, and we got a bit of cabin fever while it wore [...]
Souper Pie
Every so often I have leftover mashed potatoes, which means we're having souper pie for dinner some time soon. This is another one of my mom's recipes, getting it's name from the cream of [...]
Smash Burgers
We used to have a favorite brew pub in the neighborhood called Breakroom. Unfortunately for them, the food was better than the beer and they closed only after a year or so. But the [...]
Easy Chicken Parmesan
The smell of pan fried chicken coated in bread crumbs and parmesan cheese along with a pot of simmering sauce is delicious. Add a side of spaghetti (or bucatini) and some green beans — [...]
Slow Cooker Meatloaf
This meatloaf has become the preferred version in our house. Nothing wrong with the tried and true original, but there's something satisfying about starting this early in the day and either coming home to [...]
Chopped beef and gravy
Chopped beef and gravy has been a Pannucci family staple since I can remember. The name is a little misleading, as the "chopped beef" in this recipe is only one part of the final [...]
Beef enchiladas
Slow cooked beef, cheese, tomato sauce, cilantro, corn tortillas all adds up to warm gooey goodness. If there are any enchiladas leftover, they make a great lunch the next day. The last time I [...]
Too Much Credit Skirt Steak
Skirt steak is a hit or miss kind of dish. Often times the meat comes out chewy and not tender. It can be a workout for your jaw to make it through your serving. [...]
Bacon Corn Cheddar Pie
This recipe is a family favorite and is usually gone in less than 24 hours. And like other favorites in this house, it tastes even better the next day after sitting in the fridge overnight. [...]
Robbie’s Mac and Cheese
Mac and cheese is heaven in a bowl to me, except when it comes out of a box and involves powder. I have been in search of the combination that makes you close your eyes [...]
Leftover Parts Lasagne
I get a thrill out of using all the leftovers in our fridge. It means we got everything there was out of the food we purchased and the money that was spent. But if [...]
Sunday gravy (macaroni and meatballs)
Macaroni and meatballs (or Sunday gravy) has always been an important meal to me. Growing up, this was a familiar dinner shared with friends or family on Sunday. When I sat down to write [...]
Pineapple Upside Down Kebobs
Looking for an easy meal on a lazy Sunday I just threw some ingreidents in a bowl and mixed up this marinade. The orange juice and soy sauce are strong flavors that gives the [...]
Short Rib Ragu with Polenta
I always add short ribs to the mix when I make Sunday Gravy, but no one ever has any interest in them when they are next to meatballs. It was such a waste to [...]
Autumn Soup
After having a bowl of butternut squash soup at Panera I wanted to make my own version for next week's lunch. Prep time - 15 minutes / Cook time - 40 minutes [...]
Pretzel Chicken
Prep time - 10 minutes / Cook time - 20 minutes This recipe was originally a Rachel Ray creation, heavily modified over the years in an attempt to make home made chicken [...]
Pistachio Chicken
The combination of pistachios and chicken might sound odd to some people, but it's delicious trust me! As an added bonus, recruit a family member to help shell the pistachios or even quicker, buy [...]
Pasta Bolognese
Halloween is one of those days that starts off like any other, but doesn't end until much later, and no one can say exactly when that will be. I thought it would be a great [...]
Ranch dressing chicken tenders
My husband accidentally bought chicken tenders instead of chicken breasts one day, so I decided to make the most of it. I scrounged around in our pantry and had the idea to make a [...]
Eventually Award Winning BBQ Sauce
This certainly isn't a complicated sauce, but it makes ribs and chicken taste like I have been slaving over a hot grill all day. The ingredients make a great sauce, but you could adjust [...]
Summer Corn Salad
While many of my recipes are ones I've seen in magazines and modified to my taste, this one is a salad I've made up in it's entirety. The truth is I have no idea [...]
Taco Skillet
My husband sent this recipe to me because he thought it looked interesting and I agreed with him. As usual, I saw plenty of things in the list of ingredients to tinker with. First [...]
Bread Salad
I don't know what made me decide to put this group of ingredients together one day. But I do know that it's become a favorite for both me and my husband as a lunchtime [...]
Lasagna Rolls
Looking for something that would be easy to make on a weeknight and provide some leftovers this is a good option. For my cheese adverse daughter I omitted the ricotta filling and just used [...]
Mom’s Chicken Noodle Soup
This isn't just one of my favorite soups, it's one of my favorite smells. The onions, celery and carrots when they go into the pot, combined with the chicken broth and herbs fills the house [...]
Salami Boats
My husband and I found this sandwich at a deli near the hospital where our kids were born. After every check-up before the "big day", we'd head to this place for lunch. The "salami [...]
Oven-Braised Beef with Tomatoes and Garlic
No real story with this one, just a new thing we added to the dinner rotation. Next time, I would probably substitute egg noodles for the orzo so each bite could be a combination [...]
Pasta with Vodka Sauce
Another recipe I altered to be more to my liking. But ultimately just a relatively quick dinner to make after a long day that pleases everyone and usually leaves a few leftovers. [...]
Chicken and Rice Soup?
There is a good reason for the question mark in the title of this recipe. There isn't much soup in this soup! It definitely started out as a soup, but over the years I [...]
Chicken with Tomato Cream Sauce
The original recipe had two other kinds of meat and jarred sauce, so I modified it to use what I had on hand and more to my liking. Plus a new way to make [...]
Red, Hot and Blue (Pulled Pork)
The name of this recipe comes from a restaurant in Alexandria Virginia where my husband and I ate pulled pork served this way. At the time, this combination of ingredients sounded pretty unusual to [...]
Baby Bahana pasta
Let's start with the name of this one. The first thing my kids would say when I used to have to pick them up after school was "what's for dinner?" No pleasantries about our [...]
Noodles with Banchetto Sauce
This is a great meaty weeknight pasta sauce courtesy of my great Aunt Gerri. If you use a spicy pepperoni or Italian sausage the leftovers will have a bit of kick. Prep [...]
Cheeseburger soup, yes really!
This is definitely a cool weather food and my family usually requests it as soon as the weather changes. And they keep asking for it all winter. Not a fan of processed food, but [...]
Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce
When I found this recipe online, I knew I would need to alter it to be more in line with my family's taste buds. I reduced the amount of mustard to mellow it out [...]
Bacon Wrapped Cream Cheese Chicken
I don't even remember where this recipe came from. I do remember that the original recipe called for grilling the chicken, and it made a huge mess so I took it out. Now the [...]
Ropa Vieja
My husband loves this recipe so much that when I just say the words "ropa vieja", he starts salivating. For me it's not even that difficult a recipe to make, since it cooks all [...]