This week I’ve become hooked on the Bon Appetit TV channel. Leah and I are cat-sitting for some friends and this is the only channel we can figure out how to watch on their complex TV system, and I’m not mad about it.

Every time we leave the cat to return home, we have a list of new recipe ideas we want to try and dishes we want to eat! This Crispy Chickpea Pantry Pasta recipe adaptation is one such inspiration. I’d never thought about putting chickpeas with pasta, until now. The result was an amazing and easy pantry pasta dish!

…

Read More

The post Crispy Chickpea Pantry Pasta Recipe appeared first on Dine and Dish.

I go through phases with my Instant Pot. Sometimes I love it and use it all the time. Other times it will go back into my pantry and I’ll forget about it for months. When it’s hot, it’s hot and when it’s not, it’s not. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who has this kind of relationship with their pressure cooker. Any small appliance, really. Out of sight, out of mind!

Well, today I have a recipe for Instant Pot Risotto with Shrimp and Veggies that is well worth bringing your instant pot out of hiding for. I promise! If you love risotto, but don’t love having to babysit it on the stovetop for a long time, this recipe is for you!…

Read More

The post Instant Pot Risotto with Shrimp and Veggies appeared first on Dine and Dish.

Friends, I have a drinking problem. Actually, I take that back. I have an I can’t drink problem. Every time I open a bottle of red wine, I have every intention of drinking it. I want to be one of those people who relaxes with a glass of wine while cooking dinner or to unwind at night. The problem is, I open the bottle, then pour one glass, barely get through that glass then forget about the wine. 2 weeks later I see the same mostly full bottle of wine still on my counter, sad and neglected.

I’m pretty sure it’s not good to drink from a bottle of wine you opened two weeks prior. This realization is how the Instant Pot Chicken Thighs recipe in Red Wine Sauce came about. I felt wasteful dumping out barely used bottles of wine. I decided to create a quick, weeknight meal in my Instant Pot using chicken thighs and the leftover red wine. The result was an incredibly flavorful chicken dish.

…

Read More

The post Instant Pot Chicken Thighs in Red Wine Sauce appeared first on Dine and Dish.

Can we talk for a minute about this stage of life I’m in? I thought when my kids were young life was hectic, but having teenagers with crazy different schedules than the rest of the family is throwing me for a loop. Long gone are the consistent nights of “family mealtime“. Instead, we get to experience the rare occurrence of us all sitting down for dinner at the same time just a few times a week.

When my oldest is not at sports practices or games, he has a job umping baseball which keeps him gone many nights from 5 until 9:45. This means he needs to eat dinner incredibly early and since he’s a always starving teenager he eats his 2nd dinner when he gets home.

My three girls are all involved in sports activities as well as school clubs like yearbook and publications. This means some nights they are out for games or to take pictures at games, etc. Throw in Nick’s crazy travel schedule and what we have is the need for dinners that are quick, easy and able to be eaten at various times of the evening. I’m so glad I discovered al fresco all natural chicken products because it has saved this new dinnertime struggle. Healthy, delicious and QUICK are the key things I look for in a meal now, and al fresco absolutely fits all of these. …

Read More

The post Chicken Sausage with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce Over Zucchini Noodles appeared first on Dine and Dish.

I wonder if I searched Dine & Dish, how many times over the past 11 years I have mentioned joining weight watchers? I’m guessing at least 5. Here I am again, admitting that I’ve joined Weight Watchers. Over the past couple of years I’ve lost 35 pounds, then gained 45. Now I am desperate to stop this darn cycle of struggling with my weight.

I lost the 35 pounds by being on an incredibly restrictive, low calorie, low carb, high protein diet. After losing the weight (and my hair – wierd) and reaching my goal, I realized that although the weight loss wasn’t all that hard to do, sticking with that restrictive of a diet for the rest of my life was not feasible. I missed wine. And bread. So in typical Kristen all or nothing fashion (remember me talking about that before?), I went full on the opposite plan, and gained all the weight I lost and more. Ugh….

Read More

The post Weight Watchers Recipe One-Pan Orecchiette with Sausage appeared first on Dine and Dish.

I love stir-fry. Seriously. I could eat a stir fry of some kind every, single day if I think I could get away with it. There is just something about the blend of fresh vegetables, sauces and whatever ingredients you have on hand all melded together to make a delicious meal. Stir-fry is easy, adaptable and just so good!

When my friends at California Avocados challenged me to create a recipe that wouldn’t traditionally have avocado in it, but create it with avocado, I knew I wanted to do some sort of stir fry. Since Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry is a favorite, I decided to experiment with that and the results were delicious! Why hasn’t beef and broccoli stir fry had avocado in it all along?…

Read More

The post Beef Broccoli and Avocado Stir Fry Recipe appeared first on Dine and Dish.

Scallops are one of those things I’ve always been a bit nervous to cook at home. For some reason, because they aren’t the least expensive type of seafood, I felt they were better kept for enjoying at restaurants. Boy was I wrong!

A few months ago I discovered the Jumbo Sea Scallops in the freezer aisle at Trader Joe’s. Since I’m in Kansas, getting fresh scallops is next to impossible, but finding frozen scallops that are high quality, taste as good as fresh and are reasonably priced is a possibility now. I’m so happy!…

Read More

The post Simple Scallops Recipe Over Zucchini Noodles appeared first on Dine and Dish.

For the past 3 years, I’ve spent the early hours of my Sunday morning drinking my coffee and reading the New York Times newspaper. It’s been a ritual I look forward to all week, but this week was different.

I’ve been paying for the weekend delivery of my newspaper but for some reason, the Saturday edition of the newspaper has failed to be delivered for several months. Finally, after numerous calls to customer service and their many attempts at “making it right” I realized I was spending more time on the phone with the NY Times than it was worth, so I cancelled my subscription all together. This was the first Sunday without my newspaper, and it was just not the same. Sadface….

Read More

The post Soy Honey Chicken Thighs Recipe with Lemon Broccoli appeared first on Dine and Dish.