Pasta Bolognese

In the best spirit of the Guessipe, I’ve found Pasta Bolognese to have some pretty interchangeable components… red or white onion, celery or fennel, red or white wine, canned tomatoes or tomato sauce, milk or heavy cream. It’s the long slow simmer that brings it all together. Traditionalists might balk at this, but try it…

Beef Peanut Stew

My boyfriend came home with peanut butter powder and beef chuck, and said “Can you make something with this?”. Challenge accepted. His reaction after trying this Beef Peanut Stew – “I think this is my new jam!”. Challenge won. Guessipe Season beef with salt and pepper. Cook in a dutch oven over medium-high heat, turning…

Keema Matar

My friend’s mom visited her for a month and bought all the spices to cook Indian food, even though she already had all of them in her pantry. So lucky me – she gave me all the duplicates! I used them to make Keema Matar (ground meat with peas). Guessipe Sauté the onion in olive…

Chicken Farro Casserole

The cold weather had me craving something hot, creamy, and cheesy. As I discovered with my first farro bake, farro is a great grain for a casserole because its hardy structure holds up well in the oven. The white wine, sour cream, and cream of mushroom combination was perfect for a warming winter meal. Guessipe…

Kielbasa Cabbage Carrot Skillet

This was one of my mom’s go-to dishes when I was a kid, and as an adult I found out why… it’s easy and delicious. The seasoning she used was super basic – just garlic salt, salt, and pepper, with a touch of sugar to enhance the savory. But the kielbasa and the caramelization of…

Cheesy Butternut Squash Farro

A friend bought a ton of farro and then realized she had no idea what to do with it. I told her I was happy to experiment with the brown rice-like grain, and the next thing I knew she was giving all of it to me. I’d had it in salads/grain bowls before, but wanted…

Beyond Bulgogi

I had some Beyond Beef and an apple, and it got me thinking that I could try making Beyond Bulgogi. I’m not going to try to tell you that Beyond Bulgogi is the same as the traditional Korean marinated beef that I adore, but it is pretty tasty in its own right. And the other…

Cheesy Garlic Jalapeno Frittata

In preparation for going out of town, I was using up everything I could from my fridge. That led to this Cheesy Garlic Jalapeno Frittata, which my boyfriend could not stop talking about. I usually have these ingredients (you can use any mix of cheeses you want, but I’ve noted one of my fav combos…

Kids Menu Katsudon

Katsudon is one of my favorite Japanese dishes – rice topped with deep-fried pork cutlet, egg, and onion simmered in a savory sweet sauce. It’s super simple to make, except for the deep-fried pork cutlet. One weeknight I was super craving katsudon, but had neither the ingredients nor the energy to deep-fry a pork cutlet….

Zuppa Toscana

Zuppa Toscana is the best soup at Olive Garden. It’s actually the only reason I ever go to Olive Garden. So now that I figured out how to make it at home, I guess I don’t have any reason to go to Olive Garden anymore. The Instant Pot makes this extra quick and easy to…

Tuscan White Bean and Sausage Soup

Now that I’ve experienced what quick work the Instant Pot can make of cooking beans, I’ve been much more willing to experiment with bean dishes. I ate a white bean and sausage soup years ago that I still remember and think about from time to time, and now finally got around to re-creating. It was…

Instant Pot Pinto Beans

I rarely cook beans, mostly because it takes FOREVER. But not with an Instant Pot! I finally got one and have been experimenting, with varying levels of success. It’s been a process, gradually figuring out cooking times, liquid quantities required, and seasoning when you can’t taste as you go. This was the first Instant Pot…