Shrimp with Peanuts, Black Pepper, and Lime

This is another Cook's Illustrated recipe, slightly adapted (they call for grinding your own spices but I use pre-ground) . Their recipes are almost always delicious but not often simple. However, this one is super-quick and way more flavorful than it sounds by reading the ingredients list. The hardest part is making sure you have...

Mustard Cream Pan Sauce

This sauce is meant to be made after you've pan-fried steaks so you can use the drippings from the steak. But I could eat it on chicken or pork tenderloin or anything. You can make this ahead of time if you'd like. Just keep it in the fridge and then when you're ready to eat,...

Candied Bacon

You can eat this any time of day. Obviously it's good with breakfast but I think it makes a great appetizer. It really dresses up a plate of cheese & crackers. It's smoky, salty, sweet and spicy. Very addicting. 12 oz. package center-cut bacon (Not thick cut, not regular bacon- has to be "center cut"...

Grilled Artichokes

Personally I don't love artichokes all that much. When people order it at restaurants for the table, I enjoy the grilled flavor and a few leaves dipped in whatever and then I'm back to my wine and other apps. Still, I like serving them because they're somewhat unusual and elegant and a fun change from...

The BEST Chicken Fajitas

This marinade makes fajita chicken so good, you won't even want to add salsa, cheese, or other things that will get in the way of the fantastic flavor. Just some grilled peppers and onions and maybe a little sour cream is all you need. A few notes: The cilantro and jalapeno are great in this...

Zack’s Chicken Wings

Zack makes the Absolute Best chicken wings. Prior to these I would only eat boneless wings. package of 12 party wingsolive oil1/2 C. Frank's Red Hot (Original)2 Tbsp. butter, melted1 tsp. garlic powderkosher salt & cracked pepper to taste Preheat oven to 425. Put rack in rimmed pan lined with aluminum foil.Combine Frank's, butter, garlic...

Kale Caesar

This is good on kale but also good on the traditional romaine. It's really flavorful. The game-changing thing I learned from Cook's Illustrated is that before you dress it, you need to soak the kale in hot water (110-115 degrees) for 10 minutes. Then dry it in a salad spinner, chop it, de-stem it, and...

Easy Peel Hard Boiled Eggs

I've always made hard-boiled eggs the same way: Put eggs in saucepan, fill with water to cover by an inch, bring to a boil, and then turn off burner and cover for 10 minutes. Shock and peel. Perfectly cooked but a total pain to peel. So when I read an article in Cook's Country that...

Keto Crackers

These crackers have 3 ingredients and the whole batch is 4 net carbs. 2 C. almond flour1 egg1/2 tsp. salt Combine all ingredients in mixer until barely combined. Form into a ball (you have to kind of squeeze it together) and divide in half. Roll out each half as thin as possible on parchment paper...