Nothing quite makes my day like meeting a new friend! Like my new friend Laila, who I met on Instagram yesterday. She recently made my Crock-Pot Pork Verde, and even her kids enjoyed it! Laila said that she has recently started following a gluten-free diet. So for her, I’m doing this gluten-free recipe round-up. All of these […]
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5 Simple Sauces to Spruce Up your Meal
My husband John? He’s a sauce guy. While I can enjoy almost any grilled meat with a little S&P, John likes a slather of something special. And thank goodness, right? If not for you, John, our dinners might be downright boring :) Which reminds me of a great Bob Dylan song: If not for you, my sky […]
Crock-Pot Pork Verde
So this recipe began as an experiment and has become one of our family’s all-time favorite meals. We first served it as part of a big Tex-Mex spread for John’s birthday back in December. And it was a hit! Since then, we’ve made it several times for weeknight meals or weekend get-togethers. One of the […]
White Bean and Chicken Chili
Did you hear George Saunders‘s advice to graduates? His 2013 convocation speech is available here. You should read it. (Daily, really.) Saunders’s theory is that your life is a “gradual process of becoming kinder and more loving.” Knowing this, he recommends that we: “Hurry up. Speed it along.” Specifically, he says to: “Start right now. […]
Back to School Breakfast Idea: Mini Egg Cups
Well, I blinked, y’all. Summer is over. Just like that. With back to school on the horizon, it’s time to make a quick trip to Target to pick up one thing and walk out two hours later with 18 bags of stuff. (Ha. Story of my life.) Seriously though, it is time to start helping […]
DIY: Homemade Laundry Detergent
After Sister was born, my friend Christina delivered a huge box of baby clothes to us — all the clothes that her baby girl had outgrown one year earlier. I love the clothes. Love. But guess what? I love the scent of the clothes even more. Every time I pull one of the little cotton outfits […]
Are You a Morning Person? Here’s My Secret…
Are you a morning person? I am. I love mornings. Although, I think John might disagree with me on this. And to his credit, I guess there is a minor caveat: I love quiet peaceful mornings. Of course, since having kids, not many mornings at the Saba household could really be described as either of those […]
5-Minute Creamy Alfredo Sauce for Chicken
Rotisserie chicken is always good for dinner in a pinch! And by “in a pinch” I mean like twice a week (womp, womp). Maybe that’s why our family is so tired of spit-roasted birds. Do y’all have the same problem? If so, how do you make chicken more exciting? This is my latest solution: 5-Minute Creamy […]
Dulce de Leche Icebox Pie and Other Summer Dinner Party Ideas
We are settling in well in our new house. I love being closer to family, downtown, and the neighborhood pool. And I especially love the way the sun seeps through the west windows in the early evening. (Sissy likes it, too.) Now that most of our boxes have been unpacked (or at least hidden in […]
Ground Bison Crispy Tacos
Do certain smells make you feel nostalgic? They do me. Especially, the smell of beach air, sawdust, and fried corn tortillas. Beach air, because we have been going to Port Aransas since I was a kid. Every year, when we’re about 30 minutes away from the ferry, the air starts to feel heavier. Thicker. And I can smell […]
Secrets to a Successful Summer Picnic!
Back in January, one of my New Year’s resolutions was to: “Play outside more with the kids.” Well guess what earlier-version-of-myself, I’ll see your “play outside” and raise you an “eat outside more with the kids.” Picnics. They’re my new favorite thing. Poolside picnics, to be precise. From a logistical standpoint, are picnics intimidating to you? […]
Dinner on the Cheap: Chalupas Compuestas
After five years of marriage and two kids, John and I like to joke that we are “business partners in a nonprofit.” Which is only funny because it’s sort of true. As unromantic as that may sound, it is actually quite sweet. Because love during courtship is easy. But love during the chaos of parenthood? […]
On the Mediterranean Diet: Tabbouleh Salad
John’s grandparents are originally from Lebanon, so we eat a lot of Mediterranean food at our house. (For a funny little post about learning recipes from his family, click here.) I love to make a big spread of Lebanese food with the usual suspects (hummus, baba ganoush, rolled grape leaves) and this tabbouleh salad. Tabbouleh is very […]
How I Cope With Tragedy (Like Boston)
TV off. Radio off. Oven on. It’s how I cope. During times of stress and tragedy, my instinct is often to curl up in bed and wish everything away. But it’s not the best way to cope. At least for me. I need to be busy. Cooking. Baking. Cleaning. Playing. Hugging. And as I’m keeping […]
Mint-Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes
Spring makes me do funny things. Just as the mountain laurels start to bloom, I actually (if falsely) believe that our house could be clean for an extended period of time. Like one day or something. And under that belief, I get very determined and start cleaning at odd hours like a crazy woman. Then one […]
Caldo De Res: Authentic Mexican Beef and Vegetable Soup
I love how food, like yarn, can sew together generations. I never met my mother’s mother, Maria (she died before I was born), but I think of her often. I think of her at times, like last week, when after a long day all I wanted was a mug of tea and hot bath, and […]
Side for Steaks: Build-Your-Own Wedge Salad
If there’s one consistently reliable source for advice about life, it’s bumper stickers. Okay maybe not, but there is one bumper sticker that I keep thinking about. It’s in the shape of a paw print, and inside, it says: “Who rescued who?” Who rescued who. It reminds me of what my mom always says about raising children: […]
Salmon Tacos with Cilantro-Lime Sauce
As I’ve mentioned before, if there’s anything I love more than cooking, it’s not cooking (especially when it’s really hot or I’m really hungry). In other words, although I do love to be in the kitchen, very often I just want to enjoy some good food without a lot of fuss. Which is the way Jack […]
Salt, Lime and Happiness: A Recipe for Ceviche
Well, we made it through another SXSW. That’s South-By-Southwest. Or “South-By” as we locals call it. John’s good friend Charlie (they’re basically brothers) came to stay with us during the main music weekend. Charlie lives in the midwest, so I wanted to serve him something very “Austin, Texas” for dinner on Friday night. To me, […]
Soup When You’re Sick (or Not): Lime Soup With a Thai Twist
Belize is my kind of place: White sand, blue water, rum punch, lime soup. Have you been? I went with my best friend Elissa and our mutual friend Rob back in 2007. We left a few days after Christmas and stayed through the New Year. This was back when John and I had just started […]
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