Mexican Street Corn Kale Salad

I love using kale as the base of a salad. It's a hearty green that can stand up to storing for long amounts of time. I can meal prep raw kale and put it into a large container in the fridge for days on end. You can't do that with hardly any other leafy green,…

Rutabaga Gratin

For my next installment of Unconventional Cooks, I'll make a recipe with a root vegetable that not many people buy anymore: rutabaga. Rutabaga is a little more popular in the UK, where it's typically served mashed. In the US, most people don't stop in the produce aisle and say, "Oh! Rutabaga!" and buy it. In…

Sweet Chili Pork Chops

I started putting a strange ingredient in my marinades a few years ago. Something about this ingredient makes it enhance the flavor infused onto meat during the marinade process. The ingredient: fish sauce. RELATED: Hoisin Pork Lettuce Wraps Don't poo-poo it. I know it has a very pungent smell. But the flavor it creates when…

Chicken Tostadadillas

Why don't we use tostada shells for quesadillas? I like regular flour tortillas on quesadillas just fine, but why not use crunchy corn tortillas? It's a question I asked myself last weekend and what led me to making these tostadadillas. It's the perfect mashup of both worlds: a chicken quesadilla and tostadas. RELATED: Fully Loaded…

Barley and Mixed Mushroom Skillet

I have a new series on TikTok/Reels called Unconventional Cooks, where I make a dish using unconventional ingredients or ingredients that have fallen out of favor in modern times. This recipe falls into the latter category. Barley was the number one grain source for thousands of years. It's still the fourth most produced grain in…

Sugar Snap Pea Salad

Welcome to my new series: Unconventional Cooks! Shout-out to my friend Jaleesa for the name. This series will delve into quirky ingredients (think: bulgur, rutabaga, and sorghum) that aren't found in many recipes anymore. I'll also post recipes using traditional ingredients in non-traditional ways. This first recipe does just that. When you eat a sugar…

Crispy Garlic Roast Chicken

If you only make one roast chicken recipe for the rest of your life, let it be this Crispy Garlic Roast Chicken. I know roasting a whole hen can be a pain, but it really doesn't have to be. As long as you keep your bird moist and baste it frequently, you can end up…

DIY Hibachi Dinner

I love going to Hibachi restaurants, but they're so gosh darn expensive. Hibachi is usually for special occasions or for an elevated date night. It's definitely not a place you can frequent because of the price. That's why making your own hibachi dinner at home makes so much sense. I call it my DIY Hibachi…

Copycat Hamburger Helper Lasagna

When I had Hamburger Helper growing up, I had my favorites: Stroganoff was the best, Cheeseburger came in second place, and Hamburger Helper Lasagna was a close third. I don't think I've bought a box of Hamburger Helper in over five years. However, I've made my own versions multiple times This was my first attempt…

Mushroom and Leek Linguine

It's been a great morel season in Oklahoma this year. I've been a morel hunter for the last three years (longer than that if you count not finding any) and this has been my best year yet. So far, I've foraged 145 morels weighing about 4 pounds total. I would've gotten more, too, if I…