I recently went dairy-free, in an effort to see if a dairy sensitivity might be causing a few issues Ian seems to be having. I don’t think I need to tell you that eliminating dairy is tough – I mean, eliminating most dairy is one thing, but living without cheese is quite another. The jury is out on whether this is helping Ian, so I might end up adding it back into my diet into a few weeks, but in a cruel twist of fate, I’m currently still eating this way, which meant no dairy this past Sunday—Orthodox Easter. An Easter without tzatziki, feta, or tsoureki? For.the.birds.

When I was walking to pick up lamb for Easter, Tom mentioned I should pick up some sort of Greek dessert. I said, “Well, I can, but I can’t really eat any of it.” (insert sad face). But, as I was walking, I remembered karidopita, which doesn’t have any dairy in it. And the upside is that it’s one of my favorite Greek desserts of all time. It’s not that different from most Greek desserts in that it’s soaked in syrup (why mess with a bad thing, I guess). But there’s no butter and it’s really easy to make.

OF COURSE after I bought the zwieback biscuits, I looked at the ingredients and the very last one was sweetened condensed skim milk. Of course. But, I figured it was the last ingredient, the toasts are only one component of the whole cake, and it’s not like I would be eating the whole cake (in theory…). If you’re dairy-free and this small amount is too much, however, you can replace the zwieback with breadcrumbs or most likely semolina flour. I’m not sure if melba toasts  have dairy, but those may also be a good substitute.

I’ve been playing with this recipe for a while. I originally cobbled it together from two separate Greek church cookbooks. I’ve since reduced the amount of eggs and syrup, and made a few other changes. A lot of people don’t use honey in their karidopita, opting just for a simple syrup, but I prefer to add it. This is now my standard/go-to recipe. I only made half the recipe below, but this keeps really well, so there’s really no reason not to make the whole thing (unless you only have half the amount of walnuts and are too cheap to buy more from the expensive store where you’re buying the meat. Ahem.).

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I recently got Melissa Clark’s cookbook Cook This Now. Not only are the recipes organized seasonally, but they’re listed by month, too. I love this approach. I always say I wish I had the foresight to organize my saved recipes on Reader or Pinterest by season because it would make it so much easier those nights I’m searching for things to add to our menu. Of course, it should come as no surprise that as I was flipping through April, I automatically stopped at a roasted chicken recipe. My love for roast chicken of different kinds is well documented here, and I knew this one would be a hit. We love smoked paprika, and citrus of any type is always a plus on chicken. I’m not huge on cilantro, as you know, but the amount in the marinade was minimal so I hardly noticed it. And of course, I took pictures of Tom’s plate because I didn’t want that soapy cilantro covering my delicious chicken. ;)

This chicken turned out great. The marinade is delicious—a little smoky from the paprika and just a hint of spice from the jalapeño, but the orange juice and ginger keep it light. Adding a few squeezes of blood orange juice over the roasted chicken makes it even brighter and more springy than your typical roast chicken. The skin is nice and crispy, and the meat is moist and perfectly cooked. Plus, it really couldn’t get easier. Take a couple minutes to throw together the marinade, and then toss the chicken into a pan when you’re ready to cook it. The oven does the rest of the work for you. I diced up some yukon gold potatoes and seasoned them with sweet paprika, a little garlic & onion powder, and salt and pepper. They roasted alongside the chicken so everything was hands-off while the meal was cooking. During the last 15 minutes or so, I tossed in asparagus (how happy am I that it’s asparagus season? SO  HAPPY.) to make this a complete—and winning—meal.

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I don’t make waffles very often. Though I like them, I always have issues with my waffle iron and, in general, I just find pancakes a little easier (or, at least, a little less messy since I inevitably overfill the waffle maker and have batter pouring out of the sides…). I’ve made some waffle recipes we enjoy, but I hadn’t really found “the one.” I asked for a new recipe on a cooking message board, and Brianna recommended these yeast-risen waffles to me. We’ve made them a few times now, and they are officially my favorite among waffles I’ve made. The texture, to me, is perfect. The outside edges are slightly crispy while the inside is airy, which a little chew to it.

The batter needs to be made in advance, but that makes these perfect for a quick breakfast in the morning. We usually do breakfast for dinner 2-3 times a month, and I’ll mix the batter in the morning before work so all I really need to do when I get home is heat the waffle iron, pour the batter, enjoy. Since this is just a base recipe, the waffles are endlessly adaptable to whatever you want to include.You can sprinkle some some chocolate chips over the top before cooking them, top them with fruit, or just eat them as-is with some maple syrup. The only change I make to the original base recipe is adding some vanilla extract (or sometimes a combo of vanilla and almond), because I really love it in waffles.

By the way, this plate of waffles in particular is topped with jarred morello cherries from Trader Joe’s, which have sort of become my new obsession. They are sort of like eating canned cherry pie filling (which I’ve admitted to loving) without all the junk that’s usually in there.

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A few weeks back, I had a really proud mom moment when we were eating dinner and my not-yet-three-year-old said, “Mom, is this a sundried tomato?” Add to that him telling me he ate all his prosciutto a few weeks later without my reminding him what it was called, and I was pretty much beaming. This kid eats, recognizes, and loves things that I probably didn’t even get to have until I was in my twenties. Lucky, lucky dude. He’s also in a phase where he calls things his “favorites” and the night we had this he asked what was for dinner. I told him we were having crispy chicken with cheese and ham. He said, “But I want one of my favorites!” and I told him, “I know you’re going to like this dinner because it has a lot of things you like.” Sure enough, he asked for more chicken twice and by the end of the meal, he declared it a new favorite.

Of course it wasn’t just Zachary who enjoyed this dinner—we all did. I adored this meal for so many reasons. You really can’t go wrong with crispy, panko-coated chicken, even if it’s just served on its own. Topped with creamy cheese and salty prosciuitto, this meal feels indulgent, but the fresh and peppery arugula on top keeps this from feeling too heavy and is the perfect counterpart to the rest of the components. Plus, it’s incredibly quick and simple to make, but feels special and is totally company-worthy.

The original recipe actually calls for a triple creme cheese or brie but :::shielding self::: I’ve just never been a huge brie fan. I know, I know, I’m crazy. I can eat it but it’s just never been one of my favorite cheeses.  Instead, I went with something that melts well and is still pretty creamy—fontina. It paired really well with the prosciutto and I’ll likely use it again next time, though I’m sure that several cheeses will work in its place if you are so inclined.

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We try to eat meatless 1-2 times per week but admittedly, I have a really hard time getting past pasta on those nights. Not only because it seems that a lot of the vegetarian recipes I come across are pasta-based, but also because I tend to already have a pasta dish on the menu once per week, and don’t really like eating pasta more than that (or, more accurately, I really would like that, but can’t really justify it).

We really enjoy chicken paprikash and, being the big mushroom fans that we are, I knew we’d like a mushroom version as well. And yes, paprikash is often served over egg noodles, but we had this over rice instead—although I didn’t have time to make brown rice this particular day so considering we had white rice, I probably should have stuck with pasta anyway. :) At any rate, what I like about mushroom-based meatless dishes is that they still have a hearty, meaty quality to them. I ended up increasing the amount of mushrooms in this recipe. I used cremini, but I think sliced portobellos would also work really well. This dish is easily made ahead—and even tastes a little better that way—but it’s also incredibly quick, so it can easily be made on a weeknight.

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Burgers are always a hit in this house. Not only are they endlessly adaptable, but they’re incredibly quick to make, which is a working mom’s (or at least this working mom’s) priority. In fact, today is Zachary’s birthday (how did my kid turn THREE?) and he asked for burgers for dinner, which is sort of unexpected and crazy, if you’re aware of his love for quesadillas—the kind of love that has him ordering a quesadilla immediately upon sitting down at a restaurant, to the busser who brings out water.

These Spanish-style burgers are a great change-up from your typical burger, and really don’t take much more time to make. Chorizo is mixed into the patties, giving them tons of flavor, and then they’re topped with one of my favorite cheese ever and a fresh romesco sauce. The romesco takes just a minute to make, especially if you used jarred peppers, and your food processor does all the work for you. Dinner is on the table in 15 minutes (particularly if you’re like me and mail it in with store bought chips :)). And, of course, the best part is that we all really enjoyed dinner!

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During my pregnancy, I craved sugar cookies like a mad woman. I pretty much never bought them, but any opportunity to make them, I did. When it came time to whipping up a batch of cookies for Santa, my mind immediately went to a simple sugar cookie—huge emphasis on simple.

These were really easy to make, especially with the assistance of my favorite kitchen helper.

The cookies are soft and chewy, thanks to the cream cheese and oil (I know sometimes it sounds weird to add oil to cookies but I find that cookies and muffins/cakes made with oil are always really tender and moist). You can change up what you roll or top the cookies with based on the occasion. We kept them simple with just a little bit of silver decorating sugar, but these would be great with some pastel sprinkles or decorating sugar for Easter or springtime renditions. These were a big hit with our family and Santa too (yes, I’m posting them just a wee bit late). Zachary was happy to see the cookies gone the next morning – though his prediction was wrong. The night before I asked him, “Do you think Santa will eat the cookies we leave for him?” to which he replied, “I think  he’s just going to eat one of them and tell us to eat the rest.” Nice try, kid.

I’m happy to report that I have about 1/3 of a batch of these in my freezer at the moment, and these will be making a reappearance very soon.

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On March 20—my due date—Ian Gregory was born! He was 8 lbs. even and 20.5″ long (his big brother was 8 lbs. 1 oz and 20.5″ so they were so close!). I think a lot of people were surprised he wasn’t a girl. :) We’re all doing really well and adjusting to being a family of four.

Zachary has been a-maz-ing with little Ian. He came to visit at the hospital, and he held him and just wanted to look at him (well, and pet him – hah). The day we came home, we all went together to pick Zachary up from school, so they could enter our home together. Zachary gave Ian a tour, telling him what all the rooms in our house were. He has since been narrating his life to him (Look, Ian, I’m eating my chicken! Ian, I went to the potty!), telling him “It’s okay” when he looks fussy, and always asking about him. It’s been making my heart melt into a puddle.

Unfortunately, the night we got back, Zachary came down with a fever that reached over 104 the following day. So, we felt bad but we basically had to try to keep him from being too close to Ian. The next morning, I ended up with pink eye, and the following night, my own fever/chills. Oh boy. So, we’ve had a bit of a rough start in that regard, but everything else has been great.

We feel more confident as parents this time around, I think, and we’ve actually managed to get things done while trying to divide attention between the boys (which I’m sure will become incredibly more difficult once I go back to work). We’ve even managed to cook a couple meals at home – which I don’t remember doing for a long time after Zachary was born.

So, in that regard, I hope to have some  food updates for you soon (and I already have a few pics/meals waiting in the wings), but bear with me as we get into the swing of things.

Macaroni and cheese is probably my ultimate comfort food. We don’t eat it very often because it’s really not terribly good for you, but every once in a while, you just have to have some macaroni and cheese. Homemade macaroni and cheese is pretty easy and straightforward, but it can take a while and, depending what kind you’re making, can also dirty quite a few pots.  The reason this particular macaroni and cheese is “revolutionary” is because the pasta cooks in the milk, so there’s no need to make a roux/cheese sauce, and everything is done in one pot, which always wins me over. I added a little more milk (umm…and cheese) to the recipe, but otherwise just followed directions and was left with a quick and creamy macaroni and cheese that is a little healthier for you than the standard versions.

While this is not my favorite macaroni and cheese recipe (that would be reserved for baked mac and cheese with a buttery, crispy topping), it definitely has its place as a good, quick, and easy macaroni and cheese. You can use pretty much any cheese, really, and it barely takes any more time or effort than making macaroni and cheese from a box—but it definitely tastes better and you can feel better about its nonprocessed-ness. :) The pasta takes slightly longer to cook, just because it’s cooking at a slow simmer rather than a rapid boil, but you can shred the cheese while it’s cooking, and it’s all done really quickly, making it easy for weeknight dinners. I would definitely recommend buying a block of cheese and shredding it yourself, because the pre-shredded kind generally includes cornstarch and other things to keep it from clumping, and those things can make the texture of macaroni and cheese very gritty. I used a combination of extra sharp cheddar (for flavor) and leftover fontina (melts beautifully). The whole family liked this, and I’ll gladly add a super quick macaroni and cheese recipe to my cookbook!

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Last week, we all got home at the same time and there was a box addressed to me in our foyer. Tom asked, “Now what did you order from Amazon?” I thought for a minute and couldn’t remember, but figured it probably was from Amazon because…well, yeah.

But oh no, it  was so much better. It was a box of chocolates from Sucré, a sweets boutique in New Orleans! Sucré offers plenty of different sweets—chocolate in particular—and if you haven’t already tried them out, you most definitely should. They don’t just have chocolate, though; they also carry macarons and various other confections.

I was sent a box of their Indulge Collection to test out, and a lucky reader can win the same box. And let me tell you, you’ll be very happy if you do. This is a 15 piece box of chocolate that includes toasted almond and white chocolate (my personal favorite from the bunch—heavenly), malted milk, peanut butter and jelly, hazelnut cream, and southern rum in ganache. Each one is fantastic, and I’m really excited to be giving a box away!

Enter to win a box of Sucré’s Indulge Chocolate Collection:

• To enter, just leave a comment on this post answering, “What is your favorite chocolate combination?” Caramel? Peanut butter? You tell me.
• One entry per person. Keep in mind that comments are moderated, so if you don’t see your comment posted immediately, do not post another.
• Giveaway closes on Friday, March 22 at 11:59 p.m. CST. I will try to notify the winner on Saturday, the 23rd, but keep in mind I am hugely pregnant and might be at the hospital, so cut me a little slack. :)

Disclaimer: This giveaway is sponsored by Sucré. They provided me with a box of chocolate and are providing a box to one reader. Any opinions on the chocolate expressed in this post are my own.

If you want to learn more about Sucré, be sure to visit their Facebook page, Twitter, and blog.