Another time-tested recipe from Kitchen Parade, one of my very oldest recipes, a favorite of my mom's dating way back to my childhood! Years later, Baked Apples remain a fall tradition in my own kitchen. I just love how small apples soak up the luscious, rich apple-flavored brown-sugar sauce. Utterly addictive!


Real Food, Fresh & Seasonal. A Fall Classic. Budget Friendly. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Naturally Gluten Free.

There is a season ... the slow cooking season, that is. I've collected some of my favorite slow-cook recipes, some using an actual slow cooker, others using the oven for slow-cooking.

A one-skillet chicken supper, simple, savory and satisfying, just moist, full-flavored chicken thighs cradled in a creamy mahogany-colored gravy made with apple cider, apple, onion and a tiny splash of bourbon. (No flour!) Plus I share my favorite technique for pulling all the flavor from chicken skins without adding all the calories. It's brilliant if I may say so myself!


Real Food, Fresh & Seasonal. Budget Friendly. Simple, savory, satisfying. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. One-Pot Meal. High Protein. Weight Watchers Friendly. Naturally Gluten Free.

Apple picking, anyone? I've collected my favorite apple recipes for you, the ones that welcome fall with open arms ...

Throw out the bum! Oh wait, not the bum, the "bun" – the burger bun, that is. These burgers are cooked right in the skillet in a bed of "tomato gravy" that's become my answer to homemade marinara sauce. (Yep! You can even skip making the gravy and just use your favorite jarred marinara sauce.) And ... consider this recipe a definite supper saver. This one's a man-pleaser and so yeah, okay, a woman-pleaser too.


Real Food, Hearty & Filling. Budget Friendly. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Great for Meal Prep. Low Carb. High Protein. Weight Watchers Friendly. Naturally Gluten Free.

It's October and I've collected a few "fall favorites" ... cozy comfort food for cooler, shorter days.

How to Make a Meal With What You Have
What's in your pantry, fridge and freezer? This collection of pantry-friendly recipes offers ideas and tips on how to make a meal with what you have without a special trip to the grocery or a search for some uncommon ingredient.
So if your pantry includes a can of chickpeas or your fridge a head of cauliflower or your freezer a bag of frozen spinach, here's how you make a meal right now out of what you've got.


This page is a brand-new addition to my popular series, How to Save Money on Groceries. I'm still adding ingredients, let me know what you'd like to come next! A pound of hamburger? Rice? A pound of beans?

Who's ready to hit the grocery store for food? Here are my very best detailed tips for saving meaningful money on groceries in ways that go far past the conventional "start with a meal plan" and "stick to your grocery list" and "don't shop hungry". Those three tactics are good advice, for sure, but we've got to plot harder and act smarter to make a serious difference in a household grocery budget.

If you're new to this series or just want to review the basics, you may want to start at the beginning, see How to Save Money on Groceries: The Introduction. Otherwise, let's dig in again, shall we?

Plus 101 Diet & Weight Loss Lessons from My Dog
Here's the salad that brought out my "Inner Puppy" all summer long and now again, into the fall. It's a concept recipe, starting with meaty lentils and whatever vegetables are on hand or appeal, topped, if you like, with a soft-centered egg.


Real Food, Fresh & Seasonal & Flexible. Budget Friendly. High Protein. Weight Watchers Friendly. Great for Meatless Monday. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real. Naturally Gluten Free.

Who's ready to reduce household food costs? Here's how: Cook Your Own Food. If cooking more sounds like time and work, well, yes, it does take more time and work but less than you might think. That's because once you get organized, once you get the hang of it, once you cook more, the easier it is to create a self-sustaining system that means cooking only one or two things a day. The goal? To save money, of course. The benefits? Eating better too. Read on ...

If you're new here, you may want to start at the beginning of this series, see How to Save Money on Groceries: The Introduction.
Or perhaps you missed last week's kickoff, Part One: Frugal Eating Starts in Our Heads. Otherwise, let's dig in again, shall we?