Dear Reader,
Cooking from scratch isn’t about having the perfect setup—it’s about making the best of what you have.
The heart of home cooking isn't about having a perfect kitchen—it's about creativity and resilience. I learned this lesson the hard way when my stove decided to take an unexpected extended vacation while waiting for repair parts (for almost two months now!!!).
At first, I was fine. There's a backup induction burner in the basement, but after a few trips up and down those stairs juggling hot pans and ingredients, I quickly realized that cooking in the basement was not sparking joy.
Instead of surrendering to takeout, I've embraced what I'm calling my "alternative cooking arsenal"—my slow cooker, air fryer, and Instant Pot have become my new best friends. I have yet to find a recipe that can't be altered to use one of these tools, and sometimes, it a lot easier to set it and forget it than to stand over the range.
So whether you're dealing with a rebellious appliance, surviving a kitchen renovation, or just looking to break out of your cooking routine, remember: sometimes our kitchen challenges lead to the most delicious discoveries. Here's to making the best of what we have—and maybe finding some new favorite recipes along the way.
Happy Cooking!
Air Fryer & Instant Pot Magic
These kitchen MVPs have been keeping our meals exciting and delicious:
🍗 Hot Honey Wings – Crispy, sweet, spicy, and totally addictive
🍖 Bison Meatballs – Juicy and perfectly cooked every time
🥚 Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs – The easiest way to meal prep protein
🍲 Instant Pot Jambalaya – A one-pot comfort food dream
Top 7 Meal Prep Game-Changers:
- This Pepitas Pesto makes every meal better, especially pasta
- Crock Pot Bone Broth is just made on repeat in my house all winter.
- Cookies and Cream Overnight Oats is so easy for a meal prep breakfast
- Dill Pickle Tuna Salad is one of our favorite easy protein lunches right now.
- We make a triple batch of Almond Vanilla Granola for breakfast all week
- With cold weather, all I'm craving right now is Garlic and Tomato Soup
- Our favorite dessert meal prep right now is this Matcha Puppy Chow
