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Hello!

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Hello everyone and welcome to my blog! My name is Laurel and I’m a senior in college. Family dinners were always a big deal in my family, and as a kid I would always hang around the kitchen as my parents were cooking, and often they would invite me to help them. My dad especially loves to cook and taught me lots of tips and tricks for making cooking easy and fun! He’s Italian and Polish, so many of the recipes I got from him are Italian and Polish inspired. My mom is a nutritionist, so she’s always made sure we ate our vegetables and inspired us to be healthy. This year I am finally living in a house with housemates and we’ve had lots of fun cooking for each other, but it also made me realize that not everyone has been as fortunate as me to have learned so much about cooking from my parents. I’ve noticed some of them and other friends being nervous about their cooking even though they always make delicious meals, so for everyone out there who’s nervous about cooking healthy, quick c
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Balsamic Vinaigrette

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This is such a simple recipe and my favorite salad dressing. I can’t say I’ve ever really measured when making this recipe, but here goes. Ingredients Olive oil Balsamic vinegar Garlic Honey or maple syrup Mustard Italian herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, basically anything green) Salt Pepper When making vinaigrettes the ratio is always 2/3rds oil to 1/3 vinegar. When making about a cup of dressing I usually use 1-2 cloves of garlic, and 2-3 teaspoons of my sweetener. I dislike mustard, but it really enhances the flavor of this dressing, so I try to use a little dab (about the size of a garlic clove). Then a big dump of herbs, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Throw all of this into a blender and blend until smooth. Keep in the fridge to keep it from separating as quickly.
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Butternut Squash Soup

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My go-to for potlucks this year for some reason. Butternut squash soup is so easy and so delicious. You can put lots of different spins on it. I like a classic soup, but you can also add curry spices and do a curried soup. Ingredients 1 butternut squash, cooked, scooped and blended Vegetable broth Spices (ginger, sage, nutmeg, or curry) Lemon juice (to give it that zing) Variations: Add cream to make a creamy soup (my dad’s favorite) Add curry spices to make a curried soup (black pepper, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne) Butternut squash pairs really well with sage and garlic You can also leave the squash chunky and add corn, kale, carrots or other veggies, or lentils Add ingredients to a pot and cook until thoroughly warmed. If using cream wait to add until the end of cooking.
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Mug Cake

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I swear you can make anything you want in a mug in the microwave. If you haven’t tried this you’re missing out. One of my best friends introduced this concept to me when I was in high school and I fell in love. It’s perfect for when you want something sweet, but don’t want to bake a whole cake (which is me all the time). I adapted this recipe from Sweet Little Bluebird . It’s completely vegan unless you use non-vegan chocolate chips. Double the dry ingredients and save the other half for next time! You can also make a full batch of cake mix and just use it bit by bit. Ingredients 3 tbs flour 3 tbs sugar 2 tbs cocoa 1/8 tsp baking soda Pinch of salt 1/4 tsp white vinegar 1/8 tsp vanilla extract (optional) 1 tsp coconut oil 2 tsp water Chocolate chips Microwave the coconut oil in the mug. Add ingredients and mix. I like to put chocolate chips on top. Put in the microwave and cook for 1-3 minutes or until cooked. Enjoy!
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Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

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I have a confession to make: I am terrible at making cheese sauces. They always clump up or burn or are too watery, but I love mac and cheese, so I keep trying. I decided to make butternut squash mac and cheese, and reflexively just started cooking without a recipe. Somehow it turned out great! I didn’t measure anything, so all measurements are approximate. Ingredients 2 tbs butter 2 cloves garlic 2 sprigs fresh sage 2 tbs flour 1 cup milk 1 cup cheese, grated 1/2 tsp pepper 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1 cup cooked , mashed butternut squash 1/2 lb pasta Salt Cook your pasta as you make the sauce. The trick to a good cheese sauce is a roux. A roux is cooked flour and butter that thickens soups, sauces and much more. My favorite trick for a really good tasting roux is to put whole fresh herbs into the butter before adding the flour to allow the flavor to come out of the herb and into the butter. Sage is a really good one to pair with butternut s
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Baking Squash

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This recipe works for any type of squash, but my favorite squash is butternut. Preheat the oven to 400˙. Chop squash in half. Scoop the seeds out (you can save them and roast them like pumpkin seeds if you want). Place the squash face down on a baking sheet and roast until a fork slides softly through the skin, about 30 mins. Flip rightside up and let cool. Scoop squash out of shell with spoon and use now or save for later use.
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Baked Sweet Potato Fries

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This is my absolute favorite thing to do with sweet potatoes. Ingredients Sweet potatoes Olive oil Salt Spices Preheat oven to 400˙. Cut the sweet potatoes into slices the thinner they are the faster they’ll cook. Throw them in a bowl with a dash of olive oil, salt and whatever spices you want. The more spices the better! I like to put garlic powder, black pepper, paprika, rosemary, basil, parsley, sage and thyme. I also sometimes put in a dash of liquid amino acids for some umami flavor. Spread them evenly on a baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes or until a fork goes in smoothly.
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Roasted Root Vegetables

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Winter is root vegetable season! This recipe is super simple. Ingredients Root veggies (any you have!) Olive oil Salt Spices - I like to use garlic powder, thyme, basil, paprika, rosemary, and black pepper. Cube all vegetables into half inch cubes. If they’re smaller they’ll cook faster. Preheat the oven to 400-425 degrees. Pan exposure and heat causes caramelization which makes the vegetables taste sweeter, so make sure to have a hot oven and to spread the vegetables evenly over the pan. Toss the cubed vegetables into a bowl, and drizzle olive oil over them. Add the salt and whatever spices you’re using. Chives and thyme go especially well with beets. You can also through some chopped leeks on top. Mix and spread evenly across the pan. Roast for 20-30 minutes, until soft when poked with a fork.
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