All Posts By Jennifer

So here’s the thing—I didn’t grow up with Dutch Letters. We didn’t have them at the grocery store, and I never saw them in the school bake sales. But one summer, years ago, my husband and I drove through Pella, Iowa during their Tulip Festival. You’ve never seen so many flowers, people in wooden shoes… and pastries. That’s where I had my very first Dutch Letter. It was still warm, wrapped in that old-timey wax paper, and the sugar on top stuck to my fingers. Flaky, buttery, and filled with almond paste—not almond extract, but the real stuff. I remember …

You know those recipes that somehow sneak their way into every holiday season, no matter how many new things you swear you’re gonna try instead? This is that one for me. Every. Single. Year. It started one December when I was knee-deep in wrapping paper, elbow-deep in peppermint bark, and had exactly zero desire to turn on the oven. I had a box of pudding mix, an unopened Cool Whip in the fridge (leftover from a failed pie attempt), and more candy canes than one family should legally own. And this little pepperminty, creamy, layered miracle was born. Now it’s …

ll the flavor, none of the drama You ever try making traditional Chicken Cordon Bleu on a weeknight? I did. Once. It was a Tuesday, I was tired, and somewhere between pounding the chicken flat and trying to keep the ham and cheese from squirting out the sides, I just thought—why am I doing this to myself? It was delicious, sure. But I had a toddler tugging on my leg and a dishwasher that was already full. So, that was the end of that. But the flavor? That creamy, savory, slightly smoky combo of chicken, ham, and melty Swiss? Still …

A one-pan wonder for the nights you can’t even deal So here’s the deal—I was standing in the kitchen last Wednesday, staring down a package of chicken thighs and a fridge that looked like it had seen better days. You know the scene: one sad zucchini, a half-used jar of olives, and that last little wedge of feta you meant to use two recipes ago. I didn’t have the energy to fuss with three pans or make a side dish. I barely had the energy to stand. And then I remembered this dinner. Oh, this glorious, juicy, lemony, one-pan miracle …

I wasn’t planning to make dinner.Honestly, I was this close to pouring a bowl of cereal and calling it a night. You know those days when your brain’s fried, the sink is full, and you open the fridge like, “Why are you so empty and yet so full of nothing?” Well, that was me. But then—I spotted a jar of garlic chili crisp hiding behind some pickles, a bunch of limp green onions, and that pack of spring roll wrappers I bought for a recipe I never made. (Because of course I didn’t.) And out of that chaos came this. …

You ever throw something together on a Tuesday night that just… shouldn’t be good, but it is? Like suspiciously good? That’s what happened with this dish. I had leftover mozzarella from a DIY pizza night (which, by the way, was fine but no one was wowed), and a couple of yakisoba noodle packs in the back of the fridge—you know, the kind you keep “just in case.” No plan, just hunger and bad lighting and mild panic. So I did what any tired home cook would do. I dumped it all in a pan. Chicken, garlic, some veg. Sauce? Sorta. …