This Beef Kafta Recipe turns a classic Lebanese dish into something possible at home on a weeknight. The succulent grilled meat kabobs are flavored with garlic, onions and lots of dried herbs and spices. Serve simply with yogurt dipping sauce, or bowl-style for a larger meal.

“Great kafta and yogurt sauce recipes! I made [this] with ground chicken, and it was really delicious, definitely a keeper! I doubled the recipe, which was a good decision because we had enough for lunches plus a container to freeze and enjoy later on.”

—Michele

If you’ve seen the term “kafta” or “kofta” on a Lebanese restaurant menu and have been unsure of what it might be or if you’d like it, this post is for you!

To quickly explain, this dish is a mixture of ground beef and/or lamb, mixed with onion and spices, formed into a patty, log or meatball, and then grilled.

Even if this is your first time hearing this term, I’m here to convince you that this dish is a great make-at-home weeknight dinner with huge flavor!

It can be made with your choice of ground meat, it comes together in about 30 minutes, and you can serve it on its own with side dishes of your choice, or bowl-style with rice, a fresh salad, and pita bread.

This Homemade Tartar Sauce is adapted from a culinary school recipe. Big restaurant flavors, in a smaller, super easy-to-make recipe. Skip the store-bought sauce and instantly upgrade any seafood dish.

Enjoy the beloved taste of a classic dish without so much work, with this Cabbage Roll Soup recipe. No rolling, no stuffing, just pure comfort food that comes together in one pot. And check out the controversial ingredient!

This Stuffed Cabbage Soup Recipe Has All Of The Flavor, None Of The Hassle

My husband grew up eating stuffed cabbage rolls, thanks to his Polish ancestry. I’ve made that dish a few times over the years. I’ve loved the flavors, but haven’t loved the time-consuming process of assembling the rolls.

Between making the filling, boiling the cabbage leaves, then wrapping, THEN baking . . . it’s a lot. In the end, each time, I felt that the effort put into the process simply wasn’t quite worth it.

So my solution has been this Cabbage Roll Soup recipe. It has those same rich, comforting flavors of traditional cabbage rolls, but it’s all made on your stovetop, in easy-to-make soup form, in under an hour.

And full disclosure: it has been a labor of pure LOVE developing this soup. I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve made it in the past few months, but I’m finally satisfied with the balance of flavors and textures, and the consistency. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Skip the marinara sauce and build a Meatball Sandwich with a garlic and white wine sauce. Keep meatballs warm in a crockpot for tailgating or parties!

My Spin On The Classic Meatball Sandwich

While everyone thinks of a classic red sauce when they think of a meatball sub, I actually love one that skips the marinara and takes a different route.

While this meatball sandwich still has juicy, flavorful homemade meatballs nestled into a big hoagie roll, it has a garlic and white wine sauce that really elevates this classic dish.

I’ve been making this dish for tailgates and game day parties for years and I’ve never heard one complaint that anybody is missing the marinara. I’ve only heard enthusiastic compliments!

Treat yourself to elegant but easy Crab Stuffed Mushrooms. Packed with crab meat, the creamy filling is rich, super flavorful and never watery!

“Sooooo delicious! I’ve made various fillings for mushrooms in the past, but crab was a first for me. YUM!!!!! I made no changes to the ingredients.”

—Cindy

This Crab Stuffed Mushroom Recipe is an Upgraded Classic

Stuffed mushrooms aren’t anything new on the appetizer scene, but in my opinion, they’ve needed improvement for a long time.

The biggest problems I’ve come across with other recipes – watery mushrooms and lack of flavor – are both easily addressed.

The watery situation can be fixed by understanding which mushrooms are the best choice for stuffed mushrooms, and knowing how to cook them to release any excess moisture before they get to the serving platter.

And you know that nothing around here lacks flavor. A few pantry ingredients like lemon zest and Old Bay seasoning go a long way to make these the absolute best crab stuffed mushrooms you’ve ever had.

This Baked Sockeye Salmon recipe is a foolproof way to prepare fish at home. Simple ingredients + 5 minutes of prep time, and a perfectly flaky piece of salmon with lemon and herbs will be ready!

This Homemade Gravy recipe will turn out perfectly every single time you make it. Make with meat or poultry drippings, or use broth and butter. Soy sauce is the secret seasoning. Try it once and you’ll be hooked!

This is Truly the BEST Gravy Recipe

Knowing how to make an easy homemade gravy using a roux and liquid is one of the most versatile kitchen skills that you can master, and I’m sharing the technique I learned in culinary school for how to make gravy from scratch today.

Making gravy from scratch is a three part process. First, you’ll be making a roux from flour and butter (or meat drippings). Then, you’ll be adding broth (or non-fatty drippings) to the roux.

The third and final part (and probably the most important!) is adjusting the texture and seasonings of this easy gravy recipe. Soy sauce is the secret ingredient, and I’ll explain why below.

Whether you’re drizzling it over mashed potatoes with heavy cream, homemade biscuits, or bourbon turkey, you’ll want this recipe in your back pocket this holiday season.

Honey Glazed Salmon is one of those unicorn recipes that is ideal for busy weeknights but also fancy enough for special occasions. Serve with rice and your favorite veggie.

Perfect Salmon with Honey Glaze

Have you ever seen one of those cooking scenes in Top Chef or The Bear or something where a chef is tilting a skillet and continuously spooning butter or a glaze over a piece of protein? Do you get as starry-eyed and mouth-watery as I do?

Let’s go for it and do this at home and live out all of our chef dreams. And we’re actually going to do it on a weeknight, because that’s how easy it really is. You don’t even need your oven!

This honey glazed salmon is as easy as searing some salmon fillets in a skillet, then using the same skillet to turn a handful of ingredients into a rich, sweet and savory glaze that you’ll want to spoon over everything else on your plate, too.

The Creamy Chicken Pasta that will get a “Mom, this is so good!” The combination of golden brown chicken, spinach and a bright lemon cream sauce will have pasta lovers of all ages complimenting you!

This Creamy Chicken Pasta is a Perfect Weeknight Dinner!

“Mom, this is so good I want you to take my photo with it.” <— The best review a dish will ever get, from my 5-year-old daughter.

And take her photo I did, smiling up at me from her plate of creamy chicken pasta. A recipe that almost seems tailor-made to be loved by people of all ages. Chicken? Good! Pasta? Good! Creamy sauce? GOOD.

Think of this as a slightly more modern take on chicken fettuccine alfredo. The sauce is still luxurious but a bit thinner, and not goopy or too rich. The chicken is golden brown with some crispy bits that everybody loves.

The combination of lemon zest and lemon juice adds a brightness that keeps you coming back for bite after bite. And just like with my famous creamy salmon pasta, there’s a whole heck of a lot of spinach in there that’s cooked down to practically nothing, so you’re getting a big dose of vitamins and nutrients twirled around your fork with the noodles.

Shrimp Ceviche recipe is a restaurant-quality party appetizer that is simple to make at home. So fresh, healthy and easy!

Ceviche Shrimp

“I made this as an appetizer for a 4th of July party. It was excellent and a huge hit with the guests!”

—Kristine

In my Butchery class in culinary school, it seemed like we were ALWAYS butchering (de-shelling and de-veining) shrimp. It’s a crucial skill for any chef, or any home chef who loves seafood.

That left the classes that ran the student restaurant with a LOT of shrimp to use, and it ended up in a LOT of ceviche (which, coincidentally, we also learned about in our Food Chemistry class).

We would make big batches of the best shrimp ceviche and serve it as an appetizer or light lunch at the restaurant. The guests raved about it. They especially loved it on warmer days, because it’s elegant and delicious, but tastes so light and fresh. It’s just as great at home!