easy Archives - What Would Betty Do?

Quick Cornbread

Written on March 7, 2014 by Alisa.

Quick and Easy Homemade Cornbread It was finally, finally a rainy night in California, and I wanted chili and cornbread. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize until the last possible moment that I didn’t have any buttermilk to make my usual cornbread recipe. I scoured the internet and quickly discovered that there aren’t exactly a ton of […] Read More

Banana Applesauce Oat Cookies

Written on July 5, 2013 by Alisa.

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies This is an odd one, scrawled on the back of a napkin and handed to me by a stranger in a coffee shop after an impromptu conversation. It has no flour, no added sugar, and can be dairy-free. Oh, come on. Stop rolling your eyes. It passes the Tiny Kitchen Assistant test, […] Read More

Tequila Lime Chicken

Written on June 7, 2013 by Alisa.

Crockpot Roasted Tequila Lime Chicken I’ve done the crockpot roasted chicken before, and while it comes out tender and juicy, it’s not exactly flavorful. Of course, the easy way to fix that is with a marinade. One of the easiest roll-home-from-little-league meals is anything Mexican. I can have black beans defrosted in the fridge, ready […] Read More

You Need a Rice Cooker

Written on February 8, 2013 by Alisa.

Why Buy a Rice Cooker? As a kid, I didn’t even know that rice cookers existed. Actually, I don’t think I’d ever even heard of them until I moved to California. (Cut me some slack; I lived a sheltered culinary existence in Campbell’s and Kraft-land.) But in California, everyone has a rice cooker. Everyone. I […] Read More

“Beef and Beans”

Written on January 25, 2013 by Alisa.

Slow Cooker Hearty Chili First of all, let me sincerely apologize for the lack of photos in this post. In all seriousness: does anyone have any tips for how to photograph soups, stews and chilis that don’t look… well, awful? All suggestions are appreciated. In my house this recipe is known as “Beef and Beans.” […] Read More

Bite-Size Roasted Butternut Squash

Written on January 11, 2013 by Alisa.

Roasted Butternut Squash I’ve seen plenty of recipes for roasting butternut squash. Most suggest that you should use butter and brown sugar, or a glaze of orange juice and maple syrup. And that’s fine. I’ve done something similar with acorn squash in the past, and it’s tasty. But for butternut squash, I actually prefer a […] Read More

Arancini di Riso (Risotto Balls)

Written on October 26, 2012 by Alisa.

I always make too much risotto. Always. I think that part of me figures that if I’m going to put all that effort into tending to its creation, we’re all going to eat a ton. Nope. Never happens. If you’ve ever tried to reheat risotto, it’s disappointing. Frozen risotto is downright gross, but even refrigerated […] Read More

Smashers

Written on October 5, 2012 by Alisa.

Smashed Potatoes The Tiny Kitchen Assistant doesn’t eat potatoes. At least, he doesn’t think he eats potatoes. He’ll eat fries, and loves the tater tots at the local BBQ place, but baked? Mashed? Au gratin? Not a chance. So when my friend told me her recipe for smashers, I figured that there wasn’t any chance that […] Read More

Frittata Muffins

Written on September 28, 2012 by Alisa.

Eggs in Muffin Cups Have I mentioned that the Tiny Kitchen Assistant doesn’t eat eggs? He absolutely refuses to consume anything with visible egg (“because eggs are ingredients”). Imagine my surprise last year, while traveling, when we discovered that he’ll eat Starbucks Artisan Bacon breakfast sandwiches. Yes, he’ll happily scarf down a sandwich that’s egg, cheese […] Read More

S’mores Cake

Written on September 7, 2012 by Alisa.

S’mores Birthday Cake with Toasted Marshmallow Frosting The Tiny Kitchen Assistant and The Husband share a birthday week. This means that the Assistant gets very, very excited about Daddy’s birthday (“Daddy’s birthday is coming soooooooonnnn!”) because it means that there are only four more days until his birthday. This year, his enthusiasm runneth over. With […] Read More