I don’t know about you, but the longer I live, the more I learn about how to enjoy life. Enjoyment is actually difficult to pull off, I’ve found. It means you have to live in the present, ignoring worry about the past or nagging thoughts of the future. It also requires overlooking some of the present conditions that might not be ideal. Have you found enjoyment becomes easier with age?...

Love cooking with steak? Try my pan-seared round steak, ribeye steak, filet mignon, and grilled skirt steak next. My family are HUGE steak lovers, but sometimes, a huge single steak is a little much for a quick and easy meal. Enter- my famous steak bites with garlic butter! I love to whip these up for quick weeknight dinners. They are such a simple way to cook steak, and they go well with almost everything (we love them with all kinds of potatoes!...

Want a simple trick to step up all your recipes? Try garlic herb butter: not just a condiment but a magic wand! It creates a symphony of flavor in every bite, with herby notes of thyme, oregano and chives and a pungent essence of garlic with the rich creamy butter. Spread it on warm bread, let it melt over roasted vegetables, or use it to baste a juicy steak – the possibilities are endless!...

Here’s a pizza topping idea that always gets rave reviews, with its smattering of colorful vegetables and hearty flavor: this Greek Pizza with Feta! There’s nothing better than the combination of tangy artichoke hearts, refreshing bursts of tomato, garlicky spinach, and salty olives and feta. We love a great veggie pizza, and this one is what we turn to most often. It’s destined to be the smash hit of your pizza night!...

It’s green, it’s healthy, but no joke: everyone we’ve served it to simply raves about it! So much so that we hear the refrain: “Can you make that pea dip again?” It’s one of our favorite party dip recipes because it’s easy, healthy, and delicious. Even self-avowed pea haters love it! Blend up green peas and cilantro with a bit of salse verde and it’s pure magic as a party snack....

If you like grilled chicken, why not try its Greek version this week.

Ready for our new favorite shrimp recipe? Grilled shrimp tacos with slaw! Oh YES. Imagine: smoky shrimp spiced with cumin and chili powder, served atop a crunchy Mexican slaw and drizzled with spicy mayo. Top with a spritz of lime juice and torn fresh cilantro, they’re pretty heavenly. They’ve got a festive vibe that works for entertaining, but they’re just as good for an easy dinner in. We made them for a dinner party and with a frozen daiquiri in hand, life felt pretty great....

Can we make this dish in aebelskiver pan (one which has 5 rounds)? Bhari, I have never used aebelskiver pan, but try I think it should work Yummy. If you add half of banana..mash to the mixture it will be yummy also, my Nani made it this wsy. Coomer, I always like the variations, will try No baking soda? Sania, no baking soda Dear Manjula, I don’t have yoghurt at the moment can i still make the gulgulay?...

Healthy Donuts (Doughnuts) Donuts made without yeast and baked in the oven? You aren’t dreaming, these healthy donuts are your answer! I used to be somewhat reluctant about baked donuts. I was always under the assumption that the best kind of donuts required yeast and needed to be fried. Wrong. With the right combination of ingredients, you can create baked donuts that taste just as good as their fried counterparts. Not only that, but they skip over some of the usual ingredients in them!...

Love healthy cookie recipes? Try my healthy oatmeal raisin cookies, healthy peanut butter cookies, protein cookies, and low calorie cookies next. My healthy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are what I love to make friends and family who hate the word ‘healthy’. I make just enough tweaks to lighten them up without sacrificing on flavor whatsoever, which is super important. I mean, no one wants a cookie that looks and tastes too wholesome....

Love elaborate cake recipes? Try my Snickers cake, snickerdoodle cake, and Funfetti cake next. If you’ve been following here for a long, you know I’, not shy when it comes to creative cakes. But, sometimes I need a simple, no-fuss cake to make for the little ones (or myself, if I’m being honest!). Que, this smash cake recipe. Unlike other smash cakes, this one is made with wholesome, good-for-you ingredients, each of which is easy to customize....

Want more chocolate cake recipes? Try my zucchini chocolate cake, chocolate caramel cake, and chocolate peanut butter cake next. When I need a chocolate cake recipe that’s just a bit out of the ordinary, I make this hot cocoa cake. From the outside, it looks like any layered cake, but after one bite, you’ll see it’s in a league of its own. With a warming chocolate flavor and sheets of thick buttercream frosting, this cake looks impressive....

Almost every country outside of the United States uses the metric system, which makes it difficult for those who come across recipes listing ounces, cups, and/or tablespoons. Luckily, you can easily convert them to make cooking a breeze! How many grams are in an ounce? An ounce contains 28 grams. The information below will make different grams and ounces conversions easy for you. 14 grams = ½ ounce (0.49383546729 oz....

Knowing how many ounces are in a gallon can come in handy, whether you’re in the middle of a recipe, working on a project, or trying to settle a bet with friends. The shortest answer is that there are 128 ounces in one gallon, BUT it’s not that simple. The exact measurement can differ depending on where you live, so I created a chart that explains everything you could ever want to know (so you might not lose that bet after all!...

Couscous has to be one of the most versatile and inexpensive dishes I’ve ever added to my weekly dinner roster. Its mild flavor can be seasoned to your liking, and it pairs well with so many different veggies or proteins. It makes the perfect carby side dish that is a welcome change from rice! Why this recipe works It’s quick. Unlike rice and other grains, couscous rapidly absorbs moisture during the cooking process....

Are you growing fresh basil at home but not sure how to harvest it? You’re not alone. Harvesting or trimming a basil plant can be tricky, because it seems backward. Removing leaves seems like it would hurt the plant, right? It’s exactly the opposite: removing the leaves helps to encourage the plant to start branching, making it into a large, bushy plant! Alex typically cares for the basil in our raised bed gardens, which makes me sometimes feel like I’m not sure quite the right way to prune our plant....

Ghee is a versatile cooking fat and pantry staple, used widely in South Asian cuisine and beyond. It’s become popular all over the world because of its rich, nutty flavor and because it has low levels of lactose, making it flexible for dairy-sensitive diets. You can buy it from the store, but did you know it’s simple and much more cost effective to make ghee at home? All you need is butter and 30 minutes....

Frequently asked questions They’re only good when they’re in season and perfectly ripe: otherwise they’re hard, tart and crisp—which works for an apple but certainly not a peach! Here’s how to ripen peaches so you can use them in all your juicy peach recipes. How to tell if a peach is ripe? Here’s what to do: Gently squeeze the peach. Don’t squeeze too hard: it can bruise the fruit. If the flesh feels tender and soft, it’s ready to eat....

This week I got the opportunity to write for one of my blogger friends, Hetal of Pretty Polymath. I’m pretty excited for two good reasons. First, this is my very first guest blog post ever. Second, Hetal came up with a brilliant topic – favorite childhood food. Needless to say, these rice dumplings or kozhukkattas were one of my favorite foods during my childhood. Dumplings filled with coconut and jaggery – they’re the perfect afternoon snack....

Love simple cake recipes? Try my almond flour cake, orange cake, lemon blueberry cake, and coconut cake next. Have you ever used olive oil to bake cakes? It’s one of my favorite ways to swap out butter and gives cakes a light and moist texture. My lemon olive oil cake recipe is one I make throughout the year or when I have an abundance of lemons to use up!...