photo by Lara Swimmer for David Coleman

I have three kids and a 100 pound dog. My house needs to be cleaned far too often. And it looks unclean far too often. I’ve found some products that have tremendously helped me to not look like a complete slob when people stop in - even though there’s still usually some dog hair somewhere…

The very Best

Friends of mine make this surface spray and it’s literally the best. It cleans exceptionally well - I use it on my stove, counters and windows - and it smells really really good.

daily duty

I have to mop my floors daily - especially right now when the dog park is a muddy disaster. This has been game changing! It takes a few minutes to vacuum and mop the house. Its not a perfect job, but the floors look (and feel) a million percent better.

The Deep Steam

This is definitely a better steam clean than the daily mop above, but it’s also more of a ‘weekly’ or ‘monthly’ job vs. what you’ll pull out daily to not feel gross.

Dog Hair Be Gone

Literally the only way I can get the dog hair out of my car. I tried one million things before this - and this is IT. I cannot recommend it enough.

Put it away

I have these bins all over the house. I’ve found that if there’s a designated space for something, it’s so much easier to tidy up quickly. I love them in the pantry because then I can actually see what we’re out of!

I do receive a commission when you purchase directly from these links. I appreciate it so much if you even just click through. Thank you!

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This time of year we start thinking about eating healthier and cutting out some foods.  This would be a food lots of people may cut out – however, let me make a case for it.  If this February is anything like last February, we should have at least one snow day!  Can you think of anything more comforting on a snow day than Bacon Mac & Cheese?  We can return to healthy eating after the snow melts.

This is the ultimate comfort food. Had a bad day? Bacon + cheese. Feeling sad? Bacon + cheese. Still dreary outside? Bacon + cheese. I make this regularly for my kids and I made it for the Robotics team last week - they devoured it. Once a week I make the high school Robotics team dinner and every week I try to outdo myself. So far I made ribs, pulled pork, and meatballs - but this is going to be the winner. I can feel it.

Bacon Mac & Cheese

serves 4

6 slices bacon

2 tbs flour

1 cup milk

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

½ cup parmesan cheese, grated

Salt & pepper

1 pound cooked noodles

STEP 1

Cook bacon over medium in a small skillet.  Pull it out when crispy and let it cool on paper towel.  Reserve 2 tbs of the bacon fat.

STEP 2

In a sauce pan over medium heat, whisk together 2 tbs bacon grease and flour.  Pour in milk and continue whisking until the sauce thickens. 

STEP 3

Pour in cheeses and whisk until they are melted.  Add pasta and stir until completely covered in sauce.  Crumble bacon over top. 

Serve hot with extra parmesan cheese.

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As long as we’re in comfort mode

Make these Brown Butter Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies and go for broke. It’s the ultimate comfort pairing!

This is 1000% a kid dinner. But sometimes that’s exactly what you need. It’s a huge hit - especially if you have everyone choose their own toppings. Go more elegant with prosciutto and pesto - or keep it basic with pepperoni and black olives. All that’s really needed is the sauce and cheese - everything else is up to you!

When layering up the waffles, the size of your waffle maker will determine a lot. I used this Belgian maker that has really deep wells. The deeper the wells, the more filling I can get into the waffles and the more batter I can use. If yours has shallow wells, just use slightly less batter.

I also push down super gently and let it cook and melt as I push. If you get too forceful, the hinge will break and then you’re out of luck.

Don’t forget to serve with extra sauce! The best part is dipping bites into the sauce!

Calzone Waffles

serves 4

2 cups flour

2 tbs sugar

1 tbs Baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 cups buttermilk

8 tablespoons butter

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

1 cup Pizza sauce

¼ cup olive tapanade

¼ lb sliced Salami

2 cups Shredded mozzarella

STEP 1

Preheat your waffle maker.  Mix together buttermilk, melted butter and eggs.

STEP 2

In a separate bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cheese.  Pour in wet ingredients and stir until just combined.  Let rest 5 mins. 

STEP 3

Place ¼ cup waffle batter on the hot waffle maker.  Top with pizza sauce, salami, tapenade, shredded mozzarella, and another scoop of pizza sauce.  Cover everything with another ¼ cup of waffle batter.

STEP 4

Press waffle maker top down and cook 10 minutes or until waffle is done. Serve with more tomato sauce on the side.

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A few nights a week we decide we aren’t drinking. Not for any big reason, just because we don’t need to/want to/feel like it. But sometimes, it’s nice to have something a little more special than bubbly water. This is that.

I’ve also found it’s kind of nice to go through the process of “mixing a drink,” with the muddling, and the shaking and the straining, this is that.

The flavors are perfect for right now, it’s light and refreshing. The coconut water adds a depth that is so delish. If you don’t have it, you can always muddle the cucumber and mint and just top it with bubbly water - it’s also good, but not AS good.

Coconut Cucumber Mocktail

makes two

12 slices of cucumber

3 sprigs of mint

1 lime

2 cups coconut water

mint, cucumber slices and lime wedges for garnish

STEP 1

Drop the cucumbers and mint into a cocktail shaker. With a muddler or the handle end of a table knife, muddle together the cucumber and mint until it’s completely smashed.

STEP 2

Pour in the coconut water and squeeze half a lime - add ice. Shake well.

STEP 3

Strain into glasses filled with fresh ice. Garnish with cucumbers, limes and a spring of mint.

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Ok - so these aren’t really a Danish. Not like the amazing Danishes you can get at a fancy bakery, but these are the kind of Danishes that you can make quickly on a Sunday morning with three ingredients! So they pass. My kids love them. I often have them make their own and fill them with what ever they want - which becomes a fun way to breakfast. Unless it’s a weekday and then I just pop these out so we can dash off to school.

Not that I’m making these on a weekday morning regularly. These are more of an “I couldn’t sleep last night and I’ve been up for hours and I’m bored” type breakfast.

There are so many options with how to fill these. When I do cream cheese, I just do cream cheese. I personally like the savory with just a little sugar on top. I’ve seen other recipes where the cream cheese is whipped with powdered sugar. That’s also delicious. It takes a minute or two longer which I’m not always into also.

Homemade Danish

makes 16

One package puff pastry sheets

jams, cream cheese, fresh fruit

one egg, beaten

sugar

STEP 1

Unroll the pastry dough on a floured cutting board. Roll out gently to about 18”x 12”. Cut into eight squares.

STEP 2

Slice in on each corner of each square, leaving the center uncut. Pop a spoonful of filling into the uncut center. One tablespoon of filling does the trick. You can combine fillings depending on what you want to eat.

STEP 3

Pull up every other corner of the pastry to form a little pinwheel. Brush the top of each pinwheel with beaten egg. Sprinkle the top with your favorite sugar.

STEP 4

Bake 20 minutes until browned on top. Remove from the baking sheet and cool. Serve slightly warm with coffee.

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When my kids were little they called risotto “parmesan rice.” They loved it. It’s salty and creamy - what’s not to love? As they got older, I added more and more ingredients to make it a lot more adult. The best part of making this very adult version, is that you can leave out the salmon and peas or serve them on the side for your kids, depending on what they will (and won’t) eat.

The trick with risotto is to just keep stirring. Some will tell you the broth needs to be warm too - I’ve found that if it’s room temperature, it works just fine. Which means, you can use a new broth from the pantry and don’t worry about warming it up.

Smoked Salmon Risotto with fresh peas

serves 4

1 leek, whites thinly sliced

1 cup freshly shelled peas

¼ cup butter, divided

¼ cup olive oil, divided

1 cup Arborio rice

½ cup white wine

4 cups room temperature chicken stock

1 cup parmesan cheese

4 oz smoked salmon

1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped

salt and pepper

STEP 1

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the leek and cook 3 minutes until slightly browned and tender.  Add peas and cook an additional 2-3 minutes until tender.  Remove from the pan and set aside.

STEP 2

Add two more tablespoons olive oil and rice - stir until coated with oil.  Pour in ½ cup white wine and cook until all liquid is absorbed.  Then add one-cup chicken stock and stir until completely incorporated.  When most of the stock has dissolved, add another cup of stock.  Continue until all of the stock has been added. 

STEP 3

Remove from heat and stir in remaining butter, Parmesan cheese, and peas and salmon

Notes

• When I make this dairy free, I use only olive oil to melt the leeks. Then at the end, I’ll add a drizzle of a really good olive oil and skip the butter and parmesan. Since half of us do eat dairy, the parm is on the side.

• This is just as delicious with crab! Swap out for your favorite smoked fish too if you don’t have salmon. In the Northwest, we have loads of salmon but also trout. And smoked trout is awesome.

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Classic Paloma

A bright citrusy cocktail is perfect right now because grapefruit is perfectly in season!

Comfort meals are a win for our family. I’m sure they’re a win for your family too. This is one of our favorites. I like it because I can make the meatballs ahead and warm them up with the sauce when it’s time to get dinner on the table. AND when you need late plates, this is perfect for that too!

The meatballs are obviously not traditional meatballs. I like to use ground chicken - I am constantly trying to create dinners that are a little healthier and chicken helps with that. I’m not going for authentic here - I’m going for comfort food that’s just a little healthier.

There are two ways to do the meatballs. You can pop them out of the oven and straight into the sauce. Leave them there to stay warm. Or, put the meatballs on top of the sauce when you serve - it looks a little more elegant and it shows off the crispy edges the meatballs get.

Chicken Meatballs with Cacio e Pepe Orzo

serves 4

2 lb ground chicken

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1 egg

1/4 cup Italian seasoning mix, divided

4 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

1-28 ounce can diced tomatoes

1-15 ounce can tomato sauce

1 cup orzo

2 tablespoons really good olive oil

salt & pepper

grated parmesan cheese

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Begin boiling a large pot of water.

In a dutch oven, heat olive oil and cook the onions and two peeled and chopped garlic cloves in it. Cook over low-ish heat until the onions are translucent.

STEP 2

While the onions cook, combine together the meat, egg, breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons seasoning, and the remaining cloves of garlic. If the mixture is still stiff like the raw meat, add a few tablespoons of cold water. I usually use 2-4 tablespoons of water no mater what. Form the meatballs into rounds. If the meat sticks to your hands, get your hands wet and try again.

STEP 3

Pop the meatballs in to the oven and let bake about 15 minutes until they are done all the way through.

Pour tomatoes all into the onion mixture and add the remaining Italian seasoning. Cover the pot and let cook on medium until everything else is done.

STEP 4

Pour the orzo pasta into the boiling water and let cook. Drain when it’s al dente and return to the hot pan. Stir in olive oil, salt & pepper and about 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Go heavy with all three.

STEP 5

Serve hot meatballs and sauce over the orzo. Make sure there’s more parmesan cheese on the side.

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Negroni Cocktail

Every good meal needs a good cocktail. And this dinner is so kid friendly that you can’t help but want a cocktail!

These are actually the perfect appetizer. I had forgotten about them for years and then I was scrambling for the perfect appetizer for a party and remembered I used to make these all the time. Like ALL THE TIME. The first time I made them for a group people - twenty years ago - everyone was RAVING about them. And that was one of the critical moments in my life when I realized food was my special skill.

These are not hard. My go-to ingredients are tomato paste + tapenade. It’s salty, mostly premade, simple, and kind of tastes like pizza. But I also use pesto when that’s what I have. I have tried fresh vegetables - spinach, tomato, even fresh basil leaves and that doesn’t work. It’s too liquid-y and it makes the pastry all weird. You’re always welcome to try it, but I tried it for you.

Flaky Tapenade Bites

makes 2 dozen

1 package puff pastry

1/2 cup tomato paste

1/2 cup tapanade

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Unroll the puff pastry sheet onto a floured cutting board and roll out slightly until you can’t see the lines anymore.

STEP 2

Use half of the tomato paste on each roll. Spread it out evenly over the sheet. Top with the tapenade in an even coat. Roll up the pastry and slice into 1/2 inch pieces.

STEP 3

Pop each slice on a lined baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes until puffed and crispy. Remove from the baking sheet and cool on a cooling rack.

Serve warm or room temperature.

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Americano Cocktail

Delightfully simple and totally refreshing. Simple enough to make a batch of them, and a perfect compliment with the flaky tapenade bites!

In New Orleans I ordered shrimp creole at almost every restaurant. I wanted to try it everywhere we went. One thing was clear - it’s amazing. I didn’t just order it because I wanted to test it, but also because it was my favorite thing on almost every menu.

Bringing it home, it didn’t make sense to make it with shrimp. We don’t really have that here. Crab would be epic, but it’s out of season, and then I saw a gorgeous piece of wild caught salmon and BOOM. This is perfect. It’s northwest - and it’s creole - all together. It’s the perfect marriage of two places.

The best thing I learned about making this sauce is that it’s virtually the exact same recipe no matter where you look. The secret to making it the best version is to keep cooking it. Can you make it this morning? That will be your best sauce. Can you make it yesterday? Even better. You will not regret spending a few extra minutes on this sauce.

I doubled the sauce when I made it. And then froze it. Then when I need a quick-ish dinner, this is ready to go. If you bring the sauce to a boil and pop in frozen shrimp, you’ll have a fab dinner on the table in no time.

Salmon Creole

serves 4

1 cup chopped celery

2 cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon oregano

2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 cup chicken or seafood stock

2 bay leaves

1 - 28oz can crushed tomatoes

1/2 tablespoon worchestershire

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 pounds salmon

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt & pepper

long grain rice

fresh parsley

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large stock pot, melt together onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Cook for a while over low heat until everything is translucent. Season with salt & pepper.

Add herbs and stir to coat.

STEP 2

Pour in stock and add bay leaves. Bring to a low simmer for 10 minutes until things start to smell good.

STEP 3

Add tomatoes, Worcestershire and lemon. Stir and let simmer. Let this cook as long as possible. The longer, the better. Season with salt & pepper. But at a minimum, cook for 20 minutes.

STEP 4

Pat the salmon dry. Drizzle the top with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the filet on a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake 10 minutes or until flaky.

STEP 5

Serve fish hot over rice smothered with the creole sauce. Top with fresh parsley.

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Pour the perfect cocktail

A Hurricane cocktail on the side transports you to New Orleans!

Thanks to our friend Taylor Swift, this classic cocktail made a return to the scene last year. Some of us are old enough to have had the cocktail the first time around when Sex and the City made it a hit. Some of us lamented the demise of it when we decided that Sex and the City was passè. Thank goodness it was made cool again.

And made cool in time for Valentine’s Day! It’s the perfect drink to shake up this holiday. Especially if you can garnish it with a heart shaped strawberry. I mean, can you even?

Classic Cosmopolitan

makes 2

4 ounces vodka

2 ounces cranberry juice

1/2 ounce cointreau

juice of 1/2 lime

STEP 1

In a cocktail shaker, combine vodka, juice, cointreau and lime. Add ice and shake well.

STEP 2

Strain into a coupe and serve immediately.

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