My kids have adventurous appetites. If they see me eating it, they are usually game to try too. It couldn’t make me happier. I love when they gobble up sweet potatoes and don’t question asparagus. But avocado? It depends on the day. Considering that attitude, I was really surprised recently when both Will and Paige polished off big portions of guacamole the other day.

Both declared it yum. Since I am a huge – HUGE – Mexican food fan, that made me super happy. More Mexican food please!

Unfortunately, Shawn doesn’t share my adoration of Mexican food.  But when I whipped up these easy chicken fajitas, he gobbled them up in corn tortillas without complaint. The kids and I skipped the tortillas and had these over brown rice for a healthier take on things. I love how versatile fajitas are — since you make each piece, the meal can totally be customized to tastes. No cheese? Sure. Extra cheese? Absolutely. Skip the veggies? NO! But you could.

I think this could even make for a fun Friday dinner … It is, after all, Friday.

(Recipe after the jump.)

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It’s baaaacccckkkkkkk!

Top Chef returned on Wednesday night, with a whole new cast of characters. This time the chefs are tackling New York, the city that never sleeps.

Did you watch the episode? If so, read on after the jump.

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The $7 Dinner Challenge is now the $10 Dinner Challenge!

After reviewing the results of the recent survey we did on the $7 Dinner Challenge (thanks for joining in!), Cate and I decided to make a few modifications to the rules … to make it a little more user-friendly and hopefully encourage more participation.  Although we know the $7 challenge is definitely doable, we thought expanding the scope a bit might make it better for all. And, if you liked the recipes before, you are going to love what we come up with now with just a little more money.

The challenge will resume next Monday, but in the meantime, here’s the plan:

The Ground Rules:

• You have $10 to create a complete dinner for four, to include the main course and a serving of vegetables for each person.
• Cost of items (i.e., bread) can be prorated (total cost of loaf/slices used).
• Salt, pepper, 1/4 cup oil and 1 tablespoon of herbs are free — no need to count these into the cost total. Every other ingredient must count toward your $10 total.
• No frozen meals. You actually have to make something (however it can have premade components).
• You must state where you get your pricing info from, and it must be current to the date posted (as in, if the sale is over, the current price is the one that counts).

I am already dreaming up new ideas for next week’s menu.  Hope to see you here!

Mmm. It’s like a sea of cupcakes.

I have fantasies of making beautiful layer cakes with perfectly scalloped edges made from smooth, creamy poofs of buttercream frosting. In my head, they are the most exquisite cakes you’ve ever witnessed, rivaling the creations of professional bakers on Food Network’s Challenge shows. And my cakes have perfectly formed layers and the most level tops you’ve ever seen. Of course, that is all in my head. In real life, my cakes have curved tops and uneven frosting (sometimes even frosting used to fill in gaps. A professional baker I am not.

But, that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy baking. I do. I love the science of it. Unlike cooking, where you can mix, match and experience, there is a formulaic method to baking. It’s scary and challenging and exciting all at once.

These cupcakes were a recent discovery for me from the Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition, a book that the publisher recently mailed to me (thank you!). I actually first learned to bake from scratch with a recipe from an earlier edition of the Joy of Cooking. It was a recipe for drop sugar cookies (still in there!). I made it year after year after year as a teen. The cookie adapted well into thumbprints, sugar coated, and other applications.

Anyway, when I offered to make dessert for a recent birthday celebration, I didn’t realize it was going to be dessert for 15. Daunting, indeed. So I immediately turned to this book for help. I toyed with the idea of a sheet cake, but since I don’t own the requisite sheet necessary to bake one, that was out too.  Plus, would that really be an aesthetically pleasing dessert? (Yes, call me absolutely insane, but I did think about that.)

Finally, it hit me. Cupcakes. Chocolate cupcakes. With cream cheese. And to add a complication, it had to use only ingredients I had on hand. Nothing can be simple, can it?

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Bobby Flay? Are you out there? I know you simply must be reading my blog, right? Right?!?

Well, even if Bobby Flay isn’t, I know I have some serious Bobby Flay fans who do read this blog. And I want you all to know that thanks to Bobby Flay, I have finally embraced risotto.

Sure, I’ve made it many times before. But I’ve never been wowed by it … until I had dinner at Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill in New York last week. Oh. My. God. I had the most wonderful, creamy, delicious risotto ever, and it won me over. So, I had to come home and try making it again.

This isn’t Bobby Flay’s magnificent recipe, but this is delicious nonetheless.The earthy artichoke hearts go so well with the firm turkey bits and salty kalamatas, and it’s all enveloped in the requisite rich and creaminess of risotto.

And the kids? Will and Paige can’t get enough of it, artichoke hearts and all. Seriously. Paige saw Will eating a quick bowl of this better school today and demanded that he share. And that little girl, just a few weeks shy of one year old, knows exactly when to say Mmmmmm!

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, this is a recipe you will want to bookmark for leftovers. Or, make it now (you could probably substitute chicken for the turkey in a pinch).

And as for Bobby Flay, if you are reading, thanks for opening my eyes. I was so wrong about risotto.

(Psst! Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill Cookbook: Explosive Flavors from the Southwestern Kitchen has loads of great recipes from his restaurant. Just sayin’.)

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It was about a month ago that Cate and I launched The $7 Dinner Challenge. Over the past few weeks, we certainly have learned a lot about planning meals on a tiny budget. But most of all, we’ve learned that it can be done if you try.

We’ve decided to take a week off of the challenge and to ask everyone to fill out a special survey, which will help us decide whether to continue to the challenge and/or tweak it. I hope you will take a few minutes to answer the brief questionnaire.

(And if you posted a challenge post today, leave the link in the comments! No Mister Linky this week.)

Thanks!

Click here to take survey

Recently, I’ve discovered a morning meal that throws my notion of “I’m not a breakfast person,” completely on its head. Seriously, I could eat this day in and day out without complaint. It’s just that good.

The idea is simple: Take one half of an English muffin — yes, just one half. We’re trying to get fit for the holidays here. Toast it up. Spread with one ounce of Cambozola cheese — a kitchen scale comes in mighty handy for that. Top with one egg over easy. And drop a dollop of tomato jam on top. Then, savor it with a fork and knife and a good cup of coffee. The smooth, creamy cheese gets all melty and drippy when sandwiched between the egg and English muffin. It’s just divine.

But really, eat it with a fork and a knife — with the runny cheese and runny yolk, it’s a tad messy.

Wait, what’s Cambozola? Let me introduce you to my new favorite cheese. Cambozola is a cross between a creamy Camembert and a decadent Gorgonzola cheese. And it’s absolute perfection.

And don’t worry. Despite the smaller footprint of this dish, it is filling and satisfying. Worth every delicious bite, actually.