I have a lot of good cookbooks, and I really don’t pull them out enough. When I do, I usually just find some inspiration and end up making a new recipe instead of following the recipes provided. Typical food blogger, ahem.

This recipe came about after a meal-planning session with a friend this week (and I use the word “session” loosely- I spent most of the time chasing my children and only found one useful recipe). The original recipe is from Robin Miller’s The Newlywed Cookbook, which I love. The front photo is a little cheesy, but don’t let that deter you from gifting it when wedding season rolls back around. It’s a great find and I always regret not pulling it out more often.

Anyways- this recipe is quick and you will probably have most of the ingredients ready in your pantry. You could switch it up with any protein or add veggies, if you like. It’s gluten-free, too. Yay!

I felt like a real genius with this one, you guys.

This crazy Thai/Mexican fusion taquito idea just popped into my brain and would not leave until I made it happen. All I could think about was peanut sauce for days. Days! Then another idea called Chicken Satay Lettuce Wraps became best friends with the taquito idea and I had no choice but to go full force with it.

Here’s how it’s gonna go down.

You’re going to put some chicken in a crockpot with some coconut milk and forget it. Then you’re going to remember it, shred it, mix it up with some other goodies and stuff it into some lettuce and then into your face. And you’re going to have to set aside half of the filling before you dig in because you will probably eat it all without thinking about it, then be super-bummed when you remember the whole taquito thing. So set it aside, for the love! Then the next day, remember it again, roll it up in some tortillas and dip those gems into the peanut sauce.

Go visit MPMK for the Lettuce Wraps and Peanut Sauce recipes.

 This is a double duty crockpot dinner, people! You don’t want to miss it.

          I’m not sure what took me so long, but I am on board with this quinoa business.

I’m pretty late to the party, I know.

You might have seen the salmon/spinach/feta/quinoa concoction on MPMK last week?

Since I’m on this quinoa kick, I pulled up Jessica’s recipe (which I’ve had pinned for aaaaages) and had to make it happen.

(My sesame kick is a close second to my quinoa kick.)

The recipe was genius to start- all I did was add some snap peas, a teensy bit more soy sauce and another handful of sesame seeds and I was good. to. go.

I am not ashamed to say I scarfed this down in under five minutes.

Mostly because there was a little baby trying to pull it directly away from me and onto the floor, but also because it tasted amazing. Or as Elliott would say- “Mama, it’s dewishus!”

I don’t know if you noticed, but I don’t make much Asian food around here (remember Project Food Blog?). That’s not because I don’t like it, I just get a little intimidated by it and don’t know where to get reliable recipes. I’ve made a few Asian items- classic Kung-Pao Chicken, Lighter Sesame Chicken, Beef & Broccoli– but that’s where it ends around here. I need a mentor or something, seriously!

Dumplings are one of my favorite Asian items. I love ordering them as a treat when we go out, but I’m also a big fan of frozen dumplings- Trader Joe’s gyoza dumplings are an old favorite. I guess what intimidated me most about making them at home was the pleating process. When I actually gave it a try, it was easy to get the hang of (after a few initial mess-ups, of course). The only other challenge was making sure they didn’t stick to the pan. I usually try to limit the amount of oil I use in a recipe, but this is one of those instances where I made sure to have a generous amount of oil in the pan.

I also love the fact that these dumplings can be frozen and cooked directly from the freezer- my favorite type of freezer recipe! You can just pull them out and prepare the same way you would if they were fresh. This recipe would be a great addition to your next freezer cooking day. I think I’ll be adding it to my list of freezer favorites.

Learn a lesson from me and don’t be intimidated! Try these out soon.