Rustic Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Sometimes you just want simple, familiar comfort foods, and I think mashed potatoes count. Here's an easy recipe that I made up. You don't even have to peel the potatoes!

Garlic-Ginger Chicken Broth

Have you ever wanted to 'dress up' canned or boxed chicken broth into something that doesn't taste so, well, pre-fabricated? No? Well you should! This trick I found gives the broth a lovely depth and makes the kitchen smell great! It would make a great start to Alphabet soup!

Stovetop Casserole

Casseroles are not so much about recipes per se as they are about throwing things together. There is a lot of room for variation and invention. Having said that, this one turned out really well and is really simple to make. Cooking it on the stovetop eliminates that pesky waiting-period where it bakes in the oven. It's also less hot than a traditional casserole, so you can dig right in. Fell free to change these guidelines in whatever way you see fit.

Indian-Spiced Fried Rice

I've never actually fried rice before, so I was a bit surprised to see the little grains jumping around in the pan. It was pretty cool! Anyway, I really liked this, and it was a nice change from boring, regular rice. As a heads-up, I used much more tomato than in the picture: it was pretty much covered! I just thought it looked prettier like this.

Teriyaki-Glazed Pork

I totally love Asian-inspired cooking! I also love meat. So this is really a match made in heaven! I admit I changed the recipe from what it was in the book, but it's still basically the same. Anyway, this is the 'new' recipe.

Buttered Egg Noddles With Cheese

Mmmmmmmm buttered cheesy egg noodles! Could there be an easier, more perfect comfort food? Anyway, this isn't so much a recipe as it is common sense, but I'm posting it anyway. This should feed four to six people depending on how many noodles you generally eat.

Chicken and Baby Bok Choy Stir-Fry

I love stir-fry! It's so easy and delicious...the best of everything, really. This one turned out pretty well: fresh-tasting, only a little salty. I'd do this again for sure!