Are you feeling like something new for dinner tonight? Our recipes are sure to tempt you.
The Gardening Cook is here to help you plan delicious meals with less stress. If you love cooking with garden fresh vegetables, that is our specialty!
We offer fresh, flavorful and mainly healthy recipes as well as cooking tips to make your time in the kitchen easier.
These food ideas are made for your daily life, as well as for entertaining with friends.
From cocktails and drinks to appetizers and desserts, make sure that your next gathering will be a hit.
If you are in the mood for something new tonight, these posts are sure to delight.
Time for my favorite comfort food recipe – spaghetti and meatballs with a homemade pasta sauce. My homemade marinara sauce is one of my most popular recipes. I am always looking for recipes into which I can incorporate it. This time I decided to make homemade meatballs and used the mushroom marinara variation. Who doesn’t…
My husband loves sausages and pasta, so I combined them with a home made sauce to make this Italian Sausages Recipe. I recently made a batch of home made mushroom pasta sauce and wanted to use it for a great tasting recipe. I love Italian Sausages and peppers recipes. The combination seems just perfect for…
This Easy Peanut Butter Fudge has always been one of my favorite holiday sweet treats. At Christmas time, I always make batches of it. You really can’t leave me around a jar of peanut butter. It will be gone before you know it. This fudge recipe is one that my aunt used to make that…
This island hopping Pineapple Chicken Curry is full of flavor, easy to make and will become on of your families favorite international recipes. It is both savory and sweet with a delightful blend of interesting flavors. I like to cook curry recipes when the weather turns cooler. The use of spices gives a warm and…
This roasted okra recipe has an exotic blend of spices to give the dish an international flavor. Okra is a southern staple and there are many ways of cooking it. Stewing and pickling is often seen, but roasted okra is another great way. Roasting the okra brings out the natural flavor but results in a…
I love all types of lasagna recipes. But let’s face it…they are not the most diet-friendly recipes ever created with all that cheese and those carbs. This cheesy eggplant lasagna is a lightened-up version of the normal high-fat dish with beef. My garden had a good harvest of eggplants this year and I have enjoyed…
This recipe for lemon poppy seed muffins is moist and delicious and has a tang of buttermilk. It is sure to be a delight with your family too. One of my daughter’s favorite muffins is a lemon poppy seed variety. She loves the tanginess of the lemon with the slight crunch of the seeds and…
This recipe for baked salmon combines the sweetness of maple syrup with the tanginess of a whole grain mustard for a lovely flavor. Baking fish gives you a wonderfully moist and delicious texture to the finished dish. One serving of baked salmon has about 200 calories. It’s very low in saturated fat and a wonderful…
This vegan eggplant Parmesan casserole recipe will allow you to have one of your favorite Italian recipes and stay on your meal plan. I have a delicious recipe for baked eggplant Parmesan recipe but it is neither vegan nor vegetarian. My daughter is a vegan, so I adapt many recipes for her dietary needs. She…
Mmmm mmmm – one of my favorite dishes – a stuffed portobello mushroom recipe. It’s a great side dish and a staple of vegetarian diets. Portobello mushrooms have a rich earthy taste that is described as umami. They have a large cap perfect for stuffing. This recipe features another healthy vegetarian staple – kale and…
This snickerdoodle bread recipe is moist and tasty with a rich flavor that is perfect for an afternoon snack. Anyone who is a fan of cinnamon sugar on toast loves snickerdoodle recipes. This delicious bread combines the taste of the well known cookie into a melt in your mouth bread recipe. It is popular with…
This recipe for garlic chicken is great for those days when you just don’t want to spend time in the kitchen. The chicken bakes with a sweet glaze that is tinged with just a touch of thyme and a hint of licorice flavor that comes from using fresh tarragon. I used fresh herbs for this recipe. I…
This focaccia chicken sandwich reminds me a little bit of Italy. It combines fresh mozzarella cheese with roasted red peppers, avocado, and a creamy basil pesto. Avocado and tomato slices add more nutritious goodness to the sandwich. Serve with a side of sweet potato fries and a fresh dill pickle and you will think you…
One of my favorite meal choices when we go to our favorite Mexican restaurant is Chori Pollo. The delicious dish has layers of cooked chicken with chorizo sausage and caramelized onions, all topped with cheese for one tasty meal. This is the prefect dish to serve for Cinco de Mayo! Chorizo is a Spanish pork…
This Greek omelette makes a great breakfast or brunch recipe. This is a Greek style country omelet, which means that it’s a hearty omelet, just packed with vegetables and cheese, and makes a filling main dish or big start to your day. Artichokes and feta cheese are popular choices for recipes used in Greek cooking….
This recipe for Easy Eggplant Parmesan is a classic Italian recipe. It is rich and creamy and full of homegrown freshness from the eggplants that are ready in my garden. My garden is producing like mad at the moment, so I had fresh tomatoes coming out of my ears. (the squirrels decided that I had…
Oozing the cheesy goodness, these stuffed chicken rolls are easy enough for a busy week night, but have a look that makes them perfect for a special dinner. The recipe uses reduced fat Monterrey Jack cheese, spinach, and cilantro. These remind me of one of my favorite restaurant offerings – chicken cordon bleu (except they…
If you love the taste of coffee desserts, you will love these mocha cream puffs. Their mocha flavor is lovely and the texture takes this dessert to a new level. The cream puffs have a crisp top and bottom puff just brimming with delicious mocha cream that has been lightened up a bit. These delicious…
These roasted rosemary carrots have a lovely sweet flavor. They will be a nice addition to your Thanksgiving menu. They make a great side dish for your favorite protein and I also love to add roasted carrots to salads for a warm autumn lunch choice. Roasting any vegetable brings out its lovely sweetness and these…
Two of my favorite recipes in one dish – orange rosemary chicken and garlic mashed potatoes – what more could one ask for? Well, making it a skinny recipe might help too, and I have done just that! The chicken breasts are beautifully flavored with oranges and rosemary, and the potatoes are smooth and creamy…
These delicious stuffed mushrooms would make a great side vegetable or a party appetizer. Use white button mushrooms that hold up well to fillings. Mushrooms are one of my favorite vegetables to use for small bites to start a party. The cap of a mushroom is the perfect place to add all sorts of ingredients…
Roasted Pork loin is so delicious when combined with any type of fruit. This recipe, which uses plums, also adds a mint sauce for extra taste and flavor. Pork loin is very low in fat and perfect for those on an eating plan to lose weight. Some even call pork loin the other white meat….
These grilled pork chops are sure to become one of your favorite barbecue recipes. They are moist and delicious and the garlic rub gives them a very savory taste. Bone in pork chops gives this recipe an extra burst of flavor. And when you add a herb garlic rub to the mix, you have a…
This chicken pizza recipe is full of flavor and goodness. It has a nice mix of garden fresh veggies to up the nutritional content and keep the calories down when compared to heavier toppings. No need to get take away pizza. Pizzas are very easy to make at home and you can use ingredients that…
This mushroom and caramelized onion omelette makes a great breakfast or brunch treat. The tender omelette is stuffed with mushrooms and caramelized onions as well as cream and Havarti cheese. An omelette (or omelet) is a type of egg dish often served at brunch or breakfast. Omelettes are made with beaten eggs which are cooked…
This recipe for Tilapia piccata is very versatile. Just substitute any white fish such as flounder or sole. The recipe is easy and elegant. The wine and capers add a lovely piquant sauce to the dish and makes the meal perfect for a fancy dinner. Piccata is an Italian word (sometimes spelled pichotta) which means…