homemade – Page 2 – Catie Cooks

New Year’s Eve Party

Happy second day of the year! I have had a very busy few days full of deliciousness, so I am just having time to sit down to write. I have loved being back in DC to visit with my friends, but I am now ready to go home and get back to work. I have…

My First Sourdough Starter

Imagine this: You are sitting in a New York City bus terminal at 5:00 on a Sunday morning having spent the past four hours barely able to sleep on the bus. You hear screaming children, and the *NSYNC holiday album is playing in the background. You need to make it two more hours to your…

Lemon Blueberry Cake for a Summer Birthday Celebration

Yesterday was Chris’s birthday. If you are just reading my blog for the first time, Chris is my best friend of almost ten years. We met on the first day of freshman orientation at college in 2010, and we have been inseparable ever since. We celebrated Chris’s 27th birthday with some of our lovely friends.…

Sunday Dinner – Spicy Meatballs Edition

This week’s family dinner featured spicy meatballs and the spinach ricotta pie Chris had made a couple months ago. This torta rustica involves spinach, chard, and dandelion greens, and of course a healthy amount of ricotta. Chris’s pie turned out just as good (if not even better) as the first time. He was able to…

Family Dinner (Vegan Style)

Sunday family dinner with Chris and Andrew has become one of my favorite food traditions. I need to savor ever dinner I can before I move to Boston, though I hope we can carry on the tradition over Facetime now and again. This past Sunday, Andrew was out of town for work…funnily enough in Boston.…

Spinach Frittata

I may be on vacation, but I still managed to find time to develop a new recipe. After a long day of travel and some exploration in New Orleans, my aunt and I headed to her house in Lafayette, which is about a two hour drive. When we got to the house, we were hungry…

Pasta Primavera

It has finally started to feel like spring in DC. The cherry blossoms have bloomed; the sun has mostly decided to make its presence known; outdoor happy hours and brunch are popping back up. Since it finally feels appropriate, I wanted to make something springy for our family dinner this past Sunday. Here enters pasta…

Raspberry Sweet Rolls

I was extra excited to come home for Christmas this year, because I got to be reunited with my dog, Sadie, after she was lost the day I had to return from Thanksgiving. Fortunately, she has recovered well and is still enjoying the pink bacon-scented ball I got her last month. I decided to try…

Egg White Breakfast Casserole

I have never been that great at eating breakfast, but I have really come to see the importance of starting your day off by putting sufficient nutrition into your body. I focus better and generally feel better. That’s how I came to this egg bake. I can pack in plenty of protein and vegetables into…

Avocado Turkey Salad

This next recipe is a spin on turkey salad. Traditional turkey or chicken salad can be a nice way to pack protein into your day, But I personally do not like enjoy these heavy chicken salads packed full of mayonnaise. I thought it would be interesting to replace the mayo for avocado and Greek yogurt.…