Taming of the Spoon

Eat everything {in moderation}

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Garlic Shrimp with Oregano and Feta

The kids are finally out of school and all I want to do is sleep and let the kids fend for themselves. Unfortunately, teenagers really aren't as self-sufficent as you would think and, left to their own devices, meals would consist of quesadillas, mac and cheese from a box and cookies (at least, they make those from scratch). Even with one daughter …
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Vietnamese Shaking Beef (Bò Lúc Lắc)

There are some dishes that I will always connect with my childhood. Vietnamese Shaking Beef is one of those dishes. Until recently, I had never made it before. Shaking beef (or bò lúc lắc as I have always called it) was a dish only my father made. My mother, who did the large majority of the cooking when I was growing up, had a huge repertoire of …
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Chicken and Veggie Pad Thai

I love recipes where veggies are automatically included in the the main part of the meal and I don't have to think about cooking a side dish. Bonus points if the recipe is easy. Delicious, of course, goes without saying. It's for all those reasons and more that I love this chicken and veggie pad thai recipe. You get everything you need in one …
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Fried Quail with Caramelized Onions and Parmesan + Dinner with Little Kitchen HTX

Last weekend, my husband and I hosted a dinner party for 8 of our friends. Thirty minutes before the guests were scheduled to arrive, I was still figuring out what to wear. Now, you may be thinking this story is about how stressed out I was trying to host a dinner party while panicking over all the last minute party details. However, the exact …
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Winter Vegetable Grain Bowls

I'll be the first to admit that, as a family, we don't eat as many vegetables as I would like. They are usually an afterthought in my meal planning. So I'm always happy when I discover a new way to make vegetables the focus of a meal that is more than just a salad. If my kids eat it without complaint then it's pure gold. That's why I'm loving these …
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Shrimp Dumpling Soup

Despite what my last several posts may imply, we have not solely been eating cinnamon rolls, cookies, and dessert. During the craziness of the holidays, I was keeping our dinners super simple. They were fine but nothing noteworthy. However, now that things have settled down and we're starting a new year, it's time to get back into making some blog …
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Blackened Salmon Tacos with Avocado Sauce and Black Bean & Corn Relish

Yep, it's November. Nope, haven't started thinking about Thanksgiving yet. Please don't leave - I've got tacos for you. Maybe because it still feels like summer here or maybe because my kids have been hitting our favorite taco spot a lot lately, I have definitely had tacos on the brain for the last few weeks. I decided I just needed to get tacos …
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Chipotle Shrimp Tacos

A few weeks ago, I picked up a copy of Milk Street magazine, the new culinary endeavor by Chris Kimball (of Cook's Illustrated and bow tie fame). It was one of their special issues entitled Simply Supper which immediately caught my eye since keeping dinner interesting yet simple is a never-ending task for me. I didn't realize who the publisher was …
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Pan Seared Cod with Mexican Esquites

The kids are going back to school next week and it's starting to feel like the end of summer. The fact that a tropical storm/hurricane is scheduled to make landfall tomorrow drives home the point that the lazy summer days are fleeting. But before summer truly ends and the floodwaters come, let's enjoy some fresh sweet corn while we can. The corn …
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