Midweek Update

Is anyone else tired this week? I’m exhausted! But still cooking a lot nonetheless. Yesterday, I tried my hand at a spumoni upside-down cake, and I can’t WAIT to revisit it. So delicious. I made it with a maraschino cherry caramel and a layer of maraschino cherries, a chocolate cake layer, and a pistachio cake layer. I wish I had more pistachio flavor, but that will easily be corrected in the next round. I also want to find a way to make it thicker. Because I halved my standard cake recipe to make chocolate and pistachio, each layer was a bit thin.

I’ve also been working on a new tomato sauce recipe. I’ve been loving mirin in my sauce after I read a thread somewhere about someone trying to recreate a tomato sauce they had in Japan. A few suggestions pointed to mirin, and I decided to give it a try. I don’t know if it’s similar to what the poster had in Japan, but it’s delicious. Mirin is a sweet rice wine, so it softens the acidity of the tomatoes without adding too much of a sugary flavor profile. I’m very excited to refine the recipe further!

For now, let’s get into some reader faves and a few more ideas to keep you cooking through the week.

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READER FAVES

Baked Chicken with Mushrooms and Tomatoes

Thank you so much, Vivian! I bet bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts added even more flavor. So happy you enjoyed it!

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Lemon Chicken Couscous Soup

Thank you, Shelby! So thrilled this one is on the list! As far as meal prep, I don’t think you need to change too much. The pearl couscous may get a little soggy, so if you’re hoping to have several days of meals, I might opt for barley instead of pearl couscous. You can substitute the barley 1:1 for the pearl couscous.

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Lemon Pepper Pork Chops

So happy this recipe is already a hit for folks! And your version of it looked delicious, too!

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Irish Guinness Beef Stew

Thank you so much, Bryce! So happy this was a 10/10. The prunes really do take this beef stew over the top!

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MORE IDEAS

I’ve got stew on the brain.

Chickpea and Sausage Stew

This chickpea and sausage stew strikes the perfect balance of spicy, sweet, and savory. It’s a comforting and filling midweek meal option.

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Stewed Beans with Manchego Cheese

This recipe for stewed beans with manchego cheese is a rich, comforting bean stew topped with crispy mushrooms.

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Beef Barley Stew

This beef barley stew recipe epitomizes comfort. It’s a thick, velvety, stick-to-your-ribs stew.

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That’s all for Midweek Meals! I hope everyone has a great rest of the week, filled with lots of tasty food. If you make one of my recipes, please drop a comment on the post to let me know how it turns out; I’d love to hear from you! You can also respond directly to this email! Byeeeeeeee! 💖💖

-kylie

And if none of these recipes caught your eye, use the link below to view all my recipes.

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Looking to incorporate more vegan dishes into your meal plan? View all the plant-based recipes I post on Exploring Vegan!

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Weekend Update

This weekend, I was in Rochester, so I didn’t do any cooking at all! One of my highlights of the trip was the little cortado I had at Pearson’s. I ordered it with their calico syrup—a blend of mocha, coconut, and caramel. It was very good! Smooth, chocolatey, and just a subtle hint of coconut. I want to try to make it at home for my own winter lattes.

We also had a nice dinner at Mamma G’s. I ordered the chicken Caesar salad, but I got the meatballs on the side. The meatballs were delicious; I loved that they served them with crispy eggplant on top. We also got their calamari, which I loved for its crispy, salty cornmeal coating! For dessert, I tried spumoni for the first time, and that’s going to inspire my gloop and upside-down cake this week!

For a spumoni-inspired upside-down cake, I’m imagining canned, tart cherries and a pistachio cake with chocolate flecks and crushed pistachios in the caramel sauce. Maybe I’ll even add cherry liqueur to the caramel. Yum, yum, yum!

I also have put together my meal plan for the week. Here’s what’s on my menu:

I’m excited to revisit the shrimp bún I made a couple of weeks ago. I made it with sweet, spicy lemongrass shrimp, and I’ll share the recipe for those. The week before last, I made a reverse-seared London broil, and half of it is in my freezer now, so I’ll be enjoying that on Friday with baked potatoes.

For now, I have a new recipe (the lemon pepper pork chops I’m holding above) and more autumnal recipes to inspire your meals for the rest of the week.

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NEW RECIPE

Lemon Pepper Pork Chops

Lemony, peppery pork chops served with a jammy tomato sauce make for an easy, flavorful midweek meal.

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AUTUMN RECIPES

Beef and Fennel Pasta

An aromatic beef and fennel pasta is a perfect, comforting, and easy midweek meal that you’ll crave on any cold night.

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Vegan Butternut Squash Ramen

This vegan butternut squash ramen has a gorgeous, thick broth with bouncy ramen noodles and lots of charred veggies for a delicious weeknight dinner!

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Pumpkin Cheesecake Tart

Decadent pumpkin cream cheese filling with buttery, flaky puff pastry and a sweet, crunchy walnut streusel is a heavenly autumn dessert.

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Maple-Roasted Squash with Crispy Rice

This maple-roasted squash with crispy rice is a really easy recipe and you only need a few ingredients. It’s also perfect if you need an idea for how to use leftover rice!

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Pork Tenderloin with Apples

This pork tenderloin with apples, fennel, and leeks is an easy autumnal dinner you’ll want to have on repeat this season.

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Chicken Soup with Farro and Leeks

This chicken soup with farro and leeks is a comforting, rich chicken soup that’s perfect for a chilly day.

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Butternut Squash Orzo with Goat Cheese

This butternut squash orzo with goat cheese is a perfect vegetarian pasta dinner. You can also serve it as an accompaniment to your favorite protein.

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That’s all for this week! I hope everyone has a great week filled with lots of tasty food. If you make one of my recipes, please drop a comment on the post to let me know how it turns out; I’d love to hear from you! You can also respond directly to this email! Byeeeeeeee! 💖💖

-kylie

And if none of these recipes caught your eye, use the link below to view all my recipes.

View All Recipes

Looking to incorporate more vegan dishes into your meal plan? View all the plant-based recipes I post on Exploring Vegan!

View All Vegan Recipes

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My Favorite Bites

This week was filled with so many taco salads. Three, to be exact. Is that too many taco salads? I don’t think so.

First, I made a taco salad using ground turkey with bell peppers and plenty of spices. The next day, I felt like I was on a hot streak, so why not make a second one but with cubed chicken thighs instead? Yesterday, I switched it up for a gochujang chicken taco salad, and I really enjoyed that! I made a sweet and spicy gochujang marinade for the chicken, but before I coated the chicken, I blended a few tablespoons of the marinade in Greek yogurt to use as the dressing for the salad.

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READER FAVES

Honey-Dijon Chicken with Dill

Thank you, Jenny! So glad you love this chicken with wild rice; what a great combo!

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Pork Chops with Mushroom-Scallion Risotto

Thank you for the wonderful feedback, Michael! That velvety risotto is a thing of beauty with thick-cut pork chops!

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FAVE FALL SOUPS

Saffron Leek Chicken Soup

This saffron leek chicken soup is aromatic, rich, and perfect for days when you’re feeling a little under the weather.

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Calabrian Chicken Soup

A spicy, aromatic Calabrian chicken soup that you’ll want to eat all year long.

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Curry Butternut Squash Soup

This curry butternut squash soup is made with Hot Punjabi Masala for a sweet, spicy, complexly flavored vegan soup you’ll want on repeat.

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Salsa Verde Chicken Soup with Squash

This salsa verde chicken soup with squash is rich, easy-to-make comfort that you will love on a cold night.

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Meatball Soup with Pasta

Juicy chicken meatballs pair well with an easy-as-anything tomato sauce. The cherry on top? The most fun pasta shape, radiatori!

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Creamy White Bean Soup with Sausage

White bean and sausage soup is a classic comfort dish that can be modified infinitely, making it a really special recipe to keep on hand.

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Meatball Soup with Spinach

This easy meatball soup with spinach is a flavorful, comforting soup recipe. The warm flavor of nutmeg in the meatballs makes this a perfect autumnal soup recipe.

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That’s all for Midweek Meals! I hope everyone has a great rest of the week, filled with lots of tasty food. If you make one of my recipes, please drop a comment on the post to let me know how it turns out; I’d love to hear from you! You can also respond directly to this email! Byeeeeeeee! 💖💖

-kylie

And if none of these recipes caught your eye, use the link below to view all my recipes.

View All Recipes

Looking to incorporate more vegan dishes into your meal plan? View all the plant-based recipes I post on Exploring Vegan!

View All Vegan Recipes

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our post, we may earn a commission.

Weekend Update

This weekend was slow and easy. The weather has been hit or miss, so it was a good opportunity to just relax and piddle around the house.

Yesterday, I made an upside-down cake. Instead of a flour cake, I tried my hand at a cornmeal cake. I went with fresh cherries since I still had some in the fridge that I needed to use, and I chose cardamom orange as the flavor profile. The good news? The flavors were absolutely divine. The bad news? The cake was a bit thin, flat, and dense in the middle. The edges of the cake were DELICIOUS, so I’m excited to revisit cornmeal cakes in the future. And the cherry, cardamom, orange trifecta was out of this world delicious.

I woke up this morning, and to my delight, my hibiscus bloomed! I don’t have much of a green thumb, and I haven’t been good at stopping pests the way I should be, but she bloomed, and I couldn’t believe how big the flower is!

I’m excited about my meal plan for the week! Yesterday, I made shrimp linguine with the simplest sauce ever. I use lots of cherry tomatoes sautéed with a diced onion and a few cloves of minced garlic. I add lots of crushed red pepper and a pinch of fennel pollen (it’s expensive, but a little goes a long way, and it adds such a good flavor to dishes). I add a little water and simmer until thick. From there, I just add thawed shrimp and cooked linguine. Done! Easy, peasy, and perfect with a side salad.

Tonight, I’m making a sirloin steak that I seasoned with Montreal steak seasoning. I like to use a mix of the regular and the spicy blend. I’ll reverse-sear it and then fry it briefly in a hot skillet.

I’ll be revisiting my lemon pepper pork chops, so I can share the recipe with you soon, and I’m also very excited about the chicken bulgogi nacho salad. YUM.

For now, I have reader faves. Since I bought a huge pack of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, that’ll be my theme for more ideas to inspire you (and me!).

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READER FAVES

White-Peach Lemon Ricotta Tart

Thank you so much, Deb! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed this tart, and such a great way to use up those frozen peaches!

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Baked Chicken with Mushrooms and Tomatoes

Thank you, Jay! I’m so glad this was such a hit. Wonderful with the last of summer tomatoes, too!

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Cherry Chocolate Almond Upside-Down Cake

Thank you so much for the comment! I’ve been totally in love with this cherry upside-down cake. The crunchy almonds, the decadent caramel. So delicious!

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Ricotta Beef Meatballs with Orzo

Thank you so much, Emily! Using a mixture of pork and beef is such a great idea! I bet it made them even more delicious!

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CHICKEN THIGHS IDEAS

Spicy Orange Chicken

Sweet, spicy, and sticky! Perfect with white rice.

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Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken

Tender chicken and a lush sauce with plenty of sun-dried tomatoes.

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Breaded Air-Fryer Chicken Thighs

So good in a sandwich, on a salad, or served in lettuce wraps.

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My Best Chicken Chili

This chicken chili is well-spiced, loaded with flavor, and tastes even better the next day.

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Chicken Pasta Bake Recipe

Cheesy, rich, and comforting!

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That’s all for this week! I hope everyone has a great week filled with lots of tasty food. If you make one of my recipes, please drop a comment on the post to let me know how it turns out; I’d love to hear from you! You can also respond directly to this email! Byeeeeeeee! 💖💖

-kylie

And if none of these recipes caught your eye, use the link below to view all my recipes.

View All Recipes

Looking to incorporate more vegan dishes into your meal plan? View all the plant-based recipes I post on Exploring Vegan!

View All Vegan Recipes

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our post, we may earn a commission.

My Favorite Bites

This week was very busy, and I didn’t experiment with nearly as many new recipes as I would have liked.

I made Buffalo chicken tenders for the football game on Wednesday. Yesterday, I visited a friend in DC and got back late, so I just had leftover chicken tenders for dinner. I was hoping to revisit both my lemon pepper pork chop and aji amarillo turkey and rice recipe that I shared last Friday, but neither panned out. Rest assured, I will have those to share next week!

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Midweek Update

Today, I am happy to share my recipe for the cherry chocolate almond upside-down cake. It’s such a treat! Sweet cherries, decadent amaretto caramel, and an irresistibly crunchy almond base. A perfect way to wrap up summer.

Yesterday, I wanted to make enchiladas, but I think my corn tortillas were no good! I know they can crumble if you don’t heat them up (either in oil or in the microwave), but these crumbled and fell apart before I could even get them out of the package! Unfortunately, this happened after I was 90% done with dinner. I made a quick pivot and just poured my enchilada sauce over the shredded chicken, made a quick pot of rice, and called it an enchilada rice bowl kind of day.

Tomorrow, I’m making my lemon pepper pork chops again, and I can’t wait to share the recipe with you!

For now, we’ll get into some recipes to keep you cooking the rest of the week.

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NEW RECIPE

Cherry Chocolate Almond Upside-Down Cake

Fresh cherries, dark chocolate, amaretto caramel, and an irresistibly crunchy almond layer make this cherry chocolate upside-down cake your go-to entertaining dessert.

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READER FAVES

Easy Shrimp Linguine

Thank you so much, Cheryl! I love this recipe too. So easy to make but so flavorful!

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Chicken with Red Wine Sauce

Thank you, James! There’s something so luxurious about crisp chicken skin and a velvety, rich red wine sauce. So happy you enjoyed it!

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Apple Biscoff Upside-Down Cake

Thank you so much, P.A.! Absolutely one of my favorite, favorite fall desserts, and the apple butter in the caramel is truly a game changer! So thrilled you enjoyed.

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Seared Duck Breast with Cipollini Onions

Thanks so much, Ashley! Duck breast is such a great date night protein. It feels so fancy and tastes so delicious!

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MORE IDEAS

Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders

Watching football tonight? Make a batch of these air fryer lemon pepper chicken tenders and thank me later. A little sweet, a little spicy, and just the right amount of lemon flavor. YUM.

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Easy Mushroom Potato Soup

This easy mushroom-potato soup combines all my favorite ingredients into one creamy, dreamy, easy-to-prepare soup recipe that your whole family will love.

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Cheesy Pork Cutlets

Thin pork cutlets are such a good option for a quick midweek meal, and these cheesy pork cutlets are the perfect way to use them.

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Spicy Ginger Chicken Soba

This weeknight spicy soba soup is filled with ground chicken, lots of ginger, and plenty of vegetables for an easy throw-together dinner.

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That’s all for Midweek Meals! I hope everyone has a great rest of the week, filled with lots of tasty food. If you make one of my recipes, please drop a comment on the post to let me know how it turns out; I’d love to hear from you! You can also respond directly to this email! Byeeeeeeee! 💖💖

-kylie

And if none of these recipes caught your eye, use the link below to view all my recipes.

View All Recipes

Looking to incorporate more vegan dishes into your meal plan? View all the plant-based recipes I post on Exploring Vegan!

View All Vegan Recipes

Weekend Update

Every year, I tell myself that just because the calendar says September 1st, it doesn’t mean I need to rush into autumn. I think I did better this year because I fully savored summer until September 6th. But now that Manwich and I are enjoying our first autumn candle, it’s game over for summer. I’m fully into fall and all that it entails: sweaters are out, roasts are in, I’m ready to hunker down for cooler weather. Even if it is 80ºF today and I’m going swimming. It’s an autumn swim, I tell ya!

This weekend was pretty nice. Yesterday, we went to Pupatella for pizza (and arancini and their meatballs), and we scooted around a few vintage stores and just took it easy. For dinner, I made shrimp bùn, and it was delicious! I made homemade pickled daikon and carrots with spicy lemongrass shrimp. So good! I can’t wait to make those shrimp again. They were amazing and just a few ingredients. I also made my apple Biscoff upside-down cake yesterday (recipe below).

Today, we’re eating crabs from Gaffney’s since today is my personal last day of summer.

The Week Ahead

Here’s what my meal plan is looking like this week! Since I didn’t make the chicken enchiladas last week, I’ll make them this week! I also shared mini recipes for the lemon pepper pork chops and aji amarillo turkey and rice in my Friday Faves newsletter, but this week I’m making them again to photograph the recipes. They were absolutely delicious!

Since football kicks off next week, I gotta make my Buffalo chicken tenders. My absolute favorite game day meal. This week, I’ll make them in the air fryer instead of pan-frying, but both are crispy, saucy, and perfect with football on in the background!

For now, let’s get into some recipes to keep you cooking this week.

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READER FAVES

Braised Chicken with White Beans and Zucchini

Thank you so much, Tricia! Perfect as an interlude between summer and fall! Comforting but still light and featuring our favorite summer produce.

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Easy Chicken and Red Lentils

Thank you so much, Kristen! So glad you loved this recipe and found it easy! It really is my ideal midweek meal, too!

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AUTUMN INTRO (APPLES, PEARS, OH MY)

Apple Biscoff Upside-Down Cake

Tart apples and the sweet, spiced flavor of Biscoff cookies are a match made in heaven in this autumnal upside-down cake recipe.

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Roasted Chicken with Fennel and Pears

This roasted chicken with fennel and pears is the autumnal one-pot wonder you’ve been dreaming about.

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Butternut Squash Orzo with Goat Cheese

This butternut squash orzo with goat cheese is a perfect vegetarian pasta dinner. You can also serve it as an accompaniment to your favorite protein.

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Pork Chops with Sautéed Pears

Easy, autumnal, bright, sweet, and savory. A perfect early fall meal.

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Pork Tenderloin with Apples

This pork tenderloin with apples, fennel, and leeks is an easy autumnal dinner you’ll want to have on repeat this season.

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Vegan Butternut Squash Ramen

This vegan butternut squash ramen has a gorgeous, thick broth with bouncy ramen noodles and lots of charred veggies for a delicious weeknight dinner!

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Apple Cheesecake Tart

The perfect way to kick off fall baking? A sweet, spiced, decadent apple cheesecake tart!

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That’s all for this week! I hope everyone has a great week filled with lots of tasty food. If you make one of my recipes, please drop a comment on the post to let me know how it turns out; I’d love to hear from you! You can also respond directly to this email! Byeeeeeeee! 💖💖

-kylie

And if none of these recipes caught your eye, use the link below to view all my recipes.

View All Recipes

Looking to incorporate more vegan dishes into your meal plan? View all the plant-based recipes I post on Exploring Vegan!

View All Vegan Recipes

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our post, we may earn a commission.

My Favorite Bites

Normally, I’d try to have an early access recipe to share, but I fell a little behind this week. Instead, I’m sharing mini recipes in advance of the new recipes I’m going to develop next week.

With that said, my favorite bites this week: a guava coconut upside-down cake and lemon-pepper pork chops. The cake was really wonderful because I added an extra egg yolk to the batter, so it was much richer. Next time, I think I’m going to use guava jam (or paste) instead of fresh guava. Regardless, it was really nice! Not too sweet and the perfect amount of tropical.

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Midweek Update

How can it already be Wednesday? I don’t know how we got here, but it’s the middle of the week once again. Today, I’m sharing my recipe for chicken corn soup with jalapeño. It’s the perfect farewell to summer produce, so be sure to stock up on all the fresh corn you can over the next couple of weeks so you can make this savory, fragrant late-summer soup.

What else is on my agenda? I made a delicious aji amarillo turkey and rice the other night, and I can’t wait to share it! I use aji amarillo paste, ground turkey, cooked rice, and to keep it easy on a weeknight, I throw in a bag of frozen mixed veggies (corn, carrot, green beans, and peas). Super easy, super delicious.

Today, I’ll be trying my hand at a guava upside-down cake, and I’m making super simple pork chops for dinner.

For now, let’s get into the recipes to keep your meal plans extra tasty the rest of the week.

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NEW RECIPE

Chicken Corn Soup with Jalapeño

A rich, homemade chicken corn broth with tender chicken, spicy jalapeño, and lots of sweet summer corn flavor.

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READER FAVES

Stewed Harissa Beef and Rice

Thank you so much, Anthony! So thrilled you and your family loved this recipe! I’m also so happy you love this newsletter because I love sending it! I feel like I always need a little extra motivation on Wednesdays to come up with ideas, and I’m so happy you find these helpful.

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Spicy Shrimp Risotto

Thank you for the 5-star review! I love this rich, extra shrimpy risotto. Perfect way to use summer tomatoes, too!

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Mushroom Corn Chowder

Thank you, Gabrielle! This is also on my list to make. It’s one of my all-time favorite summer-to-fall soups. So happy you enjoy it as much as I do!

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A FEW MORE IDEAS

Stewed Chickpeas and Red Lentils

These stewed chickpeas and red lentils are super savory, rich, and hearty. Perfect with bright and zesty plant-based Greek yogurt and lots of herbs.

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Easy Spaghetti Squash Soup

This easy spaghetti squash soup recipe is a perfect autumn soup recipe! It’s made with ground turkey, plenty of veggies, and finished with perfectly roasted spaghetti squash.

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Tomato-Basil Pappardelle

If ever there were a pasta recipe to keep in your back pocket, it’s this tomato-basil pappardelle. It’s easy to make with simple ingredients, the best kind of meal.

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That’s all for Midweek Meals! I hope everyone has a great rest of the week, filled with lots of tasty food. If you make one of my recipes, please drop a comment on the post to let me know how it turns out; I’d love to hear from you! You can also respond directly to this email! Byeeeeeeee! 💖💖

-kylie

And if none of these recipes caught your eye, use the link below to view all my recipes.

View All Recipes

Looking to incorporate more vegan dishes into your meal plan? View all the plant-based recipes I post on Exploring Vegan!

View All Vegan Recipes

Weekend Update

Not a very eventful weekend for me, I’m afraid. I did my usual errands and chores—grocery shopping, cleaning, unlodging the most stubborn spoon ever from my garbage disposal, and questioning my sanity during every second. You know, typical weekend stuff.

Yesterday, I made delicious shrimp and grits. Well, technically polenta. Very similar, but not exactly the same. I’ll share it as a mini recipe below. So easy to make, and so delicious.

I also thought I’d start sharing my personal weekly meal plan to give you all an idea of what I’m cooking for the week ahead. Whether I actually stick to the plan or not remains to be seen, but it does help me narrow down grocery shopping; otherwise, I’ll buy tons of stuff impulsively instead of being more methodical with my shopping.

I’m most excited about the enchiladas! I can’t believe I’ve never actually made enchiladas before (enchilada soup, yes, but never enchiladas).

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MINI RECIPE

This recipe starts with a tomato base. Heat a little oil in a wide pot and sauté 1 diced yellow onion with 2 ribs of diced celery, 1 diced jalapeño, and 3 cloves of minced garlic. Once softened, add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and crushed red pepper along with a big pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Add 3 ripe, diced tomatoes (big ones; about 1½ pounds total) and sauté until the liquid begins to cook out of the tomatoes. Add about 1 cup of chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes, topping off with more water if the liquid evaporates too quickly. It should be relatively thick, not too soupy.

While the sauce simmers, heat 2 cups of water in a large pot until boiling. Add 1 cup of polenta and 1 cup of whole milk. Reduce the heat to low and add 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Simmer, whisking regularly, for 15 to 20 minutes. Continue simmering until the polenta is tender and thick. Add about ½ cup shredded habanero or cheddar cheese (depending on how spicy you want it) and whisk until melted, smooth, and creamy. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Keep warm.

Turn the heat on the tomato sauce to medium. Once it begins to bubble, add 2 pounds of thawed, peeled, and deveined shrimp seasoned with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are opaque and just cooked through. Turn off the heat.

Divide the polenta between bowls and pile the shrimp on top. Delicious!

Now let’s get into some more recipes to keep you cooking this week.

READER FAVES

Short Rib Lasagna

Thank you so much, Courtney! So happy to hear this. It’s one of my favorite comfort dinners!

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Hot Honey Potatoes and Arugula

Thank you for the 5-star review, Anthony! So happy you enjoyed this easy and flavorful side dish!

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Beef and Fennel Pasta

Thank you, Carol! I’m so happy you love this pasta as much as I do! Fennel is such an amazing ingredient, and the whole dish is so easy to make on a weeknight!

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A FEW MORE IDEAS (FIGS FIGS FIGS)

Fig and Prosciutto Salad

This fig and prosciutto salad with mozzarella is the perfect early Autumn salad. It’s loaded with fresh figs, warm pecans, and hints of fresh basil that help tie the last of summer and beginning of fall together.

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Fig and Cherry Tart

This amaretto fig and cherry tart is a sweet, decadent late summer dessert that makes a stunning end to any special occasion dinner.

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Harissa Fig and Chickpea Stew

Smoky, spicy, and subtly sweet, this harissa fig and chickpea stew combines all of my favorite flavors into one sweet and savory dish.

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Balsamic Farro Salad with Figs

This balsamic farro salad with figs is sweet, savory, and filling thanks to roasted figs, cherry tomatoes, and an easy balsamic vinaigrette.

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That’s all for this week! I hope everyone has a great week filled with lots of tasty food. If you make one of my recipes, please drop a comment on the post to let me know how it turns out; I’d love to hear from you! You can also respond directly to this email! Byeeeeeeee! 💖💖

-kylie

And if none of these recipes caught your eye, use the link below to view all my recipes.

View All Recipes

Looking to incorporate more vegan dishes into your meal plan? View all the plant-based recipes I post on Exploring Vegan!

View All Vegan Recipes

My Favorite Bite

I posted about this extra corny chicken soup in my last newsletter, and I’m happy to share it as my early access recipe this week. It’s a wonderful way to use up summer corn through the rest of the season.

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Midweek Update

Yesterday, I made the most incredible chicken soup, and I can’t wait to share the recipe in Friday Faves. It’s a very, very corny chicken and jalapeño soup. Homemade chicken broth simmers with bare corn cobs, and the soup combines fresh summer corn with cornmeal to thicken it. The heat from jalapeños and a splash of lime juice at the end makes it a soup that’s worth sweating in the heat of late summer.

For now, I have a new recipe plus a few reader faves to inspire your meal plans for the rest of the week.

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NEW RECIPE

Chicken Meatball and Squash Soup

An easy chicken meatball soup with a savory, lightly spiced soup and sweet butternut squash. A wonderful summer-to-fall transition soup.

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READER FAVES

My Favorite Steak for Taco Salad

Thank you, Marissa! So happy you enjoyed this one. You know I’ll be making mine this week. It’s been my favorite Friday routine for the last several weeks!

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Creamy Shrimp and Asparagus

Thank you, Katie! Glad to hear you enjoyed the lemon and paprika and even happier to hear that this recipe will receive an encore!

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Bell Pepper Turmeric Rice

Thank you for the 5-star review, David! I love this fragrant turmeric rice with roasted chicken. Yum!

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A FEW MORE IDEAS

Baked Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken

Juicy baked chicken breasts in a velvety, buttery sun-dried tomato sauce make this a recipe you’ll want to come back to over and over again.

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Simple Farro in Celery Broth

The celery leaves, in addition to fresh herbs, add just the right amount of aromatic punch to this meal.

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Summer Tomato Pasta with Sausage and Zucchini

This summer tomato pasta with sausage and zucchini is a simple, delicious way to enjoy summer produce this season.

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That’s all for Midweek Meals! I hope everyone has a great rest of the week, filled with lots of tasty food. If you make one of my recipes, please drop a comment on the post to let me know how it turns out; I’d love to hear from you! You can also respond directly to this email! Byeeeeeeee! 💖💖

-kylie

And if none of these recipes caught your eye, use the link below to view all my recipes.

View All Recipes

Looking to incorporate more vegan dishes into your meal plan? View all the plant-based recipes I post on Exploring Vegan!

View All Vegan Recipes

Weekend Update

This weekend went by way too quickly. Yesterday, we visited my parents (and their GIANT elephant ears) for dinner.

My dad made root beer glazed ham (so delicious) and the very best potato salad. He wrote down his recipe, so I’ll be recreating it and putting it on the website soon! We also had summer corn and finished it off with a caramel pecan cheesecake from Wegmans.

Many people have been asking for the root beer ham recipe, so I’ll share a photo of it below. He uses the recipe from Food.com.

Today, I’m roasting another turkey breast…the same one I did last week with Slap Ya Mama seasoning on it, so I can photograph it and put it on the site. Tomorrow, I’ll make that delicious turkey and rice with cheese and peppers, so I can share that on the site as well. For tonight, I’m serving it with cheesy baked spaghetti squash. Yum!

For now, let’s get into some reader faves to inspire your meal plans for the week. I received so many wonderful comments; I appreciate all of them!

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READER FAVES

Chicken with Creamy Fennel Broth

Thank you so much, Marilyn! This is one of my long-time faves on my site, and I’m so happy you enjoyed it as well!

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15-Minute Smoky Brothy Beans

Thank you, Anna! I hope you find lots more delicious bean recipes on my site! This one has been a big reader fave for nearly 6 years, so I’m excited that you got to add it to your rotation as well!

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Chicken with Creamy Pastina

Thank you, Ella! I’m glad you found it easy to make! The combo of creamy pastina, sweet peas, and juicy chicken works so well with all the bright and herby lemon and dill.

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Lemon-Basil Mushroom Risotto

Thank you so much! Sea bass would be such a great protein with this summery risotto! So happy you enjoyed it!

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Braised Chicken with White Beans and Zucchini

Thank you! I’ll definitely need to develop a vegan version of this recipe. The veggies really are divine!

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A FEW MORE IDEAS

As we near the end of August, below are a few of my favorite transitional recipes. Perfect for taking you from summer to fall.

Lemon-Basil Squash Pasta

Bright and lemony but paired with the sweet autumnal flavor of delicata squash. A perfect pasta!

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Mushroom Corn Chowder

This mushroom corn chowder is unbelievably easy to prepare and is so rich and creamy. It’s the perfect way to bid farewell to summer.

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Roast Pork Salad with Caramelized Onions and Charred Fennel

This roast pork salad with caramelized onions and charred fennel is a great summer-to-fall transition meal with warm flavors but light enough for a hot day.

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Fig Upside-Down Cake

This is the perfect late summer upside-down cake with sweet and rich figs, caramel, and an easy-as-anything cake batter.

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That’s all for this week! I hope everyone has a great week filled with lots of tasty food. If you make one of my recipes, please drop a comment on the post to let me know how it turns out; I’d love to hear from you! You can also respond directly to this email! Byeeeeeeee! 💖💖

-kylie

And if none of these recipes caught your eye, use the link below to view all my recipes.

View All Recipes

Looking to incorporate more vegan dishes into your meal plan? View all the plant-based recipes I post on Exploring Vegan!

View All Vegan Recipes

My Favorite Bite

I’ve been enjoying these gluten-free meatballs with rice noodles, and I’m excited to finally have a recipe to share. When I make them, I serve them with a simple corn and tomato salad. As much as I love the meatballs, I have to give the “My Favorite Bite of the Week” award to that sesame corn and tomato salad. It’s just SO good, and one that you must make before corn and tomato season slips by.

The dressing is a little tangy, nutty, salty, and has a hint of sweetness from honey. It works so well with a spicy hot pepper, sweet corn, and juicy tomatoes in the salad. It’s a salad that I would happily eat by itself and call my whole meal.

Both recipes are shared below.

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This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our post, we may earn a commission.

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This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our post, we may earn a commission.

Read more