Like salt and vinegar chips only with the added green flavor and snap of fresh green beans. The almonds compliment this dish so well and make the overall
Shannon Vavich
I've been working in the food industry since 1999 and have studied culinary arts all over the world. I currently live in Germany with my family. You can learn more about my work and life on the "about" page. Be sure to subscribe to my socials. You can also keep in touch by subscribing to my free newsletter. Thanks so much for taking the time visit my website! I appreciate it!
Super Bowl Sunday Nachos
These nachos come together in less than thirty minutes and are a real crowd-pleaser! Set up a “nacho” buffet at your next get together. Idea: Put plenty of
Easy Roasted Hot Wings
Making hot wings couldn’t be easier with my roasting method. The seasonings are all natural and preservative-free. This meal/snack/noshing food can be ready in less than thirty minutes.
Broccoli Cheddar Chowder
I’m always encouraged by the deep healthy greens of fresh broccoli this time of year. The color is so rich, it’s almost a blue-green. It just FEELS healthy,
Beef Stew
Don’t be intimidated when considering this recipe. It comes together so quickly on the stove top, then is baked in the oven for a couple hours. The longest
Candy ‘Till Ya Puke Cake – A Family Favorite
This cake has been a ‘hit’ at my house for almost a decade. Kids love it, teens go wild over it! I personally, am not a fan, although
Fresh Chocolate Ganache
This chocolate sauce is so versatile. Use it warm and you have a drizzly accent for your cookies, cakes or pastries, use it room temperature and you have
Simple Seasoned Roasted Potatoes
This has been my go-to roasted potato recipe for years. These roasted potatoes come together in a snap. My family always loves these. The Worchestershire sauce adds a
Whipped Chocolate Buttercream
A light, delicious, not-too-sweet icing. It’s almost like the middle of a 3-Musketeers bar! This icing is fabulous on cupcakes, cakes, even cookies. It’s important to really whip
Braised Savoy Cabbage (with lots of garlic)
I fell in love with savoy cabbage back when we lived in England. Savoy cabbage is a curly, dark green cabbage that tastes like a combination of kale
Cookies and Cream Buttercream Icing
Top cupcakes, sandwich between layers of cake, ice cakes, or do whatever you please with this icing. The heavy whipping cream is optional in this recipe. This icing
Miso Glazed Carrots
Mirin (rice wine), rice vinegar and miso paste may be ingredients you are not familiar with, but they are well-worth incorporating into your pantry, even if it’s for
Fresh Cheesecake – Fast and Easy
Cheesecake is deceptively simple. It only requires a food processor to pulverize graham crackers to make the crust, and later, after a quick wash of the food processor
Raspberry Coulis (Raspberry Dessert Sauce)
This is the sauce I made to accompany my daughter Charlotte’s 18th Birthday cheesecake. It’s so fast and easy to whip together and it really is far superior
Baked Ziti for the Freezer
This is the kind of freezer recipe that you can throw together in about thirty minutes. If you’d like to put together multiple dishes to freeze, allow for
Oven-Fried Chicken Thighs
If you want to serve your family a classic fried chicken but don’t want to deep fry, then this is the recipe for you! I actually like these
One for the Oven – One for the Freezer: Old School Chicken Casserole
This is one of the recipes that got me through some very busy years. It enables you to make two dinners at one time. One to freeze and
Jambalaya for a Crowd
My family lived in New Orleans, Louisiana for two years. I really enjoyed learning about cajun cooking and I was lucky enough to have some excellent teachers. This
Classic Red Velvet Cake
*Important* To make this cake, use TWO BATCHES of Cream Cheese Icing.
Deep Dish Pecan Pie
What makes my pecan pie special is the spiced rum in the filling, and the fact that there is enough filling to fill a generous deep dish pie
My Best Mac & Cheese
This is my very best mac n cheese recipe. It’s layered with all kinds of flavors like bitter, creamy, sweet and savory. This recipe serves as many as
Proper Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
My favorite buttermilk biscuits! A food processor makes this recipe very easy to throw together. Just follow my steps outlined in the video and you’ll get a light,
Fresh Cranberry-Maple Vinaigrette
This dressing is very easy to put together, and is festive, refreshing and versatile. I especially love this with a salad of This vinaigrette will be great with
Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
These mashed potatoes are so smooth, creamy and intensely flavorful! The addition of the buttermilk gives them a full, round flavor, and my stand mixer method of mashing
Crockpot Sausage, Date, Pecan and Apple Stuffing (with make ahead option)
A great stuffing whether you make it ahead of time or not. The “make ahead” portion of this recipe is purely optional. I find that on the morning
French Style Thanksgiving Turkey (with gravy)
I was planning on re-doing this video, but alas, I ran out of time and with Thanksgiving fast approaching, I thought it prudent to just pull it from
Old-Fashioned Caramel Corn
Crispy, crackly, buttery and surprisingly easy! You don’t need a candy thermometer for this recipe. This delicious caramel makes great homemade gifts to hand out during the holidays.
Braised Short Ribs
This is the kind of thing I make for big family feasts. If you are looking for a real “show stopper” of a dinner, consider making these
Simple Cheddar Cheese Sauce
Roasted vegetable season is here and there’s nothing quite as delicious on a cold day as a big plate of roasted vegetables topped with a gooey and flavorful
Simple Roasted Brussels Sprouts
By far the most tedious part of making this dish is the peeling and chopping of each individual sprout. My son John, who has always been “tactile”, adopted
Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
The history of peanut butter cookies. Peanut butter cookies are distinctly American! First published in a cookbook in 1910, the peanut butter cookie is credited to none other
Cast Iron Baked Chicken
The cast iron is the secret to creating an incredibly sumptuous and moist chicken, as the cast iron becomes a “super oven” that charges heat and flavor into
Classic Butter and Milk Mashed Potatoes
Delicious, creamy and easy-to-make mashed potatoes. An excellent recipe for a beginner!
Chicken Quesadillas
This is the first of the satellite recipes from my master recipes I presented and demonstrated in this video: In the video, I demonstrate how I prepare
Easy Party Nachos
A big pan of nachos makes any event into a party. Better yet, they are so easy to make! I’ve been making this easy recipe for years. It
Easy & Amazing Chocolate Banana Bread
This recipe is easily achievable for a beginner, and a fun creative project for an intermediate or advanced baker. If you want an extra challenge, try and devise
Podcast: Lemon Honey Roasted Chicken Thighs
This podcast walks you through the simple steps to make this delicious, fast, fresh dinner of Lemon Honey Roasted Chicken Thighs. Please subscribe to my YouTube channel, and
Fresh Blackberry Galette
When you have only a handful of berries and a smidge of time, a galette is in order. The less-fussy cousin of the traditional pie – a galette
Easy Roasted Zucchini Bites
A delicious and nutritious snack or side dish that is easy to throw together. Simply toss zucchini rounds with some olive oil and seasonings, then roast until crispy
Snickerdoodle Cookies
These creamy, buttery, cinnamon-y cookies are a great way to kick off your fall baking season! Snickerdoodles don’t require special ingredients. You probably already have the ingredients on
An Easy Weekday BIG Salad with Fresh Mustard Vinaigrette
A good salad is memorable, satisfying and delicious! Not only is a good salad delicious, but it’s nourishing and packed with fiber. Living in Europe, the UK and
Freezer Cooking: Freezer to Crockpot BBQ Shredded Pork
Freezer cooking is a great way to save energy, time and money. Having meals ready-to-go in my freezer always makes me a little more “pulled together” than I
Vlog: Easy Sheet Pan Pizza and What it was Like to Stop Homeschooling After Eleven Years
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to STOP homeschooling and send all your kids to school, you might find this video interesting. Recorded over facebook live –
Freezer Cooking: Bulk Prepared Seasoned Ground Beef
It’s August, and that means that while it’s still summer, I’m deep in my home preparing for back-to-school. I’m deep cleaning my house, I’m purging all the things
Freezer Cooking: Batch-Prepared Braised Beef for the Freezer
If you’ve seen this recipe recently on my socials, WELCOME! Thank you for taking the time to find my website. To batch prepare this recipe for the freezer,
A Woodland Cake for my Daughter
If you’ve ever wanted to make a whimsical cake using fondant and gum paste, this is a great project to get you started. Nature is not perfect, and
Olive Oil Pizza Crust
Marketplace:
Tuscan Kale (Cavolo Nero) and White Bean Soup
I knew this bubbly blue/green kale was special the moment I laid eyes on it in the Market in Tuscany. Whenever we travel, I love perusing the food
When in Tuscany: Testaroli
When I go to the market in a place I’ve never been before, I look for things I consider strange. If you’ve ever felt the panic of “I
Podcast: Easy Ground Beef Nachos (with Taco Salad Option)
A great dinner that comes together very quickly, is versatile and ALWAYS a crowdpleaser! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Amazon Music for new episodes of The Flying Kitchen
Chicken, Roasted Broccoli and Cashew Hot Salad
It’s a salad – only hot. Interesting, energizing, easy and delicious: try this lunch recipe for one! A “hot salad” is a vegetable-heavy dish that’s delicious and satisfying.
Podcast: Chicken Pesto Pasta
This is the Chicken Pesto Pasta I describe in this episode. Chicken Pesto Pasta This is a fresh, delicious and easy family favorite that comes together in under
Miso-Glazed Pot Roast
Miso, a popular food item in Japan, makes the Classic American Pot Roast even better! This is a recipe I developed while we lived in Okinawa. The roast
Simple Steamed Artichokes
Learn my simple techniques to take the mystery out of preparing artichokes. Step One: Steaming Step Two: Coring Step Three: Eating For the story behind my trip to
Braised Rapini (Broccoli Rabe)
So green, so flavorful, so delicious!
Roasted Sweet Italian Peppers Over a Bed of Creamy Polenta
The zippy, velvety roasted sweet peppers are such a wonderful topping for a smooth, creamy bed of polenta. For the story behind my trip to the Italian market,
Fun & Easy Christmas Tree Cake
JUST FOR FUN. A great cake to make if you’re interested in a fun, light project that’s not too serious.
Lush, Deep Dish Chocolate Cream Pie
The best, most decadent, lush and unforgettable pie. My chocolate cream pie recipe uses ten egg yolks and three cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips to make a delicious
The Best Pie Crust Master Class and Recipe
I’ve been making this pie crust for decades. It’s a formula and concept I learned in France, and augmented by studying vintage American cookbooks. I have made and
An Easy Chrysanthemum Cake for my Daughter
This adorable little fall cake is easy enough for a beginner. Watch my video for the instructions on how to use some simple techniques to create this little