French Onion Soup + Classic Wedge Salad + Outrageous Brownies

This week's meal includes French Onion Soup, Classic Wedge Salad, and Outrageous Brownies. It's all your steakhouse favorites! 

French Onion Soup is the best soup. It's beefy, oniony, and topped with comté cheese, croutons, and chives. Comté cheese is a French cow's milk cheese. It's buttery and nutty and the perfect French cheese for French onion soup. You top the soup with the Comté cheese and the croutons and broil it until the cheese is melted and the croutons are golden brown. It's like heaven in a bowl. 

The Wedge Salad is a classic steakhouse salad that never disappoints. It's bright and fresh and the perfect complement to the rich French Onion Soup. The dressing for the salad is a creamy dressing with lemon, garlic, and chives. The salad is then topped with bread crumbs, bacon, and cherry tomatoes. It doesn't disappoint.

Outrageous Brownies are extreme chocolate brownies made with semisweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, walnuts, and chocolate chips. There is also espresso powder and vanilla extract, which give the brownies excellent chocolate flavor. They are fudgy and delicious! 

I hope you enjoy this week's meal as much as I do. Next week's meal includes Meatloaf, Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes, and Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. 

Greek Chicken + Kalamata Olive Focaccia + Spinach Salad with Feta Cheese + Lemon Yogurt Cake

This week's meal includes Greek Chicken, Kalamata Olive Focaccia, Spinach Salad with Feta Cheese, and Lemon Yogurt Cake.

The Greek Chicken is prepared with rosemary, thyme, garlic, lemon, oregano, and coriander. It's marinated and then roasted, so the meat is full of flavor and moisture, and the skin is brown and crispy. It is served with pan drippings.

The Kalamata Olive Focaccia is my favorite focaccia bread topped with kalamata olives, oregano, and flaked sea salt. It's perfect for soaking up all the pan juices from the chicken.

The Spinach Salad with Feta Cheese has a flavorful vinaigrette: dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, fresh garlic, and olive oil. The salad is topped with feta cheese which adds a little creaminess and saltiness.

It's citrus season! The Lemon Yogurt Cake is an ultramoist lemon cake. It is iced with lemon icing to add an extra boost of lemon flavor. It's divine! 

I hope you enjoy this week's meal as much as I do! I'll be back next week with Pulled Pork, Cornbread Muffins, Winter Slaw, and Banana Pudding. 

Prairie Breeze Mac and Cheese + Garlic Roasted Cherry Tomatoes + Millionaire Shortbread

Happy New Year! This week's meal includes Prairie Breeze Mac and Cheese, Garlic Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, and Millionaire Shortbread. A perfect start to a new year! 

The Prairie Breeze Mac and Cheese is classic, creamy, and cheesy. The cheese sauce is made from Prairie Breeze and gruyère cheese. It's topped with homemade breadcrumbs and baked until it is hot and bubbly inside and crispy on top. Perfect for a chilly winter night.

The Garlic Roasted Cherry Tomatoes perfectly complement the decadent mac & cheese. The tomatoes get sweet and soft in the oven, and the acidity provides relief from the rich mac & cheese. They are one of my all-time favorite side dishes. 

Millionaire Shortbread is the ultimate fancy layered bar. The base layer is a buttery shortbread, then a layer of salty caramel, topped with a thin layer of dark chocolate—a fancy little treat to ring in the new year. 

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I hope you enjoy this week's meal as much as I do! I'll be back next week with Greek Chicken, Spinach Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette, and Lemon Olive Oil Cake. 

Lasagna with Tomato-Meat Sauce + Caesar Salad + Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday! This week's meal includes Lasagna with Tomato-Meat Sauce, Caesar Salad, and Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies. A comfy, cozy meal for a chilly week ahead. 

Lasagna with Tomato-Meat Sauce is a simple lasagna with a hearty tomato-meat sauce. The cheese layer is a blend of ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, and fresh basil.

Caesar Salad is always a crowd-pleaser, and this one does not disappoint. There is crisp romaine, crunchy croutons, creamy dressing, and salty parmesan. It's the most perfect and delicious salad. 

The Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies are your favorite red velvet cake in cookie form. Red velvet is chocolatey, a little tangy, and most definitely delicious. 

I hope you enjoy this week's meal as much as I do! I'll be back next week with Mac and Cheese, Spinach Salad with VK Vinaigrette, and Millionaire Shortbread.

Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables + Brown Bread Dinner Rolls + White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies

This week's meal includes Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables, Brown Bread Dinner Rolls, and White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies. It's the perfect meal for a cold, busy night when you're finishing up all the final details for Christmas. 

Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables is one of my all-time favorite meals. It's so warm and comforting. It’s the perfect way to get a head start on the holiday weekend. The chicken breasts are roasted and have wonderfully crispy skin. In the chicken drippings, the root vegetables are then roasted separately (weird, I know!), giving them SO much flavor. Cooked separately, but together they make a perfect pair. 

The Brown Bread Dinner Rolls are sweet, soft, and delicious. They pair perfectly with the chicken and vegetables.

I love blondies almost as much as I love brownies and these, White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies are no exception to the rule. The white chocolate is super sweet, and the cranberries are tart, so they are wonderfully balanced and a perfect holiday dessert.  

I hope you enjoy this week's meal as much as I do! I'll be back next week with Lasagna, Caesar Salad, and Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies! 

Ground Beef and Cheese Enchiladas + Spinach Salad with Jalapeño-Lime Vinaigrette + Coconut Macaroons

This week's meal includes Ground Beef and Cheese Enchiladas, Spinach Salad with Jalapeño-Lime Vinaigrette, and Coconut Macaroons. 

The Ground Beef and Cheese Enchiladas are filled with ground beef, onions, and cheese. The ground beef is elevated with the cheese and onion mixture. The onions are spiced with cumin and coriander. The enchiladas are coated with a rich red chili sauce. The sauce has a deep flavor and a little bit of spice. The sour cream and lime juice create a cool and refreshing relief. 

The Spinach Salad with Jalapeño-Lime Vinaigrette is a simple salad with a lot of flavor. I adore simple spinach salads. The dressing is just jalapeños (seeded and cored, so it's not too spicy), lime juice, garlic, olive oil, and a little honey and salt to balance everything out. The recipe for the Jalapeño-Lime Vinaigrette is adapted from Julia Turshen's new book, Simply Julia. The salad is topped with cotija cheese, a fantastic Mexican cheese that is salty and crumbly. 

The Coconut Macaroons are not french macarons, which are also delicious. Instead, Coconut Macaroons are mounded cookies made from shredded coconut, egg whites, and sweetened condensed milk. I then dunk them in dark chocolate to make them extra delicious. 

I hope you enjoy this week's meal as much as I do! 

Chicken, Bacon, and Leek Pot Pie + VK Salad + Gingerbread Cookies

This week's meal includes Chicken, Bacon, and Leek Pot Pie, VK Salad, and Gingerbread Cookies. A perfect cozy meal for a chilly week ahead. 

The Chicken, Bacon, and Leek Pot Pie is a delicious twist on a traditional pot pie. It has the chicken, but I've added bacon and leeks. It's a creamy, savory delight topped with a buttery, flakey crust. It's likely to require a nap after eating.  

VK Salad is a simple but delicious spinach salad. It consists of fresh baby spinach leaves, shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and a classic vinaigrette: fresh garlic, champagne vinegar, dijon mustard, and olive oil. 

These Gingerbread Cookies are old fashion gingerbread cookies. They are soft and gently spiced. They are topped with royal icing and perfect with a glass of milk. 

I hope you enjoy this week's meal as much as I do! 

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup with Cheese Tortellini + Parmesan Focaccia + Apple Pie Bars

I hope everyone had a relaxing and delicious holiday last week. I spent a lot of time with friends and family and ate a lot of delicious food. This week's meal includes Roasted Tomato Basil Soup with Cheese Tortellini, Parmesan Focaccia, and Apple Pie Bars. 

The Roasted Tomato Basil Soup with Cheese Tortellini is a hearty tomato soup made from roasted Roma tomatoes and canned Italian San Marzano tomatoes. Roasting the Roma tomatoes creates a deep, sweet tomato flavor. In addition, there is plenty of fresh basil in the soup, which, as everyone knows, pairs perfectly with tomatoes. I then add cheese tortellini to the soup, making it suitable for dinner. 

The Parmesan Focaccia is my favorite focaccia bread topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano from Italy. It adds a savory, salty, cheesy topping to the bread. 

The Apple Pie Bars are apple pie in bar form! They have a shortbread cookie crust flavored with warm apple pie spices. The crust is topped with a blend of delicious apples, and then the apples are topped with shortbread cookie dough, walnuts, and cinnamon. They are delicious and the last fall dessert of the season. Au revoir fall desserts! 

I hope you enjoy this week's meal as much as I do! 

Thanksgiving! 🦃 🍂 🤎

I will be taking this week off to cook (HA!) a few Thanksgiving meals for friends and family. I'll be back next week with Tomato Basil Soup with Cheese Tortellini and Parmesan Focaccia. I wish everyone a delicious and relaxing holiday!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup + Salt and Pepper Biscuits + Pumpkin Hand Pies

This week's meal includes Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (a crowd favorite), Salt and Pepper Biscuits, and Pumpkin Hand Pies. I will be taking next week off to cook (HA!) a few Thanksgiving meals for friends and family. 

The Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is so flavorful and hearty. It really does the job of dinner. I start by making the most delicious stock. I make it with whole chickens, onions, leeks, parmesan cheese rinds, white wine, and chicken stock. I use the stock to make the soup and add shredded chicken breasts, carrots, toasted wild rice, and cream. It's so delicious. And just the right thing for chilly fall nights.

The Salt and Pepper Biscuits are just biscuits with pepper. They are tender, flakey, and buttery. They are perfect dipped in the broth of the soup.  

The Pumpkin Hand Pies are little envelopes of flakey, butter pie dough filled with simple but delicious pumpkin filling gently spiced with pumpkin pie spice. It's to get you in the mood for Thanksgiving. 
However you choose to celebrate, I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

Herb-Marinated Pork Tenderloin w/ Pan Sauce + Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes + Spinach Salad w/ VK Vinaigrette + French Apple Tart

This week's meal includes Herb-Marinated Pork Tenderloin, Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes (a crowd favorite), Spinach Salad with VK Vinaigrette, and a French Apple Tart. 

The Herb-Marinated Pork Tenderloin is my favorite pork loin recipe. I have been making it for years, and it never disappoints. It's marinated overnight with lemon juice, thyme, rosemary, and a lot of fresh garlic. The pork is served with a delicious pan sauce that keeps things moist and flavorful.

The Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes are a fancy twist on regular twice-baked potatoes. I start with baked sweet potatoes because I love sweet potatoes. Next, I mix the cooked inside of the sweet potato with sautéed shallots, butter, fresh thyme, and cheese. The mixture is put back into the sweet potato shells and baked again until the mixture puffs slightly and the cheese melts. They are delicious!  

The Spinach Salad with VK Vinaigrette is simple but delicious. It consists of fresh baby spinach leaves, shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and a classic vinaigrette: fresh garlic, champagne vinegar, dijon mustard, and olive oil. 

The French Apple Tart is a simple, beautiful pastry topped with Honeycrisp apples, butter, and sugar. It's baked until the sugar begins to caramelize. It's elegant and incredibly delicious. Of course, it also wouldn't be wrong served with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.

I hope you enjoy this week's meal as much as I do! 

Butternut Squash Lasagna + Spinach Salad with VK Vinaigrette + Apple Spice Cake with Apple Cider Glaze

Happy November! We are well on our way to Thanksgiving and living a beautiful Iowa fall (finally). This week's meal includes Butternut Squash Lasagna + Spinach Salad with VK Vinaigrette + Apple Spice Cake with Apple Cider Glaze. 

The Butternut Squash Lasagna is layers of butternut squash, bechamel, and cheese. The butternut squash is roasted and then puréed with imported amaretti cookies, olive oil, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. The bechamel is made with butter, shallots, sage, nutmeg, and fresh sage. Finally, it's layered with imported Italian pasta and fontina cheese.

The Spinach Salad with VK Vinaigrette is simple but delicious. It is the perfect companion to the Butternut Squash Lasagna. It consists of fresh baby spinach leaves, shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and a classic vinaigrette: fresh garlic, champagne vinegar, dijon mustard, and olive oil. 

The Apple Spice Cake with Apple Cider Glaze is a quick bread, like banana or zucchini bread. It's filled with warm fall spices and freshly grated apple, which give the cake a ton of flavor and moisture. The whole cake is topped with a beautiful apple cider glaze. It's delicious! 

I hope you enjoy this week's meal as much as I do! 

VK Chili + Corn Muffins + Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

This week's meal is perfect for chilly fall nights. It's VK Chili, Corn Muffins with Cinnamon Honey Butter, and Candy Corn Cookies.   

Everyone has an opinion on chili. There are a million ways to make it, and they pretty much all taste delicious. However, this is my favorite version of chili. VK Chili is full of ground turkey, kidney beans, cannellini beans, tomatoes, onions, and jalapeños for a bit of heat. It's simmered all day, so it has a deep and rich flavor. It's topped with sour cream, extra-sharp cheddar cheese, and green onions. 

The Corn Muffins are incredibly moist and delicious and are served with cinnamon honey butter.

The Candy Corn Sugar Cookies are classic sugar cookies with candy corn-colored sprinkle—topped with candy corn. They are delicious and perfect for Halloween.

I hope you enjoy this week's meal as much as I do! 

Strata with Sausage and Greens + Caramelized Butternut Squash + Pecan Bars

This week's meal includes Strata with Sausage and Greens, Caramelized Butternut Squash, and Pecan Bars. It is warm, cozy, and perfect for chilly nights.  

The Strata with Sausage and Greens is a layered casserole that consists of bread, an egg-milk mixture, sausage, cheese, and spinach. The whole thing soaks overnight, which allows the bread to absorb the egg-milk mixture. It is then baked, and it becomes soft and gooey on the inside and crunchy on the top. It's a fall delight! 

The Caramelized Butternut Squash is fresh butternut squash roasted with butter, brown sugar, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. The squash is soft on the inside and caramelized on the outside. It's sweet and a perfect match with the savory strata. 

The Pecan Bars are ultra-nutty. The base of the bars is a tender shortbread cookie. The filling is sweet and nutty. They are both chewing and crunchy. It's like a pecan pie in bar form. 

I hope you enjoy this week's meal as much as I do! 

Mac & Cheese + VK Leafy Green Salad + Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This week's meal includes Mac & Cheese, VK Leafy Green Salad, and Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. It's the ultimate comfort meal. After traveling last week to Portland, Maine, a comforting meal is exactly what I need to recharge.  

The Mac & Cheese is classic, creamy, and cheesy. The cheese sauce is made from gruyère cheese and cheddar cheese. It's topped with homemade breadcrumbs and baked until it is hot and bubbly inside and crispy on top. 

My VK Leafy Green Salad is simple but delicious. It is the perfect companion to the Mac & Cheese. The salad consists of soft leafy greens with a classic vinaigrette: fresh garlic, champagne vinegar, dijon mustard, and olive oil. 

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is a pumpkin cake packed with pumpkin flavor and warm fall spices. The cake is topped with cream cheese frosting that isn't too sweet and pairs perfectly with the pumpkin cake. 

We had such a great trip to Maine and ate so much delicious food. It was really inspiring, and I have so many new ideas for Valentine Kitchen.

Portland, Maine

I am traveling this week, so, unfortunately, I won't be able to cook for you. I'm in Maine celebrating my fifth wedding anniversary with my wife, Maggie. We are eating all the food, and I am getting a ton of inspiration for Valentine Kitchen. I will be back next week with an exciting fall, vegetarian menu: Mac and Cheese, Leafy Green Salad, and Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Thanks for all your support. I love cooking for you. 

Follow along on our trip on Instagram!

Greek Chicken + Kalamata Olive Focaccia + Spinach Salad with Feta + Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

This week's meal includes Greek Chicken, Kalamata Olive Focaccia, Spinach Salad with Feta Cheese, and Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing.

The Greek Chicken is prepared with rosemary, thyme, garlic, lemon, oregano, and coriander. It's marinated and then roasted, so the meat is full of flavor and moisture, and the skin is brown and crispy. It is served with pan drippings.

The Kalamata Olive Focaccia is my favorite focaccia bread topped with kalamata olive and oregano. It's perfect for soaking up all the pan juices from the chicken.

The Spinach Salad with Feta cheese has a very flavorful Greek vinaigrette made with red wine vinegar, lemon juice, fresh garlic, oregano, and olive oil. The salad is topped with feta cheese which adds a slight creaminess and saltiness to the salad.

The Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing are soft cake-like cookies with plenty of pumpkin spice flavor. They are topped with brown butter icing. The brown butter is nutty and the perfect complement to the pumpkin cookies. You'll love them.

Next week I will be taking the week off to travel to Maine with my wife, Maggie. We are celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary. I will be eating tons of great east-cost food and getting inspiration for Valentine Kitchen. I'll be back the following week with a vegetarian meal for October!

Chili Verde with Pork and Hominy (Pozole) + Cornbread with Cinnamon Honey Butter + Classic Apple Crisp

This week's meal includes Chili Verde with Pork and Hominy (Pozole), Cornbread with Cinnamon Honey Butter, and Classic Apple Crisp. It's finally going to feel like fall, and this is the perfect meal to welcome the fall weather.

Chili Verde with Pork and Hominy (Pozole) is a Mexican stew packed with flavor from tomatillos, poblanos, onions, garlic, pork should, and Mexican spices like cumin and Mexican oregano. It's braised for hours, so the pork shoulder is incredibly tender. The chili is topped with Mexican Crema, Queso fresco, and green onions.

The cornbread is incredibly moist and delicious and is served with cinnamon honey butter.

For dessert this week, I'm serving Classic Apple Crisp. It's made with Honeycrisp apples from Washington State, my favorite variety of apples. The cooked apples are topped with oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans.

Fall Cobb Salad + Brown Bread Dinner Rolls + Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

This week's meal includes a Fall Cobb Salad, Brown Bread Dinner Rolls, and Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars. It's perfect for when we're ready for fall, but summer isn't ready to say goodbye.

The Fall Cobb Salad consists of freshly trimmed spinach dressed with a maple orange vinaigrette. The toppings on the Fall Cobb Salad are oven-roasted chicken breast, thick-cut bacon, Maytag Blue Cheese crumbles, Honeycrisp apples, candied pecans, and dried cranberries. All toppings come individually packaged. It covers all your favorite fall flavors and is reminiscent of your beloved Cobb salad.

I served the Fall Cobb Salad with a Brown Bread Dinner Roll. The roll is sweet, soft, and delicious. It pairs great with the fall flavors of the salad.

For dessert this week, I am serving Pumpkin Cheesecake bars. I adore pumpkin desserts just like the rest of the world. No shame. They are light, fluffy and perfectly pumpkin spiced.

One last thing, I now have gift certificates available to purchase on my website! Each gift certificate covers the cost of a meal plus the tax so you can send a meal—fully paid for—to someone you love!

I hope you enjoy this week's meal as much as I do!

Baked Ziti + Orlondo's Salad + Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

This week's meal includes Baked Ziti, Orlondo's Salad, and Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. Fall baking starts now!

The Baked Ziti is a straightforward vegetarian pasta dish that is as comforting as it is delicious. I make it by layering pasta, homemade slow-cooked tomato sauce, and a ricotta cheese blend. I simmer the tomato sauce to develop a deep, sweet tomato flavor that perfectly cuts the ricotta cheese's richness. The cheese is a blend of ricotta, whole milk mozzarella, and parmesan. It's soft, melty, and a little salty. It's perfect. I bake the entire thing until the pasta has absorbed some of the sauce and the cheese is melted and bubbling. It's perfect and delicious.

The Orlondo's Salad is inspired by one of my all-time favorite restaurants in Des Moines that sadly closed a few years back. They had great pizza. Green and black olive was my personal favorite. And more importantly, they had the most legendary salad. The salad was iceberg lettuce, shredded mozzarella cheese, the best salad dressing, and pepperoncini. The key to the salad is the amount of salad dressing (a ton) and the ratio of lettuce and cheese, 1:1. I crave it all the time. Luckily they sell the salad dressing at local grocery stores. I make it with romaine lettuce, shredded mozzarella cheese, Orlondo's salad dressing, and a pepperoncini. I don't usually use store-bought products for my meals, but this exception is worth it. If I could get my hands on the recipe, I would GLADLY make it myself.

My Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are a favorite in our house. They are exactly what I want in an oatmeal cookie. They are chewy, moist, oaty, and not too sweet. I brown the butter, which gives them a deep nutty flavor and add a little extra salt to keep them from being too sweet. There is also less flour and more oats than most oatmeal cookie recipes, so they are extra oaty. Just the way I like them!