Martha Stewart's Tomato Onion Casserole

There is something to be said for truth in advertising when it comes to naming recipes. You don't have to worry about any misconceptions here. This is the perfect, simple, fresh spring recipe that you've been looking for. It's straight forward flavors work so well together because the tomatoes and red onions both get sweeter as they cook.

This is the perfect side dish - it's light, healthy and full of flavor.

Crispy Smashed Potatoes

I love this recipe because it does something different with potatoes. Especially if that something different can be healthy that doesn't require an abundance of salt, butter, cream, sour cream, or cheese.

These are easy to prepare and retain the nutritional value of the potato by steaming them, rather than boiling them.

Caramelized Onion & Cornbread Stuffing

I know that stuffing (in this case it was actually dressing) is more of a Thanksgiving staple than an Easter one, but we decided to do cornish hens for Easter this year - a departure from the ham and lamb we typically do, and needed a great dressing to accompany them.

When I found this Tyler Florence recipe, I knew that it would be delicious using my all time favorite corn bread/corn muffin recipe and would pair nicely with the hens.

Avocado Lime Tart

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! The Husband and I spent Easter with my family, which was wonderful since all of us had not been together since Christmas. Like most holiday meals, my Mama and I put our heads together to come up with a great menu. This Easter, with me being pregnant, she did most of the heavy lifting - leaving me to only do one dessert and dressing (recipe to come later this week!) to go with Cornish Hens she was doing. She was making an Almond Joy Cheesecake, so I went in search of something non-chocolate and light to balance out the heaviness of a cheesecake.

The Husband actually found this recipe for me on a blog called The City Sisters.  He got excited - it reminding him of the Avocado Tart at Pescados China Street that we love so much. For me, it fit the criteria of what I was looking for and was also gluten free - perfect for my Dad, who is gluten-intolerant.

Wild Mushroom Lasagna

There are certain things The Husband loves - mushrooms, white sauce and pasta are definitely on that list.  So when I saw Ina Garten make this Wild Mushroom Lasagna that incorporated all 3 of those things, I knew I had to make this for him.

Acacia Midtown: Looking for a Michelin Star?

Let me tell you the tale of how The Wife and I ended up at Acacia Midtown last night.

She had met a friend in South Hill for lunch (half way between Richmond and Raleigh.) Having been in the car all day in the rain didn't exactly set the mood for wanting to come home and spend a couple of hours cooking dinner, so I suggested we go out - maybe try one of the various prix fixe menus that have been popping up all over Richmond.

The Wife called through several to find out what the nights menu was - to make sure it was something she was able to eat. Bistro Bobette had mussels and pork tenderloin on the menu last night. While it sounded good to me, The Wife hasn't been eating shellfish during this pregnancy and pork is not her favorite - so that was saved for another night.

She called Belle Vie - which, according to Richmond.com has a three course prix fixe that they bill as a "bistro menu." The person who answered the phone was rude - saying "excuse me?" laughing and telling her they offer no such thing. That didn't inspire us to ever want to make the trek down there.