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Venison, Potato, and Sauerkraut Soup
This cozy soup is my Polish-inspired take on kapuśniak, a traditional soup made with sauerkraut, potatoes, and smoked sausage. My version keeps the spirit of Slavic culinary traditions but relies on minimal, everyday ingredients. As a hunter, I almost always…
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Buttery Gnocchi Soup with Turkey and Leeks
One of the things I love most about recipe development is that you can start a recipe off with one idea and end up with something very different. This soup, for example, began as a riff on Olive Garden’s chicken…
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Healthy Salmon and Spinach Cakes My Toddler Loves
Before I became a parent, I never really understood why nuggets were such a staple in kids’ meals. Then I started making food for my one year old’s lunch, and it all clicked! Nuggets are the perfect toddler food: easy…
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Venison and Mushroom Meatballs
These venison and mushroom meatballs are deeply savory and rich with earthy, umami flavor. They’re tender, aromatic, and so flavorful that even my one-year-old devours them. (He’s a serious little meat eater—if it tastes meaty, he’s all in.) What I…
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Dewberry Cobbler with Cornmeal Biscuit
Between Easter and Mother’s Day across the state of Texas, you’ll find dewberries growing wild along fencelines, in ditches, and in sunny pastures. These low-growing, thorny vines produce berries similar to a blackberry, although they are an entirely different subspecies…
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Chicken Fried Venison Steak with Peppercorn Gravy
For many of us, chicken-fried steak is imbued with nostalgia. This iconic Texas dish satisfies a rumbling stomach, and it hits the spot when you crave something comforting. It was designed to transform tough, cheap cuts of meat into something…
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Pimento Cheese Mashed Potatoes
If you want an indulgent side dish that departs from the classic mashed potatoes with butter and cream, this is it. I usually stick to simplicity when it comes to vegetables, but I gotta admit, pimento cheese is pretty damn…
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Flank Steak with Radish Salsa
It’s human nature to root for the underdogs. I see it time and time again in movies, books, and sports, but somehow we overlook the unsung heroes when it comes to food. The internet goes crazy for ramps and morels…
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BBQ Smoked Venison Top Round Roast
Easter is just around the corner, and when I think of Easter in Texas, I think of three things that I hold dear: Jesus, wildflowers, and barbecue. After church, we get together with family to enjoy smoked brisket, chicken, ribs,…
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German Potato Salad with Pickled Jalapeno and Mustard
One of the most underrated spring vegetables in the garden is a new potato. Particularly the little bitty ones the size of a golf ball. In fact, I think digging them up to discover how many (or few) potatoes you…
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Roasted Carrots with Carrot Top Green Harissa
Winter and spring are the best times to cook with carrots. Freezing temperatures convert the starches in the root vegetable to sugar, making them sweeter. Cooking them in the oven at high temperatures compounds that sweetness by caramelizing the outside….
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Garlicky Roast Chicken Leg Quarters
I’ve recently become obsessed with roasting chicken leg quarters to get that crispy, savory skin and juicy meat we all crave. You get all the best parts of a classic roasted chicken (dark meat + crackly skin), and it’s way…
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Lemony Spinach and Rice (Greek Spanakorizo)
My creamy spinach and rice recipe, also known as spanakorizo, is the Greek version of an Italian risotto. Lemon, fresh dill, and feta cheese are blended into the silky rice to add vibrancy and make it “pop.” It’s anything but…
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Spicy Venison Sausage Rigatoni with Vodka Sauce
For an easy weeknight meal the whole family will love, try this spicy pasta dish with hot Italian venison sausage and vodka sauce. It’s a recipe I keep on repeat and even make in bulk to freeze for those busy…
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Fried Green Tomatoes
I know Texas isn’t technically considered part of the “South,” but damn, I love fried green tomatoes! I was always craving them as a kid, especially when watching the 90’s cult classic movie starring Kathy Bates. The only problem was…
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Zucchini Bread Ice Cream
Zucchini bread in ice cream? I know it might sound weird, but people add bits of cake to ice cream all the time; why should this be any different? Imagine taking the American classic quick bread and spiking it with…
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Italian Braised Pork Shoulder with Fennel and Cream
This recipe is a cross between two Italian classics: porchetta and milk-braised pork. When I saw the beautiful fat cap on the pork shoulder I picked up from my local butcher shop, I knew it needed to be scored and…
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Beer Battered Fish with Salt n’ Vinegar Chips
Is there anything better after a successful day of fishing than fried fish and an ice-cold beer? The answer is no, unless you add some vinegary “chips” and an herbaceous tartar sauce for dipping. Homemade french fries are a bit…
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Dill Pickle Turkey Cutlet
This recipe might as well be called “the hangover cure” because that’s exactly what it does. It’s a shatteringly crispy turkey cutlet that’s been marinated in dill pickle juice and served with buttermilk ranch. It definitely made me feel better…
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Mustardy Venison Steak au Poivre
I didn’t think steak au poivre could get any better than it already is until I added mustard! Steak au Poivre is French for peppercorn steak. The meat is dredged in coarsely ground peppercorns and cooked in a hot skillet…
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Seared Fish with Red Chimichurri and Farro Salad
Living next to the coast means that I eat a lot of seafood, and while I love a good fish fry, sometimes I want something healthy yet still fulfilling. This is a very simple seared fish, seasoned with nothing but…
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Borscht with Beef Short Ribs
This version of Borscht came together like most of my recipes – while staring at a hunk of meat in my freezer and thinking of all the various ways I could prepare it. The short ribs were purchased from our…
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Roast Chicken and Potato Soup
This is the ultimate immune-boosting chicken soup to make the next time you’re feeling under the weather, and it’s damn good! The key to making it so delicious isn’t necessarily the ingredients, but the process of roasting the chicken (and…
