what jen does

Life, home, and a little travel

Author: JEF

  • pretzel bites
    recipes

    pretzel bites

    I really love Auntie Anne’s pretzel bites. Like, while I never hope for a travel delay… the only upside is that I can treat myself to pretzel nuggets in South Station. There are some downsides to buying pretzel nuggets. One? It costs $4. Which isn’t exactly crushing but it is when you consider its a…

  • Hominy Chili
    recipes

    Hominy Chili

      I had never cooked with hominy until today – and I’m pretty excited to do it again soon. After New Years, I had stumbled upon a Whole 30 chili recipe that featured hominy. I had no idea what it was so I pretty immediately clicked away. Then I saw it in the grocery store…

  • rustic asparagus beet tart
    recipes

    rustic asparagus beet tart

    I’d like to file this appetizer under “came out good, but lots of room for improvement”. Sometimes I go back and forth about whether to write up something that has “significant opportunity” but I think in this case it is worth it. But to be clear, I made a batch of dairy-free banana orange quinoa…

  • butternut apple soup
    recipes

    butternut apple soup

    Note: This post has been written and sitting in my draft folder for a week. The pictures came out crummy and I kept thinking I would re-take them… and I didn’t. So here they are in all their blurry glory. A few weeks ago we decided over a group text chain to start a book…

  • outside > inside

    outside > inside

    I still firmly believe any time outside is better than inside – with a few exceptions of course. In continuing my weekend explorations, I went real hard this past weekend. The project that I’ve been working on has really pushed me to visit places I haven’t before – and thankfully, I’ve only been disappointed once.…

  • blueberry banana oat muffins
    recipes

    blueberry banana oat muffins

    It’s Tuesday morning and I’m really wishing that it was more like Saturday morning – or even really Friday morning. We currently have a nor’easter and so the winds outside are insane. If there is an upside to this, it’s raining so loudly that there is zero chance I’ll forget my umbrella. In a fit…

  • escarole and meatball soup
    recipes

    escarole and meatball soup

    I’m a fan of making meatballs. While they aren’t exactly the “healthiest” dinner around, they are especially satisfying to eat standing in the kitchen after a long day of work. Sometimes I don’t even make pasta to go with them – and by sometimes… I mean most times. I came across this soup recipe this…

  • asian turkey lettuce wraps
    recipes

    asian turkey lettuce wraps

    Back in the olden days when I used to live out of Hilton and commute to Philadelphia, I also used to eat of out chain restaurants practically every night. Suburban Pennsylvania wasn’t a super hub of haute cuisine at that point – although I’m sure it is now. After a few months there, my coworker…

  • Pot of Gold

    Pot of Gold

    You know when you find something super unique and special and it just brings a smile to your face? That was pretty much the entire weekend. I had set out with the goal of checking out a few new spots for a project that I’m working – and completely struck gold. Or at least my…

  • Rosemary and Garlic braised short ribs
    recipes

    Rosemary and Garlic braised short ribs

    Oh wow. Things that will NEVER disappoint you? Slow braising meat. I remember when I made this short rib dish for Valentine’s Day last year, I was really pleased… and I feel the same for this gem. It’s seriously heavenly – especially on a frigid winter day. I was feeling a bit under the weather…