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Lisa | elevated recipes for every day

@amenuforyou

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✨Making fancy food feel doable!
✨former CA girl cooking my way through midlife in the PNW
✨The friend who says, "You can make that!"
Recipes ⬇️

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Pairing peaches and tomatoes in a Summer salad might be my favorite combo ever!

To take this to the next level use a flavored balsamic vinegar. I love a blackberry or fig balsamic to enhance the sweetness, but also add a touch of acidity for balance.

It’s the perfect Summer side dish!

Now, who’s making this?

#summersaladseason #peachrecipes #heirloomtomatoes🍅 #summerrecipe #nocookingrequired by @amenuforyou

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4 months ago

These red wine braised tomatoes are so ridiculously good!!

The splash of red wine adds acidity to balance the sweetest of the tomatoes, and the garlic adds heat, so the tomatoes aren’t overly sweet.

I used about 1/2 basket and cut the cherry tomatoes in half, but you could also leave them whole. They release their juices and melt down in the most delicious way!!

You can use these in so many ways, so drop a comment and tell me what you’re spooning these on top of!

#weeknightcooking #cookingtips #cherrytomatoes #tomatoseason #tomatoesfordays by @amenuforyou

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6 months ago

Isn’t that the best part of being an adult? 😉

If you’re craving bolognese, make the bolognese! I literally can’t think of a better way to fancy up an ordinary weeknight!

And, a huge bonus of being an empty nester is you don’t have to share! 🤣

Full recipe on www.amenuforyou.com
Search “bolognese” 🍝

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If you’re new here, hi!! I’m Lisa, a 56 year old empty nester who was born and raised in California and now lives in the PNW. I’m married with 2 grown kids, an adorable rescue pup and love coffee and romantasy. I share my midlife empty nest journey, fancy but doable recipes and life in the PNW. If that sounds good to you, I hope you stick around! ❤️

#weeknightcooking #pastadinner #bolognesesauce #emptynesterlife by @amenuforyou

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2 days ago

📚Cookbook Chat 📚
✨Episode 2 — Barefoot Contessa Parties, by Ina Garten✨

Welcome back to another episode of Cookbook Chat! 📚✨📚

I’ve been wanting to do a series like this for a long time, and I’m so excited to review my very first cookbook!!

It’s the one that started my cookbook collection.

And the one that introduced me to the Queen herself, Ina Garten.

✨Barefoot Contessa Parties✨

This cookbook is the definition of female main character energy, and the number of green flags is seriously chef’s kiss!💚

I also love how the chapters are organized by a really fun variety of seasonal parties! From a casual backyard lunch, to an elevated menu for an Academy Award watch party, to cozy snow day inside. Ina knows how to make every occasion a special one!

What I love about the way Ina writes her cookbooks is her attention to the smallest detail, the care in which she writes recipes that literally any one can cook, and you don’t have to run to multiple grocery stores to get ingredients for her recipes.

She’s a massive influence on the way I cook, the way I approach recipe testing, and, like Ina, I dream of one day having a pied-à-terre in Paris. 🇫🇷

If you don’t already have this cookbook, it absolutely deserves a spot on your shelf!

Next week I’m sharing my favorite book boyfriend who’s a bit of a red flag……any guesses? 😉

If you have a favorite cookbook you want me to review, drop it below!

#cookbookchat #cookbookaddict #cookbookreview #inagarten by @amenuforyou

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4 days ago

If you’re not already cooking your grains in the same braiser as your chicken, consider this your sign to start!!

Season your chicken (my go to’s are smoked paprika, lemon zest, tumeric, garlic and salt and pepper), then brown it in your braiser.

Remove and add fennel, onion and garlic to the drippings. Sauté for a few minutes, until the ingredients soften. Add carrots and kale for a few minutes. Add rice or farro or couscous, deglaze with red wine and add chicken broth.

Cover and cook in a 375 degree oven until the chicken is cooked and the internal temp is 165 degrees F.

Cooking everything in one pot will help you build flavor layer by layer resulting in mind blowing flavor!

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If you’re new here, hi!! I’m Lisa, a 56 year old empty nester who was born and raised in California and now lives in the PNW. I’m married with 2 grown kids, an adorable rescue pup and love coffee and romantasy. I share my midlife empty nest journey, fancy but doable recipes and life in the PNW. If that sounds good to you, I hope you stick around! ❤️

#weeknightcooking #chickendinners #onepotdinner #cozydinner by @amenuforyou

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4 days ago

When your adult child wants to relive a favorite childhood holiday tradition, the answer is always yes! 🍁🎃❤️

Last weekend my daughter wanted to go to the pumpkin patch we always went to when she and her brother were growing up.

It was an annual tradition we loved. And one that definitely fell off, like a lot of traditions, once the kids got older and went off to college.

We didn’t do everything, but we get pumpkins and apple cider donuts, and wandered through the cute farm stand market.

Of course, because it was the weekend, there were lots of families and little ones. And for a minute I got a little wistful at how fast time as gone.

But I really do love the stage my children are in right now. My sleepless nights, emotional outbursts and exhaustion are thanks to menopause and not toddlers. 🤣

Even though some traditions have fallen by the wayside, I always love when we can go back and revisit an old tradition.

And it was even nicer that my daughter treated me to 3 warm, sugary apple cider donuts!

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If you’re new here, hi!! I’m Lisa, a 56 year old empty nester who was born and raised in California and now lives in the PNW. I’m married with 2 grown kids, an adorable rescue pup and love coffee and romantasy. I share my midlife empty nest journey, fancy but doable recipes and life in the PNW. If that sounds good to you, I hope you stick around! ❤️

#emptynesterlife #momlıfe #pumpkinpatchfun #appleciderdonuts #midlifejourney by @amenuforyou

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6 days ago

I’ll tell you a little secret, if you promise not to tell. 😉🤫

Yes, of course it rains in the PNW.

But there are also plenty of gorgeous sunny Autumn days. ☀️🍁

And we’ve had a particularly spectacular Autumn, so far! Crisp, blue sky days with the slightest chill in the air. It’s literally my dream Autumn weather!

And now I’ve probably jinxed it and it will rain until next July. 🤣

This weekend I went to the pumpkin patch with my daughter, ate my weight in apple cider donuts, met friends for dinner and had Sunday brunch with my brother and his family.

It was a packed weekend, because the one thing I’ve learned about living in the PNW, is if it’s sunny in October, you need to get outside and enjoy it! ☀️

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If you’re new here, hi!! I’m Lisa, a 56 year old empty nester who was born and raised in California and now lives in the PNW. I’m married with 2 grown kids, an adorable rescue pup and love coffee and romantasy. I share my midlife empty nest journey, fancy but doable recipes and life in the PNW. If that sounds good to you, I hope you stick around! ❤️

#ᴀᴜᴛᴜᴍɴᴠɪʙᴇs #autumnishere #weekendfun❤️ #pnwlife by @amenuforyou

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6 days ago

I’m really trying to romanticize Autumn this year……first step, calling it Autumn instead of Fall. 😉😆

The next step is setting a cozy Autumn table!

You know how much I love eating dinner on the couch & watching a show! It’s my favorite part of the day!!

Side note…I can’t wait to catch up on the latest episode of Traitors!

But, I’ve been trying to pick at least 1 or 2 nights to eat dinner at the dining room table, light some candles and put on a jazzy playlist.

You know this California girl struggles with this darker, colder season, but setting a cozy Autumn table actually really helps me settle in better to this season.

It’s so funny how dinner changes when you become an empty nester, isn’t it!

We always ate at the dining room table when our kids were growing up. Sometimes sports and school activities got in the way, but we really tried to make it a priority.

And now, it’s usually dinner on the couch. 😆

But with Autumn in full swing, I’ll definitely be lighting some candles, and eating dinner at the dining room table more often.

Where’s your favorite spot to eat dinner? And, more importantly, are you watching the latest season of Traitors? 😉

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If you’re new here, hi!! I’m Lisa, a 56 year old empty nester who was born and raised in California and now lives in the PNW. I’m married with 2 grown kids, an adorable rescue pup and love coffee and romantasy. I share my midlife empty nest journey, fancy but doable recipes and life in the PNW. If that sounds good to you, I hope you stick around! ❤️

#weeknightcooking #autumnalvibes #cozyvíbes #autumn🍁🍂 by @amenuforyou

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9 days ago

✨YOUR BLUEPRINT FOR THE PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN!✨

First things first, you’ll need a ridiculous amount of butter. Don’t hold back! Seriously! Butter equals fat, which equals gorgeous crispy skin and tender, juicy meat.

Soften the butter, add salt, lemon zest, lemon juice and some chopped parsley, and rub all over the chicken. Be sure to slide some under the skin, too!

Next up, stuff your chicken with a ton of fresh herbs — parsley, rosemary, and thyme are my trifecta, but use what you like. Add a lemon, cut in half, and a quarter or two of onion.

Now it’s time to create a vegetable bed for your chicken to cook on. Cut your veggies in large chunks to avoid them getting mushy. Carrots, onions, garlic, shallots, leeks, fennel. Any combination will work! I also like to add a couple of lemons, that I’ve quartered. They roast and turn all jammy and add a ridiculous amount of flavor to the veggies. Then add some chicken broth and white wine.

Lay your chicken on the bed of veggies and roast on high at 425 degrees F for the first 15 minutes or until the skin starts to brown. Then turn down the oven to 325 degrees F until the chicken is fully cooked.

The best way to determine if the chicken is cooked, is not by poking or prodding the chicken! Take a thermometer (I promise you, if you don’t already have one, it’s worth every penny!!), and insert into the thick part of the breast, but not near the bone. When the thermometer registers 165 degrees F, your chicken is done!

Serve it with a side of the veggies, light some candles, put on your favorite jazzy playlist and it will be just like you’re in a cozy pub in England…..well, sort of! 😉😆

And don’t forget to save the carcass to make homemade chicken stock!

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If you’re new here, hi!! I’m Lisa, a 56 year old empty nester who was born and raised in California and now lives in the PNW. I’m married with 2 grown kids, an adorable rescue pup and love coffee and romantasy. I share my midlife empty nest journey, fancy but doable recipes and life in the PNW. If that sounds good to you, I hope you stick around! ❤️

#weeknightcooking # by @amenuforyou

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10 days ago

I’ve never been a morning person. 🤣

Late afternoon and evenings have always been my favorite part of the day!!

Especially now that I don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn to make lunches and get kids off to school! 😆😉

Changing into cozy clothes.

Lighting candles.

Cooking dinner.

Sitting around the table, sharing roses and thorns and silly moments from the day.

Catching up on a show, on the couch, with a hot cup of tea.

And then on bed early to read.

I’ll never be a member of the 5 am club…….but sign me up for the 5 pm one! 🤣😆

Who’s with me!

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If you’re new here, hi! I’m Lisa. I’m 56, an empty nester, wife, mom to two grown kids and a very energetic rescue pup, coffee lover, romantasy reader, & California girl living in the PNW. I share fancy-but-doable recipes, & my midlife and empty nest journey.
If that sounds like your kind of corner of the internet, I hope you stick around! ❤️

#eveningslikethese #cozyseasonvibes #winddowntime #eveningroutine by @amenuforyou

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11 days ago

When my kids were little, I seriously didn’t care one little bit if they didn’t finish their dinner because they filled up on snacks. 😆

Those snacks bought me at LEAST an extra 20 minutes, on a good day, to finish cooking dinner. 😂

And now that my kids are grown, snacks buy me at least 30 extra minutes before they ask “when’s dinner!” 😂🤣

Honestly, these days they’re usually in the kitchen helping me cook dinner because they know the more help I get, the quicker dinner gets on the table. 😂

And, yes, my husband cooks dinner lots of nights.

It’s not just me cooking every night.

But if you have small kids, or big kids, or adult kids, and need to buy yourself a little extra time to cook dinner, my advice is put out some snacks! 🥖🧀🍇🍎

Who else loves snacks before dinner!

#weeknightcooking #emptynesterlife #snacksonsnacks #snacktime😋 by @amenuforyou

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12 days ago