Recipe Index - Page 10 of 15 - Shared Appetite

Spicy Strawberry Fruit Leather

By Chris Cockren 27 Comments

Make DIY fruit roll-ups at home with just 4 ingredients! This homemade Spicy Strawberry Fruit Leather recipe is easy, healthier than store-bought, and great for snacking!

You guys.

I've been dying to tell you this for two weeks now. It's been tough to keep a secret, but it was necessary until the official documents were all signed and confirmed.

Our house is officially in full contract. Here's the crazy thing. We found a buyer just five days after our house was put on the market. Isn't that crazy?? God is good. Like, crazy good.

Now we begin the super cool process of looking for a house to call our home. I bought this place before I met Asheley, so we're excited to find OUR home. Together.

...although, side note: it's a lot easier to buy a house when your single. The list of "needs" and "wants" goes up exponentially when you have a 2nd party involved.

Gluten Free Spinach and Bacon Quiche with Hashbrowns Crust

By Chris Cockren 58 Comments

Gluten Free Spinach and Bacon Quiche with Hashbrowns Crust is the perfect easy entertaining brunch recipe!

A creative and gluten-free brunch recipe for Spinach and Bacon Quiche with a crust made out of hashbrowns!

Most holiday eating in our family revolves around dinner. But for Easter, we roll differently. Every year, it's all about the Easter brunch. The whole extended family gets together and we throw down. Feast-style. And one thing that's always on the brunch menu? Quiche. Specifically, this Gluten Free Spinach and Bacon Quiche!

I tried making a quiche once. Once. It was a huge disaster. The darn thing never set. Jerkface stupid quiche.

Time to face my fears. I mean, quiche can't be THAT hard, right?

Right. It really isn't hard at all. I probably just measured something terribly wrong.

And this year, it's time for a little twist. Who knew that Ore-Ida Shredded Hash Brown Potatoes make for an absolutely perfect gluten-free crust?

Oh, oh... you did. Well thanks for raining on my happy parade. Let's pretend you didn't and you can be happy for me. Thanks.

Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce and Philadelphia Cream Cheese

By Chris Cockren 43 Comments

A creative and easy Cinco de Mayo recipe for Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas with Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce.

Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

It's taken me way too long to finally make enchiladas. Seriously, first time ever making enchiladas.

Definitely not the first time eating them though. Asheley and I love us some enchiladas, especially when they are smothered in sour cream sauce. And since I wanted to remember my first time and make it extra special, these bad boys are stuffed with my slow cooker shredded buffalo chicken and jalapeno soft cream cheese spread.

Honey Sriracha Roasted Brussels Sprouts

By Chris Cockren 51 Comments

An incredibly easy and addictive side dish for Honey Sriracha Roasted Brussels Sprouts that finally gives this underrated vegetable the respect it deserves.

Do you know what's messed up?

Brussels sprouts. Specifically, that they don't get the respect they deserve.

Like, seriously. Who decided that carrots and broccoli should get all the attention and made them king of the vegetable kingdom? Messed up, pure and simple.

Brussels sprouts are freaking delicious. Especially when you let them get all golden-brown and caramelized through the insanely difficult and ridiculously time-consuming roasting process. Kidding. Roasting vegetables is the easiest kitchen skill ever. Seriously. Through them on a sheet pan. Place in oven. Done.

2 Ingredient Paleo Nutella Banana Ice Cream

By Chris Cockren 45 Comments

A super easy vegan and paleo-friendly nutella banana ice cream recipe using just two ingredients! No cooking or ice cream machine required!

A million dollars. Six-pack abs. A day without sitting in traffic.

All things that I know exist, but I've never experienced. And if I had to guess which one I never will... definitely the abs. There's way too much, ahem, insulation covering them up.

Something else that's pretty hard to come by? Dude food bloggers. There aren't many of us, but we're pretty freaking awesome. And when one dude comes across another dude's food blog, we stick together.

It's been fun getting to know two fellow New York bros... David from Spiced Blog and Mike from The Iron You. We're one Mike Tyson tattoo short of being an official wolf pack (The Hangover, anyone?)

Gluten-Free Blueberry Almond Granola (with Chia Seeds!)

By Chris Cockren 61 Comments

A quick and easy recipe for homemade gluten-free blueberry almond granola with chia seeds! It's healthy and uses brown rice syrup instead of sugar!

I'm a dinner and dessert kind of guy. Breakfast has always been just a required gateway to get to actual enjoyable eating.

Well, that's not entirely true. Growing up, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we would scarf down one of my mom's chocolate chip muffins. A muffin that, even with her recipe, I can't seem to fully replicate. It's the only breakfast I would ever get excited for.

Cereal, no way. Pancakes, only if they were studded with a generous amount of chocolate chips. And don't even get me started on the whole "breakfast for dinner" thing. My mom tried that once. And only once.

And now, even as a grown up (and I use that term loosely), I'm not a breakfast person. Asheley's not either. So we've been in this greek yogurt phase for a while now. And after seeing this awesome looking granola recipe on my blogging friend's site Kitchen Apparel, I figured it was time to dress up our lame breakfast and be a little more sophisticated.

Just greek yogurt, eh. But greek yogurt with a handful of some healthy, gluten-free blueberry almond granola with chia seeds. Now that's a breakfast that we can both feel... grown-up about.

Unless there are my mom's chocolate chip muffins on the table. Then screw granola.

Trip to Tortola and Selling our Home

By Chris Cockren 22 Comments

Don't you just hate it when people brag about their tropical vacations while you're stuck at home trying to swaddle yourself in layers of sweatshirts and blankets?

Yea, me too.

Good thing this wasn't a vacation then. It was work.

And sometimes, you need to work in beautiful, stunning, tropical places.

{Slow Cooker} Thai Chicken and Coconut Quinoa Stew

By Chris Cockren 30 Comments

A healthy and creative slow cooker recipe for Thai Coconut Chicken stew featuring bok choy, sweet potato, grape tomatoes, and quinoa.

There is definitely no shortage of crappy slow cooker recipes out there. I know. I said it. But it's true. Case in point, I tried making a veggie lasagna in the slow cooker. It sounded like it was going to be great. I guess I should have known. It was beyond terrible. Asheley wouldn't even eat it, and she loathes wasting food.

I totally made up for that #recipefail with this Thai Chicken and Coconut Quinoa Stew. The wife was happy. Chris was happy. Life is good.

And I felt pretty good about jumping on the quinoa train. All my food blogging friends have been using it like crazy and I was feeling super left out. It took me back to my elementary recess days when I was the last kid picked for kickball.

Just kidding. I was freaking awesome at kickball. Us pudgy kids had some serious kicking power.

Trader Joe's Copycat Spinach and Kale Greek Yogurt Dip

By Chris Cockren 60 Comments

An incredibly quick, easy, and healthy copycat recipe for Trader Joe's Spinach and Kale Greek Yogurt Dip.

I'm Chris and I suffer from Type A personality.

Planning excites me. Organization is a beautiful thing. The only thing that frustrates me more than waiting for someone running late is being that person running late.

I'm secretly jealous of people that can travel without an itinerary that was carefully and personally planned out months ahead of time. What do you mean you just figure it out when you get there?!

This weekend was tough for me. I had grand plans to cook all weekend long, try out lots of new recipe ideas, and photograph like crazy. But then the phone calls started rolling in. So and so realtor wants to show your house to their client at __pm.

Over. And over. And over.

I know, I'm incredibly blessed and thankful to have people so interested in seeing our home. We know that each showing brings us closer to this new chapter in our lives of buying a house together. But at the same time, it's a wee-bit unsettling to have your plans be in a constant state of limbo all weekend. My fellow Type A friends completely get it, haha.

Needless to say, there was barely any action in our kitchen this weekend.

Where To Eat on Long Island #MyHomeTownGuide

By Chris Cockren 17 Comments

This #MyHomeTownGuide partner post is sponsored by Fiji Water and Honest Cooking. All views and opinions, as always, are completely my own. Just located outside of NYC, Long Island is home to some great eats. Here's my guide to affordable yet spectacular eating on Long Island.

There are many, many conversations between Asheley and I about living in the city. We love spending time there. My car currently has 190,000 miles on it (...it's a 2007) simply because of how much we drive to the city.

But then we think about not having a yard. And where would my super awesome grill go? And the fact that all our acquired stuff probably wouldn't fit into what we could afford in city real estate.

Long Island is pretty awesome. I've lived here all my life. It's both close enough and far enough from the city at the same time. It's my home.

A lot of my friends know me as "the food guy". Hey, where can we go out to eat? I want to take my wife out... what's a good restaurant around? Now full disclosure: typically when Asheley and I want to go out and eat, we head to the city. It's our "thing". Date night for us is a drive to the city and eating. Period.

But there are 5 favorites I have here on Long Island. Five places that I consistently go to for some seriously good food (2 of which are home of my all-time favorite meals ever). And sure, the city is totally great, but it's not my hometown.

You know that Ricky Martin commercial where he says "Welcome to my Puerto Rico." Haha, yup...

Welcome to my Long Island (complete with Long Island accent please).

Rustic Tuscan-Style Sausage, White Bean, and Kale Soup

By Chris Cockren 73 Comments

A hearty and healthy rustic Tuscan-style soup recipe that is quick to impress and incredibly easy to make, featuring kale, sausage, and white beans.

You know the feeling. Super busy. A bit stressed. About a bajillion different time-consuming projects and life events descending upon you all at one time.

Yea, that's Asheley and I right about now. I'm not complaining though. It's all... or at least mostly... all good stuff.

Probably the biggest life update for Asheley and I right now is that our house is officially on the market. It's a weird feeling seeing the for sale sign on the front lawn and having random strangers look through and judge your home. And trying to keep the house in perfect clean condition at all times for last minute surprise showings is kinda annoying. What do you mean there can't be any dishes in the sink? Our kitchen table can't also function as a dumping station for all our mail?

17 Recipes for St. Patrick's Day

By Chris Cockren 18 Comments

17 creative, unique, and absolutely delicious-looking recipes to make St. Patrick's Day a major culinary success with family and friends at your house.

It's time for some cold, hard truth. You may judge me. You may even dislike what I'm about to say. Ready? You may want to sit down for this...

I am not a fan of St. Patrick's Day.

I'm not against it. It's not that I have something against the Irish or the color green. I just have no connection to it. We never celebrated it growing up. And I have never experienced a soda bread or corned beef and cabbage dish that got my taste buds truly excited.

Sorry if I'm crushing dreams here.

But then I started looking at Pinterest and a bunch of my blogging friends' recent posts. And you know what? There are some really great looking St. Patrick's Day recipes out there! Like, these recipes get me excited to put on some green, slap on one of those "Kiss Me I'm Irish" buttons, and start talking like a leprechaun.

So since my life is so void of any St. Patrick's Day cheer, here are some recipes I'm thinking of trying out for the big day...

Thai Peanut Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

By Chris Cockren 52 Comments

A healthy, vegan recipe for sweet potatoes stuffed with broccoli, edamame, and a creamy Thai peanut sauce makes for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.

Wow, it's been over a week since my last post. Lame Chris. Really lame.

This past week has been a total whirlwind. Cramming in a bunch of private music lessons after school (it's NYSSMA prep time here in NY, which is an adjudicated solo festival for student musicians). Traveling to Tortola BVI (that's British Virgin Islands) to chaperone the high school band trip. And now trying to play catch up on life and getting our house ready to put on the market.

I'll share more details about the high school band trip and the whole selling the house thing soon. But it's 6am and my brain is just barely in function mode. I'd rather have coherent thoughts to share all about my international adventures and domestic purging of a whole lot of crap we had no idea we even owned.

Butterfinger Cups Brownie Sundae with Chocolate Peanut Butter Avocado Brownies

By Chris Cockren 36 Comments

There's a new player in the candy aisle, and it's about to be introduced in a big way. Butterfinger Cups Brownie Sundae with fudgy, skinny {Gluten-Free} Chocolate Peanut Butter Avocado Brownies.

Remember those {Gluten-Free} Fudgy Avocado Brownies from yesterday?

It's about to get a little bit crazy up in here. In the most responsible, respectful way possible, of course. Let's show some decorum, people.

I know it's hard to remain calm when there's brownie sundaes on the line. I, for one, am known to get overly-excited about dessert.

We're taking those brownies. Adding in a gorgeous peanut butter swirl. Topping it with your favorite ice cream. A generous drizzle of homemade magic shell. And then, of course, our new friend, the Butterfinger Cups.

{Gluten-Free} Fudgy Avocado Brownies

By Chris Cockren 31 Comments

A healthier, skinny gluten-free fudgy brownie recipe using avocado, coconut sugar, and gluten-free flour!

I did it. I can finally say that I've baked with an avocado. Cross that off my bucket list.

Ever since seeing a bunch of my food blogging friends throwing avocados in all sorts of baked goods, I was strangely intrigued. Could that really work?

Yup.

Needless to say, Asheley's estatic. I mean, she'll eat avocados straight up for dinner. Yea, she's hardcore. Another opportunity for her to eat avocados makes for one happy home.

Otto's Tacos

By Chris Cockren 24 Comments

I'm officially hooked on House of Cards. I've been trying to finish this post for the past couple of days, but kept getting sidetracked by watching just one more episode. Asheley is totally not a fan of the show, which means that when she is at work, I frantically try to watch as many episodes as I can possible pack in.

A smooth, seamless transition to something else I'm obsessed with lately.

Otto's Tacos. There are few joys on this planet more substantial and perfect than the taco. And even in a city full of places slinging out these irresitible bundles of bliss, Otto's Tacos just may be one of my favorites. Actually, it is. It is one of my favorites. It's earned that coveted spot.

{Gluten-Free} Skinny Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash Pizza

By Chris Cockren 14 Comments

A gluten-free, healthy take on Buffalo Chicken Pizza with a pizza crust made out of spaghetti squash!

Good news! This is the last time you'll be hearing about spaghetti squash for awhile.

{thunderous applause}

Haha, I know, there's been a lot of squash going on up in here. Luckily for you, I have the week off from work this week (one of the many perks of being a teacher), so I'll be spending a bunch of time creating new non-squash recipes.

But listen, don't go blaming me if you start going through with squash withdrawal. It may happen (it probably won't). But it could.

Especially if you go making this pizza. It's good. Dangerously good.

{Gluten-Free} Spaghetti Squash Pizza Crust

By Chris Cockren 29 Comments

A gluten-free, vegetarian, and healthy pizza crust alternative using spaghetti squash! A creative and unique way to cook with spaghetti squash!

"Another spaghetti squash recipe?!"

Yea, yea, I know. Some of you might be sick of the whole spaghetti squash marathon that's been going on lately. Someone in the photography group I co-lead at church told me that she was indeed ready for us to move on past the whole spaghetti squash canon of recipes.

She did, however, also say that making a pizza crust out of spaghetti squash sounded pretty darn intriguing, and that she would entertain the idea of at least seeing this one last spaghetti squash post before I agreed to fast forward to something a bit... less squashy.

And since I'm still going strong on my "operation stop being a fatty" mission, I want to be able to eat pizza and not hate myself after. A healthy vegetarian faux-pizza crust that actually tastes good is a huge win in my book.

Oh, and some good news. I'm back in one-derland. That's right. I've broke back through the 200 pound barrier and have lost 19 pounds so far. And I ate this pizza several times. Boom.

A.B. Biagi Gelato

By Chris Cockren 12 Comments

Gelato. There's a new player in town. Welcome A.B. Biagi and his incredible gelato to NYC's Nolita neighborhood.

I was lucky enough to travel to Italy with my family right after graduating from undergrad. Sorrento. Rome. Florence. Venice. Some little towns in between. We saw it all. And it was all phenomenal.

I was much (MUCH) less into the whole food scene back then. What do you mean you don't have Penne alla Vodka in Italy?! Yea. I had no clue.

Everything we ate, of course, was nothing short of amazing. I can't wait to go back, now that I actually have some sort of food education and passion for eating.

I can remember eating gelato pretty much every day, any chance I got. It was like nothing I ever experienced... so much better than anything I ever tasted back home.

The good news is that I don't need to travel across the Atlantic to get my gelato fix. It's right here in my own backyard. Well, figurative backyard.

Give the Gift of Love this Valentine's Day

By Chris Cockren 7 Comments

I don't do this often. But I'm going to ask you for a favor. Can you read this entire post? It very well could change someone's life.

Ah, Valentine's Day. Some love it. Some... well, not so much.

Personally, Asheley and I could take it or leave it. Every year we ask each other, Are we doing anything for Valentine's Day? A bunch of eh's and whatever's ensue. I mean, I'll cook a little bit fancier meal than normal and we'll probably indulge in some decadent dessert, but that's about it.

Gifts. Nope, not really. We make a big deal at Christmas and then again for her birthday in March, so Valentine's Day is never really a gift-giving occasion for us.

And it's not the sort of thing where Asheley says no to wanting a gift but really means yes, you better get me a gift you jerk. She thankfully doesn't play those games. Give her a card and a nice meal at home, and she's a happy girl.

Southwestern Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

By Chris Cockren 27 Comments

A gluten-free and vegetarian recipe for Southwestern Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, topped with a healthy avocado crema made with greek yogurt.

Wait a second... this looks a lot like that succotash and avocado crema that was on top of the Southwest Spaghetti Squash.

Guilty.

Asheley really loved that spaghetti squash. But we wanted to get all wild and crazy the other night and change things up a bit for dinner. Actually, not really. We just didn't have any spaghetti squash in the house.

I wasn't going back outside in the cold to go get one. And Asheley sure as heck wasn't going either.

But the sweet potatoes I bought the previous week were staring at me from our little vegetable bowl on the kitchen counter.

Sugar Sweet Sunshine, Puddin', and PopBar

By Chris Cockren 10 Comments

Three places to get some seriously delicious sweet treats in NYC. Cupcakes, pudding, and gelato on a stick. What else could a guy want?

I have a tremendous sweet tooth, as my gut can surely attest. The good news is that my waistline is slowly waning. The bad news is that trying to eat healthier means a whole lot less dessert. Goodbye my after-lunch sweet fix. So long my post-dinner 4th meal dessert.

Once in awhile I'll still splurge and slowly devour a little piece of dark chocolate (Asheley will eat about a half a bar while I'm still trying to nurse and savor my one little self-allotted morsel).

So if I can't currently indulge in all the desserts that occupy my dreams at night, at the very least I can look back at some of the NYC sweets that I recently grazed upon back before Operation Stop Being A Fatty commenced.

Thai Peanut Spaghetti Squash

By Chris Cockren 33 Comments

An easy and healthy vegan recipe for a Thai-inspired spaghetti squash topped with broccoli, bok choy, edamame, and creamy peanut sauce.

It's been a crazy couple of weeks.

Asheley and I enjoyed a rare outing to the movie theater for date night recently. Normally we just catch up on DVR or rent a movie through RedBox, but we were feeling extra crazy that night and splurged to see American Hustle. It may or may not have been due to Asheley's minor obsession with all things Bradley Cooper.

We got home from the movies to find that a valve from our water heater broke and a whole lot of the carpet in the basement was squishing under our feet. This is where Asheley, my amazing and beautiful wife saved the day.

She had off from work the next couple of days anyway, so she got all Holmes on Homes on the situation, ripped up the carpet, removed the soaked carpet padding, rented an industrial fan and steam cleaner to dry and clean the carpet, and got a carpet guy to come over and re-lay the carpet down for us. All by herself. Isn't she the best?

And then this past week, Asheley (and by pure association, I) enjoyed a lovely little vacation to the ER and then admission to the hospital. She's totally okay and back to her normal self now, so no worries, but we literally just laid there (well she laid there and I sat in some ridiculously uncomfortable chairs) watching a bunch of movies. Specifically, The Internship (she has a thing for Vince Vaughn, too), Meet The Millers, and Last Vegas.

In some weird, backwards way, it was a way for God to say... okay you two. You are always working opposite schedules and rarely just sit and spend a lot of time together. Now you are GOING to just have a couple days to just be together. It was an odd, yet effective, extended date night.

Southwest Spaghetti Squash

By Chris Cockren 36 Comments

A healthy, creative southwest spaghetti squash bowl topped with southwest succotash and avocado crema. So good you'll forget it's good for you!

Remember back towards the beginning of January when I announced it was time for me to stop being a fatty? It's about time I give you an update with how that's all been going.

My buddy Steve and I have been going to the gym several times a week before work. It's hard rolling out of bed in the pitch black knowing full well it's stupid cold outside. But we're committed. He's getting married in July and we need to look good in tuxes.

Weeknight take-out dinners have been replaced with strategic healthy cooking. All junk food snacks have been hidden from sight. And I managed to only take a single bite of those homemade brownie sundae klondike bars I made. That was the toughest moment of my "diet" so far. I had to dig down deep for some willpower.

And, in three weeks, I'm down 14 pounds.

Homemade Game Time Brownie Sundae Bars

By Chris Cockren 49 Comments

The Big Game deserves a big dessert recipe, like these no-utensils-required handheld brownie sundae bars, coated in homemade magic shell!

Apparently there is some "Big Football Game" coming up. Anyone know anything about it? I swear that if it weren't for all the amazing game time recipes showing up throughout the blogosphere, it would pass me right by. That would be a major bummer though, because although I don't necessarily partake in football fandom, I do enjoy me a party full of good game time food. And if there's one thing that The Big Game brings out in all of us, it's some great munchies.

In case you missed it last week, here's a pretty extensive recipe roundup of great football party ideas. But in my book, a good party also needs some good dessert. And this definitely hits the spot.

The Best WordPress Plugins for Food Bloggers

By Chris Cockren 51 Comments

There are a lot of food blog plugins out there. Unfortunately, a lot of them just aren't that good. After a couple years of experimenting and learning, here's a look at my favorite and what I consider to be the best wordpress plugins for food bloggers.

Let's face it. I'm not a programmer. The mere thought of coding a website overwhelms me. Good thing WordPress has an easy solution... plugins. A plugin is basically a pre-designed, coded program that adds a specific function or feature to your website. It can help your website become more interactive and more professional looking, without the need of actually knowing how to code stuff. It's good stuff for us non-techie folk.

Although Tyler and I still experiment with new plugins all the time, here is a list of our top wordpress plugins for food bloggers. These are the plugins that we have found extremely useful and currently use on Shared Appetite (unless otherwise noted).

And listen, do me a favor. If you know of some plugins that help you out a lot and aren't listed here, let me know in the comments so I can try them out. Thanks 🙂

The Big Game Recipe Roundup

By Chris Cockren 16 Comments

Throwing a party to celebrate The Big Game? Here are all the football party appetizer recipes you'll need to make food the center of attention.

Notice I didn't use the word that starts with "S" and ends with "uperbowl?" Apparently the NFL has that word heavily trademarked. And sure, I know their legal team is never going to worry about little 'ole Shared Appetite using their coveted title for The Big Game, but it's at the very least a fun exercise to skate around using the "s" word.

Besides my Seattle-based blogging friend who obviously has a personal interest in the winner of this year's football showdown, anyone else only really interested in an opportunity to get together with friends and nosh on food for several hours? Oh, and of course enjoy the myriad of creative multi-million dollar commericials 🙂

I wanted to take an opportunity to highlight some amazing-looking football party foods that I've been spotting on blogs I regularly read. My food-blogging friends, if you will. Click on the photos to go to their recipes, and please if you are planning on pinning a photo, do so from their blog so they get the credit 🙂

Enjoy The Big Game, and all the delicious food that goes with it!

Lower East Side's Taquitoria

By Chris Cockren 8 Comments

Run by three Restaurant Marc Forgione alums, this Lower East Side eatery serves up amazing taquitos filled with top-notch, high quality ingredients.

Can I tell you about one of my favorite new spots in the Lower East Side. It's a gem.

Raise your hand if you've heard of Iron Chef Marc Forgione? Raise your hand if you actually raised your hand to a computer screen? (gotcha again, didn't I?). Anyway, he's responsible for bringing together the all-star team behind Taquitoria. All fine-dining restaurant vets that met at Restaurant Marc Forgione, Barry, Matthew, and Brad joined forces to serve taquitos to the masses.

You know I'm a sucker for any type of food remotely resembling Mexican/Tex-Mex cuisine, especially when it's handheld and doesn't require utensils. And I'm also a sucker for the Lower East Side. I love that neighborhood. Put them together, and well, I think I'm in love.

Winter Caprese Salad

By Chris Cockren 26 Comments

This Winter Caprese Salad featuring slow-roasted tomatoes is an elegant and creative dinner party appetizer that can be made ahead of time for easy entertaining!

This past weekend Asheley and I voluntarily participated in a sleep deprivation experiment, also known as chaperoning our church's middle school youth group on their Winter Weekend retreat. For many of the kids, it was their first time going away without their parents. And for middle school boys, apparently that means let's eat as much junk food as possible and not shower all weekend. I smelled things I don't think I'll ever be able to erase from my memory.

But in all honesty, it was a wonderful experience for both the kids and us leaders. Watching kids interact with each other and forming friendships. Joining together with a whole lot of other kids from various churches in worship and game time. Having great, in-depth discussions about some difficult subject matter. It was a really great weekend.

And let's just say that when we got home, Asheley and I enjoyed a long, LONG night's sleep.

Pasta with Braised Pork Ragu {plus a $240 Le Creuset Braiser Giveaway!}

By Chris Cockren 219 Comments

A sophisticated and elegant yet surprisingly easy recipe for Pasta with Braised Pork Ragu that will impress your family and friends at your next dinner party. Thanks to Le Creuset for providing me this braiser for recipe testing and for hosting our giveaway. As always, all views, opinions, and recipes are my own.

You're hosting a dinner party or a big family dinner. You need a dish that is going to wow and impress everyone, but you don't want to be standing over a stove all day. I'm with you. And here's the answer.

I make this Pasta with Braised Pork Ragu at least a couple times every winter. I love it. The people I make it for love it. It's hearty. It's comforting. And it's inspired by Mario Batali's Taccozzette Con Stracotto at his NYC restaurant, Otto.

The magic within this Braised Pork Ragu actually happens when you are away from the kitchen. Yup, that's right. You can go ahead and enjoy your time reading a book, taking a nap, watching tv, or maybe taking a nap while watching tv 🙂 You just let the slow simmering dish do it's thing, transforming from a bunch of ingredients into this luxurious, complex-tasting pulled pork ragu.

Ivan Ramen Slurp Shop at Gotham West Market

By Chris Cockren 10 Comments

One of the most anticipated openings of the year, Ivan Orkin's Ramen Slurp Shop in the new Gotham West Market delivers big on creativity and flavor.

Ramen is to Japan like pizza is to New York. Iconic food.

New Yorkers are highly critical of their pizza, just as the Japanese are to their ramen.

Would you expect a pizzeria opened up by a nice born and bred Japanese fellow to succeed here in New York? Probably not.

So when Ivan Orkin, a self-described "Jewish kid from Long Island", decided to open up shop in Japan, his dream of ramen stardom seemed destined to fail. But it ended up anything but. Chef Orkin's ramen quickly gained a cult following in Japan, and his first outpost back here in the states was one of the most highly anticipated restaurant openings of the year.

How did it stack up?

Let's just say I've been there 4 times within the span of 3 weeks. I'm in love. It's all I can think about. I'm officially hashtag obsessed (by the way, did you see the Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake hashtag skit. If not, you need to watch it immediately).

{Slow Cooker} Sesame Chicken and Broccoli

By Chris Cockren 23 Comments

This {Slow Cooker} Sesame Chicken and Broccoli is super easy to make, requires little effort, and delivers big on flavor. And it's a lot healthier than take-out! Yes, a healthy slow cooker honey sesame chicken and broccoli 🙂

Are you on instagram? If you are, I would love it if you would consider following Shared Appetite. You probably won't see any photos of puppies or kittens on my feed (sorry, I know that cutesy stuff is kinda popular), but you will get plenty of food photos 🙂

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Tyler and I co-facilitate a photography community group at our church. About 15 of us photography-loving peeps get together a few times a month to hang out together, share our work, learn some stuff, and go out shooting. It's a great bunch of people that range from total beginners all the way through industry professionals.

Last weekend, I invited everyone over to my house for a little food photography workshop. It was a ton of fun... we talked about some tips and tricks specifically for food photography, I showed them my "studio" (which is basically the spare bedroom that I have filled with all my photography gear and food props/backdrops), and then we set up two different stations to shoot.

Most Popular Recipes of 2013 Free eBook

By Chris Cockren 4 Comments

Do you know who's awesome?

You.

Do you know who's extra awesome?

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{Slow Cooker} Coconut Curry Chicken Thighs

By Chris Cockren 39 Comments

A warming, comforting recipe for your slow cooker! This Coconut Curry Chicken is full of flavor (hello curry, garam masala, and turmeric) and is super easy to prepare for those busy weeknight dinners.

It's cold. Like, stupid cold.

But that hasn't stopped Steve and I from keeping our commitment to hit the gym. We're determined. It feels great to be back, although our muscles are revolting from months (okay, years) of inactivity. My chest hurts. My arms really hurt. I'm so sore that I literally needed Asheley's help taking off my sweatshirt yesterday. Stop making fun of me.

And I wish I could tell you that this warming, comforting bowl of slow cooker coconut curry chicken is waiting for me tonight as I walk through the door after work. I wish I could tell you that. But it was actually made and consumed many weeks ago.

I may or may not have totally forgotten all about it until I was looking through some photos the other day and whoops. It was honestly like putting on a jacket you haven't worn in a while and finding some money in the pocket. Whoa, hey, look at that! It was an unexpected surprise. And now I'm passing that surprise on to you. You're welcome.

Eggplant Caponatina Crostini

By Chris Cockren 23 Comments

A traditional Sicilian appetizer with a twist, this Eggplant Caponatina Crostini makes for easy make-head entertaining and will wow your eaters with a savory and sweet flavor combo. Inspired by Mario Batali's eggplant caponata at NYC's Otto Enoteca & Pizzeria.

Guess who had off for a week and a half for Christmas vacation, went back to work for just one day, and then had a nice 3 day weekend thanks to a blizzard?

Yea, it was pretty fantastic (except for the fact that now since we used a snow day, our district calendar will now have to adjust by taking away a day from our Memorial Day extended weekend). But I'm not going to think about that right now.

Let me tell you how my lovely, unplanned snow day was enjoyed...

1) Asheley and I cleaned up Christmas. All of it. Trees (yup, we have 2 of those plastic buggers), ornaments, an excessive amount of seasonal candles, and all the other random tchotchkes... packed away for another year. We happen to have a few Christmas decorations with glitter on them. Asheley hates glitter, and of course she and the house was covered in it. She was freaking out, and I was thoroughly amused by it all.

2) I decided to clean out the freezer to see what lies beneath. I found a smoked brisket from the summer, some ground beef, and a whole lot of peppers from our CSA. Pair that with our ridiculously packed pantry, and I had all the makings for some chili. So I made my Fire Roasted Chili with Beer Braised Short Ribs, only I swapped out the short ribs with throwing in all that delicious smoked brisket. #win

3) Just as Asheley and I had to make our way outside to shovel her out (she did not have a snow day), 2 neighborhood kids knocked on the door to ask if they could shovel out our driveway for $10. $10?! Uhm, yes. These kids obviously need to improve their business model and start charging more. Don't worry, I helped them out and threw them an Andrew Jackson.

Clinton St. Baking Company, City Bakery, and The Donut Pub

By Chris Cockren 10 Comments

Three of NYC's classic and extremely popular places to grab a sweet treat, including some of the best pancakes, cookies, hot chocolate, and donuts in the city.

Sometimes I'm really excited to write a post intro. It comes naturally. I have something specific to share. A story. An anecdote. A memory.

Today, I've got nothing. Asheley's at work. I'm trapped inside from the blizzard currently happening outside. Just me, the take-out Thai food I picked up yesterday in preparation for said blizzard, and a never-ending stream of pretty crappy movies playing in the background while I think about what to write.

So let's just talk about the food. It's better that way. And hopefully by next time, I'll have something more eloquent, or at least interesting, to share 🙂

Start The New Year Off Right: 20 Healthy Recipes

By Chris Cockren 14 Comments

Eating healthier doesn't mean sacrificing flavor. Here's a list of my favorite healthy, flavorful recipes to get the new year started off right.

It's time. Like, really time.

Not for a resolution. Because we all know how those go. I'm not just going to say I'm going to start eating healthier and moving more (i.e. exercising). It's time to actually do this.

And I'm not doing it alone. My good friend Steve is getting married this upcoming summer, and we have a bro-pact to do it together. This isn't the first time Steve and I made this plan. We actually did it way back when we were both single. And it totally worked. We ate right. Exercised together about 5 times a week. And we felt great. And then we both fell in love and yea...

So it's time. And I'm going to try to hold myself accountable on here as well. I'll give you updates on how I've been eating. If I've been exercising. Recipes on Shared Appetite are going to be getting a bit of a healthy facelift for a bit.

Anyone else have healthy changes they want to make for the new year? Let me know in the comments below. I want to know 🙂

Here are some healthy choices to get off to a good start:

Nutella and Cookie Butter Stuffed Brooksters {Brownie + Cookie}

By Chris Cockren 22 Comments

Nutella or Cookie Butter Stuffed Brooksters... you don't have to choose between brownies or cookies. Have them both by baking chocolate chip cookies into brownies with this brookster recipe, and then stuffing them with gooey nutella or cookie butter because, well, we can 🙂

I like brownies.

I like chocolate chip cookies.

So naturally, it only makes logical sense to combine them. And I wish it was my idea. But it was theirs. And when I first tried the Brookster at the Baked NYC stand within The Great GoogaMooga Food Festival last year, I was suprisingly disappointed. I mean, it's obviously a great idea. Brilliant concept.

Although my anticlimatic and underwhelming first encounter with the kinda dry, chewy-fudgy-chocolately lacking Brookster, I stored that genius brainchild away in the memory bank for a future kitchen adventure. And that time is now, only it's been amped up a bit with the addition of stuffing the little buggers with either nutella or cookie butter 🙂

Motorino Pizzeria, Tacos Morelos, Japadog, The Nugget Spot, and Dos Toros

By Chris Cockren 2 Comments

A photo review of five popular East Village restaurants in New York City, including authentic wood-fired pizza at Motorino Pizzeria, tacos at Dos Toros and Tacos Morelos, a plethera of nuggets at The Nugget Spot, and eccentric Japanese-inspired hot dogs at Japadog.

Having a week and a half off from work is a beautiful thing. It's one of the many perks of being a teacher. I always have grand plans for my time off. I'll get together with friends and family. I'll cook and photograph like crazy. I'll catch up on all those posts I've been wanting to write. I'll go into the city and try new places. I'll do this. I'll do that. It'll be great!

As we all know too well, time off seems to fly by. You blink and it's gone. All those things you wanted to do... not done. But hey, those movies in your Netflix queue got watched and that batch of cookies were polished off. Oops. Priorities 🙂

But I actually did get to go into the city a few times so far this Christmas break to try a few new places. And there are always new restaurants to try!

Sweet and Spiced Candied Nuts

By Chris Cockren 3 Comments

A super easy, highly impressive party snack recipe for sugary candied nuts spiked with cinnamon, paprika, and just a hint of cayenne pepper. And best of all, you can make these Sweet and Spiced Candied Nuts ahead of time for easy entertaining!

We are going to be mature. As mature as we can be. Needless to say my family enjoyed lots of awkward laughter with the inevitable, obvious jokes built upon me serving them my candied nuts during one of our Christmas get-togethers last week.

These sweet and spiced candied nuts are pretty addictive. And I know I've been saying that a lot lately... but it's true. This recipe makes a pretty decent amount of candied nuts, and my family almost downed the entire batch. Impressive.

Sweet. Salty. And a bit of spice from cinnamon and a pinch of paprika and cayenne. They're so simple, but your guests probably won't even believe they are homemade. My family was like you made these? I didn't know if I should that that as a compliment or be upset that they were shocked I could make something so tasty. Eh, let's go with compliment.

And one of the best parts about serving these nuts at your next party? You can make them the day before, and the prep time is all of like 5 minutes. Just before your epic get-together, throw 'em in a bowl. Preferably next to a good cheese and charcuterie plate. Entertaining made easy. Boom.

And before you know it, you'll be enjoying awkward nut jokes with your family and friends. You're welcome.

My 15 Favorite Recipes of 2013

By Chris Cockren 2 Comments

2013. It's been a good year. I've been blessed in more ways than I can count and more ways than I deserve.

In the word's of the great philosopher Billy Joel: "Got a good job, got a good office. Got a new wife, got a new life. And the family's fine."

I do have a good job (and just got upgraded to a much nicer, larger classroom this year, which is totally my office). I didn't get a new wife, but everyday I discover new things I love about her. And I am trying to live by the mantra that every single day is precious and we get to start anew.

And I really do have an amazing family. Parents. Relatives. Friends. And you. I count you as my family. Sometimes I spend more time with you than I do Asheley, sitting in front of the computer screen editing photos, writing recipes, responding to comments and emails. And you guys really are amazing.

You've been a part of something really special in my life. And for that I am extremely grateful. Food is more than just food for me. It's something that unites us. Brings us together. Creates memories. And I am just so overcome with joy that you are a part of this food journey with me.

Looking back over the past year, it looks like I've posted just over 75 recipes. That's a lot of food. And although I love every recipe, there's some in here that are just a little more extra special than the others. Here's a look back at my 15 favorite...

Cookie Butter-Stuffed Brown Butter + Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies

By Chris Cockren 4 Comments

Cookie butter is stuffed into a brown butter + cream cheese enhanced chocolate chip cookie and then sprinkled with sea salt for that addictive salty-sweet combo. Indulgent. Creative. And slightly habit-forming.

Yes, it's another cookie butter recipe. I may need some serious help. But when you have an opportunity to stuff a brown butter chocolate chip cookie with cookie butter, it would be crazy to not do it. Right?

I've been seeing a whole lot of cool cookie ideas floating around the interwebs lately. Browning the butter to give cookies a rich, nutty aroma. Swapping out some of the butter for a little bit of cream cheese, which helps to keep them soft and chewy. Sprinkling the freshly baked cookies with sea salt to give them that salty-sweet edge.

So I figured... eh, I haven't even begun my Christmas baking yet and Christmas is like, tomorrow! Might as well combine all those ideas into one. And then stuff the things with cookie butter because, well, I can.

And by the way, a very Merry Christmas to all of you and your families.

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