six weeks. that’s all we have left till we are a family of three. i know i can’t possibly prepare myself for how our lives are about to change. 

instead of worrying about the changes to come, i am focusing on quality time with wes while i still have it. 

so before i never worry about what he wants for dinner again, i decided to cook up some of his favorite dishes. 

i have made a couple of versions of bolognese for the blog, but this classic version is his favorite. it is his number one requested meal and i know you will love it as much as he does. 

beef bolognese

serves: 4-6

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 30 minutes

inactive time: 20 minutes

total time: 1 hour

ingredients: 1 lb ground beef. 3 slices of bacon, chopped. 1 yellow onion, diced. 2 carrots, diced. 2 celery stalks diced. 5 garlic cloves, mince. 1 tbs chopped fresh basil + a few extra leaves to thinly slice as garnish. 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano. .5 tsp chopped fresh thyme leave. .5 cup dry white wine. 2 tbs tomato paste. 32 oz diced tomatoes (1 large can or two small cans will work). 2 tbs honey. 1 cup milk. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. 1.5 lbs of your favorite pasta for serving. .5 cup grated parmesan cheese for serving. large heavy pot.

start by heating your pot over medium heat. when the pot has warmed, add in your bacon. cook the bacon, stirring every few minutes until the bacon is very crispy. about 5-7 minutes. use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon to a paper towel (to reduce any excess fat) and set it aside.

leave all that delicious bacon grease in the pan, you will use it for your veggies. turn up the heat to a medium high heat and add in the onion, carrot and celery (mirepoix) to the pan and season with about a third of your salt and pepper. stir well to combine and then allow the veggies to cook down, stirring every few minutes, until the onions are translucent. about 5-7 minutes.

add in the garlic and fresh herbs. stir everything well to combine.

push the veggies to the sides of your pot to make way for your ground beef. season both sides of the meat well with another third of the salt and pepper and add it to the pan. allow the beef to sear for about 3-4 minutes a side before really mixing it in with the veggies and breaking it up.

pour in the white wine to deglaze the bottom of your pan. use the fresh liquid to scrape up any delicious browned bits from the pan and then allow the liquid to reduce till it is pretty much gone.

stir in the tomato paste and add your bacon back to the mixture.

pour in your diced tomatoes, honey and the remaining salt and pepper. stir everything well. bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat so the liquid is at a steady simmer. allow the sauce to cook down for 15 minutes. while your sauce is cooking, boil a pot of water and cook your desired pasta (i used linguini) to the package instructions. once you have let that sauce cook down, skim off any fat that is pooling at the top of your pot and discard it.

stir in the milk and allow the sauce to continue to cook down for another five minutes.

in a bowl, toss together the cooked pasta and sauce. serve hot topped with a little fresh basil and parmesan cheese.

xo, a

beef bolognese

serves: 4-6

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 30 minutes

inactive time: 20 minutes

total time: 1 hour

ingredients: 1 lb ground beef. 3 slices of bacon, chopped. 1 yellow onion, diced. 2 carrots, diced. 2 celery stalks diced. 5 garlic cloves, mince. 1 tbs chopped fresh basil + a few extra leaves to thinly slice as garnish. 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano. .5 tsp chopped fresh thyme leave. .5 cup dry white wine. 2 tbs tomato paste. 32 oz diced tomatoes (1 large can or two small cans will work). 2 tbs honey. 1 cup milk. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. 1.5 lbs of your favorite pasta for serving. .5 cup grated parmesan cheese for serving. large heavy pot.

start by heating your pot over medium heat. when the pot has warmed, add in your bacon. cook the bacon, stirring every few minutes until the bacon is very crispy. about 5-7 minutes. use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon to a paper towel (to reduce any excess fat) and set it aside. leave all that delicious bacon grease in the pan, you will use it for your veggies. turn up the heat to a medium high heat and add in the onion, carrot and celery (mirepoix) to the pan and season with about a third of your salt and pepper. stir well to combine and then allow the veggies to cook down, stirring every few minutes, until the onions are translucent. about 5-7 minutes. add in the garlic and fresh herbs. stir everything well to combine. push the veggies to the sides of your pot to make way for your ground beef. season both sides of the meat well with another third of the salt and pepper and add it to the pan. allow the beef to sear for about 3-4 minutes a side before really mixing it in with the veggies and breaking it up. pour in the white wine to deglaze the bottom of your pan. use the fresh liquid to scrape up any delicious browned bits from the pan and then allow the liquid to reduce till it is pretty much gone. stir in the tomato paste and add your bacon back to the mixture. pour in your diced tomatoes, honey and the remaining salt and pepper. stir everything well. bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat so the liquid is at a steady simmer. allow the sauce to cook down for 15 minutes. while your sauce is cooking, boil a pot of water and cook your desired pasta (i used linguini) to the package instructions. once you have let that sauce cook down, skim off any fat that is pooling at the top of your pot and discard it. stir in the milk and allow the sauce to continue to cook down for another five minutes. in a bowl, toss together the cooked pasta and sauce. serve hot topped with a little fresh basil and parmesan cheese.

a little over a year ago, our old grill bit the dust. i was pretty devastated since i am a BIG fan of the grill. nothing adds flavor like cooking food over an open flame. for whatever reason, we hadn’t yet replaced it. other gadgets and kitchen toys always took budget priority.

but we majorly lucked out last week when a neighbor was moving and giving away a gently loved grill. we snatched up that offer so quick and i got right back to grilling.

ribeye is one of my favorite cuts of meat. they are usually beautifully marbled and pack a lot of flavor. when i rubbed a couple of them down with honey and chipotle and grilled up them up they were sweet and smokey heaven. and absolutely delicious in a taco.

honey chipotle ribeye tacos + red onion & pineapple salsa

serves: 4

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 20 minutes

total time: 30 minutes

ingredients: 1.5 lbs ribeye steaks, patted dry. 2 chipotle in adobo peppers. 2 tbs honey. 2 tbs olive oil. 2 garlic cloves smashed. handful of cilantro leaves. half a pineapple, skin removed and sliced into 1 inch long sticks. half a red onion, sliced into .5 inch thick rings. 1 lime, sliced into wedges. .25 cup crumbled cotija cheese. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. 8 of your favorite tortillas.

tools: grill. food processor (if you don’t have one you can always just finely chop your ingredients and combine in a bowl. meat thermometer, optional.

start by heating your grill to a high heat. in the bowl of your food processor, combine the honey, olive oil, chipotle pepper, a few cilantro sprigs, the garlic and half the salt and pepper together. blend until smooth. season both sides of your steak with half the remaining salt and pepper.

slather most of the honey and chipotle marinade all over your steaks. reserve a little bit of the marinade to garnish your tacos.

when your grill is nice and hot, add your steak to a hot part of the grill. allow the steak to get a nice sear on both sides, about 6 minutes a side. my steaks were about an inch thick and i like mine medium rare. if you want to ensure the proper doneness you like and you aren’t sure, i recommend using a meat thermometer. while your meat is cooking, season the pineapple and onion with the remaining salt and pepper and add them to the grill. cook them till they have nice grill marks on both sides. about 3-4 minutes per side.

once they are done, remove them and chop them up to make your salsa. toss them in a bowl with the juice of half the limes and the remaining cilantro. once your meat has finished cooking, cover it lightly with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes.

slice the beef into strips about .25 inch thick against the grain. while your grill is still hot, quickly warm your tortillas on the grill. 20-30 seconds a side should be good on a hot spot. top each tortilla with steak strips.

top with pineapple salsa, cotija cheese and a small spoonful of the sweet and smokey marinade.

squeeze with some of the remaining fresh lime, serve and enjoy.

xo, a

honey chipotle ribeye tacos + red onion & pineapple salsa

serves: 4

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 20 minutes

total time: 30 minutes

ingredients: 1.5 lbs ribeye steaks, patted dry. 2 chipotle in adobo peppers. 2 tbs honey. 2 tbs olive oil. 2 garlic cloves smashed. handful of cilantro leaves. half a pineapple, skin removed and sliced into 1 inch long sticks. half a red onion, sliced into .5 inch thick rings. 1 lime, sliced into wedges. .25 cup crumbled cotija cheese. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. 8 of your favorite tortillas.

tools: grill. food processor (if you don’t have one you can always just finely chop your ingredients and combine in a bowl. meat thermometer, optional.

start by heating your grill to a high heat. in the bowl of your food processor, combine the honey, olive oil, chipotle pepper, a few cilantro sprigs, the garlic and half the salt and pepper together. blend until smooth. season both sides of your steak with half the remaining salt and pepper. slather most of the honey and chipotle marinade all over your steaks. reserve a little bit of the marinade to garnish your tacos. when your grill is nice and hot, add your steak to a hot part of the grill. allow the steak to get a nice sear on both sides, about 6 minutes a side. my steaks were about an inch thick and i like mine medium rare. if you want to ensure the proper doneness you like and you aren’t sure, i recommend using a meat thermometer. while your meat is cooking, season the pineapple and onion with the remaining salt and pepper and add them to the grill. cook them till they have nice grill marks on both sides. about 3-4 minutes per side. once they are done, remove them and chop them up to make your salsa. toss them in a bowl with the juice of half the limes and the remaining cilantro. once your meat has finished cooking, cover it lightly with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes. slice the beef into strips about .25 inch thick against the grain. while your grill is still hot, quickly warm your tortillas on the grill. 20-30 seconds a side should be good on a hot spot. top each tortilla with steak strips. top with pineapple salsa, cotija cheese and a small spoonful of the sweet and smokey marinade. squeeze with some of the remaining fresh lime, serve and enjoy.