Greek Chicken Gyros

Flatbreads topped with fresh vegetables, Greek-marinated chicken, and tzatziki

I cannot get enough of anything that includes naan or pita, fresh vegetables, feta, and tzatziki. There is a local food place where I get chicken shwarma and gyro plates all the time and it's my obsession at the moment. I really liked the ease of this recipe where it's really just marinate the chicken and then cook it. Everything else is just chop or scoop and you're good to go. It's such a fresh and bright meal.

Lemon Pepper Wings

Crispy chicken wings that have a lemon pepper dry rub and a buttery lemon pepper sauce brushed after they are baked.

I love cheese pizza but we don't eat it a lot because Nick doesn't like it because there are no toppings. So to compromise, I'll make wings so we have a meat with the dinner. When our family (my husband's three siblings and their spouses and kids and his mom and dad) gets together, we tend to get Wingstop. A family favorite is the lemon pepper wings. We get them every single time. I had to find a recipe and see if we could get some of the magic with homemade wings!

Steak Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

Fantastic marinated flank steak with homemade cucumber tzatziki sauce that I dare you to not eat by the spoonful!

We had a German fast food restaurant locally for many years and we went every few months to get doner because it's sooo good. Unfortunately, before COVID even struck, the restaurant closed down and we lost our doner supplier. My understanding is that there a lot of things in the Europe area that are similar, including gyros. I am the only person in my family who likes lamb, so I thought this recipe would be great for sating the doner cravings but also not having my entire family complain about lamb. Also I don't have a rotisserie spit thing to throw a big bunch of lamb and beef on, so flank steak will have to do. I definitely want to try pita flatbread next time instead of pockets. I think it'd be way easier to serve.

Chicken Gyro Salad

Gyros in a bowl - salad style!

I really love gyros and Mediterranean food. I also really love salads for dinner. Finding this recipe was kismet. I will say that the pita chips are such a fun addition but I prefer to mix them in right before serving and don't want extras in if there are leftovers because they will get soggy. This recipe of tzatziki sauce was really wonderful too! Just slightly different than I'm used to, but really great.

Watermelon Slushies

This refreshing drink is made with fresh watermelon - so perfect for summer!

Another first for me...posting a recipe with watermelon. My blog is almost 11 years old and I have never posted a recipe with watermelon in it. For very good reason, I don't like it. I like watermelon flavored things, but not actual watermelon. I did, however, try this because I'm absolutely willing to try something even if I know I don't like it. I didn't like Philly Cheesesteaks or Chicken Parmesan and I love them now. So who knows, maybe I would appreciate this slushy even though I don't like watermelon. Still don't like watermelon....however, my older two kids and husband loved it and have made it multiple times since.

Sheet Pan Chicken Gyros

These gyros are so flavorful and we love a sheet pan recipe moment! The lemon yogurt sauce and Greek lemon rice are so good too!

Prior to this recipe, I cannot remember if I've had chicken gyros. I thought a sheet pan version sounded wonderful. I made this while Nick was in training in early 2020 and was pretty obsessed because it's very Greek and I love love love anything with lemon garlic flavors and yogurt sauces and feta and hummus. Sign me up!

Butter Garlic Chicken Bites with Lemon Asparagus

This chicken and asparagus recipe is incredible with butter, garlic, and lemon!

I love recipes that seem so simple but end up blowing my mind. I know going in that I was going to like this recipe because it's butter, garlic, and lemon. Honestly, how can you go wrong?! This is definitely one of my all-time favorites because it's simple but it's so dang good. I love it. This one doesn't take a lot of effort or time to make. You can pair it with a good crusty bread and potatoes or a salad, etc.

Grilled Chicken Caprese Orzo Salad

This refreshing pasta salad is way better for dinner than as a side with its grilled chicken!

Caprese is one of my all-time favorite food combinations. I don't think I've yet to try a recipe that has tomato, mozzarella, and basil (and sometimes balsamic vinegar) that I haven't liked. This one is great because it's not super heavy with a vinaigrette style dressing with lemon instead of vinegar for that acidity. I replaced agave syrup with honey because it's what I had on hand and is my go-to substitution. I loved that this was grilled chicken. I also absolutely loved that this had mozzarella pearls instead of shredded mozzarella. Mozzarella pearls are just so much better!

Jalapeno Popper Tuna Melts

Tuna melts with a kick of roasted jalapeno plus extra cheese and a bit of bacon too.

I have never had a more delicious tuna melt in my life. I love roasted jalapenos and they are super easy to do and are a genius addition to tuna salad. I loved the tuna salad part of this recipe too. I think I'm going to be adding a little lemon juice to every tuna salad I make for the rest of my life. That zing of lemon is perfect. We also got to try muenster cheese for the first time and we all liked it. It's always fun to try something new and everyone likes it :)

Carne Asada Street Tacos

Why have regular tacos when you can have street tacos with grilled carne asada!

I've mentioned many times that my husband has been obsessed with authentic Mexican food after traveling to San Diego for work over the past few years. I am fairly certain he lives on tacos while he's there. I know my tacos at home will never come close to the authentic food, but I do try and they are really tasty still. So these tacos were a hit because honestly you cannot go wrong with steak tacos. Plus the toppings that go with are pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, and cotija cheese.

One Pot Greek Chicken Risotto

This baked risotto is super easy to make with less babysitting - and it's full of Greek flavors!

I've only made risotto a handful of times, but I've watched so much Hell's Kitchen and I'm certain that this method is probably frowned upon by the pros. However, I really liked this method and I found it to be perfectly fine. It resulted in a delicious dinner and I was, of course, over the moon excited about the Greek food. I used a really wonderful feta cheese that had Mediterranean herbs in it and it's probably my favorite feta of all-time.

Greek Meatball Bowls

Meatballs with a secret ingredient served over couscous with a tomato cucumber salad and tzatziki sauce.

I feel like I'm posting a lot of foods that are Greek or Mediterranean and I cannot get enough of it. I am always craving tzatziki sauce. As long as I'm not making the boys eat tzatziki or feta, they are okay with Greek food. Well, Matthew also doesn't eat the cucumber and tomatoes either, but he's fine with the protein and the grain LOL. I only have one other couscous recipe on my blog which is crazy to me because it's from January of 2020 and it took me this long to post the next one. That likely means that we had couscous for the first time in 2018 and then we had it again in 2019 (this recipe). I cannot think of a time in 2020 that we had it and I'm definitely going to remedy that in 2021. Alright enough boring rambling, check out this awesome recipe!

Greek Chicken Rice Bowls

Find the recipe on The Recipe Jackpot

Caramelized Cashew Ginger Chicken Stir Fry

Marinated chicken and caramelized cashews add so much flavor to this stir fry!

I feel like I've made a lot of stir frys over the years and continue to save stir fry recipes even if they aren't something crazy different. What was a little different about this particular stir fry is that the chicken gets marinated before lightly breaded. In addition to the marinade, you make really lovely, totally addictive caramelized cashews to go on top. I mean, these cashews are good on their own. They'd be a great snack. But they are even better on top of this stir fry.

Eggs Benedict

The most decadent breakfast out there with toasted muffins, ham, a poached egg, and rich hollandaise sauce.

I am back finally about 2 years later to post a successful eggs benedict! I did it!! :) I posted about my first attempt that was super stressful and didn't end up in a successful hollandaise or poached egg. I did a lot of research and had already tried to figure out what to do if the sauce broke. This video helped me a ton. I played it over and over again when I was preparing and while I was doing it. I tried my best to learn the timing of how to do it, so I didn't mess it up. Time management is key! I used a combination of Gimme Some Oven and Gordon Ramsay for this recipe. I want to say I would remove my sauce from the heat and whisk with a small splash of boiling water in vigorously until it came back together. I had to do it multiple times but it did finally work and was a beautiful sauce!

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwiches

This sandwich is better than any fast food fried chicken sandwich out there!

This sandwich was one that my daughter chose from a cookbook she got as a present. I let her do the work with some supervision and she made the best fried chicken sandwich I've ever had. The seasoning in the breading was perfect and anything that is close to tzatziki is going to be an absolute winner in my book. I don't think I've ever used boneless chicken thighs before, but they are the perfect size to fit on a bun, so I see them being used a lot in the future.

Lemon Raspberry Dutch Baby Pancake

Breakfast has never been better with this huge, airy pancake with tart lemon curd and raspberries!

I tried Chrissy Teigen's  Dutch Baby Pancakes recipe and posted it a few months ago (I even mentioned this recipe in the bottom of the post!) - I've kind of had them on my mind since then and really wanted to make a recipe with berries (as I mentioned in that post). I have never in my life had lemon curd and wasn't sure how I would feel about it. It was SO good. The kind I got was very tart - honestly reminded me a little of a Warhead but without the bitterness. This dutch baby was insanely good. The raspberry and lemon curd combo was killer. I cannot wait to make more of these with different flavor profiles - and try more recipes with lemon curd.

Strawberry Lemon Snack Cake

Sweet and sour and absolutely perfect for a snack or a little treat after dinner!

I have been trying for years to get behind lemon sweets and so far, to date, it has failed. I just don't like purely lemon desserts. Now throw a berry in there and I love it. I knew I would enjoy this dessert because strawberry is my favorite berry with lemon. I loved the consistency of the cake. It sort of reminds me of a cobbler in some ways. The lemon was just in the glaze although it would be great with a little lemon zest in the batter, in my opinion.

Food Cart Inspired Chicken

This Food Cart Inspired Chicken is perfect for summertime with the lemon garlic chicken - veggies and a delicious yogurt sauce!

I am not sure what kind of food cart food this is supposed to be (Greek, Mediterranean?) but I'm on board with it. I love a yogurt sauce that's similar to tzatziki and having cucumber, tomato, and onion with it. I love this lemon garlic chicken too - it paired with everything so well. YUM!

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

This delicious cheesecake dessert is so beautiful that it's hard to believe it's so easy to make!

One of my favorite things about having a large family is the amount of birthdays we get to celebrate, which means we get to eat lots of cake. I'm always so happy to make someone's birthday cake if they want and my sister-in-law requested raspberry cheesecake last year for her birthday cake and trusted me to find a good recipe. I usually am successful and this raspberry cheesecake was definitely perfect! It's simple yet rich and way too delicious for how simple it is. The raspberry sauce really truly makes this dessert and the way you make the hearts on top makes for such a beautiful cheesecake and again - SO simple!