#home chef

[jenn-collective]

Philly Cheesesteak-Inspired Hoagies

Savory, cheesy, and loaded with flavor, these hoagies are proof that simple ingredients can create something magical. Perfect for a cozy night in or a casual dinner, they’re a guaranteed hit!

The Vibe

Think of these as a comforting twist on the classic Philly cheesesteak—elevated with ground beef, sautéed mushrooms, and green bell peppers. Toasty, cheesy, and oh-so-satisfying.

What You’ll Need:

• 🥩 Ground beef – 1 lb

• 🍄 Mushrooms – 1 cup, finely chopped

• 🌶️ Green bell peppers – 1, thinly sliced

• 🧄 Garlic – 2 cloves, minced (optional but recommended)

• 🧅 Onion – 1 small, diced (optional)

• 🥖 Hoagie bread – 2–4 rolls

• 🧀 Provolone or mozzarella cheese – 4–6 slices

• 🥄 Worcestershire sauce – 1–2 tsp

• 🧈 Butter – 2 tbsp

• Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste

Let’s Make It:

1. Sauté the Veggies

• Heat 1 tbsp butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic (if using) and sauté until fragrant.

• Toss in the mushrooms and bell peppers, cooking until tender. Set aside.

2. Cook the Beef

• In the same skillet, brown the ground beef. Drain excess fat and season with Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

• Stir the cooked veggies back in with the beef and mix well.

3. Toast the Hoagies

• Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Spread butter or garlic butter inside the hoagie rolls and toast for 3–5 minutes until golden.

4. Assemble the Sandwiches

• Fill each hoagie with the beef mixture. Top with cheese slices.

• Place the filled hoagies on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

5. Serve and Enjoy

• Serve hot with your favorite sides. Chips, fries, or a simple side salad all pair wonderfully!

Let’s Chat:

What’s your go-to comfort sandwich? Have you ever tried putting a twist on a classic? Let me know what you think of this one!

[artnerd5]

made chilli 👨🏼‍🍳🤌🏼

[thesearethedaysofmylife]

[silentlyinfamousdos]

©️E’s Photography

[foodiebimbo]

[chrishangry]

Mapo Tofu x Kimchi Jjigae!

The fusion dish that’s incredibly addictive! It was a great and successful experiment! Keeping this recipe for the books

[thegirl-in3z]

Empanadas

[plantbasedjewels]

Last December, I decided to cut out alcohol and slowly stop eating meat and dairy. I immediately lost 10 pounds (from no booze), and then as the weeks went by I cut down on meat and dairy until I was finally off of them. I am now taking an online culinary plant-based chef class and enjoying it thoroughly. I eat a lot of fiber now which keeps me from getting hungry and helps promote weight loss. There was a time when I couldn’t imagine not eating chicken, but you know it raises the cholesterol and it has no fiber …so I’m doing pretty well without it.

[xiaonyc]

Xiaobabys complete guide to be a baddie in the kitchen ₊⋅ 🔪 ‧₊˚✮★

Background ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ This is a guide for girlies who cook or want to cook for themselves and their loved ones regularly. This is what works for me. And its constantly adapting. Cooking is not just WHAT you eat, its the whole process from thinking of what to make to washing the dishes ...AND feelin cute and powerful at the same time.

I wont go into depth about exact foods or nutritional value, this is more for the PROCESS u can apply to whatever you eat.

Step 1: Lookin cute and feeling like a domestic queen

★ Wear a cute apron, not only protects your clothes but really gets you in the mood for cooking, and house slippers since the tile floor is cold

★ Make cute recipe cards, i find cards easier than a notebook because i can put them up with magnet

★ Make a cute menu for the week on a whiteboard on the fridge like its your own little restaurant. At the top you can put something like, Xiaobaby's patisserie or Xiaobaby's kitchen, name it something fun and encouraging (i dont do this bc my fridge is not very visible, but i think this is such a fun idea ^_^) edit: i did this today and can verify its very cute 👍

★ print or write down recipes when you can. Or buy a cookbook. Its reaaly tough to use phone and cook, esp with wet hands

Step 2: Think and plan

Over time it will get easier, but to start ive found it helpful to write a plan down. This includes:

★ make a weekly meal plan

I plan to cook 6 days usually and 1 day is take out/lazy day

simple meal days: of the 6 days, I include at least 1 very simple meal (usually pasta for me, but this could be frozen meal, etc), but you can do more to your needs

for each day, I cook 1 main meal with leftovers for another meal. (Usually lunch, with leftovers for dinner. you can do dinner with leftovers for next day lunch) The rest is filled with simple meals (oatmeal, smoothies, snacks) i dont follow the 3 meals/day, personally. Sometimes its more sometimes less.

Of course you dont have to follow it exactly, but it helps to make sure you have enough food for the week

★ make a grocery list

Separate into:

pantry staples (things you can stock up on, need to get less frequently) such as oatmeal, pasta, rice, flour, cereal

basic seasonings (for me: salt, pepper, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar) you dont need much to start, as you cook more, you can add more seasonings

everything else once you have the previous two, you just need to focus on fresh ingredients and snacks

──────── ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ ────────

Tips:

╰✩ use 1 ingredient in multiple ways (ie broccoli flowers for one meal, stem for a stir fry)

╰✩ pick simple recipes to start, searching up recipes can be daunting. I honestly think simple tastes better. For anything you want to cook, search "simple" or "easy" in front of it. If cooking for family, ask what they want to eat.

╰✩ adapt recipes, make them your own! Don't be afraid to substitute ingredients or omit them completely

╰✩ pick a theme each week to make use of all your ingredients and not waste food

╰✩ don't buy an ingredient for one recipe that you will never use again (such as a spice), it will go to waste. instead substitute it with something you will use or omit it completely. If you decide to get it, look up other recipes that use that ingredient

Step 3: cooking

★ Prep before cooking

prep all veggies and meats first (give yourself at least 30min)

★ Minimize dishes

Remember, everything you use you have to clean

minimise hard to wash utensils like whisks and use fork or chopsticks instead (ie to whisk eggs)

use less pots/pans, which i find the most annoying to clean by cooking consecutively in 1 pan instead of having multiple pots going at once (Ex. Cook pasta, drain it, then cook sauce in the same pot) or cooking one pot meals

Step 4: Cleaning dishes

★ Wash as you are waiting for things to cook, only if its something that you dont need to keep an eye on!

★ Wash cutting boards and anything wood immediately after eating to prevent mold. If i am tired, I just wash anything wood, and leave everything else for later

★ Soak dishes you are not going to wash immediately

★ If you leave some dirty dishes, its ok, but it is best to wash dishes before you have to cook again, it makes it so much easier to cook when you arent digging through dirty dishes for utensils you need, or a spatula. It really breaks the flow and makes cooking more difficult and time consuming

★ If you find you are leaving a lot of dishes, think of ways to streamline your process! Its all a learning and growing experience so don't be too hard on yourself

Step 5: Celebrate your wins, continue learning

★ be proud of yourself! This is something difficult especially if you are feeding many mouths. Don't be too hard on yourself,

★ build confidence, at first i was very sensitive because i cook for my family and didnt want them to think i am a bad cook, so i couldnt take criticism well, but now i cooked so many meals and the tasty meals far outweigh the not so tasty ones that i honestly forget about it. Also i am way more confident in my skills after having done research and writing down recipes, it all gets easier with practice

★ love yourself, want to nourish your body, so that you can nourish others ♡

all photos are not my own, from a very fun anime ^^ <3 love this show sm. hope you enjoyed this guide and happy cooking ♡ let me know how it goes!

[sadchefsociety]

Brioche French Toast with a Berry Compote and Madagascar Vanilla Crème

I know the plating and appearance might not look the best -I’m trying to work with what I got- but this dish sure is a sweet breakfast treat to make. Great for special occasions (or any day since you deserve it!).

Brioche French Toast (egg, splash of heavy cream, vanilla, cinnamon, pinch of cardamom)

Berry Compote (blackberries, strawberries, coconut sugar, and juice from a lemon)

Creme (creme fraiche, madagascar vanilla, powdered sugar)

[tacothechef]

For dinner I made hamburger steaks, mashed potatoes with a mushroom gravy… I’m definitely gonna have the itis tonight lol

[jenn-collective]

Sweet Potato Meatloaf Pot Pie with Homemade Buttery Crust

This dish is the ultimate comfort food fusion—hearty, savory, and oh-so-satisfying. A delicious twist on classic meatloaf, tucked into a flaky, buttery crust, with sweet potatoes adding a hint of sweetness that complements the savory filling perfectly. It’s everything you love about a pot pie, elevated to a whole new level.

The Story

I’ve always been a fan of comforting meatloaf, but I wanted to try something different and combine it with a pot pie. After playing around with some ingredients, I found the perfect balance of flavors—sweet potatoes, ground beef, and a rich, homemade buttery crust. The result is a dish that’s as cozy as it is creative. Making the pie from scratch takes a little extra effort, but the satisfaction of pulling it out of the oven with that golden, flaky crust is totally worth it. This recipe is one of those meals that makes you feel like you’re wrapping yourself in a warm blanket on a chilly day.

What You’ll Need (serves 4-6)

For the Meatloaf Filling:

• 🥔 Sweet potatoes – 2 medium, peeled and cubed

• 🥩 Ground beef – 1 lb

• 🧅 Onion – 1 small, chopped

• 🧄 Garlic – 2 cloves, minced

• 🍶 Milk – 1/4 cup

• 🧂 Bread crumbs – 1/2 cup

• 🧀 Parmesan cheese – 1/4 cup, grated

• 🧂 Salt and pepper – to taste

• 🥚 Egg – 1

For the Buttery Crust:

• 🧈 Butter – 1/2 cup (cold and cubed)

• 🍞 All-purpose flour – 1 1/2 cups

• 🧂 Salt – 1/4 tsp

• 🥄 Cold water – 4-6 tbsp

Let’s Make It

Step 1: Cook the Sweet Potatoes

1. Boil the cubed sweet potatoes in salted water for 10-12 minutes, or until tender. Drain and mash with a fork or potato masher. Set aside to cool.

Step 2: Make the Meatloaf Filling

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

2. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, chopped onion, minced garlic, mashed sweet potatoes, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, egg, and milk. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Mix until well combined, then form the mixture into a loaf and place it in a greased 9-inch pie dish.

Step 3: Prepare the Buttery Crust

1. In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Add the cold butter cubes and cut them into the flour using a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

2. Slowly add the cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing until a dough forms. Be careful not to overwork it.

3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Step 4: Assemble the Pot Pie

1. Roll out the chilled dough on a floured surface to fit the top of your pie dish. Place the rolled-out dough over the meatloaf filling, trimming any excess dough. Crimp the edges to seal and cut a few slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

2. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is cooked through.

Let’s Chat

This sweet potato meatloaf pot pie is a twist on the classics that’s sure to become a favorite in your home. If you try it out, let me know what you think! What are your favorite comfort food combos? I’d love to hear your ideas and any tips for making it even more delicious!

[artnerd5]

made some pancakes 🤌🏼👨🏼‍🍳

[jaaeed]

Round two! Focaccia pizza ^-^

Oh my goodness y’all. This is the best thing I’ve ever made! I genuinely wanted to cry being so happy with how it turned out.

The depth of flavor just blew me away! Homemade roasted garlic butter, fresh herbs, hand kneaded dough, homemade basil and balsamic vinegar pizza sauce, freshly grated Parmesan and Asiago, topped with cherry tomatoes and mozzarella pearls.

I wasn’t sure if I could really pull off such a complex dish, but after two days of prep and cooking, I couldn’t be happier. This recipe really challenged me and only made me more excited to keep pushing my skills over the course of this next year!

Now, what’s next? I’m not quite sure yet! Currently debating between Seared Red-Chile Enchiladas with fresh homemade roasted tomatillo salsa, Dakgangjeong (Korean sweet and spicy fried chicken) with a side Korean lettuce salad, or some Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken with Fried Basil! Let me know what y’all think :)

Either way this has been a great start to the year and my new cooking journey :D stay tuned for what’s next!

[lydiajane-digital]

Pepper trio 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Farmers Market Canvas Tote for the foodies 🧑‍🌾

[thefrankihanke]

As a small business owner and shopper, I'm familiar with the struggle of WANTING to support small and independent, but then struggling to find ACTUAL people and UNIQUE items even on platforms like Etsy, but Etsy is still a rich trove of amazing items. It just takes some work to find them lately.

So, I did the work!

I am constantly scoping for gifts and art, so I'm turning that into gift guides to help you this gifting season starting with a Home Chef or Casual Cook gifts Under $15! These would be perfect stocking stuffers or affordable gifts featuring a few of my own items, but many others from artists I admire (and one I've personally shopped with before - Croak & Bloom!)

I've saved all these items right into an Etsy collection so you can shop right on the same platform directly with all the artists. https://www.etsy.com/people/3je5urwc/favorites/gifts-under-15-for-home-chefs

Pssst! I might be able to help you shop too, who are you shopping for?