The Homesic Lifestyle

There’s just something about fresh rosemary bread that takes me back. 🌿🍞

I used to love the rosemary bread from Macaroni Grill, so I decided to make my own sourdough version today — and this one definitely hit the spot.

Fresh rosemary, olive oil, a little salt, and that soft sourdough crumb with a beautiful golden crust. Simple ingredients, but so much flavor.

This is one of those loaves that doesn’t need much with it at all… just tear off a piece, dip it in a little olive oil, and enjoy. Definitely making this one again.

Recip in the comments

Paperback edition is Live. 🎉🎉

Still Rearranging Making Room for You in the Life Youve Built

Soy-Ginger Salmon en Papillote

Tender salmon baked in a parchment packet with a sweet, savory soy-ginger sauce and fresh herbs.

Servings: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: approximately 14–20 minutes

Ingredients

1 salmon fillet, approximately 1–1¼ pounds
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 teaspoon honey or agave syrup
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Zest of ½ lime
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil, plus more for serving
1 small red chili or Fresno pepper, thinly sliced, optional
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil, for lightly coating the parchment
Lime wedges, for serving

Salt should not be necessary because the soy sauce and sweet chili sauce are already seasoned.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Place a large sheet of parchment paper on a rimmed baking sheet. Lightly brush the center of the parchment with olive oil.
3. Pat the salmon dry and place it skin-side down on the parchment. Do not score or cut the salmon; the sauce will flavor it without damaging the fillet. I’m a rebel and I score mine😉
4. In a small bowl, combine the tamari or soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, ginger, garlic, honey, sesame oil, lime zest, lime juice, cilantro, basil and optional chili pepper.
5. Spoon the sauce evenly over the salmon.
6. Fold the parchment over the salmon and tightly crimp the edges to form a sealed packet. Leave a little space inside the packet so steam can circulate. If the parchment will not remain closed, place the packet on a sheet of foil and fold the foil around it for support.
7. Bake for 14–20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon. Begin checking at 14 minutes. A thin fillet may be ready sooner, while a thick center-cut fillet may need closer to 18–20 minutes.
8. Carefully open the packet, keeping your hands and face away from the escaping steam. The salmon is safely cooked when the thickest portion reaches 145°F, or when the flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork.
9. Spoon the sauce from the packet over the salmon. Garnish with additional cilantro, basil and lime wedges.

A little personal update from me. ❤️

If you follow Homesic Lifestyle, then you already know this page is about more than recipes, home, projects, and everyday life. It’s also about figuring things out as we go.

Well… apparently I can add author to that list now. 😂

My first book, Still Rearranging: Making Room for You in the Life You’ve Built, is officially LIVE on Kindle, with the paperback coming very soon.

This book is about life, change, boundaries, finding yourself again, and realizing that you are allowed to make choices about the life you’re living.

It’s personal, honest, a little funny, and writing it turned out to be more therapeutic than I ever expected.

If you’ve ever felt like you were trying to figure out where you fit into your own life, I really hope you’ll check it out.

And thank you for being here and supporting all the different directions I seem to take. Apparently this was the next one. ❤️

https://link.amazon/B02YYCtiQ

Still Rearranging Making Room for You in the Life Youve Built

🍪 Soft & Fluffy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies 🍪

(Not needing gluten free, recipe details are added for those too)

Okay… THESE are dangerous. 😂

I wanted a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie that was actually soft, fluffy and tender — not dry, crumbly, or one of those cookies where you immediately know somebody swapped the flour. And these came out SO good!

The extra egg yolk, a little cornstarch, and a splash of milk make such a difference. The trick is also not overbaking them. Pull them out while the centers still look soft and let them finish setting on the pan.

Soft & Fluffy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

2¼ cups gluten-free 1:1 flour
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp cornstarch
½ tsp salt
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla
2–3 tbsp whole milk or heavy cream
1½ cups chocolate chips (ALDI brand is amazing)

Cream the softened butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg, yolk and vanilla, then add the milk. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet just until combined, then fold in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough for 30–60 minutes.

Scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie and bake at 350°F for 9–11 minutes. The edges should be set, but the centers should still be soft.

Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5–10 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

And then… try not to eat three while they’re still warm. 😏🍪

Not gluten-free? You can use regular all-purpose flour instead! Use the same 2¼ cups, but start without the extra milk and only add about 1 tablespoon if the dough seems too dry.

Gluten-Free Nashville Hot Chicken Fingers with Homemade Ranch

The combination is crispy + spicy + slightly sweet + cool and creamy — and the double breading gives the gluten-free chicken a really substantial crunchy crust.

Recipe in the comments.

Loaded Bacon Cheeseburger Smashed Potatoes

Basically, if a loaded baked potato and a bacon cheeseburger had a baby. 😂 Crispy smashed potatoes loaded with seasoned beef, bacon, cheddar, pickles, green onions, and burger sauce.

Recipe in the comments:

Okay ALDI USA… you got me with these hot dogs. 🌭

I picked up these Parkview Uncured Angus Beef Franks from Aldi, and I think I just found my new go-to hot dog.

I didn’t feel like firing up the grill, so I tried cooking them in a skillet instead and OH MY GOODNESS. They were juicy on the inside, browned and slightly blistered on the outside, and honestly tasted better than I expected. Add homemade hot dog chili and it was game over. 😂

Here’s how I cooked them:

Skillet Hot Dogs

Put the hot dogs in a skillet with about ¼ cup of water
Cover and cook over medium heat for 3–4 minutes, turning once
Remove the lid and let the water completely cook away
Add about 1 teaspoon of butter
Keep turning/rolling them in the pan for another 2–3 minutes until they’re beautifully browned

That’s it! No grill, no boiling pot, and they came out PERFECT.

Definitely adding these Aldi Angus franks to the regular grocery list. 🌭❤️

Gluten Free Caramel Apple Crisp

This turned out absolutely amazing — warm, gooey caramel apples with that buttery, crispy topping… and then we served it with fresh homemade vanilla ice cream.

That cold, creamy ice cream melting over the warm apple crisp was perfection. Definitely one of those desserts that’ll be going into the make-again pile!

And judging by how fast it disappeared, I might need to make a bigger one next time. 😂

Recipe in the comments…….

Well… I may have officially ruined boxed scalloped potatoes for myself. 😂

These homemade scalloped potatoes were SO good — creamy, tender, cheesy, and just flat-out comfort food.

And if you’ve ever tried feeding a family with those little boxes, you already know… you need about 4 or 5 boxes just to make enough for everybody. 😂

This right here made a whole pan, everybody loved them, and they were honestly so much better than the boxed kind.

Yep… another recipe going straight into the dinner rotation!

Recipe in the comments….