Chicken Ranch Tacos

Confession time. The first gift I ever gave Elizabeth was an onion. I guess we'd cooked together and discovered our mutual appreciation, and it felt like a really safe gift to give when you're not actually quite dating yet.

This is my little brother's favorite dish. Dice up chicken breasts, add taco seasoning and ranch dressing. We added a few onions cut into strips while cooking up the chicken, then made it extra creamy by dumping in plain yogurt while it was cooling down. I use yogurt as a healthier alternative to mayo and sour cream in many recipes, but it doesn't always cook well.

Happy Birthday to Me! Black Forest Cake

From our sister, Amanda the Cake Explorer, comes this beautiful idea. Elizabeth made this for my birthday; I still let her cook about once a week. Note the out of season cherries. They come in a can- found in the fruit and veggie section- not pie filling. The juice soaks the cake and the cream. I'm a sucker for cherries, and it's obvious I just couldn't restrain myself.

It's Cake Time! Omnomnomnom...