cooking with Cheryl – Cheryl Ilov International

Cheryl’s Colorful One Pot Pasta Toss

Written by Cheryl on April 2, 2024. Posted in Cheryl's Kitchen.

I really don’t love to cook. I used to, but I’m just kind of “over it” right now. But, I do like to eat, and don’t like to eat out or order take out, either. Not only is it outrageously expensive these days, but I want to be the one in charge of the ingredients that go into my meals. I’m a control freak, and wear it as a badge of honor. Recently my husband was out of town for a few days and I had the luxury of either cooking or having a nice meal of cheese and crackers for dinner. Scrounging through my pantry, I was inspired by a bag of tortellini, punctuated by the basil plant sitting on my window sill perched beside a bunch of fresh tomatoes I bought the day before. My creative juices started to flow and my brain went into overdrive. Using those 3 simple...

Vanishing Vegetable Soup

Written by Cheryl on May 4, 2022. Posted in Cheryl's Kitchen.

I love soup, and I love cooking it. However, sometimes the recipes end up being rather blah, and I’m left staring down a pot of leftovers thinking “meh.” I don’t want to eat that, and it ends up in the garbage disposal, which hurts my soul. I hate throwing food away. But, true to my incomparably stubborn nature, I keep trying. And trying. Instead of following a recipe exactly as written, I have also begun taking a few liberties, using my imagination and whatever ingredients I have on hand that might work out. This vegetable soup recipe originally called for either beef or chicken, but I decided to use nothing but veggies. The result? By the end of the second day, there wasn’t a spoonful of leftovers in sight. My husband and I ate the entire pot, and the garbage...

Fresh Green Veggies and Pasta

Written by Cheryl on April 4, 2022. Posted in Cheryl's Kitchen.

Nothing quite says spring has sprung like fresh green vegetables, and this fast and fabulous recipe is a great way to get more vegetables in your diet. Even though it has a cream and butter sauce, I like to think that the health benefits of the broccoli, asparagus, and snow peas levels the playing field. In my opinion the sauce isn’t nearly as rich and decadent as other cream based pasta sauces, but maybe I’m just kidding myself. Regardless, it is a very tasty recipe that feels light and healthy. You can boost the health benefits by serving it with a fresh green salad with an olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing. See? Guilt free pasta in a delicious cream sauce! Ingredients: 2 cups fresh broccoli florets 1 cup fresh asparagus, cut in 1-inch pieces 2 cups sliced fresh zucchini 1/2...

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Written by Cheryl on October 11, 2021. Posted in Cheryl's Kitchen.

Every year my garden treats us to a plethora of zucchini. As a matter of fact, we have so much zucchini that we have to give it away. Which means that by the end of the season, every time I walk out of my house with grocery bags full of garden zucchini, the sound of slamming shutters and blinds by my neighbors can be heard up and down the street. Yes, by October, even the neighbors are over it. But, I love zucchini bread, but I also like to cut calories when I can, as long as I can come up with a palatable solution. Many years ago I took a traditional recipe and completely revamped it. I recently was craving a chocolate fix and added cocoa powder to my recipe. After all, chocolate is full of surprising health benefits, and the result was delicious. I do love the taste of the rich dark chocolate,...

Singing Green Bean Soup

Written by Cheryl on August 31, 2021. Posted in Cheryl's Kitchen.

Fall is the perfect time time to enjoy this tasty and tangy green bean soup. My sisters and I grew up on this soup, and we loved it so much that my mom renamed it Singing Soup, based on the sounds of “mmmmm….mmmmm…mmmm” that filled the kitchen anytime this soup was on the menu. Whether it’s fresh green beans from your own garden, your local Farmer’s Market, or your supermarket, green beans have some surprising health benefits. Paired with the humble and often overlooked potato (which also has a few surprising power-packed health benefits as well), this is one of my favorite recipes to enjoy this late summer-early fall specialty. True to form, I cut out the sour cream that was essential in my mom’s recipe and replaced it with low fat plain Greek...

Delish Fish Dish

Written by Cheryl on April 2, 2021. Posted in Cheryl's Kitchen.

I like fish, but I wouldn’t say that I love it. At least, not the way I love chocolate. But fish has so many wonderful health benefits, and when it’s cooked right (and well), it makes for a tasty and satisfying meal. This is a recipe I found many years ago, and I was shocked at how light and delicious it was. Besides, not only is fish full of amazing health benefits, the other ingredients can be regarded as superfoods. As an added perk, the recipe is simple and so easy to follow. What more could you possible want, except a small piece of chocolate for dessert? Ingredients: 1 cup sliced leeks 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 tsp olive oil 1-1/2 pound orange roughy, cod, or other white fish 12-15 fresh basil leaves 2 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced 1 small can black olives, sliced thin 1...

Mom’s Apple Pie

Written by Cheryl on February 1, 2021. Posted in Cheryl's Kitchen.

My mom learned how to make her famous crowd-pleasing apple pie from my grandmother. Our entire family loved it so much that every Thanksgiving my mom made both a pumpkin pie and an apple pie for us. What a woman! The first time I made her recipe, I was blown away by how time consuming it was, and I had to recruit help from my then college roommate to get it done. Of course, in those days I didn’t know how to cook. However, the results were well worth the effort, and I’m sure you’ll agree. This is one recipe that I did not change at all, because sometimes we just need to splurge a little. Besides, apples are healthy, and so very good for you, especially when they are baked in a pie. Crust: 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup shortening 5 to 7 tablespoons...

Not Your Nona’s Lasagna

Written by Cheryl on March 26, 2020. Posted in Cheryl's Kitchen.

I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting recipes. But when I saw a recipe for pumpkin and kale lasagna, I shuddered and moved on. However, it kept calling my name and I looked at it more closely. It certainly intrigued me. After all, I love pumpkin, and I love lasagna. I even love kale, with certain reservations. But the recipe was loaded with heavy and calorie-laden ingredients that seemed unnecessary, and kale sauteed in garlic added to pumpkin was too much for me to even think about. I had a few other misgivings as well, so I incorporated a few of my sneaky ninja moves, as well as substituted almond milk for whole milk to come up with something that might be palatable. One weekend afternoon, it was time to test it. However, before tying on my apron, I warned my husband...

Cranberry Sweet Potato Bread

Written by Cheryl on December 19, 2019. Posted in Cheryl's Kitchen.

I’m not much into baking, but I sure do love whipping up a fresh and tasty tea bread. I also love cooking with cranberries. Fresh, not canned. Of course. When fresh cranberries start appearing in the produce section of the grocery store, I buy out the store and stock up my freezer. Yep, you can freeze cranberries for up to six months, although I have been known to keep them in the freezer for up to a year, and they haven’t killed me yet. I found this recipe with fresh cranberries and sweet potatoes so many years ago that the cookbook is literally falling apart. Although I loved the bread, I was totally bummed out by the amount of sugar in the recipe. Sweet potatoes (or yams) are certainly sweet enough on their own. So, I took out my handy dandy Ninja knives and started cutting...

Real Men DO Eat Quiche

Written by Cheryl on March 25, 2019. Posted in Cheryl's Kitchen.

Real men do eat quiche. Or, at least mine does. He absolutely loves it, and so do I. My ex-BFF always made asparagus quiche every time she had us over for brunch, because my husband loved it so much. It was good, but the rich crust and heavy cream in the filling sat in my stomach like a brick for days, not to mention what it did to my hips. A long time ago a friend introduced me to a “crustless quiche” recipe she found in a Fannie Farmer cookbook. It included cottage cheese, frozen spinach (yuk!), and just a few other mundane ingredients. However, melted butter formed a lovely crust as it baked. Mmmmmm, butter. Now you’re talking! For years it was my go-to quiche recipe. But, it just didn’t seem very healthy or nutritious. Go figure. So, I used my stealthy ninja skills...

All of her experiences, training and practice contribute to a truly customized workout/core-strengthening program for each of her clients.
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She not only helped alleviate the pain, she helped me regain flexibility and got me back on my center.
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She gently guide you so that ultimately you understand your body better and are able to move with greater ease and less pain.
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Some of the numbness around my knees has subsided and I’ve regained some feeling as well as had deep joint pain reduction. Flexibility and overall strength has increased.
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Her gentle, loving approach is just what my body needs to fully recover from a recent car accident. I leave each session with a slight tingling sensation and movement seems much more fluid.
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Cheryl’s background in physical therapy, dance, Pilates, Feldenkrais, and martial arts make her very capable of not only understanding movement but helping others achieve their goals!
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