My Franklin Kitchen

Recipes & slow living in Franklin, Tennessee

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My mother kept her recipes in a blue fabric box.

Soft corners. Cards worn thin on the edges.

Notes in the margins.

Nothing styled, nothing curated. Just what worked.

This space is my version of that box.

Recipe Index

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The 100 Recipe Project

Welcome to My Franklin Kitchen, a collection of recipes and slow living in Franklin, Tennessee — documenting my 100 Recipe Project one meal at a time.

This year, I set a goal to cook one hundred new recipes. Some inspired by our travels, some pulled from old cookbooks, some discovered late at night while wondering what to do with lentils.

Each recipe is a record of what we made, what we changed, and what made it back to the table.

This isn't a professional kitchen. It's a real one...full of boys wandering in for snacks, music in the background, and flour on the counter.

I'm not trying to be perfect here. I'm trying to cook more intentionally, gather my family more often, and remember what we loved.

Pull up a chair.

Recipe Progress

25 / 100

25 of 100 recipes cooked

From the Kitchen

The Summer Fruit Dessert Kai Makes All Summer Long

Recipe #25 of My 100 Recipe Project Every family seems to have one simple summer dessert they return to again and again. For us, it's strawberries, peaches, and homemade whipped cream... Last night after dinner, Kai offered to make dessert. His specialty is a simple bowl of fresh summer fruit served with homemade whipped cream. Nothing fancy, just strawberries, peaches, and a big bowl of vanilla-scented whipped cream. The boys gathered around the table, helping themselves to

Southern Iced Tea Recipes for Slow Summer Days

Recipe #24 of My 100 Recipe Project There’s something about moving to Tennessee that makes you want to learn how to properly make iced tea. Before we moved South, iced tea was something I made occasionally in the summer — simple black tea brewed on the stove and poured over ice. But after our first spring and summer in Franklin, I started noticing how much iced tea is woven into everyday life here. Porch evenings. Backyard dinners. Baseball games. It feels less like a dr

Easy Italian Hoagie Sandwiches with Creamy Pepper Spread (& Hoagie Salad Version)

Recipe #23 of My 100 Recipe Project A sandwich-shop style Italian hoagie made at home with salami, turkey, provolone, crisp lettuce, and a creamy hoagie pepper spread the kids absolutely loved. There’s something about a really good hoagie that feels like summer. Beach trips, road trips, baseball games, or an easy dinner when nobody wants to cook. I am from outside of Philadelphia, where we take our hoagies very seriously. I started making these at home after mixing mayo wi

large pan with an egg frittata with tomatoes, salami, and burrata cheese

Savory Dinner Frittata with Burst Tomatoes, Salami & Burrata

A cozy savory dinner frittata made with burst cherry tomatoes, salami, feta, fresh parsley, and creamy burrata. An easy one-pan meal perfect for busy summer weeknights.

Steakhouse Ribeye Dinner at Home with Scalloped Potatoes

With French Scalloped Potatoes, Garlic Green Beans, and Simple Arugula Salad Recipe #21 of My 100 Recipe Project Sometimes the best dinners happen accidentally. We had gone to a wedding over the weekend where they served one of those beautiful carving-station style beef dinners — perfectly browned on the outside, tender and pink in the middle, sliced to order with horseradish sauce and warm rolls. It felt elegant, cozy, and somehow nostalgic all at once. So naturally, I came

Melike’s Lavender London Fog Latte

The cozy afternoon drink that reminds me to slow down. Recipe #20 of My 100 Recipe Project As much as I love coffee, I’ve always been more of a tea drinker. The caffeine feels steadier to me somehow. Calmer, softer, less likely to send me into that slightly jittery “why did I do this to myself?” feeling a few hours later. But I still love the ritual of a latte. The warmth. The frothy milk. The feeling of taking a pause in the middle of the day. For a long time, I experimen

Summer Grilled Shrimp with Watermelon Feta Salad

The dinner that finally made it feel like summer. Recipe #19 of My 100 Recipe Project A number of my kids’ formative years were spent living in Baja, Mexico, just outside Cabo, so fresh seafood has been part of life for them from a pretty young age. Baja-style shrimp tacos are still one of their all-time favorite meals, and honestly, anything served on a skewer immediately becomes more exciting when you’re feeding kids. I found a bag of huge shrimp at Costco recently, and wi

Lemony Saffron Chicken and Potatoes (One Pan Comfort Dinner)

A one-pan, cozy, flavor-packed dinner Recipe #18 of My 100 Recipe Project Growing up, I was around Indian food in small but meaningful ways. My mom taught ESL, and many of her students were from India. They’d bring gifts, and I remember going to one of her school events in a sari when I was about ten. My best friend’s mom was also from India, and I would eat everything she made. As an adult, I’ve always been curious about cooking this way… but also a little intimidated. So I

Brain Fuel Smoothie (Inspired by Herban Market)

Chocolatey, energizing, and secretly good for you Recipe #17 of My 100 Recipe Project When we moved to Franklin, I started looking for the best coffee shops to work at. I started going to Herban Market around the corner from Myles preschool and regularly ordering their Brain Fuel Smoothie. It didn’t taste like a typical smoothie. It's deeper. Richer. Almost like a chocolate coffee drink, but not overly sweet and gave me the energy boost with focus I need to work. So this is

Bakery Quality Strawberry Cake (The One That Started at the Lake)

Recipe #16 of My 100 Recipe Project There’s something about a weekend at the lake that makes everything feel a little slower. We spent a few days at our cousin Brad’s lakehouse, kids running around outside all day. At one point, his sister Kara casually mentioned that their mom always makes a strawberry cake for birthdays. Not just any cake - the cake. The kind that becomes tradition. I realized in that moment… I’ve never actually had a real strawberry cake. A true, from-s

Smoky Chipotle Seared Salmon with Fresh Citrus Salsa

Recipe #15 of My 100 Recipe Project Every once in a while, a recipe automatically jumps out. This one was inspired by a version from Pinch of Yum (one of my all-time favorite food blogs), and I knew I wanted to make it: smoky chipotle salmon, bright citrus, and a fresh, herby sauce to bring it all together. I kept her idea of a fresh orange salsa, which I actually loved even more than my original arugula version, but stayed true to the way I like to cook salmon: a quick chip

Sauces!

The simple upgrade that makes everything taste better. Recipe 14 of 100 Somewhere along the way, I realized that the difference between a good meal and a great one is often just… a sauce. For a long time, I thought sauces were complicated or something you only made for special occasions. But lately, I’ve been in a different mindset, why not? Most of them come together in minutes, and once you start making them, it’s hard to go back. Now it’s become part of how I cook. A simp

Fresh Homemade Lemonade (3 Ways)

A simple, refreshing upgrade from store-bought Recipe #13 of My 100 Recipe Project Growing up, lemonade came from the freezer aisle. Those little cans of Minute Maid concentrate we’d stir into water on hot days. It was simple, very sweet, and felt like summer. Now, I find myself enjoying something similar, but cleaner, fresher, and just a little more thoughtful. Because while I want my kids to stay hydrated, I don’t want to rely on sugary juices or neon sports drinks. This i

Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites-Inspired)

Creamy, zesty, and finished with lime, avocado & Tajín Recipe #12 of my 100 Recipe Project There’s something unforgettable about street corn in Mexico. The smell of it grilling, the sound of busy streets, and that first bite that’s creamy, tangy, a little spicy, and completely addictive. We used to stop at street carts whenever we could, especially on trips to Mexico City and Oaxaca. Corn piled into cups, tossed with lime, crema, and chili, eaten standing on a crowded sidewa

French-Inspired Herby Potato Salad

Light, creamy, and bright with fresh herbs Recipe #11 of My 100 Recipe Project There’s something about this potato salad that feels just a little more elevated than the classic version. It's lighter, fresher, and full of herbs. It reminds me of the kinds of simple, beautiful dishes you’d find in the French countryside: nothing fussy, just really good ingredients treated well. I made this alongside crispy chicken thighs and roasted vegetables, and it completely held its own.

Buttermilk Marinated Chicken Thighs (Crispy Oven-Baked & Easy Weeknight Dinner)

Recipe #10 of My 100 Recipe Project There’s something about having a few go-to dinners that you know will just work . This is one of those for us. It started this year as a way to use up extra buttermilk (after making fresh ranch dressing ), but it quickly turned into a regular in our kitchen. It’s simple, forgiving, and somehow feels a little more special than your average weeknight chicken. The buttermilk does most of the work here. Itenderizes the chicken and adds just a s

Fresh Herby Ranch Dressing

Recipe 9 of My 100 Recipe Project There are certain staples that quietly become part of everyday life. This is one of those. Lately, I’ve been trying to keep a few things in the fridge that make everything else feel a little more put together. Cut vegetables, fresh fruit, something warm on the stove… and a good homemade dressing. Something you can drizzle, dip, or spoon onto almost anything. Store-bought ranch has its place. But this version, fresh, herby, a little tangy, fee

Chicken Tortilla Soup (Inspired by Our Life in Baja)

Recipe 8 of My 100 Recipe Project There are certain recipes that become part of a season of your life. This is one of ours. Before we moved to Franklin, our family spent a few years living in Todos Santos, a small beach town on the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur. Life there felt slower, more open...sunsets, ocean air, long meals outside. Chicken tortilla soup was one of the dishes we came back to again and again. Every version was a little different, but always comforti

A Little About Me

I started My Franklin Kitchen as a way to slow down
and cook more joyfully for my family.

This year, I'm challenging myself to cook 100 new recipes.

Most nights it’s dinner with my husband Peter and our three boys.
But some nights it’s take-out burgers in the car on the way to soccer.

I'm aiming for intention, not perfection.

Follow along as I cook my way through
100 new recipes this year.

If something here makes its way onto your table too,
I'm glad you're here.

– Alexis

Franklin, Tennessee

Connect with Me

Have a question or just want to share your cooking experiences? Feel free to reach out!

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