Cooking with Kira

Cooking with Kira Hi, I’m Kira. I share quick, realistic weeknight meals! Sometimes that means leftovers, and sometimes I try to do it all homemade in under 30 minutes.

Nothing fancy, just real life cooking. I am so glad you are here.
📍 Iowa

💌[email protected]

10/22/2026

Cast Iron Chicken was one of the first things I learned to make well, and fettuccine Alfredo is secretly one of Derek’s best. Combined into one dinner and I was actually on cloud nine this night.

Key for good cast iron chicken.
- you will mess it up a time or two. It’s ok! You’re learning.
- pat the chicken dry before seasoning.
- hot cast iron but not burn your oil hot. Keep it under the smoke point.
- set it in the hot pan and let it cook. Do not touch for a few minutes.
- flip once it’s seared, turn the heat off and cook for under 1 min. Then into a 375 oven to finish.
- remove from oven around internal temp of 160, and let it finish carry over cooking to reach 165.
Let it rest.

Use the pan juices for the best pan sauce. I’ll show you this next week! 😊

Easy easy easy under 30 minute meal with great protein.

10/22/2026

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 cup room temp butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. This takes longer than you think.
3. Mix in the egg, mashed bananas, and vanilla extract.
4. Then hand mix the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt into the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
5. Mix in the chocolate chips.
6. Refrigerate the dough. For best results, overnight. These also freeze so well.
8. If baking immediately, Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are set. If cooling the dough add a few minutes to the bake time.
9. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

We had a great weekend! Can we just repeat it again starting tomorrow? ❤️
10/19/2026

We had a great weekend! Can we just repeat it again starting tomorrow? ❤️

10/19/2026

Some lady just told me I suck at this 😂 little did she know I was editing this video from last weekend. I’m not perfect but who cares. Here’s some BTS of the first clue my kitchen scale was off.

Also I need suggestions for new kitchen scales. AND now I’m worried my focaccia measurements may have been off for a long time. My scale was over 150 g off calibration. 🤞

10/17/2026

No stinky trash cans around here

Please give me your recipe ideas for chicken cubes. I almost always make creamy garlic pasta with cubed chicken. I need ideas.

This is long overdue but I have finally been working on a central place for my recipes. A website.. 🫣 are you still with...
10/17/2026

This is long overdue but I have finally been working on a central place for my recipes. A website.. 🫣 are you still with me!?

I know the Cream of Anything soup recipe deserves its own page. I also know how annoying it is to comment “recipe” just so you can get a poorly written and simplified recipe copied right in the comments. I’ve done it. I am done with it. I want engagement but I want to learn more from you! How you relate, your tips, your ideas… I really have enjoyed getting to know so many people and know we have so much more to yap about.

A more critical reason to finally get this website published is perhaps so I can stop watching my Homemade Hamburger Helper video from last winter to recall exactly how I made it last time. They say you’ll get over the cringe.. I may never get over some of it.

First Five Recipes coming to you this month. Yes.. this month. Don’t expect professional photos. Actually before you keep reading, maybe lower your bar of expectations.

First Five:
1. Cream of Anything Soup
If you’ve been here for a minute you know this is one of the biggest staple ingredients in my freezer. It takes the top spot. Too many notes.

2. Texas Sheet Cake
Mostly because my handwritten recipe card is so stained from the years of making these brownies for every special reason including my monthly cycle. My aging eyes need a clean recipe card so I don’t accidentally add the baking soda in the wrong order. I’ve done that and I’m sorry to the family members who had to eat baking soda bit riddled Texas sheet cake… we all make mistakes.

3. Meat Candies with Sriracha Aioli
Derek’s first request when I asked him which recipes he would publish. I think it was also a reminder that I haven’t made these for him in awhile. Hint was well received. These were a staple in our kitchen through the early years and are one of the few things I’ve made the same way every time. They’re a meatball, but with a perfect combination of sweet, savory, and tangy. And a stretch but you can make these in 30 ish minutes.

4. Banana Bread
It only seems fitting that you would find a generational recipe in my top five. Saying it like that really makes this list feel more like it’s being published on my first MySpace and less like my first official website. If you’ve ever been in my kitchen you know you will find a ripe banana somewhere on the counter or taking up half of my freezer. So yes, two

5. Homemade Ground Beef Helper .. you know the Hamburger One 😉
Heavy on the ground beef recipes please. If I only have thirty minutes to cook I ’m choosing ground beef every time - although cast iron chicken would win if I could ever remember to take it out of the freezer. This recipe also makes the cut because I’ve received more texts and DMs from followers that have made this and rave about it. You need to have this recipe in an easy to reference spot.

Mom, I promise dried beef dip is next in line. 🤤

What are you adding to, or taking off this list?

—

We’re closing in on one year of sharing recipes through Cooking With Kira.

One year since my lowest low of my life.

One year since an audiobook, an iPhone, and a $20 light off Amazon would relight a fire in my heart that changed how much I love & appreciate this life.

I mean it when I say it, Thanks For Sticking Around 🫶🏻

10/16/2026

*not authentic* But Pretty Darn Good, Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Recipe:
3 T butter or neutral oil
1 T chili Powder
1 t cumin
1/2 t each: garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, pepper
3 T flour
2 T tomato paste
2 C chicken broth (I use 2 tsp Knorr Chicken Bouillon powder + 2 C water)
Salt to taste

10/15/2026

Episode 1 from the NEW Little Chef Series

Meat Cups

1 lb ground beef
1/3 onion, minced
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 cup Farm Herb Seasoned Classic Stuffing Mix (unprepared)
3/4 cup milk
1 egg, whisked
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
Ketchup for topping

Mix the milk, stuffing mix, Worcestershire sauce, egg, salt and pepper until combined. Add the onion, celery and ground beef. Gently mix until everything is incorporated, being careful not to overmix.

Refrigerate for up to 8 hours or bake right away. Use a large cookie scoop to portion the mixture into a muffin tin. Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes, then top with ketchup and continue baking until the meat cups reach an internal temperature of 160°F.

Thanks for being patient with us! I know the filming is messy but I hope you can appreciate the opportunity we’re taking to work together in the kitchen.

Kira + Little Chef Goose

10/14/2026

Before anyone comes for me for vacuum sealing liquids wrong… just know that my applesauce is perfectly sealed and in the freezer. This trick works for me!

Is this how you're supposed to vacuum seal liquids? Prob not.

Did it work? Yep.

Applesauce batch 2 is done! 🍎

10/14/2026

Were thankful that the pages keep turning and God keeps blessing us with the next chapter.

We’re all still working full time, and the littlest one is exploring new scenery with a new group of friends. Saying goodbye to the Montessori school was hard but a welcome change. She’s ready for new adventures.

But this brought on a massive schedule change and the chance to cook with my little chef everyday.

I am doing my best to both navigate being present with her, while still leaning into my hobby of sharing cooking with all of you. It’s a fine balance and she will always come before creating content.

Thank you for staying patient 😊 and thank you for staying tuned.

Coming soon, cooking with toddlers or maybe we’ll just share more tips on how you can cook with your kids too.

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East 30th Street And East University Avenue
Des Moines, IA
50317

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