From Army Plans to Dinner Plans: Discovering Robin & Willow

I’ve been blogging for over a year and a half now, writing about social issues, politics, philosophy, book reviews, music, and publishing poems from my grandfather-in-law—even including a couple of my own poems. But after reviewing all my posts, I realized I’ve never blogged about food or recipes per se, so I figured today’s the day I write about a wonderful site I discovered in our amazing blog community.

Since retiring from the military, I’ve been doing most of the cooking for the family. Cooking is interesting to me, and I usually don’t have a specific plan for what to make each day. That’s a big contrast to my military days, where I had detailed plans and contingency support plans for operations and wars. Cooking gives me the freedom to improvise and find recipes that suit the moment. The great thing about recipes—unlike the military plans I wrote back in my Army days—is that I can share them with friends and family over Signal or WhatsApp without putting national security at risk. (Sorry—I couldn’t resist making a little joke about that embarrassing incident from a few weeks ago.)

Back to the topic at hand: I found this awesome site—Robin & Willow—where Robin shares some wonderful budget-friendly, easy-to-follow recipes. I came across her blog a few months ago and have been really enjoying her content. I’ve made about four of her recipes so far. Today, I’m posting a picture of one I made a few days ago. I didn’t take photos of the earlier dishes, but just as I was about to start eating this one, I thought, Hey, I should take a picture and write a blog post. So I snapped a photo, and here it is—the result of following Robin’s Easy One-Pot Roast Chicken Submerged in Buttery Noodles – So Delicious! Delicious, indeed.

I think the way she formats her recipes—with videos showing the process and an easy way to print—is outstanding. I even left her a comment to let her know. I’ve visited other sites like All Recipes and Food Network, among others, and none are formatted in a way that meets my needs the way Robin’s site does.

Plus, Robin has a secret weapon that puts her blog ahead of the rest: every recipe includes a photo of her adorable dog, James T. 

If this is your first time hearing about Robin & Willow, I highly recommend paying her site a visit. You won’t regret it. 

61 thoughts on “From Army Plans to Dinner Plans: Discovering Robin & Willow”

  1. What a lovely dinner! I bet it tasted wonderful! I make a chicken and noodle dinner that is my son’s and husband’s absolute favorite. I start out with cooking a whole chicken in the crock pot and then de-boning it, then make the gravy for it. It was his mom’s recipe but I tweaked it a bit and realized if I cooked the chicken in the crockpot instead of how she cooked it on the stove, I wouldn’t have to watch it and it wouldn’t burn that way! I will definitely check out her blog, I like Mandy in the Making on youtube, she’s just so down to earth.

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  6. Hi Edward! Thank you so much for your heartfelt and wonderful blog post about Robin & Willow! I’m truly honored by your kind words and thrilled to hear you’ve been enjoying the recipes, especially the Easy One-Pot Roast Chicken with Buttery Noodles. Your support means the world to me, and I’m so grateful for your thoughtful comment about the recipe format and James T.’s cameo! It’s readers like you who make this blogging journey so rewarding. Thank you again for sharing my site with your community—I look forward to bringing you more recipes to enjoy!

    Warm regards,
    Robin

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  8. I can’t believe it’s already been a year and a half that you’ve been blogging with topics all over the roadmap and now cooking, Edward! Gotta love a one bowl meal! I’ll def follow. I’ve men cooking like a fiend right now… hard to be creative in all endeavors that I love at one time!
    💕😇

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  10. Cooking allows for a lot freedom and creativity. It’s almost like an art and, for me, it’s also a spiritual practice. Besides considering the meal itself and its ingredients, I put a lot of awareness and love in the act of cooking. It’s quite natural and easy when you commit to it. The final result always impresses, even if it’s just a simple quinoa with broccoli (tomorrow’s dishe!), because of the secret ingredients! So nice that now you have the time to engage with other activities that allow you to experience beyond what you were used to. Nothing like new experiences to takes us into new areas of self. Enjoy, my friend! Appreciated a lot your blog post, Edward; very light and inspiring! Sending that special light and blessings your way 🙏✨

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    1. You’re so right about comparing cooking to art. The process of thinking, gathering the ingredients, and combining them to create something, hopefully edible, is definitely similar to painting or writing a poem. Quinoa with broccoli sounds delicious. Thank you so much, my friend, for your presence here – It’s always a blessing.

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    2. I totally agree! It’s my favorite way to be creative, especially cuz I’m no good at traditional art forms (drawing, panting, etc). As a therapist, it’s also one of my favorite coping skills. Not only does it give me a sense of accomplishment (starting and finishing a project), it makes me so happy to see people enjoying my tasty experiments. 🥰

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      1. It’s a win-win, isn’t it? Besides self-benefits, cooking also serves others. Thank you for your valuable comment. It certainly enriched this wonderful post. Greatly appreciated! Light and blessings to you 🙏✨

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  12. Absolutely loved this post! It’s amazing how you tied in your military background with your current love for cooking—what a unique and inspiring perspective. I had a good chuckle at the national security joke! I completely agree about Robin & Willow—her recipes are so approachable, and those little touches (like James T.’s photos!) make the experience even more delightful. Thanks for sharing your culinary journey and this great recommendation—I’m heading over to her blog now to see what I can cook up next!

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