Cheesy Broccoli Chicken

Why oh why did a choose a stovetop meal when both my kids are sick and want to be held? It was a pain in the butt to cook while wearing one kid and telling another that he can't have a snack because its sooooo close to dinner (shocker: he didn't eat dinner anyway). It was worth it, but it would have been even more worth it if I had made it during naptime and just....nuked it for dinner.

P.S. Wade has croup and it is the strangest. His voicebox is inflamed so his breathing is raspy and loud, his voice is deep, and when he coughs it sounds like a seal looking for a snack. youtube it! At night it gets worse. It's like he tried to turn into a merman, got close, but at the end of the day just managed a seal.

The above picture is Steven's plate. My rice days are over.

Cheesy Broccoli Chicken

Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

• olive oil about 2 tablespoons, divided
• 3 medium chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces or 1.5 pounds if you want to adapt with other chicken parts*
• 2 heads of broccoli, cut in bite sized pieces
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup milk, warmed (I microwaved it for a bit)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
• rice, cook it with the leftover chicken broth**

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet (I used a wok like thing) over medium high heat. Add chicken bites and season with salt and pepper. Cook until done about 8 minutes, stirring and flipping occasionally. Remove to a large bowl.

In the same large skillet heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and toss in the broccoli and season with salt and pepper. Cook until tender for about 6 minutes, if you like it crunchier cook it less. Remove to the same large bowl as the chicken.

In the same large skillet...melt the butter and add the garlic. Cook until fragrant. Add the flour and whisk your heart out, it will look very dry.  Slowly (super slowly) whisk in the chicken broth and milk. Pour a little, whisk until combined, then pour a little more. It should be smooth, no clumps. Season with salt and pepper and bring to simmer.  Once it has thickened up add the cheddar cheese and whisk until everything is smooth. Remove from heat and add in the cooked chicken and broccoli. Mix until evenly coated and serve with rice.

*tip: I buy frozen chicken breasts from costco and they are the easiest to cut when they are 50% done thawing. I hate sawing at raw meat but if its partially frozen a sharp knife will cut right through. 

**tip: I freeze my chicken broth in 2 cups containers so I made my rice (1 cup dry rice) with the left over chicken broth (1 1/2 cup + 1/2 cup water)  brings the flavors through the whole dish....not that I get to eat rice...

Leftover/freezability: I think the leftovers are going to be fantastic. Even better if you get to mix rice in.  Maybe not so much for the freezer, I think the cheese sauce would get weird. 

Thai Beef Salad

So I'm still trying to be good and although this isn't 100% low carb its a lot better than the pizza I had for lunch.  Mega fail. And God I love food. 

The last time I made this Thai Beef Salad I made a double batch of the marinade and meat and just froze it uncooked in a gallon size zip lock bag.  So today I defrosted the beef all day and while Steven grilled it I cut up the vegetables.  This tasted even better than the original, probably because it marinated all day. Definitely not because we did this on a tiny foreman grill. 

Side story! This salad reminds us of a place we used to go to before we had kids that was BYOW. We went back with only kid and a bottle of wine in tow and it was no longer bring your own wine.  They looked at us like we were crazy and said we could open our bottle for a $25 corking fee. Thanks but no thanks. 

NEXT TIME: I need to make a frozen batch of dressing because I definitely forgot and had to whip it up last minute with half of the ingredients. 

Chicken Tikka Masala

Bad blogger! But sometimes life brings diets and diets are taco salad on repeat and tuna with black beans and tears. This diet ended when the momofuku version of this sweet and salty pork was served in lettuce wraps to start off Kim's wedding weekend. Then it was a sushi and donut frenzy to the finish line.

But now I'm back with high hopes that limiting myself to just a 'spoonful' of rice served with chicken tikka masala will keep the el-bees off.

Coincidentally the first time I had Indian food was visiting Kim at Bowdoin. I'm sure I lied and told her I ate Indian food all the time. But that's the benefit of loving everything food related. You can lie. For a complete Bowdoin experience turn your A/C down to like 33 degrees and listen to Vampire Weekend.

Chicken Tikka Masala
Adapted from Damn Delicious

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 chicken breast, cut into 1 inch chunks
• salt and pepper
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Once the chicken starts to brown add the onion and garlic. Cook until the chicken is cooked through.

Add the tomato paste, ginger, garam masala, chili powder, and turmeric. Stir until well combined and everything is orange-ish.

Stir in diced tomatoes and chicken stock. Bring to a boil then simmer for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Add heavy cream and lemon juice. Cook for one more minute.

Serve on rice with cilantro on top.

Spam and Pineapple Fried Rice

Whipped up this number again and even with all of my failed short cuts, it didn't disappoint.  It was also Wade's first spam! That's a milestone, right? He approved...and then drank lots of water.  Perhaps the reduced sodium can next time.

Potential shortcuts:

For this batch, I used canned pineapple instead of fresh. I thought it was lacking in pineapple flavor. Steven was wolfing it down too fast to notice.  

I also tried to cook the spam and onions together and it burnt my onions, not bad enough to effect the taste but it would be easier to cook the onions separately. 

And lastly I didn't think I had enough 'old' rice so I cooked a new batch, spread it on a baking sheet and put it in the freezer for, well, far too long. It got weird. Fresh rice would have been better than frozen rice.

Spam and Pineapple Fried Rice

Cowboy Cookies

Hide your choking hazards, electric cords, and puppy dog tails - Wade is crawling.  We got this boy baptized this weekend so we had to plenty of family in time to eat all the cookies I accidentally made.

Both boys were napping (!) and I told myself to exercise but found myself checking to see if I had all of the cowboy cookie ingredients. And I didn't....but I had most of them. So I went for it. Making cookies, not exercising. 

I was definitely in a rush and didn't look at anything but the ingredient list but this made 3 and 1/2 dozen of the biggest cookies I have ever made. The dough was overflowing my stand mixer. You use a 1/4 measuring cup to scoop it. Holy cow! Thank God my father in law ate about a dozen of these in a 24 hour visit. 

Cowboy Cookies

3 1/2 dozen large cookies

Adapted from New York Times

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder (this is when I should of realized how much cookie I was making)
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 sticks butter, room temperature (I use salted butter because the more the better)
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 2 cups unsweetened flake coconut
• 2 cups chopped pecans (about 8 ounces)

Preheat however many ovens you have to 350F.

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.

In a stand mixer cream butter at medium speed until smooth. Gradually beat in sugars. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each. Then add the vanilla.

Change the speed to 'stir' or 'low' and push in the flour mixture until combined. Then stir in the chocolate chips, oats, coconut, and pecan.

Drop 1/4 cup of dough onto an ungreased baking sheet 3 inches apart on a silicone baking mat (or parchment paper). This was like 6 cookies per medium baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or when the edges are lightly browned.  Remove cookies to a rack to cool.

Sausage Red Beans and Rice

Do the excess herbs make it look like I'm trying too hard? Well I am because this is a repeat recipe and one of Steven's favorites.  I had to make it again for the freezer test. Results are in frozen is great for a work lunch or even a family dinner but if you are going to have guests over make it fresh. Unless they just show up, then they get family dinner quality. Ya know, still good but maybe no garnish.

I used this on sale sausage and it was delish. I prefer non-flavored sausage for this dish, I'll add my own garlic thank you.

Red Beans and Rice

Greek Chicken Salad

A whiny threenager because Frozen keeps freezing, an overtired babe strapped to you, a little of this, a little of that and viola - dinner.  Its that easy.

P.S. Please note the new page of not-inclusive-just-our-favs Recipes (it took forever).

Greek Chicken Salad

• basic baked chicken seasoned with oregano, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper.
• romaine lettuce
• red onion
• kalamata olives
• feta
• any vinaigrette dressing I used store bought bc I'm lazy
• I also included: avocado, grilled corn (leftover but delicious), and radishes. I used some pita chips for some crunch. If I had cherry tomatoes and a cucumber I would have thrown those in too.

Combine! I always start my making salads early in the afternoon because they take forever with all the chopping and the longer it sits out the more stuff I can scrounge up to add. Plus I'm a firm believer in a room temperature salad and sneaking bites along the way.

Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki

Why do we always want Chinese food for dinner, when lunch is like 40% off AND comes with an eggroll and a soup I won't eat!? I don't need to play those games with a slow cooker handy. 

Chicken Teriyaki

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• garnish: toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions

Add chicken breasts in a single layer to the slow cooker.  In a separate bowl whisk garlic, onion, honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger, and pepper until combined and pour mixture over the chicken breasts. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours.

Remove chicken to a separate bowl and shred using two forks. Transfer the teriyaki sauce from the slow cooker to a saucepan.

Mix together water and cornstarch until its dissolved, whisk into the teriyaki sauce.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat and boil for about 2 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat, pour on top of the chicken and toss to combine.

Serve with rice and broccoli and top with scallions and sesame seeds.

Crispy Carnitas

Full flavor right from the start, these are hands down the best carnitas I've made. I like to freeze some before the broiling process for a quick prep meal for my future self.

Crispy Carnitas
Adapted from Marks Daily Apple

• 3-4 pounds boneless pork shoulder - cut into 5 pieces
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 onion, chopped or thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup water
• queso fresco for serving...optional

Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. 

Preheat the oven on broil. Move meat to a cutting board (no liquid, cinnamon stick or bay leaf), shred, and spread evenly on a baking pan. Broil until meat is at your desired crispness. 

White Chicken Enchilada Casserole

White enchiladas for white people. If I had to put this in a food category I would said Ohio-Mex? Its definitely not Tex-Mex or Mexican. Its more casserole than enchilada and cheesy instead of spicy. Whatever it is, its delicious and there is a lot of it.  We froze some for a quick-fix later on.

White Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 4 ounce can chopped green chilies
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
• 24 soft flour tortillas, halved
• 2 cups shredded chicken, cooked
• 2 14 ounce cans white northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 cups shredded pepper jack or Monterrey jack cheese
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Preheat the oven to 375F and grease a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

Heat butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add flour while whisking constantly. Cook for a minute. Add 1 cup of chicken broth and whisk until combined.  Add the rest of the broth, green chilies, and cumin and whisk. 

Bring to a simmer and let it thicken for a couple of minutes. Stir in Greek yogurt and whisk until combined. Remove from heat and set aside.

Place 8 tortilla halves to cover the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the cheese sauce, sprinkle with half the chicken and half the beans and 1 cup of cheese.  Repeat with tortillas, 1/3 of cheese sauce, the rest of the chicken and beans and 1 cup of cheese. The final layer is tortillas, cream sauce, and cheese. 

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and serve with cilantro and avocado on top.

Creamy Roasted Garlic & Mushroom Pasta

Savor this dish and try not to think about how there are only two more days of school left. Also try not to think about how your three year old isn't taking naps anymore.  Also try not to think about how construction on the house is going to take away the option of just throwing the three year old in the backyard. 

Yup, don't think about any of those things and just take comfort in pasta.

Creamy Roasted Garlic & Mushroom Pasta
Adapted from Gimme Some Oven
Serves 4-5

• 24 garlic cloves, peeled
• 20 ounces portabello mushrooms, large chop (any kind of mushroom)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• salt and pepper
• 1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 12 ounce farfalle pasta
• freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat an oven to 375F and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

On a sheet of aluminum foil, lay out of garlic. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper. Fold the aluminum foil into a pouch and place on the corner of a baking sheet.  Spread the mushrooms out of the rest of the baking sheet and drizzle them with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Roast for 25-30 minutes.

Cook pasta according to package directions in the salted water.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet oven medium-high heat. Add shallows and cook until they begin to brown.  Add the wine and scrape up any brown bits.  Add the chicken broth and thyme sprigs and cook for 5 minutes.  Add the roasted mushrooms, garlic, and cream and stir to combine.  Cook for an additional few minutes to thicken the sauce.

Drain the pasta in a colander and add to the sauce. Toss to combine and serve with Parmesan.

Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken

My cooking goals have come full circle since college when I first starting fending for myself.  I went from cooking to survive, to super healthy, to super from scratch, and now we are back to cooking in survival mode. I'm currently trying to rebuild my freezer stash after a bad back had me on the couch and nuking our dinners for a week.

Having shredded chicken in my freezer has been one of the biggest helps.  Simply remove from freezer, defrost, add a sauce and a carb and serve. So far we have had barbecue chicken sandwiches and chicken nachos.  Amazingly easy.

Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken
Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

• 6 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/2 cup chicken broth - I used this time, not sure if I would use next time

Place chicken in a slow cooker and sprinkle with seasonings and broth. Cover and cook for 8 hours on low. Remove with tongs and shred.  Serve or freeze. I freeze in two cup batches which is enough for my family of 3.

Next time: I'm going to check it at 7 hours next time. This batch was a little too easy to shred. Almost mushy.

Burger Sauce

I don't care how you cook your burger, I just care what you spread on the buns.

[insert picture of hamburger]

Burger Sauce

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pickle juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ketchup
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Combine and serve on a burger.

Rib Eye Steak

I'm tired of trying new recipes that have like 12 servings and the results being...meh. Especially when I look through it and think 'man, this doesn't really sound right' but I follow the recipe anyway because what the heck do I know. 

And I don't know much, but more than before like in one of the first posts when I was only using the Good Eats show and I bought round steak instead of rib eye. Whoops!

So I'm going through some of my old posts to plan meals for us that we liked before and to delete the stuff that we won't make again. I want to test to make sure stuff freezes well because some days reheating instead of cooking feels so good.

What I'm trying to say is, look out for some re-posts. I finally atoned from the round steak debacle and it was heavenly. 

Pan Seared Rib Eye Steak

Adapted from Good Eats

Serves 2 with leftovers

• 1 boneless rib eye steak 1 1/2 inches thick
• Grapeseed oil to coat
• kosher salt and ground black pepper

Place a cast-iron skillet in the oven and crank the heat to 450F.  Take the steak out of the fridge to start bringing it to room temperature.

When the oven reaches temperature, remove the skillet and place on the stove with the heat set to high for 5 minutes.  Coat the steak with oil and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

Place the steak on the skillet and let it cook for 30 seconds (don't move it).  Flip with tongs and let it cook for 30 more seconds.  Then put the skillet (and steak) back into the oven.  Bake for 3 minutes, flip and bake for another 3 (2 minutes on each side for a rarer steak). 

Remove the steak to a cutting board and cover loosely with foil for 5 minutes. Slice against the grain or serve whole.

Notes: I used 450F while Alton used 500F. There was enough smoke pouring out of my oven that if we had a working fire alarm downstairs it would have broke from smoke damage. If I had the oven at 500F I'm sure my upstairs fire alarm would go off.

Serve with: 

Roast Sweet Potatoes - I used this recipe but didn't have any apples on hand

Blue Cheese Salad

• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper
• spinach
• blue cheese
• red onion (next time)
• walnuts
• blue berries

Whisk the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper together.  Toss with the remaining ingredients in a salad bowl.

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

Best served with white wine on a new porch while the baby is sleeping. We had no wine, a very awake baby, and a crappy old porch and it was still good!


Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

• 1 pound dry farfalle pasta
• 1 pound cooked chicken breasts, diced
• 1 small head of Romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup croutons, I cheated and used store bought
• 1 batch of Greek Yogurt Caesar Dressing (see below)
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• NEXT TIME: 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Cook pasta in salted water according to package instructions.  Drain the pasta with a colander and rinse with cold water.  Add pasta to a large salad bowl.

Add remaining ingredients and toss until combined. Serve immediately. 

Greek Yogurt Caesar Dressing

• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 3-4 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons anchovy paste
• 2 teaspoons worestershire sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• pinch of pepper
• 2-4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Whisk together all ingredients except for the lemon juice.  Whisk in the lemon juice one tablespoon at a time until the balance taste right. Serve immediately or refrigerate for 3 days.

Breakfast Pizza, anyone?

My absolute favorite thing on a groggy Saturday is throwing a fried egg on top of leftovers. Well, we didn't have any leftovers.  The good news is this is the best breakfast ever. The bad news is your day can get nothing but worse from here. 

Breakfast Pizza

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

• one pizza dough thawed since last night 
• 6 strips bacon
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 cups grated mozzarella
• 6 large eggs
• pepper, freshly ground obvi
• 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chives, thinly sliced
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• cornstarch

The night before thaw your pizza dough or make a pizza dough.  As soon as you wake up the only goal is to bring that dough to room temperature. That means dough out of the fridge before you put your contacts in or before you get the crying baby. Priorities.

30 minutes before you want to bake- put a pizza stone or a baking pan in the oven and preheat to 500 degrees F. If you aren't worried the smoke detector will go off its because your oven isn't hot enough or you have disabled that thing years ago.

Meanwhile: prepare everything else. Roll out the dough on a floured countertop, fry the bacon and chop it up, grate the cheeses, and chop the herbs.

When everything is ready pull out the pizza stone and place on the countertop (probably on pot holders). Sprinkle cornstarch on the stone or pan and then the place the rolled out dough on top. Top the dough with the Parm, Mozzarella, and bacon. Crack the eggs over the cheese.

Bake for 8-10 minutes rotating the pizza halfway through.  Before removing make sure the egg whites are set, and crust is golden.  Scoot it off the stone to a cutting board.  Sprinkle all of the onions and herbs on top. Cool until the cheese is set (like 2 minutes) and serve asap.

Naan Naan Naan Naan

Homemade breads are the most rewarding, even if they are the messiest. Oh Lord this was good. I even froze a couple and they are just as good out of the freezer with a quick trip through the toaster oven.

Please, eat with the Greek Pork Patties. They are the perfect bread to sop up the leftover grease in the skillet.

Homemade Naan

Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

Makes 8

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced

In a bowl for a stand mixer, let the honey dissolve in the water, sprinkle the yeast on top and give it a stir.  Let sit for 5 minutes until yeast is foamy.

With the dough hook attachment, turn the mixer on low and add egg, baking powder, salt, Greek yogurt and lastly flour.  Increase speed to medium low for 3 minutes until dough is smooth and a little sticky. 

Remove dough, shape into a ball and then put it back in the bowl. Cover it with a towel and let sit in a warm location for an hour. Dough should double in size. 

Meanwhile heat the butter in a small pot and once melted at the garlic. Cook for a minute or two then remove from heat and set aside.

Once the dough has doubled move to a floured surface and cut into 8 even pieces.  Roll each piece into a ball then with a rolling pin roll out into a large oval about 1/4 inch thick. Brush both sides with butter.

Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add a piece of rolled-out dough, cook for a minute, flip and cook for another minute. It should be a golden brown with some darker brown circles. Adjust heat accordingly and scrape down the pan for any left-behind garlic bits between batches.  Move finished naan on a plate covered with a towel.

Thin Crust Pizza Dough: 2 hours 30 minutes

I still need to test out the ball of pizza dough that we froze (update: it holds up in the freezer!!) but this is my new go-to thin crust dough and if the freezer ball works out it will be a good day indeed. We paired with our homemade pizza sauce and the hamburger tomato pizza toppings.

Thin Crust Pizza Dough
2 hours 30 minutes
Adapted from Dinner: A Love Story
Makes 2 pizza crusts

• 3 3/4 cups flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/3 cup room temperature water
• cornmeal for dusting

In a medium bowl stir all the ingredients up to water together.  Add the water and mix well with a spatula or your hands for 30 seconds. The dough should be stiff, not wet.  Cover the bowl and let sit 2 hours.

Divide the dough in half and shape each into balls (can be frozen at this point).

Put a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500F. Roll out one of the balls. When the oven is preheated, take out the hot pizza stone and dust with cornmeal. Place the rolled out dough on the stone then make the pizza.

Cook at 500F for 15 minutes.

Sheet Pan Shrimp Boil

A sheet pan (and one pot...and one bowl) dinner. Of course no pictures, but we both agreed this was better than a typical shrimp boil. Something about that extra char from the oven.

Sheet Pan Shrimp Boil
Serves 4
Adapted from Damn Delicious

• 1 pound baby dutch yellow potatoes (I couldn't find baby so just cut yellow potatoes in chunks)
• 3 corn on the cob, cut into sections - I used frozen and it was great
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon cajun season
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 12 ounce package of smoked andouille sausage, thinly sliced
• 1 lemon
• fresh parsley leaves, chopped for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray.

Boil a large pot of salted water.  Cook potatoes for about 10-13 minutes until just tender.  Add corn in the last 5 of those minutes.  Drain

Meanwhile in a small bowl combine butter, garlic, and Cajun seasoning.

Place potatoes, corn, shrimp, and sausage on the baking sheet and toss with the butter seasoning.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until shrimp are pink and corn is tender.

Serve with lemon wedges and parsley.

Mac n Cheese

The quest for the best mac n cheese still continues.  There isn't such a thing as bad mac n cheese, I just haven't found one that hits the spot.  This one was pretty dang close.

Stove Top Mac n Cheese
From Serious Eats

• 1 part elbow macaroni
• salt
• 1 part evaporated milk (usually sold in 5 oz or 12 oz cans)
• 1 part grated cheddar cheese (I used strong, next time I'll go medium)

Place macaroni in a pot with just enough cold water to cover it (this is important, the less water the better). Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil over high heat.  Since there isn't much water you need to stir frequently. Cook until most of the water is gone and the macaroni is almost done. About 6 minutes.

Add evaporated milk and bring to a boil. Add cheese and reduce heat to low.  Stir continuously until cheese is completely melted and turns into a creamy sauce (about 2 minutes). Season with more salt and serve.

Broccoli with Oyster Sauce

Because I have like no Asian side dishes besides like...rice.

Broccoli with Oyster Sauce

• head of broccoli with the florets cut into bite size peices
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Steam broccoli until tender. 

While steaming combine the rest of the ingredients in a small skillet. Cook over medium heat until boiling then turn to low heat and cook until thick.

Drizzle sauce over broccoli and serve.

Swiss Steak

Swiss Steak
Adapted from Everyday Slow Cooker

• 2 pounds boneless beef round steak, cut into 6 serving pieces
• 1.1 ounce package of beefy onion soup mix
• 1 1/2 onions, sliced (about 3 cups)
• 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
• garnish: parlsey

Place steak in the slow cooker. Sprinkle with the beefy onion soup mix. Add sliced onions all around, then throw the tomatoes on top. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Next time: when everything is done cooking, remove all the meat and vegetables from the slow cooker.  Make a thickening mix of 3 tablespoons flour with 1 cup water.  Add the thickening mix to the slow cooker and stir until thick. Add gravy on top of steak.

Winter Vegetables with Gnocchi

Winter Vegetables with Gnocchi

Adapted from Southern Living

• 16 ounces pre chopped fresh butternut squash (trust me, get it precut)
• 8 oz mushrooms, halved
• 1 cup frozen pearl onions
• 2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 16 ounce package of potato gnocchi
• 2 tablespoons salted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated and divided
• Chopped parsley for garnish

Toss together butternut squash, mushrooms, onions, olive oil, salt, and black pepper in a 13x9in baking pan. Place in oven (before you preheat).  Heat the oven to 450 and bake until the squash in tender about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare gnocchi according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.

Remove vegetables from oven. Stir in gnocchi and butter.  Gradually add up to 1 cup of the pasta water 1/4 cup at a time. I only needed 1/4 cup. Stir until a thick sauce forms at the bottom.  Stir in 1/4 cup of the cheese.

Sprinkle the rest of the cheese and parsley on top and serve.

Roasted Cabbage

Because somehow I always have leftover cabbage in my fridge.

Roasted Cabbage

Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

• one head green cabbage (or whatever you have leftover)
• drizzle of oil
• salt and pepper

Preheat to 450F and have an aluminum lined baking sheet. 

Cut cabbage into wedges about 8 for the whole head. Drizzle with oil, salt and pepper. Flip and repeat.

Bake for 10 minutes, flip the wedges and bake for 10 more minutes.

Next time: add some lemon juice or cooked bacon bits on top

Chicken Florentine Artichoke Bake

If this was carb-free it would be everything I wanted in one casserole dish. It can be made ahead of time (I'd do everything but bake up the day before). Its all you need for a dinner. We ate this and only this. It's freaking delicious and there was leftovers. Win win win win.

Chicken Florentine Artichoke Bake
9 by 13 Cookbook

• 8 ounces dried bow tie pasta
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon dried italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I used rotisserie)
• 2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese (8 ouncees)
• 14 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
• 10 ounce pack frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
• 1/2 cup oil pack dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup soft bread crubs
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta like regular and drain. Meanwhile melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet and add onion. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until tender.

In a large bowl combine: eggs, milk, and seasonings. Stir in cooked onion, chicken, cheese, artichoke, spinach, dried tomatoes, and half the Parmesan cheese.  Stir in the pasta.  Spoon into a 9 by 13 casserole dish.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Meanwhile in a small bowl combine: the rest of the Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, paprika. Stir in the melted butter. Sprinkle over the pasta mixture then bake uncovered for 10 minutes until crumbs are golden.

Russian Beef Borscht

Okay so red soup in a red bowl wasn't my greatest call photo-wise but this soup is warming.  I blew it by missing the two days of winter we had here but next year I'm just going to keep the ingredients on hand for our coldest day. 

The next time I make this, I'm going to add more beef and use a food processor for all the veggie chopping and grating. 

Russian Beef Borscht
Everyday Slow Cooker
Serves 8 - 10

• 4 cups cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 lbs beet, peeled and grated
• 5 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 parnsnip, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 pound stew beef cubes
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes
• 3 14 1/2 oz cans beef broth
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Layer ingredients in a slow cooker in the order giving. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hrs.

Porcupine Meatballs

You guys. Henry actually ate these! He ate meat without bribery or threatening! It would have been a beautiful meal if Wade wasn't screaming through out it. Such is life.

Porcupine Meatballs
Adapted from Dinner: A Love Story Cookbook

• 1 pound ground beef or turkey
• 1/2 cup uncooked rice
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
• 2 tablespoon finely chopped green bell pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 cups tomato juice (I used used two cups, then added more once it most had evaporated)
• 4 whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

In a large bowl mix the ground meat, uncooked rice, onion, bell pepper, salt, and garlic with your hands.  Form into 1 inch balls.

In a large deep skillet (with a lid) whisk together the rest of the ingredients and bring to a simmer. Add the meatballs and cook covered for 30 minutes until the rice is cooked and spiky, gently flipping over and spooning the tomato sauce over the meatballs form time to time.  All of my sauce evaporated before the rice was done so I ended up adding more tomato sauce.

Remove the cloves then serve.

Whole Wheat Raspberry Ricotta Scones

Because we don't have a morning routine -it is absolute chaos. And if I eat another bowl cereal I might cry.

Whole Wheat Raspberry Ricotta Scones
Smitten Kitchen

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 3/4 cup whole milk ricotta
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together (flour-salt).

Cut the butter in small pieces with a knife and work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until mixture is coarse.  Roughly chop the raspberries and stir them in. Stir in ricotta and heavy cream with a spatula to form a dough.

Knead into an even mass in the bowl then transfer to a well floured surface.  Form into a 7 inch square that is about an 1 inch high. Divide the dough into 9 even squares and transfer them to parchment paper.

Bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden and transfer them to a cooling rack. Let them cool halfway before eating-if you can handle it.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Forget all other chocolate chip cookies, I now have my go-to.  These are giant with crispy edges and soft middles. Its a hug for your taste buds. We left these out for Santa and he agreed. These are the best.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Belleannee

• 3 cups AP flour (475 grams)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 12 ounces of chocolate chips (next time: chocolate buttons)

In a small bowl mix flour, baking soda, and salt.  In a stand mixer bowl cream melted butter and both sugars on high speed for 3 minutes.

Lightly beat 1 egg with a fork in a small bowl. Add two tablespoons of the beaten egg plus two whole eggs into the butter mixture. Beat for a minute while adding in the vanilla.

Turn the speed to low and mix in the flour until just blended. Add the chocolate chips and turn the speed to medium.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 with a rack in the middle.

Using a 1 1/2 tablespoon scoop, scoop 6 mounds to a parchment lined cookie tray. Mush each mound down a little then scoop another 1 1/2 tablespoon on top of the slightly mushed ones. This will makes it crispy on the edges and soft in the middle.

Bake for 11-13 minutes then cool on a cooling rack.

Baked Chicken and Creamy Tomato Sauce

This pasta sauce was on point.  It wasn't quick with a 20 minute simmering session then a 20 minute baking session but all the work was done at the beginning so you can focus on listening to your favorite podcast that you can barely hear over your two year old screaming JINGLE BELLS BATMAN SMELLS ROBIN LAID AN EGG. Just me then? And yes we are still enjoying Christmas music, or paradies this January.

Baked Chicken and Creamy Tomato Sauce
Adapted from Dinner: A Love Story

• olive oil
• 3 boneless chicken breasts
• one onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 15 ounce can chopped tomatoes
• 3 to 4 tablespoons mascarpone
• small handful chopped basil

Heat olive oil over high heat in an ovenproof skillet.  Brown the chicken breast for 2 minutes on each side and set aside. They don't have to be cooked through, just browned.

Turn the heat down to medium, add the onion and garlic and cook until fragrent. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Stir in mascarpone and basil and add the chicken back to the pan covering it with sauce. 

Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Serve with pasta.

Mixed Berry Galette

We had our annual chicken pot pie for the first of the year and to avoid last year's disaster I made a galette that I could hopefully pass off as pie to Henry.  It barely passed the Henry test and its definitely not pie.  Its not sweet enough to pass as a dessert for our family but it is the perfect breakfast pastry. Not bad for an afternoon snack either.

Mixed Berry Galette
Adapted from Belleannee

• one portion galette dough (below)
• flour for dusting
• 24 ounces of frozen berries, thawed and drained
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• pinch salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• white or brown sugar for sprinkling 

Galette Dough

• 2 1/2 cup AP flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 sticks unsalted butter chilled and chopped
• 1/4-1/2 cup ice water

Dough Directions

Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in large food processor. Add butter and process until its like coarse meal about 10 seconds.

While the food processor continuously runs, slowly add 1/4 cup ice water.  Run until it starts to stick together (20 seconds).  Pinch a small amount of dough, if it sticks together then you are done but if it is crumbly add a tablespoon more ice water at a time and process.

Form the dough into a flat disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate between 1 hour and overnight.

Galette Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 with a rack in the middle. 

Add the berries to a large bowl with the sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt. Stir and let sit for 2 minutes while you roll out the dough.

On a floured surface roll out the dough to a circle with a 16 inch diameter.  Move the dough to a parchment lined baking sheet.

Put berries in the middle of the dough with a 2 inch border.  Fold up the sides and pinch to secure. Brush a beaten egg over the crust and sprinkle with white or brown sugar.  Bake for 50-60 minutes until crust is golden.

Serve for breakfast or a snack.

No Knead Rustic Bread

I could get very used to having homemade bread around the house. 

No Knead Rustic Bread 
Makes 1 1/2 pound loaf bread
Adapted from Dinner: A Love Story

• 3 cups AP or bread flour, more for dusting (I used 2 cups AP 1 cup bread)
• 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 heaping teaspoon sugar

In a large bowl combine all the ingredients and any flavorings (rosemary, thyme, Parmesan, ect.) Add 1 and 5/8ths cup of water and stir into blended. Dough will be wet and sticky. Cover wtih plastic wrap and let rest for 24 hours (more or less its forgiving).

In hour 8, uncover the dough and fold a couple of times with a spatula.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and put in a 6 to 8 quart pot with a lid. 

Once the oven is preheated, remove the pot and sprinkle the bottle with flour.  Add the dough and sprinkle the top with flour and a pinch of kosher salt. 

Cover with a lid and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10-15 more minutes.  Dump the bread on a cooling rack to cool. Serve warm.

Acorn Squash Breakfast Pudding

I love it when I can surprise Steven.  He had his eye browns raised when I made this giant casserole for our little family but it was all eaten up by the end of the week.  A new favorite for Steven.

Please note the acorn squash shells are clearly visible in this picture. They are not, in fact, edible. So make sure you take the shell off.

Acorn Squash Breakfast Pudding
Adapted from I am a Food Blog

• 1 acorn squash
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 stale baguette, cubed about 4 cups
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup cream
• 3 spicy Italian sausages, removed from casing
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• salt, pepper, red pepper flakes

The night before:

Preheat the oven to 400F. Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Cube the squash, ross with oil, and roast on a tin foil lined baking sheet for 40 minutes.  Remove from oven and set aside. Once cool remove the shell from each cube.

Meanwhile, brown the sausage and break up in the pan while you cook. Cook until its brown and crispy then remove from heat. Add to the acorn squash and refridgerate in an airtight container overnight.

The next day:

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Whisk the eggs, milk, cream, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. 

 In a 9 by 13 casserole dish toss the squash, sausage, and bread cubes.  Pour the egg mixture evenly over the dish and top with shredded cheddar. Bake for 40 minutes.

Enjoy hot.

Herb and Caper Crusted Salmon

Man, we eat a lot of salmon around here and by we I mean Steven and I because Henry has refused all foods expect peanut butter jelly sandwiches and cereal. Two year olds can truly be terrible.

Herb and Caper Crusted Salmon
Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

• 1 cup parsley leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill
• 1 1/2 tablespoons capers, drained
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• salt, pepper, red chili pepper flakes
• olive oil
• 1 pound salmon filet

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. 

Add parsley, dill, capers, lemon, garlic, salt, pepper, and red chili pepper flakes to a large cutting board and start chopping.  Chop until everything is finely minced and mixed together.

Place salmon filet on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cover the top and sides with the herb mixture.  Bake for 15 minutes until salmon is done.

Serve with a squeeze of lemon.

Tzatziki

We went to three different store to buy dill. Three! This morning was full of fails, and this Tzatziki plus some store bought pita chips were the only successful thing out of my kitchen today.  Oh and a giant mess.  Thank God for yogurt based dips.

Tzatziki

• 2 cups plain Greek yogurt
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large cucumber, seeded and grated
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Stir until combined. Chill until ready to serve.

Avocado Pasta

For my mom and lactose intolerant creamy pasta lovers everywhere.

Avocado Pasta
Adapted from I am a Food Blog
Serves 2

• 6 ounces of pasta
• 1 avocado, pitted and pealed
• 2 cloves garlic
• handful of cilantro
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 2 fried eggs (optional, but if you're going to do it, let's make them over easy)
• chopped cilantro and arugula to finish (optional) - we didn't have arugula but it would have been nice.

Cook pasta as usual reserving 1/4 cup of pasta water.

Meanwhile, add avocado, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, and olive oil to a small food processor. Process until smooth. 

Toss pasta with avocado sauce thinning with the pasta water if needed.  Season with salt and pepper, top with fried egg, cilantro, and arugula.

Good leftover, I think the lime juice keeps it from turning brown.