On the menu tonight – Meatloaf with Beef, Veal, and Pork!
Meatloaf is kind of like chili in that it is always a little different each time you make it. This time, I used beef, Veal, and Pork. Feel free to use all beef or any two of the three meats. I like the flavor and texture you get from using three types of meat.
Once the meatloaf has finished baking, let it rest for at least 10 minutes. Serve it with mashed potatoes and you are living large! If you have any leftovers, it would make fantastic sandwiches. So, the next time you decide to make meatloaf, I hope you will try my version.
Happy New Year’s!! On the menu tonight – Chicken Parmigiana!
Remember the Parmesan and Herb Chicken Tenders I made recently? Well, I had some leftover and decided to make one of my suggestions, Chicken Parmigiana.
Since I already made the chicken tenders, all I had to do for this dish was put them in the dish with a few dollops of sauce and some grated cheese. Oh my GOSH was it delicious!
I didn’t even fire up my full sized oven. I cooked the entire thing in my toaster oven. Most of my dishes are made for multiple people. This dish was for one person. That said, you could easily up the number of chicken tenders to feed however many people you are cooking for.
I hope the next time you crave chicken Parmigiana, you’ll try my recipe.
Put the pre-cooked chicken tenders in a baking dish
3
Evenly spread some of the mozzarella cheese on the chicken
4
Dollop the marinara sauce on each piece of chicken
5
Evenly spread the rest of the mozzarella and Parmesan on the chicken
6
Bake for 20 minutes
7
Then put under a high broiler until the cheese is golden brown
8
Serve immediately with garlic bread
Notes
This dish assumes you have pre-cooked chicken tenders. For the best results, I'd recommend making the tenders yourself, using my recipe of course! 😉 You could also use the chicken tenders in the deli area of your market, or even frozen breaded chicken tenders. For the last two options, I'd recommend seasoning them with Italian seasoning.
On the menu tonight – Parmesan and Herb Chicken Tenders!
While you could certainly have these tenders along with some BBQ sauce, they would be delicious. What am I saying? They WERE delicious! I had to have one even before I took the picture. BUT, you could also turn them into chicken Parmesan. Or, you could let them cool off and put them over a salad.
They turned out so flavorful and juicy. Because I didn’t fry them too long and then finished them in the oven, I controlled how dark the bread crumbs got AND they didn’t dry out.
I think it took longer to set up the flour, egg, and bread crumb stations than it did to actually cook the tenders!
The other great thing about this dish is they would freeze really well. I hope you will pick up some chicken tenders and make this dish. Write and tell me how you liked them and whether you had them as is or if you went in another direction.
In one pie tin or plate, add the flour, the seasoned salt, and pepper, then mix to combine
3
In another pie tin or plate, add the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, onion powder, thyme, garlic, and rosemary
4
On yet another plate, put the chicken on it and pat it dry
5
Season the chicken with seasoned salt and pepper
6
Have a sheet pan with a wire rack on it at the ready
7
Are you ready? Here we GO!
8
Coat each piece of chicken in the flour (I used tongs to try to keep my hands clean)
9
Then dip the chicken pieces in the egg and then roll in the bread crumb/cheese mixture
10
Let the chicken rest on the wire rack a few minutes after they are all done. You want the coating to get a little tacky on the chicken so it sticks better
11
As the chicken rests, put about a 1/2 inch of oil in a cast iron skillet and heat to 350 degrees
12
When the oil comes to temperature, add 2-3 pieces at a time. Place them CAREFULLY in the oil, letting the tender slide in the oil away from from in case it splatters
13
Cook each piece until it is golden brown and then remove to the wire rack
14
Continue in batches until all the chicken is cooked
15
Place the sheet pan of chicken into the oven for about 10 minutes to ensure it is cooked through
16
After the timer goes off, remove from the oven and serve
Notes
Bring the chicken to room temperature, approximately 30 minutes to an hour before cooking. Don't worry, it's OK.
Once the chicken tenders are cooked, you have SO many choices. You could serve as is with some different dipping sauces (BBQ, Ranch, Honey mustard...).
Another option is to make little chicken Parmesans, OR you could serve them cold over a salad.
Those are just a few options I thought of off the top of my head.
This is hands down one of my favorite desserts – Banana Pudding with Nilla Wafers!
I’m making this one from scratch, not with the box mix. Fun fact, when I go to a BBQ place, I almost always get the banana pudding as kind of a gauge to see how good the food is. I love how the nilla wafers get kind of mushy. YUM!
Full disclosure, this isn’t my recipe. I don’t do a lot of desserts, so on this one, pretty much the only thing I changed was how it is served. I looked at a bunch of recipes and landed on one made by my best friend that I never met, Alton Brown. Alton, presented his version in a large clear bowl showing the layers. I chose to serve my version in ramekins.
I hope the next time you plan to make banana pudding you will take a few extra minutes to make it from scratch. Homemade has SO much more flavor and you know exactly what went into it. Try making your version and let me know how it turns out.
3 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup heavy whipping cream, very cold
Instructions
1
Combine 3/4 cup of the sugar, the cornstarch, and salt in a 3 quart pot.
2
Add the eggs and egg yolk, then whisk to combine
3
Add the milk and whisk until well combined
4
Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture reaches about 180 degrees - about 10 minutes
5
The mixture will begin to thicken and bubble around the edges
6
Remove from heat and whisk in the butter, piece by piece until fully incorporated
7
Add the vanilla extract, whisking to combine
8
Cover the pudding with a round piece of parchment paper (I used clear wrap similar to saran wrap)
9
Refrigerate until the pudding reaches 45 degrees (I wasn't measuring the temperature, but I DID make sure to wait well over 2 hours to ensure it cooled off)
10
** Recipe deviation. Alton's version calls for laying out the vanilla wafers on a sheet pan and slowly pour the liqueur over them, then set them aside for 10 minutes. Since I was using ramekins, I put the cookies (6 in each) on the bottom of the ramekin and then drizzled about a teaspoon of the liqueur in each one. After tasting the final product, I think I would add a little more liqueur as I didn't pick up on it at all.
11
Toss the banana slices with the lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside
12
Spread a small amount of the banana pudding in the bottom of a 1 1/2 quart glass bowl
13
Cover with a layer of vanilla wafers, followed by a layer of banana slices
14
Spoon 1/3 of the remaining pudding on the top of the bananas and repeat, ending with a layer of pudding
15
Put the whipping cream in a bowl of a stand mixer
16
add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and whisk until stiff peaks form
17
Spoon the whipped cream over the cooled pudding and spread
18
Top with any remaining soaked cookies
19
Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving
20
Store covered in the refrigerated for 3 days... if it lasts that long
Notes
Since I used ramekins, I didn't do the step of tossing the bananas with the lemon juice. I simply sliced the bananas as I needed them in each ramekin.
As mentioned above, I put the wafers on the bottom, put in some of the liqueur, put a little pudding in, then some bananas, and then topped with pudding.
I won't judge if you don't make your own whipped cream. 🙂
What is Turkey Tetrazzini? You would think with the Italian name, Tetrazzini, it would be Italian. You would be wrong, it is an American dish. While it DOES have pasta and some Parmesan cheese, that’s about as far as it goes in the Italian direction. Tetrazzini is a baked pasta dish browned in the oven with a white cream sauce and usually topped with bread crumbs. It was invented, we think, in San Francisco in the early 1900’s. Others believe it was invented in New York City. You can read all about Tetrazzini here if you want to know more about its origin.
I decided to make it because I was trying to figure out a dish I could make that would help me use up some ground turkey. Usually, you would used a diced chicken or turkey, but I didn’t have that on hand. After a lot of looking around at turkey recipes, I decided to do a Tetrazzini.
I opted to make my own sauce instead of using the canned soup, which I think makes it much more flavorful. Since it includes pasta, a little meat goes a long way. This turned out SO great! It’s so creamy and delicious!
So, if you are feeding a crowd or making a pot luck dish, I hope you will try my version of Turkey Tetrazzini.
1.5 - 2 lbs ground turkey (could also use about 3 cups leftover turkey or even rotisserie chicken)
12 oz spaghetti or angel hair pasta
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1/2 stick of butter
4 cloves garlic
4 cups turkey broth
1 cup white wine
1 lb mushrooms (white or cremini) sliced
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, cut into cubes
1/4 cup flour
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup Parmesan cheese, separated - two 1/2 cups
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 tsp thyme
Instructions
1
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
2
Bring a pot of water to a boil
3
Cook pasta until al dente (follow pkg directions depends on the pasta you use)
4
Once cooked, drain and set aside (save a cup of the water)
5
In another large pot, pre-heat it over medium-high heat
6
Add the butter and garlic and let cook about a minute
7
Add the mushrooms and ground turkey
8
Season with salt and pepper
9
Once the turkey is mostly cooked, add the white wine
10
Cook until the liquid has reduced by half
11
Sprinkle in the flour and stir. The sauce will start to thicken quickly
12
Add the broth, stir, and continue to cook until the sauce is nice and thick
13
Add the cream cheese and continue to stir
14
Add the peas, Monterey Jack and half of the Parmesan cheeses, continue to stir
15
Add the salt, pepper, and thyme. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed
16
Add the cooked spaghetti and stir to combine. If the mixture is too thick, add a little more broth or some of the pasta water
17
Pour the entire mixture into a 13x9 casserole dish and spread it evenly
18
Top with panko and the rest of the Parmesan cheese
19
Bake for 25-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown
20
Once finished, let it rest at least 5 minutes before serving
Notes
You can make several variations on this dish. You could use chicken, tuna, shrimp, and I bet scallops would be really good in this too. If you didn't want any meat or fish, you could use larger pieces of mushroom - like from a Portobello mushroom in addition the cremini.
For Dessert Tonight – White Chocolate Chip and Cranberry Cookies!
Usually I make chocolate chip cookies around Christmas time, but this year I wanted to do something different. I found this recipe by Trisha Yearwood that used white chocolate chips and cranberries along with macadamia nuts. It sounded really good and it was something I hadn’t tried yet. I stayed true to her recipe with the exception of the nut, I used pecans instead of Macadamia nuts.
These are SO good! The pecans were awesome in this cookie. I’m so glad that I tried something a little different. The next time you bake cookies, I hope you will try this recipe!
This is one of my guilty pleasures. I can’t tell you how many times I have ordered this from the food court in the building I used to work. Funny thing is, as much as I loved it, I never made it – until now. It has been too long since I have had this delicious Americanized Chinese food.
The thing I remember most about getting it at the food court is the person serving it always has that little scoop – it’s always the same type scoop no matter where I have been. When you order it, they move the bourbon chicken around in the pan a few times like they are trying to get you the biggest scoop they can. You’re thinking “Oh yeah! Load me up!” BUT, when it’s time to put it in the styrofoam container that darn scoop is mostly full if you’re lucky! They start putting a few pieces of the chicken on the rice and now you’re thinking “What happened to those heaping scoops I saw you moving around???!!!…” LOL I digress, good times.
It didn’t take long to find recipes on Pinterest for copy cat versions, so full disclosure when I say I did not craft this recipe. The final product was pretty good, definitely better than some food court chicken that I have had, but I’m going to work on this one. It tasted like something was missing.
When I make it next time, I will season the chicken first. Another change I will make is to marinade the chicken as well for at least an hour. If you have a version of bourbon chicken, I would like to hear how you make your version.
Prepare the rice per package instructions and set aside
2
Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces, about 1 inch
3
In a bowl, combine the ginger, pepper, soy sauce, bourbon, water, garlic, vinegar, and brown sugar, then set aside
4
In a large sauce pan, pre-heat over medium high heat
5
Add the chicken and cook until the chicken starts to brown - about 8 minutes. Do it batches if needed, don't crowd the pan
6
Add the bourbon mixture and stir well
7
Bring it to a boil and then lower the temperature to medium and then simmer, uncovered, about 15 minutes.
8
Allow time for the alcohol to cook off
9
Add the cornstarch slurry and stir. The sauce will quickly start to thicken
10
Serve over rice
Notes
As mentioned above, I recommend seasoning the chicken first with salt and pepper first. I would also recommend marinading the chicken in the liquid mixture for at least an hour.
Next time, I think I will add about a 1/2 tsp of sesame oil.
For Thanksgiving dinner, I always make the standard turkey, ham, and some side dishes, but Audrey doesn’t eat meat. I wanted to make her a special dish as well, so we agreed on Shepherd’s Pie, a vegetarian version.
This dish is so hearty and delicious! It’s packed with two different kinds of mushrooms, parsnips, onions, butternut squash… SO many things and then topped with the most delicious mashed potatoes.
Often times when I’ve had shepherd’s pie, the mashed potatoes taste like they were an afterthought… “oh yeah! We need to put some mashed potatoes on top….” Not in this dish. I took the time to make classic mashed potatoes you would be proud to serve on their own.
The shepherd’s pie was so good, we decided to try it for breakfast. I heated a plate in the microwave and while that was going, I fried a couple of eggs. WOW! OMG, it was SO good! This picture almost didn’t happen, that’s how good it was.
Shepherds Pie with egg
While I made this for Thanksgiving, it would be great anytime of the year. Don’t let the vegetarian bit in the title turn you off. There is plenty of flavor in this dish and you won’t be left wanting to go back for anything other than seconds! I hope you will try my vegetarian shepherd’s pie.
1 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp double concentrated tomato paste
1 Tbsp white miso paste
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup dry green lentils, rinsed
2 Tbsp flour
4 cup vegetable stock
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
For the Mashed Potatoes:
2-2.5 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes
4-6 Tbsp of butter
1 cup sour cream
1/4-1/2 cup of milk, warmed
3-6 Tbsp of cream cheese
Kosher Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 or 2 chives, finely chopped (greens only please, save the white part for another dish)
Instructions
1
Start with the mashed potatoes
2
Prepare a large pot of water on the stove, but don't turn it on yet
3
Peel the potatoes and cut them to relatively equal size - I go for quarters. Don't cut them too small, but you want them to cook evenly
4
As you cut the potatoes, add them to the pot so they don't oxidize
5
Once you have them all in the pot, THEN turn it on high and bring to a boil
6
As the water is boiling, add a couple of tablespoons of salt, like you would when cooking pasta
7
After about 8-10 minutes, test if you can easily pierce the potato with a knife or fork (depending on your application, you may WANT them to be al dente. If you are putting the mashed potatoes on a shepherds pie as an example
8
Once cooked to your liking, drain in a colander
9
Add the butter to the pot along with the milk, then add the potatoes back to the pot and begin mashing. If you are going to use a ricer, have a large bowl ready and start ricing.
10
Add the cream cheese and mix that in along with your first bit of salt and pepper
11
Taste and adjust seasoning
12
Cover and set aside so you can start on the filling
13
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
14
In a large heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoon oil
15
Add mushrooms and cook until deeply brown, remove from skillet
16
Lower heat to medium and add remaining oil
17
Add onion, celery, parsnips, and butternut squash, cook until starting to become browned, about 12 minutes
18
Stir in tomato paste and garlic, stirring often, about 2 minutes
19
Stir in miso paste, immediately deglaze with wine, and cook 1 minute more
20
Add the mushrooms back in and stir in the lentils
21
Sprinkle in the flour and stir until well incorporated
22
Add the vegetable stock
23
Season with salt and pepper
24
Bring to a simmer and cook until the lentils are al dente, about 15 minutes
25
Assembly:
26
Add the veggie mixture to a 13x9 baking dish
27
Carefully spread the mashed potatoes on top
28
Bake for about 35 minutes. You want the mashed potatoes to have some golden brown points on top
29
If the potatoes aren't browned after 35-40 minutes, feel free to use the broiler to get the look you want
30
After baking, cover and let it rest at least 15-20 minutes
Notes
You could easily take this dish vegan by using vegan butter and omitting the cream cheese and milk
Last week, I made these Hanukkah Bars with white chocolate, coconut, milk chocolate squares (or gelt), and a graham cracker crust. In the spirit of Hanukkah, I decorated them with blue and white sprinkles. Everyone who tried them loved them!
The holidays are the only time I make many sweet treats, so when I do I try to make them special. While I used chocolate bars for the squares of chocolate, I recommend using gelt. What’s gelt? Gelt are the milk chocolate candy coins wrapped in foil. Of course, for the recipe you would unwrap them first. Cut the servings so each piece has a chocolate coin in the center.
While I made these Hanukkah bars, you could easily turn them into Christmas bars by changing the color of sprinkles to red and green. If you really wanted to get fancy, you could use milk chocolate Christmas trees on top instead of the gelt.
The next time you are deciding what dessert to make your family or pot-luck, I hope you will try my Hanukkah Bars!
Don’t let the name fool you. This isn’t a recipe to make a standard roll, this is a recipe to make a roll that is a complete meal!
While I was making the Turkey Crescent Wreath, I had some leftover crescent rolls as well as filling, but not enough to make another wreath. So, I decided to make individual rolls. Wow! I kind of like these more than the wreath… Can I say that?
They are the PERFECT size for snacking but they still have all the flavors of Thanksgiving. They are SO good!
The next time you need to make an appetizer, I hope you will my Thanksgiving Rolls!
Carefully unroll the crescent rolls and arrange them on a baking sheet. Stretch them out a little bit if it doesn't look like they will hold enough filling
3
In a large bowl, add the turkey, cheese, Craisins, mayonnaise, sage, thyme, salt and pepper, then mix to combine.
4
Taste the mixture and adjust seasoning
5
Spoon about a tablespoon of the mixture at a time on each triangle
6
Spoon about the same amount of mashed potatoes on top of the mixture
7
Be careful not to overfill, you need to leave enough room to be able to fold the "points" over the mixture
8
Continue until you have used up the rolls
9
Brush the egg on the dough and then put in the oven
10
Bake for 25-30 minutes (look for the top to be browned and the dough fully cooked)
11
When finished, let them rest at least 10 minutes before serving
12
Heat up the gravy while the rolls are resting
13
Serve and enjoy!
Notes
While perfectly delicious on their own, even better with some warm gravy to dip them in. YUM!
Loading...
