Cheesy Cabbage, Leek, and Potato Bake

 

 

  OK, I know I say this all the time, but seriously, this is one of the most delicious things I've made in quite a long time. One of my favorite things is to take a recipe and then springboard it into something of my own. And that's exactly what I've done here!

 I recently discovered a foodie and cookbook author by the name of Amy Sheppard, and I literally want to eat every single thing she makes. When I saw a tiktok video of her making a cheesy cabbage and leek dish, I knew it would immediately land on my short list of recipes to try. She originally described it as being the perfect side dish for your Christmas Dinner to be served with a roast chicken or beef, but I think it sounds more like a St Patrick's Day recipe. Clearly, it screams to be served with a big ol' St Patrick's day ham or a big honkin' corned beef brisket, dontcha think?! Cheesy cabbage leeks.. how could you go wrong? But then I thought, wait, it needs potatoes. Can't have an Irish meal without potatoes, now can we? I think not! To be fair, she did serve hers with some fabulous roasted potatoes on the side, but I wanted the potatoes to be right in the dish with the leeks and cabbage.  

    Side note..... Most recipes using leeks direct you to discard the tough green ends, but that's a big fat waste of food, if you ask me. Those greens are perfectly edible and absolutely delicious! They just need a little extra cooking time, that's all (much like collard greens or kale.) So I figured, well, I'm about to boil the potatoes anyway...  why not braise the greens right along with them? And while I'm at it, why not use broth instead of water for more flavor? And there we have it.

  Anyway, the rest of the recipe just sort of fell into place after that, again taking inspiration from Amy Sheppard Food (seriously look her up on any social media. You'll be glad you did!). It's just a classic Mornay Sauce with the addition of some herbs and a little mustard. Add a crushed cracker topping and you have the most fabulous comforting side dish you've ever tasted. Serve it up with your St Patrick's Day meal, and yes, definitely your roast beef or chicken dinner. I promise you'll get rave reviews! Thank you for the inspiration, Miss Amy! This one is definitely a keeper! 

 

 

 

1 1/2 lbs small baby red potatoes, cut in halves or quarters

1 large leek

2 (15oz) cans chicken or vegetable broth

1 small head green cabbage, roughly chopped

4 tbs butter 

4 tbs flour

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup milk

8oz Swiss cheese, shredded

3 or 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed from the stem

5 or 6 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

1 tbs Dijon, brown, or any favorite prepared mustard 

a big pinch each of salt and pepper 

about 15 Ritz crackers 

 

 Cut the tough green ends from the leek (set the white end aside). Rinse well to remove any sand or grit. Slice the leek greens into small slices, then add to a large shallow pan along with the quartered potatoes and one can of broth. Cover and cook on high until the liquid is absorbed and the potatoes and greens are tender. Remove to a large casserole dish. 

 While the potatoes and greens are braising, remove the root tip from the white end of the leek, rinse layers of any sand or grit, then slice. Using the same pan that you used to cook the potatoes, add the butter over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the chopped cabbage and sliced whites of the leeks. Stir and saute for about 5 minutes or until the cabbage begins to soften. Stir in flour. Continue to stir and saute for about 2 minutes, then add the other can of broth. It should begin to thicken fairly quickly. Now add the cream, milk, cheese, herbs, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir well. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. Pour cheesy mixture over potatoes and leek greens. Gently stir to combine. Now sprinkle the cracker crumbs over the top. Bake for about 30-45 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for about 10-15 minutes after removing from oven. Serve with boiled ham, corned beef, pork chops, or any favorite roast dinner. 

Tips:

 Since I used baby potatoes, there was no need to peel them. But you can easily use whatever potatoes you have on hand and just peel them. You could even use up leftover boiled potatoes or "boilies" as my Dad used to call them. 

Don't have fresh basil or thyme? Use dried! Or you could even use poultry seasoning blend.  Use any herbs you like! You could even add a pinch of caraway or celery seeds. Don't have any herbs at all? Just leave 'em out! It won't be exactly the same, but it'll still be delish! 

If you'd like to serve it as a main dish instead of a side, feel free to add some diced ham or chicken to make it a complete one dish casserole. 

Btw, if you're feeling creative, you can omit the potatoes and toss the whole thing with some cooked elbow pasta, then top with grated Parmesan cheese. It would be like a variation on mac and cheese!

 

 

Marshmallow Frosted Pistachio Bars

 I recently hosted a little get together with a few of my family and friends to watch the movie, Wicked. 

Now, unless you live in a cave, you likely already know that Wicked is about the witches from The Wizard of Oz, which clearly means that my menu had to be green and pink. I mean, obviously. 

 For my pink "Glinda the Good" dessert, I made little strawberry cheese cake mousse cups, which were pretty fabulous, I must say. And for my green "Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West" dessert, I made these cute little pistachio squares. And guess what!?! They were were an immediate hit! 

 Crispy chewy pistachio cookie bars covered with fluffy pillowy marshmallow frosting. What's not to love? And upon tasting them, my sister said "I'm gonna need this recipe." So here it is! 

They're SO simple! You just mix and bake, nothing crazy. Just a quick and easy recipe, and you probably already have most of the ingredients in your pantry anyway. Perfect, right? 

 So, if you haven't seen Wicked, you absolutely should. It's literally perfect. And even if you're not having a wickedly swankified Ozmopolitan party, you should still make these cookie bars. I know you'll love 'em!

They're WONDERFUL!

For the Bars:

1 cup salted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 (3oz)boxes instant pistachio pudding mix
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt 

1 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped pistachios


Preheat oven to 375°F and prepare a 9 x 13" baking dish with baking spray or parchment paper .
Cream together butter and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes on high speed until fluffy. 

Add in eggs and vanilla and mix well.
Add pudding mix, baking soda, flour, and salt. Mix on low speed until combined. 

Add in white chocolate chips and gently stir into the dough.
Spread evenly into bottom of prepared baking dish and bake for 15 to 17 minutes. 

They will be soft in the middle and slightly crispy around the edges, just like a cookie. 

For the Marshmallow Frosting:

1 cup butter, room temperature
14 oz Marshmallow Fluff
2 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat butter and powdered sugar until fluffy and well mixed.
Gently mix in fluff and vanilla extract until mixed well.

 

When the bars are completely cooled, spread with frosting. 

Top with chopped pistachios, if desired. 

Cut into bars. 

Tips:

Be careful not to over bake the bars, otherwise they'll turn out hard and crumbly, rather than soft and chewy. 

If your frosting is a little too runny, add a bit more powdered sugar. Frosting can be made in advance and kept in an airtight container in the fridge for several days. 

You can easily cut this recipe in half, and bake in an 8x8 square baking pan. The bake time remains the same!

 

Btw... I forgot to give credit where credit is due! The cookie bar recipe is from a blog called Eat Dessert Snack, and the frosting recipe is from a blog called Lil' Luna. You should check out their websites as well! Great then.

 

Very Strawberry Brownies

               

  Here's a quick and easy dessert recipe to make for your Valentine. Very cute, very pink, and yes, VERY strawberry! Now, I know you're probably thinking "if they're not chocolate, why are they still called brownies?" Well, it's the brownie TEXTURE we're going for here. They start out with a regular cake mix, but then when you pour the glaze over the still warm pan, it kind of sinks in a little bit, giving them a more brownie like texture. 

  So here's the thing.. when I was first looking at this recipe, there's were no extracts or dried strawberries, and I worried that it might wind up tasting like that artificial strawberry flavor (you know, like strawberry quik?) So I decided to amp it up a little. I saw another version of it that included the strawberry extract... but the aha moment was when I added the strawberry powder to it. BOOM. Huge strawberry flavor!! I thought "Why am I not adding this to every strawberry thing ever?" Definitely a game changer. 

 I made them for a group of friends at a recent party I hosted. One of my friends said they're VERY STRAWBERRY so that became the name! 

 Make them for your Valentine to show them how much you love them and they'll love you right back!

 

 

 

Brownies
1 box strawberry cake mix
2 large eggs
1/3 cup salted butter, melted
1 tsp strawberry extract (optional, but recommended)
1 tbs freeze dried strawberry powder (optional, but recommended)

Glaze
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tbs strawberry preserves
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs cream

Heat oven to 350F.
Line a 9x9 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving about 2 inches hanging over the edge. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine all brownie ingredients. Batter will be very thick. Press evenly into prepared pan. Bake about 20 minuted or until an inserted tooth pick comes out clean.
Let it cool slightly, but leave them in the pan.
Mix all glaze ingredients until smooth. Pour over warm brownies.
Cool or chill completely.
Using the parchment overhang like a sling, lift the entire batch out of the pan before cutting into 9 large squares or 16 small ones.

Garnish with a strawberry on top of each one as shown, if desired.

Tips:
The extract and freeze dried strawberries are optional, but seriously they made all the difference for the recipe. Thats what makes them VERY strawberry! In fact, I don't think I'd ever make this recipe without them. You can easily find them on Amazon.
Also, you can double the whole thing and bake in a 9x13 pan. 

Btw. I saw a tiktok video with this recipe and she called them "pinkies", but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

Hot Dog Stew

 

 Ok, I know this might sound weird, but just go with me on this one. 

I was in the mood to make something homey and comforting, so I did a quick inventory of my fridge and pantry. The first thing I noticed was a package of ground beef. That's a good start. I continued browsing my pantry and found cans of baked beans, which made me think of Trisha Yearwood's Baked Bean Casserole. Great! I'll make that. But that calls for bacon. Hmm... I'm out of bacon.. what else do I have? AHA! a package of hot dogs! I thought "well, it's not very likely that I'll be grilling hot dogs any time soon, and you can't go wrong with franks and beans." Perfect. From there, I just sort of used Miss Trisha's recipe as a guide, while not really using exactly the same ingredients. I didn't want it to be too sweet or too spicy, so I omitted the brown sugar, and kept the seasonings simple. And this is where I landed!

 After it was finished, I thought, "ok, now, how am I gonna serve this?" Cheddar cheese and sour cream on top? Well, I had it in my mind that it should be a stew, (NOT a chili), which made me think of my Mother's chicken stew that we used to pour over mashed potatoes. Great idea!

 The result was exactly what I wanted. It was simple and warm and hearty and satisfying. It also makes for great leftovers. It's a great mid-week meal, and it easily feeds a crowd. And it was easy as throwing things into a pan.

 Sometimes the best recipes are the ones you just come up with on the spot, dontcha think? Feel free to take this one in any direction with whatever you have in your pantry! Enjoy!

A few glugs of oil
1 onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, any color, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground beef
1 pkg 8 hot dogs, sliced into coins
1 can pork and beans
1 small can Rotel tomatoes
1-2 fresh tomatoes, diced
2 tbs ketchup
2 tbs mustard
Splash of Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Chili powder to taste
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cold water

Mashed potatoes for serving


In a large pan, heat oil over medium heat, then sauté onions, peppers, and garlic until they soften.
Add ground beef, breaking it up as it cooks. After it browns, add the hot dog slices. Stir and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients except flour and water, and gently stir until well combined. Simmer for a  good 15-20 minutes.
To thicken it, make a slurry with the flour and cold water. Add to pan and gently stir to combine. Simmer for another few minutes until thickened.
Serve over a big pile of fluffy mashed potatoes. 

 

 

Tips:

As stated above, you can clearly go in any direction with whatever you have in your pantry. You can also play around with the flavors. Want it to be more like a soup? Add some chicken broth. Want it to be more like a chili?  Add some tomato sauce and ground cumin. Want some heat? Add some chopped jalapeno peppers. Or crushed red pepper flakes. Or cayenne pepper. And for a serving variation, instead of mashed potatoes, serve it over a pile of rice, or just in a bowl as it is! It will all work!

 

Baked Mushroom Dip

  Whenever I'm looking for party dips to serve, I like to have a variety for my guests. So I'll choose some appetizers that are warm, some that are cold, some that have meat, and some that are meatless. I might do something seafood, and maybe I'll do a simple veggie dip, or even just pretzels and chips. The way I see it, if I have a nice cross section of appetizers, then it's more likely that even the most particular of guests will be able to find something they like.

  It also opens up the possibilities of trying new recipes, which is exactly where this recipe comes in. I wanted to make something for Christmas, but I didn't want to just do the usual spinach dip or chips and salsa, etc. Side note, I usually list the author of the recipes I post, but full disclosure, I can't even remember where I saw this one. I suppose it doesn't really matter anyway since I made a few changes here and there. Oh well, the most important thing is that OMG it's delicious! I brought it to Christmas dinner and it was a huge hit!! It's also really easy to throw together, even for the novice cook.

 So if you plan to host or attend any parties in the near future, give this one a try. It's SO flavorful and it's nice to try something new and a little different.

I bet your friends and family will love it! 

Great then.

 

 

 

1 lb baby bella mushrooms

1-2 cloves garlic

a drizzle of oil or a pat of butter

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1 tbs chopped fresh parsley

Black pepper to taste
1/4 cup breadcrumbs


Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Finely mince mushrooms. Place in a skillet along with the minced garlic and the oil or butter. Saute over medium heat until the mushrooms cook down a little bit and evaporate some of their moisture. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine softened cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, and parsley. Mix until well combined. Stir in sauteed mushroom mixture.
Transfer the mixture to a small baking dish, spreading it evenly. Sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs (and a little more Parmesan cheese, if desired). Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until bubbly and the top is lightly golden. Serve with slices of baguette or your favorite crackers.

 

 

 

 

Tips:

Use any kind of mushrooms you like! I happen to like baby bella mushrooms (also known as Cremini mushrooms), but any kind will work. You could even use a couple different kinds, just to switch things up a bit!

This recipe originally called for twice as much Parmesan cheese plus additional salt. I found that to be a little bit salty, so I reduced the amount of cheese and completely omitted the extra added salt. But you do you! Do you like a lot of Parmesan cheese? Add a lot! Come to think of it, I think I might add a little more mozzarella cheese next time, just for funsies. And just to switch things up, I've also served this with the addition of artichoke hearts. Just drain and chop them, then stir them in with the mushroom mixture. 

And if you REALLY wanna be bougie, use it to fill large mushroom caps, then place them on a tray, top with some buttered bread crumbs and bake. Delish!

 

Holiday Cinnamon Rolls

 

  Did you ever see any of those trending videos of people baking canned cinnamon rolls with heavy cream poured over them? Well, this is just a variation of that theme. Only this time, instead of heavy cream, I used egg nog! Now, I know egg nog is sometimes divisive, but frankly, I love it, so I went with it. It turned out perfectly! Seriously, when I made it for our Christmas Breakfast, every single person raved about how delicious it was. I'm not even kidding when I tell you you'll be tempted to go back for a second piece! It's just that good. It's DEFINITELY worthy of a holiday brunch. Make this the next time you want to impress someone. I promise you'll be a hit!

 

2 cans regular Pillsbury cinnamon rolls
1-2 cups egg nog

1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar

Cinnamon

Nutmeg
Craisins and/or chopped pecans (optional)

 

Arrange rolls in large shallow baking dish. 
Drizzle egg nog around the rolls to fill in all the spaces, just enough to cover the bottom of the dish.
In a small bowl, stir together melted butter, brown sugar, and spices. Drizzle about a tablespoon over each roll. Sprinkle with craisins and pecans, if using. Cover with foil and bake at 350ºF for about 40-45 minutes. Remove foil and check to make sure the center ones are done. If the dough is still raw in the middle, put it back in for a few more minutes, uncovered. When the rolls are done, remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Using the containers of icing that were included with the rolls, spread icing over warm rolls and let the icing melt right in. Top with more craisins and pecans. Serve warm. Try not to eat the entire pan of cinnamon rolls in one sitting.


Tips:

I used a large rectangular casserole dish, which fits 15 rolls, perfectly. The problem is that 2 cans of rolls equals 16. So what do we do with the extra roll? I just split it into a couple layers and added them on top of a couple of the other rolls. They bake up together anyway, so who's to know otherwise?

The spices are just to taste. Do you like a lot of cinnamon, add a lot!
Use any kind of nuts or dried fruits you like!
If you don't like the icing that comes with the rolls, mix it with some whipped cream cheese. That'll make it taste more like home made. And seriously, does anyone NOT love cream cheese icing? 

If you're not making this for your holiday brunch, just use regular heavy cream!

Peas and Pancetta

  So, since Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching, I was looking for some interesting and different ideas for holiday side dishes, and I happened upon Ina Garten's recipe for Peas and Pancetta. First off, if you're not familiar with pancetta, it's like bacon, but it's just cured, not smoked. Anyway, the recipe sounded great, so I decided to try it. To be quite honest, I thought it was ok, but I immediately knew I'd want to change a few things. Full disclosure, I wound up changing literally everything in the recipe except for the peas and pancetta. Only just small changes, but changes nonetheless. 

 In addition to the two main ingredients, the original recipe called for olive oil, shallots, and fresh mint. Frankly, I don't see what the shallots brought to the party that would be different from just using a regular onion. And if I'm being genuinely truthful, shallots always feel a little pretentious to me. Does anyone really keep a supply of shallots in one's pantry? And conversely, does anyone NOT keep a bag of onions handy? You see my point. I also wondered why we were using olive oil when butter would have been so much better. I mean, you usually put a pat of butter on your regular steamed peas, am I right?? And the biggest deal breaker, I think, was the addition of the fresh mint. Maybe it was originally included to add a freshness to the dish, but it was absolutely not working for me. (Sorry, Miss Ina!) So I chose fresh thyme leaves and parsley as a substitute. For me, thyme makes everything taste and smell like Thanksgiving, and fresh parsley gives everything a fresh hit. So I gave it a try with all of my tweaks, and I must say, I enjoyed it MUCH better! 

  So, here it is. I can't exactly take credit for this recipe, because it wasn't really my idea to start with, but I will happily take credit for the updates. And who knows? Maybe you'll read this and think, Nope, the original sounds much better! and to that I say, Go for it! Cooking is subjective, right? You make it that way YOU like it! That's what makes it fun! That's what I did! 

You should too! 

Enjoy!

2 or 3 tbs butter

4 oz diced pancetta

1 red onion (or onion of your choice), finely diced

1 24oz bag frozen peas

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves removed from the stem

Salt and pepper 

Fresh parsley

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the pancetta, and stir to render some of the fat for a few minutes, then add the finely diced onion. Stir and cook until the onions soften and the pancetta starts to brown, a good 10 minutes. Add the frozen peas, (no need to thaw!) and the fresh thyme leaves. Cover the pan and let it cook for a few minutes, stirring every so often, until everything is heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with an addition pat of butter and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

Tips:

One of the best things about this recipe is that it comes together in only a few minutes. The peas stay plump and bright green and sweet and delish! The only down side is that it's not really a good make-ahead sort of dish. I tried making it in advance, figuring I'd just heat it up for serving, and the peas weren't as bright green, and they weren't as plump and fresh. So if you're making it for a holiday meal, stir it up right before you sit down to the table so it's nice and hot when you serve it. 

 One other thing.. be sure you don't over cook the peas. They can go from bright green and lovely to grey and shriveled in a snap. You really only want to cook them until they're just heated through and no longer frozen. If you can't find pancetta, just use regular bacon!