Over the Top Stove Top Stuffing

 

Ok, so lets talk about stuffing, shall we? 

Wait.. before we talk about it.. what do YOU call it? Is it stuffing? Is it dressing? Actually, when I was little, we used to call it FILLING. My Dad used to say "do you stuff a turkey will filling? or do you fill a turkey with stuffing???" lol 

 Aaaanyway... dressing, stuffing, filling... call it whatever you like, but a Thanksgiving dinner is just not complete without it. 

And I know I always say "It's better when YOU make it", but some people do like the purchased stuffing mix (like Stove Top) better than home made. I'm speaking to YOU, Kelsie Kels!

Yes, my friend Kelsie loves Stove Top stuffing better than my home made stuffing.... no no, I'm not upset or bitter at all........ I mean, Stove Top Stuffing is literally good stuff, right?

  But then it got me to thinking... what if I start with Stove Top and then zhuzh it up a bit to make it more home made? Then we could have the best of both worlds!

 I started with some melted butter.. (like I always say.. more butter, more better..) then I added some aromatics, seasonings, and a little chicken broth.. So far so good... But then I added an unexpected something that takes it from good to great....the secret ingredient??? GRAVY! But wait.. who puts gravy IN their stuffing???... I know... I know....but just go with me on this! You just add a little gravy over the stuffing and then let it bake right in. BOOM! Now THAT takes it over the top! (you're gonna pour gravy over it anyway, so why not???) You still have your favorite Stove Top Stuffing flavors, but now they're just turned up a little, and you'll never have dry stuffing again!

 Now I just have to make it for Kelsie to see if she approves!  

1 stick butter

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 or 3 ribs celery, finely chopped

2 or 3 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp dried

3 cups chicken broth

2 boxes Stovetop Stuffing mix (chicken or turkey)

1 small jar Heinz turkey gravy

 

 

Heat oven to 350ºF.

In a large saute pan, melt the butter. Add onions and celery. Stir and saute until they begin to soften. Add the thyme leaves and stir just until fragrant. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the dry stuffing mix and toss everything together. Now add the chicken broth. Stir until the broth is absorbed. Transfer to a buttered casserole dish. Pour the gravy over the top. Use a big spoon to help the gravy settle into the casserole. Bake for about a half hour until bubbly. 

 

 

 

 

Tips:

Clearly I'm not the first person to come up with this. I've seen lots of short videos with the same idea. Some add browned sausage, some add crumbled corn bread. The gravy idea was from one of those videos, but I can't for the life of me remember where I saw it. I remember he added corn bread too, but I decided to leave that out. Make it the way you like it!

Joey's Green Tomatoes and Rice

 

 I was recently scrolling through Facebook, and I saw that my favorite farm market, Stella’s, was selling baskets of green tomatoes for $10.00. Since it’s the end of their growing season, they always sell their tomatoes that won’t have time to ripen before the frost hits. I thought ..10 bucks for a whole basket of tomatoes? That’s a steal! How could I not? So the next day, I took a little drive and bought my tomatoes. Score!
 My first thought was to make some green tomato pickles, (which were FABULOUSLY crunchy, btw), and I think I’ll make some chutney as well. But then I saw a recipe for tomatoes and rice, and I thought “it works for ripe tomatoes, why not try it with green ones??” I didn’t really follow the recipe… just used up some things from the pantry and played it by ear. 
OH. MY. GOD. 
It turned out SO good! Actually, if I’m being honest, it turned out even better than I expected! With their tart flavor and crunchy texture, the tomatoes brought SO much to the dish. (Sometimes I impress myself!) Serve it as a side dish with any kind of meat or roast, or just enjoy as a meal all on its own. You could even add chicken or shrimp to it. LOVE!

I think I just discovered a new favorite “Early Fall” recipe to add to the repertoire!


4 tbs butter
1 medium red onion, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
2 tbs tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper
Splash of white wine
4 or 5 unripe green tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 cup rice
2 cups chicken broth (or any other kind of broth)
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp dried basil leaves


Melt butter in a large skillet or sauté pan. Add onions and peppers. Sauté until they begin to soften. Now add the tomato paste, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir and sauté until the tomato paste begins to darken in color. Add a big splash of white wine. Stir to combine, making sure to scrape up any bits so they don’t stick to the pan. Add your chopped green tomatoes. Stir until well coated with the sauce. Cover. Let it cook for about 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Stir well. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 15-18 minutes until the rice is tender, stirring once about halfway through. 


Tips:
The point of this recipe is to use what you have. Do you only have green bell peppers? Or another kind of onion? Use it! It will all work. 
Be sure to give it a stir every so often so that the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. If it gets a little dry, just add a little splash of water or broth. 
Don’t have broth? Use bouillon and a little water. Don’t have bouillon? Just use water! But be sure to season with a little extra salt and pepper. You could also season it with a sprinkle or Parmesan cheese. Yum!

The BEST EVER Roasted Potatoes

 

 Have you ever heard of Poppy Cooks? She's the self proclaimed "Potato Queen" and I first discovered her as I was bouncing around the interwebs. She's been on a few cooking competition shows as well, but the thing that made me instantly love her was the fact the she wrote an entire cookbook about potatoes. How awesome is that? Yes, it's literally called The Potato Book. And yes, of course, I have a copy! 

 Anyway, I was recently planning a dinner for my sister and her entire family, and I knew I wanted to include a potato something. Enter Poppy Cooks with her AMAZING roasties and I thought, could there be anything better?? Well, long story short, I made them and they were literally the best roasted potatoes I had ever tasted! Big hit with the family too! Honestly not even one potato left!

 So, here's the thing... this recipe isn't so much about a list of ingredients as it's about the cooking method. Seriously, I'll never cook a roasted potato any other way, ever again. Who knew roasted potatoes could be so good? Side note, if you'd like to see some of her other potato recipes, just google her, I'm sure you'll find her. Or just buy a copy of The Potato Book! It's absolutely not outside the realm of possibility that I will wind up cooking my way through all of her potato recipes. But if there's only ONE recipe to try, it's this one. (And make sure you read all the tips first before you start. There's some good info there!)

If you love a roasted potato, you MUST try this method. 100% will make again!

 

 

Potatoes, halved or quartered 

Salt

Vegetable oil, or your choice of animal fat 

 

 

  Get your potatoes into cold HEAVILY salted water and boil for 10-15 minutes until falling off the tip of the knife. You don't want them too mushy as they won't hold their shape.

Drain off the potatoes, leave them in the colander, and cover with a tea towel to steam dry for a further 10-15 minutes. This makes them extra fluffy!

Preheat the oven to 425ºF. 

Pour 1/2 cup of oil into a roasting pan or baking tray and get it into the oven to get hot.

Once the potatoes are ready, give them a good toss in the colander to rough them up and then carefully pour into the hot tray with the oil. Use tongs to turn the potatoes so they sit with a flat side down for extra crispiness. Cook for 20 minutes then remove from the oven. 

Turn the heat down to 400°F. 

Give the potatoes a turn and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes. You may need less/more time so keep an eye out. Once golden and crispy, they are ready to go! Sprinkle with a little more salt and enjoy the ultimate roasties!

 

 

Poppy's Tips:

 -Cut your potatoes into larger chunks for more surface area. This will help them get super crispy. 

- Be sure to heavily season the water when boiling. You want it to taste almost like sea water. This helps with flavor and keeps the nutrients locked in. 

- Start with cold water and bring up to temp with the potatoes in it. Anything grown underground needs to start in cold water, anything overground can go straight into boiling water. 

- ALWAYS steam dry. The steam helps the potatoes get extra fluffy. 

- Pre-heat the oil or fat in the tray before you add your spuds. This is very important!

- Only turn your spuds once halfway through cooking. As tempting as it is to want to faff, leave them alone!

 

 

Joey's Tips:

Instead of using vegetable oil, you can add more flavor by using animal fat. Duck fat, goose fat, or beef tallow would be fabulous. Just sayin! 

 You want to choose a starchy variety of potato, such as a Yukon Gold or Russet. Personally, I prefer the Yukon Gold because they'll brown and crisp better than a Russet, and they have a more buttery flavor.  

 I've found that adding a teaspoon of baking soda to the boiling water helps to make them even crispier. It has to do with the PH level. You want the water to be more alkaline which means it has a PH level over 7. I know I know, it's all very science-y, but it's true!

 

Slow Cooker Parsley Potatoes

 I know I say this all the time.. but I can honestly say that I've literally never met a potato I didn't like. 

Lately I've been trying different methods for roasting them in the oven, but we all know how much I love a slow cooker. So, since I was doing a boneless turkey breast in the slow cooker, I figured I'd try doing a classic parsley potato as well. It turned out SO good, and it came together in a snap. You just throw everything in, and turn it on. Simple, right? That's definitely my kind of recipe!! It just doesn't get any easier than that! Finish it off with a little fresh parsley at the end, and you're good to go. 

This will definitely be one of those recipes I make again and again! 

 

 

 

3 lbs baby red potatoes
2 or 3 scallions, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Wash potatoes and place in your slow cooker.
Add remaining ingredients. Toss to be sure everything is well coated.
Cook on low for 6 or 7 hours or on high for 3 hours. 

Garnish with a little sprinkle of fresh parsley, if desired.

That's all there is to it!

 

Tips:
In this case, I like to use red potatoes because they’re a little more waxy and they won’t fall apart during the cooking. If you use a more starchy potato like a Russet or Yukon Gold, you’ll wind up with mashed potatoes, which I LOVE, but that’s not what we’re going for here!
As you can see, I peeled a little bit from each potato, just because I’m so fancy, but you really don’t need to. If your baby potatoes are large, you can cut them in halves or quarters. You can also use regularly sized red potatoes and just quarter them. The main thing is you want them all to be about the same size for even cooking.

Dauphinoise Potatoes

 

  I'm pretty sure this is one of the most delicious potato recipes I've ever made. I'm not even kidding. Yes, I've made Potatoes au Gratin, which is similar, but this one clearly wins.

 So... Dauphinoise Potatoes... (pronounced like doe-fin-woz) ... what are they? 

It's a classic French dish where the potatoes are thinly sliced and then baked in garlic and cream . Right off the bat, I'm thinking there's no way this isn't amazing, right? Of course there are many versions of it. Some add cheese, some add herbs, some add milk. I decided to just stay classic, and I think it's safe to say that this is now my go-to potato dish for every kind of special occasion. 

 This is one of those dishes you want to keep in your back pocket for when you want to impress someone. It sounds fancy, it sounds difficult, but it's as simple as peeling potatoes. And it's absolutely "holiday dinner" worthy. You absolutely MUST try it!!!! 

 

 

 

 

3 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes

2 cloves garlic

2 cups heavy cream

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

 

Heat oven to 350ºF.

Peel your potatoes and slice very thinly. If you have a mandoline, even better. Place your potato slices in a large bowl. Set aside.

Smash your cloves of garlic with the flat side of a large knife, and the peels will slip right off. Add your smashed garlic to a small sauce pot along with the cream. Season with salt and pepper. Place it over medium heat, not too high, just to bring it to a low simmer, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened. 

 Pour the cream over the bowl of potatoes, leaving the garlic behind (as Chef Anne Burrell used to say, it has now fulfilled its garlic destiny).

 Toss your potatoes to coat with the cream. Now place your potato slices in a casserole dish in even layers, like overlapping shingles, with a tiny sprinkle of salt and pepper over each layer until you run out of potatoes. Pour the remaining cream over the potatoes. 

 Cut a piece of parchment paper to the size of your casserole dish, and place the paper right on the surface of the potatoes.  Place in oven, and bake for about 45 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and continue to bake for another 20 minutes or until golden on top. Remove from oven and let it sit for a good 10-15 minutes before serving. 

 

 

 

 

Tips:

The parchment paper (or cartouche, if we're being technical) serves two purposes. It provides a lid so that the cream doesn't evaporate too much, and it eliminates the possibility of steam condensation, which would water down the sauce. Clever, huh?

Yes, you can just dump the potatoes into the dish, but I prefer placing each one to make layers. It bakes more evenly, and presentation is everything!

If you'd like to add herbs or cheese, add sprigs of fresh thyme or rosemary to infuse the cream, then remove them when you remove the garlic. Add shredded Gruyere over each layer as you shingle the potatoes in the dish. 

The baking time isn't exact. You just need to make sure the potatoes are completely cooked, and that it's nice and golden on top. Full disclosure, I was distracted and left mine in the oven for literally an extra half hour and it was still fabulous. It's very forgiving! 

 

Carrot Cake Squares

 

 

 

 I was recently on the hunt for a fabulous carrot cake bar recipe, and this recipe kept popping up. I saw it on several websites, but I think it’s originally from Daniela’s Dish. 
 Full Disclosure,..at first, I didn’t think this was the right one. I looked at the ingredients and thought it looked like quite a lot of butter and sugar for a bar recipe. But then I figured they say “everything in moderation, including moderation,"  So I thought, what the hell, let’s give it a try. 
OMG. 
Now I know why this recipe was on so many websites. They're absolutely amazing! The carrots baked right into the bar giving them a surprisingly fudgy texture. Who knew? It was definitely a splurge, but sometimes you just need to give yourself permission, right? It’s the perfect "picky uppy" thing for your next party or social event, and I PROMISE your guests will love it. Or just make 'em for yourself whenever you want to give yourself a special treat. You deserve it!!




For the batter:
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp vanilla
2 sticks butter, melted
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice blend
1 lb carrots, peeled and grated

For the swirl:
8oz cream cheese
2 egg yolks
1 cup sugar



Heat oven to 350º.
Mix the brown sugar, egg, salt, and vanilla together. Add the melted butter and combine well. Add the flour, baking powder, and spice blend. Combine and gently stir in the carrots. Spray a 9 x 13 with nonstick spray, line with parchment, then spray again. Pour in the batter and spread out evenly. 
Beat the cream cheese with the egg yolks and sugar and swirl over top of the batter. 
Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool completely and slice into squares.




Tips:
The original recipe called for just cinnamon and nutmeg, but I always use pumpkin pie spice blend in my carrot cake, so I went with it. If you want to make your own spice blend, just use a 1/2 tsp EACH of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. Actually, I think I might add a little extra spice next time!
This recipe was doubled from the original so that it would bake in a 9x13 pan. But if you want, you can cut it in half and bake in an 8x8 pan. Baking time stays the same!

Snickerdoodle Pumpkin Cobbler

 

 

  I was recently watching videos from All Recipes, and they were making a two-ingredient apple cobbler. It was literally just canned apple pie filling in a pan, and then crumbled sugar cookie dough on top. Add a little cinnamon sugar, and bake. Fabulous idea, right? 
 Then I thought, well, what if we mix and match pie fillings and cookie doughs??  Since it’s Fall, my thoughts went right to pumpkin. I thought “wouldn’t it be fun to do a pumpkin filling with a Snickerdoodle cookie topping?” Absolutely YES! So I googled it to see if it was already a thing, and I did find a recipe, but it wasn’t exactly what I was thinking. The recipe used a purchased Snickerdoodle cookie mix that you sprinkle over the pumpkin filling. I figured “wouldn’t it be easier to just mix up a batch of cookie dough?"
 So that’s what I did!!! 
This is basically two recipes combined to make one new fabulous dessert! So fabulous, in fact, that I would deem it to be “Thanksgiving worthy”, and if you know me, you know that that is really saying something! Pumpkin custard on the bottom, Snickerdoodle cookie on top. It’s HEAVEN on a plate. 
 It’s perfect for your Fall event, whether it’s Halloween, a Fall Festival, or a backyard bonfire, and yes, definitely Thanksgiving. But be warned.. if you make it, you’ll be asked to make it every year! 
It’s seriously that good!



For the cookie dough:
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt


Beat sugar, butter, and eggs together until smooth and creamy. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; Stir into creamed butter mixture until dough holds together. Wrap with cling film and refrigerate while you make the pumpkin custard.


For the custard:
1 15oz can pumpkin puree
1 12oz can evaporated milk
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice blend
1/2 tsp salt

In a mixing bowl, combine all custard ingredients until smooth. 


Heat oven to 350ºF.
Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Pour in pumpkin mixture in an even layer. Take cookie dough out of the fridge and crumble it over the top of the pumpkin. You won’t need all of it, but just use as much as you like. Stir together 2 tbs sugar with 2 tsp cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top. 
Bake for 45 minutes or until set (when it no longer jiggles in the center). Let it cool for at least a half hour. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or completely cooled with freshly whipped cream.



Tips:
When you add the bits of cookie dough over the filling, they will immediately sink into the pumpkin, but this is a “trust the process” kind of a moment. I promise it’ll be fine! I added between 1/2-3/4 of the cookie dough and it turned out perfectly. Store any remaining cookie dough in the freezer and bake them up whenever you feel like a sweet treat. 
 Btw, the pumpkin portion of this recipe is from Mother Thyme. Lots of good stuff there, if you’d like to give a browse! And the cookie dough recipe is from All Recipes and it's called Grandma Ruth's Easy Snickerdoodle Cookies. My go-to recipe!!

One other thing... I never purchase pumpkin pie spice. I just blend my own, since I always have those spices in my pantry. Just stir together equal amounts of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice. Presto! Pumpkin Pie Spice!! And yes, I always add more than the recipe says!