Monthly Archives: November 2015

Sweatpants Casserole

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Now that its legit creeping into Winter from Fall we need some oven friendly meals to not only warm up our kitchens, but also our bellies. This is the perfect Sunday night dinner because it makes a large quantity for whomever you have over for football or its great as leftovers for work the next day. Its cozy, creamy, cheesy and just so flavorful. Its perfect to eat with a warm pair of sweats. Let’s face it, sweat pants hide everything and after eating this decadent casserole, a forgiving pair of pants will be a need more than a want. Goes well with the food coma you will have after this heavy meal. I was gluttonous enough to pair it with meatloaf. Such a perfect dinner!

  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp. butter
  • 1 28 oz. bag of shredded has browns, thawed
  • 2 cups sour cream
  • 1 20 oz. can of cream of chicken soup
  • 1 packet of dried ranch mix
  • 2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • s&p to taste
*I did a few dashes of hot sauce as well
**Optional for topping the casserole is French’s fried onions, adds a nice crunch & flavor, but breadcrumbs or crushed cornflakes would work fine
Sautee the onions, garlic, salt & pepper with a little bit of butter until translucent. Mix the sour cream, ranch mix, soup, cheddar, potatoes, and onion mixture. Smooth out an even layer in a nonstick pan and spread with hot sauce and fried onions to taste.
Bake at 350 degree’s for 50-60 minutes based on depth of your pan & layer of cheesy potatoes.
Happy Eating, XO.

Homemade Hummus

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Listen, I’m a huge fan of store bought, however my mom made me a convert the last time she was visiting me in Philly. She blended up a batch of her home made hummus for me to dip with carrots and then a few other flavors for me to use with the kebabs she brought. My oh my, trust me when I say, its WAY better. Silver lining is, its almost as easy/quick as opening the store bought container.

  • Tahini (see it wasn’t JUST for that shaved brussels sprout recipe, you silly non-believers)
  • Garbanzo beans/chick peas (canned stuff kids)
  • 1 Lemon
  • Garlic (as much as you want really, 1-3 cloves)

Optional Flavor I: Roasted red peppers
Optional Flavor II: Cilantro & Jalapeño
Optional Flavor III: Black Olives
Optional Flavor IV: Avocado
Optional Flavor V: Jess’ Basil

So yea you get the point, there are multiple flavors, but even the original or base flavor is so yum! It’s also a nice way to use up anything you may have going bad. I always have cilantro leftover from my chimichurri sauce recipe or who doesn’t always seem to have an avocado that went from firm to ripe too fast? So throw it in the hummus and get to snacking! As you know hummus is also a good/healthy sub for mayo in wraps and sandwiches. Plus, recently, I ate a hummus stuffed omelet at this French/Lebanese brunch spot (shout out to Cafe La Maude) that rocked my world. So yeah, make some, you won’t be disappointed.

Happy Eating, XO.

Crock pot cocktail: Hot spiked apple cider

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This little cocktail concoction is just in time to warm your hearts (and hands!) for Thanksgiving. You know we do a specialty Thanksgiving cocktail every year, like this apple spice libation. Or Lauren Conrad’s kick ass Pilgram Punch I made a couple of years ago. So this year, we’re coming in hot with a crock pot cocktail.

Typically, I’ve been making this drink for Halloween. We’re usually outside waiting for the trick or treaters, and October in the NE means you need more than just a fire to help stay warm. However, the volume this recipe produces is perfect for your large holiday gathering. Bonus, everyone can help themselves! No need to be bartender for the night.

  • 1 jug of apple cider
  • 1/2 bottle Fireball
  • 1 orange, thinly sliced
  • 3-5 whole star anise
  • 1 tbsp whole cloves
  • Dash of cinnamon
  • Dash of nutmeg

Pour all of the ingredients into your crock pot and simmer on high for 2 hours. After 2 hours, turn down to low until finished.

Crockpot Cocktail_damndelish

Happy Eating, XO.

Pop It Like It’s Hot – Popovers

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Remember how we told you in our challah recipe that making bread isn’t actually that daunting? Well, it still isn’t! And these pop-overs are proof of that. I whipped them together as a side and they were the perfect puffy compliment to our dinner. Also, because the steam “pops” the middle of them, it leaves room for you to get creative. Fill them with custard, berries, steak tips and sauce. (What?! Yes, go with me on this one. Think: Ghetto beef wellington.). These little guys are so versatile you can use them as a side dish, at brunch, or as a dessert. Also, bonus, you don’t actually need a pop-over pan. I’m all about having an excuse to buy another kitchen gadget or pan, but a muffin tin works just as well.

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3/4 whole milk
  • 4 eggs, room temperature
  • 2 tbsp melted butter

Preheat the oven to 425 and swipe your muffin tin with butter. Place it in the oven while it preheats. It’s best to use a hot tin to create steam when the batter hits it. In a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients and whisk until smooth. The batter will be pretty liquid-y, you don’t want it to be thick.

Take the hot tin out and pour in the batter. Bake for roughly 20 minutes and whatever you do, please don’t open the oven to check on them! They won’t get to their full puffed up glory if cool air hits them before they have a chance to crisp on the outside. Enjoy them hot or store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Popovers

Happy Eating, XO.

Butternut Squash Soup

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I don’t know about you, but there’s just something that feels really good about making homemade soup. Yeah, yeah it’s easy to just go to the store and buy it in a can. But where’s the fun in that? I guarantee if you make this soup yourself you’ll get a lot more kudos than if you just poured it out of the can. Plus, this recipe gives you a ton more than just 28oz. Bring on family dinner night…

PS. For a fun party app/snack, put the soup in tall shot glasses as shooters.

*Serves a ton of people (over 8 at least). You’ll definitely have enough to freeze for later. Hellooo mid-week meal.

The soup:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium carrot stick, chopped
  • 1 medium celery stick, chopped
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 4 cups of chicken broth
  • 1 tsp of fresh thyme, chopped
  • 3 packages of cubed butternut squash (or roughly 6 cups)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Dash of pepper

The topping:

  • 1/2 cup crème fraîche
  • 1 tsp pure maple syrup

In a large soup pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Toss in the carrots, celery, and onion and cook for roughly 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Add the chicken broth, 1/2 tsp of the thyme, butternut squash, salt and pepper. Let all of the ingredients simmer for 30 minutes, or until the squash is tender enough to fall apart. After the 30 minutes, I used an immersion blender but you can also just stir the crap out of it until all of the ingredients are blended and no longer whole. You’ll notice it’s still slightly grainy at this point. In small batches, pour the soup into a blender to get the final chunks out and really smooth it out.

In a small bowl, whip together the crème fraîche and the maple syrup until fully blended. Pour the soup into a small bowl and dollop the crème mixture smack dab in the middle. Top with the other 1/2 of the thyme.

To make the baguette to go with it, check out our recipe here.

Butternut Squash Soup - damndelish

 

Happy Eating, XO.