Cornbread Stuffing with Sausage

Two posts in one week?! Well it is the week of eating so, we wanted to bring you as many tasty recipes as possible to get ready for the big day.

So technically this is dressing and not stuffing because my future father in law will probably be stuffing the bird with aromatics but let’s be real, whatever you call this dish is just semantics. IT’S FREAKING TASTY, is all that matters. This dish reminds me of my mom (& uncle). Mom and I both adore when there is sausage in stuffing or dressing. We are also big fans of cornbread, so this is a family favorite. My uncle typically made his stuffing with white bread but one year to mix it up he did cornbread and it was epic. So in reverence to my late uncle and his impeccable cooking skills I am going to attempt to replicate his yummy side for my future in laws.

  • 1 lb. sausage (I did it with chorizo to give it a spicy flair)
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 tbsp. of fresh sage
  • 1 tbsp. of fresh rosemary
  • ½ tbsp. of fresh thyme
  • 2 cloves smashed/minced garlic
  • 2 cups or 3-4 celery stalks, diced
  • 1 stick butter
  • 2 cups of chicken or turkey broth
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • S&P to taste
  • 1 family size pan of cornbread (So think like 2 jiffy boxes worth, made in advance & don’t use the sweet/honey cornbread)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Crumble the cornbread into a large bowl and set aside while you brown the meat. Drain the fat before adding sausage to cornbread bowl. Sauté the onions, celery, garlic, and butter until semi-translucent. In another bowl whisk together the broth, cream of chicken soup, herbs, and s&p. Pour into cornbread, sausage, and veggie mixture and stir together gently.

Spray a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray or grease with butter and spoon mixture into pan. Bake uncovered for 25-35 minutes or until browned & heated through.

Happy Eating, XO.

Foodie Fave: Butternut Squash Galette

There’s just something about these galettes – we can’t get enough of them! Probably because they’re so damn easy to make (and eat). And because you can fill them with whatever your little heart desires. We found this savory gem of a galette on Matt Bites. It’s perfect for brunch, a quick lunch, or a cute app at a dinner party. (And how gorge are his pictures?! #goals). 

Dough:

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • Pinch salt
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Filling:

  • 1 large baking apple, such as Rome Beauty or Cortland
  • 1 small or 1/2 medium butternut squash (about 3/4 pounds), halved, seeded, and skin on
  • 1 small yellow onion, peeled, root end trimmed but intact
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
  • 1/3 cup crumbled Stilton or other blue cheese (about 1 1/2 ounces)

For the dough: Pulse the flour and salt together in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse about 10 times until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with a few bean-size bits of butter in it. Add the egg and pulse 1 to 2 times more; don’t let the dough form a mass around the blade. If the dough seems very dry, add up to 1 tablespoon of cold water, 1 teaspoon at a time, and pulsing briefly. Remove the blade and bring the dough together by hand. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

For the filling: Halve and core the apple. Cut each 1/2 into 8 wedges and put them in a large bowl. Slice the squash and cut the onion into wedges so that both are as thick as the apple wedges, and add them to the apples. Add the butter, rosemary, and thyme and toss gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper and toss again.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch disk. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet and brush with mustard. Starting 2 inches from the edge, casually alternate pieces of apple, squash, and onion in overlapping circles—if you have extra pieces of one or another, tuck them in where you can or double them up until to use all the filling. Fold and pleat the dough over the edge of the filling. Bake until the crust is brown and the apples, squash, and onions are tender and caramelized, about 55 minutes. Scatter the cheese over the filling and bake until melted, about 5 minutes more. Cool the galette briefly on a wire rack. Cut into wedges and serve.

GALETTE_550px

Happy Eating, XO.

Fall Corn Chowder

By now you probably have more corn than you know what to do with. So rather than eating ANOTHER corn on the cob (seriously, my floss is running low…) put it into some chowder. This steamy dish is perfect for those cooler nights. And if you have leftovers, freeze it in some Tupperware for a middle-of-the-winter treat.

  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 3 stalks of celery, chopped
  • 1 medium potato, cubed (add in 1 additional for a heartier meal)
  • 5 ears of corn (or 2 12oz cans)
  • 4 cups of chicken broth
  • 1 can evaporated milk
  • 1 sprig of thyme
  • 1 tbsp corn starch
  • 1 tsp of salt
  • 1 tsp of pepper

Toss all of the ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Easiest. Recipe. Ever.

Corn Chowder - damndelish2

Happy Eating, XO.

Bad Ass Mac & Cheese

Sometimes you just have to kick it up a notch, and this mac and cheese recipe does just that. It has a little bit of chedda, some truffle oil (YES! Bc we’re still obsessed with it), some bacon, and it has some…wait for it…whiskey. If this isn’t a bad ass, mans-man mac and cheese then I don’t know what is.

  • 1 box of elbow macaroni
  • 3 tbsp truffle oil
  • 1 tbsp minced fresh basil leaves
  • A pinch of salt and pepper

Sauce

  • 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 slices cooked bacon, chopped
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1/4 tbsp dried thyme
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups half & half 
  • 1 tbsp whiskey (I used a little Jack)

Topping

  • 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 3 1/2 cups shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
  • 2 tbsp butter, melted

Cook the macaroni to your liking and drain. (I prefer al dente.). Add the macaroni back in to the pot and mix in the truffle oil, basil, salt, and pepper. While the pasta is cooking you can start on the sauce. But before you do, turn on your broiler to high.

Using a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add in the bacon, garlic, and thyme. Add in the flour, half & half, and whiskey and bring it to a boil. After roughly 3 minutes of stirring, reduce to a simmer and add in 2 1/2 cups of the cheddar, mixing until sauce thickens. Then pour it over that delicious smelling truffle macaroni and mix until it’s fully coated. On to the topping. In a small bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, 1/2 a cup cheddar cheese and melted butter. Oil up your ramekins (I used eight 8oz ones) or a baking dish and distribute the macaroni. Sprinkle on the topping and a dash of fresh basil for some color.

Broil the dish for about 3 minutes. Keep a close eye on it as you don’t want it to burn.

 Truffled Mac & Cheese

Happy Eating, XO.

 

Date Night Dinner

We all need a lil night to indulge. Some yummy food, a good bottle of wine, and a night in to cozy up with your hunny. This is the ideal dinner for a candle lit night at home. So get the DVD ready, grab some fresh flowers and get this meal on the table. Lucky for you, there is wine in this recipe so the bottle will be open before your significant other even comes over. I restrained and didn’t use garlic in this dish (for the obvious reasons involving kissing & bad breath), but most certainly will next time. Anyway, Serves 3-4 so you will have left overs unless you double-date it..

  • 4 boneless chicken breasts
  • 3 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
  • 2 Tablespoon of olive oil (I cut down to 1 tbsp. because I figured there was enough butter)
  • 2 Tablespoon of butter
  • 2 tsp. of fresh thyme leaves (you know if you have a herb garden or if you are normal and want to use 1/2 tsp. dried thyme)
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 3 Tablespoons heavy cream (subbed for the half & half I had in the fridge for coffee)
  • 1 1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

In a skillet over medium – medium/high heat melt butter and combine with olive oil. Prepare chicken breasts by sprinkling both sides with a little sea salt.
Saute the chicken breasts until golden and cooked through; remove and set aside. In the same skillet, saute the mushrooms until soft and starting to brown (5 minutes). Add the thyme, wine, and vinegar. Let the wine reduce, then add 2-3 Tablespoons of the half & half, and heat until warmed through. You can serve with a vegetable and some rice.

Chicken Marsala

Happy Eating, XO.