Did you know that I have over 1,000 recipes on my blog? That’s a lot of cooking inspiration! So it’s probably not a surprise that I like to look back on old recipes I’ve made and either use them as is or change them up a bit and make a new recipe! This recipe for Sambal Chicken with Peppers and Tomatoes is heavily inspired by my old post for Spicy Moroccan Chicken Skewers, which is originally a Cooking Light recipe.
The chicken has a light heat to it, which adds nice flavor to the overall dish. I grilled my chicken, but you can also sauté it on days where the weather isn’t cooperating for grilling!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons chile paste (such as sambal oelek)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 bell pepper, seeds and membranes removed, sliced
Note: I was sent a jar of Sarge’s Shrimp and Grits Sauce, Yellow Stone Ground Grits, and Seafood Seasoning in order to make this post Opinions are mine alone.
If I see Shrimp and Grits on a Menu, you better believe I am ordering it! Despite this, (and inexplicably despite feeling fine about making shrimp and grits separately), I’ve always been a bit hesitant to make shrimp and grits at home.
So when I was contacted by Sarge’s to try their sauce, I jumped at the chance. Sarge’s sauce is made by Chef Julius West in Raleigh, NC. The sauce is a unique take on a classic Southern dish that has been a staple in the region for generations. Sarges Shrimp & Grits Sauce is a savory, rich, and versatile sauce that can be used as a marinade, a dipping sauce, or a cooking ingredient. Made with high-quality ingredients, including fresh shrimp, butter, and spices, our sauce is the perfect addition to any seafood, meat, or vegetable dish.
Sarge’s Low Country Shrimp and Grits Sauce is a delicious and savory combination of aromatic spices with a hint of fire to spice things up. The sauce blends together chicken broth, all purpose flour, garlic, vegetable oil, hot sauce, Sriracha, bell peppers, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and a special blend of herbs and spices.
With the help of Sarge’s sauce, this recipe for Shrimp and Grits can be made in just 20 minutes!
Some recipes, like this one for Italian Sausage Bread, are so easy and yet are oh so satisfying. My mother-in-law seems to have an endless supply of sausage bread prepared at her house, so I never really thought to make it myself until this past year. Now that I have, I know it is the perfect make-ahead option to keep in your freezer!
This sausage bread can be made with either hot Italian sausage or sweet Italian sausage. I suggest changing the color of the pepper you use inside so that when you have it out for snacking, everyone knows what they are about to bite into. (I used red in these photos because I was making one with hot Italian sausage; I use green in my sweet Italian sausage breads.)
I’m still trying out some recipes for my sister’s upcoming baby shower, which is going to be bumble bee themed. I’m working on making a beehive cake and have already determined a batch cocktail with honey to serve. Because it is a baby shower, it seemed only appropriate to also serve an alcohol-free beverage. After testing a few versions, this recipe for Honey Ginger Lemonade the perfect nonalcoholic drink for my sister to enjoy!
This recipe has just four ingredients and feels special enough for a baby shower or other celebration!
I am in full preparation mode for my sister’s upcoming baby shower. We are doing a honeybee theme, I’ve been working on a beehive cake, honeycomb decorations, and honey-filled beverages, including this Bees Knees Batch Cocktail.
The Bee’s Knees is a Prohibition-era cocktail made with gin, lemon juice, and honey simple syrup. This batch cocktail version adds lemon seltzer to make it more of a sip-able day cocktail with a little bit of fizziness.
Ingredients (makes 20 servings; multiply/divide as needed):
A friend reached out to me with a food challenge: how to make baked ziti that will be hot and ready when they come back from a christening. A Slow Cooker Baked Ziti recipe seemed like the perfect solution!
Naturally, I had to do some experimenting so that I could give her a recipe to use that I know will work for her needs.
This recipe for Slow Cooker Baked Ziti involves layering ingredients in your slow cooker (paid link). letting it cook for 2 1/2 hours, and then adding some mozzarella cheese on top for ultimate cheesiness!
Before I share this recipe for Cheesesteak Dip, I will be honest. I’m not a football fan. But I am a fan of bragging about Philadelphia, so I have to at least acknowledge the Eagles heading back to the Super Bowl! And, naturally, I’m doing it the only way I know how: through food.
There are quite a few “Philly Cheesesteak Dip” recipes out there, but as a Philadelphian, I’m a bit perplexed with why they all have bell peppers in them. I have never had a cheesesteak with bell peppers on it! So, I decided it was time for me to do my version. It doesn’t taste exactly like a cheesesteak (the cheese-to-steak proportion is out of whack), but it’s tasty and in the end, maybe that’s all that matters!
I am a “provolone wit” kinda girl, so my recipe is based on that: sauteed onions, a mixture of sharp and mild provolone, and shaved beef.
Ingredients (makes 16 servings):
2 tablespoons butter (or vegetable oil, if preferred), divided
This recipe for Rosemary White Beans with Onions and Tomatoes has quickly become a staple in my house this winter.
It is quick to prepare, I tend to have most of these ingredients already on hand, and it is so darn comforting! It is also a one pot meal so there are less dishes to clean up when you’re done cooking and enjoying your meal!
Note: I was sent samples of various shochu for a virtual tasting and in order to make this Shochu Coffee Seltzer Cocktail. Opinions are mine alone.
One of my favorite things about having this food blog is that I am sometimes given the chance to learn more about ingredients and products that I have never heard of before. Shochu is certainly one of those items, and I am glad I now know about it!
A few months back, I had the opportunity to attend a virtual shochu tasting hosted by Christopher Pellegrini, author of the Shochu Handbook (paid link) and one of the co-founders of Honkaku Spirits. Shochu is a Japanese distilled spirit made from grains and vegetables, typically sweet potato, barley, or rice. Despite being widely available in Japan, shochu isn’t very well known in the US. Apparently less than half of 1% of shochu made in Japan is exported!
Depending on the ingredients in a specific shochu, the flavors can vary wildly. Koji, a mold used to break down the starches into fermentable sugars, can also impact the taste. There are three kinds of koji that are used in making shochu – black, yellow, and white, with white being the most commonly used in shochu. Yellow koji results in a fruity and floral flavor, and is commonly used to make sake, while black koji imparts an earthy, mineral taste to the shochu.
Shochu is typically enjoyed diluted either with hot water or cold water but can be used to make various cocktails as well. For our tasting, we tried eight different shochu, with quite a range of flavors. Nishihira Distillery’s Kana tasted faintly like a bourbon due to being aged up to one year in oak casks. Another from Fursawa Distillery, Motoko, had almost a mushroom-y note to it, very earthy and funky. The one that stood out to me the most, however, was from Tensei Distillery. Mugi Hokka is a dark roasted barley shochu that has dark chocolate and coffee notes to it.
I have only made “real” scones once before (as well as kind of a “cheat” drop scone), so this was a fun opportunity for me to do something I don’t often bake!
Breakfast Breads & Sweet Treats is a great cookbook for any breakfast afficionado in your life. Father Dominic really covers it all, from how to make puff pastry from scratch to baking mixes, to even a recipe for English muffin bread!
There is also an entire chapter dedicated to scones, which is where I found this mouthwatering recipe for Bacon Cheddar Chive Scones.
Ingredients (Serves 8):
8 oz bacon, cooked crisp and chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (one stick) cold butter
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I went with sharp)
1/4 cup minced fresh chives (the original recipe had 1/2 cup; I only had enough for 1/4 cup!)
Note: I was sent an affiliate box of Oshēn Salmon’s Date Night Box in order to make this Homemade Smoked Salmon Board post. Opinions are mine alone.
You know I love a good appetizer board, especially this time of year. Charcuterie and cheese boards have always been my go-to for guests, largely because I can keep most ingredients on hand, so it makes it easy to throw something together. (I totally have an entire drawer in my fridge dedicated to cheese, so yeah, I’m usually prepared for an impromptu cheese board.)
But, as we’ve seen in recent years, boards have expanded quite a long way from your traditional charcuterie boards. So when Oshēn Salmon reached out with some awesome sounding recipes, including one for a homemade hot smoked salmon, my mind when right to making a Smoked Salmon Board.
Before I jump into the recipe, I wanted to share a bit about Oshēn Salmon. Oshēn Salmon is a salmon delivery company serving sustainably raised salmon to consumers nationwide in eco-friendly packaging.
Oshēn arrives seven days fresher than any retailer, which is a huge plus in my book!
source: oshensalmon.com
The team behind Oshēn set out to reframe the salmon-in-a-box concept into something more meaningful and aspirational. Everything from the packaging to the sustainable aquaculture practices, Oshēn’s mission is to lead the industry toward a cleaner environment for all.
source: oshensalmon.com
Back to the board! This Homemade Smoked Salmon Board is inspired by the impressive spread my in-laws tend to lay out for holiday breakfasts. Instead of a breakfast spread to layer on bagels, this version is more appetizer-like, perfect for brunch or as a party app. Also, instead of store-bought smoked salmon, I made my own hot smoked salmon, using Oshen Salmon’s recipe. The best part is you can make it right in your oven, no smoker needed!
Note: I was sent some baking tools from OXO in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.
Every December, I love to share a recipe to support Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, which is why I’m bringing you this delicious Frozen Key Lime Pie!
Every year, OXO supports Cookies for Kids’ Cancer and the fight against pediatric cancer. To date there have been 14,000 grassroots fundraising events in all 50 states and Cookies for Kids’ Cancer has granted more than $18 million to the leading pediatric cancer research centers across the country. Cookies for Kids’ Cancer (CFKC) is a nonprofit founded by two OXO employees after their son, Liam, was diagnosed with pediatric cancer. Through grassroots bake sales across the country, CFKC raises funds to develop new, improved and less toxic treatments for childhood cancer. Liam Witt’s legacy lives on as the organization works toward a cure for pediatric cancer, helping children and families everywhere.
Here are some of my old cookie swap and Cookies for Kids’ Cancer posts, in case you’re in a baking mood (this is my tenth year participating!):
Note: I was sent a copy of America’s Test Kitchen The Complete Modern Pantry Cookbook in order to write this review. Opinions are mine alone.
Recently, my husband and I moved to the suburbs. One of the biggest adjustments has been having to make basically every single meal at home, where when we lived in Philadelphia, we were able to get amazing takeout whenever I was too wiped to cook or hadn’t gone food shopping.
So when I was contacted to review America’s Test Kitchen The Complete Modern Pantry Cookbook (paid link), I jumped at the chance. This book gives you more of a blueprint than tried and true recipes so that you can easily use whatever you might have on hand. The Complete Modern Pantry has a ton of information and tips to help home cooks reduce waste, save money, and get the most out of their grocery purchases.
The CompleteModernPantry is anchored in the realization that every pantry is unique. Rather than expect all readers to have similarly stocked pantries, the recipes and suggestions in this book focus on what the ingredients do for the finished dish, instead of what they are. This book also looks to remove many of the common hurdles to creativity by empowering home cooks to:
Utilize a wide range of tangible variations and suggested improvisation to core Test Kitchen recipes so new ingredients don’t need to be purchased.
Understand key principles to everyday recipes (and some not-so-everyday) so they feel confident iterating on them based upon what is on hand in their kitchen.
Recognize how simple changes to a few ingredients in a recipe can make a big impact on the appearance and flavors of a dish- getting rid of the monotony of common meals.
The book has plenty of information on how to store fruits and vegetables in a way that will extend shelf life, recipes that rely on frozen items such as frozen tilapia which is cost effective are included as are tips on making the most of ingredients.
I was really impressed with a lot of the main dishes in this cookbook but I couldn’t stop thinking about this recipe for Spicy Carrot Dip that would be perfect to serve last minute guests, so I wanted to highlight it here.
This recipe uses fresh carrots, plus a bunch of spices and hot sauce to deliver a flavorful dip! I actually had all of these ingredients already on hand, making it super easy to make.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for serving
