We hosted friends recently at our house for the weekend. Whenever we have guests, I prefer to do as much of the prep work ahead of time as possible. So it should come as no surprise that I lean on recipes like this make ahead breakfast casserole as a go-to breakfast option when entertaining people for the weekend.
Not only is this recipe super versatile, but you can assemble it entirely ahead of time and then pop it into your oven when ready to eat!
The vegetables and protein in the below Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole recipe are honestly more of a suggestion than a rule; I was using up a bunch of vegetables I had on hand, so feel free to use whatever sounds good to you as well!
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.)
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
From August to October, figs are in season. Whenever I come across fresh figs, I just have to buy them!
I’ve shared recipes in the past using this yummy ingredient — everything from adding it to a flatbread to turning it into a cookie filling to using it in a jam.
So today I figured I’d go a little simpler with a favorite appetizer: Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Figs!
This recipe is so easy, and uses just 4 ingredients. They are great for parties or just as an appetizer with friends.
Note: I was sent samples of Bear Mountain BBQ Wood Pellets in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.
I’m going to keep the yummy smoked recipes going because, well, I can! This recipe for Smoky Bacon Topped Mac and Cheese would be a perfect make ahead dish to bring to your next barbecue.
The Bacon highlights the smoky flavor, but if you want to keep it vegetarian, just omit it!
This recipe is basically my Homemade Mac and Cheese recipe with a few adjustments to make it ready for some smoker action!
I’m not going to lie, I didn’t love stuffed peppers when I was younger. However, as I realize that there are multiple ways to make them, like these Tex-Mex Stuffed Peppers and this recipe for Lamb Stuffed Mediterranean Peppers I’m about to share, I’ve come around on how awesome they can really be!
This recipe is based off one a friend gave me years ago that I used to make Mediterranean Stuffed Mini Peppers. The recipe was so darn good, I figured it was about time I shared a main-meal version!
Note: I was sent some Philly Pretzel Factory coupons in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.
It is no secret that I am a proud Philadelphian. It’s also no secret that I love me a good charcuterie board / cheese plate. So it’s about time I make a Philadelphia themed charcuterie board!
What could possibly make a charcuterie board Philadelphia themed, you ask? The inspiration of this board came from Philly Pretzel Company, and their pretzel rivets and mini cheesesteaks. Instead of using crackers, I substituted in their yummy pretzel rivets and added in some mini cheesesteaks for good measure.
I then added in ingredients from some of my other Philadelphia favorites: DiBruno Brothers, Dietz and Watson, and Third Wheel Cheese Co.
The result is a wonderfully Philly-centric charcuterie board that is guaranteed to be a hit!
So, let’s break down what exactly else is on this board, starting with the ingredients from Philly Pretzel Factory:
The pretzel rivets are the perfect addition to a charcuterie board
Mini cheesesteaks combine some of the other ingredients on the board into one yummy bite
The spicy brown mustard works well with the rivets, plus many of the meats and cheeses on the board
The melted cheddar cheese is a must-have with the rivets (plus, dipping some of the meat into it is kind of amazing)
Next, Third Wheel Cheese. You can order these cheeses separately, or as part of a “Choose Your Own Adventure” cheese sampler.
Noblette Brie – Buttery, earthy, mushroomy, brie-like goodness. The tart, lactic and creamy cheese is aged 4-6 weeks.
Abruzze Jawn – Spiced with whole peppercorns, garlic, onion powder, and red pepper flakes.
Goat Rodeo Bamboozle – Semi-soft texture with notes of prosciutto and peanuts, this washed rind goat and cow’s milk cheese is aged for at least two months and washed with beer from Pittsburgh’s Cinderlands Beer Co.
Birchrun Hills Blue – Sweet and peppery with delicate blue flavors and a creamy texture.
Truffle Salami Medallions – Salami made with truffle
Dietz Nuts Original – Savory sausage bites, based on Dietz & Watson’s traditional European landjaeger.
And last but not least, I used a bunch of ingredients from DiBruno Bros.
Manchego – Buttery and springy, tinged with fresh Spanish grasses.
Beef Salami – Brooklyn Cured Smoked Beef Salami
Auricchio Straveccio Provolone – A sharp yet creamy provolone
Onion Jam – Slow-cooked caramelized onions and smooth Cabernet Sauvignon combine to make a savory spread.
Mild Abbruzze Sausage – Firm and mild, with hints of garlic and spice.
Green Cerignola Olives – A mild and easy-pleasin’ olive for even the most discerning of palates.
Spicy Soppressata – Rustic, savory, and spicy.
I finished the board off with some dried cherries, and some local honey from my neighbor, Bee Here Now.
We snacked on this ALL day. It was awesome! I even made myself a cheesesteak-themed bite – beef salami, onion jam, and provolone!
Naturally, I also had a side of pretzel rivets dipped in spicy mustard!
This Charcuterie Board would be a great add to a small get together, although my husband and I enjoyed it as a grazing station of sorts for us all day.
A Philadelphia themed charcuterie board created with ingredients from Philly Pretzel Factory, DiBruno Bros., Third Wheel Cheese Co., and Dietz & Watson
Course Appetizer, Party Apps
Keyword Charcuterie, Charcuterie Board, Cheese, Party Apps, Philadelphia, Soft Pretzels
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 30 minutesminutes
Servings 8servings
Ingredients
Philly Pretzel Factory:
Pretzel Rivets
Mini cheesesteaks
Spicy brown mustard
Melted cheddar cheese
Third Wheel Cheese:
Noblette Brie
Abruzze Jawn
Goat Rodeo Bamboozle
Birchrun Hills Blue
Dietz and Watson:
Truffle Salami Medallions
Dietz Nuts Original
DiBruno Bros.:
Manchego
Beef Salami
Auricchio Straveccio Provolone
Onion Jam
Mild Abbruzze Sausage
Green Cerignola Olives
Spicy Soppressata
Other Ingredients:
Dried cherries
Local Honey
Instructions
Philly Pretzel Factory:
The pretzel rivets are the perfect addition to a charcuterie board
Mini cheesesteaks combine some of the other ingredients on the board into one yummy bite
The spicy brown mustard works well with the rivets, plus many of the meats and cheeses on the board
The melted cheddar cheese is a must-have with the rivets (plus, dipping some of the meat into it is kind of amazing)
Third Wheel Cheese. You can order these cheeses separately, or as part of a “Choose Your Own Adventure” cheese sampler.
Noblette Brie – Buttery, earthy, mushroomy, brie-like goodness. The tart, lactic and creamy cheese is aged 4-6 weeks.
Abruzze Jawn – Spiced with whole peppercorns, garlic, onion powder, and red pepper flakes.
Goat Rodeo Bamboozle – Semi-soft texture with notes of prosciutto and peanuts, this washed rind goat and cow’s milk cheese is aged for at least two months and washed with beer from Pittsburgh’s Cinderlands Beer Co.
Birchrun Hills Blue – Sweet and peppery with delicate blue flavors and a creamy texture.
Dietz and Watson
Truffle Salami Medallions – Salami made with truffle
Dietz Nuts Original – Savory sausage bites, based on Dietz & Watson’s traditional European landjaeger.
DiBruno Bros.
Manchego – Buttery and springy, tinged with fresh Spanish grasses.
Beef Salami – Brooklyn Cured Smoked Beef Salami
Auricchio Straveccio Provolone – A sharp yet creamy provolone
Onion Jam – Slow-cooked caramelized onions and smooth Cabernet Sauvignon combine to make a savory spread.
Mild Abbruzze Sausage – Firm and mild, with hints of garlic and spice.
Green Cerignola Olives – A mild and easy-pleasin’ olive for even the most discerning of palates.
Spicy Soppressata – Rustic, savory, and spicy.
Other Ingredients
I finished the board off with some dried cherries, and some local honey from my neighbor, Bee Here Now.
Ironically, I’ve been having a hard time getting into a cooking groove during this pandemic. Even though I’m now home basically ALL the time, my job seems to have gotten even busier, and I’m in the process of getting my MBA so I seem to have even less time in the day to cook. Which means I need to get back into doing some food prep on my weekends more than ever, like making these Freezable Breakfast Burritos.
Breakfast is probably one of the hardest meals for me to actually make. For one, I’m not terribly good at making eggs. Plus, I’d much rather roll out of bed and start working immediately. So any make ahead recipes that I can quickly heat up are super helpful.
These Breakfast Burritos are perfect for hectic mornings. They are freezable, so you can take them out of the freezer the night before and just microwave them quickly in the morning. Plus, they are completely customizable to whatever you like in your breakfast burrito! This makes 10 breakfast burritos, so feel free to adjust as needed (my husband and I can polish these off within 2 weeks).
Ingredients:
1/2 (19 oz) bag of tater tots
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb breakfast sausage, casing removed (you may be able to find just ground breakfast sausage without the casing as well)
During these stay-at-home orders, there have been a few foods that I’ve been craving that I would order frequently from local restaurants. One of my biggest recent cravings was for Messina Social Club‘s pierogis. So, when I accidentally ordered 10 pounds of potatoes (?!), I figured it was the perfect time to try to make my own Homemade Pierogis.
This recipe is a very basic version, but once you try it out, you can add different stuffings to create different flavor profiles.
They also freeze really well, so feel free to double the recipe and stock your freezer for future meals!
Ingredients:
Dough:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
Filling:
1 cup mashed potatoes (I halved the recipe and substituted in sour cream for the Greek yogurt)
I am very much on the pressure cooker bandwagon. It’s awesome for tough cuts of meat, cooking beans, and other processes that can take forever, but my favorite use is speeding up recipes just enough to make them weeknight friendly!
We don’t actively follow the Mediterranean Diet, but following it can help reduce reduce inflammation, avoid disease, and lose weight, making it popular for anyone looking to live a healthier lifestyle. The Everything Mediterranean Instant Pot Cookbook shows you how to recreate classic Mediterranean meals in under an hour using the much-loved multi-cooker, the Instant Pot. With more than 300 recipes for delicious meals, snacks, and even desserts, you’ll have everything you need to create healthy, fresh, and fast meals every day of the week!
As I mentioned, I’ve already made a few recipes in here, but I wanted to share these recipe for Lemon Orzo with Crab and Herbs, which I’ve slightly adapted from the original in the cookbook.
Ingredients (serves 2):
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium shallot, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 fresh parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped, plus more for garnish
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
2 cups water (or chicken broth for more flavor)
8 oz orzo
8 oz jumbo lump crab meat
the juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for garnish
January is the time of year where many set goals for themselves for the next 12 months, with a lot of those goals centered around diet and exercise. I am not a registered dietician, and am not here to tell you what’s best for you to eat, but I do hope to offer a range of recipes for you to peruse.
Adding to my repertoire, this recipe is adapted from a Keto-inspired cookbook called The Dirty, Lazy, Keto Cookbook. The cookbook is written by Stephanie Laska, who lost more than half her body weight be adjusting the traditional keto diet into something she could stick with without using expensive, hard-to-find ingredients and without adhering to so many strict rules.
The general gist of the keto diet is based on a low-carb, high fat, adequate-protein diet that forces the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates for weight loss. These Bacon Egg Bites have very few carbs per serving, but will keep you full through a busy morning. The addition of multiple types of dairy make for fluffy, creamy eggs that can be transported to work or eaten quickly before heading out the door, a perfect breakfast for busy mornings!
What I really like about this recipe is it’s completely adaptable to what you might have on hand. I used this as a bit of a fridge cleaner, so feel free to substitute ingredients as you see fit!
Note: this recipe is adapted from The Dirty, Lazy, Keto Cookbook’s recipe for Starbucks Egg Bites
Ingredients:
4 strips no-sugar added bacon, cooked and crumbled
6 large eggs
1 cup shredded cheese of your choice (I used manchego)
1 (8 oz bar) full-fat cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup baby arugula (or whatever greens you have on hand – kale or spinach would also work)
One of my favorite cookbooks right now is Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow by Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky. If you haven’t heard of it, be sure to check it out. It’s filled with awesome recipes geared toward athletes, so I reference it all the time to make quick meals for my runner husband on weeknights.
A favorite recipe of ours from the cookbook is Pesto Pasta with Sardines, which got me thinking about anchovies, and how awesome they would be incorporated into classic pesto for an added boost of omega-3s, vitamin A, protein, iron, and a whole bunch more (those little guys really pack a nutritional punch!)
This pesto is freezable so it’s perfect as a make ahead condiment for super busy nights. It’s also super quick to make!
Ingredients (makes 1 pint):
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for storing
Chicken Riggies is a pasta dish native to Utica, NY consisting of chicken, peppers, and rigatoni in a spicy tomato-cream sauce. So why exactly is a Philadelphia-based blog posting a version of Smoked Chicken Riggies?
I had my first taste of this dish while visiting Utica earlier this year and loved how comforting the dish is!
A few months prior, I also had the opportunity to try some dishes from Cry Baby Pasta, an Italian restaurant that recently opened in Queen Village. Since then, I’ve been back for dinner as well, the food it awesome!
Source: Drew Callaghan
The restaurant, owed by restaurateurs Bridget Foy and Paul Rodriguez, offers a casual and warm atmosphere with a menu focusing on Italian fare prepared by husband-and-wife team chefs David Gilberg and Carla Concalves. (Gilberg and Concalves’ previous restaurant Koo Zee Doo was one of my absolute favorite restaurants in Philadelphia!)
Source: Society Hill Farms
The menu’s Italian fare is a mixture of traditional Italian dishes along with influences from Gilberg’s upbringing in Rochester, NY. Favorite items of mine include the meatballs with tomato and smoked ricotta, Bainbridge greens (Gilberg’s twist on Utica greens), the grilled sardine brochette, and, of course, the Rigatoni with vodka sauce, pancetta, smoked chicken and cherry peppers– an elevated version of Chicken Riggies.
Source: Kory Aversa
My version, Smoked Chicken Riggies, is an at-home version of Cry Baby Pasta’s dish. Chicken Riggies (especially when using smoked chicken sausage and pancetta) has a ton of flavor and comes together in no time, perfect for weeknight meals!
The end of April can mean only one thing, Flavors on the Avenue is almost here! Held the last Sunday of every April, Flavors on the Avenue is one of my favorite annual events. The food festival is held on E Passyunk Ave from Broad St to Dickinson St this Sunday, April 28 from 11am to 5pm.
Over two dozen of the region’s best restaurants will fire up street food, small plates, and signature dishes along the Avenue, ranging on average from $3.00 to $6.00 and will be pay-as-you-go. Craft beef, wine, and seasonal sips will also be available, sold by select restaurants, plus a Founders Brewing Co. Tasting Tent. Restaurants participating include:
Barcelona Wine Bar
Bing Bing Dim Sum
Brigantessa
Cantina Los Caballitos
Chhaya Cafe
El Sarape Restaurant
Essen Bakery
Fond
Fuel
ITV Philly
Izumi
Le Virtù
Mamma Maria Ristorante
Manatawny Still Works
Noir Philadelphia
Paradiso Restaurant
Pistola’s Del Sur
Plenty Café
P’unk Burger
Redcrest Fried Chicken
Saté Kampar
Stogie Joe’s Tavern
The Bottle Shop
Teas n’ Mi
Tre Scalini
Vanilya Bakery
In addition to all of the yummy food options, look for live music and entertainment throughout the festival, plus bring the kids for free family fun activities in kid zones up and down the avenue.
Source: EPABID
Retail, family, and fashion shops along the avenue will also be participating; look for shopping, sidewalk sales, special events, workshops, and much more!
Source: EPABID
This is an event that I’ve been attending since it first began as Flavors of the Avenue, under a tent. In 2017, the event moved along the avenue itself and has become the largest event on E Passyunk.
Source: EPABID
To read some of my past posts highlighting this event, check out:
This year, I wanted to highlight one of the many vegetarian options that will be offered on Sunday: Eggplant Meatballs from Brigantessa! I attended a media event for Flavors this year and was struck with how many delicious meatless options will be offered this year.
Every Sunday is pasta night in my house, so we went for a meatless Sunday, substituting in these yummy Eggplant Meatballs for our usual Meatballs in Tomato Sauce.
Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 small onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced (or use a garlic press)
2 (28 oz) cans tomato puree
1 bay leaf
4 tablespoons chopped basil, divided, plus more for serving
salt and pepper, to taste
2.5 cups bread crumbs (I used Italian bread crumbs)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving
