This is our go to for day after holiday parties or new year’s celebrations – it’s comforting, creamy, meaty and delicious!
B&G Casserole
Ingredients:
1 can flaky biscuits (8)
1/2 lb mild pork sausage
3 tbs flour
2.5 cups whole milk
Salt & Pepper
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450f and grease a 9 x 13 baking dish
Cut each biscuit into quarters, and place half of the quarters in the baking dish
Bake the layer of biscuits for 10 – 12 minutes, until they’ve puffed up and just started to brown. Remove from oven and set aside
Meanwhile let’s make gravy! Brown your sausage in a medium skillet, cooking through. Sprinkle flour over the sausage and stir, allowing the flour to cook until it’s no longer raw, around a minute
Pour in milk and stir to combine, making sure to scrape up those yummy browned bits on the bottom
Season to taste with salt and freshly cracked black pepper – I’d recommend starting with a tsp of each and add more if needed
Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring continually. Let the gravy reduce and thicken until it coats the back of a spoon. (It can be a little more liquidy than usual, it’ll continue to thicken in the oven!)
Pour the gravy over the pre-cooked biscuit quarters. Layer the remaining raw biscuit quarters in top
Bake the casserole for another 15 – 20 minutes, until the gravy is bubbling and the top biscuits are golden brown
Viola! Let it sit as long as you can stand it, it’s ready to eat as soon as it cools to an edible temperature 😉
This weekend was the first time we’ve visited our local farmer’s market since the beginning of this maddening pandemic. It was absolutely amazing to be reminded of the vibrant local food culture we have here in Columbia and that it is still alive and well after all this craziness. We picked up some beautiful veggies – please see the gorgeous purple asparagus below! We also had the good fortune to catch a booth with some wild-foraged ramps. The first thing we wanted to do with these veggies was keep it simple and throw them on the grill with just some simple seasonings so we could just taste the veggies themselves. This recipe for Grilled Asparagus and Wild Ramps is the product!
A note on ramps! Ramps are a wild allium, related to the leek and the shallot. They are very picky about where and when they grow, and are available for a very short time in the spring in the regions they grown in at all! If you’re not lucky enough to have ramps available to you at the moment, leeks can be substituted.
Ingredients
1 – 2 bunches wild ramps (or 2 large leeks)
1 lb asparagus
2 – 3 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper
Instructions
Fire up the grill! Bring it up to medium high heat
Clean the roots from the end of the ramps (but leave most of the white part!). Chop the tough ends off the asparagus
Drizzle the ramps (including the leaves!) and asparagus with olive oil, and toss lightly with your hands to coat. Season generously with salt and black pepper.
Put the ramps and asparagus out on the grill in a single layer, allowing to char on each side for 1 – 2 minutes (the crispy blackened ramp leaves we got out of our batch were my favorite part)
Serve immediately with grilled chicken, a light pasta dish, or next to a juicy steak
That’s it, you’re done, you made the easiest most delicious side dish ever!
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This recipe is an Alex special! One of our favorite restaurants in Columbia has turned this guy from a brussel sprouts hater to a brussels sprouts lover! Their brussels sprouts side features thick cut bacon and roasted garlic – Alex got in the kitchen the other day and decided to take that thought to the next level. Gochugaru Bacon and Brussels Sprouts may be our new favorite homecooked side dish.
What’s gochugaru you ask? Gochugaru is Korean chili powder or chili flakes. They are a little more mild than the typical crushed red pepper flake, but can still pack a bit of a punch! You can substitute crushed red chili flakes or (be careful with this one) cayenne instead of gochugaru.
Ingredients
1 lb large brussel sprouts, cut in halves or quarters
6 – 7 slices thick cut bacon (we used Wright’s!)
4-5 cloves fresh garlic (more to taste or if available lol)
1 – 2 tsp onion powder
1 – 2 tsp korean chili flakes (gochugaru – can substitute crushed red chili flakes)
salt and black pepper to taste
2-3 tbs Irish salted or unsalted butter (we used Kerrigold)
2 tbs lemon juice
Instructions
Trim then chop brussel sprouts several different ways for different sizes and textures e.g. halves, diced, chopped, sliced and halfed, etc. for whatever combo suits you. Place in colander to wash and then set aside.
Roughly chop the garlic. No need to go super fine or garlic smasher them you want them to show up in the mix.
Stack a few pieces of bacon (or all of them if you have a good enough knife) and slice in to small strips. Separate by hand a bit before setting aside.
Set a large cast iron skillet over medium heat to bring to temperature
Add bacon to pre-heated skillet and keep heat medium to low while stirring bacon often.
Add garlic to cooking bacon and continue to stir occasionally for 1-2 minutes. Return heat to medium and allow to sit until bacon has rendered a bit of fat but before the bacon gets too crispy.
Add brussel sprouts to skillet and stir until covered with the bacon grease.
Then, stir in onion powder and gochugaru. No matter what type of chili you’re using here, start small if you’re not sure about spicy stuff, and add more if you find it needs it.
Add salt and black pepper to taste, keeping in mind whether your butter is salted or not.
Preheat your oven’s broiler at this point and set your rack to one of the higher positions.
Lower skillet heat to medium-low and add butter and lemon juice. Stir the ingredients and allow brussels sprouts to just begin to get tender.
Finally, add cast iron to broiler in oven. Broil until bacon begins to crisp and brussel sprouts are cooked through to your liking!
You know, until I started writing things down for this blog I had no idea so many of the recipes in my personal go-to list involved chipotle seasonings and peppers – it’s amazing the things you just do all the time and never notice! These broiled chipotle shrimp salad bowls were an experiment on a whim, and I’m really happy with how it turned out!
The coleslaw in this bowl is a creamy apple slaw recipe from Spend With Pennies and may be my new standard.
Broiled Chipotle Shrimp Bowl Ingredients
Makes 2 – 3 servings
1 lb frozen, peeled, deveined shrimp (tails off)
2 tbs butter
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs taco seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 medium chipotle chili in adobo sauce
2 tsp adobo sauce (from the chipotles in adobo sauce can)
Thaw the shrimp in a colander under running water, this will only take a couple minutes! Remove tails if needed. Place thawed shrimp in a container or ziploc bag (we’ll be marinating in here)
Take your chipotle pepper and slice it open, scraping out most of the seeds from the inside. Chop in a small dice.
Melt the butter in a small bowl. Stir in olive oil, taco seasoning, garlic powder, sugar (if using), chopped chipotle, and adobo sauce.
Pour the butter mixture over the thawed shrimp and stir (or massage bag) to coat the shrimp. Marinate for at least 30 minutes to up to a few hours. The butter will set up a little bit – that’s okay!
Place your oven rack in one of the higher positions and preheat the broiler to 500 – let it get pretty hot in there!
Cover a sheet pan in foil (for easy clean up!). Spread out the marinated shrimp in one layer so they are not overlapping.
Broil the shrimp for 5 minutes, then check for doneness – if the shrimp are not pink and starting to firm, broil for 1 – 2 minutes more, being careful to not burn or overcook them.
To serve, in each bowl place 1 – 2 cups fresh spinach and 1/2 cup or so apple slaw. Top with chipotle shrimp. This would also be great with cilantro and a little lime juice squeezed over top!
Wondering what else to do with those chipotle peppers in adobo sauce? Try out our Chipotle Chili recipe.
Ginger Garlic Brown Rice & Peas is a great side for soupy mains, like the wonderful Instant Pot Coconut Butter Chicken or just on its own with a fried egg on top! It has enough subtle flavor to give a flavorful dish a little something extra. I had peas in the freezer when we made this but you could definitely toss in pretty much any veggie or green – whatever you have on hand!
Ginger Garlic Brown Rice & Peas Ingredients
2 cups chicken broth (my favorite is the College Inn brand!)
2 tbs fresh ginger, sliced
4 – 5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs ghee, butter, or olive oil
1 cup brown rice
1 cup frozen peas
Salt and pepper, to taste
Ginger Garlic Brown Rice & Peas Instructions
Add the chicken broth, garlic, ginger, and ghee to a medium pot and bring to just boiling
Add the brown rice, reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook the rice for 45 minutes or until tender. If the rice looks like it doesn’t have enough liquied, add more chicken broth a tablespoon at a time.
Once the rice is cooked, remove the lid and remove the ginger slices. Add the peas, stirring them in and allowing to cook until the veggies are heated through
Taste for salt and add some if needed. Add a dash of black pepper
Enjoy! This rice is great with a fried egg and some chili oil on top, or as a side to curries or saucy dishes
This Coconut Butter Chicken recipe is based on a recipe I first found on The Bettered Blondie – we make it a couple times a month and it’s a great meal to make on a weeknight. It’s a little bit creamy, with lots of deep flavors and the cinnamon is a delightful twist. Just throw everything in the Instant Pot (or a pressure cooker) and then a little simmer at the end and you’re good to go!
1 tbs tapioca starch (can sub corn starch, potato starch, or flour!)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 – 2 limes, quartered
Coconut Butter Chicken Instructions
In a small bowl, mix together the salt, garam masala, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne pepper (if using)
Cut chicken thighs into cubes and add to the instant pot
Add the rest of the ingredients (don’t forget the cinnamon stick!) except the tapioca starch and cilantro (they’ll come in later!)
Pressure cook on high for 15 minutes, and then release the steam carefully before removing the lid
Turn on your instant pot’s saute feature and bring the chicken to a boil. Stir in your thickening agent (we used tapioca starch but another starch or flour will work as well!) making sure there are no clumps
Allow the chicken to simmer and thicken up for 5 – 8 minutes, or just keep an eye on it and turn it off when it gets to your desired thickness
We made a batch of Garlic Ginger Rice & Peas, which makes a great pair with this dish! In a bowl or plate, I recommend complementing the butter chicken with something that will help soak up all that delicious butter chicken juice – whether it’s rice, cauliflower rice, or a pile of greens.
Just before eating, top with a sprinkle of cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice
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This is our current go-to chili recipe, we make it a few times a month. It’s super easy to throw together on a weeknight and is low-carb to boot!
We originally started making this style of chili while on our first Whole30. It was one of the first times I’d ever even had chili without beans in it, so I was a little skeptical. The recipe below is loosely based on one from the wonderful Whole Cook blog, and I’m so glad we found it when we did!
Note: The recipe in its current form is not Whole30 compliant – to make it so, simply omit the canned chipotle peppers and sauce.
The chipotle chili powder and canned chipotle peppers in adobo in this recipe are what give it a little spicy kick. If you’re sensitive to spice, start small here and taste as you go. We can regularly find the peppers in the same aisle as the taco shells and salsa. You may be able to find the chipotle chili powder in a typical seasoning section at the grocery store, but we’ve had to order it from time to time as well. Here is one I’ve ordered in the past!
2 tsp adobo sauce (from pepper can, omit if Whole30)
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
Directions
In a small bowl, combine all chili seasoning ingredients and set aside
Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Crumble the beef into the pan and allow it to start to brown
Throw in the bell pepper, onion, and garlic and saute the beef and veggies until the beef is no longer pink and the onions have begun to soften
Add in the chili seasoning and mix with the meat and veggies. Allow to cook for a minute or two
Add the tomato paste and chopped adobo peppers and mix until combined. Cook for 1 – 2 minutes.
Add in the rest of the ingredients. If you like a soupier chili, add a little extra chicken broth.
Once all is combined, bring to a simmer. Once simmering, lower the heat and cover. Let simmer for 20 – 30 minutes.
Uncover and taste for salt – add more if desired.
Serve with your favorite chili toppings – this time we chose avocado and green onion! Just as delicious with cheese, crackers, or some crusty bread for soaking up the last little bits.
Sundays are a day for relaxing, filling idle time, and fighting the Sunday Scaries. In our house, we like to use Sunday mornings to test new recipes and use up fun odds and ends ingredients from the past week. Today we had some excellent ingredients leftover from our Christmas Eve cheese and charcuterie board, and man did this sandwich experiment turn out great!
Local Ingredients
We live in Columbia, MO, a medium-sized college town in the Midwest US. I am constantly delighted by the food community in this area, and this sandwich showcases some amazing ingredients from a local charcuterie and a local cheesemaker.
The cheese in this sandwich is a blended sheep and Jersey cow milk bloomy rind, known as Woolly Rind, and comes from Green Dirt Farm, a farm located just a couple hours west of here that is running a sustainable operation and producing delicious cheeses!
Second, the sourdough bread and absolutely addicting maple-cured city ham come from Barred Owl Butcher & Table, right here in Columbia! If you’re a local and haven’t tried some of this restaurant’s phenomenal selection of meats, cheeses, wines and cocktails, you are missing out!
Improvisation
This recipe is an experiment, and I think I’d make a few adjustments next time, although this sandwich as is was decadent, filling, and addictively tasty! We used our favorite mayo, and the apple gave the sandwich a crisp, sweet flavor. I think next time I make this sandwich I will change it up and use a honey mustard, and maybe even a little drizzle of honey to finish the apples to kick up that sweet flavor a little bit.
Second, don’t have (or like) brie? No worries! This sandwich would be amazing with different cheeses. Try a sharp cheddar, a creamy provolone, or even a smoked gouda!
The bread is another great ingredient that doesn’t necessarily need to be what listed in this recipe. I would recommend a bread with flavor and quite a bit of texture to stand up to all the fat and flavor from the cheese and ham.
Sandwiches are a great way to try out new flavor combinations, let me know what improvisations you’d make in this recipe!
Decadent Brie, Ham & Apple Sandwich
Ingredients
2 large slices crusty sourdough bread
1 tbs butter
1 – 2 tbs mayo or honey mustard
2 – 6 slices maple-cured ham
2 – 3 oz. brie cheese (sheep, cow, or blended! Any soft, buttery cheese will do)
2 – 6 apple slices
Sprinkle of black pepper
Directions
On one side of your bread slices, spread just a very thin layer of butter
On the other side of one of the slices of bread, spread half of the mayo or mustard (as much or as little as you like!)
On top of that, layer the ham and brie slices
Broil the sandwich, leaving the second piece of bread butter side up so it can toast, until the brie is starting to brown and bubble, and the toast is getting toasty, 4 – 5 minutes – but keep an eye on it!
Remove the sandwich from the broiler and spread the rest of your mayo or mustard on the top slice of bread. Grind just a sprinkle of black pepper over each side.
Layer apple slices on top of the melty cheese and place the top on your sandwich
Enjoy!
Do you have weekend routines that help stave off those Sunday feelings of dread? I’d love to hear about them!
This mac and cheese recipe is a little over the top! It combines rich ingredients and some smoky flair to make it unforgettable. We make this at least a few times during the holiday season, and I never leave an event we’ve brought it to without a few requests for the recipe!
The big stars that make this dish stand out are the smoked gouda in the sauce, and the chipotle chili powder in the bread crumb topping. The smoked gouda gives a little more depth and complexity to the noodles, and the spice in the topping gives it a surprising kick!
Tips for Better Macaroni & Cheese
1. Cold boil your noodles
We’ve been trying out this method from Alton Brown, and we love it! Especially in pasta recipes that will use some of the pasta water it has been a pretty good change to our process.
2. Get better pasta
We try to keep our pasta intake limited to special occasions, so quality is a focus for these special splurges. Spending just a little more on your pasta actually makes a really big difference in the final product, both in flavor and texture. Getting a pasta that has a little rougher surface like bronze-cut pastas will allow your sauce to cling to the noodle a little easier, making your recipe feel more cohesive and fancy.
3. Shred your own cheese
Shredding your own cheese can seem tedious and the pre-shredded bags are easy to pick up. I can’t stress enough how much of a difference shredding your own cheese will make for this recipe. Pre-shredded cheese has additives that will cause it to melt differently, and will generally just produce a lower quality flavor and texture for the sauce. For the holidays when we know cheese will be on the menu, we usually head to Sam’s Club and pick up the large bricks of cheese that are a) a great deal and b) really great quality! We then use a food processor with a shred attachment to make quick work of shredding even several cups of cheese. Don’t skip this – it’s worth it!
Forgot the bread crumbs? Crackers will work in a pinch!
I got started assembling all the ingredients to create this beautiful recipe, and I realized I had completely forgotten to get bread crumbs – probably my favorite part! We had some bread that we could have used, but searching the pantry we spotted something else – a sleeve of Carr’s crackers. We decided to try crunched up crackers instead of bread crumbs, as you can see in the photo – and it worked out just great!
This is one of the basic values we want to promote on this blog – cooking is for all of us, and we’re all humans. Just because you don’t have an ingredient doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t create something delicious. Don’t be afraid to improvise!
Show Stopping Smoky Macaroni & Cheese
Ingredients
1 lb pasta (cavatappi or other spiral noodle, we used fusili this time!)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large pot, cook your pasta to a little less than al dente (a minute or two less than indicated on the package), the pasta will continue cooking a little in the oven.
Drain pasta and cool under cold running water. Pasta should be slightly firm. Toss drained pasta in oil and reserve.
Melt one stick butter in a large sauce pot over medium heat. Add your chopped onion and saute for 4 – 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent and start to smell really good.
Add flour and whisk or stir to combine. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes to get rid of the raw flavor, but do not let it brown.
Add cream, milk, salt and white pepper. Don’t over salt at this point, we’ll taste for salt and adjust when we add the cheese!
Bring pot to a simmer. Cook until sauce is thick, about 5 – 6 minutes.
Turn off the heat and gradually add the shredded cheese to the pot, stirring and allowing to melt before adding more.
At this point, taste for salt – if more is needed add a 1/4 – 1/2 tsp at a time until it suits your fancy.
Pour pasta and sauce into a 9 x 12″ baking dish and make sure all noodles are coated with sauce.
In a small microwave-safe bowl, add the final two tablespoons butter and melt in the microwave. Pour over breadcrumbs and add the chipotle chili powder, mixing until combined.
Spread breadcrumbs over the pasta and bake for 15 – 20 minute until it begins to brown the breadcrumbs and the mac is bubbly.
