Cactus casserole with rice, ancho chiles and cheese Every year at this time, I face the same problem. See, I’m a bit lackadaisical when it comes to buying my plane ticket home for Thanksgiving. And now that it’s so close to the date, prices have risen to insane heights. Oh, you’d think that I’d get wise and start buying my ticket early, but much to the consternation of my family I do this to myself every year. Of course, I tell myself that if it’s meant to happen I will be with my family. Well, this got me thinking. Have you ever eaten cactus? When people ask, “What does cactus taste like,” the best answer is that it’s similar to green beans. Another popular way to serve cactus is to cook it in a chile cream sauce, which is what I used as the base for my casserole. I have to admit, when I made this I had no idea how it would taste as I was just acting on a whim. For the past couple of weeks we’ve been bombarded with reminders that Thanksgiving is coming soon, so perhaps your Thanksgiving menu is already planned. Yield: 8-10 servings
Fried Mac and Cheese Balls - Damn Delicious A comfort classic that everyone will be fighting for! Crisp on the outside yet so soft, creamy and cheesy on the inside. YESSS! Guys. After 3 days and 2 nights in Death Valley, I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it. But I did. I won’t get into the details of the sand storm and the 18 degree cold we were sleeping in, BUT! I will get into this. Fried mac and cheese balls. Great for Thanksgiving leftovers. Or for Game Day. Works great on either occasions. Or both. That way you have a convenient excuse to make this more than once a year. A comfort classic that everyone will be fighting for! thanksgiving Fried Mac and Cheese Balls 15 minutes15 minutes Chungah Rhee Ingredients: 3 cups macaroni and cheese, homemade or store-bought2 cups vegetable oil, or more, as needed2 large eggs, beaten1 1/2 cups Panko2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives Directions: Did you Make This Recipe? Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious. Nutrition Facts Serving Size Servings Per Container 12 Amount Per Serving
Green chile hominy casserole with chorizo My grandma thinks I am incapable of making any recipe without chile peppers. And she finds this very amusing. Take our conversation about hominy casserole the other day. Well, it’s no secret that I love chile peppers. But back to this hominy casserole—when I was at my grandma’s house in July, she had provided me with a fat file of recipes she’s collected over the years. Hominy casserole, which at it’s most basic is simply a mixture of hominy with sour cream and cheddar cheese, is an old-fashioned Southern side dish you don’t see that often anymore. Grandma’s hominy casserole is the classic rendition of the dish, though she also shared with me one that was a bit more gussied up with olives and pimentos. The best thing about this creamy casserole, however, is that it’s a snap to make and a one-skillet dish, which makes it perfect for a quick weeknight supper. Method:Roast the poblano chiles under the broiler until blackened, about 5 minutes per side. Preheat the oven to 350.
Brie Stuffed Crispy Baby Potatoes. - Half Baked Harvest Say hello to your last-minute Thanksgiving appetizer, Brie Stuffed Crispy Baby Potatoes. Around here, there’s one thing besides the turkey that’s very important on Thanksgiving Day…the appetizers. I don’t know about you guys, but no matter how hard I try, I can never get dinner on the table before six or seven. I know, I know! Thanksgiving meal is meant to be eaten on the early side, but guys I just can’t get it together. I always have so many dishes I want to make! A little back story. Normally, my family’s Thanksgiving Day looks a little something like this, I’ll wake up, do a quick hike, and then get right in the kitchen and start preparing dinner. Yes, we are like the Griswold’s, but worse…on so many levels. By the time everyone is home from cutting down the Christmas tree, they are getting pretty hungry. Enter these extra crispy, extra buttery, brie stuffed roasted potatoes. Oh. As if potatoes weren’t good enough on their own, I added the two foods that could make them heaven worthy.
seven-yolk pasta dough Last month, I was cleaning photos off on my old hard drive and discovered a glaring oversight on my food blogging part: I had never told you about one of my proudest kitchen triumphs to date, mastering the pasta nest! By “pasta nest” I mean the method of creating a well inside a mound of flour, placing several egg yolks in the center and creating pasta dough with your fingertips alone. Why is this process so intimidating? Don’t countless cooks all over Italy do precisely this every single day without fail? “… I ran into a problem,” Steingarten writes in The Man Who Ate Everything. As I began to incorporate flour from the crater’s inner wall, a wavelet of egg slashed over the top, causing a serious erosion problem, and when I nimble scooped up a handful of flour and from the stable side of the mound and used it to stanch the flow, the crate collapsed. Question: What are you most the most scared to cook? One year ago: Sour Cream Bran Muffins Dust the clean work surface with a little flour.
Easy Roasted Garlic Hummus - The Chunky Chef Creamy, rich hummus with a deep, slightly sweet roasted garlic flavor. Whip it up in the food processor and enjoy it with some crispy pita chips or naan! Hummus is so easy to make and is guaranteed to be a party favorite! Hummus is one of those things that until I was in my mid-twenties, I’d never tried before. Have you ever roasted garlic before? I’ve always been a garlic fan… could never have too much. If you’ve never done it before… it’s super easy! The cloves get golden and caramelized, super soft, and oh so fragrant! I usually roast several heads of garlic and then store whatever I’m not using right away. Alright, I’ll stop blabbing on about garlic and get to the actual hummus lol. Most of these ingredients are common and you probably have them in your pantry, with the exception of maybe one. If you can’t find it or prefer to do it yourself, here’s a great homemade version! Just zip up your ingredients in your food processor and you’re good to go! Recipe adapted from Cooking Classy
mushroom bourguignon When it is as cruelly cold out as it has been this week, beef bourguignon is one of my favorite things. If there is anything better than a symphony of onions, carrots, red wine, broth and a scoop of tomato paste simmered for hours, I haven’t met it. I don’t want to meet it. I already know my favorite. Julia Child’s recipe was always my mother’s go-to dish for company and back in the day, the smell of it braising in the oven was enough to get me to reconsider my vegetarianism. But I finally figured out how I wanted to do it on Monday night, and just in time: it’s a freaking icicle out there. It was heavenly, warm and comforting and I dare say, the best antidote to this shivering January. Conversions: The housekeeping bender doesn’t stop! Cupcakes! Chocolate Stout Cake: The Chocolate Stout Cake gets gussied up for Valentines Day in the February issue of Elle. One year ago: Chicken Caesar SaladTwo years ago: Leek and Mushroom Quiche Mushroom Bourguignon Serves 4
The Only Frittata Recipe You'll Ever Need Talk about versatile: A good frittata is an egg dish that can be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner; tastes as good (and arguably better) cold or at room temperature as it does warm; and can be packed with just about anything—including leftovers. The bonus? It's also incredibly easy. But to make this classic Italian dish even easier, swap the traditional (and tricky) folding-and-flipping stovetop technique for a stir-and-bake one. The result will be a frittata with a silky texture that hovers between quiche and omelet. That technique is covered in the infographic below, along with six winning flavor combinations. size it right Any 2-quart baking dish works well for this frittata. go easy with the beating Beat the eggs only enough to blend the whites and yolks. pre-cook your mix-ins While just about anything can be stirred into the egg base, you should stick to ingredients that are already cooked. Make-Ahead The frittata can be served immediately or warm.
my family’s noodle kugel [Guest post by Deb's mom!]Last year, I briefly told you the story of how my mother jokes that she married my father for his family’s noodle kugel recipe. But then, as if just to be cruel, I tried my own spin on it with cream cheese and dried cherries. Was it delicious? Oh, heck yeah. Are you long overdue to get a taste of the real deal? Growing up in a German family, I had many noodle puddings. I asked a relative for the recipe on the spot. I have often stated that if I were stranded on an island and could only take one food with me, it would be this version of noodle pudding. Previous guest posters: Jocelyn, Molly and Deb’s dad One year ago: Hello Dolly BarsTwo years ago: Lemon Pound Cake My Family’s Noodle Kugel 1 pound wide egg noodles 8 eggs 2 cups sugar (Mom uses 1 1/2 cups) 2 pounds full-fat cottage cheese, creamed or large curd 2 sticks (1 cup or 8 ounces) melted unsalted butter or margarine (Mom uses 1 1/2 sticks butter) 2 teaspoons vanilla Dash of salt Pour into a 9×13-inch pan.
Shredded Chicken Tacos - CakeWhiz *Thank you Old El Paso for sponsoring today’s post so that I can share this recipe for shredded chicken tacos with all of you. As always, all opinions are mine.* Guys! Cinco De Mayo is coming up and just like most years, my family and friends will be coming over to our place and we will have a Mexican FIESTA potluck. Now, my family is really big on holidays. I am responsible for making these Mexican SHREDDED chicken tacos that I have been making for years, These EASY shredded chicken tacos with taco seasoning are DELICIOUS and my guests always comes back for second and third helpings. Before everyone arrives, I set up a table with VARIOUS toppings, tortillas and taco shells. This way, everyone can mix and match and make their own UNIQUE tacos. To be honest, I am NOT sure if these are authentic Mexican shredded chicken tacos/ authentic chicken tacos BUT they are truly the BEST chicken tacos I have ever made. So, you might be wondering: What toppings to put on a taco? Jalapeno chicken Print
My Mother’s Lasagna Quite awhile ago, I received an e-mail from Tiel, a regular reader of this little blog. Tiel asked if I could share a lasagna recipe. What Tiel wants, Tiel gets! As it happens, lasagna is a dish near and dear to my heart. At a certain point, my grandmother stopped making lasagna as regularly. As with all great lasagna, my mother’s begins with fresh pasta dough. Once you have the pasta down, the next step is the tomato sauce. With the pasta and tomato sauce at the ready, the other key ingredient for a perfect lasagna is the cheese. My mother’s lasagna, for me, is the very best. Ciao! My Mother’s Lasagna Treasured family recipe. For the tomato sauce: For the pasta: Use the pasta recipe in my post about Tajarin. To assemble the lasagna: 1-1/2 to 2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano 1-1/2 cups freshly grated mozzarellaPreheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Note: This lasagna will easily serve 8 to 10 people. If you have tomato sauce left over, it can be frozen and used for pasta or pizza.
Crispy Panko Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce Now here’s my kind of appetizer/party food! I love anything that’s got a perfectly golden brown crisp crust and dunked in some kind of delicious sauce. Here you get the tastiest, skillet seared, crispy panko crusted shrimp that’s seasoned with herbs and spices and it’s paired with a simple yet flavorful cocktail sauce. What I’m getting at is that it’s sure to be a crowd pleaser! Share on Pinterest This shrimp is the perfect appetizer for tailgating, just pile them high on a platter and of course nix the forks and let everyone dive in. If you aren’t a fan of cocktail sauce you can serve it with any other shrimp sauce you’d like. Even though it’s taken some time I’m glad my family has come around to loving shrimp! Share on Pinterest Share on Pinterest Share on Pinterest Share on Pinterest Print Yield: About 7 servings as an appetizer Shrimp Cocktail sauce (store-bought can be substituted) 3/4 cup ketchup 1 1/2 Tbsp prepared horseradish 2 tsp fresh lemon juice 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce