We’re going retro on this post and I love it.

The Holiday Cheeseball is a classic, like bacon and dates, shrimp and cocktail sauce, chicken on a stick with peanut satay. They all say “grab a rum and coke and take a deep breath”. They’re not new ways to wow people but rather old favorites that invite everyone to put their hair down and relax, like piano ballads or cult movies. They’re feel good and you have fun with them.

They’re also really easy. I’m convinced these were invented because someone was scrambling to make something for a holiday party and looked in their fridge. The ingredients are what we pretty much have in our bare bones state + still thriving herb pot.

The combo my mom made most frequently growing up involves a stick of butter, a package of cream cheese, gorgonzola and garlic. (Feel free to use less butter if you are offended.) Salt, pepper and Worchester help all those flavors mingle and the result is the most pungent and umami sensation. Creamy and salty with a kick from the garlic and the blue cheese. Use more or less depending on how much you love it.

I recommend either setting out the dairy to become soft, or warming in the microwave (watching carefully) for 30-60 seconds. The hand mixer helps everything distribute evenly but feel free to trust your folding skills with a spatula.

Then chill in the fridge for 30-60 minutes, letting the flavors develop. When it is a little firm, mold it into a ball with plastic wrap and set in the fridge until the butter hardens and it keeps its shape. Then you can roll it in the chopped parsley.

 

 

Here are three easy versions of this, but feel free to think about your favorite ingredients and try them out. But the Holiday Cheese ball begs to be a vehicle for different flavor profiles: Olives + nuts, capers + salmon + dill, sundried tomatoes + basil.

They also love to be turned into things – a turkey (with sliced almond), a pumpkin (with shredded carrots). You can even stick some mistletoe in it for some holiday flare. Because we all do weird things at the holidays.

The sky is the limit friends. So I hope this helps you find a super easy way to celebrate.

Happy Eating, xoxo Katie

Holiday Cheese Ball: (printer version here): 

Garlic and Gorgonzola Recipe:

1 stick of butter, softened 

1 brick of cream cheese, softened (I use ⅓ less fat)

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 T. Worchestershire sauce

¼-½ cup crumbled Gorgonzola

¼ t. Salt

Let butter and cream cheese soften, or carefully soften in microwave being sure not to melt butter. Combine all ingredients in bowl and mix with a hand mixer or very thoroughly with a spatula. Chill for 30 minutes in bowl. Form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for another 30 minutes or until firm. Roll in chopped parsley or other favorite herbs.

Bacon and Smoked Gouda Recipe: (I love this one!) 

Follow same recipe but instead of blue cheese, garlic, and parsley use:

½ cup shredded smoked gouda

4-6 strips of bacon crumbs

½ cup chopped smoked almonds for rolling the outside (or enough to coat cheese ball)

(You can use parsley if you want it nut free)

Herb Goat Cheese Ball:

Follow same recipe but instead of blue cheese use:

4 oz. goat cheese

½ cup finely chopped red peppers (or ¼ cup red, ¼ green for Christmas)

3 T. each chopped parsley, chives, basil for rolling 

Anyone need some comfort food?

I know I do.

There is no doubt that this week has taken a psychological toll on everyone. I think it is good to go back to the simple things that help us care for ourselves and each other.

Somehow, despite the discord out there, and all the things we wish were different, I am finding so much deep peace in here. It might be because I really did find a deep gratitude after reading Present Over Perfect in my day to day. It might be because I am lost in another world as I try to finish my final edits of my first novel, which will be published soon. The people in that world are broken and trying to find love and peace, and I know how that story turns out, so it gives me hope for the real world.

Maybe it’s because even before the election, I’ve been trying to root myself deeply in gratitude and love, and in the people around me that I feel deeply connected too. In the simple act of making dinner and being together. My heart is with the Beatitudes, and my hands are busy chopping and feeding and typing. I am feeling deeply grateful for things like a warm house, a chilly fall run with friends, tucking my kids into cozy beds at night. It might not be exactly what we want to wake up to the next day, and there is plenty of uncertainty, but there is still love and hope and joy.

So here is a simple dinner we have been loving. I have made this easy Chicken Parmesan three times in the last two weeks. When I posted this on Instagram stories, people asked me for the recipe, so I thought I’d make it official. It is comfort food at its best, great for a family meal and even better the next day with some roasted broccoli and cauliflower for lunch (trust me, you have to try this combo).

I call this Easy Chicken Parm because other then a quick dredge and fry, this is really just assembly. I love the fresh spinach in here because there is no fiddling with a frozen hunk of spinach that I always, always burn myself on when I try to drain the water out after a thawing it in the microwave. I sprinkle it with garlic salt because spinach + garlic = yum.

I am also sure to season the chicken breasts very well after I pound them. And you can use fresh grated parm or the kind from the green can in this recipe. I have used both depending on what I have around.

I pretty much just want to make a tray of this for the whole world.

You all already know how I feel about Rao’s Sauce, but it makes this dish incredible, so I feel the need to point you there yet again. The big jar is on sale here.

Hope you find some long walks, warm baths or fireplaces, and lots of hugs with real people, not just people on the Internet. And make a pan of this for them, when you get the chance.

Happy Eating, xoxo Katie

Easy Chicken Parmesan (printer version here): 

Ingredients:

4-6 chicken breasts, pounded until even and about ½ inch thick

1/2 cup flour

2 eggs, beaten

¾ cup grated parm

¾ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

Salt and pepper

¼ cup olive oil

4 cups fresh spinach

2 jars of favorite spaghetti sauce (you already know I love Rao’s)

2 cups shredded mozzarella

1 box of penne or favorite pasta, cooked according to package

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350, and heat oil in large frying pan on medium-high heat (I often use two pans to cook all the chicken breasts at the same time).

Prepare chicken by pounding thin, then season with salt and pepper.

Arrange dredging station: using either flat pans or shallow bowls,put flour in one, egg in another, and the mixture of grated parm (the kind from the jar works well her but I have used freshly grated too, they are both good) and breadcrumbs in a third.

When oil is hot, dredge each thin breast into the flour, egg, and breadcrumb mixture.

Lay in pan and cook on each side, about 3-4 minutes. Remove when golden and set aside on a plate.

Layer bottom of 9 x 12 baking dish with sauce, then sprinkle half the spinach. Season with ½ teaspoon garlic salt. Layer chicken on top of spinach, then add more spinach and the rest of the sauce. Top with shredded mozzarella and sprinkle with oregano. Bake until cheese is starting to brown and sauce is bubbly, about 25-30 minutes.

Serve with pasta if desired.

 

 

Now that the leaves are starting to look like the color of pumpkins, I am so excited to share this recipe that I actually guest posted on the Ella Claire Blog last year. It is so so good.

I found this recipe in Ruth Reichl’s food memoir Comfort Me with Apples (a sequel to Tender at the Bone). I am a big fan of food memoirs at the moment since I am writing one of my own about growing up in a big Irish family in Chicago (I am one of eight) and we had a huge passion for food. In Comfort Me with Apples, one of the lasting images I had was how her husband said he wanted a divorce, and all she could do was make Cream of Mushroom soup. I just feel like food does that healing thing. She ended up being the editor for Gourmet Magazine and remarrying and having a son. So her story ends well.

Happily, when I made this recipe it was a great story. I made it for my husband for a date night at home. The smell when you take this out of the oven is like nothing else – a mix between pumpkin pie, creamy squash soup, and French onion soup. The fragrance will transport you. After we took the first bite, we just looked up at each other, silent, the fire roaring, and then in unison went, “mmmmhhh”. Or something close to blubbering adults. It warms your insides like nothing I have ever had – the pillow soft pumpkin, creamy buttery soup, and nutmeg infused bread tastes like heaven, all mixed with the saltiness of the gruyere cheese. It is such a special dish. The best part? I wrote all this a year ago, and I can still go back to that exact moment we tasted this and I am there.

This dish is perfect for Holiday parties or special family winter dinners. I’m not hosting Thanksgiving this year but if I was, everyone should start with a little Swiss Pumpkin on their plate. But it also seems like something you could easily bring to a family with an illness or a new baby since it has its own (disposable) transporting vehicle.

I hope you get to taste it. Or at least read Ruth Reichl. Happy fall everyone!

xoxo, Katie

Savory Baked Pumpkin (serves 4) 

**Slightly altered from Ruth Reichl’s original recipe.

2 small pumpkins (about 6 – 8 inches in diameter)

Sliced French bread; several pieces, toasted

Grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese (about 4 oz)

Half and half, about 2 cups

2 eggs

1 1/2 t. salt, 1 t. pepper

1/4 t. freshly grated nutmeg (makes all the difference)

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut the top off of your pumpkin leaving the stem intact. With a spoon, scrape out the innards of the pumpkin and discard. (You can reserve the seeds if you like for a latter use.)

Next, rinse the pumpkin both inside and out and pat dry. Place a layer of your toasted bread on the very bottom of the pumpkin cavity. If you need to break up your toasted bread to fit, that is fine. You just want a light layer; you do not need to pack it in. Over the top of your bread sprinkle a bit of your cheese; just enough to cover the bread. You will want to repeat this until you fill the cavity of the pumpkin to its rim, about 2-3 times.

Then, pour the half and half mixture over the layered bread and cheese and into the pumpkin cavity. I like to do this slowly to be sure the half and half is filling in the crevices and not ready to overflow the pumpkin filling. Place the pumpkin top you cut off back onto the pumpkin and place on a baking sheet.

Finally, place the pumpkin on the baking sheet into the center of your oven for about 2 hours. Your baking time will depend on the size of your pumpkin and how much you fill it, so I always check it after one and a half hours of baking. You want to bake it until a knife can easily pierce through the flesh of your pumpkin. Remove the pumpkin from the oven and wait about 15 minutes before serving.

 

 

I know everyone is doing everything FALL, and I am marinating in this gorgeous time of year too. But I am also saying goodbye to one of loveliest parts of summer: fresh garden produce. Specifically tomatoes. And we still have so many!  I have been thinking of ways to really capitalize on the last few weeks of their gorgeous flavor.

I love twists on classics, and I love BLT’s (side note: I just heard George Zakarian recommends slicing your tomatoes, then basting your bacon with the tomato juices before cooking them for BLT. Just thought I would share that genius tip with you all because your my favorite.)

I decided to make a dip that could deliver the texture combo of a BLT to your mouth in one bite. We had a get together to go to last week, and a ton of tomatoes on the window sill, and a package of bacon. Game on.

I also happen to love Hidden Valley Ranch (not sponsored, just a throwback to childhood). I like real, natural food, but since I have an affinity for things like HVR and velveeta cheese,  I could never make my blog an all natural one. It will just have to be 90% healthy and 10% nostalgia I guess.

When I got to thinking how could I deliver the flavor of BLT into my mouth with, say, an endive leaf or a bagel crisp, I knew that dip made with Ranch was the answer.

Turns out it was a good one. This recipe was so satisfying, with chunky, juicy tomatoes, creamy herby ranch and smokey, salty bacon. And it made a lot! I refilled the cracker side once at the party,and the endives were all gone in a New York minute. When I got home there was still a little bit left, so I took a bite and the flavors had mingled even more, and were so delicious. So if you have time, make this ahead and let it meld together, reserving the toppings to put on when you are ready to serve.

If you happen to have the fortunate problem of having a lot of tomatoes to use up, this one’s a keeper. Hope your October has been a good one so far!

Happy Eating, xoxo Katie

BLT Dip (printer version here): 

Ingredients:

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch

1 cup light sour cream

1 cup light mayo

½ cup of milk to thin it out

6-8 strips of bacon

4 ripe tomatoes, diced

½ cup green scallions (about 4-6)

S & P to taste

3 endive bunches

1 package favorite cracker such as bagel chips, pita chips, or thin pretzels

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Cook bacon slices until done, about 15-20 min. (Check frequently after 10-15 minutes). Let cool.

While bacon is cooking, combine the Ranch packet, sour cream, and mayonnaise, adding milk until it is desired thickness (about ½ cup). Once combined, chill for at least ½ hour to let flavors develop.

Chop the tomatoes, scallions and bacon. Reserve about 2 T. of each for the top. Mix together the rest with the ranch mixture. Sprinkle reserved toppings on top and serve with endive and crackers.  

 

I was tempted to title this post ‘Lasagna so easy a kid can make it’ because:

I love cooking with my kids, so when I was playing around with this recipe, which was trying to be a twist on a pork ragu in a lasagna (minus the wine because, kids) I asked Lucy to help me layer it.

This girl loves cooking, and craves any opportunity to stir a pot or stretch out some dough (licking a spatula with batter on it is her favorite, of course.)

Sometimes I feel like Lasagna can be a bit labor intensive. But I realized as I poured over some of my favorite cookbooks that they often try to have you make your own sauce with tomato sauce and canned tomatoes and oregano.Which is totally fine! Of course, making your own sauce is wonderful.

But when it is a Tuesday night and you have a jarred sauce that you love more than the canned tomato-tomato sauce routine, I appreciate saving the extra 3 steps and 10 minutes.

The pork adds such a nice flavor and texture, almost like velvet. And the fresh spinach is so, so good in here.

I also love finding helpers to help me with the labor part.

(If your kids have ever made pizza, they’ll be a pro at this final step.)

I also love how there are always leftovers of lasagna. It’s like a 2-for-1 dinner special. And the kids love to eat leftovers if it tastes this gooey and delicious.

So I hope you will try a night where you get all of the ingredients ready, and let your kids go to town.

Happy Weeknight Eating! xoxo Katie

Pork Lasagna Recipe (printer version here): 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 carrots, diced

1 large zucchini, diced

4 cups fresh spinach

5 garlic cloves, minced

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 pounds ground pork

1 32 oz. jar of good quality tomato sauce (I like Rao’s)

12 no-boil lasagna noodles

2 cups ricotta cheese

1 cup pre-grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup chopped parsley (optional)

2 cups shredded mozzarella

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F. 

In a large heavy pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat until hot then stir in the onion, carrot, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 6 minutes. Stir in the pork, breaking up the lumps of pork with a spatula and cook, until browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in the jarred sauce and heat through. Add the spinach and stir until wilted.

Meanwhile, in a seperate bowl, combine the ricotta, parm, and parsley. Stir to combine.

In a 3-to 3 1/2-quart lasagna dish spread 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom. Place 3 lasagna noodles evenly over the sauce, leaving even space between the noodles. Top the noodle layer evenly with a layer of sauce, then place another 3 noodles on top. Spread an even layer of sauce over the noodles, then dollop half the ricotta mixture and half the mozzarella. Top with another layer of 3 noodles, then sauce, then the remaining 3 noodles and sauce. Dollop with the remaining ricotta mixture and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella. 

Bake until the filling is bubbling, about 45 minutes. (If it starts to brown too quickly cover with tin foil).  Let the lasagna stand 10 minutes before serving.