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Roasted Cauliflower and Brussel Sprouts These side vegetables get totally elevated with the addition of tahini and pomegranate molasses. < Back Roasted Cauliflower and Brussel Sprouts Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Serves: 4-6 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Roasted Cauliflower and Brussel Sprouts These side vegetables get totally elevated with the addition of tahini and pomegranate molasses. Ingredients 1 cauliflower, cut into small florets 4 cups Brussels sprout, cut in half 1 pomegranate 3 tbsp tahini 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses 8-10 mint leaves, chopped 1/4 cup pistachios, chopped Extra-virgin olive oil, for roasting 1 tbsp za'atar 1 lemon, juice Salt and pepper, QB Maldon salt, QB Preparation Preheat your oven to 475F. In a large roasting tray, add the cauliflower florets, brussel sprouts, olive oil, salt, za'atar, 1/2 lemon juice, and black pepper. Mix well with your hands. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until browned on the edges. Plate and season with another 1/2 lemon juice and maldon salt to taste. Finish with a drizzle of tahini, pomegranate molasses, and add mint, pomegranate seeds, another sprinkle of maldon salt, and pistachios. Enjoy! Previous Next

Duchess Potatoes are a fancy piped potato side dish that must make an appearance at your next dinner party. Rich, creamy, and cheesy with just a subtle crisp, these elegant baked mashed potatoes are unlike anything else! < Back Duchess Potatoes Prep Time: 20 Miniutes Cook Time: 40 Minutes Serves: 6 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Duchess Potatoes are a fancy piped potato side dish that must make an appearance at your next dinner party. Rich, creamy, and cheesy with just a subtle crisp, these elegant baked mashed potatoes are unlike anything else! Ingredients 2 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes (peeled) 6 Tablespoons butter (divided) ¼ cup heavy cream 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese 4 large egg yolks Minced fresh parsley (for garnish (optional)) Salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste) Preparation Instructions 1. Cut the potatoes into 1-inch cubes and place them in a large pot. Add enough water to cover the potatoes and add about 2 tablespoons of salt. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes fall apart easily when pierced with a fork. Drain well. 2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 3. Add drained potatoes to a large mixing bowl along with the cream and 4 TBSP butter. Mash well with a potato masher until there are no longer any lumps (or press through a potato ricer). 4. Stir in the cheese until well combined. Season with salt & pepper, to taste. 5. Let cool slightly, then stir in the egg yolks. 6. At this point if the mixture is very thick you can add additional heavy cream, if needed. 7. Transfer the mashed potatoes to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. (You’ll need to work in batches.) Pipe the potatoes onto the parchment-lined baking sheets into swirls about 3 inches in diameter. 8. Gently brush with the remaining 2 TBSP butter, melted. 9. Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately garnished with parsley, if desired. Previous Next

With a good quality pure maple syrup, candy thermometer, saucepot and a wooden spoon, you can make naturally sweet maple cream! Also known as maple spread or butter. One of the best tips I can give you is never to make maple cream when you’re in a rush! It takes time to boil the syrup and then cool it to the right temperature before you start the 30-minute stirring process. With some patience, you will transform this 1-ingredient recipe into a beautiful maple cream. If you’re vegan, this is an excellent honey alternative. CAUTION: Boiling syrup is extremely hot! < Back How to make maple cream Prep Time: 45 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Serves: 1-3/4 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 2 cups pure maple syrup Preparation Step 1 Place the medium pot (b) for cooling down and mixing the boiled syrup into the freezer. This pot can be smaller than the one to boil your syrup. Prepare a saucepot or stainless steel bowl to use as an ice bath. Add a generous amount of ice cubes to the bottom and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready for it. Getting those saucepots prepared before you start is key. Step 2 Attached your candy thermometer to a medium to large saucepot*. On low to medium heat, bring 2 cups of pure maple syrup to a gentle boil. Do not stir the syrup while it’s boiling. Keep an eye on your boiling syrup at all times, don’t walk away. If your syrup boils too close to the edge, reduce your heat to prevent overflowing. Once the syrup reaches 234° F (some wait until 235° F, but that makes it thicker), remove it from the heat. Step 3 Immediately transfer the boiled syrup to the medium pot (b) placed overtop the larger pot (c) with the ice cubes. Be very careful, hot maple syrup can burn you! Cooldown the maple syrup to about 95° F. Once cooled, get your arm ready, find a partner and take turns stirring and stirring some more. The process takes about 30 minutes to transform the syrup into a gorgeous golden, thickened maple cream. Step 4 As soon as the cream is ready, transfer it to a glass jar with a lid. Store the cream in the refrigerator. Enjoy! *Make sure your pot is large enough to prevent overflowing. An 8-inch pot should do the trick. Previous Next

Say hello to the most delicious homemade French onion soup we’ve ever made. It’s easy, too. Thanks to a simple broth, caramelized onions, garlic-rubbed bread, and melted cheese, it’s the perfect comfort food. < Back French Onion Soup Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes Serves: 4 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 3 ½ pounds yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced (6 to 7 medium) 4 tablespoons (57 grams or 2 ounces) European-style salted butter, like Kerrygold, plus more for bread 1/4 cup (2 ounces) sweet vermouth, sherry, or brandy 1/4 cup (2 ounces) dry white wine or Lillet Blanc; see notes 4 to 5 cups chicken broth or homemade beef stock; see notes 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste 1 French baguette or rustic loaf, sliced into 1/2-inch slices, 12 slices 2 cloves garlic 1 cup (114 grams or 4 ounces) grated Gruyere cheese Preparation 3 Secrets for the best homemade French onion soup Caramelize your onions to the perfect golden brown. If there’s one thing to takeaway from this onion soup recipe, it’s how we cook the onions. Stirring often is the key. Watch our video to see how we do it or see our photos below! Garlic-rubbed bread is a game-changer. I honestly don’t know if I could ever enjoy a bowl of French onion soup without it. Choosing the right cheese. We use melty Gruyère, and love it. French onion soup is easy to make at home. All you need are a few tips and a surprisingly short list of ingredients. To make this a full meal, serve French onion soup with your favorite salad. Key ingredients The best onions for French onion soup are yellow onions. We have made this soup with sweet onions and found it to be a little too sweet for our tastes. A combination of yellow onions and sweet onions would be interesting. Red onions are spicier than yellow onions and will change the color of your soup. White onions are more mild and sweet, making them a good alternative. You can use chicken broth or beef broth to make French onion soup. We’ve tried all combinations (including using half chicken and half beef broth). I can honestly tell you that we’ve loved them all. Beef broth is a bit more savory, while chicken is lighter on its feet. When using beef broth, we highly recommend homemade or a high-quality beef bone broth. Most store-bought beef broths taste nothing like beef and are salty. Store-bought chicken broth is a bit more forgiving with more availability. The best cheese for French onion soup is Gruyère . It melts beautifully and tastes earthy and nutty, which works nicely with the savory soup base. If you cannot find Gruyère, substitute with parmesan cheese, Swiss, fontina, or mozzarella. For deeply flavorful, classic French onion soup, use wine. For the best flavor, we use dry white wine and sweet vermouth, an aromatic fortified wine. We highly recommend using both. See recommendations and substitutions in the recipe. Can you make French onion soup without wine? Yes. Wine and vermouth make our soup taste more exciting and complex, but it is still quite delicious without them. If you leave the wine out entirely and find that the soup is missing something, try adding a splash of sherry vinegar and possibly a little Asian fish sauce (I know it sounds odd, but it does wonders in the flavor department of savory dishes like French onion soup.) How to cut and caramelize the onions The secret for making rich, intensely flavored onion soup is how we cook the onions. Cutting the onions: Thinly slice a lot of onions (by a lot, we need 6 to 7 medium onions for a soup that serves four). I do this by hand. First peel them, cut in half, and then thinly slice into half moons. To speed this up, use the slicing disk of a food processor or mandoline slicer. Cook the onions in butter with the lid ON for about 12 minutes. This step softens the onions and helps them to release some liquid. Cook the onions uncovered over medium heat , stirring often, until they look golden and caramelized — this takes me somewhere between 40 and 50 minutes. Do you see why we started with so many onions? They cook down a lot! Focus on the onions, and you’re 99% there to some of the best-tasting French onion soup you’ve had. Here are a few more tips when caramelizing the onions: Use a wide heavy-bottomed pot , like a Dutch oven, or a wide stainless steel pot, like a Rondeau. Both of these options work well for caramelizing onions. Stir the onions often , and ensure you scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom and sides. Incorporating those browned bits helps add color (and flavor) to the onions. Pay more attention 20 minutes into cooking , since they cook more quickly at this stage. They can go from browned to burnt if you don’t keep a close eye. Use our photos and video as a guide for when the onions are ready. They will look golden brown and smell caramelized. Assembling the soup. Easy as 1, 2, 3 1. Simmer the broth and caramelized onions for 5 minutes, turn off the heat and let it steep like tea. 2.Toast and rub the bread with raw garlic (so good!) — we use a French baguette or rustic loaf 3.Briefly dunk the bread slices in the soup, add to oven-safe bowls with the broth and top with cheese. Broil until bubbly. Dunking the bread in the soup before adding it to your bowl allows the bread to absorb some of the soup, so that it doesn’t steal all the broth from your bowl when you eat it. French onion soup bowls Any oven-safe soup bowl (sometimes called crocks) will work for this recipe. Handles do help when transferring them in and out of the oven. We also recommend placing them onto a baking sheet to catch any dripping cheese. We used a mini round cocotte from Le Creuset (8 ounces). And there you have it, the most delicious homemade French onion soup we’ve ever made. I genuinely hope that you try it! This easy French onion soup recipe is part of our chef series, where we share recipes from our friend and renowned chef, Richard Hattaway. He knocked this one out of the park! Directions MAKE SOUP: Melt the butter in a wide pot over medium heat — use a heavy-bottomed or stainless steel pot like a Dutch oven or rondeau. Stir in the onions, and then cover with a lid. Cook, over medium heat, until the onions look translucent, 12 to 15 minutes. Uncover the pot, and continue to cook the onions, stirring occasionally and scraping up any stuck browned bits from the bottom and sides. The onions take 45 to 60 minutes to caramelize. Keep a close eye on them. When you notice they begin to brown, stir them more often to keep them from burning. When the onions are golden and smell caramelized, stir in the vermouth and white wine. Cook, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl, for about 2 minutes. Continue to the next step when you no longer smell strong alcohol and instead smell sweet onions with the aromas of the vermouth and wine. Stir in the broth, thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Cover the pot with its lid and bring the soup to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and then season with additional salt if needed. While Chef Richard suggests 4 cups of broth, we enjoy a bit more liquid and use 5 cups of broth, instead. Turn off the heat, and allow the soup to steep (covered) while you prepare the bread. TO SERVE: Set aside four oven-safe soup bowls (we use cocottes from Le Creuset). Heat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit. Butter the bread slices, and then line them up on a baking sheet. Bake until golden, 5 to 6 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes. Rub the toasted bread with the garlic cloves, and then quickly dunk the bread into the soup. Dunking the bread first helps to prevent the bread from soaking up all the broth in your bowl when serving. Place one slice into the bottom of each oven-safe soup bowl and sprinkle a little Gruyere cheese on top. Ladle soup into the bowls and top with two more slices of bread. Top with remaining cheese. Broil until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown. Previous Next

This is real comfort food. Get it ready ahead of time and make it at a moments notice. < Back Homemade Rice A Roni Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Serves: 6 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 1 cup long grain rice (other rice can be substituted) 12 cups spagetti noodles (uncooked, broken up really small) 1 teaspoon granulated garlic 2-3 tablespoons chicken bouillon (to taste) ____________ 2 tablespoons butter 2 1/2 cups chicken broth or water Preparation Mix dry ingredients in jar. Seal and label with instructions. Store in a cool, dry place. To use: Melt the butter and add the chicken broth. Add the bottle of the Rice A Roni mix. Bring to a boil, and then let simmer for about 20 minutes or until liquid is gone. Turn off heat and let rest for 2 minutes. Serve hot. Previous Next

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Seriously the best veggie lasagna! This lasagna recipe is packed with bell pepper, zucchini and carrots, sautéed until golden and tender on the edges. Recipe yields one 9-inch lasagna, enough for 8 slices. < Back Veggie Lasagna Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Serves: 8 Level: beginner About the Recipe Ingredients Veggies and spinach 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3 large carrots, chopped (about 1 cup ) 1 red bell pepper, chopped 1 medium zucchini, chopped 1 medium yellow onion, chopped ¼ teaspoon salt 5 to 6 ounces baby spinach Tomato sauce (or substitute 2 cups prepared marinara sauce) 1 large can ( 28 ounces ) diced tomatoes ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh basil + additional for garnish 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes Remaining ingredients 2 cups ( 16 ounces ) low-fat cottage cheese, divided ¼ teaspoon salt, to taste Freshly ground black pepper, to taste 9 no-boil lasagna noodles* 8 ounces ( 2 cups ) freshly grated low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella cheese Preparation Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. To prepare the veggies: In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Once shimmering, add the carrots, bell pepper, zucchini, yellow onion, and salt. Cook, stirring every couple of minutes, until the veggies are golden on the edges, about 8 to 12 minutes. Add a few large handfuls of spinach. Cook, stirring frequently, until the spinach has wilted. Repeat with remaining spinach and cook until all of the spinach has wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside. Meanwhile, to prepare the tomato sauce: Pour the tomatoes into a mesh sieve or fine colander and drain off the excess juice for a minute. Then, transfer the drained tomatoes to the bowl of a food processor. Add the basil, olive oil, garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes. Pulse the mixture about 10 times, until the tomatoes have broken down to an easily spreadable consistency. Pour the mixture into a bowl for later (youshould have a little over 2 cups sauce). Rinse out the food processor and return it to the machine. Pour half of the cottage cheese (1 cup) into the processor and blend it until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to large mixing bowl. No need to rinse out the bowl of the food processor this time; just put it back onto the machine because you’ll need it later. Transfer the cooked veggies and spinach mixture to the bowl of the food processor. Pulse until they are more finely chopped (but not puréed!), about 5 to 7 times, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of whipped cottage cheese. Top with the remaining cottage cheese, then add ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt (to taste) and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine. Now it’s lasagna assembly time! Spread ½ cup tomato sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9” by 9” baking dish. Layer 3 lasagna noodles on top (snap off their ends to fit, and/or overlap their edges as necessary). Spread half of the cottage cheese mixture evenly over the noodles. Top with ¾ cup tomato sauce, then sprinkle ½ cup shredded cheese on top. Top with 3 more noodles, followed by the remaining cottage cheese mixture (we’re skipping the tomato sauce in this layer.) Sprinkle ½ cup shredded cheese on top. Top with 3 more noodles, then spread ¾ cup tomato sauce over the top (you may have a little sauce leftover) to evenly cover the noodles. Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup shredded cheese. Wrap a sheet of parchment paper or foil around the top of the lasagna (don’t let it come into contact with the cheese). Bake, covered, for 18 minutes, then remove the cover, rotate the pan by 180° and continue cooking for about 10 to 12 more minutes, until the top is turning spotty brown. Remove from oven and let the lasagna cool for 15 to 20 minutes, so it has time to set and cool down to a reasonable temperature. Sprinkle additional basil over the top, then slice and serve. NOTES CHANGE IT UP: Feel free to play around with the vegetables here. You’ll want to use about 3 cups chopped veggies total (excluding the onion). Mushrooms or butternut squash might be nice! MAKE IT GLUTEN FREE: Substitute gluten-free lasagna noodles. Choose no-boil (oven ready) noodles if possible; if not, cook them according to package directions. (Fair warning, I tried using DeBoles brand of no-bake lasagna noodles and they weren’t done cooking in the time specified here. Reheated leftovers were ok, though.) Previous Next

Papas Rellenas are a traditional Cuban snack. The fried mashed potato balls are filled with ground beef and other fillings for a delicious appetizer or main dish. It’s easy to adjust these to your liking – no two recipes are exactly the same! < Back Papas Rellenas (cuban potato meatballs) Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes Serves: 24 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Papas Rellenas are a traditional Cuban snack. The fried mashed potato balls are filled with ground beef and other fillings for a delicious appetizer or main dish. It’s easy to adjust these to your liking – no two recipes are exactly the same! Ingredients Mashed Potatoes 4 large potatoes about 2 pounds (or about 4 cups if already prepared) 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter 2 egg yolks lightly beaten, (reserve whites) 1/4 cup whole milk (add slowly as you might not use it all) Salt and pepper to taste. Breading 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup bread crumbs 1 egg beaten 2 egg whites Picadillo 1 pound ground beef 1 medium onion diced 3 cloves garlic minced 2 Tablespoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika or more to taste 1/2 teaspoon cumin or more to taste 1 pinch cayenne pepper 10 Spanish olives finely chopped 2 Tablespoons juice from olives kosher salt and pepper to taste oil for frying Preparation As an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn commission on qualifying purchases. What are Papas Rellenas? Papas Rellenas are Cuban potato balls. Our closest friends are 100% Cuban-American and I’ve learned that every Cuban party has trays of papas rellenas and croquettas (ham filled potato balls). The mashed potato balls are stuffed with picadillo – a filling made with ground meat, tomatoes, and other ingredients that vary by region. Every family has their own “secret” recipe for picadillo. Some recipes call for green peppers, some call for green olives with pimentos, some for tomato paste, and others for wine and tomato sauce. For my papas rellenas recipe, I wanted to give the picadillo a hint of smokiness. I added some smoked paprika and a pinch of cayenne. The stuffed potato balls can be served as an appetizer or main dish. This is also a great recipe to use up leftover mashed potatoes. And the shape of papas rellenas also makes a perfect hand-held school lunch. How to Make Papas Rellenas I learned how to make potato croquettes in cooking school, which are basically mashed potatoes with egg yolks, formed into cylinders, rolled in breadcrumbs and fried. These potato meatballs are similar. First you’ll need a batch of cold, firm, mashed potatoes. If using leftover mashed potatoes, warm them slightly and add beaten egg yolks. Or you can make the potatoes as instructed in the recipe below and store them in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the papas rellenas. Using about ¼ cup of stiff, cold potatoes, form a ball. Flatten the ball a bit and make a hollow indentation. Put about 1 tablespoon of the picadillo inside the indentation, then enclose the meat inside the potatoes, forming a ball. Roll each ball in egg, then in breading, and place on a baking sheet . Chill 2 to 4 hours. Repeat with remaining potatoes and meat. Heat oil in a deep-fat fryer or deep frying pan . I used a deep frying pan and about 1 1/2 inches of oil. When oil is hot, carefully place 2 or 3 balls in the pan. Using a slotted spoon, turn until the potato balls are golden brown on all sides, 2 or 3 minutes. Transfer to a clean baking sheet lined with paper towels. Keep them warm in the oven until all papas are fried. Can You Freeze Papas Rellenas? Yes! You can freeze them two ways. First, prepare them up to the breading, wrap well and freeze. This is the way I prefer, as they will taste freshest when cooked. Allow them to thaw in the refrigerator before frying them. You can also freeze them after they are cooked, but I only do this if we have leftovers. INSTRUCTIONS Mashed Potatoes Boil potatoes in salted water until fork tender, then drain. Mash potatoes into a large bowl. Add butter and milk, mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Potatoes should be fairly stiff so they can hold their shape Stir in beaten yolks. Cool or refrigerate potatoes. These should be stiffer than regular mashed potatoes. They can be made a day before. Picadillo Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook for a few minutes until translucent. Next, add garlic, continuing to stir until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ground beef stirring to break up meat. Add paprika, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper. Cook until beef is brown throughout. Add chopped olives and juice. Stir and adjust seasoning to taste, adding more if necessary. Breading Mix 1/4 cup all purpose flour and 1 cup bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. Beat the 2 egg whites and 1 egg and place in a bowl. Assembling the Papas Rellenas Using about 1/4 cup stiff, cold mashed potatoes, form into a ball. Flatten the ball and make a hollow. Put about 1 tablespoon picadillo inside the indentation. Enclose meat in potatoes, forming into a ball. Place on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining potatoes and meat. Roll each ball in egg mixture then in breading. Place on a baking sheet. Chill 2 to 4 hours. Heat oil in a deep-fat fryer or deep frying pan. I used a deep frying pan and about 1 1/2 inches of oil. When oil is hot, carefully place 2 or 3 balls in a pan, using a slotted spoon and turn until golden brown on all sides, 2 or 3 minutes. Transfer to a clean baking sheet lined with paper towels. Hold in a warm oven until all the papas are fried. Makes approximately 2 dozen, depending on the size. Previous Next

This seriously is the best lemonade recipe ever! < Back The BEST Lemonade Recipe In The World Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: Serves: 6 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 1 cup lemon juice 1 cup sugar (or sugar substitute) 6 cups of cold water Preparation Add water, lemon juice and sugar, stir until sugar is dissolved. Optional add ice or any fruit. Previous Next

Quick and easy breakfast pleaser for a crowd < Back Baked Oatmeal Prep Time: 10 Cook Time: 40 minutes Serves: 12 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 3 cups Old-Fashioned oats 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 tablespoon cinnamon 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup milk 2 eggs, beaten ½ cup butter, melted 2 teaspoons vanilla Assorted flavored yogurt Assorted fresh fruit and/or berries Preparation Mix oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt together. In a separate bowl, mix milk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla together. Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes at 350°F. Serve with yogurt and fresh fruit. Note: This dish can be prepared the night before and stored in the refrigerator until ready to bake in the morning. This can be eaten hot or cold. Leftovers can be microwaved. Previous Next

These Cranberry Pecan Brie Bites are perfect for holiday entertaining! Whether you make them for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s, no one will be able to resist the gooey melted brie, tart cranberry sauce, and toasted pecan atop a piece of naan! Easy and fabulous – just what holiday entertaining should be! < Back Cranberry Pecan Brie Bites Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 6 Minutes Serves: 12 Level: Beginner Ingredients 1 cup cranberry sauce 2 8.8 oz packages Original Stonefire naan flatbread 1 8 oz package brie 24 pecan halves fresh thyme to garnish Preparation Holiday entertaining is one of my very favorite things. I love planning and preparing food for friends and family and appetizers are my very favorite. When it comes to holiday entertaining, appetizers are the one element that can make or break a party. It’s really more about quality over quantity. Having a few good appetizers is much better than putting too many so-so options in front of your guests. These Cranberry Pecan Brie Bites are an amazing appetizer that I will be serving this holiday season. The cranberry sauce is homemade, adding a touch of elegance and warmth to this easy-to-prepare dish. If you are short on time, or simply don’t have access to fresh cranberries, canned cranberry sauce will do in a pinch. Go for the “whole berry” version if you can find it. The cranberry sauce only takes about 15 minutes, start to finish, and is a wonderful complement to the brie. Because brie is such a favorite during the holidays, I knew it would be perfect for these tasty bites. I simplified the whole recipe with the use of Original Stonefire naan. Not only does it make preparation a breeze, it adds fantastic texture as well. Stonefire naan comes in so many great varieties and is available at many stores but the best places to find Stonefire are at Ahold, Publix or Kroger. I used a pizza cutter to cut the naan into small pieces. Each piece of naan is topped with a small wedge of brie, a small amount of the cranberry sauce and a pecan. The pecan gets toasted, the cheese gets all melty and fabulous, and the entire bite is total bliss. Hello, holidays. I topped each bite with a little fresh thyme. A pop of color is always a good thing and it really makes these Cranberry Pecan Brie Bites extra festive and fun. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Cut naan into pieces using a pizza cutter. Aim for 6 to 8 pieces per naan. Cut small wedges off the wheel of brie and place on top of the naan. Spoon a small amount of the cooled cranberry sauce on top of the brie. Top with a pecan half. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until brie starts to melt and bubble. Remove, top with a sprig of fresh thyme and serve immediately. Previous Next

Jack o lantern pumpkin recipes This recipe has affiliate links in it, if you click the link and purchase from me I earn a commission at no extra cost from you < Back Jack o lantern pumpkin Prep Time: N/A Cook Time: N/A Serves: Level: Beginner About the Recipe Jack o lantern pumpkin recipes This recipe has affiliate links in it, if you click the link and purchase from me I earn a commission at no extra cost from you Ingredients PUMPKIN Preparation Jack o lantern pumpkin recipes – yes you can eat Halloween pumpkins! No doubt you’ll have bought pumpkins to carve for Halloween at some point in your life but have you ever wondered whether the insides are edible and if so what you can do with them? In the UK, 95% of all pumpkins that are grown locally, are turned into Halloween lanterns. And a staggering 8 million pumpkins are thrown away each year after Halloween. And yet, these fruits are perfectly edible, but not many people know that. To me, chucking away food is a dreadful waste. But I honestly don’t think people see Halloween pumpkins as food. In this blog I’m hoping to change that by telling you all about the awesome benefits of the inside of a Jack-o’-lantern and share some yummy recipes too. What parts of the pumpkin can you eat? Did you know that just about every part of the pumpkin is edible? Ok so you might not want to eat the woody stalk but it’s quite alright to eat the seeds, and skin as well as the flesh that’s usually scooped out and discarded. Both the seeds and the skin are best roasted in the oven and the fleshy part can be steamed, boiled or roasted or even baked into cakes! The skin actually crisps up beautifully, if drizzled in oil and roasted in a hot oven, it makes for a really nice texture and adds interest to salads and risottos. When it comes to the seeds, my advice would be to rinse well and pat dry. Drizzle with olive oil and some warming spices such as paprika, or cumin, then spread in a single layer on a baking tray and roast in the oven at 180 degrees for 10 to 20 minutes until they are crisp and golden. What do they taste like? Halloween Pumpkins are milder in flavor than pumpkins that are grown for food, and that’s because they’re grown for their size, rather than their flavor. Pumpkin growers know that they’re likely to be carved then discarded and so they are not engineered for flavor. Because of their mild taste, they will take on the flavor of other foods in a dish, so my suggestion is to add pumpkin to dishes with bold flavors such as curries, a veggie chili or a smoky winter stew. And another benefit to their mildness is their versatility, meaning that you can make sweet dishes with leftover pumpkin flesh too. Pumpkin pie anyone? I’ve listed my top 10 favorite recipes for leftover pumpkin below and there are a mixture of both sweet and savory options. How to store leftover pumpkin? What happens if you’ve got a load of pumpkin leftovers, maybe you had a Halloween party or you’re a large family where everyone wanted to carve their own Jack-o’-lantern? Good news! Pumpkins can also be frozen. My advice would be to cube up the fleshy parts and par boil it. And then once it has cooled to room temperature you can freeze in biodegradable freezer bags. Frozen pumpkin won’t spoil, you can keep it in your freezer indefinitely. However, after three months or so you may notice frost beginning to build up which may affect its quality, so using it within a 3 month window is a good idea. How to reheat frozen pumpkin Pumpkin chunks are best cooked from frozen. Simply coat in olive oil, sprinkle on your favorite herbs and spices and roast in the oven at 180 degrees for 20-30 minutes depending on the size of your cubes. You can also steam from frozen, (although because they have a high water content they may go a bit soggy), then mash with the back of a fork, this works beautifully if you plan on stirring through a risotto. Alternatively chuck a handful of frozen pumpkin cubes directly into a casserole or stew and let it slow cook with the rest of the dish. What else can you do with leftover pumpkin? Not keen on eating pumpkin but you can’t bear the idea of leftover jack-o-lanterns going to landfill? Here’s a couple of further ideas. Enrich your compost. Because pumpkin is nutrient rich, it will really boost the quality of your compost. Scoop out the seeds and put them to one side. You don’t want to add these into the compost heap (unless you are planning on growing your own pumpkins for next Halloween). Smash up your pumpkins, strangely children of all ages seem to love this part, then chuck on your compost heap. Because it’s a fruit with a high water content, it will compost down relatively quickly providing you with lots of lovely nutritious garden food for the next growing season. Grow your own If you save the seeds, why not try growing your own pumpkins next year? Wash away any fleshy bits from the seed, pat try on kitchen roll and let them dry out completely on a sunny windowsill till you are ready to plant in May next year. You’ll need to sow indoors initially and then plant outside once they have started to shoot. Feed the birds Pumpkins make a novel bird feeder, simply pack in a load of bird seed mixed with a hard fat like lard and hang in the trees. You may want to carve a few additional holes around the pumpkin so that the birds have easy access. And of course the seeds make great bird food too. Is pumpkin good for you? Different parts of the pumpkin contain different nutrients. The fleshy insides are high in water and contain a variety of vitamins and minerals. It is especially high in Vitamin K, vitamin C, potassium, and beta carotene which is converted into vitamin A. Children need a fair amount of these nutrients and in fact in the UK it’s recommended that children are supplemented in vitamins A and C because it’s feared they don’t get enough through their diets, so eating pumpkin is a great way to ensure a nutritional top up. A lot of the same nutrients are found in the skin, but because there is less water here it means a higher concentration of those nutrients. And the skin is also a good source of fiber, which is good for our bowels. And the pumpkin seeds, these are amazingly nutrient dense. They too are high in fiber, and they also contain protein, as well as iron, another critical nutrient for children. But the seeds are also a natural source of tryptophan, the amino acid that is a building block of the sleepy hormone melatonin, so eating pumpkin seeds may help improve sleep (although you’d have to eat an awful lot of them). Pumpkin is basically a winter squash from the same family as cucumbers or melons (and technically a fruit), therefore, you can use it in cooking in exactly the same way as you would use butternut squash. Previous Next