Rosemary Roasted Cashews
A crunchy snack is almost required for every party. I don’t make the rules - but it’s one of the key elements of an appetizer plate, a snack plate, or a football spread. For football, there’s something about crunching when nerves are running high.
These cashews are perfect. They feel healthier, are delicious, and are super simple to make. Our neighborhood has an annual sales for the Boy Scouts when they sell nuts, so if you also bought too many last year, then this is a great way to use them up!
Rosemary Roasted Cashews
1 lb cashews
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (about 3 sprigs)
2 tablespoons salt
fresh cracked pepper
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
STEP 1
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Melt the butter and toss everything into the butter. Coat completely.
STEP 2
Pour the nuts out onto a baking sheet and pop into the oven. Don’t walk away! They brown quickly, so watch them for about 10-15 minutes until all of the nuts are toasted. Let cool completely before serving.
Store in an airtight container for up to one week.
Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
I love a buffalo chicken sandwich and usually the chicken is fried. But you know what I hate doing at home, frying food. It’s messy. It’s smelly. And it feels so unhealthy when you see the actual frying of the food. When the restaurant makes it, I can overlook just how much grease it takes to fry the chicken.
So I decided to see how I felt about a “pulled chicken” sandwich with buffalo and let me tell you - it’s awesome. It’s so simple to pull off and has all of the same flavors that make a buffalo chicken sandwich great.
The slaw is a game changer too. It’s so simple, but has the blue cheese tossed into it, so the buffalo chicken vibe is all the way through the sandwich.
Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
makes 6 sandwiches
1.5 pounds chicken breast, shredded
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup Franks Wing Sauce
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped cabbage
1/4 cup blue cheese dressing
salt & pepper
brioche buns
sliced beefsteak tomatoes
STEP 1
Toss the shredded chicken with melted butter and wing sauce. If you’re shredding your own chicken, I throw the butter in while it’s hot and let it melt on it’s own.
STEP 2
Toss together the chopped celery, cabbage and blue cheese dressing. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
STEP 3
Toast the brioche buns and top with shredded chicken, celery slaw, a big slice of tomato and extra wing sauce. Serve warm!
TIPS
Every part of this can be made ahead of time and stashed in the fridge. Right before serving, heat the chicken and toast the buns.
Shredding your own chicken is super simple - poach the chicken then toss it in the stand mixer with the paddle attachment and blend until shredded.
Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
Peanut butter and chocolate is such a classic combination - I can’t imagine a better dessert than incorporating peanut butter into a brownie. These brownies are especially fudgy and gooey and perfect for a ribbon of peanut butter.
This is the kind of thing I will make for a football watching party because they are done the day before, they are crazy rich so you don’t need a huge batch, and they are epic - so they will disappear fast! They are also not too hard to make, so they seem like you worked hard (homemade brownies!) but they are as simple as a regular cookie.
The thing that may throw you off is the double boiler. Really, this is a bowl over a pot of hot water. You’re trying to slowly melt the chocolate and butter together to get it to be liquidy. You can do this in a microwave too, it’s just a little more effort because you have to keep checking it and starting the microwave again. The double boiler - over a medium low heat - will do the work itself with just a little whisking.
The only other “trick” to remember is to go super slow when adding the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture. If you go too fast, the eggs will turn into little bits of scrambled eggs and that’s not delicious in a brownie. I just turn on the mixer, go slow, and let it splash a little bit. As long as you’re pouring slow and the mixer is on low, the splashing won’t be too bad.
Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
makes about a dozen
8 ounces semi sweet chocolate
8 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
3/4 cup flour
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
STEP 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x9 pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Make a double boiler by layering a glass bowl over a boiling pot of water. Place the 8 tablespoons butter and 8 ounces chocolate in the double boiler and whisk over medium heat until melted.
STEP 2
In the bowl of a stand mixer, blend together the brown sugar and eggs until smooth. With the mixer running, pour the chocolate in a slow steady stream. If you go too fast, you’ll end up with scrambled eggs.
STEP 3
Once the chocolate has been incorporated, stir in the flour 1/4 cup at a time. When everything is just incorporated, scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
STEP 4
In a separate bowl, combine remaining butter, peanut butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Dot the top of the brownies with the peanut butter mixture and swirl in to incorporate.
STEP 5
Pop into the oven and bake 45-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Or clean-ish - a few crumbs will come up at the very end.
Après Ski Nachos
There are occasions that call for fancy, over the top, loaded nachos - and then there’s the après ski version. Après nachos need to be delicious, warm, cheesy, and served with a sauce that is unbeatable. These are so easy and so perfect when your fingers are cold and your toes are numb.
There are three tips to making the perfect nacho:
You have to grate the cheese yourself. The pre-grated has potato starch on it and it won’t melt properly.
Make one thin layer on nachos on a baking sheet lined with parchment. When they come out, quickly layer the nachos on top of each other to serve.
You need the perfect sauce. Here is that perfect sauce. Serve with hot sauce + Cilantro Lime sauce.
Topping options are obviously endless. The toppings I used here are the ones I had on hand - and are the ones I basically always have on hand. Cans of beans and cans of olives go a long way to making nachos feel packed full of something.
If I have leftover chicken or steak - they are going on top too - but not before I toss them in some taco seasoning first. It’s dramatic the improvement to leftover meats when you toss them in a little seasoning before they head onto the top of the nachos.
Cilantro Lime Sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
zest of one lime
juice of one lime (more or less)
Combine everything together. And drizzle over the top of the nachos when they are hot.
Turning 18
My oldest turned 18 this past weekend. It’s a weird thing to have your child become an adult. So we had a lovely family dinner that was perfect for the person that he is and who he is becoming.
This child, at age 8, asked for a cocktail party for his birthday. He didn’t want any kids at the party - just our family and some family friends. He’s always been an old soul so a dinner party at one of our favorite places was just as “over the top” as he would tolerate.
I can’t leave well enough alone, so I made cookies, I made Lino cuts of Lars’s favorite things, and handed out favors. Sometimes the best parties are the simple ones that have just a few over the top things added to it.
Après Ski Chili
Our family loves skiing. I love skiing because we have the best family moments right after skiing when we decompress, laugh about mistakes we made on the hill, and have a cocktail together. It’s more than just a trendy time to post on Instagram; Après Ski is a great time to connect.
Making this chili in the morning ensures that our après isn’t just crackers and cheese, but is something hearty and warm. It’s also the world’s easiest chili. It takes almost no time to put together and can either simmer while you are on the hill (make sure someone is around to stir occasionally!) or pop it in the fridge and bring it to a boil when you’re back off the hill.
Serve with shredded cheese, green onions, and corn chips. You might not even need dinner!
Après Ski Chili
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
2 pounds ground beef
2 cloves garlic, rough chopped or grated
1 - 28oz can diced tomatoes
1 -15oz can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon beef bouillon or one cube
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 teaspoon ground pepper
STEP 1
In a large dutch oven, brown the onions with the ground beef and garlic. When the beef is browned, pour off any excess fat if it rendered out.
STEP 2
Add the spices + cornmeal to the meat and stir until completely covered and you can smell the spices.
STEP 3
Pour in the tomatoes and stir. Lower the heat to a simmer and cover. Let simmer on low/very low for several hours. Serve with baked potatoes, rice, corn chips and sour cream on top.
Cran-Cherry Relish
This is one of the simplest ways to create a cranberry relish that is packed with flavor but not hard to make at all. It’s also something you can do WAY ahead of time. When you refrigerate it, it will set up like a jelly. As it warms to room temperature it will loosen up. But if you want it looser, faster, then pop it in a pan (or the microwave) and let it warm up.
This is a great Thanksgiving side- but it’s amazing all holiday season on your table or as an appetizer over brie.
Cran Cherry Relish
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup tart cherry juice
1/2 cup sugar
Bring all ingredients together in a pan and bring to a simmer. Cook until the liquid has reduced by half. Pour into a dish and serve hot - or refrigerate and serve later on the table.
The Perfect Manhattan
This is it. This is my favorite drink. This is what I wait for each night. It’s perfect.
The ingredients in this are what matter most. Everyone is different and your taste may not be the same as mine. I choose Four Roses and an Italian brand of vermouth. Those are the very best in my opinion. The Four Roses is delightful without being too astringent. Maker’s Mark is a great substitute.
The quality of the vermouth is critical too. The cheap ones are really sweet - we need sweet, but not too sweet. And not fake sweet. Real sweet.
Then the cherries. Do not use the dyed red maraschino ones. Those are for ice cream sundaes. These need to be the good ones. Luxardo makes an amazing one. Trader Joe’s does a decent one too - and they leave the stems on, which looks fun in the glass.
Last, don’t water down the drink! Chill the glass. Stir with ice at the last second and strain ASAP. You want this drink to be cold but not watery. And don’t let the alcohol sit on the ice. Strain into glasses right away. If you have extra to save for your second drink (or for tomorrow?) Stash it in the fridge, strained, and serve it later.
The Perfect Manhattan
2 parts Four Roses Bourbon
3/4 part red vermouth
dash of bitters
cherries
Combine all ingredients in a pitcher and add ice at the last minute. Strain into chilled glasses and garnish with a cherry.
Potsticker Pasta
This is one of those recipes that I cannot believe I have not shared with you! It’s a regular on our table because it’s so fast, full of vegetables AND full of flavor. My kids like it, I like it - and it’s makes good left overs too.
There is no trick to this. Just be sure to have all of your veggies chopped first because once you start cooking, it goes faster than you realize. Which is perfect because we only have a few minutes to get dinner on the table any way.
OPTIONS
Use ground chicken instead of pork if that’s your jam.
You can buy the carrots pre-grated.
Use regular cabbage if that’s what you have OR Napa cabbage heads are enormous (sometimes they are).
If you can’t find soba noodles (check the ‘international’ section) a very thin regular pasta works just fine
I make this is a giant dutch oven any more. It’s so much easier to have all of the space to toss the noodles - and pop the lid on in case you have to keep it hot for late plates.
Potsticker Pasta
Serves 4-6
2 lb ground pork
1 tbs ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 tsp sriracha
3-4 green onions, whites & greens sliced
1 tsp hoisin
1 small head Napa cabbage, sliced thin (you end up with about 4 cups)
1 can water chestnuts, sliced
2 carrots, sliced thin (or about 2 cups shredded carrot)
2 tbs sesame oil
1 tbs rice wine vinegar
1 tbs soy sauce or tamari
8 oz soba noodles (about 2 bunches)
1 tbs sesame seeds
STEP 1
Place sliced cabbage in a bowl and sprinkle the top with salt. Let rest for up to an hour.
STEP 2
In a zip top bag or a bowl, combine pork, ginger, garlic, sriracha, the whites from the sliced onions, and the hoisin. Mix it together and let rest.
STEP 3
Bring water to a boil and cook soba noodles until done. Toss the noodles with sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and soy sauce.
STEP 4
Cook the pork over high heat until browned.
STEP 5
Wrap cabbage in a paper towel and squeeze out excess moisture. Toss the cabbage in the pan with the pork. Add carrots and water chestnuts to the pan and cook lightly until heated through.
STEP 6
Toss the pork mixture with the seasoned noodles and serve with a sprinkle of sesame seeds on top. My family likes the chili crunch or extra soy sauce on top too!
Weeknight Chicken Stew
The leaves changing, the temperature dipping, and the nights getting darker made me think of making a stew this week. But not a rich beef stew - something a little lighter for the fall. Beef stew feels like it’s for the winter. Chicken Stew, however, is perfect for fall. It’s still comforting and flavorful, but not heavy.
The stew comes together pretty quickly. The longest you wait is for the potatoes and chicken to cook through. And quite honestly, if you chop the potatoes extra small it will go even faster. You can have this ready in 30 minutes or let it simmer for as long as you need. That’s what I did. Half of us were home early and starving and the other half were out until the late evening and we were thrilled to find hot soup waiting.
A loaf of crusty bread and a green salad - and you’ve got a guest worthy dinner.
Weeknight Chicken Stew
serves 4-6
2 large carrots, chopped (about 3 cups)
3 celery stalks, chopped (about 3 cups)
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons flour
4 cups chicken stock or bone broth
1 teaspoon chicken boullion
10-15 sprigs of fresh thyme
4 cups chopped potatoes (I like Yukon Gold)
2 pounds chicken thighs
STEP 1
Heat olive oil in the bottom of a dutch oven (or large soup pan) and cook the onions, carrots, and celery with the garlic over medium/low heat until the onions are softened. Season with salt & pepper.
Wrap the thyme sprigs in cheese cloth and tie it together tight.
STEP 2
Sprinkle the flour over the top of the vegetables and stir until well coated.
STEP 3
Pour in the chicken stock and add a cube of bouillon - or a teaspoon of the paste and bring to a simmer. Drop the thyme packet into the pot.
STEP 4
Drop in the chicken and potatoes and cook about 30 minutes until potatoes are soft and you can shred the chicken. Taste and season with salt and pepper again if needed.
