This winter has been crazy. Here in central NJ, we’ve seen more snow this year than we have in at least a decade. The kids no longer get excited when it’s snowing – it’s happened than often. And I know other parts of the country are dealing with an unexpectedly harsh season too, and not fairing as well as we have been.
I take heart knowing spring is around the corner.
Even with spring on the horizon, it’s still soup weather. Lots of my favorite soups are very wintery – so I decided I needed one that was more spring-appropriate. This vegan soup is packed with spring veggies – and flavor.
With the uncertainty of everything going on in the world lately, I’ve really found myself seeking comfort in the familiar. It’s meant a lot of revisiting old recipes – things I know everyone will like and that I can practically make with my eyes closed they’re so familiar.
With a husband who isn’t a fan of traditional potato salad, this version – which mashes up potato salad with the flavors of a loaded baked potato – became a favorite in the early days of the blog (and our marriage). As grilling season kicks off, I thought it was the perfect time to give this recipe a refresh.
Today is Good Friday, and the wrap-up to another year of the Lenten dinner series. It’s a heavy day for Christians made heavier for everyone by the current pandemic. I chose something comforting for today – because I think right now we all need it.
This pot pie is just loaded with veggies so it’s hearty in the best way. The filling is flexible – but I chose veggies with a longer shelf life so this could easily be a “week 2 meal” if you’re trying to space out your grocery trips.
For the last few years, we’ve had a special addition to our Christmas season – celebrating Hanukkah with our good friends. That may seem strange, but it’s been such a blessing! As Christians, it’s humbling to get an authentic, up close look at some of the traditions and prayers Jesus would have participated in.
Our friends have been gracious enough to include us in their celebration and humor me in my attempts to make some of the traditional food. Latkes, of course, are a Hanukkah staple and these are just perfect – crisp on the outside and the lemon and thyme give them a bright, fresh taste.
Have you ever cooked on a budget? I don’t mean picking between name brand or store brand or using a coupon – I mean having only a few dollars for food and needing to stretch it. For millions of Americans, food insecurity is an everyday reality.
As a food blogger, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the world of fancy ingredients and latest trends. It’s easy to forget that the plentiful food and well-stocked pantry we have is privilege – but it’s one I really don’t want to take for granted.
September is Hunger Action Month – a time to bring attention to food insecurity. According to the US Department of Agriculture, 1 in 8 Americans were food insecure in 2017. That’s 40 million people – more than 12 million of which are children – with a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life.
Oh, sweet summertime. I know we’re only two weeks in but I am loving this summer.
We’ve been spending a ton of time outside, our days are pretty unstructured, and lots of our meals have been farm produce on the grill – including this meal.
Haven’t finalized your Thanksgiving menu yet? Need to add another side dish? I’m sharing a roundup of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes to help you get your menu set!
This post is sponsored in conjunction with AppleWeek . I received product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of the AppleWeek recipes. All opinions are mine alone.
For me, it is so, so easy to go into these event weeks and make all sweet dishes. The desserts are always a treat and while #appleweek is a great excuse to try out some really fun ones, I always try to make a conscious effort to work in some savory things too. Getting to try out this Swiss Diamond XD Nonstick Roasting Pan was a great reason to make this gorgeous chicken for our dinner one night and it was so, so good.
Because you’re starting with a whole, fresh chicken, it does take longer to cook – but the time is largely hands off. I threw potatoes, onions, and apples in the pan too, so this was pretty much a on-dish meal for us – I just added a simple side salad.
Also, this pan is totally dreamy. I never knew a roasting pan could cook so evenly! Or clean up so easily! While I’ve typically only used my roasting pan for holiday turkeys, this pan will surely be in heavy rotation around here.
You can enter to win a cookware set from Swiss Diamond, and lots of other great prizes from #appleweek sponsors, here: a Rafflecopter giveaway
3-4 lb. whole chicken
1 lb. new potatoes
1 onion, cut into wedges
2 apples, cored
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 sprig rosemary, removed from the stem and roughly chopped
1 cup apple cider
1 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. sherry cooking wine
1 tsp. grainy mustard
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
In the bottom of the roasting pan, combine the potatoes, onion, apples, and 1 Tbsp. of olive oil. Toss to evenly coat and season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken on top. Rub with remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and liberally sprinkle with rosemary.
Cook the chicken for approximately 1 hour 20 minutes, until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees.
About a half hour before the chicken is done, combine the cider, brown sugar, sherry cooking wine, and mustard in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 10-15 minutes.
When the chicken is done, pour the cider glaze evenly over everything, and tent the pan with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes before carving.
Want to see what other apple dishes are cooking up today? Here are Thursday’s Recipes:
Disclaimer: Thank youAppleWeek Sponsors: Swiss Diamond, Nordic Ware, Envy Apples, Imperial Sugar, The Spice House, Rodelle Vanilla, Flahavan’s Irish Oats and Nairn’s for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for AppleWeek recipes. All opinions are my own. TheAppleWeek giveaway is open to U.S. residents, age 18 & up. All entries for the winner will be checked and verified. By entering you give the right to use your name and likeness. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. Seven (7) winners will be selected. The prize packages will be sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. TheAppleWeek Bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members in their household cannot enter or win the giveaway. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the AppleWeek posts or entry.
I’m almost embarrassed to admit this, but I just bought my first sheet pan this year. As in, 2018. I’ve always just made do with cookie sheets but I was super excited about the idea of sheet pan pancakes so I bit the bullet early last month and ordered one with my holiday gift cards.
And now I’m kind of obsessed with it. It’s so perfect for cooking up a family-sized batch of whatever and, in the case of the dinner, having one pan to clean as opposed to 3 is great.
This month’s Improv Cooking Challenge is steak and potatoes – perfect for Valentine’s day. And since Valentine’s day is on a Wednesday this year, you’re probably looking for something easy. This is a great option. It’s ready in about 35 minutes and it’s delicious!
You can find more steak and potato dishes from the #ImprovCookingChallenge bloggers in the link up below!
The #ImprovCookingChallenge is a monthly blogging event where two ingredients are assigned to a month. Bloggers can make any recipe they like as long as it features the two ingredients. If you are a blogger and would like to join us, please visit our Facebook page.
You can also read more about the event on our home page. If you’d like to see previous creations, check out our Pinterest board.
2 lbs. London broil
2 lbs. baby red potatoes
2 heads broccoli, chopped into florets
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
2 Tbsp. balsamic
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste
In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add the London broil to a large resalable bag and pour the marinade over. Seal up the bag, turn a few times to coat, then set aside for 20 minutes to marinate at room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and line your sheet pan with foil.
Place the potatoes in a bowl and add 2 Tbsp. of olive oil. Toss to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat again then spread on the baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and push the potatoes to the side. Add the marinated steak to the middle of the pan.
Add the broccoli to the bowl you used for the potatoes, adding the remaining olive oil and tossing to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste and toss again. Spread the broccoli out on the pan around the steak.
Return to the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the steak reaches the desired doneness. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing the steak.
Despite the leaves starting to change, summer weather has been hanging on around here. We had several days in the 90s this week! I’ve been doing a little scrambling to get in some last-minute summer dishes on our weekly menu, because I know this won’t last.
I’m loving these afternoons where I can let the kids play in the backyard while I get dinner going on the grill. We’ve been eating on the deck a ton. I’m going to miss it terribly when the weather cools down.
