savory bread pudding (strata) with spinach, mushrooms, and roasted garlic

Your new favorite make-ahead-of-time breakfast!

This is one of those great “no recipe” recipes, thanks to epi’s “How to Make Strata”. They recommend a ratio of 1 part milk + 1 part eggs + 1 part cheese + 1 part add-ins (optional) + 2 parts bread. Today’s add-ins are sauteed mushrooms with sauteed baby spinach and roasted garlic. But you can add almost ANYTHING. What about leftover stewed greens with leftover jerk chicken? Or leftover jambalaya with andouille sausage and bell peppers? Chorizo and salsa with roasted tomatillos or serrano peppers? Make sure to cook your add-ins ahead of time, unless it’s a fresh herb or something delicate and fresh. If you’re using something with high water content like spinach, make sure to squeeze it before adding it so the strata isn’t soggy. I’ll share my recipe, but don’t be constrained by this: almost any cheese, any meat, any veggies would be amazing in this!

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1 part milk + 1 part eggs + 1 part cheese + 1 part add-ins (optional) + 2 parts bread

1 loaf bread, cut into bite-sized cubes

milk and/or cream (can even add cream cheese! I did, because I had some in the house, inspired by Melissa Roberts for Gourmet magazine)

soooo many eggs (I used maybe 9)

1 pack mushrooms

1/2 head garlic

1 pack spinach

3/4 brick of Swiss (or cheddar, or whatever,) or to taste, shredded

a little blue cheese, grated parmesan, or whatever you have in the house

thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, or whatever you like

salt and pepper

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toast bread in a 250 degree oven until crispy, ~5-10 minutes

roast garlic at 450 until paper is burnt, remove cloves from paper

saute mushrooms and spinach. season

butter your baking dish, and begin to layer ingredients. pour custard mixture over the ingredients. top with cheese, if desired. cover baking dish with foil, and rest between an hour and 24 hours.

preheat oven to 350. bake ~20 minutes wrapped in foil, then remove foil and continue baking for another 15 to 30 minutes depending on the size of your strata. epi says it’s set when the center no longer jiggles.

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recipe by epi

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This is REALLY good. Not only was it easy to make, it was very affordable, kept wonderfully in the fridge all week, and made me excited to eat my veggies! I can’t wait to try this with broccoli and sharp cheddar, or fresh dill and asparagus. & I think the Serious Eats suggestion for a French onion strata sounds incredible… but it is just begging for some veggies….

You are only limited by your imagination here. The internet suggests ham-and-cheese stratas, as well as some really wild-sounding variations like tomato-and-basil, butternut squash and prosciutto, and, believe it or not, a reuben strata with sauerkraut and pumpernickel bread. What’s your favorite savory bread pudding?

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chewy banana oatmeal cookies

Wow, these cookies are CHEWY! We’re talking super-chewy. As in, lots of old-fashioned oats, not a lot of flour. If you’re looking for a healthier cookie (not TOO healthy; it’s still got butter) with lots and lots of fiber, and something that still tastes decent when you cut the sugar, you’re in business with these cookies.

It’s also a cool old-timey recipe!

• 3/4 cup salted butter, softened (I used unsalted, though – if you do, too, be sure to add some salt)
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed (I cut the sugar by quite a bit, due to my ulcers, but I’d recommend the original quantity of sugar if your doctor didn’t tell you otherwise)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 3 cups old fashioned oats

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1. Mix together butter, brown sugar, sugar, egg, vanilla extract and mashed bananas until well combined.
2. Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves and cornstarch and mix until combined.
3. Stir in oats.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
5. Spoon tablespoons of dough onto a greased cookie sheet (or cover with parchment paper – that’s what the original recipe recommends.) Flatten dough a little bit, into thick discs. They will spread a little when baked.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges just start to golden.
7. Remove from oven and cool on cookie sheet for 3-4 minutes, then move to cooling rack to finish cooling.

original recipe from life, love, and sugar‘s grandmother, from West Virginia, and adapted by yours truly, the ulcer enby friedsig

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These were the first cookies I made since the holes appeared in my digestive system. Since this recipe calls for twice as much oats as flour, you know these are VERY chewy. I wanted something that incorporated this (very overripe) banana I let go too far. Due to this, the banana flavor was cloying, and almost artificial tasting, so I’d recommend using a banana that hasn’t gone all the way black. The cookies are good. I would definitely like them better if I had followed the recipe and used all that sugar, haha. If you like a super-chewy cookie with a very different vibe than your everyday oatmeal cookies, give this one a whirl! Much healthier than all my favorite cookies, like my penpal Chris’ favorite gingersnaps, and these highly forbidden blueberry and dark chocolate oatmeal cookies.

mild bam! sauce

Would you like something like Tabasco sauce made with fresh green chiles, but even more flavorful?

If you don’t like a RAW onion and garlic flavor, this is the hot sauce for you!

• as many hot chilis as you want – jalapenos, tabascos, habaneros, just depends what you like – the original recipe called for 20 tabascos, which are teeny-tiny and mild, so make sure to use way less than 20 if using anything hotter than a jalapeno. I probably used about 5 jalapenos and 3 serranos, and it came out quite mild, so adjust to your liking.
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
• 3/4 teaspoons salt salt to taste (1/2t or less for my tastes, more if you plan to store it long-term)
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups water (note: this will create a very watery hot sauce, so maybe start with a cup and add more if necessary)
• 1 cup distilled white vinegar
  
  Combine the peppers, garlic, onions, salt and oil in a nonreactive saucepan over high heat. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the water and continue to cook, stirring often, for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to steep until mixture comes to room temperature. In a food processor, puree the mixture for 15 seconds, or until smooth. With the food processor running, pour the vinegar through the feed tube in a steady stream. Pour into a sterilized pint jar or bottle and secure with an airtight lid. Refrigerate. Let age at least two weeks before using. Can be stored in the refrigerator up to 6 months.

recipe adapted by friedsig, original recipe by Emeril

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I have posted hot sauce recipes before. My favorite hot sauce had always been a “throw whatever you have in the house” pick-and-mix. I’d throw in anything from leftover roasted carrots or butternut squash, to fruit (can’t beat fresh peaches), to sweet peppers. The past few years, I’ve been doing a simple pineapple hot sauce – just raw garlic and/or onion, a can of pineapple (in juice, not syrup – just a personal preference,) and a fistful of peppers. Sometimes I give it a “jerk seasoning” kick with some allspice and thyme. It doesn’t go with everything, but it’s perfect alongside some pastelles, callaloo, or soup joumou!

Although I’m addicted to sweet hot sauce, this stuff really surprised me. It’s not super complex, so it compliments a wider variety of foods. It’s surprisingly basic – just what you’d expect from a Cajun-style hot sauce – but a thousand times more delicious than Crystal and the other bottled hot sauces in Cajun country. Definitely my new go-to all-purpose hot sauce! I’ve made two batches in the past month…

This is the very first Emeril recipe ever posted here… a weird “first”. Bam? Well, it’s an obnoxious name, but I wanted to make sure not to confuse this simmered hot sauce with the everyday blended raw hot sauce. Benefits to cooking it include a longer shelf life (six months!), a more mild flavor (if that’s a benefit for you…), and also a smoother blended hot sauce if you have a cheap blender (I do!) that hates chopping raw garlic, haha. It’s a very Emeril recipe – a bit neutered if you’re used to the fiery heat of la jiao jiang (hot pepper oil), but surprisingly good for how easy it is.

Also, a FANTASTIC way to use your freezer full of frozen garden chilis from last August!

Batches #1 and #2 are really good. This recipe is also infinitely adaptable. Add sweet peppers to the mix, caramelized onions or roasted garlic, or even leftover roasted carrots! Let me know if you alter this in any way! A perfect first hot sauce if you’ve never tried to make it yourself before!

easy zucchini cheddar drop biscuits

Craving comfort food with a healthier twist? Cheesy, buttery carbs are my go-to comfort food, so I’m always trying to figure out how to trick myself into combining classic comfort with veggies.

There are a few tricks that really work without sacrificing flavor. You can add steamed or roasted cauliflower or parsnips into mashed potatoes! You can add broccoli to your mac and cheese – and even substitute the pasta for high protein quinoa!

But what if you’re craving dense, buttery drop biscuits? Sure, you can substitute whole wheat flour for part of the all-purpose flour. You can use a bit less butter and cheese than the recipe calls for. But if you’re like me and you want that heavy, old-school comfort food flavor, why not add zucchini? Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home.

• 3/4 cup shredded zucchini
• 1-1/4 teaspoons salt, divided 1 teaspoon or less salt (cheese is salty!)
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  (I just used sharp cheddar, as that’s what I had in the house. Any combination of cheeses would be fine.)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, patted dry (optional; not necessary; they were great without this)
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil (or whatever you have. I used thyme and dill.)
• 1 cup 2% milk (mine didn’t need this much milk for the dough to come together.)

Preheat oven to 425°. Place zucchini in a colander over a plate; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and toss. Let stand 10 minutes. Rinse and drain well. Squeeze zucchini to remove excess liquid. Pat dry.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and remaining salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in zucchini, cheeses, tomatoes and basil. Add milk; stir just until moistened.

Drop by scant 1/3 cupfuls into a greased 13×9-in. baking pan. (I used a greased baking sheet.) Bake until golden brown, 22-26 minutes. Serve warm.

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Recipe by Taste of Home

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If it wasn’t for the flecks of green, you’d never guess there are veggies in here. I was worried the zucchini would cause soggy, dense, or chewy biscuits, but these still mostly maintain that classic crumbly drop biscuit consistency. Maybe just a bit wetter inside, but at least they weren’t dry! I had one hot out of the oven with some homemade hot sauce and it was just as it sounds. The cheddar crisped up on the bottom like a cheese cracker or a glamorgan “sausage”.

If you like your carbs cheesy and buttery, give this a try! A great wintertime recipe. I imagine these would be incredible dunked into a healthy vegetable soup. Like, what if you made a broccoli-cheese soup without the cheese, and added these biscuits on top? Next time I might add some jalapenos…. mmmm. Definitely a treat. Recommended.

the best veggie burgers on Earth

Seeking the perfect veggie burger recipe for years. I have tried every style – white-bean-and-breadcrumb, wild-rice-and-mushroom, chickpea-and-feta, sweet-potato-and-black-bean…

All of those recipes taste great, but just a bit funny in texture. Too crumbly, too gummy, too mushy. Tried forming them into burgers, into meatballs, into crumbles.

THE SECRET TO THE WORLD’S BEST VEGGIE BURGER?
Combine every recipe.

Seriously.

These burgers freeze perfectly, so make a HUGE batch and freeze the leftovers. Future-midweek-you will thank you.

COMPONENTS:

– THE GRAINS PART
I cooked brown rice in butter and sauteed garlic. You could use any grain – from white rice or wild rice to quinoa, barley, buckwheat. Leftover day-old grains work best – you want it a little dried-out. If you didn’t plan ahead, just stick the rice in the fridge while you prepare the other ingredients. You could add ANYTHING to your rice. Cook it in water and spices, or tons of herbs, or your favorite vegetable stock. Add your favorite flavors, or just keep it plain. The only necessity is a pinch of salt.

– THE BEANS PART
EVERY bean is good in this burger. Chickpeas, white beans, black beans, kidney, whatever. I used black beans, because I love the way they taste with sweet potato and chipotle. I soaked them overnight, and then simmered them with half an onion, a bay leaf, and a few carrot chunks. This is a GREAT way to use leftover beans from taco night – or make a huge batch, enough for next week’s taco night.

– THE POTATO PART
I used sweet potato, because they add such a nice flavor. If you’re not a fan, you could use yellow potatoes, like a mashed potato cake, but I haven’t tried that yet with this recipe. (If you do, let me know!)

The above steps are all best done the day before – it will make burger assembly much easier.

– THE BINDING PART
This is super flexible. I HIGHLY recommend a combination of oats blended in your blender or mortar and pestle to make oat flour, ground nuts like almonds or pecans, and breadcrumbs. Use way more than you think you need. Like, a cup of ground nuts and a cup of flour/crumbs. If you’re gluten-free, any of your GF all-purpose flour blends will work. You can use all-purpose flour instead of oat flour, panko – heck, you could even blend potato chips or cornflakes.

Highly recommend adding an EGG (if you eat eggs, or a flax egg if you don’t) to help bind it. If you’re making crumbles (like chorizo crumbles) don’t worry about the egg. The egg really is a textural game-changer, though. Helps to keep it all together.

– THE VEGGIES PART
Saute onions, for sure, if you like onions. Highly recommend mushrooms, too. I sauteed mine in coconut oil and you really couldn’t taste the mushrooms in the final burgers. They just add a perfect meaty chew. People put literally ANYTHING into their veggie burgers, though. It’s a great way to use up leftover roasted veggies, or that one last piece of wilted celery! Minced leftover steamed broccoli? Carrots? Bell peppers? A little mushy roasted eggplant? You really can’t go wrong here. At minimum, I recommend an onion and a small packet of mushrooms. Just keep pieces larger if you like texture, or grate/mince/blend to hide veggies.

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EXAMPLE RECIPES:

– garlic brown rice, oniony black beans, sweet potato, caramelized onions and mushrooms, pecan crumbs, and oat flour, seasoned with a jalapeno and chili powder, or a blend of cumin, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, cayenne, and oregano (“Mexican”) ** this was what I made – highly recommended!

– spelt, kidney beans cooked with garam masala, new potatoes, carrots, cashew crumbs and oat flour, seasoned with curry powder and garam masala (“Indian”)

– garlic quinoa, chickpeas cooked with lots of herbs, yellow potatoes, feta cheese, almond crumbs and oat flour, seasoned with oregano, fennel, lemon zest, and mint (“Greek”)

– buckwheat groats, white beans cooked with ras-el-hanout, dried apricots, almonds crumbs and oat flour, seasoned with cinnamon, ginger, cumin, coriander, and allspice (“Moroccan”)

– garlic farro, white beans cooked with an anchovy, chopped mozzarella, minced steamed broccoli, sauteed onions and mushrooms, pine nuts and oat flour, seasoned with oregano, rosemary, thyme, and garlic (“Italian”)

If you don’t own any spices or herbs, it’ll still be great with just salt and pepper. Just make sure not to leave out the onions and garlic. You can even roast a whole head of garlic and throw the cloves in!

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Without a doubt my favorite ever “make a giant batch and freeze them” recipe. They freeze GREAT. To prevent sticking together in the freezer, cut little pieces of a plastic grocery bag, or parchment paper, or cling film, and place a layer between each burger. Not necessary, but helpful. I shape the raw mixture into patties and freeze them raw. This way, they’re never overcooked. No need to defrost. They can bake or fry from frozen, like the store-bought kind.

If your kids hate vegetables, my advice is to blend ALL the veggies so they can’t be seen or picked out, fry them in lots of butter or coconut oil, and just call the fried patties “gurgers” or something. Of course, you can also bake them, grill them, or pan-fry in just a bit of olive oil.

Yes, these gurgers – uh, burgers – requires some planning ahead of time. But you can throw the grains and beans on the night before. A fun weekend project, not actually as much work as it sounds, and you will be eating these for weeks! The only veggie burger recipe EVER that I can 100% recommend.

Recipe by sig at friedsig, based loosely on hundreds of recipes over the years, but shout out to influential recipes from serious eats and epicurious.

kefir / buttermilk biscuits

If you culture kefir, you know the struggle: mountains of extra kefir. It takes up valuable refrigerator real estate! This recipe is a great way to use that extra kefir.

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2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
9 tbsp chilled butter, divided (see notes below)
1 cup unflavored kefir (or buttermilk, or sour milk)
(optional: spices or herbs or citrus zest)

Preheat the oven to 450°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (note: I did not use parchment.)
Sift together the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Cube the butter, mix it into the dry ingredients using the pulse mode in a food processor or slowly mix with mixer. Mix until it becomes crumbly. (note: I did this by hand.)
Mix in 1 cup cold kefir, just until the mixture is moistened. The dough shouldn’t be overly wet but, slightly sticky.
Roll or pat out on a lightly floured surface about 1 inch thick. Cut into rounds using a 2-inch cookie cutter dipped in flour. (note: I used a floured upside-down jelly jar.)
Place biscuits 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Brush the tops with melted butter. (note: I did not brush them in anything.) Bake at 450°F for 13-15 minutes until lightly golden and puffed.

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recipe from lifeway kefir and notes by friedsig

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I wrote down the recipe, and misread the recipe as “4T butter” instead of 9. (You were right, second grade teacher: my handwriting is messy.) Know what? They were still great. Maybe not as fluffy as the biscuits in the photo, but definitely still delicious. Even though I have never once in my life successfully made “perfect, fluffy biscuits” – this is probably the closest I have ever come. They were so pretty that I wanted to take a photo, but I ate them all before I had the chance. A nice small batch for two, so double or triple the recipe if making for a crowd! These are a bit sweet, so top with butter, jelly, peanut butter, nutella, or whatever you like! I may try biscuits and gravy with eggs next time; not sure if these would be too sweet for that. I’ll keep you posted!

anita’s meatloaf

Did you ever mean to type “meatloaf” but you type “meatload” instead?

I think this is why most people don’t like meatloaf.
Not because of a typo.
Because most meatloaf is just a meatload. Dense, dry, almost painful to eat. Flavorless. Just a load of meat. Without oats or breadcrumbs to bind, veggies to add textural interest, moisture in the form of some condiments inside the loaf, and onions and garlic for flavor, meatloaf can be downright unpleasant.

This meatloaf is different. It is everything I like – sweet, savory, and filling. The meat is kept moist by condiments. Of course, you can use a classic ketchup, but I love the complexity of barbecue sauce, apricot jam, worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, or mustard.

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my version:

– saute carrots on a med-high heat
– after a while, add minced onions, sour apples, peppers, or whatever you have
– when caramelized, add garlic. turn off the heat when everything is caramelized.
– separately, in a large bowl, add
+ a pound of ground chicken to a half a pound of pork or very fatty beef (like 75/25)
+ a large egg or two small eggs
+ breadcrumbs (maybe a half-cup or so; can use oats, gluten-free cracker crumbs, or anything similar)
+ apricot jam, unsweetened applesauce, mustard, or barbecue sauce to taste. more than you’d think, around a half-cup
+ something savory, like a few drops of fish sauce or worcestershire sauce
+ a handful of dried fruit (apricots, raisins, whatever) and chopped nuts (whatever you have, pistachio or almond)
+ spices – lots of garlic powder, smoked paprika, ground black pepper – or get creative!

my mom’s version:

“I don’t actually have a recipe for the one I make at home frequently…..it’s just a lb. of ground chicken (I like it better than turkey), an egg, about a cup of bread crumbs, about ½ to 1 c. of BBQ sauce to which I add a few chopped dried cranberries and commonly a couple of pinches of smoked paprika. – all of which I mix with sautéed and cooled: ½ large or 1 medium finely chopped onion (sautéed until translucent), 1 or 2 finely chopped celery stalks, and a few finely chopped carrots. I do it differently depending on what I have in the house. In the past I’ve substituted Saucy Susan for the BBQ sauce and I’ve added sautéed sweet potatoes. I bake it in a moderate oven for about 40 min. If I have bacon in the house, I’ll lay that on top before baking.” -Anita

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WHAT TEMPERATURE?

325 = ina garten, alton brown

350 = ellie at food network, betty crocker, spend with pennies, the neelys, brown eyed baker

375 = paula deen

400 = mar-mar-stew-stew, the kansas beef council

425 = bobby flay

if you like a soft meatloaf, go with a lower temperature. if you like a crust, go for a higher temperature. as you can see, everyone has a different preference, and there is no “wrong” temperature for a meatloaf!

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MEATLOAF TIPS:
– DON’T OVERMIX! #1 easiest way to mess up a meatloaf. think of it like a burger – it’ll get weird if you smush it too much.
– let it rest after pulling it from the oven, like a steak or any other meat. cutting it too early will encourage the juices to leave, making a dry meatloaf.
– like the crust the best? form the meatloaf free-form on a baking sheet. you get crust on the top and sides, too! make sure to bump up the oven temp to 400.
– hate the crust? make it in a loaf pan, and leave the heat low, like 325.
– watching your calories? DON’T go with 100% lean turkey meat without at least a little fat, or it will come out dense. you can still make a very healthy meatloaf with just a bit of beef.
– if you’re making it super lean, you can soak bread in milk or veggie stock, and use that instead of breadcrumbs to bind the loaf. that will help keep it from drying out.
– think of texture when you’re planning the veggies. roasted sweet potato adds moisture, nuts and seeds add crunchy textural interest. caramelize some carrots, and leave some less cooked for the consistency.
– don’t skimp on the sauteed veggies! they add moisture, flavor, and texture!
– pan-fry slices of leftover meatloaf for an amazing sandwich.
(tips from my own experience, and bread-soaking tip from the today show)

WHAT IF I DON’T LIKE SWEET?
– instead of apricot jam, use mustard, worcestershire, a little fish paste and hot sauce, or another savory condiment. leave out the dried fruit.
– substitute carrots and apples with more savory vegetables, like fennel, cauliflower, grated cabbage, or mushrooms.
– use savory spices. this recipe is totally flexible, and just as good with cumin and chipotle as with smoked paprika and thyme, or hot chilis and green onions. get creative!

MIX IT UP:
– caramelize onions in cider vinegar or a splash of apple juice or honey for sweetness – or add a pinch of baking soda to get them to caramelize faster, according to cook’s illustrated
– go with a theme for the seasoning. curry powder, cashews, and apples? thyme, dijon mustard, and sausage? roasted poblanos, jalapenos, bell peppers, and chili powder for a four-pepper meatloaf? moroccan spice blend? peanuts and sweet potatoes? oregano, thyme, basil, and a little spaghetti sauce? the only limit is your imagination!
– replace some of the ground chicken with ground turkey. replace the ground pork with ground beef or sausage. replace some of the chicken with sauteed mushrooms.
– cook’s illustrated turkey meatloaf calls for a half-cup of grated Parmesan and 3T melted butter mixed into the turkey meat for texture and flavor – but they say never use 99% lean meat, as it will become “pasty” or “mushy and compact” when cooked – they recommend 85% lean

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How does your family make their meatloaf?

banana cream pie (all-natural, no pudding box!)

First time making a custard, first time making a pie crust in easily a year, first time making a banana cream pie – what could go wrong?

This turned out – well, okay, not even close to perfect, but delicious anyway.

Recipe by Taste of Home and adapted by friedsig

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1 cup sugar 3/4 c sugar maybe 1/2 c sugar?
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups 2% milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 pie crust (9 inches), baked
2 large firm bananas 3 large, firm bananas
1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped (optional: whipped cream, to top)

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1. In a large saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt and milk until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Stir a small amount of hot filling into eggs; return all to pan. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer.

2. Remove from heat. Gently stir in butter and vanilla. Press plastic wrap onto surface of custard; refrigerate, covered, 30 minutes.

3. Spread half of the custard into crust. Slice bananas; arrange over filling. Pour remaining custard over bananas. Spread with whipped cream. Refrigerate 6 hours

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Even though I completely messed up the pie crust, this tastes absolutely incredible. A few notes for next time….

1. I was scared to let the milk get too hot because I know for some desserts you can’t let milk boil. I was also scared the sugar would burn. So I let it simmer just below boiling on a super-low heat… and it took maybe four hours. WAY too long! So, next time, I’ll start the milk on medium heat, and lower it to a simmer afterwards. Bet that’ll shave half the time off the custard.

2. The custard was amazing, but could use something to make the flavor a little more interesting. Next time, I will add a few drops of almond extract, or some hickory syrup to add a smokiness.

3. The recipe called for a cup of sugar, but commenters said it came out too sweet, so I cut it to 3/4 c of sugar. Still too much! Next time I’ll try a half-cup of sugar and maybe a little honey or something.

4. Okay, I know it has to have the whipped cream on top or else it’s not really a banana cream pie. But after 3 cups of milk, it honestly didn’t taste like it was in need of the whipped cream. This pie is common in the Midwest, and it’s always made with instant banana-flavored pudding. Usually, I need some whipped cream to cancel out that strange metallic artificial banana pudding flavor. This might be a contentious opinion, but between the homemade custard and the raw banana flavor, I don’t think this needs whipped cream at all.

5. I added a layer of bananas at the base, to protect the crust from the custard and also just to get a little more fruit in this dessert. Highly recommended.

6. Made this on Sunday (1/6), and ate almost the entire thing by Tuesday night. Maybe this is best made for a crowd, or for someone who has some self-control.

edit 2020: Absolutely phenomenal with a little peanut butter swirl vanilla ice cream on top!

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Recipe by Taste of Home and adapted by friedsig

crispiest, best roasted potatoes ever

a little food science goes a long way in this recipe from kenji at serious eats. i tried them, and it’s no exaggeration. these are like mashed potatoes inside, and extremely crispy outside.

the crispiness is amazing. the only down sides? a bit more time-consuming than your average roasted potato. they’re also most delicious on the day you make them. reheating made my batch dry out and cave in; if you’re making a huge batch for the week, i’d still go with your average roasted potato. but you can still spruce up your potatoes even if you don’t use kenji’s method…

check it out at serious eats, or just make sure to use yukon golds or russets instead of red potatoes, add a half-teaspoon of baking soda to the water you par-boil them in (alkaline water yields crispier potatoes,) and toss the chunks roughly in oil so the chunks are covered in a “mashed-potato-like paste”.

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…another tip for amazing roasted potatoes? this tip is from epicurious/bon appetit by way of mark – he puts vinegar on the potatoes before roasting, so they come out like crispy salt and vinegar chips! i tried them, although i left out the chives and used apple cider vinegar instead. no idea why this never occurred to me, but it’s a great idea! i’ll make them again for sure.

both methods are recommended to mix up your roasted vegetable routine!

lemon dill mushroom pot pie

Delicious, hearty, and satisfying! Not too heavy with the lemon dill sauce replacing a traditional heavy cream sauce. Never made a pot pie from scratch before. I’ll give an approximation of what I did, with both a vegetarian and chicken-y option.

-1 package mushrooms cut into small chunks (I used portobellos)
-a pound or two (or more) of potatoes (I used maybe 12 baby red potatoes)
-a few carrots, parsnips, celery, peas, leeks, or whatever veggies you have
-a tablespoon or so of flour (can use gf or apf or whatever you have)
-vegetable or chicken stock
-olive oil or chicken schmaltz
-onion and garlic
-one to two fresh lemons
-fresh dill to taste
-1 sheet frozen puff pastry, or any flaky pastry recipe from scratch
-dried thyme, sage, or other dry herbs (optional)
-splash of milk or cream (optional)
-chicken or veg meat-substitute (optional)

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This is a really flexible recipe. You can poach everything together in the stock, or cook things separately and add them at the end. You can cook everything on the stove and then dump everything into an oven-safe casserole dish if you don’t have a dutch oven or deep cast iron skillet. I’ll just share how I did it:

1. (optional: roast a chicken and set aside the meat, torn into small shreds, like for chicken salad. or use a rotisserie chicken, leftover chicken, whatever you have. veg folks can use leftover chunks of meat substitute, or just leave this out. )
2. In a dutch oven or oven-safe deep pan, caramelize an onion in olive oil or schmaltz.
3. Add minced garlic and raw vegetables like carrots, mushrooms, leeks, potatoes, or whatever you have. (You can also boil the potatoes the day before to save time. Add them towards the end if you choose this.)
4. When veggies are almost soft, add a tablespoon or so of flour, until veggies are lightly coated. Cook til flour is browned. (May want to preheat the oven to 425 around now.)
5. Add a cup or two of vegetable or chicken stock until things look saucy, stirring well. Add any soft ingredients like peas, and dried herbs like thyme (optional).
6. Simmer until everything tastes perfect, maybe 5 or 10 minutes, longer if the potatoes were raw. (If you like it creamy, add a splash of milk or cream here.)
7. Turn off heat. Add the juice of a lemon or two, to taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Finally, add back in the cooked chicken and a bunch of minced fresh dill to taste.
8. Lay the pastry on top and bake for a half hour or until pastry is golden brown. Start the oven high for a while and turn it down lower, so the puff pastry gets crunchy.

recipe by friedsig and adapted from potato, leek, and pea pot pie from epicurious

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I am really into lemon dill lately. My go-to soup is avgolemono with lemon and dill, and my go-to chicken salad is this chicken salad with spinach, apple, and dill. This is not dissimilar from a Greek chicken soup – carrots, dill, lemon – but the pastry really makes it feel special. Next time I will tackle a homemade pastry, but the frozen one I used made a flaky and beautiful crust. Fed some friends over graduation weekend and they all said it was amazing – one said it’s one of the best things she’s ever eaten. I think she was just being nice, but either way, I will definitely make this for a crowd again.