When we went to London last spring we had an amazing champagne tea service at Sketch and I’ve been dreaming about the coronation chicken salad sandwiches we had there ever since! I’ve been experimenting with this recipe — my own variation of the curry chicken salad — for weeks now and can’t stop eating it for lunch. It’s so tasty that I actually just eat a scoop of it in a bowl — no bread or wraps needed! I even made a triple batch to serve in mini roll-ups at my mom’s 60th birthday brunch we hosted a few weeks ago — (I added a bit more greek yogurt and mayonnaise to the party-sized serving) and it was a fan-favorite at the party. Most importantly, it’s very easy to make which is perfect for meal-prepping so that I always have a healthyish lunch to grab in the fridge during the week. I have made it with chopped up rotisserie chicken, or leftover poached chicken (I actually make mine in the Instant Pot with just a little bit of salt, pepper, and chicken stock) — use whatever you have on hand! Get the full recipe below:
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I’ve got a few parties on the calendar this season that include birthdays, brunches and showers, so adding some new appetizer recipes to my repertoire have been on my mind. I’ve been testing the recipe for these Goat Cheese and Walnut Tarts to have on the menu for all that upcoming spring entertaining!
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At the end of the year, I went back and looked all of the posts I’d written to try to gauge what sort of topics were most popular. I had a good laugh, because man you guys LOVE my super-indulgent, over the top, high-calorie recipes. The top recipes were full of heavy cream and lots of cheese and I totally respect that because I would eat that way every day if I could! My guess is though, that like me, you’re all probably on that January healthy-eating-kick that catches on as we regret the weeks of holiday indulgence. I’m taking it one step farther this month and actually signed up for Weight Watchers (I have my sister’s wedding this fall that I’m determined to slim down for!) and have made it my mission this month to add more healthy eating ideas to the blog that are just as tasty as my cheesy, caloric entertaining ideas you loved last year. It’s a challenge, but one that I’m excited to take on! To kick it off, I thought I’d share this side dish that we have been making on repeat at our house: Garlic and Herb Mashed Cauliflower.
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I’m all about the high-calorie side dishes on Thanksgiving (like butter-packed mashed potatoes, yes please!), but I know it that it’s all about balance. We need some variety on the table, and veggies that aren’t soaked in butter have their place too (right next to the mashed potatoes!). I have been on a big kick lately of roasting squash and carrots in this simple dressing made with honey, a bit of brown sugar, coarse ground dijon mustard, and a dash of olive oil. It’s such a simple dish, one that I whip up on weeknights, but comes together so beautifully that it feels holiday-table worthy too! Get the full recipe below:
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When my cookbook first came out last month, my sister gave me the most thoughtful present to celebrate the occasion. She had asked tons of my closest friends and family to write me a note or recall a memory of me, and she shared all of the anecdotes in a book for me to read the day before the book launched. It was probably the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me! In the collection of notes, three separate people mentioned how much they loved a recipe I wrote years ago for a mixed scallop potatoes dish. I have to admit that I didn’t even remember the recipe! I had to back into the archives and read it, and once I did I remembered instantly how tasty it was. I decided to take that concept and give it a refresh with just sweet potatoes this time, and bit of a different look — it still has all of that great, rich creamy flavor though because the holidays are not a time to be counting calories. Get the full recipe below.
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Stuffing is one of the highlights of Thanksgiving dinner table at our house. I love it; and we’ve gotten in the habit of making two types to ensure that there are leftovers. One classic stuffing with the store-bought mix (because that stuff is so darn good in a turkey sandwich the day after the holiday) and one stuffing that has some special mix-ins. I’ve made it with sage and squash, with sausage and apples, and this year I thought it would be fun to give our stuffing some major flavor with Everything Bagel seasoning. The base of the stuffing is made with a mix of corn bread and white bread, and it gets tons of seasonal flavor from onions, sage, parsley and celery seed. The everything bagel seasoning on top gives it texture and a salty bite — it’ll be a hit on your Thanksgiving table. Get the recipe below:
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We are celebrating Thanksgiving with my side of the family this year, and while I won’t host it at my house, I do most of the cooking! My mom and I were starting to brainstorm the menu and she mentioned the holiday staple: green bean casserole. I admired to her that while I love the creamy sauce and French’s crispy onions on top, I didn’t care much for the actual green beans. I had a lightbulb moment and thought, what if I took those flavors I loved from the green bean casserole, and mixed them into spinach for a bit of a hybrid dish. It’s one part creamed spinach, one part green bean casserole, and I still get plenty of those crispy, salty French’s onions — they’re a tradition I’ll never break! Get the recipe below:
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Today kicks off two weeks of non-stop brand new Thanksgiving recipes! I’m so excited to share all of these dishes with you. There are 10 new recipes, hosting ideas, turkey tips, and lots of tasty ideas coming out of the archives. I’m starting with what I think is the most important side dish of all: mashed potatoes. Forget the turkey, we’re all here for the buttery, creamy, fluffy potatoes. This version is an update on my classic mashed potato recipe, but made new with the flavorful addition of tons of soft cloves of roasted garlic and sweet caramelized shallots. Get the full recipe below. (And PS: If you’re looking for more Thanksgiving recipes, my cookbook New England Invite has a whole chapter dedicated to the holiday menu!)
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I have been nursing a cough and a cold for over a week – the change of the seasons always gets me! Add to that a week of cool, rainy weather, and I’ve been gravitating all things cozy and comforting. Lots of tea, early bedtimes, and a craving for soup that I just couldn’t ignore. I’ve been thinking a lot about one soup in particular that I just couldn’t get out of my head – an amazingly balanced potato leek soup from a farm store near my parent’s house. I had it for lunch a few weeks back, and couldn’t get it out of my head. We ate it with crusty bread and slices of sharp herbed cheddar cheese and it was so flavorful. I knew I had to recreate it home – and decided to combine the best parts of this unforgettable lunch into one pot: a potato leek soup infused with those sharp cheddar and herb flavors.
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I had a giant craving for a taco salad this week, and got to work on creating the very best version I could dream up. I remember my mom making taco salad when were kids, and she would give us a scoop of tortilla chips that we could crunch up on our plates before adding toppings (which was mostly just cheese and meat as a kid, right?). My version has a little bit of everything, and a whole lot of color — ground beef with black beans and corn, yellow rice and crispy lettuce, tomatoes, olives and scallions, big slices of ripe avocado, and of course some cheese and tortilla crisps. I finished the salad off with a homemade honey lime vinaigrette; it’s easy to make in a small mason jar! Add in all of the ingredients and give it a vigorous shake before dressing your salad — and save the extra in the mason jar for taco salad leftovers for lunch the next day. Get the full recipe below:
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