As I was flipping through my planner at work today, I realized something crazy: Thanksgiving is next week! It feels like November just started, so it’s hard to believe we’re already on the verge of the holidays.

I love this time of year because, while it’s hectic, there’s always some type of get together to look forward to. Many of our family gatherings over the next month are centered around a delicious spread of food. I lalways make a couple of old standbys (like grandma’s green bean casserole), along with a new recipe or two.

Because I know oven space is especially precious on Thanksgiving, I’m always on the hunt for dishes that can be made ahead of time or cooked quickly on the stove. I love this cheesy garlic kale because it has delicious flavor but isn’t as heavy as some of the more traditional holiday vegetable side dishes.

There are a few people in my family who turn their noses up at kale, but this recipe is husband approved. James isn’t a huge vegetable fan, but he actually went back for seconds when I served this with dinner last night! This is a great recipe to keep in your back pocket even after the holidays are over because of how quickly it comes together. I recently paired it with chicken sausage and polenta and loved how it complemented the rest of the meal. 

Cheesy Garlic Kale

serves 4-6

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 2 Tbsp. butter, divided
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 large bunch kale
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
  [/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once butter is melted, add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Add kale to skillet and carefully pour water over top. Cook kale until bright green and soft and all the water is evaporated.
3. Add remaining 1 Tbsp. butter, 2 Tbsp. cheese, salt and pepper to skillet and toss kale until evenly coated. Remove from heat and top with remaining parmesan.

[/directions]

The post Cheesy Garlic Kale appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.

I find myself craving the simplest of meals during the summer. Many of them require three main components: bread, cheese and produce. The combination of ingredients is inspired by whatever I can find at the Farmers’ Market on Saturdays. This week I scored some fairy tale eggplant, watermelon and cantaloupe. But there are a few staples I find myself buying week after week: cherry tomatoes, peaches and basil. I go straight to my favorite vendors as soon as I arrive in the morning to make sure I get what I need. Then I immediately head home and throw together the most fresh, delicious lunch.

This idea for toast came together when I found myself staring down two large containers of ricotta cheese, which I had leftover from making this amazing ricotta ice cream for a cookbook club meeting. I was craving something savory and sweet, so I decided I would make both. Why choose when you don’t have to?

A few slices of this toast can be a meal in itself, but it’s also wonderful served alongside a big salad or as an appetizer while you wait for the main course to finish up on the grill. To kick it up a notch, top each toast with a balsamic reduction.

Farmers’ Market Ricotta Toasts

serves 4-6

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 1/2 french or whole-grain baguette
• 4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup basil, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 cup whole-milk ricotta
• 1 peach, cut into 12 slices

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Cut baguette into 12 thin slices, slicing at a slight diagonal. Place bread slices on a medium-sized cookie sheet. Pour 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a small bowl and brush over the tops of each bread slice. Place cookie sheet on the top rack of your oven and set it to broil. Watch the bread closely to make sure it doesn’t burn. Broil for 2 to 4 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Remove bread from oven and set aside.
2. While bread cools, gently stir together 1 Tbsp. olive oil, tomatoes, 1/4 cup basil, garlic, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Set aside to let the flavors marry.
3. In a separate small bowl, whisk together ricotta and remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Spread a generous amount of ricotta on top of each piece of bread. Top half of the toasts with the tomato mixture. With the remaining pieces of toast, place two slices of peach on top and sprinkle with the remaining fresh basil.

[/directions]

The post Farmers’ Market Ricotta Toasts appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.

Panzanella was a dish my mother made on repeat growing up. Back then I simply called the dish “bread salad” and picked every ingredient except the bread out. I had no idea what I was missing! Now that I’m older and my tastebuds have grown up, I can’t imagine panzanella without fresh, sweet cherry tomatoes. When I bought a pint at the farmers’ market over the weekend, I knew exactly what I would do with them.

Panzanella marries some of my favorite summer flavors: tomatoes, garlic and basil. The dish is simple, which makes the quality and freshness of the ingredients you use especially important. If you don’t have a good bottle of extra-virgin olive oil, invest in one. You won’t regret it! If you’re local, you can find a great selection of imported varieties at Goods For Cooks, where you can sample before you buy. You also want to make sure the tomatoes and basil you use in this salad are as fresh as possible.

As for the type of bread you use, it’s personal preference. My mom actually used day-old Jimmy John’s loaves for her panzanella. I chose a sourdough loaf from Muddy Fork Bakery, which held up well in the salad days later. The crustier the bread, the less likely it is to get soggy.

Summer Panzanella

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 5 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 7 oz. sourdough, french or other crusty bread (about 1/2 of a large loaf), diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced,
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup loosely packed basil, torn
• 1/2 cup parmesan or asiago cheese, grated
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Heat 2 Tbsp. of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once oil is warm, add bread, salt and pepper to the skillet. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until bread is golden brown on all sides. Remove from heat.
2. Place bread, tomatoes, red onion, bell pepper, basil and cheese in a large bowl and toss until combined. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 3 Tbsp. olive oil, red wine vinegar and garlic until combined. Pour dressing over bread mixture and toss until the bread is evenly coated in oil. Let salad sit at room temperature or refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

[/directions]

The post Summer Panzanella appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.

We’ve been grilling out almost every night this summer and I don’t think we’ll ever grow tired of it. Throwing some meat and veggies on the grill makes for an effortless, delicious dinner. And, the cleanup is so easy. I tend to switch up the type of meat we grill based on whatever is on sale at our local co-op and butcher each week. But, there has been one constant among our outdoor summer meals: roasted lemon potato salad.

I first made a version of this potato salad for a monthly Bloomington Cookbook Club meeting. A group of local food-loving ladies picks a different cookbook to dive into each month, which culminates with a potluck-style meal featuring recipes from the book. I made the potato salad from Asha Gomez’s My Two Souths for our inaugural meeting and loved the intense flavor fresh lemon zest gave the dish. Others raved about it, as well.

Since then, I’ve tweaked the recipe a bit to make it my own. I think what makes this potato salad so good is the unexpected flavors. I grew up in the Midwest, where many potato salad recipes involve lots of bacon and cheese. I love the tang lemon zest and Greek yogurt lend this version, which makes it taste lighter than most.

I tend to avoid using the oven on hot summer days, but I make an exception for this recipe. It’s just that good!

Roasted Lemon Potato Salad

serves 6-8

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 1.5 lbs. fingerling potatoes, washed and halved
• 1 large shallot, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
• Zest from two large lemons

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place potatoes, shallot and garlic on a large cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil over top, then use your hands to toss potatoes, shallot and garlic until completely coated in oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown, flipping potatoes once halfway through cooking.
3. Allow potato mixture to cool for 15 minutes. While it cools, combine mayonnaise, Greek yogurt and lemon zest in a large bowl. Use a rubber spatula to stir until combined. Carefully pour potato mixture into bowl and gently stir until potatoes are evenly coated in dressing. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate for at least two hours and serve cold.

[/directions]

If you’re a lemon lover, you might enjoy these other recipes:

Lemon White Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats

Boozy Lemonade

East Pork Picatta

Limoncello Spritzer

The post Roasted Lemon Potato Salad appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.