After a few months of stepping away from the blog, I’m back! I fell off the writing wagon for awhile because life got busy, and I honestly wasn’t feeling very inspired in the kitchen. Sometimes you just have to get a meal on the table as quickly as possible, and there aren’t enough hours in the day to make the perfect meal. But, that’s life! I hoped things would slow down a bit over the summer, but this seems to be our busiest season every year. There’s just so much going on in June and July — holidays, birthdays, all sorts of celebrations. It’s all so much fun, but sometimes it’s hard to juggle it all.

But there’s something about all of the delicious, fresh produce that comes along during the summer that makes me want to embrace simplicity. When you have high quality ingredients that are naturally bursting with flavor, there’s no need for meals to get complicated. I can’t get enough melon lately, and the tomatoes I’ve been picking from our garden are to die for. I didn’t like tomatoes at all as a kid, but they’re one of my favorite summer treats as an adult.

While BLTs and panzanella are delicious, my favorite way to enjoy summer tomatoes is actually by slow roasting them. We grow three varieties in our garden and, when I’ve got more tomatoes than I know what to do with, I throw them in the oven for a couple of hours with some good olive oil and fresh herbs. Cooking them low and slow almost caramelizes the tomatoes, drawing out their sweet and acidic flavors. And, they make your house smell delicious — definitely worth turning the oven on for in the middle of the summer.

Once the tomatoes are done roasting, you can store them in a jar in the fridge until you’re ready to use them. I like to throw them on sandwiches and salads, but they also make for the best pasta or pizza sauce ever. All you have to do is sauté some chili flakes and garlic in a saucepan, then add the tomatoes and crush them up a bit with a wooden spoon to draw out some of the juices. I like my sauce thick and rustic, so I just let it simmer this way until it breaks down a bit and the flavors come together. Throw some chopped basil in at the end and you have a ridiculously delicious sauce.

You can use this recipe with any type of tomato, but the cooking time will vary based on their size. If you’re roasting several varieties at once, you’ll want to keep a close eye on them and pull out the smaller tomatoes early so they don’t get burnt. I like this recipe best with a variety of cherry and Roma tomatoes.

Slow-Roasted Summer Tomatoes

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 2 lb. tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 4 sprigs fresh herbs (I like Thyme and Rosemary best)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
2. Place tomatoes in a large bowl, then toss with olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper. Carefully spread tomatoes in an even layer on the baking sheet, making sure the cut side of the tomatoes is facing up.
3. For small varieties of tomatoes like cherry, roast for 1.5 to 2 hours — until the tomatoes are shriveled but still have some liquid in the middle. For medium and large varieties of tomatoes, roast for 3 to 4 hours.
4. Allow tomatoes to cool on baking sheet until they reach room temperature. Transfer tomatoes and any oil into a large mason jar and store in the fridge for up to five days.

[/directions]

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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]

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And, just like that, the first week of 2017 is nearly over. I feel pretty good about how I started the year off: more relaxation, exercise and home-cooked meals. I’m hoping to build on that momentum and carry it through the rest of the year. How was your first week of 2017?

While I didn’t mention it in my goals for the year,  I’m making an effort to make more veggie-based meals in 2017. I love vegetables, but I typically serve them as side dishes. As a result, I don’t always get as many servings a day as I should. And, I feel so much more satisfied when I eat a main dish that features a hearty portion of veggies.

Making more veggie-based meals can be a challenge at times because James isn’t as adventurous when it comes to certain foods. When I started throwing this dinner together the other night, James said, “You aren’t making zoodles, are you?” Apparently he isn’t as big of a fan of that recipe as he originally claimed!

That’s why I love spaghetti squash. It takes on the flavor of whatever sauce you toss it in and I think it resembles and tastes more like pasta than any other veggie noodle out there. Plus, it’s so easy! You don’t need any special equipment for spaghetti squash — it turns into noodles just by scraping it with a fork.

Serving spaghetti squash with spaghetti sauce is actually the only way I’ve ever had this variety of squash. When I was checking out at the grocery store, the clerk suggested tossing it in melted butter, garlic and parmesan. That’s a recipe that’s on my list to try over the next couple of weeks!

Spaghetti Squash with Spicy Meat Sauce

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 2 sweet chicken or turkey Italian sausages
• 2 spicy chicken or turkey Italian sausages
• 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes with basil
• 2 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 large spaghetti squash (aim for 3 to 4 lbs.)
• 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano, grated
  [/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When oil is hot, add garlic and red pepper. Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Squeeze all four Italian sausages out of their casings and into the pan. Break meat up into small pieces using a wooden spoon and stir until browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Carefully remove from heat and drain fat from pan.
2. Return pan with meat mixture to medium heat and add crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and the bay leaf. Stir until combined and let sauce come to a boil. Once sauce is boiling, reduce heat to low and cover pan. Let sauce simmer for at least 30 minutes.
3. While sauce is simmering, poke the spaghetti squash all over with a fork. Place spaghetti squash on top of a paper towel in the microwave and cook on high for 10 to 15 minutes, until squash is soft to the touch. Remove squash from microwave and let cool until it’s comfortable enough to handle.
4. Use a large butcher knife to cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scoop the seeds out of the middle of each side of the squash using a large spoon. Once all seeds are removed, scrape the inside of the squash with a fork until you’ve reduced all of the flesh to noodles.
5. Remove sauce from heat and discard bay leaf. Top spaghetti squash with a heaping portion of sauce and a sprinkling of cheese.
   [/directions]

The post Spaghetti Squash With Spicy Meat Sauce appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.

My parents’ house already smells so good.  We are prepping most of our Thanksgiving side dishes today to maximize oven space tomorrow. I’ve already thrown together a pie and some sweet potato rolls. It makes Thanksgiving day so much easier! We can focus all of our energy on the turkey tomorrow and just heat a few things up before we’re ready to feast.

Every Thanksgiving we have a mix of traditional dishes (like grandma’s green bean casserole) and a few new recipes. This corn casserole is a new dish on our family’s table this Thanksgiving. I decided to make it for the first time after James and I had it during a Friendsgiving celebration last weekend. The version we had was covered in cheese and our favorite dish of the entire meal. I knew I had to recreate it for our family’s holiday celebration.

This version is a little bit lighter, thanks to the use of egg whites and majorly scaling back the amount of cheese. But, it’s still just as good as the original. And, the best part, it couldn’t be easier to throw together.

Lightened-up Corn Casserole

from Cooking Light

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 8.75 oz. can no-salt-added corn, drained
• 1 8.75 oz. can cream-style corn
• 1 8.5 oz. package corn muffin mix
• 1 8 oz. container non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1/4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
  [/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a large casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except cheese. Mix until smooth and pour into casserole dish. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.
3. Place in oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until set.

[/directions]

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There are few holiday dishes as divisive as green bean casserole. People fall into one of two camps: you love it or you loathe it.

I was never a big fan of traditional green bean casserole growing up. I usually just picked the french fried onions off the top. It wasn’t a dish our family made often for the holidays because my mom had a much better recipe in her arsenal: her mother’s green bean casserole. It’s proof that everything’s better with cheese.

I remember a couple of years ago we were planning our Thanksgiving meal and figuring out who would provide each dish. No one volunteered to make the green bean casserole because we figured mom would, like she did every year. But then we arrived to my parent’s house and one dish was noticeably absent. We were shocked. Thanksgiving without green bean casserole?! It just wasn’t right.

I don’t think we’ve neglected to have green bean casserole at Thanksgiving since then. We always try a few new side dishes every year, but it’s one of those recipes you just don’t mess with. Yes, it has cream of mushroom soup. Yes, it includes questionable “cheese product.” But it’s something we eat once or twice a year, so you better believe I’m going to enjoy it. To me it tastes like home.

What’s the one dish your family has every year at Thanksgiving? Tell me in the comments!

Grandma’s Cheesy Green Bean Casserole

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 1 Tbsp. flour
• 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup American cheese (Velveeta works best), shredded
• 4 cups canned green beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/2 cup sourdough bread, cubed
  [/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a large casserole dish with cooking spray.
2. In a large saucepan, melt 1 Tbsp. butter over medium-low heat. Add flour and Worcestershire sauce and whisk until smooth and slightly brown, about one minute. Slowly pour in milk, whisking constantly until thick.
3. Add cream of mushroom soup and cheese to pan and stir until combined. Stir in green beans and pour mixture into casserole dish.
4. Melt remaining Tbsp. of butter in the microwave, heating in 15-second increments until melted. Stir in garlic salt, then toss cubes of bread in the butter. Spread evenly on top of green beans.
5. Place casserole in the oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until bread is browned and casserole is bubbling.

[/directions]

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