Baked Feta, Tomato, and Spinach Pasta

If you spend even half as much time as I do on the Internet every day, then you’ve probably seen the latest (and most delicious-looking) trend to hit social media: drizzling blocks of feta cheese and loose tomatoes with wonderful, generous glugs of extra virgin olive and baking them at moderately-high heat until the tomatoes have ripened to the point of almost bursting, and the cheese has gotten so soft that when mixed with pasta, it melts like a dream. The original recipe was developed two years ago by Finnish food blogger Jenni Häyrinen, but it wasn’t until this year, thanks to TikTok, that it went super viral. In fact, the recipe got so huge that Finland actually had a brief but significant shortage of feta cheese nationwide! I’ve seen countless videos floating around Youtube and Instagram in the last two weeks, and though I tend to be extremely particular when it comes to jumping on the latest trends, I knew this was one I desperately had to try.

In all the videos I watched, the basic breakdown of the dish was this: drizzle the feta and tomatoes with olive oil, season with black pepper, and sprinkle a liberal amount of oregano (usually fresh) on top. Roast everything in the oven, then mix in cooked pasta. It just doesn’t get any simpler - or more hands-off - than that.

The final product looked amazing every time, but I wanted to take things up a notch. What other seasonings would go well with salty cheese, sweet tomatoes, and earthy olive oil? Then it hit me: za’atar, my favorite Middle Eastern spice blend that consists of sesame, thyme, marjoram, oregano, and sumac! Oregano, a key ingredient in the original recipe, would still be present, and joined by some other stellar spices blended together in perfect harmony. And because I sometimes need to trick myself into eating vegetables: I threw in some spinach, too! When it came to pasta, I wanted to keep things pretty simple. In some videos, I saw cavatappi being used. In others, classic macaroni. But there was something about a small, long pasta shape that appealed to me, so I went with penne rigate.

The result was, and I’m not exaggerating, one of the best pasta dishes I have EVER had. This Baked Feta, Tomato, and Spinach Pasta is earthy from the za’atar, slightly sweet from the roasted tomatoes, and perfectly creamy, briny, and a little tangy from the baked feta. Though the spinach takes a backseat to the other flavors, just a few minutes of being tossed into the still-warm pasta makes it pleasantly tender and a great supporting character to the main act. And the best part is, dinner was ready in 35 minutes, with very little clean-up at the end.

Internet trends come and go at the speed of light, but this Baked Feta, Tomato, and Spinach Pasta was born from a social media moment that I know is here to stay!

Baked Feta, Tomato, and Spinach Pasta

What You’ll Need:

• 1 pint grape tomatoes

• One 8 oz block of feta cheese

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Za’atar

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Salt

• 16 oz penne rigate pasta

• 3 oz baby spinach

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place the feta cheese and tomatoes in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Drizzle the feta and tomatoes liberally with extra-virgin olive oil, za’atar, and freshly ground black pepper. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes.

While the feta and tomatoes are in the oven, cook the pasta in a heavy-bottomed pot filled with well-salted boiling water (the water should taste like the ocean). Follow package instructions for al dente. Just before the pasta is done, reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Drain the pasta.

As soon as the feta and tomatoes are out of the oven, add the pasta, spinach, and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to the baking dish and stir until the ingredients are well-combined. Add more freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve warm.

TO STORE: Pasta can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Chocolate Chai Truffles

I’m not that into Valentine’s Day, and I can’t decide if it’s because there’s just way too much pressure to not be single, or because I’ve never had a particularly good one. The worst Valentine’s Day, by far, was the spring semester of my sophomore year of college when a guy I’d been seeing for a while decided for the both of us that we were going to bypass the holiday altogether; it was just going to be a regular Tuesday. The only problem with that? He forgot to fill me in on it. So there I was the night before, burning a CD filled with happy songs (a few of them my own), and carefully cutting out a homemade card with a track listing on the back. We hadn’t been dating that long, so I knew to avoid the “L” word at all costs, but I thought a nice little gift would let him know that he was appreciated.

Since our colleges were within walking distance of each other, we had plenty of opportunities to spend time together. Twice a week, we had a standing coffee date at a new shop right downtown, and as luck would have it, that fateful V-Day happened to fall on one of them. I couldn’t wait to see him, and even got my hopes up that maybe, even though we hadn’t talked about how we were going to handle the holiday, he’d surprise me, too. And boy, was I surprised. The look on this guy’s face when I gave him the card and CD would make anyone beg the floor to open up wide and swallow them whole. “I…didn’t think we were doing anything special today,” he said, with a voice filled with gentle caution generally reserved for calming spooked horses. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get you anything.” And because we were freshly an item, I tried with all my might to brush off my utter embarrassment, and act like his gift was just one of MANY I was handing out that day, and that the playlist HADN”T taken me a full hour to curate because I wanted to get the flow just right. I think I mumbled something about how it was totally fine, then tried to finish my piping-hot coffee as quickly as possible without completely eviscerating my taste buds.

So did this incident sour Valentine’s Day for me forever? Not really. I don’t blame him for what happened - we were brand new, young, and in the end, not emotionally mature enough to properly communicate. And in case you’re wondering whatever happened to our dear friend, the Valentine’s Day Dodger, I heard he got married a few years ago and had a kid. So all’s well that ends well.

At any rate, Valentine’s Day isn’t all bad. The new movies and books that come out around this time are usually heartwarming, and It’s one of the biggest days of the year to celebrate everything sweet. I can’t think of anything sweeter than making homemade Chocolate Chai Truffles.

Making truffles might seem intimidating at first. For quite some time, I believed that it took a certain amount of mastery before you could even attempt such a delicious and professional-looking act of confectionery, but it’s just not true! When it all boils down, chocolate truffles consist of just two things: heavy cream, and pure chocolate. Put those two together in the correct ratio, give your mixture plenty of time to set, and you’ve got yourself the perfect, chocolate-y canvas for whatever decorations your heart desires. And while simple chocolate truffles are amazing on their own, why not take it up a notch? I love chocolate, and I love chai, so let’s put them together!

These Chocolate Chai Truffles are by far some of my favorite things to make. They’re incredibly chocolate-forward with floral, spicy notes of star anise, black tea, cardamom, and cinnamon, finished beautifully with just a hint of sea salt. These feel perfectly weighted in the hand, but aren’t so solid that when you bite into them, you break your teeth. Quite the opposite actually! Each bite melts in the mouth into nothing but decadent creaminess, making it totally impossible to have just one.

Whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day with a long-term partner, a virtual Zoom date, or just yourself, these Chocolate Chai Truffles guarantee that the day will be nothing but sweet (and a little pleasantly spicy)!

Chocolate Chai Truffles

What You’ll Need:

• 8 oz (two 4 oz bars, NOT chocolate chips) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

• 10 cardamom pods

• 5 whole star anise pieces

• 2 cinnamon sticks

• 5 chai tea bags

• 2/3 cup heavy cream

• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 1/2 cup unsweetened coca powder

Directions:

Place the chocolate in a medium, heatproof bowl. Set aside.

Using a mortar and pestle, or the side of a knife, gently crush the cardamom pods. Place the cardamom pods, star anise, cinnamon sticks, and heavy cream in a small saucepan. Set the saucepan over medium-low heat, and bring the cream to a simmer (be careful not to burn the cream).

Take the saucepan off the heat, add the tea bags, then cover the saucepan and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Remove the tea bags, then place the saucepan over medium-low heat again and bring the cream back up to a simmer. Remove from heat and strain the cream into the bowl with the chocolate. Discard the spices.

Let the cream and chocolate sit in the bowl for three minutes until the chocolate has softened, then slowly begin to whisk the chocolate and cream together, starting in the center and working your way to the edges of the bowl. Whisk until completely smooth. Add the sea salt, then whisk to combine. You’ve just made ganache!

Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on top of the ganache, making sure no air can come through, then chill the ganache in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours until it has set.

Just before you’re ready to roll your truffles, place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and set aside. Next, fill a small bowl with the unsweetened cocoa powder.

Remove the plastic wrap from on top of your ganache and discard. Using a melon baller the size of a teaspoon, a teaspoon cookie scoop, or an actual teaspoon measuring spoon, roll two teaspoons of the ganache at a time, then mold, shape, and roll them together until you have a smooth truffle. Roll the truffle in the coca powder, then place on the cookie sheet. Repeat this process until you have run out of ganache. You should have about 20 truffles at the end.

Transfer the cookie sheet to the refrigerator and let the truffles set for at least 1 hour.

TO STORE: Truffles can be kept in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for one week.

Everything Bagel Soft Pretzels (2 Ways!)

There was a brief moment in time when I cared very deeply about football. It was my sophomore year of college, and I was thousands of miles away from Wisconsin and anyone who would even remotely care about the Dairy State. Feeling homesick and finding it hard to relate to people whose hometowns never saw temperatures dip below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, I turned to football. I longed to catch a glimpse of people in the stands wearing foam rectangular hats shaped like cheese, and shirtless men whose naked chests were yellow and green from body paint, and bright red from the negative wind chill. There/s just no place like home.

And so, right at the start of the 2010s, I sat alone in my shared dorm room every Sunday to watch a Green Bay Packers game, regardless of the fact that I didn’t yet know all the rules. When Packer fans cheered, I cheered. When booing started, I’d find myself quietly chiming in. As the season progressed and hopes of making it to the playoffs rose, I managed to pick up a few friends along the way who would fill me in on what I still didn’t understand and celebrate wins with me, especially as their favorite teams failed to deliver. At the end of 2010 I considered myself a full-on football fan, even going so far as to order gear for when the Packers, in a game that was quite unforgettable, clinched the NFC title and became eligible for the Super Bowl for the first time in 14 years. It certainly felt incredible to be backing a winning team, and I finally understood why people were so fervent about sports. When you win, directly or indirectly, you feel like you’re part of something bigger than yourself. And when you lose, you have a million shoulders to cry on. Plus, trash-talking can be kind of fun (and useful if you’re trying to flirt with a guy in your media class who’s cheering for the other team…but that’s a story for another day). Long story short, the Packers won the Super Bowl that year, and with every celebratory status update I saw on Facebook, I felt closer to home.

Though my interest in football lasted only a few years after that, switching from professional to collegiate along the way, it didn’t hold the same power for me when I moved back home. Football and following the Packers had been my way of staying connected, but once my feet hit frozen soil again, I no longer needed it. And I still don’t to this day, despite the fact that I find myself away from home anew. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t occasionally tune in to a game now and then when I’m channel surfing. And I always, ALWAYS, watch the Super Bowl. Sure, I could say that I actively participate in Super Bowl Sunday because I love the game, but that just wouldn’t be telling the truth. I love watching the Super Bowl for one reason and one reason only: the SNACKS!

I won’t lie, I kind of miss going to live sporting events because the snacks are always on point: nachos covered in creamy, melted cheese, hot dogs/bratwurst with all the fixings, cotton candy the size of a human head, and, of course, soft pretzels, a personal favorite of mine. A few years ago, around this time, I tried my hand at making mini soft pretzels. They were pretty good for a first attempt, and would definitely fit in on any party table, but this year, I wanted to up the ante a little bit. The only thing better than a perfectly-salted soft pretzel? One with everything on it. Or, well, Everything Bagel Seasoning, anyway.

I’m going to level with you for a second: shaping baked goods is not yet my forte. Give me a mold and I’m golden, but if I have to do it freehand? Well, let’s just say some of the first pretzels I attempted to roll and twist and fold into their classic shape came out looking a little…off. That’s why I’m offering you not one, but TWO ways to make these pretzels. If you, like me, struggle with the decoration aspect of baking, consider abandoning the pretzel shape altogether and instead, make pretzel bites! It’s much easier, requires less shaping, and if you’ve got a larger immediate family, there’s plenty more to go around! You just can’t go wrong either way.

Here’s what I love about these Everything Bagel Soft Pretzels: they’re delightfully yeasty and chewy, and with every bite, you get the perfect hits of salt, garlic, onion, and sesame, with the extra crunch of poppy seeds. Best served warm, these pretzels will be gobbled up by halftime!

Everything Bagel Soft Pretzels

What You’ll Need:

• 1 and 1/2 cups lukewarm water

• 1 package active dry yeast

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

• 3 cups flour, plus 3/4 cups more, and more for dusting the work surface

• 1/2 cup baking soda

• 9 cups water

• Everything Bagel Seasoning (store-bought, or you can make your own!)

Directions:

Place oven racks in the middle and lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the yeast and lukewarm water. Let sit for five minutes until foamy and bubbles are on the surface. Whisk in the salt, dark brown sugar, and melted butter.

Working with one cup at a time, add 3 cups of flour to the bowl, mixing thoroughly after each addition with a wooden spoon (the best way to measure flour is by carefully spooning flour into a measuring cup and leveling off the excess with a knife). At this point, the dough will be very sticky. Add more flour to the dough one tablespoon at a time (up to 3/4 cups) and mix well until the dough is no longer sticky to the touch). The dough is ready to be kneaded when it becomes bouncy to the touch.

Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface that has been floured. Using lightly floured fingers, knead the dough for 5 minutes, then shape it into a ball. Let the dough rest, covered with a clean cloth or paper towel, for 10 minutes.

While the dough is resting, fill a heavy-bottomed pot with nine cups of water and add the baking soda. Stir well, then bring the mixture to a boil.

After 10 minutes, uncover the dough and carefully shape it into a 12-inch log with your hands. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut the log into 12 equal pieces.

For Traditional Pretzels:

Roll out a piece of dough into a long rope (about 20 inches long). Take each end of the rope and bring them together so they form a ring, then twist the ends together. Next, bring the ends down so they are touching the inner center of the bottom of the circle, ensuring that everything is attached securely. (Depending on how it goes, you may have to use your fingers to more clearly define the pretzel shape. There’s no shame in it!) Repeat the steps until you have twelve pretzels of equal-ish size.

For Pretzel Bites:

Roll out a piece of dough into a long rope (about 20 inches long). Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut the rope into small, bite-sized pieces. Roll each cut piece into a ball. Repeat until all the pieces have been rolled into balls.

When You’re Ready

Once your pretzels or pretzel bites are shaped and ready, drop 1-2 pretzels, or 2-4 pretzel bites, into the pot of boiling baking soda water for 20 seconds. Remove immediately using a slotted spoon or spatula and let excess water drip back into the pot. Gently set the pretzels on one of the prepared baking sheets with parchment paper, spacing them a half-inch apart. Once all pretzels or pretzel bites have been taken out of the water and placed onto the baking sheets, generously sprinkle each with the Everything Bagel Seasoning.

Bake the pretzels in the oven for 12-15 minutes, switching the baking sheets from top to bottom halfway through, until the pretzels are golden brown.

Serve pretzels warm with your preferred dipping sauce (though I eat mine as-is!)

TO STORE: Allows pretzels to cool, then place them in an airtight storage container for up to 3 days. When ready to serve, warm the pretzels in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 5-10 minutes.

SOURCE: Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Conchiglie with Sweet Chicken Sausage, Parmesan, and Spinach

I live for two things now that I’m in my late twenties: quick meals, and abundant leftovers.

When I was a kid, I hated leftovers, but never really understood why. The food usually looked and tasted the same, and was always on the table by 7:00 PM. I think maybe it was because at school, hot lunch options were always rotated, so you felt like you were getting a different meal every day. And as a sweet but very naive child with no comprehension of how long it might take a working mother to throw together a meal from scratch after a full day, I thought something new and different (or, at least different for the day) would be placed in front of me at home as well. Now, as an adult who’s had hectic workdays and super long commutes, I not only like leftovers, I cherish them.

This Conchiglie with Sweet Chicken Sausage, Parmesan, and Spinach, a new weeknight favorite, comes together so fast, and is the perfect two-pot meal to make for big and small families alike. If you’ve got a bigger family, there’s plenty of pasta, protein, and veggies for everyone. Or, if your family’s like mine and on the smaller side, you’ll have leftovers for days!

What I love about this pasta dish is the rich meatiness of the chicken sausage (the kind I get is beautifully pre-seasoned with sweet red peppers and fennel seeds), spiciness of the garlic, deep herbaceous flavor of the spinach, and just a hint of saltiness and cheesiness from the Parmesan cheese, which is generously sprinkled on top at the end.

Just 30 minutes is all you need to make this magical pasta dish happen. And if you don’t have conchiglie (better known as seashell pasta) in the pantry, don’t fret - boil whatever small pasta you’ve got on-hand and I promise you it’ll be golden!

Conchiglie with Sweet Chicken Sausage, Parmesan, and Spinach

What You’ll Need:

• 16 oz conchiglie

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1.5 ibs sweet (or mild) chicken sausage

• 4 tablespoons salted butter

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 9 ounces (1 bag) fresh spinach

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• Coarse kosher salt

• Freshly-ground black pepper

Directions:

Cook the conchiglie according to the package instructions for al dente. Just before the timer goes off, reserve about 1 cup of pasta water. Once finished cooking, drain the conchiglie.

While the conchiglie is cooking, carefully cut the chicken sausage into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

Set a large-bottomed pot such as a dutch oven over medium heat and add the olive oil. Next, add the sausage and cook until the pieces have started to brown, about 5 minutes.

Add the butter and minced garlic and stir frequently to ensure the butter melts fully and the garlic does not burn, about 1-2 minutes.

Turn the heat to medium-low, then add the spinach and 1/3 cup of the reserved pasta water and stir frequently until the spinach has shrunken significantly in size, about 2 minutes.

Turn off the heat and add the conchiglie, stirring continuously to release any steam from the spinach and to make sure the ingredients in the pot are thoroughly combined. Season with kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste.

After about five minutes, sprinkle the Parmesan over the top and serve warm.

TO STORE: Once cool, pasta can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

SOURCE Adapted from Budget Bytes.

Beef + Scallion Skillet Pizza

What a week, huh? There aren’t a lot of words to express the mixed emotions that many of us are surely feeling. History, both triumphant (you did it, Georgia!!) and devastating (the desecration of the US Capitol) was made in the span of just two days. Quite a literal example of the old saying, “two steps forward, one step back.” Like many, I decided to keep my expectations incredibly low for 2021. It wasn’t as if some switch would flip at midnight on January 1, 2021 that would magically solve all the issues we had in 2020, but at least we had hope that life in America could get a little bit better. And I believe it will, but if the first full week of this new year has taught me anything so far, it’s that the journey will be glacially-paced.

I’m reminded of a conversation I had with an old friend of mine recently who is also of color. We’re really into the new period series Bridgerton on Netflix (it’s excellent!), and as we were talking, the subject of what era of time we would most like to travel to came up. We each had a favorite decade or two that we’d love to experience in person, but just as soon as we’d name it, one or both of us would follow it up with, “But it probably wouldn’t be great for people who look like us.” And that’s the sad truth. History lovers, myself included, have a habit of romanticizing the past and glossing over the negative aspects, but they exist whether we like it or not. And we have to start having some hard conversations if we, as a global society, ever want a shot at truly moving forward together.

With everything that we’ve already faced literally EIGHT DAYS into 2021, the pandemic we’re still facing, and whatever fresh catastrophes may await us in the future, we’re all in need of some SERIOUS comfort right now. And when I think of comfort, I think, lovingly, of carbs. But not just any carbs, I think of PIZZA. So let’s all take a deep breath, grab our favorite cast-iron skillet, and make ourselves some pizza, shall we?

As many food people out there will tell you, once you’ve mastered the basics of something, you’ve opened yourself up to a blank canvas filled with endless possibilities. There are tons of great pizza dough recipes out there, but I frequently use this one because the dough comes together beautifully, only needs 12 hours to rest (as opposed to 24), and I can pop it into a skillet for crispy edges and minimal clean-up afterwards. Toss a quick salad together while it’s in the oven, and dinner’s on the table in no time!

Up until now, the homemade pizzas that I’ve put together have veered more on the classic side with mozzarella, pepperoni, some onions, and maybe a little basil sprinkled on top for a little pizzaz. There’s nothing wrong with sticking with what works and tastes good, but where’s the fun in not switching things up from time to time?

Last year, in the Before Times, when we never gave a thought to big crowds squeezing into tiny spaces, and restaurants were wonderfully packed to the gills with folks unafraid to pick up their food with their bare hands and dig in, I used to venture over to the many amazing pizza shops in Providence on my lunch break. It’s always funny to me to hear the heated debates between my friends as to which city has the best pizza, New York or Chicago, but what they fail to realize, in so many ways, is that Providence is the dark horse in that fight. I’ve had slices that could rival just about any I’ve had in either big city, and been introduced to some truly unique and delicious flavor combinations. I still try to get out to my local eateries for takeout orders as much as I can these days, but the coronavirus numbers here in Rhode Island and beyond have me staying close to home far more often. But there’s one particular pizza combination that I love and couldn’t stop thinking about recently that I just had to try my hand at making: beef and scallion with a parmesan-peppercorn sauce.

The beauty of white pizzas is that they’re perfect for people who can’t take all the acidity and heaviness of tomato-based sauces. This beef and scallion skillet pizza has everything: crisp, olive-oil rich edges, savory beef, slightly sweet scallions, and a deliciously buttery and cheesy sauce. The best part is, the whole process takes about an hour to put together - just make sure your dough has had a chance to rest in the skillet for at least two hours beforehand.

What screams “self-care” and “comfort” more than making (and eating!) homemade pizza?

Beef + Scallion Skillet Pizza

What You’ll Need:

• 1 skillet pizza dough

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 1 large egg yolk

• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra

• Coarse kosher salt

• Freshly-ground black pepper

• 1 bunch fresh scallions, cut into small rings

• 0.5 lb steak tips

Directions

Prepare the dough:

About 2 hours before you make your pizza, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the bottom and sides of a 10-inch round skillet. Take your dough out of the fridge and place it in the skillet. Make sure that both sides of the dough are covered well in olive oil, then begin to gently spread it out so that your dough covers the entire bottom of the pan. (The dough may resist at first by immediately shrinking. That’s fine. Wait a few moments, then try again). Once you have evenly spread out the dough, take the tips of your fingers and gently dimple the dough from top to bottom. Cover the skillet with plastic wrap and let it sit until it’s time to add the toppings.

About 30 minutes before you start preparing the pizza, place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Prepare the meat:

Add your steak tips to a large plastic bag. Make sure there is no air in the bag, then seal it. Using a rolling pin, carefully beat the meat until it has flattened into about a 1/4-inch thickness.

Next, season the meat well on both sides with coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Using your hands (or a knife) carefully tear the meat into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

Make the sauce:

Add the heavy cream and egg yolk into a small saucepan and whisk to combine.

Place the saucepan over medium-low heat and stir continuously with a wooden spoon until the mixture has gotten slightly thicker, bubbles at the edges, and a finger run down the spoon leaves a noticeable line, about five minutes.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and immediately add the Parmesan cheese, stirring until it has fully melted. Season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste.

Put it together:

Add the beef to the top of the dough, making sure that the dough is completely covered. Next, liberally sprinkle scallions over the top, but make sure to save some scallions to sprinkle on top once the pizza is out of the oven as well.

Next, dot the pizza all over with the Parmesan-peppercorn sauce, making sure that you do not spread it (it will spread on its own in the oven). Note: Depending on how much sauce you want on your pizza, you may end up with a little extra at the end. Use your own discretion and if you think you’ve added enough and don’t want a soggy crust, stop adding the sauce.

Place the skillet on the lower rack of the oven and cook until the meat and bottom of the pizza are fully cooked, and the edges have gotten golden brown and crispy, about 20-25 minutes.

Once the skillet is out of the oven, take a butter knife and run it along the edges of the pizza to ensure none of it sticks (this is also a good time to gently lift the pizza up to make sure the bottom is done as well). Gently lift the pizza out of the skillet and place it on a wire rack to cool slightly before serving (I’ve found 10 minutes to be enough time). Sprinkle with extra parmesan and scallions if desired.

Serve warm.

TO STORE: Pizza can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days.

SOURCE: Parmesean-peppercorn sauce adapted slightly from Fine Cooking.

Homemade Dinner Rolls

Some things about Thanksgiving are going to be different this year. Usually, for the cold-weather holidays, my family heads down south to see our relatives, watch football, play Spades (I don’t personally know how to play, but the temporary drama that ensues between my extended family could rival any Real Housewives franchise), and eat our weight in cornbread and stuffing, But this year, my immediate family is staying home and celebrating everything we’re grateful for by having a micro-Thanksgiving. We’re still planning to eat all the foods we’re used to (in smaller quantities), and a well-coordinated Zoom call is scheduled so that we can pretend to all be at the same table, but I’d be lying if I said I won’t miss fully participating in our traditions.

Yes, some things will certainly be different, but one thing that will never change? The battle between my mother and myself for control of the dinner menu.

Every year since I was in my early twenties, my mother and I have duked it out over who would make what come Thanksgiving Day. The turkey, macaroni and cheese, pies, and stuffing are all up for discussion as we’ve tried every year to lessen the load for my elderly grandmother who plays host. Even though we’re in New England this year, we’ve managed to keep the spirit of that particular tradition alive and well. And in keeping with tradition, I have once again lost. (So long, Thanksgiving turkey. I hope to learn how to cook you by myself one day...) But I didn’t totally concede! While everything else was claimed before I could get my hands on the shopping list, I DID manage to negotiate making one thing for the table. I usually call dibs on dessert since baking is in my wheelhouse, but it was the first item on the menu to be finalized. So, I chose the second most important thing: dinner rolls.

Hear me out for a sec. The turkey, all golden and crispy, is the showstopper for obvious reasons. The greens, macaroni and cheese, and stuffing all have their rightful places on the plate because they’re classics (and, if you cook them like my family does, filled with enough butter to make your heart stop), but the rolls? They’re the silent supporters who keep the meal in check. Good for eating quickly as you wait in line to fill your plate or for mopping up the remnants of leftover food, the dinner roll can do anything. Humble though the roll may be when placed next to perfectly-toasted marshmallows atop sweet potatoes, without it there, you’d notice. And yes, you could buy some already made, but with just a few ingredients you can make your own, and believe me, it’s worth it.

The perfect dinner rolls are pillowy soft, buttery (but not overwhelmingly so - gotta make sure you can add extra butter for yourself), golden brown, and deliciously yeasty. These homemade dinner rolls, based on the world-famous Parker House rolls, check all the boxes. Add a little flaky sea salt on top and you’ve taken a classic and made it extra fancy!

Homemade Dinner Rolls

What You’ll Need:

• 1 envelope active dry yeast

• 1/4 cup water, warmed to 110 degrees Fahrenheit

• 1 cup whole milk

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature and divided into two 1/4 cup halves

• 3 tablespoons sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine kosher salt

• 1 large egg at room temperature

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting your work surface

• Vegetable oil

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Whisk yeast and warm water in a small bowl and let stand for 5 minutes until the yeast has dissolved and bubbles have formed on the top.

Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until it has just warmed through, about 2 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together 1/4 cup butter, sugar, and kosher salt. Next, add the warm milk and whisk until the ingredients are fully blended (the mixture may look curdled at this stage if the butter has not completely melted - that’s okay, just keep going!). Add the flour all at once and stir continuously with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Lightly flour your hands and a clean work surface. Turn the dough out onto the surface and knead until the dough has become smooth and pliable, about 5-6 minutes (if the dough is too sticky, feel free to add more flour to the surface a little bit at a time until it becomes easier to work with - careful not to add too much!)

Lightly oil a large bowl with the vegetable oil and transfer the dough into it, turning the dough over once to make sure it is covered on both sides. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest and rise at room temperature until it has doubled in size, about 90 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a small saucepan then, using a pastry brush, brush some butter into a 9x13 -inch baking dish. Set the remaining butter aside for a moment.

Punch down the dough (it should’ve risen quite a bit at this point!), and transfer it back onto a lightly-floured, clean workspace. With floured hands, carefully shape the dough into a 12-inch log. Using a sharp knife or bench cutter, carefully cut the log into 18 pieces that are roughly the same size. Next, cut each piece in half so that you end up with 36 pieces in total. Roll each piece into the shape of a ball.

Working one at a time, roll each ball out into a 3-inch oval using a floured rolling pin. Brush the interior with a light layer of melted butter, then fold the oval in half lengthwise so that the butter-covered interior is covered. Next, reshape each piece back into a ball and place it in the buttered baking dish with the seam side down. Repeat this step until all the pieces have been buttered on the inside and four rows of dough balls are in the baking dish.

Brush the tops of the rolls with the remaining melted unsalted butter (if it has started to resolidify, just pop it on the stove for a few minutes on low until it has reliquified), then lightly cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 6 hours.

Bake the rolls in the oven until they have puffed up and taken on a golden color on the top, about 25-35 minutes. Brush the tops of the warm rolls with the 3 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter and sprinkle liberally with flaky sea salt. Rolls are best served warm.

TO STORE: Rolls can be kept at room temperature when wrapped tightly with aluminum foil for at least 3 days. When ready to serve, heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, wrap the rolls in aluminum foil, and let them warm in the oven for 5-10 minutes.

(Tip: For best results, if you don’t have a scale, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and sweep off the excess with a knife to avoid over-packing.)

SOURCE: Adapted from Bon Appetit

One-Pot Chicken Burrito Bowl

Burritos and I have a passionate, long-standing relationship that spans decades. They were a go-to meal on weeknights after late theater rehearsals in high school, a no-mess lunch to wolf down between classes in college, and the perfect dinner companion to eat in bed when a day at my first professional job had been long and I just wanted to switch on Netflix and turn off my brain. That deliciously warm tortilla. filled to the brim and seasoned to perfection, was all I needed. Then, I got older and that lightning-fast metabolism that only teenagers and young adults are blessed with stopped processing the calories as well as it once did. I know it happens to all of us, but dang, doesn’t it feel like it just switches overnight??

There was no way that I could quit eating my favorite food cold turkey, especially since the filling was still healthy-ish, so I sought out an alternative. I started ordering burrito bowls at my favorite fast-casual establishments and discovered that, apart from the fact that now I needed cutlery, I wasn’t really missing the tortilla. It was a pleasant surprise and, if I’m honest, a relief! Of course, dining out gets expensive over time, and though I relished the delicious convenience of it all, I wasn’t enjoying the rather sizeable hit to my wallet. But I knew the ingredients like the back of my hand. Why not try to recreate the burrito bowl at home?

This recipe for a one-pot chicken burrito bowl has been carefully honed over the last five years and is a family favorite at my house. The tender chicken, combined with warm spices, fresh tomatoes and onion, and creamy black beans, topped with a healthy amount of just-melted cheddar jack cheese and crushed tortilla chips (I know, I know, but they add a good crunch!) makes for a super simple weeknight meal that comes together in just under an hour. Throw in a playlist of trendy indie-pop songs at max-volume and dim the lights, and your at-home dining experience just might mimic the real thing!

One-Pot Chicken Burrito Bowl

What You’ll Need:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• Coarse kosher salt

• Freshly-ground black pepper

• 1 sweet yellow onion, diced

• 1.5 lbs chicken tenderloins, diced and seasoned with coarse kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper

• 1 cup long grain white rice

• 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

• 1 pint fresh cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered

• 1 15 oz can black beans, drained

• 1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 heaping teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 heaping teaspoon chili powder

• 2 cups cheddar jack cheese

  Optional:

• 1 avocado, sliced

• 1 bunch scallions, chopped

• Tortilla chips

• Sour cream

Directions:

In the bottom of heavy-bottomed pot such as a dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the diced onion and cook until it has started to soften and become translucent, about 3 minutes.

Turn the heat up to medium and add the chicken, stirring occasionally until it has started to brown, about 2-3 minutes.

Move the onions and chicken to one side of the pot and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the other side; heat for 30 seconds. Add the rice, moving it around occasionally so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom, but does start to toast, about 1 minute.

Next, add the chicken broth, tomatoes, black beans, cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder and stir so that all the ingredients in the pot are well combined. Season with coarse kosher salt.

Let the mixture come to a boil, then turn the heat to low and let simmer with the lid on until all the liquid has been absorbed, about 30-35 minutes.

Turn off the heat, then add the cheese. Put the lid back on and let the cheese begin to melt for 1 minute. Season once more with kosher salt.

Serve in bowls and top with more cheese, avocado, tortilla chips, and/or scallions.

TO STORE: Leftovers can be kept in the fridge in an airtight container for up to one week.

Ginger-Carrot Juice

I don’t know about you, but I am feeling STRESSED. OUT. Exactly how much is too much doom-scrolling on social media? Never mind, don’t answer that. In times such as this, when my anxiety levels are at their max capacity, I turn to the simple things in life that bring me joy. So, I’m peeling myself away from the screens for a while (and the spot on the couch that I’m this close to fusing with) to make some ginger-carrot juice. Why don’t you make some, too?

Normally, this would be the part of the post where I wax poetic about why carrots and ginger are two of my favorite vegetables and how juicing them has changed my life, but there are more pressing matters at hand to attend to. So instead, I’ll just tell you why I love this juice: the more I sip, the happier I get. The carrots bring the sweetness and beautiful deep orange color, the lemon juice brings the brightness and a hint of acidity, and the ginger brings the spiciness. It’s smooth, full of flavor, and just the type of cold beverage I would’ve totally paid $7 for at some swanky juice bar when I lived in Boston. And the best part of all? It takes a mere 30 minutes to make the magic happen.

This week is a marathon, not a sprint. Practice a little self-care and stay hydrated at the same time by whipping up a quick juice drink that’ll keep your spirits up, even when election numbers keep coming in at the pace of a sloth on extended vacation.

Ginger-Carrot Juice

What You’ll Need:

4 large carrots, peeled and finely grated

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely grated

1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus more if desired

4 cups cold water

3 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice (about 2-3 lemons), plus more if desired

Directions

Place the carrots, ginger, sugar, water, and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice into the body of a blender or food processor. Blend until mixture is smooth and the ingredients are well combined.

Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher or other large vessel. Using a small spatula or spoon, press down on the solids caught in the sieve, making sure all liquids have been extracted.

Taste the mixture, and add more lemon juice or sugar as desired.

Chill the juice in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving. (For a little extra pizazz, you can add a few splashes of plain sparkling water!)

TO STORE: Juice can be stored in the fridge covered for several days.

SOURCE: Adapted from In Bibi’s Kitchen

Election Cake

Did you know that there was once a time in American history when Election Day was deemed more important than Christmas, Easter, and Halloween combined? It’s true! The only holiday more revered? Thanksgiving. And since there is no more American way to celebrate literally any occasion than with food, the Election Cake was born.

Based on the traditional English fruitcake, Muster Cake (known later as Election Cake) was originally prepared by colonial women for American farmers summoned, or “mustered,” for military training by British troops in colonies still controlled by King George III of Great Britain. The first Muster Cake of its kind to be documented was in 1771 - five years before the American Revolution - and combined the natural leavening agent yeast with brandy-soaked fruit, flour, and spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.

Post-Revolution, Muster Cake, now renamed Election Cake, was brought to early voting sites by women (not yet allowed to vote, but still making their voices heard loud and clear!) to help “muster” votes and celebrate the burgeoning democracy. But the big day didn’t stop there! Election Day was such a huge deal in New England that towns would get together to throw colonial-equivalent RAGERS, complete with huge bonfires, barbecues, tons of whiskey, and, of course, an abundance of (booze-filled) cake. But if you thought that the Election Cake of yesteryear was anything like what we make today - a springy dough that fits neatly into a well-buttered Bundt or loaf pan - you’d be wrong! In fact, the original recipe yielded something much, MUCH, bigger. Published in 1796 by Amelia Simmons in her book, American Cookery, the Election Cake recipe called for a whopping 30 quarts (roughly 120 cups) of flour, ten pounds of butter, fourteen pounds of sugar, twelve pounds of raisins, three dozen eggs, one pint of wine, one quart of brandy, four ounces of cinnamon, four ounces of ground colander seed (modern day coriander), and three ounces of ground allspice. As you can imagine, these were massive cakes (there’s a record of one weighing at least 12 pounds!) meant to feed the masses and keep voter enthusiasm at an all time high. Election Cakes were so vital to Election Day merrymaking in the 18th and 19th that they even led to an unofficial tradition: a cake off! Housewives all over New England would often compete with one another to see who could make the best cake as a means of solidifying the reputations and social standings of their households. In other words, if you wanted a seat at the table, you better bring that cake.

By the turn of the 20th century, an influx of non-English immigrants had ventured to America in the hopes of securing a new life and opportunities, and with them came fresh traditions and holiday customs. That, paired with an uptick in enthusiasm for Easter and Christmas, two holidays that had been shunned by the Puritan inhabitants of colonial America, Election Day began to lose a bit of its luster, and the tradition of Election Cake fell out of favor. But it’s 2020, ya’ll, I think it’s time we bring it back!

While we might be deviating just a tad from the original recipe (I like to share, but I’m not trying to make a cake for my entire neighborhood), this modern-day take on Election Cake has everything I love all rolled into one: yeast, warm spices, dried fruit reconstituted with bourbon, a moist texture, and a lovely, light glaze for just an extra hint of sweetness. Pair that with some red, white, and blue sprinkles, and you’ve got a right festive cake to ring in another Election Day!

You might stress-eat it, you might celebrate with it. Either way, this Election Cake is the only thing you’ll need on November 3rd. Oh, and if you haven’t done so already, don’t forget to VOTE!

Election Cake

What You’ll Need:

• Two 1/4 ounce packets of active dry yeast

• 1 cup warm water (105-110 degrees Fahrenheit)

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 3/4 cup raisins

• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

• 1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped

• 1/3 cup bourbon

• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom

• 1/2 teaspoon fine table salt

• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 3 large eggs, at room temperature

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar

• 2 tablespoons whole milk

Directions

In a large bowl, pour in the water, then sprinkle in the yeast. Stir, then let sit for 1-2 minutes until the yeast has dissolved and bubbles have begun to form on the top. Next, sift in 1 1/2 cups flour, then stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place for 30 minutes. The mixture will expand, and large bubbles will appear on the surface.

While the flour-yeast mixture is rising, place the raisins, dried cranberries, pecans, bourbon, and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar into a medium-sized, microwave-safe bowl. Stir until the sugar has fully dissolved, then microwave in 30-second intervals until the mixture is hot and bubbling (this should take about 1-2 minutes). Stir, then set aside to cool.

In another medium-sized bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. Set aside.

Generously butter a 9-inch Bundt pan, then set aside. (At the end of this you want that cake to come out of the pan in one piece, so don’t hold back on how much butter you use to grease the pan. There really is no such thing as too much butter when buttering a pan.)

When the flour-yeast mixture has risen, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and 3/4 dark brown sugar on medium-high in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment on, until light and fluffy. (I have also done this using a wooden spoon.) Next, beat in the eggs one at a time until fully combined, then add 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla. Beat in the flour-yeast mixture until fully combined, then turn the mixer down to low. Slowly add the flour-spice mixture, being mindful not to add too much at a time or you’ll end up with flour all over the counter. Once the flour-spice mixture is fully combined, bring the mixer speed back up to medium and add the fruit-nut mixture as well as any remaining liquid. Beat until the fruits and nuts are well incorporated. When finished, the dough should look soft and loose, and will be elastic to the touch.

Transfer the dough to the buttered Bundt pan and cover the top with plastic wrap. Set the pan in a warm place for the dough to rise for 1 hour. Place a rack in the middle of the oven, then preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the plastic wrap from the cake, then place the Bundt pan on a cookie sheet (this will catch any overflow) before transferring to the oven. Bake the cake until it has taken on a golden brown hue and a cake tester or toothpick inserted inside has come out clean, about 40-45 minutes. Take the Bundt pan off the cookie sheet and set on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes. Carefully run a small offset spatula or butter knife around the sides of the cake to loosen any stubborn bits, then slowly turn the Bundt cake out, flat-side down, onto the wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cake has cooled, stir the confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and one tablespoon of whole milk in a small bowl until combined. If the mixture seems too thick to be poured or spooned over the top of the cake, gradually add in the remaining tablespoon of milk until the icing has reached your desired consistency. Pour or spoon the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it run down both the inside and outside of the cake. Add desired decorations, then let the glaze harden for a few minutes before serving.

TO STORE: Cake can be kept at room temperature for several days when wrapped well in plastic wrap.

SOURCE: Adapted from Food Network

Grilled Chicken Noodle Soup

Something happens when the leaves change and I get to break out my thicker sweaters: I just want to surround myself in a cocoon of coziness. I start browsing for more blankets and socks to add to my growing collection. I squeal at finding new mugs for all the tea, hot chocolate, and coffee I never drink but always aspire to. I hoard DVDs and books that I find in the weekly deals sections of Target and Amazon. Fall to me signifies a need for comfort. And what is more comforting, I ask you, than chicken noodle soup?

Growing up, piping hot bowls of Campbell’s classic chicken noodle soup got me through many cold nights. If you’ve never been to Wisconsin in the winter months, it is frigid, bone-chilling, dark, and endlessly snowy. The vast sea of pure white snow on a still evening can be calming, but on a windy night, one gust of iciness hitting your cheeks will make you question for the millionth time why anyone would ever leave their home for 6-9 months out of the year Then the summer rolls around and you fall in love with the lake and the beach and the countless outdoor festivals all over again, and you forget, as you always do, what happens when the leaves start to change and frosty nights take hold. New England’s fall and winter months are a walk in the park compared to what I grew up with, but a moderately chilly night still brings back memories of needing to warm up with my favorite soup. And while Campbell’s chicken noodle will always hold a special place in my heart, these days, when I want a pick-me-up soup, I make my own.

I started making different versions of this soup a few years ago using a large rotisserie chicken from the local grocery store, but the recent realization that grilling chicken on my trusty cast iron grill pan would add a lovely depth of flavor, made me want to ditch the store-bought bird forever. It might seem like an unnecessary step to grill the chicken and shred it instead of buying meat that’s already been cooked, but I promise that going the extra mile will make a HUGE difference, especially in the following days when the flavors have had an opportunity to chill in the fridge and meld together even more. It is, in a word, utter bliss (that was two words).

Packed with fresh vegetables, soft egg noodles, and slightly smokey chicken from the grill pan, this hearty and nourishing grilled chicken noodle soup is perfect for all the fall and winter weeknights to come!

Grilled Chicken Noodle Soup

What You’ll Need:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for coating chicken

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced

• 6 medium carrots, peeled and with the ends removed, cut into circles

• 6 celery stalks, chopped

• 6 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped

• Coarse kosher salt

• Fresh ground black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

• 1 bay leaf

• 10 cups low-sodium chicken broth

• 2 cups cooked egg noodles

• 1.5 lb chicken tenderloins

Directions

Make the soup

In a large pot such as a dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened and translucent, about 6 minutes.

Add the carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, chili powder, 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper and cook, stirring often, until the carrots have softened, about 5-7 minutes.

Add the chicken broth, then bay leaf, and let it come to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 45 minutes.

Cook the noodles

While the soup is simmering, add the noodles to a heavily-salted pot of boiling water and cook according to package directions for al dente. Drain into a colander and rinse with a little bit of lukewarm water to ensure the pasta doesn’t stick together. Set aside.

Cook the chicken

Preheat a medium grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat for two minutes.

Using a pastry brush, brush olive oil on both sides of each chicken tenderloin. Season both sides of the chicken liberally with coarse kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper.

Cook chicken pieces two at a time, flipping often, until cooked all the way through, about 5-8 minutes.

Set cooked chicken on a large plate or clean cutting board to rest for 2-3 minutes before shredding. Set aside.

Bring it all together

Bring the soup base back up to medium-low heat. Carefully add the cooked noodles and shredded chicken, and more kosher salt and black pepper to season. Stir to combine, making sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed around the pot. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes to bring everything up to the same temperature.

Fish out and discard the bay leaf.

Serve.

Optional: Add a few sprigs of thyme on top of each bowl as a garnish and serve soup with crusty bread, homemade croutons, or saltine crackers.

TO STORE: Cooled soup can be stored in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

SOURCE: Adapted from Cravings