What's For Dinner Vol. II

“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. life is endlessly delicious.”

— Ruth Reichl

The cooler weather has me wanting all the comfort food - warm, delicious, inviting and full of aroma. These are tried and true recipes as well as favorites of mine and Michael’s.

1. Shepard’s pie
   I basically follow the recipe above but will make little changes here and there. (double the sauce and veggies is a must for me, however I don’t always double the broth - it just depends on how thick I want it). It’s so good. Rich, flavorful and perfect for this time of year. It leaves you feeling so happy and satisfied. I love whipping up a batch of “restaurant” style mashed potatoes (basically red potatoes and all the cheesy goodness mixed in) but really any favorite mashed potato recipe will work perfect.

   
   My Favorite Restaurant Style Potatoes:

   Clean and chop about 8ish small-medium sized red potatoes into pieces with the skin left on.

   Place into pot with enough water to slightly cover potatoes and add in 1 teaspoon of salt.

   Bring to boil and then cover and reduce heat. Let simmer until done (about 20ish minutes, maybe longer depending on size of pieces)

   While cooking potatoes add 1/2 a teaspoon, pepper to taste (maybe start with 1/4th teaspoon and go from there), 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup shredded/grated Parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup butter into a large bowl or a standup mixer.

   Once potatoes are done, drain and add potatoes into the large bowl with the other Ingredients. 

   Mix until combined but don’t worry about getting perfectly smooth.
   
   

2. Italian Chili
   Very simple and easy. I’ve made it for a few get-togethers and it has always been a hit. Sorry for the rough estimates, I normally eyeball and do a taste test.
   
   1 lb italian sausage
   1/2-1 tsp dried basil
   1/2-1 tsp dried oregano
   1/2 tsp black pepper
   1/4-1/2 tsp paprika
   1/4-1/2 tsp cumin
   1/2 tsp salt
   1-2 cloves garlic
   1/2 green bell pepper, diced
   1/2 yellow onion
   1 can tomatoes
   1 can cannellini beans
   2 pieces of roasted red pepper (it’s jarred!)
   2/3 cup chicken stock/broth
   1 tbsp tomato paste
   1-2 parmesan cheese rind
   
   I’m simple. I normally just cook up the italian sausage, then add in the onion, green pepper and garlic to soften before I throw everything else into the pot. I will also cook up some rice to mix into our bowl as well, to make it a little thicker and less soup like.
   
   
   

3. Korean Tacos
   This recipe is by Gina Homolka in her Skinnytaste Fast and Slow Cookbook
   Ingredients:
   STEAK:
   1 1/4 lbs lean and trimmed flank steak, cut across the grain into 4 pieces
   1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
   1 tsp toasted sesame oil
   1/4 cup chopped onion
   3 garlic cloves, minced
   1 tbs light brown sugar
   1/2 tbs grated fresh ginger
   1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
   

   SLAW:
   2 cups cucumber matchsticks
   1 cup shredded carrots
   1 1/2 tbs rice vinegar
   1 tsp toasted sesame oil
   1/4 tsp kosher salt
   
   TACOS:
   12 corn tortillas (I like the fresh 1/2 flour 1/2 corn tortillas from H-E-B)
   2 tbs gochujang sauce
   1 cup chopped green leaf lettuce
   1 scallion
   12 lime wedges
   
   Place the flank steak pieces in a large shallow container or in a gallon Ziploc bag (I used the bag). In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, onion, garlic, brown sugar, ginger and red pepper flakes to create the marinade. Pour the marinade over the steak and move it around to coat. Allow the beef to marinate overnight (or through the day if you’ll be cooking it overnight) in your refrigerator.
   
   When the beef is done marinating, transfer it along with the marinade into your slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Remove the beef to a cutting board and shred using two forks (beef should be very tender). Reserve ¼ cup of the liquid from the slow cooker and discard the rest. Return the beef and the reserved ¼ cup of liquid to the slow cooker.
   
   In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients for the slaw and stir until well combined. Set aside. Heat the tortillas in the microwave or in a dry skillet over medium heat for 30-60 seconds on each side. To build the tacos, divide the lettuce evenly among the tortillas and top each one with ¼ cup of the shredded beef, ½ teaspoon of gochujang or sriracha and ¼ cup of the slaw. Sprinkle the scallions over the top and serve with the lime wedges to be squeezed over the filling.
   

4. Chicken Nuggets
   Whole30 and paleo approved but so good you’ll want it all the time. It’s easily one of my husband’s favorite things and will ask for on a regular basis. It is, as well, one of his “can’t stop the breaks” foods. Go ahead and double it, you’ll thank me later. 😉
   I know in Morgan’s recipe she dips the chicken into the egg wash and then into her seasoning BUT if I’m feeling lazy I’ll throw toss the egg mixture and chicken in a bowl and then the chicken is coated I will then toss it into a zip lock bag with the arrowroot and seasoning and will give it a good shake until the chicken is coated.

I hope you enjoy and would love for you to let me know what you think of these recipes if you end up trying them! Either here in the comments or on my instagram account! What’s something you love making this time of year?

xo,
Alison