Cooking
Mom’s Whipped Shortbreads: Christmas party season is upon us, and these are always such a hit. I halved the recipe on Saturday to bring a plate to my friend’s place - they melt in your mouth and I personally can eat like.. 10 in one sitting.
Other things I cooked:
French Onion Meatloaf: honestly I’ve been thinking about this meatloaf since I made it on Monday, it was SO good. I haven’t had meatloaf since I was a kid but this was such a yummy twist on the original - caramelized onions, pieces of cheese throughout. I can’t find a link online but it is on page 37 of Simply Julia*. Served with few sides:
Kale Salad: I made a kale salad with orange segments, sliced shallot, maple roasted carrots, pepitas, fresh dill and a simple vinaigrette of dijon mustard, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, olive oil and salt n pep.
Roasted Buttercup Squash: roasted the squash in halves and once fork tender mashed with some butter, maple syrup and salt n pep.
Crispy Thyme Potatoes: parboiled some potatoes and then crisped them in a cast iron with butter, thyme, salt n pep.
The First Mess’s Chile Lime Tofu Bowls: but I used bok choy instead of broccoli (put it on the sheet tray from the beginning to roast), and then made a little mango salad with mango, tomato, green onion, fish sauce and lime juice.
Nacho Layer Dip: I brought this to a book club this week, always a favourite. I talked about how I make my nacho layer dip in vol. 34 of this newsletter.
Lemon Pepper Orzo with Shrimp and Snap Peas: this is always a go-to for me when I need something fast, easy and delicious. I didn’t have shallot or white onion so I used up some green onion.
NYT Shortcut Banh Mi Sammy: wow this is like a sloppy joe meets a banh mi sandwich. It was soooo good. This is definitely going to be added to my regular rotation. I used dried basil instead of fresh because I’m trying to clean out my fridge and also didn’t have mayo so I swapped in full-fat greek yogurt - still super tasty! I also skipped the daikon and just made the pickled veg with carrots and cucumber.
Baked Pasta ala Vodka: on the theme of cleaning out my fridge, I had a lot of dairy odds and ends to use up, so I made my fav Grossy’s vodka sauce, and then topped the pasta with some Grana Padano and dollops of ricotta and baked at 375 for 30 mins. I reserved a little pasta water and made the sauce a little runnier than usual so it didn’t dry out in the oven.
Drinking
Beer from Eastbound Brewery. I attended their annual Christmas dinner with beer pairings this week and everything was so delicious. Big fan of their beer.
Following
@taraobrady is one of my favourite follows for baking inspo, perfect for the holiday season.
Listening
What Are We Doing Here by Ariel Polson (went to my first concert this week since March 2020 and he was the opener!).
Using
Simply Julia cookbook*. I know I’ve written about this cookbook many times before but this is my pitch if you are looking for a cookbook to gift someone this holiday season, this is the perfect pick. It is the most “cookable” cookbook I own - the one I reach for when I’m stuck on what to make for dinner and need something easy, accessible and delicious. Honestly, the meatloaf recipe is reason enough to buy it. If you are looking for ways to make gifting a cookbook more personal, check out my article from last Christmas.
Thinking
About clementines. Truly my favourite time of the year - they are the perfect snack!
Laughing
Have a great week!
Kaleigh
*affiliate link, but as always, buy local if you can!