Poppy Seed Chicken is an old Southern standby, just pure comfort in casserole form. I can’t think of a more satisfying childhood memory than enjoying a big helping it on a chilly winter night. I must admit that it’s been years since I last tasted my mom’s version but something about this latest cold front spurred me to bring it out for a spin.
A couple years ago we shared a few of our favorite Dutch ovens, plus recipes to put them to work. But products come and go, and many of our 2011 picks have since become unavailable. So we thought it was time to revisit our favorite pot and look at the current crop of Dutch ovens for fall cooking.
When we think of meatless sources of protein, foods like beans, tofu, and cheese generally top the list. But one of my favorites is quinoa (shark-jumping be darned!) — not only is it a delicious and complete protein, but it’s also rich in iron and fiber, vegan-friendly, gluten-free, and unprocessed. For ethical farming reasons, I always make sure to buy Fair Trade quinoa.
This season I’m baking quinoa into a savory pie with roasted winter squash and aromatic herbs and spices. As a main dish for dinner or lunch to eat during the workweek, it’s packed with fall flavor and nutrition.
British cook Nigel Slater often states that he’s not a chef, he’s a cook. I would go further and say that he is a cook’s cook. He somehow manages to be charming yet authoritative, comforting yet elegant. His approach is casual but he gets the job done. He is well-known and beloved in England where he recently topped Jamie Oliver and Delia Smith as Britain’s favorite celebrity chef (er, cook) and his star continues to rise as more and more people outside of the U.K. discover his delicious recipes and beautiful cookbooks.
We’re very happy to feature these short, charming essentials from one of our favorite cooks!
Laziness is occasionally the mother of very tasty invention. In this case, it was a desire for something other than my usual weeknight pork chops combined with a distinct lack of desire to actually…well…cook. Ahem. The solution — stuffing the pork chops with a mix of toasted pine nuts, dried porcini mushrooms, and a handful of snowy pecorino — is both the ultimate in convenience and the ultimate in deliciousness. It’s a win-win supper situation.
Who cooks and eats here: Krista and Lorenzo Ricchi
Where: Florence, Italy
Rent or Own? Rent
Krista, an American lifestyle-travel-blogger-expat, lives with her Italian husband in a cozy yet elegant apartment in the Santa Croce neighborhood of Florence. Their kitchen is typical of European rentals; it sits flush against one wall of the living/dining room. However, there is a lot more style and functionality going on here than in most of the apartments I’ve rented in in the US!
Roughly once a year — right about now, as it so happens — I get a sudden and very urgent hankering for meatloaf. One day, it’s stuffed squash and warm grain salads and beef stews, and the next day, all I can think about is meatloaf. Tender, savory bites of meatloaf glazed with (yes, of all things) ketchup. If you have been scarred by dry or tasteless meatloaf in a past life, it’s time to revisit this classic. Here’s how to make the most tender, most tasty meatloaf you can imagine.
We are well into the time of year when holiday cooking and baking is on everyone’s radar. Last year around this time I became so caught up in planning our holiday menus that I started to lose inspiration for simple, everyday fall cooking, and I’ve vowed not to let that happen this season. The good thing about this warmly-spiced, nutritious grain salad is that it fills both roles: everyday side (or main) dish as well as truly beautiful contender for the holiday table.
Turkey, ham, and roast beef enjoy star attention during the colder months and holiday season; these are hefty meat dishes for family feasts. But for the moment, we’re still normal cooks with our normal food budgets and our normal schedules who are just trying to get wholesome, tasty dinners on the table, and that means using meat wisely and carefully, for flavor and not always as the centerpiece of a meal.
Today, let’s talk about ten dishes that make the most of meat and use it in smart, budget-friendly ways.
