all things food
This is the perfect pot roast recipe for comfort cooking at its best. Chuck roast is slow cooked in the oven with potatoes and vegetables until fork tender, then served with delicious gravy.
This easy Turkey Breast Brine recipe will give you super flavorful and tender turkey breast meat every single time!
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Whether you plan on making a big turkey for thanksgiving this year or a smaller turkey breast, taking the extra step to brine your turkey is pretty essential. This easy Turkey Breast Brine recipe will give you super flavorful and tender turkey breast meat every time! I’ll be honest, sometimes I’m tempted to skip this step especially when I’m running short on time. But the difference it makes is huge! The brine infuses the turkey with so much moisture and flavor. It’s seriously a game-changer for Thanksgiving, special holiday occasions, or if you simply enjoy cooking turkey breast meat to meal-prep throughout the week.
A brine in most cases is simply a solution of salt, sugar, and water. Meat is then submerged in the salt water solution for several hours to help add moisture, flavor, and tenderize the meat. This process is called brining. Oftentimes brines are seasoned with additional herbs and spices to add even more flavor to the meat. Since turkey breast meat can sometimes be dry, I highly recommend taking the extra step to brine it first.
Here’s everything you need to make an easy, flavorful, turkey breast brine:
The time it takes to brine a turkey breast will vary slightly depending on the size of the turkey. A good rule of thumb is to brine the turkey for roughly one hour per pound. I purchased a 5 ½ lb. bone-in turkey breast and brined it for 6 hours. That turned out to be the perfect amount of time for that size of turkey breast. A smaller, boneless turkey breast would need an even shorter amount of time in a brine solution.
Yes, you should definitely rinse and dry the turkey breast after it is done brining. This removes any excess salt from the turkey and prevents it from being too salty.
I’m happy to report that this turkey brine works for both bone-in and boneless turkey breasts. I tested it with both and was happy with the results. However, there are a couple differences to note:
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Start by gathering your ingredients. For this turkey breast brine I am using 1/2 cup kosher salt, 1/2 cup white sugar, 3 bay leaves, 2 fresh rosemary sprigs, 6 smashed garlic cloves (if some of them break in half like mine did that is fine), 1 Tbsp whole peppercorns, and 1 lemon.
Place 8 cups of cold water in a container and place it in the freezer. You will use it later. Then in a large stock pot add the kosher salt, white sugar, and remaining 8 cups of water. Heat the pot over medium heat and stir to dissolve.
Once the salt and sugar have completely dissolved add the bay leaves, rosemary, smashed garlic cloves, and peppercorns. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Boil for 3 minutes then remove the pot from the heat.
Add the juice from the lemon and the entire squeezed lemon to the pot. Now allow the brine to cool down to room temperature (about 30 minutes). Once the brine has cooled down to room temperature add the remaining 8 cups of water from the freezer. Stir and allow the brine to completely cool down. About another 5-10 minutes.
Now carefully add the turkey breast inside the pot with the brine. If your pot is not big enough to hold the turkey breast and the brine, then add it to a turkey size brining bag and pour the cooled brine over the turkey breast. Make sure the turkey breast is completely submerged in the brine, then cover the pot or seal up the bag. Place the pot in the refrigerator for 6 hours. *(total brine time will depend on the size of your turkey breast)
After the turkey has brined, remove the turkey breast from the brine and rinse it well under cold water. Then pat the turkey dry with paper towels.
Now you’re ready to cook the most flavorful turkey breast that you’ve ever tasted.
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Try making this delicious Beef Bourguignon recipe for a French classic that is sure to get rave reviews. It’s easier than you think, and the results are worth every minute!
Beef short ribs are slow cooked with red wine and veggies in a rich flavored sauce until tender and falling off the bone. A savory gravy completes this mouthwatering dish that can be made with bone-in or boneless ribs.
This corn chowder recipe is a must-try, featuring hearty potatoes, crispy bacon, and sweet corn in a rich, creamy broth. It’s an easy meal that’s perfect for any season and will quickly become a family favorite. Enjoy the comforting flavors in every bite!
Black Eyed Peas are a flavorful, budget-friendly, and nutrient packed meal for New Year’s Day or any day of the year!
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It may be tradition to eat black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day, but I’m here to say that you need to be making these delicious and budget-friendly beans year-round! This big ol’ pot of peas is hearty, delicious, freezer-friendly, and about as budget-friendly as it gets. So try them out this New Year’s Day and then add them to your regular rotation for the coming year. Your wallet and taste buds will thank you. ;)
Black-eyed peas are a small white legume with a black dot, or “eye”, in the center. They’re traditionally served on New Year’s Day in the United States alongside collard greens (or mustard or turnip greens) to bring wealth in the new year. The black-eyed peas represent coins, while the greens signify paper dollars. Some even believe you must consume 365 black-eyed peas to bring the wealth, so make sure to dish yourself up an extra large bowl!
Here’s what you’ll need to make this incredibly delicious pot of black-eyed peas:
Vegetarian or Vegan: To make these black-eyed peas vegetarian, simply skip the bacon and use a few tablespoons of coconut oil to sauté the vegetables. The coconut oil has a similar mouthfeel to pork fat, making the peas extra hearty. You’ll also want to increase the smoked paprika slightly to make up for the smokiness of the bacon and swap vegetable broth for chicken broth.
Slow Cooker: To make black-eyed peas in the slow cooker, simply add all of the ingredients (including the pre-soaked peas) to a slow cooker and cook on high for about four hours, or until the peas are tender.
Canned Black-Eyed Peas: If you’re in a rush or forgot to soak your peas, canned black-eyed peas are a great shortcut. Simply follow our recipe for Quickie Black-Eyed Peas with Greens.
If you don’t have time to soak your beans overnight (or you just forgot), you can use the quick soak method to get the beans ready for cooking in about an hour. Here’s how to quick soak beans:
This recipe is great for meal prep because the leftovers are amazing. Store the cooked black-eyed peas in the refrigerator for up to five days, or, once they’re chilled, transfer single portions to the freezer for longer storage. They can be kept in the freezer for about three months and easily reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring often.
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The night before, begin soaking the black-eyed peas. Rinse the peas well with cool water, then place them in a large bowl and cover with at least three inches of water. Soak the peas for at least eight hours in the refrigerator.
When you’re ready to cook the peas, add 4oz. bacon to a large pot and cook over medium heat until the bacon is brown and crispy. Remove the bacon and set it aside for later, leaving all of the bacon grease in the pot.
Dice one yellow onion, one green bell pepper, and two stalks of celery. Mince four cloves of garlic. Add the diced onion to the pot with the bacon grease and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft, then add the bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Continue to sauté for about five minutes more.
Add the drained black-eyed peas to the pot along with 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ¼ tsp black pepper, one bay leaf, and four cups of chicken broth.
Stir all of the ingredients together, place a lid on the pot, and turn the heat up to medium-high. Allow the pot to come to a boil. Once it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and let the peas simmer, stirring occasionally, for one hour or until the peas are tender.
Once the peas are soft, crumble the bacon and stir it into the pot. Season the pot of peas with salt, starting with ½ teaspoon, and then add more to taste. The total amount needed will vary depending on how much salt is in the chicken broth used, but we used one teaspoon total.
Remove the bay leaf then serve with a side of collard greens and cornbread, or over a bed of rice. Enjoy!
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This flan recipe is an easy-to-make creamy dessert that is budget-friendly and perfect to share with family and friends on any occasion.
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If you’re looking for an easy-to-make dessert that’s crazy delicious with an absolute knock-out wow factor—this creamy, citrusy Puerto Rican-style flan is where it’s at! You can make it up to a week ahead, and it’s ridiculously budget-friendly. Are you ready for a new family favorite?
Puerto Rican-style flan is a chilled custard made with eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla extract. The custard base is poured over a layer of caramelized sugar, and then baked in a water bath, ensuring even cooking and preventing the flan from cracking. Once the flan is baked, it’s cooled completely before being inverted onto a serving plate. The caramel sauce flows over the flan, creating a gorgeous, glossy presentation.
I love how truly simple this recipe is. You probably have everything you need right in your pantry! Here’s what you need to make my easy recipe for Puerto Rican-style flan:
In Puerto Rico, flan is usually served plain, but you can top yours with Homemade Whipped Cream or shaved chocolate. Citrus zest is also lovely with this recipe, as are sliced fresh berries. If you want to lean in on the fruit angle, Strawberry Sauce or Cherry Sauce are fantastic with it as well.
Flan shouldn’t be left at room temperature for more than two hours. Store leftovers in an airtight container with a sheet of plastic or parchment directly on the surface. It will keep for up to 2 days in the fridge. To freeze flan for up to 2 months, slice leftovers and wrap well, then place in an airtight container. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
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Preheat the oven to 450°F. Find a baking pan large enough to accommodate a 9-inch pie dish or cake round with a flat top. It must lay flat for the flan to come out of it and onto a serving dish without breaking.
Set a light-colored pot or skillet over medium heat and add ¾ cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of orange juice. (If the orange didn’t release a ¼ cup of juice, make up the difference with water.) Heat the sugar and melt it until it turns light golden brown, then take the pot off the heat. The sugar will continue to brown off the heat. Do not stir the sugar, which can cause it to recrystallize and get grainy. Instead, swirl the pan.
Pour the hot sugar syrup into the 9-inch pie dish or cake round, coating the bottom in an even layer. Set aside.
Add one 14oz. can of sweetened condensed milk, one 12oz. can of evaporated milk, one cup heavy cream, one bay leaf, strips of zest of one orange, and one pinch of salt to a medium pot. Heat until steaming, then take off the heat, cover, and steep for 20 minutes.
When the milk mixture has finished steeping, beat 4 eggs with 1 tablespoon of vanilla in a large bowl. Pour the steeped milk mixture through a fine mesh sieve into the egg mixture and mix. Do not whip; you don’t want to incorporate air into the liquid.
Pour the milk and egg mixture into the prepared 9-inch pie dish or cake round. Place the pie dish or cake round into the baking pan.
Boil 2 quarts of water. Place the baking pan in the oven and fill halfway with boiling water to create a water bath around the pie pan. Lower the temperature of the oven to 350°F.
Bake the flan for 60 to 70 minutes until the custard has set but still jiggles like thick lava in the middle. Let the flan cool completely. Then, place it in the fridge to set for at least 8 hours.
To serve the flan, run a knife around the edges of the pan. Then, top the 9-inch pie dish or cake round with the serving plate and carefully flip it over. Tap the baking dish gently to help the flan release. When you hear the flan release from the pie dish, remove the pie dish carefully and let caramel sauce flow over the flan.
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This simple but elegant chickpea spread combines sweet caramelized onions with a creamy, savory puréed chickpea spread, the perfect appetizer for any occasion!
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Party season is just around the corner so it’s time to start bookmarking all the good appetizer recipes to bring to holiday gatherings! When I saw this simple but elegant (and budget-friendly!) Chickpea Spread with Caramelized Onions in Michal Korkosz’s new book, Polish’d: Modern Vegetarian Cooking from Global Poland, I knew I had to try it because I l-o-v-e turning a humble can of beans into something special. And guess what? This dip was every bit as delicious as it looked. So big thanks to Michal and his publisher for letting us share this amazing recipe with you today, just in time for the holidays!
The base of the chickpea spread is simply chickpeas brightened up with a little lemon juice and puréed until smooth with cold water. To give the spread a boost of flavor, caramelized onions and fresh parsley are added to the mix. The caramelized onions give the chickpeas a subtly sweet and savory flavor, while the parsley adds a breath of freshness. The combination of flavors is absolutely divine and it will definitely have you coming back for dip after dip!
This appetizer is best served with a variety of crackers or bread for dipping, but I think it would also make an amazing spread to add to sandwiches or even just a slice of toast. Michal notes in his book to serve with bread and dill pickles. Yum!
The chickpea spread will stay good in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days, but the presentation is definitely best on the day it’s made when the caramelized onions are at their most beautiful. Caramelized onions do tend to get a little cloudy when refrigerated as they absorb moisture.
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Start caramelizing the onions first, as they’ll take about a half hour to cook. Slice one pound of white onions and add them to a skillet with ¼ cup olive oil, 3 bay leaves, ½ tsp salt, and ½ tsp brown sugar.
Cook the onions over low heat, stirring occasionally, until they deep golden brown and caramelized. You can increase the heat to medium-low if they are taking too long, just make sure to stir often. Discard the bay leaves.
Drain one 15oz. can of chickpeas and add them to a food processor with ½ tsp salt and ⅓ cup cold water.
Purée the chickpeas until smooth. If the chickpeas seem dry, you can add a little extra water or olive oil until they blend smoothly.
Add 1 Tbsp lemon juice, half of the caramelized onions, and about ¼ cup fresh parsley to the food processor.
Pulse the chickpeas to combine with the parsley and caramelize onions. Give it a taste, season with pepper, and adjust the salt, lemon, or other ingredients to your liking.
Serve the chickpea spread in a bowl, topped with the remaining caramelized onions, and some freshly cracked pepper. Enjoy!
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This cozy Split Pea Soup will fill you up and warm you through on those cold winter days. Super satisfying and oh so delicious!
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The cold weather has finally creeped into my neck of the woods and all I’ve been craving lately is a big, warm bowl of soup! Lucky for me this easy Split Pea Soup recipe hits the spot! It has lots of veggies and the added ham gives it sooo much flavor! It’s thick, filling, and like most soup recipes it makes a big batch. Perfect to freeze any leftovers for later! Trust me, I’ll definitely be keeping this soup in rotation this season!
Split peas are just like they sound, peas that have been dried and split in half. They’re part of the legume family and are often found in both green and yellow varieties. Both can be used to make this easy, comforting split pea soup. We’ll be using green split peas for this recipe. You can find split peas in the dry bean aisle, next to bags of other types of dry beans.
You won’t need much to make this thick and chunky split pea soup recipe. Here’s a quick rundown of the ingredients you’ll need:
Nope! That’s what makes this soup so simple to make. Split peas cook quickly without any pre-soaking, and because they’re already split open, they break down well to thicken soups. I like to give the split peas just a quick rinse when I take them out of the package, but other than that you can add the peas directly to your pot (without soaking) with the rest of your ingredients.
Split pea soup stores very well in the fridge or freezer. You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you don’t think you can eat all 6 servings in about 5 days, then freeze the rest in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months.
Pictured with Homemade Croutons on top!
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Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 2 Tbsp olive oil, one diced yellow onion, three diced celery stalks, and three diced carrots. Sauté for about 4 minutes or until vegetables have softened. Stir in two minced garlic cloves and sauté for an additional 30 seconds.
Add one pound of split peas, one ham hock, one bay leaf, and 6 cups of chicken broth to the pot and gently stir.
Add a lid and bring the pot to a gentle boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 hour. Give the soup a stir periodically and flip the ham hock over once or twice, while the soup is simmering, so that it gets even exposure to the hot liquid.
After 1 hour the peas should have completely broken down almost to a mush. If they are still retaining their shape, continue to simmer for 10 more minutes. Next remove the ham hock from the pot and set it aside to cool. Add the diced potato to the soup and stir to combine. Continue to simmer for about 12 more minutes or until potatoes are tender.
While the potatoes are simmering, and once the ham hock is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bone and shred into small pieces.
Add the ham meat back to the pot with the soup and gently stir to combine.
Season the soup with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
Time to enjoy a warm, satisfying bowl of Split Pea Soup with some homemade croutons, crackers, or crusty bread! Yum!
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Change up your Taco Tuesday with these spicy and smoky Chipotle Chicken Tacos. They’re a great weeknight meal or weekly meal prep!
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Kick up your Taco Tuesday recipe game with these fiery and deeply flavorful Chipotle Chicken Tacos! This easy recipe is fast, filling, and perfect for meal prep. It’s also a breeze to scale up, and you can even make it a little heartier by serving it with sides of Tomato Rice and Quick Seasoned Black Beans. Plus, it’s only a little over a dollar per serving. I’m telling you, this one is clutch!
The base of this easy taco recipe is pulled chicken that’s been cooked in a fiery chipotle adobo sauce. A chipotle is a jalapeno pepper that’s smoked and dried. It has deep, earthy flavors and a bit of kick. When you buy chipotles in adobo, the adobo refers to the vinegary sauce the chiles are rehydrated in.
While you can eat Chipotle Chicken Tacos as is, I pair them with Pineapple Salsa, which cuts beautifully through the fattiness of the chicken. Keep in mind that you can use this chicken for more than just tacos! Mix pulled Chipotle Chicken into soups, rice, salads, and wraps. Use it as a topping for Nachos or Pizzas. There’s so much you can do with it.
Here’s what you’ll need to make Chipotle Chicken Tacos:
This recipe is one of my favorites for a family-style taco night. I load the table with a platter of warm tortillas, a big bowl of pulled chipotle chicken and smaller plates loaded with garnishes like fresh cilantro, radish slices, Sour Cream, Guacamole, and Pineapple Salsa! You can also serve Pico De Gallo or Cowboy Caviar. Make this an even heftier meal with Tomato Rice and Quick Seasoned Black Beans.
Store pulled chicken in an airtight container for up to three days. You can freeze the chicken in an airtight container with a sheet of parchment or plastic directly on the surface of the chicken for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating in a microwave or a pan set over medium heat until steaming.
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Add 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 of a yellow onion, 1 bay leaf, 4 peppercorns, and 1 teaspoon salt to a pan and add water to cover (about 4 cups). Place the pan over medium heat. Cover it, and cook for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is at an internal temperature of 160°F and fork tender.
Remove the chicken thighs from the broth. Reserve the broth. Shred the chicken with two forks.
Add oil to a saucepan on medium heat. Dice the remaining half onion and add it to the pan. Mince the remaining 2 cloves of garlic and add to the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes, until the onions steam and the garlic is fragrant.
Once the onions and garlic are fragrant, chop 2 ounces of chipotles in their sauce and add them to the pan. Stir well to incorporate.
Then add the pulled chicken and 1/4 cup of the reserved broth to the skillet. Combine thoroughly and taste. For more heat, mix in more adobo sauce. For saucy pulled chicken, add a touch more of the broth and stir.
Once the sauce has thickened to a velvety consistency, take the chicken off the heat.
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