Broccoli + Cheese Soup

Creamy cheesy broccoli soup for those chilly winter nights. This would be great served inside a bread bowl, or topped with bacon, croutons or extra cheese.

This recipe uses two 8oz blocks of extra sharp cheese, you could one for a less cheesy constancy, or try different flavors, like jalapeño or Colby jack. But be sure to use the block cheese because the pre shredded cheese has a preservative so that the cheese doesn’t clump together in the bag.

This is also loaded with broccoli pieces, you can purée the soup, before the cheese is added, if smaller pieces are desired.

“Toad in the Hole”

This simple breakfast has many different names. We called it “Toad in the Hole” growing up. Why? I actually have no idea????
None-the-less, it’s a simple breakfast delight.

Easy Bread Crown

Pull-apart bread for parties?

This type of baguette shaping is done by French bakers when they actually mess up their baguette forming.

The shortcut? Using frozen pizza dough.

A great crunchy crisp baguette crust is a mark of an artisan-style loaf. The key is a good steam in a hot oven. There are tips, like (https://www.theperfectloaf.com/baking-with-steam-in-your-home-oven/) you can find on the web.

Turkey Potpie

Ultimate comfort food – SO easy to make!

PF Jim’s Kung Pao

One of my comfort foods was the Kung Pao chicken served at one of the restaurant chains (I’ll let you guess). The crunchiness produced by the fried chicken with the spicy salty semi-sweet sauce makes a very satisfying dish. Pairing this along with some hot black tea puts me in a happy place. I had a hard time finding a recipe but I was able to cobble together ideas from a few sources which I think makes for a pretty decent copy.
The only ingredient that isn’t available in the pantry/commissary is the dried chili pepper, but you can use red pepper flakes.

Pork Belly with Scallion Salad (Pa-muchim)

Grilled pork belly is a common dish in Korean bbq restaurants. It is an incredibly simple dish to prepare. But, the smokiness of the pork belly combined with the bright acidity of the seasoning salad creates a tasty meal.
In Korean, the seasoning salad is pronounced pa-muchim (if you are interested in how it’s pronounced, google translate can help you.. https://translate.google.com/?sl=en&tl=ko&text=pa%20mu%20chim&op=translate)

The recipe is incredibly simple but surprisingly delish. Really, the only step that requires any semblance of skill is cutting the scallion but I’m sure you can manage 😉
All the ingredients are available in the pantry or commissary. The couple items that you might have some difficulty are optional.

Aunt Rose’s Red Sauce

Ok, in full disclosure she’s wasn’t really my aunt. But she came in with a fierce confidence from the windy city of Chicago when I was a kid and said we could call her ‘aunt rose’ then proceeded to share her recipe for sauce. So, here’s aunt Roses recipe…
It’s made without meat, but a great sauce for meatballs, spaghetti, chicken or eggplant Parmesan, or sopped up with a crusty piece of bread.
Since it’s made without meat, there is a level of “fat” that you may miss, you could add to taste a spoonful of sugar, to cut the acid of the tomatoes or 1/8 cup of crushed red peppers to add a layer of heat. These can be added a little at a time while sauce is simmering to your taste.
There’s plenty of sauce and much of it can be jarred or put into a ziploc to freeze for later.

Zoodles + Spicy Peanut Sauce

Zoodles or zucchini noodles… zoodles!
Zoodles can easily be made with a veggie spiralizer. But also a grater, veggie peeler, or an extra sharp knife can be used. The key is, thin and uniformed cuts for the veggies.
Shredded chicken is great, or cooked ground turkey, but try it with tofu! It’s a refreshing meatless option..

Trust me, this recipe is a flavor explosion and a crowd pleaser!!

Tandy Cake

Honestly, I’m not much of a sweets kinda person. But this cake hits the spot when I am craving a dessert. Actually more often-then-not I eat it for breakfast. Coffee and cake? Why not??! This recipe has been in my family for generations, back from the days of recipe cards and pot-lucks. It makes a whole sheet cake- so prepare to share.

A sweet spongy cake layer topped with peanut butter and chocolate. Mmmmmm.

Brown Sugar+Walnuts+Roasted Butternut Squash

This butternut squash recipe highlights the veggies natural sweetness.

It does take a sharp knife and a little elbow grease to breakdown a squash, especially if it’s a rather large one. The skin is edible, but for this recipe cutting it off gives the roasted pieces a unformed soft texture.

Reminiscent of sweet potato casserole, this recipe works great as a side for any hardy winter meal.