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The Kitchen Luv Has A New Home!
The Kitchen Luv has moved to it’s permanent home at www.thekitchenluv.com. Be sure to check it out! And don’t worry, we will still be posting recipes here and links to new content on our website so you are always in the loop!
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What do you want me to cook?
What meals do you LOVE, but you don’t make often?
What dinner do you love, but have yet to find that perfect recipe for?
What do you order all the time when you go out to eat, but have never attempted at home?
If you had only one more day to live, what 3 meals (breakfast, lunch & dinner) would you have?
What was your favorite meal as a child?
What’s your favorite side dish?
Favorite dessert?
What meal would you be super impressed with if your significant other were to make for you?
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Sinful Smashed Potatoes
I don’t understand why people seem to only have mashed potatoes at the holidays or when they go out to eat. This is one of the EASIEST side dishes EVER. I experiment with these every time, so they are never the same, but here’s the basic recipe I use.
WHAT YOU NEED* (for 4 side dish sized servings):
1 pound small red potatoes, or baby yukon gold potatoes
1/4 cup milk
1/2 of an 8oz tub (4 oz) of cream cheese (I like the Philadelphia Light Onion and Chive cream cheese for a little added flavor)
2 tablespoons sour cream
dash garlic powder
dash onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
*All of these measurements are eyeballed
WHAT TO DO:
Quarter the potatoes for quicker cooking. Cover quartered potatoes in water in a medium sauce pan. Bring water to a boil and cook potatoes about 10 minute, until fork tender.
Turn heat off. Drain potatoes and return to the hot pan and warm stovetop. Add other ingredients and smash with a potato smasher to your desired consistency. Adjust spices as necessary to taste.
(shown with my meatloaf patties and pan gravy)
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A New Take on Meatloaf
As you may know, T has some very strange aversions to certain foods. No real reason for this other than he’s decided he doesn’t like them. For example, he hates onions - cooked or raw, he’s grossed out by them. I think this stems from an early life memory of his grandma eating a Vidalia onion like an apple, but come on, he’s 37 years old - it’s time to get over it! Anyway, he doesn’t mind the taste of onions (only the knowledge that onions are in his food) so I’m constantly trying to adjust my recipes and find ways to keep the flavor of onions in our food without the chunks.
For some reason I’ve been craving meatloaf. I think it’s because I was thinking about the amazing meatloaf at one of my favorite restaurants in Portland, Oregon, called Pause Kitchen and Bar. T told me he has never had meatloaf the he liked because of the onion and green peppers. Thus my search for a different take on the traditional meatloaf began.
I came across a recipe for Meatloaf Patties and pan gravy from Rachael Ray. Now, I’m not a huge fan of hers. I mean, the whole “E.V.O.O.” thing is obnoxious and I only like about half of what she makes, but this seemed like a recipe I could tweak to be delicious. It is faster than traditional meatloaf and has a different look/texture than traditional meatloaf, which I figured might help T give the dish a fair shot.
I LOVED the meatloaf, but in true Rachael Ray style, I wasn’t super impressed with the gravy (It has a mustard flavor I just can’t associate with gravy). T liked the gravy just fine, but said he would prefer the meatloaf patties with the regular brown gravy I make. I’m going to give you the recipe for both my gravy and her gravy.
WHAT YOU NEED FOR THE MEATLOAF:
1 1/3 pounds ground sirloin (90% lean ground beef)
1 slice white bread, spread with softened butter & cut into small cubes
1/8 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon course salt & 1 teaspoon ground pepper combined (you should have 2 teaspoons total)
1 rounded tablespoon tomato paste (I get the tomato paste in a tube because it makes storage of the left over product easier)
1 medium onion (1/4th of the onion will be used in the gravy)
WHAT YOU NEED FOR R.R.’S 3 CONDIMENT PAN GRAVY:
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 of a medium onion (reserved from the meatloaf)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 - 1 1/2 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 rounded teaspoon spicy brown mustard
1 tablespoon steak sauce
***if I were going to make this gravy again, I would use less spicy brown mustard and steak sauce than she suggests. I would try 1/2 teaspoon of the spicy brown mustard and 1/2-1 teaspoon of steak sauce***
HOW TO PREPARE AND COOK THE MEATLOAF PATTIES:
Finely dice your onion and reserve 1/4th of the onion for the gravy. OR if you have someone who’s a picky eater (like T), coarsely chop the medium onion, put the onion pieces in a food processor and puree the bejeezus out of it. Reserve 1/4th of the onion puree for the gravy.
Place meat in a large mixing bowl and create a well in the center of the meat. Fill the well with the bread cubes. Dampen with 1/8 cup milk. Pour 1 egg (beaten) over bread and add salt & pepper, tomato paste and onions (however you chose to do the onions) to the bowl.
(looks appetizing, right?)
Combine the meat and other ingredients so that they are evenly distributed.
Form mixture into 4 large patties (about 3/4 inch thick). The mixture will be VERY moist, but trust me, it will turn out great.
Pan fry meatloaf patties in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat for about 7 minutes on each side under a loose tinfoil tent. The foil tent reflects heat while still allowing the steam to escape the pan.
Remove meatloaf patties to a platter and return pan to heat.
HOW TO MAKE R.R.’S GRAVY:
In the pan that use used to cook the meatloaf patties, add butter and reserved onion to pan. Reduce heat to medium.
Cook onion 2 minutes and sprinkle pan with flour. Cook flour for 1 minute and whisk in 1 cup beef stock. Bring broth to a bubble. If gravy is too thick, add a little more stock.
Stir in condiments and remove gravy from heat.
HOW TO MAKE MY BROWN GRAVY:
Use basically the same recipe as above, but use a condensed beef broth (like Campbells) instead of regular beef stock. This will make for a more intense beef flavor. Do not add the condiments. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Drizzle meatloaf patties with gravy. I served the meatloaf with my cheesy smashed potatoes.
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Cheese Lovers Scalloped Potatoes
I do my meal planning/grocery shopping on Sundays while T is playing golf. This Sunday I asked him if there was anything he was craving. He said he wanted scalloped potatoes, the real scalloped potatoes, no boxes allowed. (Why does he constantly think he’s thrown down a challenge I’m not going to be able to kick ass at?!)
These potatoes were easy, quick (well, not as quick as the Betty Crocker-from-a-box kind, but a lot faster than you would think!) and so delicious they actually took center stage in my dreams last night.
WHAT YOU NEED:
1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons butter cut into 8 small pieces
garlic salt
a hearty handful of shredded gruyere cheese
a hearty handful of shredded mozzarella cheese
a handful (little less than the other cheeses) of asiago cheese
2 pounds of your favorite potato (I used large gold potatoes for their great naturally buttery flavor and there’s no need to peel them. If you use russet potatoes, you’ll want to peel them)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups heavy cream (sorry, this dish is NOT a diet food)
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 bay leaves
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (like you shake on your pizza)
WHAT TO DO:
Position rack in the upper 3rd of your oven and preheat to 425 degrees F.
Combine gruyere, mozzarella and asiago in a bowl.
Using a mandoline slicer, cut potatoes thin (about 1/8 inch).
Place 1/3 of the potato slices on the bottom of a 3 quart shallow baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.
Salt and pepper the layer of potatoes (add a bit more salt than you think - the potatoes soak it up). Sprinkle lightly with garlic salt.
Spread 1/3 of the grated cheese over the potatoes.
Place 4 of the small pats of butter on the potatoes.
Create another layer of 1/2 the remaining potatoes.
Salt and pepper the layer. Sprinkle lightly with garlic salt.
Spread with 1/2 the remaining grated cheese.
Create another layer of the remaining potatoes.
Salt and pepper the layer.
Spread the remaining grated cheese on top of the potatoes.
In a bowl, whisk together 2 cups heavy cream and nutmeg.
Pour heavy cream nutmeg mixture over the potatoes.
Sprinkle potatoes with the 1/4 cup grated parmesan and garlic salt.
Place remaining pats of butter and bay leaves on top.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown.
Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
***Warning: Be prepared to fight people off for the last little bits of this side dish.***
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Super Easy Weeknight Savory Garlic Rolls
I have this recipe for garlic rolls that make me quiver just thinking about them. They are basically a savory, buttery, garlicy cousin of the traditional cinnamon roll. The only problem is they take A LOT of time and love to make, therefore we only have them on special occasions. The other day I had the idea, while at the grocery store, to attempt a faster, easier weeknight friendly version of these scrumptious bready bites of heaven. While they aren’t as good as the ones from scratch (I’ll share that recipe next time I make them), they area much faster and delicious! Make these for your sweetie on a random Tuesday night and they will love you forever.
WHAT YOU NEED:
1 tube Pillsbury Big & Flaky Crescent Rolls
6 tablespoons room temperature butter
1 tablespoon Gourmet Garden Garlic (You can find this product next to the fresh herbs in your local grocery store. I like this garlic paste because the garlic flavor is uniform no matter what bite of the garlic roll you are taking. If you want to use fresh garlic, you will need 2 cloves of finely minced garlic)
Salt and Pepper
1/4 cup Gourmet Garden Parsley (if you want to deal with chopping fresh parsley, you will need flat leaf parsley)
WHAT TO DO:
Mix butter, garlic, parsley and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Roll out the crescent roll dough. Pinch together the seams where you would normally break them apart to form them into crescents.
Slather dough evenly with the garlic butter mixture.
Roll the dough up like you would if you were making cinnamon rolls. If you want big garlic rolls, roll the dough up back the way you rolled it out. This will make bigger rolls, but you won’t have as many of them. If you want a lot of smaller rolls, roll the dough up the opposite way.
Once your dough is rolled up, cut garlic roll into 1-1 1/2 inch slices. Place rolls on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes.
I served these garlic bits of paradise with store bought Beef, Sausage and Carrot Raviolis covered in a quick Parmesan cream sauce I whipped up (I promise to post the Parmesan cream sauce recipe in the near future). I was in the kitchen less than 30 minutes from start to finish and T was amazed how decadent and delicious the meal was for being a busy Monday evening.
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Grilled Lime Chile Chicken
I was trying to come up with something to grill this Memorial Day weekend other than the usual hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken wings, when I came across this recipe and it sounded perfect - fresh, citrus-y, out of the ordinary and perfect for grilling. T looked a little skeptical when he saw chicken marinading in a green concoction, but he inhaled his chicken and asked for seconds. Always a good sign.
This recipe is for 4 chicken breasts. I doubled the recipe for 6 giant chicken breasts and it was the perfect amount.
WHAT YOU NEED:
2 limes worth of lime zest
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and chopped (if you don’t use a food processor, you will need to finely chop the jalapeno. Otherwise, just cutting it into chunks will work because the food processor does the work for you.)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped (again, if you’re using a food processor, you can throw the garlic clove in there whole and let the machine do the chopping)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lbs)
WHAT TO DO:
Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound the chicken breasts out until they are between 1/4 & 1/2 inch thick. I put the chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap to keep the mess to a minimum. Set chicken aside.
To make the marinade, add all the ingredients except the chicken to your food processor. Pulse until the marinade is a uniform consistency. If you are not making this in a food processor, whisk all the ingredients together in a shallow bowl, making sure you’ve chopped the garlic and jalapeno as finely as you can.
Pour marinade into a gallon-sized ziploc bag. Add chicken. Seal bag and move chicken around to make sure marinade is coating all of the chicken.
Refrigerate at least over night, but no more than 24 hours.
Discard leftover marinade. Grill till juices run clear. Remember that it won’t take as long because the chicken is only 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
Serve with sides of your choice. I chose roasted baby potatoes and corn.
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Super Easy Oven Fried Chicken
This recipe is a different take on oven fried chicken than I’ve found before. It doesn’t involve an egg wash and coating the chicken in bread crumbs or battering the chicken. It’s more about enhancing the flavor of the chicken with a bit of crunch. It’s a great fix it and forget it recipe, perfect for a weeknight meal.
WHAT YOU NEED:
- Split bone-in chicken breasts
- Olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter per chicken breast preparing
- All-purpose flour
- Dash of paprika
- Dash of seasoned salt
WHAT TO DO:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a wire cooling rack coated in non-stick spray in a baking sheet with sides. The wire cooling rack allows air to circulate, keeping the undersides from becoming soggy. Place chicken on top of wire rack.
Brush top of chicken breasts with olive oil.
Using a small metal mesh strainer, dust the olive oil coated chicken breasts evenly with flour.
Sprinkle chicken with paprika and seasoned salt.
Place pats of butter on top of the flour.
Bake at 400 degrees F for 50 minutes or until juices run clear.
Let chicken rest for 5 minutes to allow the top to harden and get even crunchier.
Serve with T’s Favorite Special Rice (which can cook in the oven at the same time as the chicken) for a super easy and flavorful weeknight meal.
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Taking French Toast to Another Level
French Toast is one of T’s favorite breakfasts, and while it’s good with regular ol’ bread, using Challah Bread takes it to another level. The dense sweet egg bread holds the egg mixture without becoming soggy and turns what would normally be a breakfast I deem more effort than it’s worth into a divine experience.
**Disclaimer: The Kitchen Luv, and it’s author, Jess, cannot be held responsible if your family, friends or significant other starts begging you to make your french toast every weekend. Be prepared to be taken out to breakfast less and make breakfast more.**
WHAT YOU NEED:
- 1 loaf challah bread (I buy mine at Trader Joe’s, but if you’re lucky enough to live close to a bakery, go grab a just made loaf! For those in Atlanta, Highland Bakery in Inman Park makes the BEST challah bread!!!)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups milk (just eyeball it - it doesn’t have to be exact)
- 1 tablespoon good quality vanilla (I use Trader Joe’s Pure Bourbon Vanilla Extract or Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract available at Williams-Sonoma)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- dash of salt
WHAT TO DO:
Preheat electric griddle to 350 degrees. (If you don’t have an electric griddle, you can use a non-stick frying pan on the stove over medium heat. Because you won’t be able to cook all slices at the same time with the frying pan method, keep slices warm in the oven while you cook the other slices.)
Slice loaf of challah bread into 1-1 1/4 inch slices. You want a thicker slice than regular sliced bread. I can usually get 8 slices out of one regular sized loaf of challah.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and a dash of salt. Whisk well.
Transfer egg mixture to a square dish. Dip each slice of challah bread into the egg mixture. Let the bread soak up the egg mixture before transferring the dipped bread to the preheated electric griddle or non-stick frying pan.
After a few minutes, check to see how brown the bottom of the french toast is getting. When it has a nice golden crunch, flip bread over and cook other side.
When both sides are golden, plate your deliciousness, butter each slice and top with maple syrup.
Enjoy at your own risk.
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You will never eat Kraft mac & cheese again
I’ve tasted some pretty terrible homemade mac & cheese in my life. The cheese never melts quite right into creamy goodness and tends to separate, or they melt some Velveeta processed cheese food spread over macaroni and call it good. Now I’m not going to lie, there are times that the best thing in the world is a box of good ol’ Kraft mac & cheese, but once you try this, you’ll never want to go back.
This is comfort food at it’s best and I’m going to tell you how to do it right. This is the basic recipe and can be tweaked and adjusted to make a more gourmet, out of the ordinary dish.
WHAT YOU NEED:
- Salt, to taste
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 pound cavatappi or elbow macaroni pasta (I prefer cavatappi, but sometimes it can be hard to find)
- 1 quart milk
- 8 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (you might need a couple more tablespoons of flour)
- 12 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
- 8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- at least 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Garlic salt, to taste
- 6 slices white bread, crusts removed, cut into one inch cubes
WHAT TO DO:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Heat the milk in a small saucepan, being careful not to boil the milk.
Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large pot and add 1/2 cup flour. Cook over medium-low heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk.
While whisking, slowly add heated milk to the flour and butter to make a rue. Continue to stir a few more minutes till the sauce thickens and is smooth. You may need to add another tablespoon or two of flour if the rue isn’t thickening. Add additional flour one tablespoon at a time and give it time to thicken before deciding whether or not you need to use another tablespoon. Once rue has thickened, remove from heat.
Once off the heat, add the Gruyere, cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir until creamy. Taste to determine any additional seasonings. Add a dash or two of garlic salt.
In another pot, drizzle oil into boiling salted water.
Add the pasta and cook according to directions on package.
Drain well. Add pasta to the cheese sauce. Stir well.
Pour into a 3 quart baking dish.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and toss with the bread cubes.
Sprinkle bread cubes on top of macaroni and cheese.
Bake 30-35 minutes, or until sauce is bubbly and the macaroni/breadcrumbs are browned on top.
Invite friends over to stuff their face, sit back and prepare for the shouts of joy and kudos about to come your way.
***This recipe is the BASIC recipe. Play around with different cheese combinations. One of my favorite variations is to use Gruyere and Lavender Cheddar or Rosemary Cheddar from Rogue Creamery in Medford, Oregon. You can also make a baked fettuccine alfredo by following this recipe but using Parmesan and Romano or Asiago cheese and fettuccine noodles. If you’re doing a baked alfredo, I would omit the nutmeg and skip the bread cubes on top. Also, it’s important to taste the cheese sauce before adding the salt, pepper and other spices. Some cheeses are saltier than others and you don’t want to overwhelm the palate with salt. This happened to me the first time I made this recipe with the Rosemary cheddar.***
