These are a staple in our family. It's super easy and delicious. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups or about 1 1/2 lb of shredded cooked chicken breast. I either buy a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken or I'll roast my own (see recipe HERE).
2 cups shredded monterey jack or cheddar cheese
2 large green onions, chopped
1 can of drained regular rotel
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
salt & pepper to taste
A package of ~15 tortillas

DIRECTIONS:
​Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Oil a large baking pan
Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl (besides the tortilla obviously)
Place about 1/4 cup of filling into each tortilla and roll it up.
Place, seam-side down in the prepared baking pan.
Cover with foil.
Bake 25 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle 1/2 cup of cheese on top.
Bake for another 5 minutes. 

INGREDIENTS

• 4 pieces cod 
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons parsley (chopped)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. pat the fish dry
3. season with salt and pepper
4. Warm the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat and add the garlic. Cook until fragrant 1-2 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice and parsley
6. Drizzle the butter mixture over each piece of cod. 
7. Bake for 12-14 minutes

Warning: Once you make alfredo sauce from scratch, it's pretty much impossible to go back to jarred alfredo sauce ever again. This is what alfredo sauce is supposed to taste like. #LifeChanging

I've got two versions that I make, depending on what I've got in the fridge. The first version "Alfredo Cream Sauce" is faster and very rich.

ALFREDO CREAM SAUCE INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup (1/2 a stick) of butter
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 1/2 cup  Parmesan cheese

ALFREDO CREAM SAUCE DIRECTIONS

1. Melt the butter and whisk in most of the cream over medium heat for a few minutes until it thickens a bit.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low, add the remaining cream and the parmesan cheese. Whisk and serve on your favorite dish!

The Brits call pop-overs "Yorkshire Pudding," which I think is a bit odd, since it doesn't look/taste anything like pudding... So I'm going to go with calling these pop-overs. They're my favorite "bread" side dish at meals and totally up your game so guests will think you're fancy. They'd never guess how easy they are to make!

​INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 3 cups milk (divided 1 1/2 cups in two bowls)
• A few tablespoons of butter, bacon fat, or pan drippings- melted
• Optional: Grated Parmesan cheese, Italian herb or garlic salt (topping)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Whisk flour, eggs, 1 1/2 cups milk, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. Let stand for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
4. Whisk remaining 1 1/2 cups milk into batter (it'll be the consistency of heavy cream).
5. Pour 1 teaspoon of butter, bacon grease or pan drippings into each cupcake tin. 
6. Place cupcake tin(s) in oven for 2 minutes - don't skip this step (it helps the pop overs rise up the hot sides and conveniently melts your butter/lard)!
7. Fill each cupcake tin with batter about 1/3-1/2 way. 
8. Optional: Sprinkle the tops with choice of salt and maybe some parmesan or herbs.
9. Bake ~30 minutes until puffy and golden brown.

I make a big batch of marinara sauce and can use it in 1-3 recipes that week (lasagna, spaghetti, pizza, etc).

INGREDIENTS

• ~1 Tablespoon of olive oil
• Green, red, or yellow pepper- chopped optional (only if you've got 'em on hand)

• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 onion, chopped

• 2 Large cans of organic peeled tomatoes (or 2 lbs of fresh tomatoes)
• 2 cups of water
• ~1/4 cup organic maple syrup (more or less to taste)
• Optional: 1 lb of Italian pork sausage or ground beef
• Salt & pepper
• A large bunch of basil

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large stockpot, add ~1 tablespoon of olive oil and saute the onion, garlic, and peppers (if using) in some olive oil for 4-6 minutes, med-high heat.
2. Add the tomatoes and water and bring to a low boil; simmer for 45-60 minutes until it's at your desired consistency. ​
3. Add the maple syrup in the last ~10 minutes.
4. If you're making it a meat sauce, cook the ground meat separately in a little olive oil until no longer pink for ~8 minutes and add to the sauce at the end. 
5. You should have ~6 cups of the world's very very best marinara sauce.

This is a family-favorite dish that the kids love to help with the making of. I usually buy pizza dough from trader joe's and make this an easy dinner night. 

INGREDIENTS

• Olive oil spray, for muffin pan
• Flour, for rolling
• 1/2 pound pizza dough, in ~12 pieces
• Pizza Sauce - I make my own (see recipe here)
• Garlic salt
• Shredded mozzarella  (I usually also add different cheeses I have in my fridge at the time--cheddar, blue cheese, parmesan, etc.)
• Choice of toppings, pepperoni, pineapple & ham, veggies, etc.

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Spray your muffin tin cups with olive oil spray.
3. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough so it's ~1" thick and cut it out into a round shape.
4. Fill each cup with 1 round, gently pressing dough into bottom and sides of cup.
5. Season with garlic salt
6. Spoon each dough cup with 1 tablespoon of pizza sauce
7. Sprinkle on cheese (about 1-2 Tablespoons) and desired toppings
8. Bake until dough is cooked through, ~12 minutes.
9. Let cool 2 minutes before removing from cups & serve.

My husband isn't a big fan of horseradish, so I leave it out of his half of this dish. I on the other hand adore it and this is my favorite sauce to pair with any red meat dish. It's incredibly simple -- enjoy!!

INGREDIENTS

• 8 Tablespoons of butter, melted
• 1 Tablespoon of minced onion or shallot (whatever you've got in the pantry)
• 3 chives, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 Tablespoons of horseradish, peeled and grated
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Salt & Pepper to taste

RECIPE

• Stir all ingredients together
• Immersion blend them for a smoother consistency (or put in blender) - optional
• Serve it with your choice of beef dish; half cooled

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, or 2 cups drained, cooked chickpeas
• 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of liquid from chickpeas can
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Optional additions: 3/4 cup of chopped olives, 1/4 cup of chopped preserved lemons, or 1/2 cup of toasted walnuts, almonds, or pine nuts.

​
INSTRUCTIONS

1. Drain & rinse the chickpeas into a strainer, keeping the liquid from the can in a bowl, set aside.
2. ​If time allows, pinch the skins from each of the chickpeas to make the hummus smoother.
3. Combine the chickpeas, olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth, at least 5 minutes. 
4. ​Add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of the liquid you set aside from the chickpeas can--to taste. I like mine really creamy, so I do about 1/2 cup myself.
5. That's it! Serve with naan bread, tortillas, pita chips or my fave- raw vegetables like cucumbers, bell peppers, sweet peppers, carrots, etc.
   
   

Run to your nearest apple orchard (or grocery store I guess) and stock up- once you make these muffins you'll never make another recipe again. Don't skip the glaze, it's what make these extra.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 2 medium apples, peeled, cored, & finely diced
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (4 oz) - optional
• 1/2 cup raisins (3 oz)
• Glaze
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Butter muffin tins. In large bowl stir flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, & salt. In another bowl beat together eggs, milk, sugar, & butter. Stir in the apple, nuts, and raisins. Add to the dry ingredients and beat with a wooden spoon just until blended.
  3. Spoon into tins 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until tooth pick inserted into muffin comes out clean.

GLAZE

1. Combine butter, cream, sugar, & cinnamon in a small pan. Bring to a boil for 1 min. Set aside, keep warm.
2. Remove the muffins from the oven and poke each muffin a few times with a fork, then drizzle each with a generous teaspoonful of glaze. Let muffins cool in pan for about 3 minutes, turn out onto racks, serve warm.

This is my father-in-law's favorite green bean casserole dish that he asks me to bring every Thanksgiving. It's a bit of work, so I always make it the day before Thanksgiving and it's so good, it's totally worth it. Like several of my recipes, this one started from Martha Stewart and has some adaptations I've made over the years. 

INGREDIENTS

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 an onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 pound button mushrooms, stems trimmed, quartered
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces (snap 'em with your hands and save time)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch grated nutmeg
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (don't buy pre-shredded; they add a starch that causes clumping)

INSTRUCTIONS​

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add onion, and saute until it begins to soften, about 4 minutes. Add bell pepper and mushrooms, and cook until softened and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside to cool.
2. Prepare an ice bath: Fill a large bowl with ice and water; set aside. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add beans, and cook until bright green and just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain, and plunge into ice bath to stop cooking.
3. When cooled, toss drained beans with mushroom mixture; set aside.
4. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add 1/4 cup flour, whisk constantly until mixture begins to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Pour in milk, and continue whisking until mixture has thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in cayenne, nutmeg, and the remaining teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Pour over beans, and toss to combine.
5. Butter a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking pan. Spread half the green-bean mixture over the bottom. Sprinkle on half the grated Parmesan, and spread with the remaining green beans. Combine the remaining Parmesan and the breadcrumbs, and sprinkle over casserole.
6. Cover with foil, and refrigerate until just before serving.
7. You can fry some onions to place on top if you wanted to... but no one wants them at our house, so I never do. 
8. Heat broiler, positioning rack about 8 inches from heat. Cook casserole, covered, until mixture is bubbly and heated through, about 10 minutes. Uncover, and cook until top is golden brown, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle fried shallots over top, and serve immediately.