I hope you and yours had a wonderful holiday.  JD and I spent the day with friends and had a great time...delicious food, awesome company and 3 good football games...what more could a girl ask for?  My friend Mandy and I totally rocked Thanksgiving dinner...I think this was our best ever!

I am truly thankful for my friends, my family, and especially JD, the love of my life and my best friend.  How did I get so lucky?

Everything you want and love in a baked potato, but pre-mixed and with a crunchy top.  Mmmmm...carbs...

Baked Potato Casserole (Potatoes Romanoff)
adapted from Tasty Kitchen

3 large russet potatoes
1/2 pound bacon, diced
3/4 cup minced shallots
2 1/2 cups grated white cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups sour cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Scrub potatoes well and wrap in foil.  Bake for about an hour.  Remove foil and let potatoes cool to room termperature.  You can bake these ahead, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until you are ready to make the casserole.

Cook bacon in skillet over medium heat until crispy.  Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grate cooled potatoes, including skins.  Combine grated potatoes, bacon, shallots, 1 1/2 cups grated cheese, and salt and pepper in large bowl.  Gently fold in the sour cream.

Spoon potato mixture into a  1 1/2 quart baking dish/au gratin dish.  Be careful not to press the potatoes into the pan.  Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Bake 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown.

Sometimes you just want something indulgent.  Chocolate, butter, toffee, butter, shortbread, butter...I think it's safe to call these bars indulgent.  Three layers of goodness to satisfy any craving.  Make these and you will find yourself with lots of new friends.  Or enemies, if you decide to eat them all yourself.

Chocolate Toffee Bars
adapted from Cookies and Cups

Crust:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 1/2 cups crushed shortbread cookies (I used LornaDoone cookies)
3/4 cup toffee bits (my store was out, so I used chopped up Heath bars)

Middle Layer:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon butter

Top Layer:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup toffee bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the crust, combine melted butter, shortbread cookie crumbs and 3/4 cup toffee bits in a 9" x 13" pan.  Press evenly into the bottom of the pan.  Bake crust for 10 minutes, then remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.

While the crust is baking, make the top layer:  Beat butter and sugars until smooth.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.  Add flour, salt and baking soda and stir until just combined.  Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips and and 1 cup toffee bits.  Set aside.

Now make the middle layer:  Combine chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter in a saucepan.  Heat over low heat until melted, stirring frequently.

Pour the middle layer over the crust and spread evenly.  Drop spoonfuls of the top layer evenly over the top.

Bake 25-30 minutes, or until top layer is set.  Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

Like many food bloggers, I am a huge fan of Ree Drummond over at The Pioneer Woman.  She always makes me laugh, she takes beautiful photos (food, family, and life around the ranch) and I have yet to try one of her recipes that wasn't delicious.

So although I first reviewed this recipe with trepidation, I had faith in Ree's culinary wisdom and made the lasagna exactly as written.  Many foodie snobs would turn up their nose at this...a lasagna made with dried herbs and Kraft parmesan cheese and breakfast sausage?!?!?  Blasphemy!  And yet, The Pioneer Woman was right.  This is really the most delicious lasagna I have ever had.  Hands down.

"From the Pantry" Lasagna
adapted from The Pioneer Woman

1 pound ground beef
1 pound hot breakfast sausage (I used Bob Evans)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (14.5 ounces) whole tomatoes (I used a quart jar of homemade canned tomatoes)
2 cans (8 ounces) tomato paste
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups cottage cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used good ol' Kraft in the green jar)
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound sliced mozzarella cheese
1 package (10 ounces) lasagna noodles
more grated Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add some salt and olive oil to the water.  Cook the lasagna noodles, following package instructions, until al dente.  Don't overcook.  Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, brown the ground beef, sausage, and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Drain off most of the fat, but leave some behind.  Fat is yummy.

Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons dried parsley and 2 tablespoons dried basil, and 1 teaspoon salt.  Stir to combine, bring to a boil, then reduce heat.  Simmer 45 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine the cottage cheese, beaten eggs, grated Parmesan, the other 2 tablespoons dried parsley, and 1 teaspoon salt.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In 9" x 13" or similar pan, arrange 4 lasanga noodles at the bottom of the pan, overlapping if necessary.  Spoon half of the cottage cheese mixture on top of the noodles and spread evenly.  Arrange half of the mozzarella slices over the cottage cheese mixture.  Spoon a little less than half of the meat sauce mixture on top and spread evenly.  Repeat one more layer:  noodles, cottage cheese mixture, mozzarella cheese, and meat sauce mixture.  Sprinkle more Parmesan cheese on top.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.  Let the lasagna sit for at least 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Yes, Suzy's Goodies lives!  I wish I had some riveting story to explain my absence, but alas, nothing exciting.  No overseas trip, no all-encompassing work project, no kitchen remodel, no marathon LOTR viewings.

But now I'm back!  And with a simply delicious, simply gorgeous, perfect appetizer or light salad for summer.  Especially this summer, when it seems like every day gets more and more like a swamp.

Balsamic Watermelon Caprese
adapted from watermelon.org

1/4 cup olive oil
1 large sweet onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup dry vermouth
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into rounds
seedless watermelon, sliced into squares, 3"x3"x1/2"
fresh basil leaves

Put oil in heavy skillet and heat over medium high heat.  Add sliced onions and saute until golden.  Add the vermouth and sugar and reduce heat to medium.  Simmer, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated.  Add the vinegar (keep your face away from the fumes!) and simmer until reduced, about another 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool.

Alternate slices of watermelon and cheese on serving plates (3 slices of each).  Top with a spoonful of the onions and drizzle with the balsamic juices.  Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve.

Of all of the Food Network stars, Bobby Flay has always been my favorite.  Aside from his cute Irish-tough-guy looks, he is fun on camera and I love his food.  This recipe is from Throwdown!, his latest show.  Bobby lost this challenge to Mike Maroni, a restauranteur in Long Island who is famous for his meatballs, made from his grandmother's 100-year old recipe.

Growing up, we never had meatballs with spaghetti.  We usually just added browned ground beef to the sauce...and the sauce was never homemade.  Not that there is anything wrong with jarred sauce, especially Newman's Own Sockarooni Sauce.  Yum.

I was curious to taste a meatball that beat Bobby in a throwdown, so I thought I would give this recipe a try.  Dee-lish.  The meatballs were so flavorful and tender, not dry or tough like I imagined them to be.  The sauce was delicious, too.  JD commented that there was a bit too much garlic, but he still said the meatballs were awesome.  Me, I can never have too much garlic, but I'll probably tone it down a little the next time I make it for him.

Mike Maroni's Spaghetti and Meatballs
adapted from Bobby Flay's Throwdown!

Meatballs:
1 pound ground chuck
1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 1/4 cups fresh bread crumbs
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup minced parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 small onion, grated
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Sauce:
1/3 olive oil
1 head garlic, cloves minced
1 large onion, finely diced
2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes (or 2 quart jars home grown canned tomatoes, crushed, if you have them)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
handful basil leaves, torn into pieces

1 pound spaghetti, cooked al dente

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Brush baking sheet with olive oil.

Combine all meatball ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.  Roll mixture into meatballs, each about the size of a golf ball, and place on prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until cooked through and browned.

Meanwhile, make the sauce.  Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and saute about 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes.  Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, for 20 minutes.  Taste and add salt if necessary.  Remove from heat and stir in the basil leaves.  Add the meatballs to the sauce.

To serve, put some spaghetti on serving plate, and top with meatballs and sauce.

Yes, Suzy's Goodies lives!  I have been so distracted and unmotivated lately, there has not been a lot going on in the kitchen.  Now that the weather is (finally!) starting to warm up, I have emerged from my hibernation and found my cooking mojo.  Lucky JD.

Nothing like a decadent, indulgent breakfast dish like this to usher in the spring!  If you're hosting a Kentucky Derby party, this would be perfect.  Also good for Mother's Day, or any special morning.

Croissant French Toast with Soft Caramel Apples
adapted from Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen

Batter:
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon sugar
pinch cinnamon

Caramel Apples:
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter
6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced into 1/2" wedges
1/2 cup maple syrup

Finishing:
3 tablespoons butter
4 large croissants, sliced in half lengthwise
powdered sugar
cinnamon

In a shallow bowl, beat together the batter ingredients until well blended.  Cover and put in the fridge while you make the apples.

You need to pay attention when you are making caramel sauce; this is not the time to be frying bacon or squeezing orange juice or cleaning out the fridge.  The sugar will be perfect one second and burned the next, so do all that stuff later.

Put the sugar in a large dry skillet over medium heat.  Cook, without stirring, until the sugar begins to melt.  Continue to cook and stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar starts to caramelize.  Add the butter and stir.  The butter will foam up a bit, but keep stirring until the butter and caramel have blended together to make a sauce.  Carefully add the apple slices to the pan and keep stirring.  The caramel will probably seize up a bit and start to harden, but keep stirring and it will warm up and even out again.  When the caramel is smooth and coats the apples, add the maple syrup.  Stir and reduce heat to simmer.  Simmer apples until fork tender, about 10-15 minutes.  Remove from heat, cover, and keep warm.

Heat butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Carefully and quickly dredge a croissant half in the batter (don't let it soak in the batter or it will fall apart) and place in skillet, cut side down.  Repeat with other croissant half.  Cook 4 to 5 minutes, carefully flip, and repeat on the other side.

To serve, place bottom half of croissant on plate.  Top with a spoonful of apples and caramel sauce, then cover with top half of the croissant.  Drizzle with a little of the sauce and dust with powdered sugar and cinnamon.

I know spring is (supposedly) finally here, which means light, fresh, "spring-y" meals are on the way.  Unfortunately, spring has taken so long to arrive this year, I have doubted that we would ever see warm days and green trees ever again.  So when I search books and the internet for new recipes, I still find myself drawn to hearty, rich dishes that simmer all day on the stove or in the oven...rich with braised meats and tender root vegetables.  Hence, this stew.  If you are actually experiencing spring wherever you are, feel free to save this recipe until the fall.  And also...you suck.

"Spring-Will-Never-Get-Here" Beef Stew

2 pounds beef chuck (stew meat), cut into cubes
canola oil
1 large onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
salt and pepper
12 ounces white and/or cremini mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed, and quartered
1 cup dry red wine
2 cups low sodium beef stock
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 sprig rosemary
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced 1/2" thick
2 stalks celery, sliced 1/2" thick
2 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and diced
cornstarch, as needed for thickening

Heat a few tablespoons canola oil in large, heavy pot.  In batches, brown beef until richly browned on all sides.  Remove beef to a plate as it browns.

Add onion and garlic to pot, season with salt and papper, and cook, stirring, until softened and starting to brown.  Add mushrooms and continue to cook until mushrooms have released their moisture and have started to brown.

Deglaze pan with red wine and scrape all of the yummy brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Cook until wine has reduced until nearly evaporated.

Add beef stock, tomato paste, bay leaf, rosemary, and Worcestershire sauce.  Bring to a boil, return beef to pan (along with any juices) and reduce heat to simmer.  Simmer, covered, over low heat, for 1 hour.

Add carrots, celery and potatoes to pot.  Cover and continue to simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until meat and vegetables are tender.  Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.  If too thin, dissolve some cornstarch in a small amount of water and add gradually until it reaches the desired thickness.

Serve with crusty bread and a glass of good wine.  Continue to wait for spring.  Let me know when it gets here. 

Roast Chicken sounds boring and blase, but it can be one of the most delicious things you could ever learn to make.  We learned to make this last week in my class, and it looked so unassuming...until you tasted it.  Tender, juicy, flavorful...anything but boring.  I was so excited that it turned out just as delicious when I made it at home.  Even JD said he had never had chicken so good.

Simply Delicious Roast Chicken with Jus

1 4-5 pound roasting chicken, giblets removed
kosher salt
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon peppercorns, cracked
canola oil
1/2 cup or so of dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock

Rinse chicken inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels.  Sprinkle cavity generously with salt.

Stuff chicken cavity with diced onion, carrot, celery, thyme, garlic cloves, and cracked peppercorns.

Tuck wings underneath the bird.  Tie the legs together with kitchen twine.

Heat a few tablespoons of canola oil (or clarified butter if you have it) in a large ovenproof skillet or roasting pan over medium-high heat.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Carefully place the chicken on its side in the skillet so the leg/thigh is on the bottom.  Sear for a few minutes until the leg is nicely browned.  Repeat with the other side.

Lay chicken flat on its back and place in the oven for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven, baste with pan drippings, and sprinkle with salt.  Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees and place back in the oven.

Repeat every 10 minutes until oven temp is reduced to 350 degrees.  Continue to roast until nicely browned, and instant-read thermometer inserted into thigh reads 165 degrees.  Carefully remove chicken to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 15 minutes.  Pour off the fat from the pan.

Using a sharp slicing knife, carve the legs and breast from the chicken.  I'm not even going to try to describe how to do this (I can barely do it myself!) but there are plenty of websites and videos available out there.  Keep chicken warm on platter while you make the jus.

Heat skillet/roasting pan over medium-high heat.  Scoop out the veggies from the chicken cavity (discard the thyme sprigs) and put in pan.  Hack the chicken carcass into large pieces and put in the pan with the veggies.  Saute until vegetables and chicken pieces are lightly browned.  Deglaze with some white wine, and reduce until nearly evaporated.  Add chicken stock and heat to boiling.  Taste and add salt as needed.

Strain jus.  Drizzle some jus over carved chicken and serve the rest on the side.

Who doesn't love pancakes on a Sunday???

Pancakes were one of the first things I ever learned to cook.  My mom showed me the recipe in her big blue copy of Joy of Cooking and let me go from there.  I remember making them for my dad and felt so proud when he raved about them.  Dad didn't generally rave about food so that was pretty cool.  I still love to make pancakes for special people in my life.  JD is the lucky one now.

Pancakes
adapted from Mara at What's For Dinner?, who adapted the recipe from Alton Brown

3 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 eggs plus 1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons melted butter

Combine all dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  In medium bowl, beat eggs with milk and melted butter.  Pour wet ingredients into bowl with dry ingredients and stir until just mixed.  The batter will be lumpy.

Heat oven to 200 degrees and put an oven-safe plate in there to warm up.

Heat pan over medium to medium-high heat.  Flick some water drops in the pan; if they dance, the pan is ready.  If the water immediately evaporates, the pan is too hot.  If the water just sits and bubbles, the pan is not hot enough.  Lightly grease pan with canola oil.

Pour batter into pan (whatever size you feel like making).  Flip pancake when edges are set and bottom is golden brown.  Cook on second side until set.  Keep all pancakes in the warm oven until you serve them.  Re-grease the pan as needed until all the pancakes are done.

Melt some butter and heat up some real maple syrup...drizzle both over your pancakes and have at it.  Repeat as necessary.