potato gratin

growing up, my dad used to make us the most amazing potato gratin...it was and still is my favorite dish ever.  because his recipe is more complicated with anchovies and other secret ingredients (he's a really good cook!), i decided to make my own, simpler recipe.  this potato gratin recipe is delicious, creamy and cheesy, and the pinch of nutmeg adds a lot of depth and warmth.  i hope you enjoy!

ingredients:

- 4 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into very thin slices

- 1 onion, diced 

- 2 garlic cloves, minced

- s&p

- 3 tablespoons butter

- 3 tablespoons flour

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1 cup cream

- 1 cup milk

- 2 cups gruyere cheese

directions:

- preheat oven to 400 degrees

- butter 1 quart casserole dish generously; set aside

- melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat

- add flour and s&p and whisk for 1 minute

- add milk and cream and whisk until thickened and smooth

- add cheese, stirring until melted, about 60 seconds; set aside

- assemble half of the potatoes on the bottom of the buttered casserole dish, sprinkle half the onion and garlic, then add half the sauce

- layer the rest of the potatoes, add the rest of the onion and garlic, followed by the rest of the sauce

- cover the casserole with foil then bake for 1.5 hours

- remove foil then bake for another 15 minutes to brown...then enjoy!

xoxo,

kara

classic and delicious lasagna

i'm not a big lasagna person, but boy is this recipe out of this world!  just use my bolognese sauce recipe and follow the easy steps below!  you and your family are going to love this ultimate, super comforting and delicious lasagna dish! 

ingredients:

- 2.5 cups milk

- 4 tablespoons butter

- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

- 4 oz parmesan cheese, grated

- 4 oz mozzarella cheese (fresh or grated.  if fresh, tear into small pieces)

- 1 bolognese sauce 

- lasagna noodles (the no-boil kind)

- s&p

directions:

- preheat oven to 350 degrees

- to make the cheese sauce, put the milk, butter and flour into a medium saucepan

- place the saucepan over medium heat and whisk for 5 minutes until it comes to a boil and is thick and smooth

- add two-thirds of the parmesan cheese and nutmeg to the sauce and stir.  season with s&p

- grab a large ceramic or glass dish and add a layer of the bolognese sauce to the bottom

- spoon a little of the cheese sauce over it

- add a layer of lasagna noodles, snapping the sheets to fit the dish if needed

- continue to build the layers...bolognese sauce, then the cheese sauce, followed by lasagna noodles.  the final layer should be the cheese sauce

- cover the top with the remaining parmesan and mozzarella

- bake for 45 minutes.  let the lasagna rest for 10 minutes before serving.  enjoy!

xoxo, 

kara

bolognese sauce

rob LOVES italian food, and he constantly wants to eat pastas and pizzas.  bolognese sauce is the backbone to so many italian dishes...so here's an amazing recipe you can use as the main ingredient for things like lasagna, pasta, etc.  fyi - i recommend making this on a saturday or sunday, when you have a couple extra hours to cook.  enjoy!

ingredients:

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

- 1 pound lean ground beef

- 2 medium onion, roughly chopped

- 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

- 1 carrot, roughly chopped

- 2 cloves of garlic

- 8 strips of thick cut bacon (not the flavored stuff though!), cut into 1/2-inch pieces

- 1 handful of fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces

- 2 tablespoons tomato paste

- 1 bay leaf

- 2/3 cup white wine

- 2/3 cup milk

- 2 (14.5 oz) cans chopped tomatoes

- 1/2 cup chicken or beef broth

- red pepper flakes

- s&p

directions:

- heat a large casserole (like a le creuset) or frying pan over high heat and add olive oil

- after about 30 seconds, add the ground beef (the meat should sizzle).  break up the meat with a wood spoon and cook for about 10 minutes until brown.  transfer the meat to a bowl.

- add the chopped bacon into the pan and fry for 10 minutes, until crisp and golden and the fat has run out of the meat

- meanwhile, put the onion, celery, carrot and garlic gloves into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped (note: if you don't have a food processor, just finely chop the vegetables by hand)

- add the vegetable medley to the bacon and turn down the heat to low-medium.  stir and cook for 10 minutes

- return the ground beef to the pan and add basil leaves

- stir in tomato paste, white wine and bay leaf; simmer for 2 minutes

- add the milk, canned tomatoes an water; stir carefully

- season with s&p, and if you want it a little spicy, adds some red pepper flakes

- partially cover the pan, then simmer for 1.5 hours until the meat is tender and the sauce is thick

- remove the bay leaf and season again with s&p if needed

- to make bolognese pasta, just add some cooked pasta to the sauce, toss and serve with some parmesan cheese!

xoxo, 

kara

ps- you can totally keep this sauce in the fridge for up to 4 days or so...perfect for easy weeknight pasta dinners!

oyako donburi

my favorite dish in the world is oyako donburi; it reminds me of my summers in japan growing up, and my dad and i cooking together on weekends as a kid.  i love the blend of simple, japanese tastes - soy sauce, mirin, dashi stock and green onion.  the best part about this dish is its name: oya = adult, ko = child...get it chicken (oya) + egg (ko)!

ingredients:

- 4 cup cooked japanese rice

- 3/4 - 1 pound chicken thigh, cut into pieces

- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced

- 1 2/3 cup chicken stock or dashi soup stock

- 8 tablespoons soy sauce

- 4 tablespoons mirin

- 3 tablespoons brown sugar

- 4 eggs, lightly beaten

- 1 green onion, thinly cut

directions:

- heat chicken stock/dashi soup stock over medium heat in a saucepan or skillet

- put cut chicken thigh in a bowl and cover with 2 tablespoons of mirin; let rest for 5 minutes

- add soy sauce, leftover mirin and brown sugar to broth

- add chicken to broth and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes

- add sliced onion to broth and simmer for an additional 3 minutes

- bring broth to a boil for 5 minutes, until onion are soft

- add lightly beaten eggs over chicken and onion in broth; turn down the heat to low and cover with a lid for 1 minute

- sprinkle in green onion slices; turn off the heat, cover with lid and let it rest for an additional minute

- to assemble, add hot rice to individual bowls.  with a large spoon, scoop individual portions of the chicken and egg topping and soupy stock into each bowl.  enjoy!

xoxo, 

kara

sage-infused butternut squash soup

during this last fall/winter, rob asked me to make butternut squash soup almost everyday...so i finally made it for the holidays with a twist.  infused with sage, this recipe is SO easy to make with only 6 ingredients (+ s&p).  enjoy!

 

ingredients:

- 2 (2-pound) butternut squash, halved lengthwise

- olive oil (1/2 cup + few extra drizzles)

-1/4 bunch fresh sage with the stems removed

- 1 medium brown onion, sliced thin

- 4 cups chicken stock

- pinch of grated nutmeg

- salt and freshly ground pepper

directions:

- preheat oven to 375 degrees

- use a small spoon to seed the butternut squash halves, saving around 40 or so seeds to the side

- grease a 13x9 glass baking dish with olive oil and place squash halves cut side up in the dish

- with a fork, pierce each squash half several times

- bake 45 minutes until the squash is tender

- meanwhile, in a large pot, heat 1/4 cup of olive oil until almost smoking

- quickly cook the sage leaves until crisp, then remove and set aside on a paper towel

- sprinkle crisp sage leaves with salt

- in the same pot, saute the sliced onion until softened over med-high heat, about 4 minutes or so

- when the squash is done, scrape squash into the pot with a large spoon; discard peel

- add 4 cups of chicken stock and nutmeg and stir gently

- puree the ingredients in the pot until smooth with a handheld blender

- season with s&p, and stir soup over medium heat until heated through

- ladle soup into bowls and garnish each bowl with a sage leaf 

xoxo,

kara

ps - did you know butternut squash provides about 400% of the daily value for vitamin A in every 100g serving, 

contains antioxidants such as beta carotene (super good for your heart) and vitamin C,  and is an amazing source of fiber :)

citrus & herb roasted chicken

i like to make this roasted chicken recipe for rob on sundays (because leftovers last until tuesday or so!).  it's simple, delicious and super super easy to make.  happy roasting!

ingredients:

- 1 (4-pound) roasting chicken

- 1 tablespoon kosher salt

- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

- 4 garlic cloves, minced + 2 heads garlic, cut in half crosswise

- 2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

- 2 teaspoon of fresh parsley, chopped

- 2 lemons, quartered

- 2 oranges, quartered

- 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature (or olive oil)

directions:

- preheat oven to 425 degrees

- in a bowl, mix the salt, pepper, minced garlic, thyme and parsley

- remove the chicken giblets and rinse the chicken inside and out

- pat chicken dry with paper towels

- lift the skin on top of the chicken and place butter between the flesh and skin

- rub the chicken with the herb mixture, above and below the skin as well as inside the cavity

- squeeze each lemon and orange into the chicken cavity and place rind in as well, along with the halved garlic heads

- place chicken, breast side down on a rack in a roasting pan (place leftover lemons, oranges and garlic halves in the roasting pan around the chicken)

- roast for 1 hour (helpful rule of thumb - roast chicken 15 minutes per pound to cook)

- remove from oven and let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes before serving

xoxo,

kara

amazing cabbage pork shrimp dumplings

these super juicy, delicious dumplings might take an extra hour to make, but they're super yummy and worth the wait (and work)!  plus - it's really fun making dumplings with friends and family.  throw a dumpling party!

 

ingredients:

- 1 package of refrigerated dumpling skins

- 3/4 pound raw shrimp, shelled and deveined

- 3/4 pound ground pork (not the super lean stuff!)

- 2 cups of finely chopped napa cabbage (approx. 1/2 head of cabbage)

- 2 teaspoons kosher salt

- 3 stalks green onions, thinly sliced

- 3 large cloves of garlic, minced

- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

- 1 tablespoon soy sauce

- 2 tablespoons rice wine (or dry sherry)

- 1 teaspoon toasted asian sesame oil

- ½ teaspoon sugar

- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked pepper

dipping sauce (just combine together!)

- 1 teaspoon asian chili sauce

- 1/4 cup soy sauce

- 2 teaspoon toasted asian sesame oil

- ½ teaspoon sugar

- ½ teaspoon rice wine vinegar

directions for the filling:

- in a medium bowl, toss the cabbage and kosher salt together and set aside for 30 minutes

- put cabbage into a kitchen towel or cheesecloth and wring out as much liquid as possible

- coarsely chop the raw shrimp

- in a large bowl, combine the cabbage, pork, shrimp, green onion, garlic, ginger, rice wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and pepper

- cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes

directions for making dumplings:

- spoon 1 teaspoon of filling onto dumpling skin

- brush some water around the edge of the dumpling skin and fold in half

- pinch the corners, then pleat one side of the dumpling skin toward the center (see picture)

- to ensure the dumpling pleats stay intact, use a tiny bit of additional water if necessary

- place finished dumplings on a lined baking sheet, in a single layer so they don't touch each other

directions for pan-searing/frying dumplings:

- heat vegetable oil in a skillet until hot

- place the dumplings flat side down on the skillet over medium-high heat

- cook until the bottoms are lightly golden, about 1-2 minutes

- add 1/4 cup water, cover with a lid, and steam dumplings, 3-4 minutes

- remove lid and cook off any liquid, 1 minute

- serve with the amazing dipping sauce!  enjoy!

xoxo,

kara