Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs

I made dinner. It was daylight so I quickly snapped some photos while my toddler sat there angrily smacking his lips at me.

Hi. This is my life.

My son is a hungry little hippo who insists upon eating any and all food he sees, especially meatballs because he loves them. So I decided speedy photos were better than none and took these because GOSH DARN IT I OWE YOU ALL A RECIPE. And it's a good one, guys. You're gonna love it.

They're yummy. They're flavorful. They're pretty darn easy (thanks to our lovely friend the slow cooker--I know pressure cookers are like the big thing but don't even talk to me about them because I am TERRIFIED of them so I'll just live with the sweet torture that is the low and slow cooking machine. Luckily-this recipe only cooks for like 2.5 hours!). The meatballs are super tender and delicious and the gravy is creamy and has sour cream in it so you know that equals pure YUM. Just serve them over mashed potatoes or egg noodles and enjoy pure comfort food.

Creamy Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

HIII. I have a new recipe. It's a miracle, I know. Having a kid is hard, and I am in awe of the bloggers who do this thang with their tiny humans running around. They're the real MVP. I have a hard time but when I can get something for you I will! And here it is!!

There are two camps of macaroni and cheese lovers: baked or stovetop. I'm a baked mac and cheese fan myself, I like the crisp top and thicker center. But Michael is firmly team stoveop, so when I saw this recipe I thought it looked like it would be right up his alley (and I certainly wouldn't kick it out of bed either)!

It's quick and easy, uses only one pot (hi hi hi have I mentioned I'm a busy mom? All important facts for me!) and is seriously creamy and flavorful and just downright tasty. And you can absolutely jazz it up with different seasonings, or by mixing up the kinds of cheese, or mixing in veggies or a protein (OMG NOW I WANT TO DO BEEF AND CARAMELIZED ONION MAC AND CHEESE BECAUSE I HAVE AN ADDICTION TO THAT COMBO). Am I still #teambakedmacandcheese? Yes--but this recipe comes a close second! And it makes my boys happy so...I'm really #teamfamily. 

UPDATED Southern Style Chicken and Dumplings--with Slow Cooker Method

5 years ago I hit publish on a blog post for a recipe I was pretty lukewarm on. As evidenced by the fact that I didn't make it again for 5 years. These days I'm constantly searching for something new to make for dinner thanks to the fact that I eat a ton (thanks breastfeeding) and so does Michael and now little James. So I unearthed the chicken and dumplings recipe I'd made so many years ago. And decided to try making it in the slow cooker. And it was awesome. Michael loved it, I loved it, James loved it.

So now the internet should love it too, right? It's creamy dreamy comfort food: perfect to warm you up on these cold January evenings. And using a slow cooker makes it even simpler to make.

Check out the original post here:

https://www.cookingactress.com/2014/04/southern-style-chicken-and-dumplings.html

Southern Style Chicken and Dumplings-Slow Cooker Method
Makes 6 servings.
Ingredients:

• 8 cups (64 oz) chicken stock/broth (or 8 cups water + 8 tbsp. bouillon)
• Approximately 1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
• pepper, salt, dried basil, garlic powder, to taste
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup buttermilk (or substitute)

Preparation:

• Put chicken, broth, and seasonings in a slow cooker and cook on low for about 8 hours.
• Remove chicken and shred. 
• Skim any fat/scum off of the liquid and discard, along with the bay leaves.
• Turn heat to high.
• In a medium bowl whisk together flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, and baking soda. Stir in melted butter and buttermilk. Place on a lightly floured surface and roll out to about about 1/8" thickness. Cut out 2 in. shapes (or just tear them off).
• Plop dumplings into crockpot and put on the lid, cooking for 20 minutes on high. Stir occasionally.
• Add shredded chicken and stir until combined. Serve warm!
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

5 Ingredient Butter Roasted Tomato Sauce

My Italian husband is, understandably, quite picky about sauce. But it's led to a hunt for the creation of his version of sauce perfection. I know one of his chief complaints about my sauces in the past has been that they weren't thick enough, so when I saw this method for roasting tomato sauce to achieve that thick texture as if it had simmered for hours on the stove but actually was just in the oven for a bit, I knew I needed to try it!

And the results were YUM. This is actually my favorite sauce that I've made, thus far. It's admittedly still not quite Michael's perfection but he did really like it and oh my word the texture is dreamy and the flavor is just the perfect amount of garlic and richness. A total must-try!

Slow Cooker Amish-style Shredded Beef

And another new delicious dinner has been added to my rotation! Sometimes, particularly when James was small, my in-laws would come over and bring dinner (and play with the baby, of course). One day Michael's stepmom brought this incredibly flavorful, melt in your mouth, shredded roast thing that she served over egg noodles (alongside roasted carrots-which we just talked about a few weeks ago). I asked her how she made it and it involved a packet of onion soup-I really loved the dish and the idea of it so I set out to sort of make my own, from scratch, version. 

And I did-to MAJOR success. The only downside was attempting to name it. Google made it seem like this was similar to Amish shredded beef recipes so I sort of used that (I mean...I live near-ish to Ohio's Amish Country so...sure) but let me just sum it up for you. 

You create a flavorful gravy-like situation that a roast (along with some garlic and onions) slowly cooks in. Then it's falling apart tender and SO SO flavorful and you shred it up and mix everything together and serve on top of mashed potatoes or egg noodles or whatever suits your fancy. And it's SO DELICIOUS. Seriously...SO. FRIGGIN. GOOD.

Eat it.

Perfect Roasted Carrots

Roasted carrots have changed my life.

I mean...as much as carrots can change your life, I suppose.

You know me, I'm never super excited about veggies. Carrots are one of the few I like, but up until now I thought I only really liked raw carrots but NOW...oh now I know the magic of roasted carrots.

(Thanks to Michael's stepmom Jeanne who brought some over with a dinner she made for all of us and totally turned my vegetable world upside down.)

Guys...they're delicious. They get all caramelized around the edges and have the perfect combination of sweet and salty. They're tender but still with some crunch. They're an awesome side dish and super easy to throw together. And I've made them a ton of times already and now I want to make them again!

Cheesy Chicken Crescent Bake

*gasp*

I'm blogging a recipe.

I KNOW. We're all shocked.

Guys...I'm sorry. Having a baby has completely consumed me and trying to keep up with housework, regular non-blog cooking, and other life things has kept me from making anything for you guys.

BUT HEY. I made something. Here it is! Hooray!

This is totally the perfect recipe for anyone who is busy and it's super family friendly because...yum...chicken and cheese. You pretty much stuff crescent dough with a cream cheese and chicken mixture and top with a sauce made with cream of chicken soup (which I made homemade because even though I'm busy I'm still me) and you top the whole thing with more cheese! Michael was a huge fan when he came home and tried a bite, and you'll love it too. It's comforting and tasty tasty tasty!

Roasted Garlic and Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes

Sweet and oh so flavorful...roasted garlic and caramelized onions are a few of my favorite things (I tried to plug them into the song but couldn't quite make the rhyme scheme work so just pretend I'm clever and I did it and we all had a good chuckle, mkay?). I also adore mashed potatoes. So putting them all together is pretty much side dish nirvana.  (Especially when you're serving them with french dip sandwiches. That's a good meal, right there).

It's so ironic that I have so many mashed potato recipes on this blog but, in reality, 99% of the time I make mashed potatoes I sort of just wing it and mix stuff up not according to any particular recipe. That's real life, folks. BUT sometimes you wanna mix things up and do something specific and special and that's what happened here with these lovelies.

Creamy mashed potatoes with all the flavorful and somewhat sweet deliciousness imparted by roasted garlic and caramelized onions totally make the time that goes into them worth it! Michael even enjoyed them and generally he's pretty meh on mashed potatoes. Highly recommend!

Extra Crispy Baked French Fries

I meeeean....we all love french fries, right?? But generally frying them is a messy and unhealthy thing we don't wanna mess with at home. That's why baked fries are so awesome--but I feel like they're never quite crispy and flavorful enough...

until now!

The two things that really help crisp these fries up is soaking them in water (this helps get some of the starch out, which gets a crispier result) and making sure to dry them after that. As far as flavor goes that's on you: salt the heck out of 'em. Put some truffle oil and parmesan cheese on them (that's what I diiiid!). Do garlic or a spice blend. Whatever makes your french fry loving heart happy.

Have I told you all my french fry shame? The kind of gross way I used to eat (specifically McDonald's) french fries as a kid? I used to....*deep breath* suck off the salt and then dip them in ketchup. They were soggy and gross and I don't know what was wrong with me....I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. I was a weird kid with weird food habits.

I'm a changed lady, now, and am in fact a bit of a french fry snob. These were definitely the best fries I've ever baked at home and they will be getting made again (so that Michael can actually try them because I maaaay have eaten them all before he got home. Oops!)

Creamy Chicken Pasta

I've been doing a lot more experimenting in the kitchen these days when it comes to cooking. Less recipes and more throwing things together. It's a little bit freeing! But...when you throw together the same recipe again and again and you love it and you realize...this recipe must be shared....then you write it down. And take pictures. And share it on your blog. This is what everyone does, right?

Naming recipes is hard. I'm not sure if you're aware of it, but it is. Trying to succinctly but accurately sum up what the recipe is like is SUPER tough! Like this...you pan fry chicken. Then you add the sauce ingredients into the same skillet (thusly using the delicious flavor left over from the chicken) and make a creamy sauce. And you eat it with the cooked pasta and chicken. And it's like...what do you call it? I feel pretty good about Creamy Chicken Pasta, but I don't know-what do you think?

It's really just comfort food. Like super flavorful creamy pasta and crisp chicken...it's a feel-good kind of meal. And I mean...feel free to mix some veggies in if you are so inclined. Personally that sounds terrible to me but I have an unfortunately strained relationship with the vegetables, and if you are one of the lucky people who likes them then I am envious and encourage you to enjoy them in this. Or not. Either way (as long as you like chicken) make it. It's gonna become a new favorite of yours like it is a new favorite of mine!

Half-Fried Chicken and Gravy

The original title of this post was Fried Chicken and Gravy. BUT...it's only kind of fried. It's fried and then baked. And it doesn't taste exactly like straight up fried chicken so...I changed the name to better represent what we're working with here.

Whatever you call it, I will admit that it wasn't quite as crisp as I wanted and...I don't know. The chicken itself wasn't my favorite (but that's just me, goodness knows I'm particular)--but the GRAVY. Oh mama the gravy is goooood.

The gravy is rich, and creamy, and so perfectly flavorful. And when you serve it with chicken and over some mashed potatoes, you are in comfort food heaven. Rainy or cold day? Make some of this. Had a fight with someone you care about? Make some of this. A beloved character on a TV show you love dies? DEFINITELY make some of this!

Spinach & Artichoke Quesadillas

I adore spinach artichoke dip. Seriously, I'm a big fan. My best friend, Alex, can claim credit for my love since she sort of forced it upon me. We used to go to TGI Friday's and she would insist that we share the spinach artichoke dip, even if I told her I wasn't a fan. She said, "No. You like it and will share with me." And I did like it, and I did share it with her. BUT I do not like to eat it with tortilla chips-I need some sort of bread or flatbread or some such to dip in it, or I'm just not about that life.

Which is the beautiful thing about these quesadillas--you can skip the whole step of dipping. The spinach artichoke yumminess is sandwiched between 2 tortillas and it's all warm and cheesy and tortilla-y and I am a BIG FAN.

The spinach and artichoke dip is super creamy and rich, and comes together on the stove crazy quickly. Then it's just about spreading some on a tortilla, topping with another tortilla, and heating in a skillet until everything is warm and crisp and happy-wonderful. Michael and I both give our seal of approval!

Creamy Skillet Macaroni & Cheese {Max Brenner's Copycat}

First of all...saying this recipe is a copycat is a smidge misleading. It's not actually a copycat-it's the actual recipe via Max Brenner's website. So it's like super legit. Whenever I would go to Max Brenner's restaurant in NYC, my favorite savory item was their skillet macaroni and cheese. It's creamy and flavorful with a gorgeous, slightly crisp, crust, and there are little bites of tomatoes studded throughout. It's crazy good.

I'm having flashbacks to many many wonderful times in NYC back at Max Brenner's restaurant--with the macaroni and cheese today, and that hot chocolate I shared last week (which is the closest hot chocolate I've ever had to their Italian Thick Hot Chocolate, which is my mostest favoritest), my 2 favorite things to order there! It's like I never left. :P

The mac and cheese is super creamy and flavorful and there's yummy little bits of tomato in there and the most perfect cheesy crumby-y crust. It's just....the best macaroni and cheese in the world, guys. I'm for serious. 

Whipped Goat Cheese Dip with Caramelized Onions

Michael and I threw a housewarming party in December, and in addition to some sweets I decided to make a dip for veggies and chips. And I wanted it to be easy to make (I had a lot going on) and super tasty. This recipe ABSOLUTELY fit the bill!

Everyone at the party looooved it and were like "What's in it?? How'd you make it?!" Answer: goat cheese, caramelized onions, and heavy cream. Whipped together with a hand mixer. THE END. Like....it doesn't get much easier. The caramelized onions are the source of all the deeeelicious flavor because caramelized onions are friggin miraculous. The cream is just to thin out the goat cheese so it's not TOO thick, although I'm sort of curious what would happen if you just used milk?

Anyway, the other beautiful thing about making this dip when entertaining is that it tastes even better the day after you make it. So I recommend making it the day before your event. Then the flavors all get to chill out and mingle together longer. Maximum deliciousness. I really really liked this one, def. one of my favorite dips I've ever made. I think you'll all agree!

Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

I made chicken noodle soup! And it wasn't so bland that it was borderline inedible! IT'S A MIRACLE!

...er...I know...you're probably all, "Kayle whaaaat are you talking about??" Well...I had a few unfortunate attempts at chicken noodle soup, a few years back, and they sort of scarred me for life and terrified me from making soup. Then I made some ridiculously yummy soups. So then it was just the basic CNS (chicken noodle soup, get on my level) that I was afraid of. Buuut...then I saw a recipe for homemade CNS in the slow cooker and I was like, "OK. It's time. Let's break this curse."

I'm going to warn you all RIGHT NOW-this recipe makes like...a lot of soup. Much more than just Michael and I can really handle, BUUUUT you can freeze it. Like...so I poured it in a freezer bag (made sure it was upright and not going to leak) and let it cool COMPLETELY. Then I sealed it and flattened it and put it in the freezer. I now have a nice, flat, bag of CNS just waiting for when I need it. Which I sort of love. You never know when a random cold is going to hit! Or just a craving for some soup. And sometimes you're too busy (or, God forbid, sick) to make something and having that extra stash of soup in the freezer makes me feel safe.

This week we got our first substantial bit of snow. And it happened literally the day after we finally bought a snow shovel. You see....we've been meaning to buy one for a while. But Michael was being super picky about it and didn't like any of the ones we'd seen. However...time passed....winter came...and I started to get nervous that we'd be stuck with a bunch of snow and no way to shovel it out of our new driveway. So we finally agreed to just go and buy one. And so we did. And then we woke up the next morning aaaand snow. So our new little shovel got christened quickly.

And you know what's fun to do? Sit in your new kitchen, looking out at the snow, but knowing you're snug and warm inside, and eating from an even warmer bowl of comforting and classic chicken noodle soup.*

*With lots of crackers. Because that's who I am, as a person. I eat soup with lots of crackers. (Not as many as my brother, who usually just consumes moist crackers since there are so many that they've fully sucked up the soup...that's a bit too far for me.)

Salisbury Steak Meatballs

It's official. It took awhile, but it happened. Winter struck. So now it's chilly and there is sometimes snow and there are really only 2 things to be happy about with this wintry turn of events: Christmas and comfort food. Rich...warm....satisfying comfort food. And I've already decorated for Christmas so...until the 25th....it's comfort food time. And these meatballs are TOTAL comforting deliciousness.

I'm not like a person who's into salisbury steak-it always seems like a gross cafeteria food that is shown on TV. BUT when I found this recipe for salisbury steak meatballs...they sounded pretty darn fantastic. With the exception of the fact that there were mushrooms in it and Michael and I don't dig the 'shrooms. So I changed up the recipe a smidgen by removing the mushrooms BUT to keep some of that flavor I used truffle oil. Which is one of my favoritest favorite things.

But forreals this recipe is pretty darn simple to make (there's even a slow cooker option, although I'm never patient enough for that), and it's quickly become a favorite of mine and Michael's. And considering how darned repetitive and boring my dinner options tend to get (picky eater alerrrrt), it's always nice to add something new to the lineup!

So essentially what we end up with are really rich and flavorful meatballs in a gravy-like sauce situation and I like to serve them over mashed potatoes/mashed sweet potatoes but you can also spoon them over some noodles or some such. You do you boo.

French Onion Macaroni and Cheese

erm...so....hiiii.

I'm sorry guys. I know it's been like 2 months since I posted any new recipes for you and I'm seriously sorry-between this whole buying a house thing, various summer activities, and my brother visiting....I've just been sort of insanely busy. And I can't even say it won't happen again. We're still dealing with the house/moving situation (although we're officially going to be in possession of it on Sept. 16th!!) and life is just kinda crazy, ya know? So I'm just going to try not to worry about it and take it one day and one recipe at a time. I hope that's cool?

Cuz I love you guys.

Now-on to food.

I just feeeeel like....onions make everything better? That's my opinion, anyway. They're so darned flavorful and delicious and make everything they're in taste amazing too.

I also want to like french onion soup, for this reason, but for some reason it never really quite works for me. But french onion MAC AND CHEESE? Yeah. That I can get on board with.

And, shockingly, Michael really liked this recipe!! I'm shocked because 99% of the time he's not a huge fan of my macaroni and cheese recipes (he just wants velveeta....*sigh*). But--it's a miracle, he liked this! I loved it! And everyone in the kingdom was happy :D

It's just insanely flavorful macaroni and cheese (don't be scared of the gruyere-it's subtle. But also feel free to sub in a different cheese if you really want) that's creamy and has yummy yummy onions and is topped with buttery toasted breadcrumbs. Yessss.

No-Knead Crusty Bread Rolls

I've been craving a particular kind of roll. The kind that is crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside. This is the absolute perfect recipe for that sort of roll. AND it's sort of super easy to make (and no knead)! WE'RE IN A WIN-WIN SITUATION HERE, PEOPLE!

You combine some ingredients in a bowl. Let it rise (either in a warm place for a few hours or in the refrigerator overnight and then a warm place for a little bit if it's not risen enough). Form rolls. Let them rise for just like 30 minutes. Bake. THAT'S IT. And then you have the most gorgeously rustic rolls that are all crusty and chewy and JUST LOOK AT THE AIR POCKETS. They're perfect for holding little bits of butter.

They also lent themselves to Michael's caveman sensibilities--you can just grab them and tear into them like the savage he is. Or, you can be a lady* like me and cut them in half and butter them before delicately** eating them.

*In spite of etiquette classes and countless reprimands from my parents...I don't eat like a lady.

**shoving into your mouth whole.

Cheesy Chicken & Onion Skillet

Soooo I'm a pretty picky eater. Which means I tend to have a set number of dinner recipes that I like and make regularly, which means I oftentimes get tired of them/burnt out. So when I find a new entree to make that I like it is like a GOSH DARNED MIRACLE! And this recipe is one such miracle.

The inspiration for this recipe came from some cheese and onion chicken dishes I've seen on a couple restaurant menus, and that I've even ordered on occasion. But they never really knocked my socks off. So I thought about what could make them better. I decided flattened, breaded, chicken would be tasty. And sauteed onions that are just shy of caramelized would probably be pretty delicious. And a thick and creamy and rich cheesy cream sauce...yeah. That also seemed wise.

And it was. It so was!

Another beautiful part of this recipe is you make everything in one large skillet--first you cook the onions (then set them aside), then the chicken (which you also then set aside), and finally you make the sauce (which is made all the more delicious because it is partially flavored by the onions and chicken that cooked in there before). Then you add back in the onions and chicken. And serve it with mashed potatoes, over noodles, or rice, or just with some veggies or whatever. It's your life. Eat rich deliciousness however you want. I'm just saying that I loved it. And can't wait to make it again. And I think you should try it. Cuz it's tasty. And you'll like it.

Mkay?