1 pre-baked pie crust

1 cup sugar

2 cups whole milk

2 heaping tablespoons all purpose flour

2 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups whipping cream

1/4 cup sugar

Instructions:

Add sugar, flour and cocoa powder in a saucepan and whisk together.

Over medium heat slowly whisk in the milk.

Cook, stirring almost constantly, until it reaches a pudding consistency and starts to bubble up.

Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla extract.

Cool the mixture in the saucepan for about forty-five minutes. Stir every few minutes to release the heat and keep a skin from forming on top.

Spoon the mixture into a prebaked pie crust and cool in the refrigerator for at least two hours. I top mine with a piece of plastic wrap that I’ve sprayed with cooking spray to keep a skin from forming on top.

While the pie cooling beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks. Add the 1/3 cup of sugar once it starts to thicken.

Remove the pie from the refrigerator and top with the freshly whipped cream.

This recipe has been in my family for generations and I have such fond memories of watching my Mom and my Grandmothers toil to get the recipe just right each year at Thanksgiving.

Ingredients and full instructions below.

Read more

1 pound of sweet Italian sausage

3/4 cup chopped white onion

2 teaspoons of olive oil

8-10 garlic cloves, chopped

3/4 cup finely chopped carrots

8 ounces orecchiette pasta

8 cups of chicken broth

1 teaspoon of salt

1 1/2 teaspoons dried to oregano

Half teaspoon black pepper

Handful of baby spinach

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. You could also use Pecorino Romano. Add less salt if using the Pecorino.

Instructions:

Add olive oil to the bottom of a large Dutch oven. Add the Italian sausage and break it up and begin browning it. Once it starts to brown, add the carrots, onions and garlic.

Cook for about five minutes until the carrots begin to soften. Add the salt, pepper and oregano. Cook for another two minutes.

Add the chicken stock and stir together. Place the lid on and simmer gently for about 10 minutes.

Remove the lid and add the pasta. Cook until the pasta is almost completely tender. Turn off the heat and add the spinach until it wilts and then stir in the cheese.

Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!

Ingredients:

Read more

Read more

One beef chuck roast, size of your choice. I used a 2 1/2 pounds.

One envelope, Lipton onion soup mix

One small onion, thinly sliced

2 cups of your choice of potato cut into large chunks

1 1/2 cups sliced carrots

2 cups brussels sprouts cut in half

4-6 garlic cloves, smashed

One stem of rosemary

4 to 5 thyme stems

1/4 cup chicken or beef stock

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 300°.

Place sliced onion on the bottom of a heavy Dutch oven. Place chuck roast on top of the onion. Sprinkle with the Lipton onion soup mix. If using a pot roast larger than 4 pounds you may want to consider using two envelopes of soup mix.

Add in garlic cloves and rosemary and thyme stems. Add in broth.

Cover and place in a 300° oven for two hours.

After two hours, remove and add in carrots, potatoes and brussels sprouts. Cover again and return the oven for an additional hour. If using a pot roast larger than 4 pounds cook for 3 hours in the beginning and then an additional hour at the end.

Enjoy!

Read more

Read more

Read more

Read more

Read more

Read more

I got this recipe from 12 tomatoes. https://12tomatoes.com/jackie-kennedys-4-ingredient-casserole/

Ingredients:

• 1 lb egg noodles

• 1 1/2 cups full-fat cottage cheese

• 1 1/2 cups sour cream

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/3 cup fresh chives, chopped

• 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 2 quart casserole dish with butter.

2. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the egg noodles according to package directions.

3. Drain pasta, then combine with the cottage cheese, sour cream, salt, pepper, and chives. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Chop butter, then arrange over the top of the casserole.

4. Bake until the noodles just begin to brown, about 30 minutes.

5. Enjoy!

• Monday — Turkey & Spinach Meatballs over marinara (Italian night)

• Tuesday — Crispy Chicken Milanese with arugula salad

• Wednesday — Black Bean & Sweet Potato Enchiladas

• Thursday — One-Pot Creamy Sausage Pasta

• Friday — Fish & Chips with malt-vinegar slaw

Monday — Turkey & Spinach Meatballs over Marinara

Serves 4 · About 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb ground turkey

• 2 cups spinach, chopped fine

• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, 1 egg, 1/3 cup Parmesan

• 3 garlic cloves minced, 1 tsp oregano, salt, pepper

• 1 jar (24 oz) marinara or homemade

• 1 lb spaghetti, basil

Method

• Mix turkey, spinach, breadcrumbs, egg, Parmesan, garlic, oregano, salt. Roll into 16 balls.

• Sear meatballs in oil until browned all over, ~6 min.

• Add marinara, cover, simmer 15 min until meatballs are cooked through.

• Boil spaghetti; serve topped with meatballs, sauce, basil, more Parmesan.

Why this works: Chopped spinach and an egg keep lean turkey meatballs moist — without them, ground turkey bakes up dry and dense.

Read more

Ingredients:

Meatballs

▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil

▢ ½ cup yellow onion, finely chopped

▢ 2 cloves garlic, minced

▢ 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

▢ 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

▢ 1 large egg, beaten

▢ 1/3 cup milk

▢ 1 teaspoon salt

▢ ¼ teaspoon EACH: dried oregano, ground allspice, ground nutmeg, pepper

▢ 2 lbs. ground beef, 80% lean

Sauce

▢ 2 tablespoons butter

▢ 4 tablespoons

Read more

One medium shallot, finely minced

One block of Boursin cheese

2 cups of broccoli floretts

8 ounces of Ditalini pasta

2 1/2 cups of chicken broth

2 tablespoons of olive oil oil

2 tablespoons of butter

Half teaspoon of salt

Half teaspoon black pepper

Instructions:

Add olive oil and butter to a skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and sauté for a few minutes and then add the broccoli florettes. Cook for two minutes.

Add the pasta and the chicken broth and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 10 to 12 minutes until the pasta is tender.

Turn off the heat and add the Boursin cheese and stir until melted and creamy. Test to see if it needs salt and add salt and pepper if necessary.

Enjoy!

This Week’s Menu

• Monday — Chicken Cacciatore over polenta

• Tuesday — Sausage & White Bean Ragu with orecchiette (Italian night)

• Wednesday — Eggplant Parmesan, stacked & baked

• Thursday — Lemon Garlic Shrimp Risotto

• Friday — Margherita Flatbreads with a big green salad

Monday — Chicken Cacciatore over Polenta

Serves 4 · About 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 6 bone-in chicken thighs

• 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 onion, 2 bell peppers, sliced

• 3 garlic cloves, 8 oz mushrooms

• 1 can crushed tomatoes, 1/2 cup white wine, oregano, rosemary

• Polenta: 1 cup polenta, 4 cups water/stock, Parmesan, butter

Method

• Brown seasoned chicken skin-side down in oil; remove. Soften onion, peppers, mushrooms.

• Add garlic, deglaze with wine, add tomatoes and herbs.

• Nestle chicken back, simmer 25 min until tender.

• Cook polenta with stock, stirring, until creamy; finish with Parmesan and butter. Serve chicken over polenta.

Why this works: Browning the chicken skin first builds a fond and renders flavor into the pan that the wine and tomatoes carry through the whole braise.

Read more

Ingredients:

2 pounds of ground chuck

One cup, chopped white onion

One cup, chopped celery

One cup, chopped carrots

One egg

3/4 of a cup of Panko breadcrumbs

4 tablespoon tablespoons of butter

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of black pepper

Half teaspoon dried rosemary

Half teaspoon dried thyme

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons of oyster sauce

Barbecue sauce for topping the meat meatloaf

Instructions:

Melt four tablespoons of butter in a skillet and sauté onions, carrots, and celery until tender. Set aside and let them cool.

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, rosemary, thyme, salt, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce, breadcrumbs, and egg. Add the cooled, onions, celery, and carrots.

Mix everything well, but be sure not to compact it too tight.

Place it on a foil lined sheet pan with a baking rack.

Top with barbecue sauce or ketchup if you prefer.

Bake it 400° for about an hour and 15 minutes.

Pasta, peas, and Pecorino is the kind of deceptively simple Italian dish that stops you mid-bite and makes you genuinely wonder how something made from such humble ingredients can taste this extraordinarily good. Shallots are slowly coaxed in a generous pool of olive oil and butter until they turn soft, sweet, and translucent — building a quiet, fragrant base that perfumes the whole dish with a gentle sweetness that supports everything that comes after. Bright green English peas go in next, tender and sweet, bringing a freshness and color that makes the whole pan look alive. The ditalini pasta goes in right along with a ladleful of homemade chicken stock that the pasta slowly drinks in as it cooks — absorbing all of that golden, savory richness and becoming something far more deeply flavored than pasta boiled in plain water could ever dream of being. The starch from the pasta releases into the broth as it cooks, thickening everything into a silky, almost creamy consistency that coats every piece of ditalini and every sweet pea in a luscious, cohesive sauce that is deeply satisfying without ever feeling heavy. Then comes a generous snowfall of freshly grated Pecorino Romano — salty, sharp, and intensely savory — melting into the warm pasta and bringing that bold, grassy bite that only Pecorino can deliver. A generous crack of black pepper finishes everything with a quiet heat that makes every bite bloom. This is Italian comfort food at its most honest and its most beautiful.

Ingredients:

2 cups chicken broth

One small shallot, minced

Half teaspoon of black pepper

Half teaspoon of salt

8 ounces of ditalini pasta

One 10 ounce bag frozen English peas

Half a cup of freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese

2 tablespoons salted butter

Instructions:

Add olive oil to the bottom of a Dutch oven of medium heat. Add the shallot and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add a pinch of salt. Add the 2 tablespoons of butter.

Once the butter has melted, add in the frozen peas. Stir to coat them in the olive oil and butter mixture. Add one cup of the chicken broth and bring to a simmer.

Add in the pasta and the other cup of chicken broth and stir and cover and cook until the pasta is cooked through. There should be a little bit of pasta water still in the bottom of the pan. Turn off the heat and add the black pepper and the pecorino Romano cheese.

Stir to make a creamy mixture. Enjoy!

• Monday — Smoky Beef Chili (the anchor cook)

• Tuesday — Chili-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (from Monday)

• Wednesday — Chicken Pot Pie with biscuit top

• Thursday — Baked Ziti with sausage (Italian night)

• Friday — Chili Mac (the last of the chili, transformed)

Monday — Smoky Beef Chili

Serves 4, with a big batch reserved for Tuesday and Friday · About 90 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 lb ground beef (make extra on purpose)

• 2 onions diced, 4 garlic cloves

• 3 tbsp chili powder, 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp cocoa powder

• 2 cans diced tomatoes, 2 cans beans, 1 can tomato paste

• 2 cups beef stock, salt

• Toppings: cheese, sour cream, scallions

Method

• Brown beef in a large pot, breaking it up; remove excess fat. Add onions and garlic, soften.

• Stir in spices and cocoa, cook 1 min. Add tomato paste, cook 2 min.

• Add tomatoes, beans, stock. Simmer uncovered 60+ min until thick.

• Serve a quarter tonight with toppings. Reserve the rest — you’ll use it Tuesday and Friday.

Why this works: A teaspoon of cocoa powder deepens chili without tasting like chocolate — it adds bitterness and body that round out the spice.

Read more