Friday Things
1. I hope you had an incredibly fabulous Christmas holiday with loved ones this week. Although we were all still under the weather, it was wonderful to see the boys having fun. Dominic preferred to lay in the middle of the floor with wrapping paper instead of actually opening the presents, but Joseph was just so excited about everything and it was such a blast.
2. I am, however, seriously disappointed in myself because I didnโt manage to watch ONE Christmas movie this year! Well, I take that backโฆ I did see A Charlie Brown Christmas and Mickeyโs Twice Upon a Christmas multiple times because thatโs all Joseph has wanted to watch for weeks :)
3. As much as I love, love, love the holidays, Iโm definitely starting to crave getting back into a bit of a routine (as much as a routine as I can have with two little ones, ha). Am I insane? Maybe being sick around Christmas has me holiday-ed out much faster this year.
4. Fun news! My Instant Pot arrived! I havenโt made anything in it yet because it came when I was already sick, and then we had Christmas festivities and weโve been living off of leftovers, so Iโm excited to break it in! Send me allllll your favorite Instant Pot recipes!
5. I hardly ever go to Starbucks, but Iโm dying to try one of their new tuxedo drinksโฆ they sound delicious!
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6. If youโre planning on tackling a Whole 30 in January, I wrote a recap of my thoughts, experiences, and advice when I first did one a couple of years ago, and you can find it here. While Iโm not planning to do a legit Whole 30, I would like to try to reign things in and focus on more vegetables and less sweets. I saw that Pinch of Yum is planning a sugar free January challenge, and while Iโm not going that hard core, Iโm looking forward to seeing the recipes she posts!
7. Totally embarrassing, but if you follow me on Instagram and have sent me a direct message in the past, I JUST unearthed where they have been living. I know, I live under a rock. SOโฆ apologies for never responding, and now Iโll be able to! #facepalm
8. Do you have any New Yearโs Eve plans? Weโll be low key here, as usual. Probably watching some sports and eating some snacks. Likelihood of making it to midnight? Slim to none lol.
9. If you have any recipe requests for 2018, Iโd love to hear them! Feel free to leave them in the comments below; Iโm always looking for recommendations and ideas based on what youโd like to see!
10. TGIF! I hope you have a fantastic and safe New Yearโs weekend! (The picture below is early Christmas morning snuggles and books while we waited for Dominic to wake up :))
I have a recipe suggestion. I donโt know if youโve ever had the pleasure of having a hot chocolate from Wawa but theyโre the best. I thought youโd have one near you since theyโre an east coast thing but you donโt. I canโt seem to find a copycat recipe for it. Maybe you can figure one out for me (please)?ย
Hi Jen, We donโt have Wawaโs around here, but Iโll do some research on their hot chocolate!
Will you be doing updated top ten lists?! Love those and knowing what your favorites are
Hi Hailey, I guess itโs been awhile since I updated those, Iโll add it to the schedule! Thanks for the reminder!
Oh, Michelle, you know I want the recipe for Eggplant Parmesan. ย
Itโs coming, I promise! :)
The picture of the boys above is so cute. You have 2 darling boys. I am happy that you all getting over your sickness. I want to wish you and the family safe and Happy New Year.
Thank you so much Gina. Happy New Year to you!
Love the pictures of your boys. I always love soup recipes and quick bread recipes to try. My favorite is your bacon cheddar bread. So quick and yummy! No happening New Yearโs Eve plans here. Hubby is asleep at 10 p.m. lol
The tuxedo drinks look amazing but it said they disappeared January 1, 2017!! ;D
Wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year! And thank you for a wonderful blog!
Happy New Year Emily!
Happy New Year! ย In 2018 I hope youโll ย have a permanent space in your website specifically ย for Instant Pot recipes, and tips. ย I also got one (6 Quarts) for Christmas and I could use some good recipes. Thank you.
Thanks for the suggestion Ela! Once I get going on the recipes, Iโll make sure theyโll be easily accessible!
Hi Michelle, Iโm glad you all had a nice Christmas despite being under the weather. ย I too also saw one Christmas movie this yearโฆโItโs a Wonderful Lifeโ. ย Every time I see it I notice something different. ย I didnโt even turn on the Hallmark Channel this year! ย I loved the pic of Duke lying with you while you were reading with Joseph, and he had a paw touching you. ย One of my cats does thatโฆhe doesnโt always nap next to me, but when he does he has to put a paw (or even an entire leg) on me before he sleeps. ย Happy New Year, and I look forward to another year of fun and cooking!
Happy New Year, Pam!
I enjoy reading your blog above all others that I read!! Your boys are absolutely precious and beautiful!!! Good luck with your new addition!!! I love every single recipe that you post and have saved so many that I will probably never get to make all of them!!! Thank you for your lively blog and have a Happy and Healthy New Year 2018!!!
Thank you so much for the kind words, Debbie! xo Happy New Year!
I love your blog and read it everyday. I do have a recipe request. Since we always have out-of- town family at our home for every holiday, I would love any recipes for freeze-ahead breakfast casseroles or dishes. It would be great if I could stash a few away in the freezer, so I wouldnโt have to deal with taking the time to put it together while our family is hereโฆmuch rather spend that time with them. Iโll be checking in to see if you just might have some ideas up your sleeve!!
Anita โ try freezing breakfast burritos, breakfast sandwiches (english muffin, egg, meat, and cheese), and any assortment of muffins that you can pair with quickly made eggs. My mom always made extra pancakes or waffles and would stash them in the freezer for toasting on a busy weekday morning โ you could always freeze a big batch that everyone could toast whenever they woke up. There are also casserole type breakfasts that can be assembled the night before and baked and served in the morning. Iโd be surprised if perhaps they also couldnโt be frozen and baked a different month. I keep muffins and breakfast burritos frozen at my house for easy weekday breakfasts. Paired with yogurt and fruit or eggs and bacon if youโre feeling fancy, ย itโs a quick way to have breakfast ready.
These are great suggestions; thanks, Melissa!
How cozyโฆyour boys are a delight! And soon to be a little sisterโฆit doesnโt get any better. Seeing Dukeโs golden paw stretched out to youโฆIโm so glad that you have a furry child as well.
Wowโฆand now you will be experimenting with an InstantPot!! Canโt wait to hear what you come up withโฆI want โgourmetโ and inspired recipes. Iโve had the โPotโ for 6 months and have done the things that it is touted for: mashed potatoes, โBBQโ chicken, soups and chiliโฆI want something GRAND, spectacular and unexpected! Yes, I know, baby steps, learning what a new โtoyโ can do. If you can find time in your busy lifeโฆ..surprise us! If I create a masterpiece I will pass it on.
Please post InstaPot recipes, I received the exact one you have for XMas, and am a bit intimidated, so suggesting perhaps you could do a series on using this potโฆ.
Will do Jan!
Weโve been dealing with sickness for several weeks around here. ย The holiday season seemed to fly by! ย To top it off 3 of us got the flu this week. ย I am so ready to get back into our routine and the kids back to school. ย My mom got me an instant pot for Christmas. ย I canโt wait to feel better to try it out. Maybe you should have a week of instant pot recipes since everyone seems to have gotten one for Christmas. ย Hope your family has a great New Years and stays healthy!!!
Ughhhh I hope you all start to feel better soon!
Hi Michelle, thanks for the amazing year of recipes as always. This Christmas I (finally) got a Lodge Cast Iron 10โณ skillet so it would be awesome next year if you could have some recipes that use this, or a post of caring/using a cast iron skillet. Merry Christmas!
Ahhh congratulations Beth, cast iron skillets are amazing! I truly use mine for nearly everything, but will work on a post for using/caring for a cast iron skillet. Thank you for the suggestion!
Enjoyed reading about Christmas morning. My youngest is 12, and the older siblings are in their late teens, and do I miss their younger days. By the way, in this household, Santa never wraps presents. Our gifts to the children are wrapped of course but I guess Santa is always too busy to do other than drop them off. :) When I was a child, my Santa gifts came in a red sackโฆ
Happy New Year to you and your beautiful family!
Happy New Year Molly!
Facebook has an amazing amount of Instant Pot groups you can join, all with fantastic recipes that Instant Pot users have done. Here are a few. Instant Pot Community, Pressure Luck, This Old Gal. Browse through these and see what you think. Hope you love yours as much as we love ours.
Thanks so much! Going to check those out!
I would like a recipe for a Swedish or German version of spaghetti called yakkiman (phonetic spelling). It has plenty of bacon and diced green peppers and onions in it and the sauce is not as thick or strongly tomatoey. It has garlic in the sauce and a pinch of sugar to cute the acidity. Thank you.
Oooh that sounds interesting, Iโve never heard of it!
Iโm probably the only person without an Instapot but please share some of your recipes once you experiment with yours. Iโm always looking for apple, cherry, and cheese strudel recipes (Slovenian) and more fall/winter baking treats.
Thank you for ALL you do to make this such a creative and fun blog to read. Happy 2018 to you and your family!
Happy New Year! And thank you for the suggestions!
The boys are so cute. Have you ever watched ย ย emmet otters jug band Christmas. I watched it with my kids,an now with my grandson .it wouldnโt be Christmas with out it .love it
I havenโt! Iโll check it out, thanks!
Great pic of the boys. Sounds like you had a nice Christmas โ though bummer on the being sick part
Would love a recipe/technique for cooking a whole beef tenderloin/prime rib/rib roast. ย They are all such expensive cuts of meat and I need a tried and true cooking method! :)
Your boys are just preciousโ
Thanks for the recommendation, Leighann, Iโll add it to my list!
Love the way Duke is part of the early Christmas morning snuggles and books with his paw on your legโฆso cute! ย I watched a CB Christmas and Shrek The Halls (one of my Christmas essentials) but somehow didnโt get around to my other favourite, The Grinch. ย Lots of Christmas music though and thoroughly enjoyed it. ย Looking forward to what the New Year brings.
I bought an instant pot about 2 months ago and it is amazing. Skinnytaste has adapted some of her recipes to the instant pot, Iโve made the chicken and lentil soup several times. The chicken comes out so tender. I bought Americaโs test kitchen โPressure Cooker Perfectionโ which gives tips for the electric pressure cooker. Test kitchen is also coming out with a new book in April, โMulticooker Perfectionโ which I am pre-ordering. ย
Oooh I didnโt know ATK had another one coming out, thanks for the tip!
This is the 1st thing I made in my instant pot โ my son won a cooking contest at work with this and hubby loved it so much that he ate it 3 days in a row!
forgot to include the recipe, lol โ it sounds like a lot to do, but was really very easy
Slow-Cooked Cochon de Lait PoโBoy
Emeril LaGasse โ This is always a favorite at Jazz Fest. The tender pork melts in your mouth and the tangy coleslaw and Creole mayo are the perfect complements. Itโs time to break out that crock pot and make this delicious treat at home. Itโs worth it. Prep 15 min, Total 9 hr, 12 โ 14 sandwiches
One 6 to 7-pound Boston butt pork roast, preferably bone-in
8 large cloves garlic, peeled and halved lengthwise
Crystal hot sauce
2 tablespoons sweet pimentรณn (sweet Spanish smoked paprika)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 tablespoon Emerilโs Original Essence
1 teaspoon cayenne
ยผ cup beef stock, chicken stock, or water
2 large loaves PoโBoy bread, for serving
Tangy Coleslaw, for serving (recipe follows)
Creole Mayonnaise Spread, for dressing sandwiches
Place the pork in a shallow baking dish. Using the tip of a paring knife, make 16 narrow but deep slits in the meat, evenly spaced on all sides, and insert a piece of garlic deep into each slit. Sprinkle a few drops of the hot sauce into each hole.
In a small bowl, combine the pimentรณn, salt, Essence, and cayenne. Sprinkle the seasoning blend evenly over all sides of the roast and rub into the meat.
Place the roast in the crock of a 6-quart slow cooker (fat side up) and pour the stock around the roast. Cook on the โhighโ setting until the roast is tender and falling apart, 7 to 8 hours. (As the meat becomes tender, break the roast into several smaller pieces.)
Remove the roast from the slow cooker and transfer to a large heatproof bowl or platter. Remove any excess fat and/or bones and discard. Using two forks, pull the meat into shreds, and drizzle the meat with enough of the accumulated cooking juices from the slow cooker to keep the meat moist. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Serve the meat hot, on lightly toasted French bread, garnished with the Tangy Coleslaw and slathered with the Creole Mayonnaise Spread.
Emerilโs Essence Creole Seasoning
Mix up a batch of this seasoning and keep it on hand for giving just about any savory dish a โkicked-upโ flavor. About 2/3 cup
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
Tangy Coleslaw 6 โ 8 servings
ยฝ medium green cabbage, cored and thinly shredded (about 3 cups)
ยฝ medium red cabbage, cored and thinly shredded (about 3 cups)
ยฝ red onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons plus ยฝ teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Creole mustard, or other whole-grain spicy mustard
ยผ teaspoon celery seeds
ยผ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 green onions, minced
Toss the cabbage and the onion with 2 tablespoons of the salt in a large colander and set aside over another bowl or in the sink until the vegetables have wilted, about 1 hour. Rinse the cabbage mixture thoroughly under cool running water and then spin it dry in a salad spinner.
While the cabbage is wilting, make the dressing: Whisk the vinegar, sugar, mustard, celery seeds, pepper, and remaining ยฝ teaspoon kosher salt together in a small nonreactive mixing bowl. Little by little, add the oil in a slow, steady stream to form a smooth, slightly thickened dressing.
When you are ready to serve, toss the drained, wilted cabbage mixture with the green onions and enough of the dressing to coat the slaw. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Creole Mayonnaise
1 ยฝ cups mayonnaise
3 tablespoons Creole mustard, or other whole-grain spicy mustard
1 ยฝ tablespoons prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons minced green onions
ยผ teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Pinch of salt
Combine the mayonnaise, mustard, horseradish, green onions and cayenne in a small mixing bowl.
On a cutting board, mash the garlic and salt to a paste with the side of your chefโs knife. Add the garlic paste to the mayonnaise mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve, up to several days in advance.
Your Po Boy recipe sounds fantastic. Can;t wait to try it!!! Thanks and Happy New Year!!!
This sounds delicious Nancy! Did you alter it for the Instant Pot, or just use the slower cooker function?
Michelle,
I just spent 2 hours reading all your past yearsโ โFavorite Recipesโ, printing and saving about a dozen (many I had already saved).
You are the first food blogger I started to read about 2 years ago. And although you menition and refer to many others, YOURS is the only one that I read every week!
I enjoy your style of writing; your sense of humor and LOVE your recipes.
No kids on my end, but still enjoy reading your life with Joseph and Dominicโ and congrats on your expected little one!
I bake at the Ronald McDonald House here in Albuquerque almost every Friday, so I am always looking for sweet, yummy different ideas. Brown Eyed Baker recipes are filling up my notebook!
I have my own little bit of โfameโ for making fabulous chocolate chip cookies. And like you, I get caught up in trying new ones every time I see the claim โBest chocolate chip cookie-ever!โ For Nantionl Chocolate Chip cookie day this past August, I made 7 different recipes, and although I didnโt do an actual โballotโ so everyone did not taste each of the cookies, it was still fun to hear the different opinions.
Iโm 66 years old and love to bake. I was a Home Economics teacher for 25 years, and the cooking/baking classes were always my favorite. The food blog scene would have been such a great option 17 years ago when I retired from teaching.
Thank you for the time you take in explaining and detailing your directions/instructions. So many little things that I know will help your many beginner cooks to have success.
Warmly, Rhonda Loos
Hi Rhonda, Thanks so much for the incredibly kind comment, xo
I just got an Instant Pot, too! The first recipe I tried was Pinch of Yumโs Chili Garlic Noodles, which was a keeper for sure. Next up is lentil dal. I have a few Instant Pot cookbooks on hold at the library, but some of the wait times are pretty longโฆlots of people received Instant Pots I guess!
Ahhh I totally forgot about that recipe from Pinch of Yum, I saw it awhile ago. Putting it on my list, thanks for reminding me! Yeah, Iโm guessing since they are all but gone from Amazon and Williams Sonoma that a gazillion people got them for Christmas ;-)
The Starbucks tuxedo drink had me intrigued! But I clicked on the link and it looks like itโs from last new yearโs. Unlessโฆ they bring it back every year?
Oh, so weird! I Googled it after seeing a story on the news a couple of days ago, so I assume they have them this year, too!