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We had so much fun shopping, planning and creating this menu. Thinking about having a Chinese New Year party this year? Look no further. Use this shopping guide, menu and all the links I've already sourced to have yourself a 美妙的时光 (Měimiào de shíguāng) fabulous time 🙏 Here are all the recipes from our 20th anniversary dinner party. Crispy chicken with honey garlic sauce, spicy cucumber salad, and a sesame carrot ginger slaw. We chose the theme based on our anniversary gift this year which was.. CHINA :) and our first date was Chinese food too! 🥡 Excited to share with you all the tips, recipes + our shopping guide to creating this intimate dinner party. Dinner party MENU: Appetizers: (Pick these up at your local Asian market or hit up good ol Trader Joe's) Pork Gyoza Sechwan steam buns-bao buns crispy egg rolls Main course: Orange chicken for the children ;) Crispy honey garlic ginger chicken Spicy cucumber salad Sesame carrot slaw Rice+mango of course ;) Dessert + treats for the table: Lychee Yellow kiwi Mini egg tarts With blackberry cheong (Korean I know ;) Coconut sticky rice+mango Meiji strawberry cookies Lychee jelly fruit bites Jin Jin Jelly strips Take home favor: Green Guava candies Norimaki arare rice crackers (Seaweed wrapped crunchies) Crispy honey garlic ginger chicken recipe: Chicken Marinade: 6 chicken breasts - sliced into long strips or chunks 2 cups buttermilk 1 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper 1 tsp garlic powder Crispy Coating: 3 cups flour 2 tsp salt 2 tsp ground black pepper 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp celery salt 2 tsp dried thyme 2 tsp paprika 2 tsp baking powder 2 tsp chilli flakes Honey Garlic Sauce: 2 tbsp vegetable/avocado oil 2 thumb-sized piece of ginger - peeled and minced 3 clove of garlic - peeled and minced 2 red chilli - finely chopped (optional) or a tablespoon or two of your favorite Chile paste 1T. Lemongrass paste 3/4 cup soy sauce 1/2 cup Honey 1/2 cup brown sugar pinch black pepper To Serve: Cooked rice 2 spring onions/scallions - sliced into thin strips Black or white sesame seeds 1 tsp dried chilli flakes stir fried or steamed veggies (Bok choy, broccolini, bell peppers) We love this cucumber salad as a side or as a topping for bimbimbap, along with a fried egg and any leftover roasted veggie in the fridge! Spicy Cucumber salad recipe: Ingredients 6 Mini/Persian cucumbers 2 tsp Salt-to dry out Dressing: 1 T soy sauce 2 cloves Garlic minced 1 T Rice vinegar or white vinegar 1 T Chinese chili oil 1 T white granulated sugar 1 tsp. Sesame oil Black sesame seeds Green onions thinly sliced Instructions Sprinkle salt over cucumbers. Let cucumbers soak in salt for 5 minutes (no more than 10 minutes or they will break down). Rinse with cold water 3-4 times to completely remove the salt. Strain+set aside. Combine dressing ingredients in a separate bowl. Pour dressing over cucumbers and gently mix. Enjoy! Our favorite carrot side dish: 2 medium-sized carrots, cleaned and peeled 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper Use a vegetable peeler to peel the carrots into long, thin strips over a mixing bowl. Add all remaining ingredients: sesame oil, rice vinegar, sesame seeds, sea salt, and black pepper to the carrot strips. Toss several times to combine.  Serve immediately.

How much does your family love ramen or noodles from PF Changs.. too spicy sometimes? No prob! Just make your own! Dan Dan noodle ramen 1/3 cup + 2 T. sesame oil 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or smashed 1-2 T. crushed red pepper flakes 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce 1/4 cup hoisin sauce 1 T. honey. 2 T. rice vinegar 3 T. creamy peanut butter or tahini 8oz Chinese style egg noodles/rice noodles 1 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth 2 cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped 1/2 pound ground chicken or pork 2 cups mixed mushrooms, chopped black pepper 1 medium shallot, chopped 4 green onions, chopped 1 cup Persian cucumber diced DIRECTIONS: Use your favorite chili oil or make your own: over medium heat: 1/3 cup sesame oil, garlic+chili flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally until the garlic is fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and very carefully transfer the oil to a heat proof bowl or glass jar. STIR soy sauce, hoisin sauce, honey, vinegar, peanut butter/tahini, and 1/3 cup water in a bowl BOIL the egg/rice noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside. To the pot used to cook the noodles, add the broth and 1/2 of the soy sauce mixture. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stir in the spinach. Keep warm. HEAT the skillet used to make the chili oil, over medium-high + Add 2 tablespoons oil and the chicken/pork. Season with black pepper and brown all over, breaking it up as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and shallot, and cook another 2-3 minutes. Slowly pour in 1/2 of the soy sauce mixture. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the sauce coats the chicken and the meat begins to caramelize and get crispy, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2-4 tablespoons chili oil. Remove from the heat. LADLE the broth into bowls. Add the noodles and toss combine. Spoon the meat over the noodles. Top with green onions fresh cucumber and additional chili oil. Serve with your favorite sparkling yuzu beverage We finally sourced it online! But love to get it at our local harmons or Japanese dollar store: Daiso! SHOP + CLICK the images to directly link! Xoxox your welcome! Love love love this sparkling yuzu drink! We always smuggle a case of it back home from CALIFORNIA! #1 used kitchen appliance!!! We have LOvED using this veggie chopper since we first saw Lillyeatsandtells use it in her Instagram page. Everything she cooks+creates is packed with flavor and SO healthy and beautiful. If you don't already have this chopper, buy two. One for you and your bff!

Cheese fondue is said to have originated on Alpine farms as a way to feed a family inexpensively; the original version was simply stale bread dipped in melted Gruyère. Fondue became so popular that it was named the national dish of Switzerland in the 1930s. Now, this concoction of melted cheese is a decadent way to celebrate chilly winter nights. It features melted Gruyère along with other Swiss cheese; Emmentaler, Vacherin Fribougeois, Appenzeller, and Raclette are blended in, depending on the region and personal preferences. Splashes of kirsch and wine, and a bit of garlic are the traditional seasonings, but you can add a few chopped herbs, a swirl of mustard, or a spoonful of toasted spices if you like. Oh how we have a love for all things Swiss French and cheesy. We visited Spain recently and met up with some dear friends who are French and had us over for a vintage raclette party with a topping and cheese selection that could make you audibly gasp. I love how both a giant pot of fondue or raclette can bring a whole table together in conversation and gossip -such a fun and interactive dinner party. When we visited Switzerland a few years ago my jaw dropped to the floor when they read the total.. $87 for a pot of cheese. The most Bubbling Boiling Stringiest and Richest cheese we have ever had and on one of the chilliest coldest nights we've ever experienced. And did we gobble it up in no time. This cute fondue restaurant sat at the end of a very long pier overlooking the city of Geneva. The wine was strong and the emmental was stronger. Pearl Onions, Gherkin Pickles, Pears and Prosciutto, French bread and Home made croutons are our favorite things to dip. Of course left over honey baked ham or roasted veggies are delicious as well. Here are a few recipes we've loved over the years as well as a shopping list and items for your table to make it memorable and fun! Favorite things to dip+accompany fondue/raclette Thick cut ham Spicy Italian sausage sliced+browned Meatballs+salami+prosciutto+bacon Roasted+heavily seasoned potato wedges Steamed giant Yukon gold potatoes Apple+pear+grapes+roasted tomatoes Puff pastry cheese twists Bread sticks+fresh Croutons+French bread Home made Pretzels Cauliflower+Broccolini+Brussle sprouts+Mushrooms Roasted peppers/chiles I like to include atleast one or two of each of these items a couple meat options, bread, fruit and veggie. CLICK TO SHOP We love these raclette grills so we bought 2! Modular table setting in three materials, metal melamine and wood. Perfect for portioning out sides If you only need one, buy this one also doubles for a griddle and you can make pancakes, crepes, french toast on it etc this is the original raclette grill by Swissmar These green double-walled glasses by YIELD provide insulation suitable for use with hot or cold drinks. Love adding these 6oz double walled glasses along side larger water glasses for a specialty drink or punch We used this wooden mug tree to hold our pretzles Get two of these cheese boards one for savory and one for sweet This gorgeous marble+wood cheese board is on sale right now $25 instead of $40 Great round charcuterie board same day shipping and on sale for $17 These real sheep skin rug throws kept us nice and cozy+warm and add an element of lux These collect-all nesting trays made of wood metal and melamine are great for just about anything. Love for an entry way for keys and emptying out pockets of doodads and treasures. Bedside for jewelry, watches, earbuds, snacks. These rad medium size metal basket sets with leather detail are all form and function. Comes in 5 shades and two sizes. Scandinavian red+white table cloth similar to the ones I got from ikea. Large Tea towels come in 4 two toned color ways woven in France and made of linen CLICK TO SHOP GRID Favorite cheese options for melting+Recipe for our favorite fondue Raclette- hard to find but ask your French friends Havarti Gouda Brie Jalapeño cheddar Emmental Plan to buy 3 of these and atleast 8oz of each cheese and make sure you get pre sliced to help with party prep and to keep things looking consistent. A pre-done cheese platter isn't a terrible idea though you most likely will only want to eat two of the options. Unless it's a specialty cheese, arrange those on a separate platter. Keep in mind soft cheeses like Brie get a little messy-serve on a bed of kale/dark left greens. Here is the "Wow I have everything on hand for a last min fondue party" recipe. Simple FONDUE recipe 1 clove garlic 1+1/4 cup white wine (you can sub for sparkling cider just use half and don't cook down ) 1 16oz jar best Alfredo you can find (trick question) 8oz Swiss shredded cheese or Italian blend Nutmeg- a grind or three over the top DIRECTIONS: RUB garlic around the edges of a heavy large saucepan. POUR in wine and simmer on med heat for 2 minutes- until reduced to half. Whisk in Alfredo sauce. Gradually add cheese, whisking until cheese melts and mixture is smooth. Transfer mixture to a fondue pot+serve with bread and potatoes and favorite veggies Be careful when dipping: The person who loses their garnish in the pot usually has to pay a penalty to the rest of the people at the table, like buy a round of drinks, or clean up after the meal. After you eat the melted cheese, the layer at the bottom of the pot cooks into a crust, called a religieuse, that is a reward for the table and eaten at the end of the meal. Classic Fondue Recipe: 1 garlic clove, halved 1 pound Gruyère cheese-grated 1/2 pound Emmentaler cheese-grated 1 cup dry white wine 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 1 1/2 tablespoons kirsch Freshly ground pepper Freshly grated nutmeg DIRECTIONS Step 1 Rub the inside of a cheese fondue pot or medium cast-iron pot with the garlic clove; discard the garlic. Step 2 Combine the grated Gruyère and Emmentaler with the wine, cornstarch and lemon juice in the fondue pot and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the cheeses begin to melt, about 5 minutes. Step 3 Reduce heat to low. Add the kirsch and a generous pinch each of pepper and nutmeg and cook, stirring gently, until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes; don't overcook the fondue or it will get stringy. Serve immediately

Come make a Pesto Parmesan Puff Pastry Christmas tree with clarke+amy joe🎄🌲🎄🌲 roll out•cut•fill•cut•twist•egg wash•season•bake @400° for 15ish min xoxo Brit Those are absolutely the directions. ROLL each pastry sheet once at room temperature CUT using the entire length + both sheets at the same time FILL pesto+parm, nutella, cookie butter, hummus cookiebutter or jam CUT one inch horizontal lines leaving a stripe untouched in that center TWIST right side clockwise two times left side counter clockwise twice as well WASH with a whipped egg or splash of cream SEASON with your favorite chunky seasoning salt BAKE @400 for 15ish minutes until desired goldness DIP in home made marinara lemon pesto or bitchin sauce Most puff pastry is the exact timing at temp. High temp and quick ensuring the butter doesn't slowly melt out and your left with a greasy pastry. This combo leaves you with that flakey crispy deliciousness like a croissant. 🥐 Here are the ingredients: Pesto 1 package puff pastry Parmesan-shredded Egg for washing Chunky salt ADD in a couple handfuls of super chopped spinach for more of a green stripe pesto cools to brown unfortunately orrrr if you are careful... stripe on a few ribbons of it after it's baked

How cute are these swirly whirly Marbleized Christmas trees+stars ⭐️🎄 so much easier than trying to flood and border and get the right consistency or funnel into squeeze tubes. Just add water+splash more of vanilla or peppermint or maple or almond or lemon or just about any extract and a few drops of food coloring and dip your cute cookies away! A few of our favorite cookie things: Silpat non stick silicone baking mat - can't bake candy without it makes transferring a breeze and holding moulton lava possible :) Vintage cookie cutters/press - Nordic ware Ready to go Royal icing - just add water! Favorite holiday collection cookie cutter/play do set 3D punch out cutters Cutest baker set and on major sale $13 Meri Meri cookie cutters in Dino ALL Marble rolling pin Walnut rolling pin Flower embossed rolling pin DOUBLE TAP TO SHOP IMAGES Sugar cookie TIPS The texture is medium-soft, but you can bake them longer if you prefer a crisp cookie No Chilling the dough+Perfect edge lines A few tips to keep in mind: We like to pull out these cookies at the 8-9 minute mark for large cookies and 6-8 minutes for small cookies. They will continue baking on the cookie sheet for a few minutes while they cool+set then transfer to wire rack BUTTER-If you can press your finger and can easily make a deep indent then the butter is too soft. Incorporating the last cup of flour may look dry and look crumbly. Turn out the dough onto your countertop and work with wet hands and/or more flour until the dough is smooth and ready to roll shiuld feel like play doh. I like to use sifted powdered sugar to roll these cuties out so they don't get to dry with all purpose flour No chill ready to go SUGAR COOKIE recipe: INGREDIENTS 2 sticks butter 1 Cup granulated white sugar 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon almond extract/or vanilla/maple/lemon 1 egg 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 cups all purpose flour 360 grams OPTIONAL- drop sugar cookies add 2 oz cream cheese. Scoop and roll balls of dough, about 1.5 Tablespoons. Roll each ball into granulated sugar then place on the baking sheets about 3 inches apart. Using the back of measuring cup or drinking glass, gently press down on each. Cooks a bit longer 10 min. or until very lightly browned on the edges. INSTRUCTIONS PREHEAT oven to 350° F. In the bowl of your mixer, CREAM butter and sugar until smooth, at least 3 minutes BEAT in extracts and egg. (PLEASE NOTE there is 1 egg in this recipe.) In a separate bowl, COMBINE baking powder and salt with flour and add a little at a time to the wet ingredients. IMPORTANT NOTE: If the dough looks crumbly keep mixing for 30 seconds to 1 minute longer. The dough should be pulling away from the sides of the mixer. If the dough still looks too dry or stiff for your mixer, turn out the dough onto a countertop surface, flour surface as needed. Wet your hands and finish off kneading the dough by hand. DO NOT CHILL THE DOUGH. Divide into workable batches (2-3 chunks), roll out onto a floured/powdered sugar surface, and cut. You want these cookies to be on the thicker side (closer to 1/2 inch rather than crispy 1/8). Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheet until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack For the remainder time until cool. I love freezing this dough just bring back to room temp before rollling out and cutting into shapes to save your back and your hands from Carpal tunnel. Three lovely frosting options: Smooth+Fancy Royal icing For outlining+flooding: 4Cups powdered sugar 3 Tablespoons meringue powdeR 8-10 Tablespoons room temp water Pour confectioners’ sugar, meringue powder, and 10 Tablespoons of water into a large bowl. Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat together on high speed for 2 minutes. When lifting the whisk up off the icing, the icing should drizzle down and smooth out within 5-10 seconds. If it’s too thick, beat in more water 1 Tablespoon at a time. I usually need 10 Tablespoons but on particularly dry days, I use up to 12-14 Tablespoons. Keep in mind that the longer you beat the royal icing, the thicker it becomes. If your royal icing is too thin, just keep beating it to introduce more air OR you can add more confectioners’ sugar. For flooding, thin the icing a bit more + use the same tip from Wilton piping tip #4 Cream cheesy Fluffy Clouds -That harden a bit so you can package+stack Want a softer frosting-use less powdered sugar+a splash of heavy cream 1/2 brick cream cheese softened in oven ;) 1 stick butter softened on counter 2 Cups powdered sugar 1 tspVanilla Brown Butter Icing 1 stick butter 1+1/2 cups (180g) confectioners’ sugar , sifted 3 Tablespoons milk 1 tsp vanilla extract pinch of salt MELT the butter over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. Keep STIRRING. After 5–8 minutes, the butter will begin browning—you’ll notice lightly browned specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan and it will have a nutty aroma. Once browned, immediately remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes. Whisk in the remaining icing ingredients until smooth ⭐️Icing sets after a few hours at room temperature, you can easily stack and transport these cookies. Cover and store decorated cookies for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 10 days in the refrigerator

Here are a few of my very very favorite things. I'm all about quality over quantity & MOST of these items are either dual purpose, sourced while on a family trip or a wedding gift from over 20 years ago ah! Whether you're looking for a kitchen update or gift for a friend, check out all my favorites..found in one place! Follow along in stories this week, I'll be sharing why we love each of these/how to use them Xoxox Brit 1. Staub Cast Iron pot / 2. Indian wood Bowls / 3. Commercial kitchenAid / 4. Chapati Board / 5. Cream Whipper / 6. Herb Scissors / 7. Cooking Torch / 8. Bear Meat Claws / 9. Stove top Griddle / 10. Juice press / 11. French Bread Loaf Pan / 12. Immersion Blender / 13. Balmuda Toaster Oven 1. Wooden serving Boards / 2. Looooove this Dutch Oven / 3. Mortar & Pestle / 4. Honey Pot / 5. Danish Dough Whisk / 6. Geometry Towels code BRITBRIT15 35% off / 7. Vitamix Blender / 8. Wood Cooking Spoons / 9. Mold Jars 1. Balmuda Kettle / 2. Belgium Waffle Maker / 3. Mini Food Processor / 4. Coconut Bowls / 5. Hitch Water Bottle / 6. Measuring Cups / 7. African large Wooden Spoons / 8. Turkish pepper Grinder / 9. Wooden SpreadersAfrican large Wooden Spoons / 10. Fav+newest Instant pot $150 off / 11. Mixing Bowls

Bolognese is a kind of ragù (the Italian word for meat sauce), original from Bologna, Italy. WATCH THIS. with the s o u n d up It's very different from your usual American meat sauce, often a tomato-based sauce simmered with ground beef. Bolognese is much thicker, creamier -adding milk and wine and just a touch of tomato. But like.. are you actually making your spag bol properly - in other words, are you skipping out on what is the most VITAL ingredient? Stay with me here, because if you've never done it before, this might seem kind of strange. In order to create the best Bolognese, you're going to need a good pouring of milk. (Lactose free is fine for those dairy concious) Most of us aren't used to adding dairy to tomatoey, meaty sauces, but adding milk to your bolognese adds such a richer depth of flavour, and results in much more tender meat. Adding milk right at the end and then simmer your sauce for another 15-45 minutes, results in a really silky sauce. Want something EXTRA indulgent? Try cream instead. :) According to the real Italians I met and cooked with in Puglia, Italy.. The difference between sofrito and mirepoix is that sofrito uses tomatoes, bell pepper, and garlic while mirepoix does not. Sofrito is also fried in olive oil while mirepoix is traditionally slowly cooked in butter. You can also expect to find herbs added to sofrito but not in mirepoix. I'm always confused by this and usually do a mix of butter+oil with celery carrots onions and a bit of garlic :) Every day I was in Italy at the cooking school masseria I wondered why the heck we used so much olive oil and not a stitch of butter... they all laughed and said oh you are not in France my dear. :) We stayed on a family owned fortified olive tree farmhouse found in the Puglia region built in the 16th century. It was incredible. One night I felt stuffy+dry...they offered a giant bowl of water to be placed on the radiator throughout the night. It acted as a humidifier and felt amazing by the morning. Back to our meatsauce ;) Developing these delicious flavours, however, takes a little bit of time. Two hours at the very very least. That might sound laborious, but it’s really hands off. Time plus low heat allows each ingredient to “do its job,” lending its distinct flavour, melding, and transforming your bolognese into something magical. Build your base... Starting out with a soffritto (mirepoix in French, sofrito in Spanish soffritto in Italian) onion, carrot, and celery-the foundation for a great bolognese. Finely chop your vegetables, “sweat them out” in olive oil (you don't want too much colour, sauté them until they're translucent), and they’ll basically disappear into the sauce, leaving their sweet and savoury flavours behind. If you want to impart a bit of rich, porky flavour, cook the veggies in leftover bacon fat. I love my little bacon grease holder I got from one of my favorite chefs.. Byron Konold. Linked here . It's cute and stores away just enough for you to scoop out a couple tablespoons for your favorite wintery soups and stocks for weeks to come. Give it some time.. Cooking your sauce for atleast two hours might seem tedious, but trust, it’s worth it. Simmering allows the wine to cook off and concentrate and for all the flavours to really get to know each other. but, don't be afraid to add your own! Try this with your favourite red wine, toss in a few pieces of Parmesan rind, or sprinkle in some dried herbs early in the cooking process. Finish with milk, cream or half+half. Adding milk may sound strange here, but it’s actually ESSENTIAL to rounding out a true Bolognese. It tenderises the meat and improves the overall texture of the sauce. After about 45 minutes, that cup of milk will turn your Bolognese into a silky masterpiece. Go with whole or 2% at the very least. We love making a double batch of this and freezing it for lasagna on another night of the month.. Think of it as a gift to yourself on a night when you’re short on time and coming home late from soccer practice, youth group or rehersals! A hearty pasta like this deserves a thicker noodle like tagliatelle or pappardelle. If you need a weekend project, pair it with homemade pasta. I'll include our fav recipe for that as well. ( just make in the morning if you can and let it do it's thing in the fridge) one of my very favorite things to make ahead+ give to friends. (Que Christmas gift ideas!) Favorite pasta recipe: (Makes about 1 pound) 3 large eggs 2 cups 00 flour 1 Tablespoon olive oil 1 teaspoon pink salt Step 1 Mix eggs, flour, oil, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer with your hands until a shaggy dough forms. Knead with dough hook until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Cover dough with cloth bowl cover and let rest at least 30 minutes. Step 2 Cut and roll as desired. Do Ahead: Dough can be made 1 day ahead; tightly wrap and chill. Or roll out, cut and dry- store frozen for a week or two lightly packed in a freezer bag. Cook directly from frozen just adding an extra 1-3 minutes on normal cool time) Can you believe this is where my sister and I stayed? This winter garden was so beautiful, so many varieties we had never seen before. We learned how to harvest, prep and properly preserve them. Couldn't believe they only grew artichokes to can the hearts! They equally were blown away when we told them to steam, and dip the leaves in butter. Favorite meat sauce: 1T. Olive oil 3T. butter + 1 tablespoon for tossing the pasta 1 white onion chopped 3 celery stalk chopped 3 carrots chopped 1 pound ground sirloin beef 1/2 pound Italian pork sausage 1-24 oz jar Rao's tomato basil sauce Pink Salt Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill 1 Cup whole milk/cream Whole nutmeg 1 Cup dry white wine 1½cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, hand crushed, with their juice 1-1½pounds pasta Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese at the table Step 1 Put the oil, butter and chopped onion in the pot and turn the heat on to medium. Cook and stir the onion until it has become translucent, then add the chopped celery+carrot. Step 2 Add ground beef+pork+a large pinch of salt and a few grindings of pepper. Crumble the meat with a wooden flat spoon+stir well and cook until the beef has lost its raw, red color. Step 3 Add milk and let it simmer gently, stirring frequently, until it has bubbled away completely. Add a tiny grating -- about ⅛ teaspoon -- of nutmeg, and stir. Step 4 Add the wine, let it simmer until it has evaporated, then add the tomatoes and stir thoroughly to coat all ingredients well. When the tomatoes begin to bubble, turn the heat down so that the sauce cooks at the laziest of simmers, with just an intermittent bubble breaking through to the surface. Cook, uncovered, for 3 hours or more, stirring from time to time. While the sauce is cooking, you are likely to find that it begins to dry out and the fat separates from the meat. To keep it from sticking, add ½ cup of water whenever necessary. At the end, however, no water at all must be left and the fat must separate from the sauce. Taste and correct for salt. Step 5 Toss with cooked drained pasta, adding the tablespoon of butter, and serve with freshly grated Parmesan on the side. I ncluding our favorite over night focaccia recipe: Full recipe+tips+toppings found HERE
This makes one half sheet of bread-plan on doubling.
Mix all ingredients: 3 C.flour 1tsp. Yeast Heavy drizzleS of olive oil 1.5C.warm water 2tsp.salt Come back in 4-8 hours and follow the steps in Instagram stories under focaccia for fun topping ideas! or follow along here:
Oil a cast iron pan, dump in the dough. Press all those beautiful holes in +top with fresh herbs, loads of chunky flakey delicious salt a few cracks of tellicherri pepper and a very generous drizzle of olive oil.
Bake at 25 min @410 then rest for another 20.
Want to make this sooner? Add a drizzle of honey at the beginning, double the yeast and add hot water instead. Should take an hour..punch down, put in pans..wait to raise again about 30 min then cook for 25. (Make sure it’s near a heat source or proofing in a warm oven)

Softest pillow of pumpkin delight you'll ever eat. And it gets better... this recipe feeds an army! An entire sheet pan in under.. 20 minutes. INGREDIENTS: 4 eggs 1+2/3 Cup Sugar 1 Cup Vegetable Oil 1-16oz Can Pumpkin 2 Cup Flour 3 tsp. Cinnamon 2tsp. Baking powder 1tsp. Baking soda 1 tsp. Ginger 1 tsp. Ground Cloves 1 tsp. Salt Mix wet ingredients until fluffy. Add dry ingredients, pour into parchment lined jelly roll sheet pan. (Large cookie sheet.) BAKE @ 350 for 18-20 minutes (watch yours!) Make frosting while bars bake.. Cool completely before frosting :) Frosting: 8oz Cream cheese 2/3 Cup butter 4 Cup Powdered Sugar 2 T. Milk 2 T. Vanilla YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE these pumpkin bars!

I don’t think you’re ready for this one. Make a salad to go along side this decadent dream of a dip. Or scroll down for a super simple kale lemon garlic chop,, linked our favorite focaccia as well. invite some friends over and enjoy! Quick french dip: 3 lb pork tenderloin 2- 32oz beef broth 6 peperoncini slice+discard ends
1/3 cup peperoncini juice 1 packet onion soup mix 1 white onion thick slices pinch salt 1/2 tsp pepper Place all ingredients in instant pot for 30 min-(pressure time+release will add about 20 more min) Remove meat, shred, then place back in yummy juices.
Broil halved focaccia, French baguettes or hogi rolls with a drizzle of olive oil+garlic salt or roasted garlic butter + havarti or mozzarella swiss or aged cheddar cheese. This will help your bun not get as soggy. serve small portions and plan for seconds.. that will help keep things crispy and juicy. Kale lemon garlic chop salad: super simple and delish to bring to a BBQ or paired with roasted sweet potatoes, grilled salmon and a whopping huge scoop of Mac and cheese- the good kind. 2 bunches of kale de.ribbed+finely chopped+massaged 2 cups mixed nuts (5 seconds in mini food processor) I use costcos fancy nut blend: salted almond,macadamia, marcona, cashew, pecan 1/4 cup size Parmesan cheese wedge-peeled+crumbled Dressing: 3 garlic cloves 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons) 1 cup avocado oil
2 pinches of salt 3 turns of pepper Blend together dressing ingredients in food processor then drizzle a teeny bit onto the kale leaves. Massage dressing into kale until the leaves darken in color and become tender and silky. Toss with remaining dressing and top with freshly peeled parmesan cheese. Top with last nights croutons/bread crumbs or toast up a slice of what ever you are using for your sandwiches tonight! (French bread ends, focaccia edges.. all good!)

We love love love the Curry chicken salad sandwich mix from traders but it would cost a fortune to buy enough for a party.. so I turned it around and read the ingredients and whipped up our own using the Costco deli pre made chicken salad mix! Love that it already comes with shredded chicken, minced celery+onion mystery Mayo and spices.
Ingredients: One container of Costco chicken salad 1/2 bunch of cilantro roughly chopped 1cup cashews (roughly chopped +leaving a few whole ones) 1 cup golden raisins 1 cup halved purple grapes 3-4 Tablespoons curry powder to taste freshly grated pepper+chunky salt 1 package Costco croissants halved+pan fried Mix and let sit for an hour for ultimate flavor or eat right away! No complaints either way here! (croissants magically toast up so beautifully in a cast iron pan since they are basically made of butter I don’t add anything to the pan I just let it do it’s magic) This adds so much Smokey woodsy camp firey flavor. 🥐👌🏼
Another option is lemon pepper with a zest+squeeze of fresh lemon+heaps of arugala +garlic salt 🍋

BrownButter🍌BananaBread bars Holy deliciouso. This will feed an army. Now I know why Mormon mamas invented the jelly roll pan. You never run out. You can stuff yourself full and still send your kiddies out with a delivery for all your neighbors and the family who just dropped off your boys from soccer practice. And the UPS guy. And still have a few squares left for breakfast and maybe the mailman. 🍌🍌🍌 Been making this for over 13 years. A friend of ours hates chocolate.. what’s a dinner party without chocolate !! So I thought it would be fun to bring him something just as decadent. 🍌🍌🍌 Love this in muffin/cupcake form just spritz your liners down with a little vegetable oil spray and remove from oven once it springs back after doing a little test poke✨👉🏼🧁 Here is the recipe! 1+1/4c sugar 1 stick butter, softened 1 c Fage yogurt (or I use a little chobani blueberry or coconut if I’m feeling wild) 2 eggs 3 ripe bananas (massaged in the peel before adding it) 2 tsp vanilla 2 c flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp kosher salt Set oven @375 CREAM sugar+butter make sure it’s smooth then add all wet ingredients. Then add in the dry✨ POUR over @mysilpat or parchment lined jelly roll pan. BAKE 16ishhhhh-20 min not too brown but nice and puffy..do a little poke test 👉🏼✨ should bounce back a little Meanwhile.. LETS MAKE FROSTING! 1 stick butter 3-4 C. powdered sugar 1 1/2 tsp good vanilla 3 T. milk 🍌🍌🍌 BROWN that butter in a sauce pan or sauté pan.. (So melt it completely over med heat then wait for it to stop bubbling. It will start to foam a pale yellow and grow-dont walk away.. it’s almost done! Wait for the bottom to start turning ..brown :) and the aroma is nutty and salty and incredible. Swirl it around in the pan a bit to make sure it doesn’t burn but that it’s dark enough. This should only be a couple minutes) 🍌🍌🍌 TAKE off heat source and WHISK in splash of milk vanilla and powdered sugar one scoop at a time. FROST cake while still warm so it goes on nice and smooth. Also sprinkle quickly after so they stick :) ✨🧁🍌✨🧁🍌👌🏼 #brownbutter #frosting #bananacake #bananabread #bananabars #mormonmom #banana #silpat @allclad #allclad

Tomato cucumber lemon basil poppyseed salad ☀️ Is it summer yet?? We love making and slurping up this salad-perfect along side a bbq pool party, beach picnic or throw over a giant green salad with feta +shawarma chicken +purple grapes+left over roasted/grilled veggies +nuts! In a food processor: 30 basil leaves Zest+juice of 1 lemon 1 handful flat leaf parsley 3 Tablespoons honey 1/3 cup avocado oil/olive oil Salt+freshly ground pepper Pour over a garlic clove rubbed bowl: 1 Persian cucumber quartered lengthwise+chopped into bite site pieces 1 pint grape tomatoes halved 1 pint halved heirloom tomatoes 1Tablespoon poppyseeds