I was never much of a fan of cranberry sauce as a kid, but I like it now, especially if it’s homemade. When I reviewed the book In Winter’s Kitchen by Beth Dooley a few years ago, I found a recipe for cranberry sauce which I decided I had to try, since I’ve never made homemade cranberry sauce.
Continue reading
If you’re not familiar with Wallace Station, it’s a popular restaurant just outside Midway, Kentucky. It’s one of the “family” of restaurants in that state owned by Ouita Michel, one of the authors of the new cookbook Just a Few Miles South: Timeless Recipes from Our Favorite Places (Sara Gibbs and Genie Graf are also coauthors of the book). This hardcover cookbook features recipes that patrons of Michel’s acclaimed restaurants have come to know and love. I was excited to review this cookbook because I have a special place in my heart for timeless southern recipes! 🙂
The Wallace Station Pimiento Cheese caught my eye because I’ve been wanting to make pimiento cheese for the longest time! But there are so many other wonderful-sounding recipes that I still want to try from this book, including: Breakfast Sandwich Omelets, Inside Out Hot Brown, Smoked Roast Beef Po-Boy, Big Brown Burger (rated by Guy Fieri in 2010 as one of his top 5 burgers of all time), Super Foods Salad, Cheesecake Brownies, and Spiced Pecan Pie. You’ll find delicious recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert to keep you well-fed all day long! 🙂 Although this book does not include any photos of the recipes, I believe you can be confident of the quality of all of the recipes, since Ouita Michel is a six-time James Beard Foundation Award nominee and was a judge on the Top Chef series! Also, for those of us who enjoy reading cookbooks, there are stories and traditions about the recipes shared throughout the book.
Continue reading
Good, simple recipes are the best, especially when they don’t take long to make! I found a lot of 
recipes like this in my review copy of Simplify Supper, by Krista Numbers (softcover). There are lots of Italian and Tex-Mex-style dishes, as well as all-American classics like BBQ Ribs, Southern-Style Baked Beans, and Chicken Noodle Soup. And great color photos of the recipes too. Overall, it’s a great cookbook to have when you want to make a delicious dinner that’s quick and easy.
The very first recipe in the book, and the one I tried out, is Homemade Marinara Sauce and it is really good! It’s great served over pasta, but it also makes a wonderful dipping sauce (I enjoyed dipping my favorite store-bought Rosemary Sea Salt rolls in it!). This marinara sauce has a rich, tomatoey flavor and is thick and chunky. The seasonings, onion, and garlic all give it a great flavor. Here’s the recipe if you want to try it out:
HOMEMADE MARINARA SAUCE from Simplify Supper
Makes 6 servings
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
- 2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
- Salt and pepper to taste
Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and stir about 5 minutes until evenly caramelized. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and cook another five minutes until garlic is fragrant.
Add chicken broth and use to deglaze bottom of pot.
Add sugar, tomato paste, and undrained diced tomatoes. Stir to combine all ingredients. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally until sauce reaches desired thickness. Add salt and pepper to taste.
I love tomatoey-flavored dishes–and this sauce is perfect for tomato-lovers! And it’s always nice when you can make homemade sauce. Do you make your own homemade pasta sauces?
Sharing this recipe at Fiesta Friday, Meal Plan Monday, Weekend Potluck, Inspire Me Monday.
NancyC 