These tasty sliders are so much fun – perfect for game day, backyard parties, or just as something a little different for dinner. They have a great balance of sweet, spicy, and tangy flavors and are easy to make on a weeknight with ingredients from your pantry.
Lasagna is sacred in our house. We make it every year for Christmas Eve, using Shawn’s “secret recipe.” It’s expensive and fattening and totally the kind of thing that you only make once a year. Until last week, it was also the only lasagna Shawn will touch – you should have seen the look on his face when I tried to use slices of eggplant instead of noodles for some of the layers a few years ago. I was scared that there might be mutiny.
But I finally did it! After years of trying, I made a healthier lasagna that not only met his approval, but also had us fighting over the leftovers.
When we lived in DC, Shawn was obsessed with Taquitos from 7-11. You know the ones that sit there all day on the little rollers? Yeah, those. When I discovered how easy it was to make baked flautas, it was only a metter of time before I recreated his favorite version, stuffed full of Buffalo Chicken. This was the result of trying to satisfy his craving.
I was always too sketched out to try the ones from 7-11 – I stuck with coffee or, if I happened to be at the one location genius enough to make them, Slurpees made with Crystal Light pink lemonade – so I didn’t have much of a guideline to work with but, if I do say so myself, these were pretty darn good. Shawn happily scarfed them down, so I think its safe to say they have his seal of approval too.
During the week that I had off earlier this month, I read the book Beaten, Seared and Sauced. Have you heard of it? It’s about a guy a decade or so older than I am who decides to enroll in the Culinary Institute of America. The book wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be (I couldn’t relate to the narrator at all; he was kind of lame and he complained too much… which, funnily enough, sounds just like me) but it was still an enjoyable read and had some interesting insights into the life of a culinary student.
Mostly though, it left me craving roast chicken.
Am I the only one who was craving flautas/taquitos after seeing this post on The Kitchn last week? They looked amazing!
We went through a phase a few years ago where we loved the frozen ones, but now they kind of weird me out so it’s been forever since I’ve had them. I’ve actually been meaning to experiment with a baked version for a while, but I never got around to it. When I saw their post though, I immediately changed my dinner plans. (Luckily I was already planning to make enchiladas, so it wasn’t that big of a switch and I had everything I needed). Of course, I had to put my own healthy spin on them….
Happy (Chinese) New Year!
For some reason, we always celebrated Chinese New Year when I was a kid. I don’t know why, but I always looked forward to it. It was so fun, and we didn’t eat Chinese nearly as often back then as we do now. Mom would take out the electric wok and cook dinner right on the table – usually a chicken stir fry. The next night, we’d wrap the leftovers in tortillas and eat them as fajitas. Yum.
I made this clementine-soy glazed chicken a few weeks ago and thought it would be the perfect Chinese New Year post. But then I started researching and apparently I had it all wrong. The holiday has all sorts of food traditions, like eating noodles to bring long life and dumplings to bring wealth. And apparently serving a chicken or duck whole represents health, but serving it cut – like these thighs – is the opposite. Oops.
Oh well. This dish is delicious any time of the year, and you should definitely make it (if you’re superstitious or prefer to celebrate the New Year more traditionally, just wait until tomorrow.)
Between the Three Bean Chili I made the other day and this Honey-Bourbon Pulled Chicken, I can already tell that my slow cooker is going to get a work out this winter. I’m not sure why it’s taken me this long to fall in love with it – it’s so easy and I love having dinner ready and waiting for me when I get home at night.
To make this recipe even easier, you can throw all of the ingredients together in a tupperware container the night before you want to eat it. That way, it only takes about 30 seconds to set up in the morning before work.
This recipe for ground chicken and eggplant lettuce wraps was inspired by the menu at P.F. Changs. They have a similar chicken and eggplant dish that’s one of the best things I’ve ever ordered at a Chinese restaurant. My recipe is pretty different from theirs, but it captures my favorite components of the original — especially the contrast of sweet, spicy, and salty flavors and the way the tender eggplant practically melts in your mouth. Adjust the amount of chili paste to suit your desired level of spiciness, or leave it out and allow each diner to add it directly to their own portion to accommodate a variety of tastes.
