This is what you crave, you want it, I want it, everyone wants it. It’s easy to make and adds that extra flavor you didn’t even know you were missing. Make it and just let it chill in the fridge then put it on stuff you want to taste good.
Mushroom-Leek Dressing
So I originally based this off a recipe for stuffing with mushrooms that included a healthy dose of bacon. I have no issue with that recipe but my audience was a bunch of vegetarians so I decided bacon would be a bad idea.
Gnocchi with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
This recipe is a bit of a banger. It's really simple, uses broccoli rabe, which most folks don't cook with on the reg, and comes out delicious on account of the butter and parmesan. If you want to riff on it I'd suggest using some raw, uncased sausage in lieu of the butter and cooking everything in the fat those things lay down. You could also use the raw sausage and the butter together if you're a glutton for good flavor. I've made some modifications to the ingredients list and cooking process. My modifications make it taste better.
White Chicken Chili
A nice, simple chili that is packed full of flavor and doesn’t make you feel like you’re going to break the next chair you sit in. It combines some chicken, some beans, and a buttload of fresh chiles to make for some fantastic flavor. It’s not too hard and you should cook it, you won’t regret it.
Braised Short Rib Ragu
This is one of the first recipes I learned to make as I was figuring out how to cook and follow recipes. It’s really easy but also really impressive! It relies on time to do most of the work for you but in the end you get a delicious sauce of meat and tomatoes that you can put on pasta or over polenta. If you want to riff on it, you can add some extra tomato puree or maybe some carrots that will come out really soft and taste great. This is the first building block from which you can build your culinary empire.
Braised Pork Tacos
This is a classic Lazy Braise. Sometimes you just want a delicious taco and this recipe will get you there. You make a braising sauce with dried ancho chiles as the star and cook some country-style pork ribs in it until they’re nice and tender and you can shred them up and throw them on tortillas for tacos! You’re gonna love it! It’s smoky and a little bit sweet and makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside or whatever.
Roasted Tomato and Poblano Salsa
This is a basic template for a roasted fresh chile salsa. You can sub in different types of chiles or tomatoes and try different amounts of garlic and onion to suit your tastes. The process is a bit different if you use dried chiles (you toast them in a dry skillet then soak those before pureeing them instead of roasting them).
Salsa Mac & Cheese
This bad boy is delicious, no two ways about it. I got it from Rick Bayless’ book “Salsas that Cook.” It uses the Roasted Tomato and Poblano Salsa to add some serious punch. I love to use it to impress people.
Pork Chop and Roasted Veggies
Here’s a solid WEEKNIGHT BANGER for you. It’s a simple sautéed pork chop with some roasted veggies and a green salad. It’s relatively easy and very delicious. There’s not much prep and it’s relatively healthy, as far as dishes with a pork chop go.
Drunken Pinto Beans
When I talk about easy recipes, sometimes I’m lying and I think they’re easy but others may have trouble. This one is actually really easy. Throw some stuff in a pot with very little prep and cook until it tastes and looks the way you want. It tastes great and each time you re-heat it, it looks more and more like refried beans. This is good. Refried beans are good.