Tag Archives: dinner

My Favorite Thanksgiving Stuffing

November 25, 2025 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

My dad’s stuffing recipe has been a family tradition for as long as I can remember. Many years ago I took over making the stuffing and now it’s technically considered dressing because we don’t stuff the turkey anymore and I prepare it in a slow cooker. Not only is this less likely to cause a food-borne illness it also makes the turkey cook faster and frees up oven space. The slow cooker makes the stuffing fluffy and moist – you’d never know it wasn’t resting inside the cavity of a bird for several hours!

If you don’t have a slow cooker, I provided oven instructions at the end of the recipe.

Happy Thanksgiving!

-Natasha

Daddy O’s Thanksgiving Stuffing

Serves 8-10
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 4-5 hours

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
6-8 ounces sliced crimini or button mushrooms
1.5 packets of breakfast sausage links
1 cup cup golden raisins
1 can of medium black olives, drained and chopped
14 oz. bag seasoned bread cubes (or two boxes of Mrs. Cubbison’s since there are fewer cubes in the boxes)
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste
3/4 stick of butter
About 1 cup chicken stock

Directions:

Start making this when you’re ready to eat breakfast. This way you can eat a couple of sausage links with some eggs while the other ones are cooling.

Brown all the sausage links in a big sauté pan. Once they are cooled, chop them into little rounds.

Add 2 tablespoons butter in the sauté pan and heat on medium-high. Add the celery, onion and mushrooms and cook till everything is softened, about 7 minutes.

In a very large mixing bowl, add the breakfast sausage, celery, onion, mushrooms, bread cubes, raisins, olives, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly with your hands (they are truly the best tool for this).

Cut the remaining butter into little cubes and mix into the stuffing. Periodically pour in the chicken stock between mixing so everything is well incorporated. You don’t want to overdo it with the stock as it can make everything soggy, so splash some in here and there until the cubes are moistened but not saturated.

Spray the inside of your slow cooker with cooking spray and add the stuffing. Dot with a little more butter if you have some.

Cover the slow cooker and turn it to low. Let it cook for 4-5 hours. Don’t remove the lid until you’re good and ready because it takes a long time to reheat a slow cooker.

When dinner is ready, transfer to a pretty serving dish, reserving any extra in the covered slow cooker to keep warm.

Oven method: Follow the same instructions using a large Dutch oven and bake at 275F for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.

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Beef Stew with Anchovies & Thyme, Revisited

October 27, 2025 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

Years ago when I was a newlywed trying to impress my husband with my cooking skills I found a recipe for a lamb stew in a random cookbook and would make it often using beef instead. He really loved it and I thought I did too. I even blogged about it, but I stopped making it and eventually forgot about it.

A few months ago my husband asked me about that dish and why I never make it anymore. He requested I make it again. I was surprised to find my hastily written blog post about it and when I read through it I realized how much I’ve learned as a cook in the past 15 years. My original recipe doesn’t cook the flour – I just toss it in with the wine and stock. It only calls for braising the stew meat for 30 minutes. No wonder I remember this dish as being tough and difficult to digest. It needs to be slow cooked in the oven like a proper stew so the flavors can meld and the meat can get nice and tender!

So with my seasoned chef’s hat securely on my head, I set to reimagine this recipe and make it more palatable but with the same flavors my husband yearned for. I turned to the stew queen herself, Julia Child, whose boeuf bourguignon recipe is pretty much considered the holiest of stew recipes.

I’ve hybridized her recipe with mine. And I quite like it!

Beef Stew with Anchovies and Thyme

Serves 4
Total prep & cook time: 3.5-4 hours

Ingredients:

6 ounces bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2-3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 medium carrot, roughly sliced
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups red wine
1 1/2 – 2 cups beef or chicken stock
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 anchovy fillets, minced
1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup frozen peas
Parsley, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450F.

Bring 1 1/2 quarts of water to a boil and add the chopped bacon. Simmer the bacon for 10 minutes and then remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Dab the bacon pieces dry. This removes the smoky flavor from the bacon so it doesn’t overpower your stew.

In a large enameled Dutch oven, heat the oil. Add the bacon pieces and cook until bacon is browned. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate. Pat dry the beef pieces and add about 1/3 of them to the Dutch oven. You don’t want to add too many or the pot will cool down and the meat won’t get nicely browned. Brown the beef, turning with tongs till there’s a nice crust on them. Place on the plate with the bacon. Repeat with the remaining pieces of beef in batches till it’s all browned.

Add the chopped carrot and onion to the pot and sauté until onion is starting to brown, just a few minutes. Drain the remaining oil from the pot.

Place the bacon and beef pieces back into the pot and add the salt and pepper. Sprinkle the flour all over till the beef is coated in the flour. Place the Dutch oven in the oven for 4 minutes. Remove, stir the beef, and place in the oven for another 4 minutes. Place the pot on the stove and turn the oven down to 325F.

Pour the wine and stock into the pot and add the garlic, anchovies and thyme. The liquid should just cover all the beef pieces, so add more stock if you need to. Bring this to a simmer, then cover and place in the oven for 2 1/2-3 hours or until the meat is falling apart tender.

Remove from the oven and bring to a simmer on the stove over low flame. Skim off any excess fat from the stew. Stir in the frozen peas until they are thawed and heated through. If the stew liquid is too thin, simmer over the stove until some of the liquid evaporates. If the liquid is too thick, add a little more stock.

Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with potatoes or egg noodles.

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Roasted Delicata Squash Soup with Chicken and Corn

September 26, 2025 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

It’s dinnertime yet again and I’ve got a leftover Costco rotisserie chicken taking up space in the fridge. I also picked up some delicata squash, which I never know what to do with. Soup time!

I love inventing soups. I use some pantry staples, rummage around in the fridge for other ingredients and an hour later I’ve got something wholesome, healthy and delicious on the table.

Roasted Delicata Squash Soup with Chicken & Corn

Serves 6-ish
Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

2 delicata squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ear fresh corn
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
Salt, to taste
1/4 cup white wine (I used sake)
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of fresh rosemary, stem discarded
3 sprigs fresh thyme, stems discarded (or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme)
4 cups chicken stock
1 can white beans, drained
2 cups chopped leftover rotisserie chicken meat
Cream, for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F. Chop off the ends of each squash and cut them lengthwise. There is no need to peel them. Scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Place the squash halves on a sheet pan and coat inside and out with the olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes or until squash is fork tender.

Meanwhile, chop the kernels off of the corn and set those aside. Don’t toss the corn cob because it goes into the soup!

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed 4-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery and carrots. Sprinkle with a little salt and sauté until onions are soft, about 7 minutes. Add the white wine and let it bubble away for a minute or so.

Add the bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, chicken stock and the corn cob. Bring to a simmer, cover, and let simmer for about 20 minutes, until the carrots are soft.

Remove the squash from the oven. Roughly chop the squash and add it to the pot along with the drained beans. Cover again and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the corn cob and bay leaf from the pot and discard.

Remove pot from heat and blend with an immersion blender until it’s a consistency you like. I like mine a little chunky.

Place pot back on the heat and add the chicken bits and corn. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Add salt to taste. Serve with dollops of cream.

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Salmon Smashburgers

July 30, 2025 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

Everyone has a salmon burger recipe. But THIS salmon burger recipe is really, really good. My friend Matt adapted a Mark Bittman recipe and served them up to my family a few months ago. I coined them “salmon smashburgers” by the way he haphazardly tossed balls of the salmon mixture into a pan and smashed them with a spatula (I cover a potato masher in parchment paper and secure with a rubber band around the handle. This keeps the salmon from sticking to the masher).

These burgers are so good, no bun is needed (but you can certainly add a bun if you’d like). They are moist, super flavorful, and a total hit.

This is also a great way to use the extra salmon meat when you’re filleting salmon. I filleted about 70 sockeye salmon over the past week and I used a serrated grapefruit spoon to scrape away any meat I might have left on the ribs after I filleted each fish.

Salmon Smashburgers

Makes about 4 burgers
Cook time from start to finish: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless salmon
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3 scallions
1/2 cup panko
Juice of half a lime
1 tablespoon capers
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons butter
Arugula, for serving
Sriracha mayo, for serving (See recipe below)
Lemon or lime wedges, for serving

Sriracha mayo:

1/3 cup Kewpie mayo (the non-American kind with MSG is the best)
2 tablespoons Sriracha (or more to taste)
Juice of half a lime
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Directions:

Cut the salmon into chunks and place a quarter of it in a food processor with the mustard. Turn on the food processor and and let it run, scraping down the sides if necessary, until it’s a paste.

Add the scallions and remaining salmon and pulse the food processor until the fish is chopped and well combined with the salmon puree. The salmon pieces should be about 1/4-inch big.

Scrape the mixture into a bowl and stir in the panko, capers, salt and pepper. Form into four equal balls and set on a plate.

Combine all the ingredients for the Sriracha mayo and set aside.

Heat a griddle or large frying pan over medium high and melt the butter. When the foam subsides, add each salmon ball, smashing it down so each one is nice and thin. Cook till browned, about 3-4 minutes, then flip and cook the other side for 1-2 minutes.

Serve on a bed of arugula and top with Sriracha mayo and a squeeze of lemon or lime.

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Potato, Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

November 10, 2024 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

There was a chill in the air today and it’s definitely wintertime now. I had a sack of potatoes in the pantry, three slices of bacon and some broccoli, so I figured I could make a comforting soup to ward off the wintertime blues. It was simple and delicious – almost like a baked potato soup. And now I have leftovers for tomorrow!

Potato, Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

Prep/cook time: 45 minutes
Serves 8-ish

Ingredients:

3 slices bacon, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, chopped small
2 carrots, chopped small
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups whole milk
3 1/2 cups chicken stock, divided
1 bay leaf
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
1, 15-ounce can white beans, partially drained
12 ounces broccoli, cut into small bits
1-2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
Salt and pepper, to taste
Chopped scallions and sour cream, to serve

Directions:

In a large dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat, until cooked through but not crispy. Add the butter, onions and carrots and cook until onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and mix into the ingredients in the pot. Let the flour cook for about a minute. Add the milk, 3 cups of chicken stock, the bay leaf and the potatoes. Bring to a simmer.

Turn the heat to low, partially cover and let simmer for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are just tender, stirring occasionally so the bottom of the pot doesn’t burn. Meanwhile, combine the partially drained canned beans with 1/2 cup of chicken stock in a liquid measuring cup and purée with an immersion blender until creamy.

When the potatoes are just starting to get tender, add the beans and the broccoli to the pot. Cover again and bring to a simmer. Simmer on low for another 7 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender, stirring occasionally. (If using cooked leftover broccoli, don’t add it with the puréed beans. Let the beans cook for 5 minutes, then add the leftover broccoli and cook until it’s heated through and continue with the recipe.)

Turn off the heat. Stir in the grated cheese until it’s all melted into the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste. I am not liberal with the salt because the bacon and cheese have already added salt to the soup, which is why I add salt at the end to make sure it isn’t over-salted.

Ladle into bowls and top with dollops of sour cream and chopped scallions (and maybe some more cheese if you like).

asian, Cooking, recipes

Delicious Homemade Pad Thai

January 30, 2019 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

I am trying to work through my pantry. This evening I called out ingredients to my family and when I got to “rice stick noodle” my husband suggested Pad Thai. In my experience, Pad Thai at home is this sticky, icky mess that doesn’t remotely resemble the Thai restaurant staple.

I decided to give it another go. I started researching recipes on Pinterest. One claimed to taste just like the real thing but contained ketchup. Another suggested peanut butter, and I finally decided on the most un-Pinteresty looking recipe from SouvenirFinder.com. Heck yes I want my pad Thai to taste like Bankok street food!

The first go around I didn’t have tamarind concentrate. So I improvised and used peanut butter instead. I was delightfully surprised. I didn’t end up with a sticky ball of noodles that was overly sweet. It was a balanced dish with lots of flavor. Second time around my father gifted me a jar of tamarind concentrate and the recipe was even better – I even had time to snap some photos before inhaling it.

Simple homemade pad Thai

Serves 3-4

For the sauce:

2 oz. brown sugar
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup fish sauce
2 tablespoons tamarind concentrate (sub peanut butter)
squeeze of lime
1-2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce (or more to taste)

For the stir fry:

8 ounces Thai rice stick noodles
1/2 pound chicken breasts, sliced thin (you could add tofu and shrimp as well, just don’t marinate them)
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1/2 onion, sliced very thin
3 baby bell peppers, sliced very thin
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup chicken stock
3 green onions
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts
cilantro, for serving
lime wedges, for serving

Directions:

Fill a large bowl with very hot water and soak the noodles for 20 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside. They should be pliable but not soft – way less than al dente. Don’t worry, they soften up when you put them in the pan later.

Meanwhile, mix together the ingredients for the sauce in a medium bowl. Add the chicken and marinate until noodles are done.

Remove chicken, squeezing out sauce, and pat dry with paper towels. You’ll be using the remaining marinade as the sauce so if you’re worried about salmonella, just heat the sauce in a small pan until boiling and set aside.

Heat a wok or large frying pan with 1 tablespoon oil until smoking. Add half the chicken and leave undisturbed for a couple of minutes until nice and browned. Flip chicken pieces and brown on the other side. Set aside. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Add another tablespoon of oil. When pan is hot again, add the onions and baby bell peppers. Cook until softened, about three minutes, scraping up any browned bits as you stir. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the noodles and chicken stock and stir frequently until noodles are softened, about three minutes.

Push noodles to the side of the pan and add the egg. Let it set and stir until firm and browned. Add the green onions, sauce, chicken and sprouts and mix thoroughly. There might be some sticking to the bottom of the pan, but that’s ok, it’ll still be super yummy.

Serve in bowls and top with a good squeeze of lime, some chopped peanuts and fresh cilantro.

Cooking, recipes

Swedish Meatballs Stroganoff

September 22, 2018 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

The other day my husband requested Swedish meatballs for dinner. Having thought I had this recipe down pat, I proceeded to make meatballs seasoned with nutmeg and allspice, coated in a delicious mushroom sour cream sauce. When my husband sat down for dinner he asked, “Wait, did you make beef stroganoff?” I realized I made a sort of Frankensteined recipe. It was so good I thought I would share it.

Meatballs aren’t photogenic AT ALL, so here’s a meatball photo I took back in 2011. Trust me, this recipe was really really good.

Swedish Meatball Stroganoff

Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 slices good white bread soaked in milk
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper
1 pound ground beef
1 pound raw Italian sausage, casings removed
2 eggs
3/4 teaspoons allspice
3/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
3 tablespoons butter
8 ounces crimini mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup Marsala or white wine
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken stock
dash of Worcestershire sauce
2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1 cup sour cream
1 pound egg noodles

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 F. After the bread has soaked up the milk, squeeze out any excess liquid and break up the bread with your hands. Place into a Kitchen Aid mixer bowl along with the beef and Italian sausage. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high. Add the onions, salt and pepper and cook until onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool.

Add to the mixing bowl the eggs, allspice and nutmeg. When the onions have cooled, add to the bowl and mix until thoroughly combined.

Form into golf ball-sized meatballs and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until browned and cooked through.

Meanwhile, set a large salted pot of water on the stove to boil. Now we’ll make the sauce while the meatballs are baking and the noodle water is coming to a boil.

Add the butter to the same pan as you cooked the onions. Set to medium-high heat. Once butter is melted add the mushrooms and sauté until their moisture has evaporated and they start to brown, about 10 minutes. If there’s no more butter in the pan, add another tablespoon. Deglaze the pan with the marsala and let it bubble for a minute. Sprinkle on the flour and stir. Cook for 1 minute.

Pour in the chicken stock and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer and let thicken. If it isn’t thick enough, make a slurry of 1 tablespoon flour with 1/2 cup cold chicken stock and pour that in.

Cook the noodles until al dente and drain. Remove meatballs from oven and set aside. Add the peas and sour cream to the sauce just before serving and heat until peas are hot. Adjust sauce for salt.

Toss in the meatballs and coat them all over with sauce. Serve atop the egg noodles.

Cooking, Italian, recipes

Quick dinner: creamy pesto with chicken

February 7, 2017 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

Pesto. I love pesto. I’m a traditionalist and tend to prepare it in the classic Genovese way but recently a friend told me his method, with cream and white wine, and I thought I’d try it.

I loved it! Pesto can sometimes have an overpowering garlic taste (it does contain raw garlic) so this version provides the flavor of pesto but is a little smoother.

If you use the Costco basil pesto then it’s a super quick meal, just perfect for a weeknight.

Weeknight meal: creamy pesto with chicken

Ingredients:

1 lb. spaghettini
4 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup white wine
2/3 cup pesto
3/4 pound leftover rotisserie chicken, torn into bite-sized pieces
salt and pepper to taste
lemon (optional)

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high flame. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Turn down the heat. Add the wine and let simmer for about 3 minutes.

Turn off the heat and add the pesto and chicken.

Drain the pasta. Add to the sauté pan and toss till evenly coated with sauce. Add salt and pepper. Squeeze a lemon over the top. Serve with a side salad.

Cooking, indian, recipes

Quick weeknight meal: green coconut curry

August 2, 2016 alaskaknitnat 1 Comment

Being unwell and a parent is like an uphill battle sometimes. You still have to get food on the table whether you feel like roses or crap. On my really down days, I’ve been known to order a pizza or three. But sometimes I can muster up the strength to make something healthy and tasty in a relatively short amount of time.

This green curry recipe is adapted from one I found in Cook’s Illustrated. I’ve made it three times in the past month and have added my own flair to it. The problem is, I don’t remember what that flair is, which is why I’m sharing it here.

It’s quick, flavorful and has vegetable(s) in it! A winner in my recipe book.

Green coconut curry with tofu, chicken and peas

Serves 4

Marinade ingredients:

1 tablespoon green curry paste
2 teaspoons curry powder
3 cloves garlic, smashed
pinch of cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper

For the curry:

6 chicken tenders (about a pound)
1 brick of extra firm tofu, cubed
3 tablespoons green curry paste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 can of coconut milk (found in the Asian cooking aisle)
1 cup frozen peas
2 cups uncooked jasmine rice
1 lime

Directions:

Mix together all the marinade ingredients in a gallon Ziploc. Add the chicken. I marinate the chicken tenders the night before when they are still frozen so they are thawed and marinated the next evening, but if you have time, marinate for an hour before cooking.

Start on the rice as you prepare the rest of the meal.

Add 1 tablespoon cooking oil to a large nonstick pan over high heat. When oil is hot add the tofu cubes and brown them on as many sides as you have patience for. Set aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Cook the chicken in the same pan, browning on both sides. Set aside.

Pour out the remaining oil and wipe out pan with a paper towel. Add the coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce and sugar and whisk till combined. Add the frozen peas and bring to a simmer. Simmer on low until peas are cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Chop up the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the curry sauce with the tofu.

Serve over jasmine rice with a squeeze of lime juice.

Cooking, recipes

Weeknight chicken scallopini with asparagus

April 26, 2016 alaskaknitnat 1 Comment

Now that I work full time I’m always on the lookout for quick and easy meals. Sometimes I rely on tradition and make this simple chicken dish inspired by my favorite Italian cook, Marcella Hazan.

Every member of my family has her own copy of this fabulous cookbook. Her recipes are not overly complicated. They are realistic and wholesome.

Several years ago my mother adapted her veal scallopini with asparagus recipe to include chicken instead of veal. It has become one of my family’s favorite chicken dishes. And it’s just perfect for hectic weeknights.