When do we stop calling him Baby Will, you ask?
I don't know, but Little Baby Billy in The Righteous Gemstones makes it work into middle-agedhood, so I'm in no hurry to cut it out.
This baby is two. Two!
...Baby Will: 2 years.
Search Results for: will
Baby Will: 12 months.
Beck and I were talking yesterday about how these will be the last cactus blanket pictures, and I was just like WHAT.IS.HAPPENING. He's one. One!
Little Light of Mine just doesn't even begin to describe Will. As I look back on this year I feel a pretty big mix of nostalgia, happiness, regret, and disbelief at the sheer speed of the passage of time. But that's about the year, not about Will. Will is the sweetest little light and has been the most wonderful addition to our family. His curious, vibrant little personality has started to show itself more and more the last several months, and he is just the best tiny person.
...Baby Will: 11 months.
For the last baby, can we keep counting months forever?
Will "turning" 11 months has brought tons of fun growth and development for him, tons of nostalgia for me. It's not sadness, necessarily. I'm very careful to focus on how pleased I am every time one of my kids hits a milestone, and I really am pleased for them. It's just that I like almost all of the stages of babyhood so much, when things turn out to be the last time I feel nostalgic for how quickly things are going.
- The last time Will rode in his infant carrier.
- The last time we gave him a baby food pouch.
- The last time we quartered (yes) blueberries for him.
- The last time we gave him a bath in the sink.
None of it was intentional and we didn't know in the moment that it was the last time, it just was.
...
Baby Will: 10 months.
My HEAVENS, this child is so visually appealing I can't even stand it. 
And, if you know me, you know I'm not a big fan AT ALL of only focusing on how kids look, and we know several people (don't get offended, look inward) who literally cannot talk to a child unless they are commenting on their looks. So I go all opposite with how smart they are.
BUT. This child is seriously adorable, and I credit it to the expressions. He's hilarious, knows it, makes it work for him. Tres expressive.
...
Baby Will: 9 months.
Nine months in, nine months out! I haven't counted the days or weeks or however people do those things, so we're calling it close enough.
LOOK AT THIS CHUNK! Sitting all by himself for long stretches of time, getting pissy when no one gathers him up fast enough, fixating wildly on toys, and the most pleasant little demeanor all wrapped up in this tiny person.
...
Baby Will: 8 months.
Aka my monthly whine-fest about how quickly this wonderful baby of mine is growing up.
8 months! Almost as long out as he was in, and we are enjoying every minute.
...Baby Will: 7 months.
Sweeter and sweeter every month, pretty much.
The last three or four weeks have been very bigly (gross) for Young William. He all of a sudden feels like a big kid, and the predictability and good moods that come with a nicely solidified sleep schedule are just GOLD.
...Baby Will: 6 months.
This wonderful baby of mine is six months old. He is just the most joyous little squish, and we are so glad he's ours.
...Baby Will: 5 months.
Reeeeallly rounding third toward having this little friend for a half a year, something that I'm not comfortable with at all.
This wonderful little friend is five months, and with every month of course I can't believe it. I've been thinking a lot about his birth lately and those first few holy days at home when he was so new and squishy, and it's almost like I can't remember that those moments were with him, he's just so different. I know him so much better now, and his little personality is the most wonderful thing to watch explode.
...
Baby Will: 4 months.
It is such a great privilege to watch a tiny human grow.
....until it is 4am, at which point it is the WORST THING EVER AND WHY DID I HAVE KIDS.
I imagine this sort of shift in perception is what it must like to be a baby - everything's great, boob, warm, lights, and then tired or huger strikes and WORST THING EVER. So in that, I feel like Will and I understand each other a whole lot.
...Baby Will: 3 Months.
The good news here is that this is the time when babies start to look a little more commercial-ready, a little less "I'm sorry your baby was born deformed." ~actual comment some troll left on my Insta about Will.~
To be clear, Will is not deformed, nor did the image I shared look like he was, people are monsters.
...Baby Will: 2 months.
I'm just going to make a draft for each of these monthly posts that says "how is it time for this again already why time stop too fast bad don't grow MY BABY."
My sentence structure is fully intact after yet another night of waking up every hour, you'll be happy to notice.
...Baby Will: 1 month.
Aaaand here we go again with the "time is going too fast please stop can't handle it too big." 
This. Little. Squishy. It is the most fun having a new baby, and super extra fun watching Beck learn about him. She gets so excited when they make eye contact, and aggressively worried when Will cries, which luckily isn't too much just yet.
...
Will's Birth Story (part 2)
read part 1 of will's birth story here. 
One of the things I was most looking forward to when we had Will was Beck meeting him for the first time. Our night in the birth center was short and sweet-ish but exhausting, so we packed up early and came home. Since Will was born before 10pm we could have stayed all night (usually you stay 6-8 hours after birth as long as everything is OK), but as long as you're in the care of the nurses you have to have vitals done every 2 hours. AND, because vitals take awhile they start them at the 90 minute mark, which means we got about 85-minute stretches of sleep. Jay snored loudly during this time (he is currently shaking his head as if I lie about this all the time), I stared at Will and contemplated things that were achy or burny, and Will snorted as if competing with his father.
Our vitals came back normal each time, so at 4am I got antsy and asked if we could go home since I was hardly sleeping. We put Will in his first-ever little outfit (that I got on my last solo trip to NYC at the Monica and Andy store, and I adore it so much because the trip was so much fun), I slowly got dressed in my super stretchy going-home outfit, and we buckled Will into his car seat, one of the only new things we got for him. We drove home slowly and carefully, chatting about the night and what we wanted to do for our first day as a family of four (I mentioned donuts several times, and no one has procured me a donut at nearly 2 weeks postpartum), and got home around 5:30am.
At this point we dropped Will in the Uppababy Vista bassinet we had carefully set up by our bed, slept for three straight hours, just the three of us, and it was the last time I slept for three hours straight. No joke.
...
Will's Birth Story (part 1)
Today is my due date. This feels so similar to three years ago when I wrote about Beck barging out of my body and into the world. It's all the same and all different, all the feelings, none of the sleep or time to process them, big life changes, all of it. 
So. Last week. On Wednesday we had our 39 week appointment and the midwife we saw didn't have a ton to say besides that everything looked fine and she didn't think she'd see us for our 40 week appointment. She had no reason to say this since there weren't any actual signs that I'd go into labor and our providers don't do cervical checks (since dilating or not isn't an indication of when you'll actually go into labor), so I was half encouraged/half "you don't know anything," which is my preferred feeling around the end of pregnancy. No one knows when it'll happen or how it'll go and this makes things very hard for me on an emotional level.
Spoiler alert, Will was born at 39 weeks and one day exactly like his sister, so ... I kind of knew what was going on. ...
Will Hunt for Food
For as long as I can remember I’ve never been what you’d call a “sportsman.” Sure, I played little league and I enjoy whitewater kayaking, but I’ve never worn camouflage or had the desire to drive a truck. Those are the things best left to the right wing, conservative, country Christians that I grew up with. I would only want to be caught wearing a pair of cowboy boots if it was considered ironic. The closest I ever got to being a “sportsman” was when my father took me dove hunting when I was a child. It was a horrific event. I shot 9 birds dead, but the tenth one did not go gentle into that good night. It flopped and fought for its life, which I removed along with its head when my father made me ring its neck. I screamed like a little girl as I held that bird’s head in my hand and had a bunch of grown rednecks laugh at me. That being said…I’d rather hunt dove, deer, and kittens than Job Hunt.
...
Cajun Boiled Peanuts (In the Slow Cooker!)
This is the best recipe ever for homemade boiled peanuts! Just 6 ingredients and a little bit of patience are all you need for this classic roadside snack. These peanuts are perfect for tailgating and watching sports, and are great on a snack platter paired with jalapeno corn dip (omg) and sour cream guacamole with chips!
You know how everyone, like, loves southern boiled peanuts and talks about them all the time and says you can only get them by the roadside and craves them and eats 8,373 of them when they're around?
It's because they're great. Really great. Tender slow-cooked peanuts, tons of flavoring, just an overall VERY yummy snack.
You can make your own! I make mine in the slow cooker for truly foolproof peanuts every single time. It's SO easy the end result is so fun and delicious, so why not impress some people at your upcoming parties with these?
(PS if you aren't into using the Crock Pot, there are stovetop instructions in the recipe card below!)
...Oyster Mushrooms Rockefeller
Oyster Mushroom Rockefeller is the most delicious vegetarian oysters Rockefeller. Toasty, slightly-slimy mushrooms, garlicky, butery spinach, and crispy bread crumbs on top. This is a lovely side dish but also really nice on toast for an appetizer or lunch. I like to serve this with homemade crusty bread for scooping.
FINALLY VEGETARIANS CAN HAVE SOMETHING SLIMY TOO!
I know, you're welcome.
In our house, we have this thing: Jay doesn't like mushrooms but he'll definitely come to play with an oyster mushroom. I don't like oysters unless they're baked into some kind of cool delicious flavor situation.
I like the flavor, don't mind the slime, but I have a fear of seafood grit aka dirt aka sand in my food. If I get one teensy gritty feeling between my teeth I am DONE for the entire meal.
...Cheesecake with Sour Cream Topping
This easy cheesecake recipe with a sour cream topping will be the last cheesecake recipe you'll ever make! Totally foolproof with an easy graham cracker crust, buttery cheesecake layer, and tangy sour cream topping that goes over everything aka hides any cracks in your cheesecake! You. Will. Love. This. It's perfect for any celebration or to give as a gift!
People are so particular about their cheesecake, have you noticed? Flavors, topping, height, secret tricks and ingredients - it's a whole thing.
This is my VERY favorite cheesecake - the only one I've made for more than ten years, honestly. It's a very delicious, very foolproof, basic cheesecake with tons of great flavor and has a sour cream topping that will absolutely make you fall in love.
It's the best cheesecake recipe ever, I'm sure of it.
...Favorite Squash Casserole
This seriously good sour cream squash casserole with Ritz cracker topping is one of my favorite casserole side dishes for any dinner! We make this all summer long with yellow OR zucchini squash and pair it with grilled chicken and baked potatoes, but it's also absolutely perfect for Easter and Thanksgiving dinner!
Oh, squash casserole, how I love you.
I love Southern food, which works well since I live in South Carolina. I didn't grow up eating a ton of classic old school casseroles, but I have WAY MORE THAN made up for it in my adult years.
I'm quite proud of that. (In fact, the most-shared recipe on this site is asparagus casserole, which is also particularly delicious)
This yellow squash casserole with sour cream and Ritz crackers is one of my favorite Southern sides! It goes so well with any dinner items you love, and the best part is that it can be made in advance.
Not joking about my love of squash casserole: I also have a pimento cheese squash casserole and squash casserole mac and cheese that are seriously amazing.
It's so simple to have a yellow summer squash casserole ready to go in the fridge, then add some quick grilled chicken, steak, or shrimp to make an easy summertime dinner.
...
Cast Iron New York Strip
The easiest way to make seared steak in a cast iron skillet! Exactly how to make NY Strip Steak on the stove with easy, buttery shallot sauce made right in the steak pan drippings makes the most fun date night at home. This entire recipe has just 5 ingredients and takes less than 30 minutes. I particularly love the shallot sauce served over rosemary steamed potatoes or mushroom rice.
Hi! How is your week going? I think the older we get the more we say it, but what a week. We're struggling to stay afloat in a very busy season, and with a lot of in and out, dinners together to reconnect are definitely part of that plan.
I love a Nice But Very Easy mid-week meal when we're super busy, and this is by far our favorite way to eat New York strip steak (or honestly any steak). We eat it with some kind of roasted veggie that can cook while the steak works, and dinner is DONE in 30 minutes, maybe less.
Strawberry Cucumber Salad
Delicious, easy strawberry cucumber salad with quick pickled onions! This is one of my favorite summer side dishes: it's vegan, gluten free, and makes the MOST of in-season produce! I love this with fresh dill, but it's also really nice with mint and basil. Use any herbs you have on hand! Make it a meal with 3-ingredient grilled chicken marinade and loaded potato salad.
Ok, real talk about fruit in salads: this is a polarizing topic, amirite? Very on trend for the times, I suppose.
I don't exactly get it why people care so much, but, as for me, I'm team sweet/savory at all times, which makes this simple cucumber and strawberry salad the absolute perfect summer salad, in my mind.
...Tofu Steak
Delicious, simple tofu steak recipe with a marinade that works in just 15 minutes! If you've never liked tofu much, this is a perfect way to learn to like it. The crispy crust gives tons of texture, and the entire dish is done in under an hour including marinating. Pair this with easy mashed potatoes and broiled lemony green beans or Vegetarian Oysters Rockefeller for a fun vegetarian alternative to steak night!
Hello and hi and back on our bullshit with Eat Less Meat But It Must Be Fabulous.
I'm a lifelong (well, since high school?) tofu lover, but I come across people all the time that admit to wanting to eat less meat but "just can't get into tofu.
I. Get. It. I am very not into bland things, flavorless things, or mushy things (no offense, silken tofu). I find that for folks learning how to love tofu, great texture and flavor are super important. This tofu steak has both of those things.
Hibachi Vegetables
Sautéed zucchini and onions is the best easy side dish! I use this easy hibachi vegetables recipe when I make hibachi shrimp or hibachi steak bowls, but cooking veggies this way is a great veggie side dish for any main course you love. This recipe is vegan and gluten free if you sub GF soy sauce/Tamari for the soy sauce.
I love veggies!
Well, I love all food, but that's a different story. Today, let's make a super easy vegan side dish - hibachi vegetables at home!
Easy Green Chicken Enchiladas
These green chile chicken enchiladas are straight from an old-school midwestern church cookbook - creamy, super simple to make, and absolutely delicious. Cream of chicken soup makes the base of the chicken filling, and diced green chilis, veggies, and salsa verde add lots of tangy flavor. You. Will. LOVE. These.
We've discussed before that I love Mexican food, right? Because I do. So much. Sour cream, tomatoes, chilis, and cheese are all SO good separately, and even better together. So, I love Mexican food.
I adapted this chicken enchilada recipe from a 70's-era family cookbook that I got from a friend - these are easy, delicious, and a GREAT make-ahead dish.
Garlic Butter Croutons
The absolute best recipe with leftover bread - homemade garlic butter croutons! These taste just like restaurant style garlic bread made into croutons and are absolutely delicious on top of any salad. I love making these with leftover no-knead bread and serving them on kale salad for a quick lunch.
Croutons are....the best part of a salad, if they're good. I recently saw a meme that said something like "I love eating a salad because it's like a treasure hunt for foods you actually want to be eating," and kind of .... yes, when it comes to croutons.
I love a really, really good salad, but the bread's where it's AT.
Homemade croutons are seriously simple to make, and a great use-up of leftover bread or stale bread from other meals. I often cube leftover bread and store it in the freezer, then make small batches of these garlic bread croutons whenever I'm making big salads.
Easy Steak Pasta with Ricotta
Delicious, simple steak and pasta with ricotta, lemon, and a delicious white wine sauce. This pasta is done in just half an hour or so and is delicious with seared ribeye or even as a use for leftover steak. Think: Lightened up steak pasta alfredo. Make it a full meal with crusty no-knead bread and my best version of a house salad.
Can pasta be light if it has steak and ricotta on it?
I think yes.
This is REALLY cool and different.
It's pasta, but without a sauce....more like...stuff tossed with pasta and white wine. It sounds weird but TRUST ME. Eggy steak tagliatelle pasta with creamy ricotta is a really really really good combination.
Boneless Ribeye Roast with Parsley Chimichurri
Perfect for Christmas dinner or an Easter meal; this is a completely foolproof reverse sear rib roast. It cooks low and slow for a tender, juicy bite, then is finished at a high heat. Bright chimichurri comes together in 5 minutes, and I like to serve this with baked mashed potatoes and oyster mushroom Rockefeller for a delicious holiday meal.
OH GEEZ guys, I made big meat. Perfect, wonderful meat.
The most delicious, easy boneless ribeye roast recipe (aka prime rib!), cooked LOW AND SLOW with a really low oven temperature at first for a super evenly cooked roast, then rested and finished at a super HIGH oven temp for a crispy, delicious crust. The result is juicy, tender, perfectly medium (or rare!) prime rib that everyone will go bonkers for.
Easy Turkey Pot Pie with Puff Pastry
Got some leftover turkey? Make a skillet turkey pot pie with a no-fuss puff pastry crust! Just a few ingredients, creamy sauce, and leftover turkey has a whole new life! If you haven't picked a turkey recipe yet, this foolproof 4-ingredient roast turkey is delicious!
I heard Alison Roman say in a video earlier this week that, if we're being honest, we're all really here for side dishes and not really the turkey at Thanksgiving.
That is me. That is exactly where I stand.
I don't know if it's a lifetime of dry turkey, not loving meat, REALLY liking casseroles, but I really love Thanksgiving side dishes, and I'm really meh on turkey. I like it fresh in a small serving, and that's about it.
SO THEN what do we do with turkey leftovers? We don't want to waste them, but leftover turkey plain or microwaved isn't really that fabulous to me.
Enter: Turkey Pot Pie with Leftover Turkey.
I make it almost exactly like a chicken pot pie (so you could use rotisserie chicken in this exact recipe!), but with leftover turkey and a sheet of puff pastry so we aren't messing with making our own pastry. Let's be honest, by the time we're dealing with leftovers we very well may have done enough baking for the week, right?
Right.
Recipe Notes and Variations
I make this very simply, in my favorite Staub braiser. Sauté some veggies, add some flour then stock then cream (mmmmm) to make a gravy, then stir in the leftover turkey. Top THAT with a sheet of puff pastry, bake, and done!
It's super simple, super foolproof and the puff pastry just makes everything so simple and BETTER.
- You can absolutely use leftover shredded chicken for this recipe if you don't have any turkey, or cook 2 large chicken breasts and shred them before adding them to the recipe.
- This would also be delicious as a vegetarian pot pie with an added large chopped potato and extra of the other veggies instead of chicken or turkey.
- If you don't have a large stovetop-to-oven baking dish, make the filling, then transfer it to a baking dish before topping with the puff pastry, baking, and serving. A large cast iron skillet works really well for this recipe to avoid having to use a stovetop skillet and separate baking dish.
- Turkey Pot Pie with puff pastry and leftover gravy: If you have leftover gravy, sub ½ cup stock for ½ cup gravy. YUM and yum.
Turkey Pot Pie FAQs
Can You Freeze Turkey Pot Pie With Puff Pastry?
YES! But, to me, it feels redundant to thaw puff pastry and then re-freeze it. Instead, make the filling and store it in the freezer in a baking dish, then when you'd like to bake the pot pie thaw the puff pastry, drape it over the baking dish (it's OK if the filling is still frozen), and bake!
PRO TIP TO AVOID SHATTERED BAKING DISHES: When baking things from frozen, place the dish in a COLD oven, turn the oven on to the desired temperature, and let the dish and casserole filling warm gently as the oven heats up.
Can You Use Puff Pastry As The Base of a Pie?
You can! In this case, I don't do a top and bottom crust - I don't think it's necessary. I like the crispy golden brown top that puff pastry gets, so I skip a bottom crust in most pot pies.
Ingredients
I love these ingredients because they're so simple and all the veggies last forever in the fridge.
- Onion, celery, and carrots to start.
- Butter and flour to make a little paste.
- Stock and cream get thick from the flour to make gravy.
- Turkey and peas round the whole thing out.
- Puff pastry brushed with melted butter bakes golden brown with verrrrry little effort on our post-Thanksgiving selves.
Ingredient Variations
- Veggies: Feel free to use 2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables instead of the onions/celery/carrots. They work great and don't need to be thawed in advance.
- For a gluten free version, skip the flour and whisk 2 teaspoons cornstarch into the COLD stock before adding it to the skillet.
- If you don't have puff pastry, a premade pie crust (or homemade!) rolled out to the width of your baking dish works fine.
Step By Step Instructions
Timing Pro Tip: The most important thing here is to have the puff pastry thawed - at least for 30 minutes out of the freezer before you can work with it without it breaking. I usually get the puff pastry out first, then chop veggies/shred turkey, and make the filling.
Before you start cooking, preheat the oven to 425F.
Once you're ready to cook, start with the veggies. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the butter, onion, celery, and carrots with 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Bring the skillet to medium heat and saute for 5-10 minutes until the veggies are soft and some of the liquid has evaporated.
Stir the veggie mixture every few minutes while this is happening.
When the veggies are soft, sprinkle the flour over the skillet and stir it into the veggies for just one minute to form a paste and cook out a little bit so it doesn't taste like raw flour.
Next, slowly pour the stock into the skillet, stirring as you go, so the stock can incorporate into the flour/butter and thicken.
At this point, the mixture should bubble as you pour in the stock and not get lumpy - stir a little faster and turn the heat down if that starts to happen.
Last, add the cream, turkey, and frozen peas to the skillet. Stir everything together and taste: add more salt and pepper to your preference until the mixture is very flavorful.
Now the filling is done: turn the heat off the skillet and either transfer the mixture to a baking dish, or grab the puff pastry to put it over the skillet.
Puff Pastry Crust Tips
If your dish is very large, sprinkle a large surface with flour and use a rolling pin (or just your fingers) to roll the puff pastry into a shape and size just slightly larger than the dish you are using. If your baking dish is slightly smaller, the puff pastry may already be the right size.
Once the puff pastry is the size you'd like it to be, carefully transfer it to the top of your baking dish, pressing any excess around the edges so the pastry doesn't sink into the filling. It's OK if some holes develop in the pastry - that happens sometimes and you're still a good person.
If your puff pastry managed to stay intact (this is apparently an area of struggle for me), cut one or two small slits in the top of the puff pastry for steam to escape during cooking.
Melt the last tablespoon of butter and brush it all over the top of the pastry. This optional, but helps the puff pastry get shiny and golden as it bakes.
Bake the turkey pot pie for 30 minutes until the puff pastry is very golden brown and puffed up. YUM.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA just look how profesh this looks. Here's the thing, though: the puff pastry did it's thing, puffed up, there was a hole in it that filling seeped out of. It's fine. It's absolutely delicious, and re-shooting a recipe to make it prettier is not very on brand for me.
Let the pot pie cool for about 10 minutes, then scoop it into shallow bowls and eat.
I love this because it is the perfect one-dish dinner, uses up some leftovers, has some veggies, just really all good things.
Make Ahead and Leftover Storage Tips
The only thing I'd do in advance here is the filling. You can make the filling all the way and store it in the fridge, then transfer it to a baking dish and top with the puff pastry right before baking.
Leftovers keep in the fridge for several days and are delicious rewarmed in the microwave. If you'd like, you can put just a piece of the puff pastry crust on a baking sheet and bake it at 350F for 5-10 minutes to crisp it back up.
I hope you love this! If you have even more turkey, I really like leftover turkey salad for a cold dip/salad/sandwich lunch in the days after Thanksgiving.
Easy Turkey Pot Pie with Puff Pastry
Take that leftover turkey and turn it into something new! Creamy sauce, veggies, and crispy puff pastry to round out the whole thing. YUM.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter divided
- ½ onion finely diced
- 2 ribs celery finely diced
- 2 carrots finely diced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- black pepper
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups chicken or turkey stock
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 cups shredded turkey meat
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 1 sheet puff pastry thawed for at least 30 minutes on the counter
Instructions
- Before starting, be sure the puff pastry is out of the freezer thawing while you prepare the filling of the pot pie. Preheat the oven to 425F and heat a large ovenproof skillet to medium heat on the stovetop.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and the onion, celery, and carrots to the skillet with the salt and several grinds of pepper. Stir for about 5 minutes to soften the veggies and release some of the liquid.
- Sprinkle the flour all over the vegetables and stir for one minute more, then slowly stream in the stock, stirring the entire time to combine the flour with the stock and thicken the mixture.
- Let the stock mixture come to a bubble, then stir in the cream, turkey, and peas. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper to your preference, then turn the heat off the skillet.
- If needed, stretch or roll the puff pastry, using flour to prevent sticking, to roughly the size of the dish you are using. Drape the pastry over the entire dish, pressing the edges to the baking dish to prevent it from falling into the mixture.
- Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and brush it over the puff pastry. Cut a small slit in the pastry to allow steam to escape. Place the entire dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and puffy all over.
- Let the pot pie rest for 10 minutes then use a large spoon to scoop servings of pot pie and puff pastry into shallow bowls. Enjoy!
Notes
I make this dish in a large braising dish that can go on the stovetop and into the oven. If you don't have that kind of dish, prepare the filling as directed then transfer it to a baking dish, then proceed with placing the puff pastry and butter over top, then baking as directed.
If you prefer, use 2 cups of frozen mixed veggies instead of the onions/carrots/celery.
Any kind of leftover turkey OR chicken works in this recipe, or you can use a whole rotisserie chicken, shredded with skin/bones removed.
To make this gluten free, skip the flour and instead whisk 2 teaspoons cornstarch into the stock before adding it to the veggies. It will thicken the mixture once it comes to a boil.
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!
Easy Turkey Recipes
Turkey recipes are so personal to everyone BUT, if you're looking for a great turkey recipe, here are some of my favorites!
- Foolproof roasted whole turkey.
- Smoked turkey breast (the instructions work for a whole turkey as well!).
- Quick roasted turkey breast.
- Roasted whole chicken if you're into that.
Broccoli Casserole with Ritz Crackers
HELLO to our favorite Christmas broccoli casserole! (or, let's be honest, all the time casserole) This is a fresh broccoli casserole with Ritz crackers and NO condensed soup. It's creamy, crunchy on top, totally foolproof, and absolutely delicious! I love it with homemade Honeybaked Ham and mushroom rice.
I know that some people are all about that #soupseason life, but in the colder months I'm absolutely Team Casserole.
This broccoli casserole is so simple to make and absolutely delicious - it's similar to this easy asparagus casserole which is the most popular recipe on my site for the last 5 years! The broccoli version is just as good - creamy filling, crunchy Ritz cracker topping, and a make-ahead option to keep things simple.
...Easy Apple Crisp Without Oats
This apple crisp recipe without oats comes together quickly in less than an hour and is the perfect healthy fall dessert. It can be made in advance and reheated, and the addition of pecans, flaxseed, and hemp hearts to the strudel topping gives the best texture.
HELLO favorite fall dessert, I heart you.
This easy apple crisp recipe is one of my absolute favorite uses for apples, especially in the fall when orchard apples are everywhere and just.so.good. Gooey filling, crunchy topping, ice cream on top?
Sign. Me. Up.
Easy Cold Buffalo Chicken Dip with Rotisserie Chicken
Creamy, spicy buffalo chicken dip is one of our favorite GF appetizers for tailgating and football watching! I use this interchangeably as a buffalo chicken salad for sandwiches or buffalo chicken dip served with crackers and veggies. This is THE BEST buffalo chicken dip ever, trust.
Hellooooo, football season. This is what we are making for our watching, our tailgating, our drafting, all of it.
....and thus begins a new round of football food to celebrate fall.
I recognize that "chicken salad dip" isn't really a thing, but I want you to know that there are multiple things that can be done with this here little creation. I have called it buffalo chicken salad dip for years, but REALLY this is a buffalo chicken situation that can be used as a cold appetizer dip OR a chicken salad. It's an either/or/both/best kind of deal.
...Easy Fish Tacos with Blackened Cod
Delicious, easy blackened fish tacos with the most delicious seared blackened cod! The fish is pan-seared in a nonstick skillet for easy cleanup (and no frying!) with a delicious, easy homemade blackening seasoning. These come together in under half an hour and are delicious served with poppyseed slaw and peach salsa.
This, my friends, is our summertime, weekend, weeknight, anytime super fun taco night plan. Blackened fish tacos with cod, a delicious blackening seasoning, and your favorite Mexican side dishes.
These are seriously yummy tacos, and you make them yourself in half an hour.
I'm all about a fried fish taco (very into this always), but truly, frying things at home is such a pain. For home seafood cooking, give me delicious pan seared cod anytime. These blackened cod tacos are just as good as anything from a restaurant, and so simple to make! Let's do it.
...Greek Yogurt Coleslaw with Poppyseed Dressing
THE BEST slaw for fish tacos recipe ever! Just 6 ingredients make this creamy, tangy, no mayo coleslaw one that you'll make again and again. I love this over fish tacos with peach salsa and sour cream guacamole, or with a grilled chicken dinner!
Will has started to do this thing where if he is unsatisfied with something I offer for a snack he gives me a texture clue as to what he really wants. So if he wants yogurt it's "I want something smushy," pretzels "I'm thinking of a cwunchy snack," and so on. It's hilarious, and I have no clue where he came up with it.
BUT, what I'm thrilled he's figured out is this: foods need different textures. So if we're talking about a soft fish taco, some crunchy slaw to top it is exactly the key to wake it up a little bit.
This particular slaw goes with just about anything: on top of BBQ sandwiches, in fish tacos, as a side dish to grilled chicken with corn on the cob. It's great with any cabbage you like, and the dressing is also delicious on green salads!
...Salmon Rice Bowl with Maple Mustard Sauce
Delicious, easy salmon rice bowls in less than 30 minutes. Perfect for an easy dinner or fast lunch, use your favorite green veg (this 5-minute asparagus is great!) and rice or rice substitute. Creamy maple mustard sauce has just 4 ingredients and can be made in advance for an even faster preparation for this yummy rice bowl!
Hello and welcome to "this is a dinner that is very easy to make in half an hour, trust." Aka my favorite kind of recipe.
When it comes to dinner, a salmon rice bowl (or any kind of salmon with rice dinner tbh) is something that we eat AT LEAST once per week. I buy salmon, we always have rice, and then we think on what we want the bowl to taste like - Asian sticky soy sauce, sundried tomatoes over everything, or lemon butter because lemon butter is pretty much always the answer.
2-Ingredient Pasta Sauce
The most delicious easy pink pasta sauce recipe! Just two ingredients make this creamy tomato sauce come together FAST (in the time it takes to boil noodles), and you can serve it plain or add anything you'd like to flavor it. Prepare for this to be your new favorite weeknight recipe!
Let's prepare for some pink pasta magic, shall we? Two ingredients, fifteen minutes, DINNER.
This is one of those suuuuuuper kid-friendly dinner recipes that came out of necessity; I wasn't interested in making marinara or another more complicated pasta recipe, and we needed dinner asap. (thank you weeknight sports) Canned tomato sauce + heavy cream saves the day!
...Greek Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce
The most foolproof Greek meatball recipe! Beef meatballs with just a little bit of filler, tons of flavor from lemon and oregano, with tzatziki for dipping. Make your own tzatziki sauce, or use your favorite storebought brand!
Omg meatballs are just so good, right? Seriously.
I find that when feeding people, meatballs are one of those "easy but a little special but also everyone likes them" recipes that are fun to make, hard to mess up, and can be made in advance. LOTS of good stuff there, right?
(Bonus points for meatballs being a nice kid friendly dinner aka pick it up with your hands, I don't have time to cut up your food 17 times a day.)
...Fresh Peach Jalapeno Salsa
Delicious, refreshing homemade tomato peach salsa! This recipe is made right in the food processor and can be made with fresh or canned peaches. The tomatoes, peaches, and jalapeno combine with lime juice for delicious, bright flavor that is delicious on chips served next to sour cream guacamole for a fun party platter.
Ok, where do we fall on fruit in our salsa? I am team YES to pineapple pizza, YES to fruit in salsa, all the sweet/savory combos in the world.
This peach salsa is super simple because we make it right in the food processor, aka NO CHOPPING. The end result is somewhere between a salsa and a peach pico de gallo - fresh, light, with TONS of flavor.
I make this all the time to have as a snack with a cookout or pool party situation, but it's also a really great topping for fish tacos or weeknight seared salmon - a little fresh, islandy vibe even in colder months.
(PS, you can definitely make this with canned peaches year round!)
...Goat Cheese Flatbread Pizza
Delicious, super easy flatbread pizza recipe with goat cheese and caramelized onions! Tons of texture, flavor, and options to customize storebought flatbread pizzas! Caramelizing the onions takes a bit of time, but after that these flatbreads are done in 15 minutes.
Ok, let's talk flatbread pizza recipes: For years and years and years this was one of our late-night go-to dinners, back in the days when there were no kids and yoga at 7pm on a Tuesday BEFORE eating dinner and going out to trivia and then work at 7am the next day seemed totally normal.
Because it was, sigh.
This particular version of flatbread pizza is SO good, a little elevated (although a kid-friendly equally yummy fake pizza is this pizza quesadilla which we love!), and so simple to make. Caramelize some onions, grab some sundried tomato pesto, cheese, olives, DONE.
...Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread (Jiffy!)
It's a box of Jiffy, a few pantry flavor ingredients, and suuuuper elevated jalapeno cornbread in just 30 minutes! I love these for dunking with no bean beef chili or vegan chipotle sweet potato chili.
Years and years ago, I made chili on a weekend to eat throughout the week, and one night Jay made these delicious corn muffins to go with it. How's THAT for a succinct "everyone hates food blog stories" story?
The mix is regular old less-than-a-dollar Jiffy, but the add-ins are what makes it really special! You can add almost anything you like to a baking mix like this to change it up and make it your own!
Boxed cornbread mix is so convenient to keep around: homemade cornbread is so special and delicious, but there are definitely times where we need cornbread FAST without a lot of thinking. Enter: Jiffy.
...