Butter makes it better
Whenever it starts getting cold and gross outside, I always want to stay in and bake. Unfortunately, watching the Great British Bake-off only fuels this obsession. Luckily, pie is the perfect thing to bake for max coziness. Need to whip something up for a party? …
I’m not as fanatical about pumpkin spice as some people are, but there’s something irresistible about this pumpkin swirl bread. It’s rich and moist, but the pumpkin spice gives it a little frisson of excitement. Whether you eat this for breakfast, lunch, or dessert, you …
I’m back! Sorry for the break, but it’s amazing what a trip to Disneyland and a work-intensive Halloween costume can do to derail a blog. Luckily, we ate well enough that I didn’t miss Buttery Basics too much!
But after that Disneyland trip, I could definitely use a salad. Hence this gorgeous harvest chicken salad.
I think that the best salads are the ones that don’t taste like salads( like this one). This salad’s vegetables are tossed with herbs, caramelized, and covered in a lovely honey balsamic dressing. This salad still has greens, but I chose to use butter lettuce. If you’re not familiar with butter lettuce, it has a mild flavor and a soft mouthfeel. It feels like a small and cherished luxury to me, but romaine lettuce or spinach would be equally yummy.
With the butternut squash, Honeycrisp apple, and honey balsamic dressing, this harvest chicken salad feels like the best of fall all rolled into one filling, healthy delight. Enjoy!
For harvest chicken salad:
For honey balsamic dressing:
Begin by brining the chicken. Place your chicken in a large bowl, add the salt, and cover with water. Cover the bowl and set aside for fifteen minutes. When the time is up, remove the chicken, pat with a paper towel to dry, and bake on a sheet pan at 425 for 25-30 minutes or until done.
Next, prepare the butternut squash by placing it in a large bowl and covering with olive oil, thyme, and rosemary. Toss to coat. Bake on a sheet pan at 425 F for 40-50 minutes, or until soft and slightly caramelized.
In the meantime, make your honey balsamic dressing by whisking all ingredients together.
When your chicken and squash are done, assemble the salad by heaping everything together and drizzling on the dressing (in an aesthetically pleasing way, of course). Enjoy!
Sometimes, delectable finger foods are born out of necessity. These bacon wrapped apples were born out of the necessity to clean out the fridge before going on vacation. Yet, now that I’ve made these, they might be my go-to party food. They’re perfect served hot …
Shrimp and grits is kind of the quintessential Southern dish. You have your fresh seafood, your grits, and everything is cooked in bacon fat and slathered with butter (YUM). It’s a gorgeous mix between rich flavors of all kinds. I usually associate those kinds of …
It’s only after having this blog for a few months that I’ve realized what a ridiculous sweet tooth I have. I keep wanting to make desserts, and not veggies at all. But, even for me, these savory honey glazed carrots hit the spot. They’re still healthy vegetables, but they’ve been soaked in tangy balsamic vinegar, caramelized, and drizzled with butter and honey. I’m trying real hard to be an adult and eat my veggies, and this recipe for savory honey glazed carrots makes it a lot easier. Enjoy!
Begin by heating the oven to 490 degrees F. Next, peel the carrots and chop them into bite-size discs. Move the carrots to a large bowl, drizzle 2 tablespoons of melted butter over the top, and toss to coat. Transfer the carrots to a sheet pan, and bake until charred at the edges (about 12 to 15 minutes).
When the carrots are charred at the edges but still firm in the middle, return them to the large bowl and drench them in balsamic vinegar. Allow to rest for five minutes.
Next, return the carrots to the sheet pan, drizzle the honey on top, and scatter the remaining butter (in cubes or slivers) across all. Return the carrots to the oven, and allow them to bake until tender (about 5 to 7 minutes). Serve warm.
It was my birthday last week! So of course I had to make a decadent, scrumptious explosion of a cake. It might sound sad to make your own birthday cake, but I really wanted to go all out. Hence this chocolate raspberry explosion cake. It’s …
Dried herbs are a major part of my cooking. I’ve been growing herbs all summer, because they smell good and I needed some plant babies. Now that it’s growing cooler outside, it’s time to dry herbs and put them away for the winter. Don’t worry, …
This chunky tomato basil soup is the perfect fall soup. It’s kind of the epitome of cozy. Cam was sick this week, so we ate this soup for dinner pretty much all week, curled up in blankets and watching old movies. This chunky tomato basil soup is like the elevated version of Campbell’s that we all had as kids; still cozy and delicious, but something tasty and impressive enough that you could serve it to friends and family. Something about the rich creaminess and the layers of garlic and herbs gives it that little something extra. (Is it hygge? I think it’s hygge.)
The veggies also make this soup a lot healthier than Campbell’s. But if the idea of chunks turns you off or if you have picky eaters, feel free to puree the onion and carrots as well (after cooking). The soup will taste just as good, and it will be even better for dipping.
First, puree the tomatoes and cream cheese together in a food processor or blender. Set aside. Next, dice your onion and carrots into bite-size pieces.
In a large pot, saute the onion and carrots in butter. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Mix in the tomato soup and V8 until blended. Stir in the cream cheese mixture, half-and-half, basil, and oregano. Cook until heated through. Serve your chunky tomato basil soup with crusty bread, grilled cheese (like this one here), or crackers for optimal coziness.
