It is official, like many others, I suffer from the January Blues. I know it will happen every year and I try to get prepared, but the fall is so exciting. We have football, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year. Who wants to think about January, who wants to plan for the cold, dark, boring month after all that fun. The only thing that would make January worse would be for our taxes to be due in January instead of April. (Let’s not give Uncle Sam any ideas.)
The Christmas lights and decorations are down and packed up, seasonal parties are over, kids are back at school, and families are back at their homes. It is cold, wet, and many of us are dealing with the extra pounds from the holidays. We have overly ambitious resolutions, credit card bills, and deadlines that we pushed off during the holidays.
Yuck, what can we do with a case of the January Blues? My only solution is to head into the kitchen to make some healthy and hearty meals.
Plan to invite someone to dinner or share a meal with a neighbor or friend who may be feeling a little blue, too. Better yet, invite a few folks over for a dinner party. The only way to cure the January blues is to be around people who make you smile. As the old Blues song goes: “Hey! Hey! The Blues Is Alright!” (Does anyone else really miss the old Subway Lounge, especially in January?)
Cheer up. Get cooking and let’s get started. I guess it is not really that cold. Thank goodness we live in Mississippi. What if I lived up north where it is really bleak? I might be like Jack Nicholson in The Shining. Happy New Year and happy January!
Cottage Pie Twice Baked Potatoes
These are a perfect comfort food and are very easy to double for a crowd. They taste delicious and make an impressive presentation. The cottage pie filling is best made the day before so the flavors can develop.
Cottage Pie, or Shepherd’s Pie, is a traditional British dish so you know it will stick to your ribs on a cold rainy day. This version is made with ground beef, herbs, mushrooms, red wine, and a rich beef broth gravy. It is perfect all tucked inside a baked potato and topped with cheesy mashed potatoes.
For the baked potatoes:
6 large baking potatoes
1-2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup milk or cream
2 tablespoons butter
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper, to taste
Olive oil or vegetable oil, as needed
For the cottage pie filling:
1 pound, lean ground beef
1 1/2 cups beef stock
1/4 to 1/2 cup red wine
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules or beef broth paste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 medium carrot, finely diced
1 8 ounce package of mushrooms, finely diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
Salt and pepper, to taste
Begin by baking potatoes: Stab potatoes a few times with a fork and then coat with oil, sprinkle with kosher salt, and bake in a 375° oven for about 45 minutes or until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
Remove and allow to cool enough to handle. Slice off the top, 3/4 of the way up, and scoop out most of the center of the potato into a large bowl, leaving a thin wall to keep the potatoes sturdy.
Mash the potatoes with butter, milk, nutmeg, half of the cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
To prepare the meat filling: Add carrot, onion, garlic, and mushrooms to a large sauté pan. Cook on high for a few minutes, and then add the ground beef. Cook until meat is totally cooked breaking it up in small pieces as you go.
Stir in tomato paste and fry it in the skillet for a few minutes to brown the tomato paste. Pour in the wine and deglaze pan. Simmer for about two minutes until wine has been absorbed.
Pour in the beef stock, rosemary, thyme, bouillon granules, Worcestershire sauce, and additional salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat and gently simmer about 20 to 25 minutes to thicken the sauce. You should have enough gravy so a little will be clinging to meat mixture.
Spoon the beef mixture into potatoes skins and then top with a few heaping tablespoons of the mashed potato mixture. (Feel free to put the potatoes into a piping bag and pipe it on if you want a better presentation.)
Top potatoes with remaining cheese and a little paprika. Bake for 12- 15 minutes at 400 until golden and bubbly.
Baked French Onion Meatballs
We found this recipe several years ago and made it during an ice storm. The ground chicken makes it a healthy choice but feel free to substitute ground beef or any combination of your choice.
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken or ground turkey
1 slice whole-grain bread
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon each: kosher salt and black pepper
6 tablespoons butter
3 to 4 medium yellow onions
3/4 cup dry white wine
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups mushrooms, sliced baby bellas work well
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons fresh chopped sage
2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup milk
6 slices of French bread
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
Preheat oven to 450° and grease 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Run the slice of bread under water until it is damp but not wet, squeeze any excess water out of the bread and then crumble into pieces.
In a bowl, combine chicken or turkey, crumbled bread, egg, and salt and pepper to taste. Roll into balls about the size of a ping-pong ball or 2 tablespoons of mixture. Place them in a prepared baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes or until meatballs are crispy on the outside but not yet cooked through.
Melt butter and onions together in an oven proof skillet and cook stirring occasionally until softened or about 10 minutes. Carefully add wine and continue to cook another 10 to 15 minutes until most of the wine has evaporated and the onions are deeply caramelized. Add garlic, mushrooms, thyme, and sage to the sauté pan and seasoning salt and pepper. Cook an additional three to four minutes. Add the chicken broth and a pinch of additional salt and pepper. Increase the heat to high and bring to a low boil. Add meatballs to the skillet and any pan juices. And stir in the milk.
Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet and toast for about 10 minutes until very dry. Place the bread around the meatballs and top evenly with cheese. Broil under the broiler for about three to five minutes and enjoy.
One-Pot Spinach and Artichoke Pasta
Kathryn McCraney made this for a lunch group one day and it hit the spot with its flavor and simplicity.
1 pound penne pasta, uncooked
2 onions, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
5 ounces baby spinach
1-pound frozen artichoke hearts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup white wine
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
In a large pot, combine the pasta, onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, spinach, artichoke hearts, olive oil, salt, black pepper, water, wine, and evaporated milk.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and let simmer, stirring often, until the noodles are cooked to desired consistency and the sauce has thickened, about 12-15 minutes. Add a little extra broth or water if sauce is too thick.
Remove from the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese and lemon juice.
Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Allow to sit for five minutes, stir again, and then serve warm.
Gluten Free Lemony Chicken Soup
Amy Turner shared this recipe and it is fresh and delicious and can be made in an Instapot or a slow cooker.
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 pound, small butter potatoes, quartered (I have substituted 1 cup brown rice)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon, dried Italian seasoning
3 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
I made mine in a crockpot but Amy used her InstaPot.
For the crockpot: put all the ingredients in the pot and cook on high for about three to four hours. I carefully remove the chicken breasts and cut into bite-size pieces. Return the meat to the pot and serve warm, adding additional broth if needed.
Cathie’s Quick Sesame Stir Fry
I got this recipe from Cathie Phillippi during the covid lockdown. We were in an email recipe exchange and I have enjoyed her recipe on many occasions. It makes a quick and easy family dinner. It is simple to double or triple so feel free to adjust the amounts for your family.
1 1/2 pounds of ground beef, ground pork, or ground turkey
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
4 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, more of less depending on your taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
Brown ground meat and drain off fat. In the same skillet, add garlic cloves and stir for about 1-2 minutes with meat. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until sauce thickens slightly.
Serve over rice and add a quick cucumber salad on the side.
To make cucumber salad: slice cucumbers thinly and marinate them in rice wine vinegar, a splash of oil, salt, pepper, and sugar. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve. Top with chopped peanuts, if desired.
Hot Ham and Cheese “Sammies” with Oven Roasted Tomato Soup
I cannot think of anything better on a cold January night than a cup of tomato soup and a hot ham and cheese sandwich. These are both quick and easy but equally delicious.
2 packs of Hawaiian style rolls or 24 other rolls that you like
1 pound shaved ham
24 slices of Swiss cheese
1 1/2 sticks butter
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons dried onions
2 teaspoons poppyseeds (I have substituted Everything but the Bagel seasoning for the onion and poppyseeds.)
Slice the rolls in half and lined the bottom of two 9 x 11” baking pans with the bottom halves of the rolls. They should just fit. Placed ham over the rolls in layer with slices of Swiss cheese. Placed the top half of the rolls on top. Set aside.
In a small sauce pan, combine the butter, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and dried onions. Over medium heat, stir until the butter has melted to create a sauce. Pour equal parts of the sauce over the rolls and then sprinkle with the poppyseeds. Cover the pans tightly with foil and store in the refrigerator for at least three hours or overnight.
When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 350° and place the covered pans in the oven for about 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with a cup of tomato soup.
Sheet Pan Tomato Soup
This is seriously good and very easy.
1 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
6 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
1 large onion, chopped
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 can tomato soup
4 cups chicken broth
Preheat oven to 425°. On a greased sheet pan or 9 x 13” baking dish, crush the tomatoes with your hands and scatter garlic and chopped onion over the entire dish. Drizzle with 1/4 cup olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the preheated oven turning about halfway through until garlic is soft and tomatoes are very jammy, 30 to 40 minutes.
Transfer mixture to a stock pot, scraping all the little bits into the pan. Add chicken broth and tomato soup and cook stirring often for about 15 minutes. If you would like a smoother soup, use an immersion blender to purée the onions and any tomato pieces or process mixture in a food processor.
Serve warm.
Cabbage Casserole
This is kind of like a stuffed cabbage but a quick and easy version in a casserole dish.
2 pounds ground meat
4 cans spicy hot V-8 juice
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 cup uncooked rice
1 1/2 to 2 heads cabbage
1 1/2 cups grated cheese, any variety and optional
In a large skillet, brown ground beef. Add onions, bell pepper, and celery, mix well and then add the rice. Remove from heat and mix well.
Break cabbage into small pieces and layer on the bottom of a 9x12” casserole dish with a layer of cabbage. Then top with half the meat mixture. Pour one can of the V8 and then layer an additional layer of cabbage leaves. Top of the remaining meat mixture in an additional can of V8. Finish with a layer of cabbage and the last two cans of V-8.
Bake at 400° for 1 1/2 hours and then put the cheese on top. Cook until cheese is brown.
