A Grateful Meal

Winter

Chicken Soup with Buttermilk Dill Dumplings

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This post contains links that pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Overview of chicken soup with buttermilk dill dumplings on top of a cloth napkin
This post contains links that pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Last week I came down with something fierce. So fierce that I canceled my connecting flight home so I could get some rest in a Baltimore airport hotel for the night to regroup for my flight the following day. Eighteen hours later, I was so happy to be home that I could have kissed the ground in Charleston. While it was a balmy 70 degrees in Charleston last week, I was freezing thanks to my neverending low-grade fever, but I wanted soup. 

Just like my Italian Wedding Soup, this Chicken Soup with Buttermilk Dill Dumplings is perfect to have around for the long, cold days of winter and all the illnesses that tend to pop up. It’s warm, comforting, and requires minimal effort thanks to my Instant Pot. Before my Instant Pot, a soup like this could take hours to simmer to get the chicken perfectly tender and the broth perfectly seasoned. 

Close up of chicken soup with buttermilk dill dumplings on top of a cloth napkin

Not only is my method easy, but I use something special to make my dumplings. Pancake mix. Yep, good ol’ fashioned pancake mix, specifically the buttermilk kind for the fluffiest of pancakes. One day when I thought I had all of the ingredients to make this soup, I was entirely out of flour. However, what I did have is a giant box of buttermilk pancake mix. The mix has leavening ingredients to make them “rise” or “fluff up” when they cook. If you choose a pancake mix that also has dehydrated buttermilk, the dumplings will be super tender in texture. I could technically make dumplings from scratch and include regular buttermilk, but first of all, it’s easier and just as enjoyable to use the mix. And second, I always end up with a half-used buttermilk container, and it always feels wasteful. 

Now since the buttermilk makes the dumpling fluffy, what can we add to buttermilk dumplings extra flavor? Why, dill, of course! Buttermilk was made to be paired with dill (hey, any ranch dressing lovers out there?), so naturally, I included some dried dill in the dumplings. A little goes a long way with dill in terms of flavor. The buttermilk dill dumplings add a nice punchy flavor to the soup. 

Soups are also a great place to sneak in extra nutrition. For example, I threw in some hearty, winter greens like kale to add a nice dose of vitamins A, K, C, and B vitamins (B6 and B9 [folate]) as well as fiber. You can also up the fiber dose even more by using a whole-grain buttermilk pancake mix for the dumplings.  

Overview of chicken soup with buttermilk dill dumplings on top of a cloth napkin

This recipe is tried and true in my household. So trust me when I say, you can’t mess this one up. It’s indestructible. It also makes a lot, so if you’re trying to do some batch cooking for meal prep, this is a perfect recipe. 

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Chicken Soup with Buttermilk Dill Dumplings

Overview of chicken soup with buttermilk dill dumplings on top of a cloth napkin
  • Author: Melissa
  • Total Time: 30-45 minutes
  • Category: Soup
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Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp. oil 
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 stalks of celery
  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast and/or thighs, boneless, skinless 
  • 6 cups of chicken stock
  • 2 cups of buttermilk pancake mix
  • 1 tsp. dill
  • 2 tbsp. butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 bunch of kale, chopped, stems removed
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in Instant Pot on saute function. Add onion, celery, and carrots to oil and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and turn off saute function. 
  2. Add chicken to Instant Pot. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken stock and cook on high pressure for 13 minutes. Quick-release the steam and pressure on the Instant Pot. Remove chicken from Instant Pot and shred meat. Set chicken aside. 
  3. Add kale to the hot chicken stock and stir. Mix together pancake mix and dill in a mixing bowl. Add butter and milk and mix until just incorporated. Take a spoon and drop batter by the spoonful into the hot chicken stock. Seal up Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Quick-release the steam and pressure again. 
  4. Add chicken back to soup and serve immediately. 

Wine Country Burgers

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Burgers with onion, red wine, and bacon jam with spring mix and goat cheese
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I love wine country. I got my first experience last Spring with a weeklong trip to California. I started in San Fransisco and worked my way through a nice chunk of Sonoma County. Everywhere from the Russian River Valley to Sonoma proper to Healdsburg. The wine was clearly a huge highlight, and the food was incredible as well. There seem to be some quintessential food and beverages that represent wine country. Clearly, wine is one of them, and of course, Cabernet Sauvignon reigns supreme in California. Figs and goat cheese also seem to have found a firm place in wine country cuisine. So, I did what any respectable food blogger would do, I put all the flavors in a burger. Oh, yeah, this Wine Country Burger is out of this world good. A ground beef patty topped with an onion-fig-wine-bacon jam, spring mix, and goat cheese. Hell yes. You might think from that description that this is a super-indulgent meal, but really the flavors blend so well together you don’t need much from each ingredient for the flavor to shine. You might always think of burgers as being summer food, but this wine burger stands up to the blustery months of fall and winter.

Burgers with onion, red wine, and bacon jam with spring mix and goat cheese and a bottle of Cabernet

Being that Cabernet Sauvignon is essential to wine country, I decided that I would pair with other wine country flavors. It also classically pairs with red meat. I specifically used Chop Shop Cabernet from Winc. In November, I decided that I would try out Winc. Disclaimer: I purchased Winc with my own money. This is not a sponsored post, but that is an affiliate link. If you use my link, you can save $20 off your first shipment, and I earn a small commission that helps keep this blog going. Winc is a subscription-based wine delivery service. Every month, you have the option to have bottles of wine delivered straight to your door, which has been super convenient. The quality has been great as well. There was only one in my first shipment thus far that was not my taste. However, you can provide Winc with feedback to help them suggest wines within your wheelhouse for future deliveries. This Chop Shop bottle is very fruit forward and only moderately tannic, making it perfect to use in the jam but also to pair for drinking alongside.
You can’t go wrong with these pairings. I promise wine country didn’t steer me wrong with this burger.

Burgers with onion, red wine, and bacon jam with spring mix and goat cheese

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Wine Country Burgers

Burgers with onion, red wine, and bacon jam with spring mix and goat cheese
  • Author: Melissa
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
Scale

Ingredients

  • 4 slices of bacon
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 2 tbsp. fig jam
  • 1/3 cup of bold red wine such as Winc’s Chop Shop Cabernet Sauvignon
  • 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 lb. of lean ground beef
  • 1 tbsp. light olive oil or canola
  • 4 hamburger buns, toasted
  • 4 large handfuls of mixed greens
  • 2 oz. of goat cheese, crumbled

Instructions

  1. Heat pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crispy. Drain on paper towels and drain out excess fat from pan. Crumble bacon and set aside.
  2. Add onion and season with salt/pepper to pan. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add fig jam. Lower heat to low-medium and cook for additional 5 minutes. Add wine and Worcestershire sauce to deglaze. Cook for about 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Add crumbled bacon to onion mixture.
  3. Form meat into 4 equal patties. Season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Sear ground beef, cooking for about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 5 or so minutes or until desired doneness (150-155 degrees F for medium-well). 
  4. Place burgers on buns and top with jam, cheese, and mixed greens. Serve immediately. 

Citrus Winter Farro Salad

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Overview of farro salad with brussels sprouts and citrus
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Happy New Year, folks! 2019 was quite the ride, and I’m ready for 2020. 2019 was a year of change for me. I quit my secure, well-paying job to move onto entrepreneurship. And I haven’t regretted it one bit. I’m genuinely excited about what the roaring twenties have in store for me and my little corner of the internet. It’s been a busy holiday season, and lately, I’ve been craving some fresh flavors like citrus, which is in season, so this Citrus Winter Farro Salad has been hitting the spot perfectly. It’s chock full of whole grains, crispy Brussels sprouts, and vitamin C-rich citrus. I recently went to a local tapas restaurant, which had fried, crispy brussels sprouts with grapefruit, and it was so good. I knew immediately that I needed to recreate it at home and for the blog as this Citrus Winter Farro Salad. It keeps well in the refrigerator, tastes great served warm or cold, and is an easy dish for weekend meal prep. 

Drizzling of citrus vinaigrette on farro salad with brussels sprouts

I know it seems cliche that a recipe posted on New Year’s Day would be a salad, but I assure you that this post is encouraging you to eat only salads this year. I’m not big on resolutions, but I do like the idea of setting intentions. I’ve set some intentions this year for peace, including cultivating more peace with food and my body. One area I think we (as a culture and society) could use is making peace with food. “Making peace with food” is the third principle of Intuitive Eating. Making peace with food means giving yourself unconditional permission to eat anything you want. Yes, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist just told you to give yourself unconditional permission to eat anything you want. It shouldn’t be shocking, but sadly, it might be for many. If you want to eat cake, eat cake. If you want to eat a salad, eat a salad. By giving yourself unconditional permission to eat whatever you want, you’ll never feel deprived or look at a meal as if its the “last supper.” If given permission, no one would only eat cake for the rest of their lives. At some point, it would become awful; you would start craving crunchy and savory foods. This would probably happen sooner than you might think.  

Close up of farro salad with brussels sprouts and citrus

I think that’s exactly how this recipe was born. I was craving crunchy vegetables, grains, and bright citrus flavors after having a lot of rich, soft foods around the holidays like mashed potatoes/gravy, desserts, etc. And I love me some rich, soft foods like mashed potatoes with gravy and desserts and plan to eat plenty of them in 2020 as well. But, this is the way life goes. Honor those cravings. Eat the “good” food and the “bad” food. And, challenge yourself this year to make peace with food and changing your vocabulary to not label foods as “good” or “bad.” Eat the salad, eat the cake, and get on with your life. And if you’re going to eat a salad, eat this one. It tastes so good. 

Overview of farro salad with brussels sprouts and citrus with some portioned on a plate

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Citrus Winter Farro Salad

Overview of farro salad with brussels sprouts and citrus
  • Author: Melissa
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups of farro 
  • 1 lb. brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, plus 2 tbsp.
  • 3 tbsp. lemon juice (juice of about 1/2 of lemon)
  • 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1 lb. brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
  • 1 large orange or grapefruit,  peeled and segmented
  • Salt and pepper to taste 

Instructions

  1. Cook farro to package directions, then place in a bowl to set aside to cool. 
  2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 475 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Toss sprouts with 2 tbsp. olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on sheet and bake for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and toss again (or shake the pan to move around), place back in oven and cook an additional 5 minutes. Set aside. 
  3. While sprouts cook, make the vinaigrette. Mix lemon juice and dijon mustard together. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil while continually whisking until dressing is well blended.
  4. Toss farro, brussels sprouts, vinaigrette, and citrus segments together in a bowl. Drizzle with vinaigrette.

Chicken Marsala Meatballs

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We all need a good meatball recipe in our lives, and these Chicken Marsala Meatballs are just the ticket. That might be the Italian in me speaking, but I’m sure non-Italians agree. I also think we all need a meal that we can make without a recipe. A recipe that we have down pat and could make blindfolded. Chicken Marsala is one of those recipes for me. It was one of the first things I learned to make when I started adulting. You can’t beat braised chicken in a sweet and savory wine sauce with mushrooms. Back in those early adulting years, I used cheap cooking marsala wine from the grocery store (I mean, I wasn’t even 21 yet, people). These days, I use authentic sweet Marsala wine. Marsala wine is a fortified, higher alcohol (the I used was 18% ABV) wine hailing from the Italian island of Sicily. Wine Folly recommends a simple entry-level marsala wine ($10-15) for cooking. 

Chicken marsala meatballs with a bottle of marsala wine in the background

Instead of adding the mushrooms in the sauce with these Chicken Marsala Meatballs, I decided to put the mushrooms in the meatballs to bump up the flavor and keep them from drying out as mushrooms hold a ton a taste but a lot of water too. Plus, you can sneak in a vegetable. Non-mushroom lovers may be reluctant to see the mushrooms in the sauce, but now they won’t even know they are there! They’ll just taste the great flavor, and you can make them into mushroom lovers by telling them afterward there were mushrooms in the meatballs. I love tricking people into liking things they thought they hated. It’s so much fun. 

Overview of chicken marsala meatballs with parsley garnish

These meatballs could be used as an entree or as an appetizer. These would make the perfect party food for any potluck or gathering. The sauce sticks to the meatballs well, so you just have to plate them up and stick some toothpicks in them for easy serving. 

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Chicken Marsala Meatballs

Close up of chicken marsala meatballs garnished with parsley
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Ingredients

  • 8 oz. cremini or baby bella mushrooms
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound ground chicken or turkey
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • Salt and pepper
  • 3/4 cup chicken stock
  • 3/4cup of marsala wine
  • 1 tbsp. cornstarch or tapioca powder, as needed
  • Chopped parsley, optional (for garnish)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. Pulse mushrooms in food processor until coarsely chopped (it’s ok if the pieces aren’t uniform). Heat skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil,  then the ground mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Saute mushrooms until their liquid fully evaporated about 7-10 minutes. Turn off heat and set pan aside to cool slightly.
  2. Add ground chicken, egg, panko, parmesan, garlic/onion powder in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add cooked, ground mushrooms and mix everything together until just combined. Set aside mushroom pan for making sauce. Roll into small meatballs (should yield about 30-35 meatballs). 
  3. Line a baking sheet with tin foil or parchment paper. Bake meatballs for about 18-20 minutes or until meatballs cooked through. 
  4. Meanwhile, reheat the pan used to cook mushrooms. Pour the Marsala wine into the pan and boil down for a few seconds to cook out some of the alcohol. Add the chicken stock and simmer for a few minutes or until sauce is reduced – about 3-5 minutes. If sauce is needing thickening, mix the cornstarch (or tapioca powder) with just enough cold water to dissolve. Add to cornstarch slurry to sauce to thicken enough to coat meatballs. Add meatballs to skillet to coat. Garnish with chopped parsley (if using).

Smoky and Savory Sweet Potato Casserole

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A serving of savory sweet potato casserole being spooned out on a dish
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I didn’t really grow up eating sweet potatoes. On the other hand, they were a staple in my husband’s family growing up. When I think of potatoes, I think savory flavors. Salt, herbs, vinegar, you know, those kind of flavors. It wasn’t until adulthood that I really embraced the sweet potato and all of his lovely casserole forms around the holidays. However, this holiday season, I’ve been craving a more savory sweet potato casserole instead of the norm. I recently had a very delicious sweet potato bisque that involved coconut milk, chipotle peppers, and bacon, which was my inspiration for this savory sweet potato casserole. Man, oh man, did my muse serve me well. This is freaking fantastic. 

Close up of savory sweet potato casserole with bacon topping

It gets its smokiness from not just smoked paprika, but also chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Chipotle peppers in adobo can easily be found in the Latin section of the grocery store. Chipotle peppers are simply dried and smoked jalapenos, and the adobo sauce is a sweet and tangy tomato sauce that they are canned within. No need to drain off the sauce. I typically just pull out a pepper from the can onto my cutting board and chop it finely. I discard any stems but include the seeds in my cooking. I love keeping a jar of these around the kitchen and put them in all sorts of dishes that need a little kick.

Overview of the savory sweet potato casserole

The topping of the casserole is simply breadcrumbs with a little oil, seasoning, and crumbled bacon. All of this adds a beautiful crunch component to the consistency of the casserole. I think that this dish is all about balance. The sweetness of the potatoes is balanced with smoky and savory flavors. The soft texture of the potatoes is juxtaposed with the crunch of the panko breadcrumbs and crispy bacon. And, there you have it, folks. I’m totally going to win a casserole of the year award here. I mean, that should totally be a thing, right?

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Smoky and Savory Sweet Potato Casserole

A serving of savory sweet potato casserole being spooned out on a dish
  • Author: admin
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 hours
  • Category: side dish
Scale

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Put the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and pierce each one several times with a fork. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until easily pierced all the way through with a fork. Set aside to cool. 
  2. Meanwhile, heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook bacon until crispy and remove to drain on a paper towel. Drain bacon fat from skillet except for about 1-2 tsp. Add onion and for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, chipotle pepper, smoked paprika, oregano, and salt/pepper to taste. Cook for additional 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat, add coconut milk, and stir. 
  3. In a separate bowl, mix breadcrumbs, olive oil, and bacon crumbles. Season to taste with black pepper. 
  4. Once sweet potatoes cool enough to handle, scoop orange flesh out of potatoes into large mixing bowl. Add coconut milk mixture and mash. Fold in the eggs to the sweet potato mixture. Spray a 9×13 size casserole pan with nonstick spray or with olive oil. Add potato mixture to casserole pan. Top with breadcrumb mixture and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until breadcrumbs golden and casserole warmed through.

Easy Cranberry Margaritas for a Crowd

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Glasses of cranberry margaritas with a large pitcher of margarita
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It’s no secret around here that I’m kind of obsessed with cranberries. Not only do I like cranberry sauce, but I also like spicy cranberry shrimp. I mean, what says “the holidays” like bright, colorful, and tart cranberries? Let me tell you that these easy cranberry margaritas sure do say it loud and proud.  

Overview of three glasses of cranberry margaritas with fresh limes, rosemary, and cranberries

One of the challenges during the holiday season is choosing what cocktails, wine, or beer are served at gatherings. Often, wine and beer are natural choices. No mixing involved, and they can be bought in bulk. Cocktails are a little more challenging since they require mixing and matching. What you really need at your holiday gatherings is an easy and festive cocktail that can be mixed in a pitcher or punch bowl to be enjoyed by the masses. These easy cranberry margaritas are just the ticket.

I made these recently at Thanksgiving to accompany the beer and wine selection. These margaritas were gone in a blink of an eye. The empty pitcher was met with disappointed comments like “aw, the margaritas are gone already?” Not to worry, they took just a few minutes to whip another batch, and all was well again in the world. If you know you’ll need a large amount, this recipe can easily be multiplied using the handy feature in the recipe card below.

Glass of cranberry margarita garnished with rosemary, lime, and fresh cranberries

These margaritas are also just so naturally pretty and festive. With the bright red cranberries and green limes, it a natural fit for a Christmas party or gathering. I like to garnish with a sprig of rosemary for fun too. Fresh cranberries naturally float in liquid, so if you freeze them in advance, you can actually use them as “ice cubes” without watering down the cocktails. I like to use a combination of ice cubes and frozen cranberries to ensure they stay nice and cold. 

I didn’t add any salt to the rims of the glasses, but you certainly could. The margaritas themselves are a little sweet and tart, but if you prefer a sweeter margarita, you could try a sugar rim to balance the tart. I got no complaints with the margaritas as is, but I am all for you doing you. 

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Cranberry Margarita

Glass of cranberry margarita garnished with rosemary, lime, and fresh cranberries
  • Author: admin
  • Prep Time: 5
  • Total Time: 5
  • Yield: 6 cocktails 1x
Scale

Ingredients

  • 4 cups cranberry juice
  • 1 1/2 cups tequila blanco
  • 1/2 cup lime juice (or the juice of about 3 medium-large limes)
  • 1/2 cup fresh cranberries, for garnish 
  • Additional lime wedges and rosemary sprigs for garnish

Instructions

  1. Stir cranberry juice, tequila, and lime juice in a pitcher with ice. Add cranberries and a few lime wedges, which will float for garnish. 
  2. Serve cocktails with a sprig of rosemary and additional lime wedges. 

Notes

Tip: freeze cranberries in advance and use as “ice cubes” to keep drinks cold