Welcome back to dinner, sorted. Let’s get your dinner sorted
Woof. Last week was... a journey. Recipe testing really had me in a chokehold. You win some, you lose some, and last week? I was definitely losing.
I was trying to create this perfect “in-between” meal—cozy, delicious, but lighter, you know, because everyone’s about to go ham on heavy holiday food. First up: a miso Dijon salmon. Sounds great, right? And it was. But I paired it with crispy rice that was supposed to be fun and textural, and it just... wasn’t. The rice bits were giving bone. Not ideal. I’ll keep at it.
Then came jalapeño popper chicken and rice casserole. Except I forgot how much I loathe rice with cream cheese. Something about that combo tastes like betrayal to me. Absolutely not.
But then—finally—I cracked the code. Nothing groundbreaking, but good. I was playing around with a hot honey chicken skillet (because duh), and after overcomplicating it six ways to Sunday, turns out the simplest version was the winner. But of course I couldn’t leave it simple, so instead of just melting cheddar over the potatoes like a normal person, I went for a cheddar cheese skirt and a dill ranch, and boom. Chef’s kiss.
There’s a couple of tricks to working with cheddar when you’re making it crispy, which I’ll share in the recipe below.
Oh, and heads up—December is kicking off with a bang. I’m launching a fun new series: Holiday Appies. Think simple but elevated appetizers that travel well, that will make you look like you tried really hard when you didn’t. Plus, I’ve got some sweet giveaways lined up exclusively for my paid subscribers. Stay tuned!
TO THIS WEEKS FOOD
This week, I’m sharing my guide to perfect caramelized onions—ideal if you’re planning to make the french onion mac and cheese I posted Thursday. Or if you just want to know the how and why behind getting perfectly rich onions every time.
Don’t forget, the Thanksgiving Hotline is open for paid subscribers. If you have any Thanksgiving chaos or questions, drop them there. I’ll be monitoring it live on Wednesday and Thursday for any last-minute panics.
And finally, this week’s dinner, sorted menu: hot honey chicken bowls with crispy cheddar potatoes.
