cooking for a crowd – In Good Taste

14 Insane Thanksgiving Side Dishes You Need to Make

Maris Callahan — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 18:55:54 +0000

Thanksgiving turkeys get a lot of hype, but really? It’s the side dishes that people look forward to all year. It’s the mashed potatoes, the stuffing, the corn casserole and the cranberry sauce that people look forward to all year. While some people are traditionalists when it comes to the big meal, others like to mix it up and add fresh new Thanksgiving side dishes to the dinner table each year. If you’re among those who are looking to spice up your menu this holiday season, here are 14 of the most indulgent and creative dishes you can make this year. 1. Poutine Stuffing with Sausage and Cheese Curds This poutine stuffing is a fun twist on a fall classic. Perfect for Thanksgiving, it’s packed full of pork sausage and cheese curds and topped with a delicious poutine gravy. 2. Caramelized Onion and Bacon Mashed Potatoes If you’re looking to take your ‘taters to the next level, caramelized onions and bacon will add sweet and salty flavors into these creamy and delicious bacon mashed potatoes. 3. Mushroom Goat Cheese Galette It takes a few hours to pull this savory mushroom goat cheese galette together, but when you taste the tangy goat cheese and […]

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Spicy Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Ranch Slaw

Maris Callahan — Mon, 27 Mar 2017 05:24:57 +0000

When you tell people that you work from home, they think you have all kinds of time. There are some definite work-life benefits. I like talking long walks with my dog instead of long commutes. I like the ability to throw in a load of laundry between conference calls. Nonetheless, when I work from home I am actually working. When I work from home, I’m absolutely not spending three hours cooking dinner. In fact, there are many days when I haven’t even started dinner by the time Brad gets home. Brad gets home between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m on a typical night. Because I work for a company based on the West coast, my work schedule is pretty compatible with Brad’s, except for the days I work late, work even later blogging or go to the gym when my work is done. Yeah, the latter happens less frequently. Go with it. Since those late nights happen more often than they probably should, the slow cooker is my friend. I like to prep dinner around the same time I eat lunch, which, like everything else I do in my life, happens on the later side of the day. If I can throw […]

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Healthy Make-Ahead Party Recipes [Hot Double Spinach Dip]

Maris Callahan — Fri, 30 Dec 2016 21:52:07 +0000

I love to go out on New Year’s Eve. Now, I don’t love crowded bars or busy hotel celebrations, but I like to celebrate special occasions, like New Years’ Eve, at friends’ parties and going out to dinner. I love an excuse to get a little dressed up and have a night out. Brad, on the other hand, loves the Ohio State Buckeyes. and they happen to be playing in The Fiesta Bowl on Saturday night. Suffice to say, we’ll be spending New Year’s Eve in and not unsurprisingly, I’ve been spending a lot of time planning our New Year’s Eve menu. Last week, I shared some of my favorite New Year’s Eve recipes on CBS Chicago with Marissa Bailey. If you want to start the new year on a healthy note, preparation is power. Each of these ideas have one thing in common: they are each super easy to prepare and in most cases, make ahead, using fresh Organic ingredients from the O Organics line at Jewel-Osco. O Organics’ mission is to make a wide variety of USDA certified organic foods affordable for all. O Organics features more than 300 items for every occasion throughout the store—from fresh fruits and vegetables, to wholesome […]

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Hoppin’ John Recipe

Maris Callahan — Thu, 29 Dec 2016 07:19:14 +0000

Last year, my friend Anita hosted an open house New Year’s Day party where her daughter, also a good friend of mine, made a big pot of Hoppin’ John, a simple black-eyed pea stew made with bacon, rice and banana peppers. Black eyed peas are said to bring upon good luck in the New Year. This was new to me, but from here out I think I’m going to make it a tradition: 2016 has been a great year for me. I know it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows for a lot of people and I am the first one to agree: there is a lot of scary shit happening in the world. Pain is local though and I find myself practicing gratitude regularly — not just saying I’m grateful for what I have, but actually feeling it and believing it. Of course, I don’t owe it all to the Hoppin’ John. At the beginning of 2015 I was stuck in a big fat rut — unhappy running an all-consuming PR business, struggling financially, and overall feeling kind of lonely. My friend Kelley told me, as cliche as it is, that “life is a roller coaster, and sometimes you’re at the top and other […]

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Spicy Chicken, Sausage and Shrimp Gumbo

Maris Callahan — Sun, 17 Apr 2016 19:59:37 +0000

Spicy chicken, shrimp and spicy sausage gumbo made with fresh or frozen okra, tomatoes, celery and chopped green Poblano chiles is the perfect weeknight dinner solution when you want to channel some cajun spirit. Sometimes, I procrastinate. If you give me a hard deadline, I will always meet it, but when I don’t have that structure, I tend to put off even the most interesting of tasks. For example: I made this chicken, shrimp and spicy sausage gumbo several weeks ago when the wintery weather necessitated sweaters, fireplaces and simmering pots of food on the stovetop. It’s only today, when the temperature reads 83 degrees F that I manage to post it. Even though most of you are probably focused on what kind of fish to grill and whether or not to buy ribeye or filet for the grill, gumbo is a great “cook on Sunday, eat all week” meal and it’s hearty and filling, without weighing you down. I took a recipe from Epicurious and tweaked it with some different spices and the addition of spicy Andouille chicken sausage, but you could use pork sausage too, if you prefer the taste. Save Print Spicy Chicken, Sausage and Shrimp Gumbo Author: Adapted from Epicurious […]

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