Chicken and Butternut Squash Tamale Pie

This is the ultimate comfort food - hearty chili is baked with cornbread on top. The whole meal is combined into one pot making clean up super easy. Win win.

I once had a coworker in a kitchen that I worked in who didn’t know what tamale pie was. When I explained it to her, she was totally put off. I was so confused - how could you go wrong with tamale pie, it is basically chili baked with cornbread. I am a fan and I hope you are too.

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Sausage Stuffing with Mozzarella

The name of this stuffing is really Luke’s Stuffing but if we called it that, no one would really know what was in it, right? Well it is full of lots of delicious things including sausage, chunks of bread, and mozzarella. In all honestly this may be more of a strata rather than a stuffing, but it is Thanskgiving and it is deliciois so who really cares, right?

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Week Eats 10/29

As the weather turns colder here in Nashville, I am craving hearty food. One of my tried and true recipes that I always turn to it the orecchiette with sausage. I chicken sausage because I am not really into pork these days but feel free to use either It is a one pot pasta that come together really quickly and is super filling but light at the same time.

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Acorn Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

Soups are the easiest meals that can be made out of basically nothing. If you have a couple vegetables, an onion, salt and pepper and some stock or even just water, you can create a delicious soup. The key with all pureed soups is to cook down the vegetables until they are basically falling apart, that way when you blend them, they will get all sorts of creamy and luscious.

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Week's Eats 10/22

My soup obsession continues. The more weeks that I write this down, the more I realize I pretty much eat only soup and only things that can be served in bowls. It could be worse but it is still pretty funny to see now that I am documenting this.

The tacos were a highlight and I totally encourage you to try them. I love that goat cheese and roast garlic mixture and it is a great way to use up extra vegetables. Also I know it seems simple, but never doubt the amazing power of chicken noodle soup. My version is made in the instant pot and is totally delicious.

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Pickled Red Onions

When it comes to cooking I think there are some things you can always keep in your fridge to add that extra deliciousness to anything you are eating. I call them Flavor Gold - just basically an easy topping to extra crunch that you can add to a dish to elevate it from really good to amazing. Pickled red onions are one of those recipes. I love to keep a batch of them in my fridge and then I can throw them on top of salads, in sandwiches and in this case, as a topping for tacos.

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Amanda FredericksonComment
Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

Right after I had baby Olivia a friend brought over a version of this chicken noodle soup and I swear, I think it is what brought me back to life. My hospital stay had not been great - we were in a dark room with no natural light for three days and the food at the hospital was beyond disgusting. So when a friend made a version of this I pretty much ate all of it and finally started to feel like myself again.

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Shrimp and Grits

Let me start by saying this is my version of shrimp and grits. An easy tasty version. I feel like I have to start it that way because I would imagine, especially in the south, everyone has their own family secret recipe when it comes to shrimp and grits.

I know I say this all the time, but this is my ultimate bowl of comfort food - creamy grits and heart shrimp, I could literally eat this all the time.

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Chili Con Carne

I had some serious aspirations of serving this chili with a big ol’ slab of buttery cornbread. But that didn’t happen because although I would love to, I just don’t really have time to bake on weeknights. Honestly I am not even sure why I thought I would have time. But…instead I topped this deliciously comforting bowl of chili with a handful of corn chips and it was the best thing ever. I used the corn chips from Whole Foods because for some reason I think those are healthier but Fritos would totally work too. (For the record I love love Fritos - maybe just a little too much)

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Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

I am pretty sure this is my dream bowl of food. Rich coconut milk filled chicken broth with bright flavors like lime juice and cilantro, I could honestly eat this every single night. It is basically a Thai inspired version of chicken soup that comes together really quickly. It will also freeze really well just don’t include the rice noodles when you freeze it. When refrigerated or frozen it may separate but just give it a good shake or stir and it will come back to gather.

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One Pan Chicken with Apples and Kale

As I write down these Week’s Eats you are definitely going to see a version of this roast chicken thighs make their appearance all the time. They are just so easy, healthy, and require minimal clean up. This week I roasted the chicken thighs with apples, onions, kale, and breadcrumbs but you could also throw in some artichokes or just use lemons. Consider the chicken thighs as a base and then add in whatever else you want.

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Week's Eats: Week of 10/8

This week was all about warm comfort food since it is finally cold here in Nashville. Last week I made a double batch of the Curried Lentil, Tomato, and Coconut Soup so I had that as an easy Monday night meal. The rest of the week included some ramen (which is also a great meal to stash in the freezer, just don’t add the noodles in if you are going to freeze because noodles don’t freeze well), grain bowl and a one past pasta which is an oldie but goody.

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Week's Eats: Week of 10/1

I get asked all the time to create some sort of meal plan. I have been hesitant because I want to create something that is really helpful for you all, not just showing you recipes that you could eat if you wanted to.

Since Olivia’s arrival life has obviously gotten a little crazy but my one goal during the day is to make dinner. Mostly because cooking is where is I am happiest. So if my house is a mess and laundry needs to be done, or even if I haven’t even brushed my teeth, if I make dinner, I feel like I have accomplished something.

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Curried Lentil, Tomato, and Coconut Soup

I am a diehard Yotam Ottolenghi fan. I love all of his books and I am always so impressed with his dishes, especially the flavors he pairs together. This curried lentil, tomato and coconut soup was inspired by his recipe and it does not disappoint. I have added it to my weeknight dinner rotation because it is easy, healthy, and freezes well. I served my soup with some grilled pizza dough as a fake “naan” but feel free to serve with any crusty bread you can find to soak up all of that goodness.

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Grain Bowl with Carrot Hummus

I am convinced that I pretty much only eat food that can be served in bowls. I don’t even know why I have plates sometimes because bowls are just that much easier. This grain bowl with carrot hummus was born out of the heaping mounds of carrots that seem to have been collecting in my fridge. I love good grain salad and served alongside a smear of carrot hummus, this might be the perfect healthy meal.

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