This post was sponsored by King’s Hawaiian as a part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
What makes a sandwich a truly good sandwich? Is it the quality of the ingredients? The combination of ingredients? Perhaps it’s sticking to the basics and not veering too far from the way it’s always been made, or maybe it’s adding a twist to a classic dish to elevate it and make it feel new. For me, the answer to that question lies somewhere in between all of those notions, but one thing is for certain; it always starts with the bread.
I’ve been a huge fan of KING’S HAWAIIAN® Bread since the moment I first sank in teeth into one of their delicious sweet rolls many years ago. If I’m being honest, I could eat half a pack of sweet rolls for a meal. That’s how good they are! So when I spotted their Original Sliced Hawaiian Sweet Bread on the shelves at my local Target, I filled my shopping bag with multiple loaves. Previously I had only had KING’S HAWAIIAN® rolls and slider buns, so the idea of making one of my favorite sandwiches and enjoying it between two beautiful pillows of sliced Hawaiian Bread sounded pretty amazing to me.
The panini press in our house gets a lot of love. There are few things I find quite as comforting as a hot sandwich filled with tender meat, gooey cheese and toasted buttered bread. With St. Patrick’s Day fresh on the brain this month, I whipped up these Corned Beef Patty Melts with a little bit of a twist. Traditional corned beef patty melts, or Reuben sandwiches are made with sauerkraut, but I love to add a fresh element to mine by using angel hair cabbage for an added crunch. Rye bread is also typically used when making Reubens, but making them with KING’S HAWAIIAN® Bread really took this sandwich to a whole new level!
Making hot sandwiches using KING’S HAWAIIAN® Bread has been a great way to warm up as the cold of winter begins to exit out area and spring arrives. It’s absolutely irresistible any way you slice it, and I truly believe every sandwich is better when you make it with KING’S HAWAIIAN® Bread!
If you’re looking for a simple and satisfying sandwich melt to sink your teeth into, here’s a printable version of my recipe if you’d like to give it a try!
fresh angel hair cabbage or sauerkraut if preferred
Russian or Thousand Island for serving
Instructions
For Corned Beef Brisket:
Using a pressure cooker, add corned beef, onion, seasoning packet and 2 cups water to pressure cooker, seal properly and cook on high pressure for 1 hr 30 minutes
Allow pressure to release naturally, then remove corned beef brisket onto a serving plate and allow to rest before cutting. Be sure to cut the brisket diagonally against the grain to avoid the meat becoming stringy.
For the Sandwich:
On a slice of Sliced Hawaiian Bread, smear a thin layer of either Russian or Thousand Island dressing, followed by a slice of swiss cheese, corned beef, cabbage (or sauerkraut) and another piece of bread.
Lightly butter the outside of the bread and place in a panini press or cook in a pan on the stove until the bread is golden and toasted and the cheese is melted
Serve immediately with chips, a pickle and a little extra dressing for dipping
What makes a sandwich truly great in your eyes? Is it the ingredients? Is it the bread? Maybe it’s somewhere in between. Next time you’re at Target, swing by the bread aisle and grab a loaf or two of KING’S HAWAIIAN® Original Sliced Hawaiian Sweet Bread to elevate all of your sandwiches to a new level! Also be on the lookout for new Honey Wheat Sliced Bread when it launches at Target this coming April!
This recipe for Southern Cornbread Dressing is a true southern staple dish to serve during the holiday season. Made with homemade cornbread from scratch, this recipe makes coming home for Thanksgiving even more spectacular!
It’s absolutely not a certified southern Thanksgiving dinner unless there’s a big pan of homemade dressing sitting next to the turkey. Cornbread dressing is comfort food at it’s finest, and it’s always served with either a spoonful of cranberry sauce or a drizzle of gravy right on top. Truth be told, I think the dressing is more of the star of the Thanksgiving feast than the turkey is. I may not go back for seconds for the turkey, but you can bet your bottom dollar that I’ll be getting a second helping of dressing!
I was always taught to make my dressing with day-old cornbread. It’s not imperative that you do that, but using day-old cornbread is preferred by many as old cornbread soaks up more of the broth and produces a better texture and consistency in the dressing. All that is to say – don’t skip this part! If you’re serving this for Thanksgiving dinner, you’ll want to make sure you plan ahead and get that skillet of cornbread in the oven the day before. You’ll also want to make sure you have about half a loaf of white bread on hand that is also a few days old. This recipe calls for thumb-size pieces of white bread to go with the day-old cornbread to help really lock in the moisture in the dressing.
Despite what many people may believe, dressing and stuffing, in my opinion, cannot be used interchangeably. Even though there are many similarities, traditional Southern Cornbread Dressing is different from “stuffing” for a few reasons. Stuffing is typically known to be a bit herbier, with sage being the stand-out herb used. While many dressing recipes do call for sage and other seasonings (such as this recipe,) you’ll frequently find that many omit the sage all together. Stuffing also typically uses larger chunks of bread, while cornbread dressing uses a very finely ground cornbread as its base. Dressing is usually more moist while stuffing tends to be a bit drier, and then of course there’s the whole “stuffing it inside a turkey” thing. While I think the practice of literally stuffing the bird is fading out a bit, cornbread dressing is never stuffed inside a turkey where as stuffing traditionally is.
My grandmother’s signature in her dressing was adding just a smidge of nutmeg. It’s not anything that really stands out in the dish, but I love adding it in because that’s exactly what she did. I never got to sit down and have a Thanksgiving dinner with her, but I’d like to think she’d be proud that I add in the nutmeg in memory of her.
Are you ready to make a big ol’ helping of southern cornbread dressing? Here’s everything you’ll need to get started:
If you have ample leftovers, dressing will freeze well so you can enjoy it again later! Just add a little chicken broth to liven it back up, warm all the way through and enjoy all over again!
What is your favorite Thanksgiving side dish? Do you prefer cranberry sauce or gravy on top of your dressing? Leave a comment below and share the love!
Happy Thanksgiving, y’all!
If you’ll have little ones running around the house during Thanksgiving this year, be sure to take a look at these fun Thanksgiving Themed Snack Crafts for them to make and share!
This shop has been compensated by Inmar Intelligence and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #easylittlepotato
As we inch closer to the month of October, I can finally feel summer fading and the beginning of fall making its presence known. Summer lingers around for quite a long time here in the southern portion of Alabama, and while I’m ready for a new season to roll in, I’ll surely miss these long summer afternoons. While we had a wonderful summer despite the circumstances, I deeply missed gathering with friends and family and sharing food, fun and laughter with them. Here in my neck of the woods, there is no better way to send off the summer than to have a good old fashioned low country boil.
So what do you do when you can’t gather as a group for a low country boil like you used to? You simply scale down on the ingredients just a tad and make Low Country Boil Foil Packs in the oven or on the grill!
Making low country boil foil packs is a perfect way to satisfy your craving without having to make a ton of food for the masses. I made these packs for just my husband and I, and while we missed the social element of having a true low country boil, the flavors were absolutely spot on to the real thing, and cleanup was a breeze!
The key to getting the perfect flavors is all in the ingredients. One thing I really love about a low boil is that they actually require very few ingredients. To make these low county boil foil packs, you’ll need about a pound of white colossal shrimp, a few ears of yellow corn, sausage links, Creamer potatoes, olive oil and creole seasoning.
When choosing which potatoes to use in these low country boil foil packs, I made a beeline straight for The Little Potato Company Dynamic Duo Creamer potatoes in the 1.5 lb bag. When you’re making a foil pack that contains shrimp, it’s important to be aware of the cook time so as to not overcook the shrimp. Knowing that large baking potatoes take the longest time to cook, it’s important to choose a little-sized Creamer potato. The Little Potato Company really hits a home run with their bags of fresh Creamer potatoes. Little Time, Little Potatoes, Big Flavor – and that’s exactly what I’m going for!
All of the Creamer potatoes in their packages are consistently sized, so each one cooks to the same doneness. There is also no peeling or cleaning required either, as they’re meant to be eaten with their naturally nutritious skins on. These Creamer potatoes are the littlest in the potato family and are meant to be bite-sized, just like cherry tomatoes are in the tomato family. They have a beautifully creamy and buttery taste and a perfectly soft texture. They are absolutely the perfect Creamer potato to choose for a low country boil, especially a scaled down version just like these foil packets!
All ingredients needed to make these low country boil foil packs are available at your local Walmart. When purchasing the ingredients, I was able to add everything I needed to my cart using the Walmart Online Grocery Pickup app. I made sure to add my favorite varieties to my “favorites” in the app by clicking the heart in the top right so that I can come back to them quickly and repurchase them.
One thing I love the most about these foil packs is that there is very little prep work that needs to be done. It’s really as easy as chop, wrap and bake! To get things started, I emptied the bag of The Little Potato Company’s Creamer potatoes into a microwave safe bowl. The front of the package highlights that you can cook these Creamer potatoes in just 5 minutes in the microwave, which is fabulous for creating delicious meals in a jiffy! I opted to cook them about halfway, so 2.5-3 minutes before adding them to the foil packs just to make sure they cooked all the way through.
While the Creamer potatoes were in the microwave, I chopped the ears of corn into 3 or 4 small sections and chopped the sausage into wedges. I opted to keep the skin on the shrimp simply because it made me feel like I was enjoying all of this delicious food at a true boil. Sitting around a table and peeling and eating shrimp together is part of the fun at a low country boil in my opinion, so I wanted to accomplish something very similar with these foil packs. However, if you’re looking for an option that’s a little less messy, so ahead and peel the shrimp first before cooking.
Once all the ingredients were chopped and ready to go, I combined everything in a large mixing bowl and added the olive oil and creole seasoning. After giving it all a good shake to ensure all ingredients were coated with the oil and seasoning, I divided up the contents into foil packets and wrapped up each packet tightly, making sure there were no holes visible. You want to get the packets good and tight so that they food can steam together and cook in the juices of the sausage and shrimp.
After only 20 minutes in the oven, the foil packs are ready to be opened and devoured! Here’s a printable copy of the complete recipe if you’d like to give it a try:
1lbcolossal white shrimpcleaned, peeled and deveined *see note
1.5lb bagThe Little Potato Company Fresh Creamer potatoescooked in microwave according to package instructions
1lbsmoked sausagecut into 1 inch pieces
2earsyellow corncut into 4 pieces
1Tbscreole seasoning
2Tbsolive oil
1-2garlic cloves per packetoptional
fresh chopped parsleyminced
salt and pepper to taste
lemon juiceoptional
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Cook The Little Potato Company Fresh Creamer potatoes in microwave according to package instructions. (I used the Dynamic Duo variety)
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except garlic cloves and stir together until all ingredients are thoroughly coated in oil and seasoning
Tear off 4 sheets of foil (roughly 12x18 in size) and divide the mixture evenly into the middle of each packet If adding a clove of garlic, go ahead and do that now.
Roll up all sides of the foil to create a nice and tight packet, making sure there are no visible holes
Bake in oven for 18-20 minutes, or until all ingredients are thoroughly cooked
Garnish with additional fresh parsley and freshly squeezed lemon juice if desired
Enjoy!
Notes
I opted to not peel my shrimp in this recipe to make it feel more like a true authentic low country boil, however, if you're looking for less mess, go ahead and peel them ahead of time!
For a fun added touch, I served these foil packs to my family inside those little red plastic restaurant baskets lined with newspaper. Most low country boils are eaten around a large table lined with newspaper and the food is poured right down the middle of the table so people can grab the food right in front of them and eat. Adding the newspaper in the baskets made it feel like we were really getting to enjoy a true low country boil, but on a much simpler scale. It was fantastic!
If you’re missing fun activities involving food-related social gatherings like low country boils, getting creative and making substitutions like creating individual foil packs is a great way to relive some of those fun times again! Next time you’re at Walmart, swing by the produce section and look for The Little Potato Company Fresh Creamer potatoes to go along with your next meal, be it a low country boil or a simple side dish!
This post was sponsored by Carando as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
The changing of the seasons is always an exciting transitional time for me. While many changes have happened this year that weren’t exactly my favorite, I’m reminded that I can celebrate the newness of the season by making small and simple changes in my everyday life, such as in the meals I prepare for my family. As summer fades into fall, I’ve been finding new ways to utilize fall and winter produce into my cooking, and this recipe for Butternut Squash Meatball Stroganoff is a fun fall-inspired twist on a favorite classic dish!
Even though butternut squash is much thicker than summer squashes such as yellow squash and zucchini, it can be spiralized and turned into noodles to use in place of pasta in your favorite pasta dishes. I love that it has a more subtle flavor, making it easy to replace other ingredients without much change to the overall flavor. Using it in place of pasta is a wonderful way to increase your fiber intake and incorporate more vegetables into your overall diet.
Even though traditional stroganoff uses a wider noodle such as egg noodles, the spaghetti-like butternut squash noodles in this dish really make this Italian-style meal feel brand new, while keeping those classic stroganoff flavors that I’ve always loved.
Utilizing fresh ingredients in my meals is important to me, and incorporating fresh Carando Meatballs in this recipe added a perfect robust flavor that really gave it an authentic Italian style – and in less than 30 minutes! All Carando products are high quality and use premium Italian ingredients, and I was able to conveniently pick them up during my most recent grocery shopping trip in the refrigerated section of the meat department!
I selected the Carando Abruzzese Italian Style Meatballs, which are incredibly easy to prepare, convenient and have an amazing flavor. I simply placed them in the oven to bake according to their package instructions, and while they were baking I gathered all the ingredients I needed to make this dish and began to spiralize the butternut squash. Spiralizing a butternut squash using a hand spiralizer can be a bit tricky as the squash is very thick, so I recommend using a stand mixer attachment to get the job done if you have one. You can also often find spiralized vegetables in the produce section at your local grocery store.
After spiralizing the squash, I added it along with a little EVOO and minced garlic into a pan and sautéed the noodles over medium heat for about 10-12 minutes. It’s important to keep in mind that butternut squash noodles do not take on the exact same texture as traditional noodles, so expect them to have a bit of crispness to them. I love this difference, as it really gives this dish an element of freshness that it so satisfying!
While the butternut squash noodles were sautéing away, I added the butter and onion to another pan and cooked over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, followed by the mushroom, salt and pepper. I cooked the mushrooms down for about 8-10 more minutes, or until the mushroom released their juices and the juices cooked off. Next, I added the flour and thyme to the mushroom mixture and stirred until all flour was moistened. Reducing the heat to a medium-low, I continued stirring the mixture, adding the beef broth a little at a time until a smooth gravy formed.
Next, add in the sour cream and stir it into the sauce, making sure it incorporates smoothly. Add in the meatballs and allow them to simmer in the sauce for several minutes before serving over butternut squash noodles. I sprinkled a little fresh parsley over mine for a finishing touch. Here’s a free printable copy of the recipe if you’d like to give it a try!
1packageCarando Abruzzese Italian Style Meatballscooked according to package instructions
4cupsbutternut squash noodlesPeeled, seeded and spiralized
1Tbspolive oil
1 tspminced garlic
1Tbspbutter
1 Tbspolive oil
1/2small yellow onionchopped
2cupsbaby bella mushroomssliced
1/2tspsalt
1/4 tspblack pepper
1/2 tspdried thyme
1 Tbspall purpose flour
1cupbeef broth
fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
On a baking sheet, bake Carando Abruzzese Italian Style Meatballs according to package instructions
While meatballs are baking, peel the skin off of the butternut squash and cut the squash right at the point where it begins to bulb outward. Remove all seeds and discard. You'll use the long neck portion to spiralize.
Using a heavy duty spiralizer, carefully spiralize the butternut squash until you have about 4 cups worth
In a large pan, sautee butternut squash, olive oil and minced garlic together for 10-12 minutes, keeping a lid over the pan for most of the cook time
In a separate pan, add butter and chopped onion and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes
Add in mushrooms, salt and pepper and continue to cook until juices have released from mushrooms and have cooked off, about 8-10 more minutes.
Reduce heat to medium-low heat and stir in flour and thyme until flour has coated the mushrooms and been thoroughly moistened by the oils in the pan
Next, add in beef broth a little at a time and stir until a smooth gravy forms
Add in the sour cream and stir it into the sauce, making sure it incorporates smoothly
Add in the meatballs and allow them to simmer in the sauce for several minutes before serving over butternut squash noodles.
Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately
Enjoy!
Notes
It's important to note that butternut squash noodles do not take on the same texture as traditional pasta. Butternut squash noodles will have a bit of a "snap" to them. After sautéeing them, check their texture to see if it is as a point that you prefer. If not, continue to cook for a few more minutes.
My husband and I planted butternut squash in our garden for the first time this year. Even though it is a winter squash, we had a small summer harvest and are hoping for a much larger winter harvest. I have been utilizing butternut squash in numerous recipes and have thoroughly enjoyed finding new ways to add a twist on classic dishes, such as this Butternut Squash Meatball Stroganoff. Using the butternut squash noodles in place of traditional noodles is a healthier alternative, and pairing them with fresh Carando Meatballs really made this dish feel sophisticated. Anything goes with Carando!
During my previous grocery shopping trip, I also picked up a package of Carando Sicilian Italian Style Meatballs, which I’ll soon be incorporating into a tomato based pasta dish with, you guessed it, butternut squash noodles! Italian-style dishes speak right to my heart, and I love that Carando meatballs make achieving those authentic Italian flavors so simple!
Have you ever recreated a classic or favorite dish by giving it an unconventional twist? No matter how you prepare it, Carando Meatballs are the perfect addition to help you create an authentic Italian-style meal in less than 30 minutes. Even though the butternut squash noodles were a shining star in this Butternut Squash Meatball Stroganoff recipe, the Carando Abruzzese Italian Style meatballs came through as the real MVP, and I’ll always keep a package on hand when I’m ready to sink my teeth into those robust Italian-style flavors!
This recipe for Brown Sugar Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash brings all the flavors of Fall, and it’s a perfectly sweet option to serve as a side dish or even a dessert!
These Creole Sausage and Vegetable Foil Pack Dinners are such an easy and delicious way to put a complete meal on the table with very little prep and clean up. Just chop, mix, wrap and bake!
This recipe for Yellow Squash Chicken Alfredo is a fun twist on a classic dish, and it’s a fantastic way to use up that fresh summer squash growing in the garden to make a healthier, gluten free meal!
The summer months are filled with fresh produce such as squash and zucchini. This recipe combines the two in a simple, cheesy and delicious Squash and Zucchini Stuffing Casserole that comes together in no time at all!
During the summer months when zucchini is bountiful, these easy zucchini fritters are a simple and delicious way to enjoy your harvest, and they’re ready in a jiffy!…
Old school southern recipes have a way of speaking to my soul like no other. This recipe for classic squash and onions has been a lifelong favorite of mine. Enjoy!
My husband and I have been tending to our summer garden for the past few months. For the first time ever, we planted everything from seed and have been learning how to tend to each plant carefully. We’ve made a few mistakes along the way, and not all of our seeds made it, but we’re blessed to have 24 beautiful, strong and blooming squash and zucchini plants that will be fully producing within the next week or two. The squash I used in this recipe actually came from my latest Misfits Market Box, which is a fresh produce subscription service you can read more about here!
…
…
…
…
…