Southern Made Simple

Keeping things simple with a smidge of Southern charm

Casseroles & Comfort Foods

Pesto Chicken Sandwich with Creamy Goat Cheese and Sauteed Peppers – Recipe

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I don’t really consider myself a sandwich person. I mean, it’s not that I don’t like sandwiches. Oh no, I like them just fine! What I guess I mean is that I just don’t ever really make sandwiches. I much prefer a Subway artist to do that for me if you know what I’m sayin’.

However, just a few months ago I was eating with a group of friends at a small sorta-local chain restaurant that serves soup and sandwiches. It was a nice little place, but I had never been before and had no idea what to order off of the menu. As I stood in line reading over the menu board, the word “pesto” caught my eye. I barely even read what else was on the sandwich, I just knew it had pesto on it and would therefore be in my belly. Stat.

Chicken Pesto Sandwich with creamy goat cheese and sauteed peppers. This sandwich is to die for!…

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Using Farm Fresh Eggs: Oven Baked Denver Omelette Recipe

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There’s something so charming about farm fresh eggs. The unusual hues, the imperfect shapes, the rich yolks inside. They’re locally and responsibly grown, and they’re just simply the best!

A dear friend at our church started raising chickens over a year ago. Because she is so caring and kindhearted, she shares her eggs with families within the church. Each dozen is such a blessing, and my family is always so delighted to receive them.

farmfresheggs…

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Cheesy Hash Stuffed Peppers – The Ultimate Brunch Recipe

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During the busy work week, breakfast in our house is often an afterthought. It’s usually rushed, thrown together, and hardly filling. By the time 10 o’clock rolls around, my tummy is rumbling and begging for Saturday to come. What’s so special about Saturday, you ask? On Saturday, we brunch. And we brunch hard!

We put a lot of love into our bellies each Saturday morning. We’ll break out the cookware that gets neglected on weekday mornings and we enjoy a sit down meal at the table. It’s a real treat for our family, because it’s just not something we get to do every day!

This past weekend, some serious deliciousness went down in our kitchen. These Cheesy Hash Stuffed Peppers created the ultimate brunch experience for us, and boy were they delicious!

Cheesy Hash Stuffed Peppers - The Ultimate Brunch Recipe using Corned Beef Hash #HowDoYouHash #ad…

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The Best Breakfast Casserole

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I am all about comfort foods. Most breakfast foods (sugary cereals and poptarts aside) are all comfort foods to me. I love warm and flaky biscuits, fluffy scrambled eggs, sweet honey or syrup, and I certainly love my cheese grits! If I’m going to be honest, I think breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. My family even loves to have breakfast for dinner! It’s not that often that I get to stop and actually cook breakfast during the week day, but I always look forward to the weekends when I sometimes get to indulge a little.

If us Southerners love anything besides those delicious breakfast items I just mentioned, it’s a good casserole. Casseroles are staple dishes. I can’t think of very many occasions where making a casserole isn’t appropriate. If I see a casserole in a buffet line, I’m having some of that! So years ago when my mother-in-law made this dish, I fell in love fast.  I’ve had a few different versions of “breakfast casseroles”, but this is the best breakfast casserole I’ve ever tasted. It’s simple, hearty, warm and oh so delicious!

The BEST breakfast casserole ever! This would make a great dish for brunch, too!

This dish is PERFECT to serve as breakfast in bed on birthdays, anniversaries, or during the holidays. It’s also really good reheated!

Here’s what you’ll need to make it:…

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Southern Egg Salad (with Bacon!)

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This is one of my favorite go-to recipes when I need to whip up a yummy side dish for an event or a pot-luck. It’s got a little somethin’-somethin’ that sets it apart from your typical egg salad, and boy is it a game changer!

I’ve always liked egg salad, but I’ve never loved it. Sure, I’d help myself to some at a bridal shower or at a picnic/cookout, but that’s really only sort of occasion I’d ever eat it at. It was never something I thought to prepare at home and eat as an actual meal, and I certainly never craved it. That is, until this happened:

Cream cheese + Bacon

Yes, my friends. Cream cheese and bacon. All up in yo egg salad. AND it’s glorious. Whip these two rock star ingredients up into this egg salad and you’ll be licking the spoon! Think I’m kidding? Try it.

Savory Southern Egg Salad with a twist! The cream cheese and bacon really make this one spectacular!

Savory Southern Egg Salad with a twist! The cream cheese and bacon really make this one spectacular!

Gone are the days where I viewed egg salad as being just okay. With this flavorful twist on a Southern staple dish, you’ll have people going back for seconds. And you certainly won’t think twice about eating this as a meal in your own home. It’s deee-lish! I personally love to eat it on slider buns, but it also pairs nicely with crackers. Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients:

(Note: This recipe is doubled to feed a larger crowd. Feel free to reduce the ingredients as you see fit.)
  • 1 dozen hard boiled eggs
  • 1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
  • 4 Tbs butter, softened
  • Bacon, cooked and chopped. (Real bacon bits work fine as well)
  • 4 Tbs low-fat mayo
  • Pickle Relish (to taste)
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Peel the hard boiled eggs and separate the yolk into a large bowl.
  2. Blend egg yolks, cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
  3. Mix in remaining ingredients, making sure the egg whites are blended in last.
  4. Cover in air-tight container and chill for an hour
  5. Serve on your choice of bread or crackers and enjoy!

What are your thoughts on egg salad? Have you ever added anything different to a traditional dish to give it a new life? If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Turkey Pesto Sliders with Brown Sugar & Poppy Seed Glaze

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My family absolutely LOVES sliders. I mean, who doesn’t love a teeny little sandwich?? You really just can’t go wrong with them in my opinion. One of my favorite things about sandwiches in general is that you can go in any direction with them. Hot cheesy Mexican-inspired slider? Sure! Cold cut with Italian prosciutto? Don’t mind if I do! Smothered and covered in saucy deliciousness? Uh, HECK YES!! The possibilities are nearly endless. However you serve it, my family will probably love it.

Turkey Pesto Sliders with brown sugar + poppy seed glaze

This particular dish is our #1 pick when it comes to sliders. It’s sweet, savory, a tad bit sticky, and insanely delicious! They’re perfect for game days, tailgates, pot lucks and especially a random Tuesday night. Whatever the occasion, these are always a good call!

These delicious turkey pesto sliders make for a simple, yet savory dish perfect for any occasion!

These delicious turkey pesto sliders make for a simple, yet savory dish perfect for any occasion!

Ingredients:

  • 1 package of Kings Hawaiian sweet rolls
  • 1 package of your favorite sliced turkey
  • 1 package provolone cheese slices (you’ll probably only use half of the package)
  • Pesto sauce (you can make your own, or you can buy it in a jar)
  • 1 stick butter (+ 1 Tbs)
  • 1 sweet onion – sliced
  • 2 Tbs yellow mustard
  • 1/3 c brown sugar
  • 3 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
  • Poppy seeds

Directions:

  1. Saute sliced onions in 1 Tbs butter until caramelized.
  2. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Slice Hawaiian rolls in half and place on baking sheet.
  3. Spread a thin layer of pesto onto the bottom bread.
  4. Place your desired amount of turkey, cheese and caramelized onion onto each sandwich and close your slider with the top half of the roll. If you’d like, place a toothpick in the center of each sandwich to help hold them together.
  5. Preheat your oven to 350.
  6. In a small sauce pan, bring 1 stick butter, mustard, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and poppy seeds to a boil.  Quickly remove and pour sauce evenly over sliders.
  7. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes
  8. Enjoy!

These sandwiches are best served warm and are delicious as leftovers. If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think about it! I know you’ll love them as much as my family does. Maybe it’ll even become a staple dish in your household!

Are you a fan of slider sandwiches? What are some of your favorite slider recipes?

 

Laura