i heart the freezer, winter edition
plus: the book tour heads to texas and california
Monday, January 9, 2023
This is totally me. [Instagram]
Homemade pizza according to the pros, and also me [Real Simple]
American food in European grocery aisles [NYT, unlocked]
The most frequently asked question in every comment section on Smitten Kitchen is: Can I freeze this? My single freezer is small so I never paid much attention to what froze well until recently. In getting ready for various legs of the Smitten Kitchen Keepers book tour, I’ve gotten really into freezing meals that might help my family hold the fort down while I’m away: lasagna and burritos and, yes, brownies too. Last year, I devoted a newsletter to summery foods that froze well. [See: I Heart The Freezer, Summer Edition.] This week finally makes time for the winter one. Some future you is already rejoicing you went ahead and made them dinner.
Cheers,
Deb
The Smitten Kitchen Keepers Book Tour resumed last week in Minneapolis. This week: Manhattan (and tickets are still available for the 92nd Street Y on Tuesday) followed by Austin and Houston. Next week, the bigWest Coast Tour begins. Check the Events page for all the details on every stop — and we’ve just added some incredible co-conversationalists. I hope I get to meet you out there! I cannot wait.
winter squash pancakes with sage and brown butter
These pancakes use mashed winter squash but skip the pumpkin spice, instead enlisting salt, pepper and a finishing scatter of crispy sage leaves sizzled in brown butter and you should just go ahead and double the recipe because the they’re so good defrosted and rewarmed.
chard and white bean stew
A cozy but simple vegetarian stew with white beans, chard (or any greens you’ve got around), finished with a nonnegotiable slice of grilled sourdough bread (even better if it’s drizzled with olive oil and kissed with a little garlic).
crispiest chicken cutlets
I love perfectly seasoned, craggy bread-crumbed, deeply golden, crispy chicken cutlets but hated making them until I learned a trick from my MIL that makes them a little faster, less heavy, and, if you have old bread lying around, the absolute crunchiest. These never, ever last.
cozy cabbage and farro soup
A toasty, cozy winter soup that's so much more than the sum of its, well, beige -- but, like, fashionably beige, right? -- parts. A finish of lemon, olive oil, parmesan, and black pepper makes it zip. Farro gives it a hearty bite; if you don't have farro, rice or another grain works too.
mushroom lasagna
This lasagna has a creamy sauce, cheese and four layers of pasta and still manages to be one of the most simple, lightweight and completely addictive lasagnas I've made. Don't like mushrooms? Use another sautéed vegetable. But promise you'll make this.
southwestern pulled brisket
This taco-perfect brisket is one of my favorite feed-a-crowd meals. I'll often have one slow-cooker keeping the brisket warm and another warming a pot of black beans as a vegetarian option. The brisket is spectacularly easy to make in the oven, Instant Pot, or a slow-cooker and your kitchen will smell otherworldly as it cooks.
chana masala
Unquestionably the best chana masala I have ever made, a hint of sour transforms the whole dish. Have it for dinner with rice, toasted naan and/or a dollop of plain yogurt and end your day warm-bellied and content.
my favorite brownies
My favorite brownies are intense, fudgy, and a little chewy and fantastically easy too: 7 ingredients, 1 bowl, and you could be eating them 40 minutes from now. But I love them most almost directly from the freezer.
ultimate banana bread
The last banana bread recipe we will ever need has a towering height and a crunchy top that will be hard not to lift off in one giant tile and swiftly coat the underside with salted butter. The inside is plush and perfectly-crumbed, but never squidgy. It freezes like a charm.
shop my favorites
Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more than you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most. For each item, I've attempted to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.
See you next week!
