Let’s get something straight: you are reading a blog by a girl who grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin. While I moved to California many years ago, I consider my home state to have influenced me the most in terms of my comfort food. My mom cooked wonderful comfort meals like Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes and Macaroni and Cheese Casserole. While she always made a great dinner, she always checked off three categories by serving a protein, a starch, and a vegetable.

My mother’s version of starch was usually some sort of potato. We had mashed, baked, or even little Tator Tots for dinner. Whether potatoes are fancied up like my gorgeous Potato Stacks or simply baked in the oven and loaded with toppings, potatoes are still one of my most favorite foods.

My Potato Stacks are my go-to side dish when I’m looking to jazz up potatoes. These simple little stacks elevate dinner and make the meal more special. These lovely little stacks are both elegant and delicious! The thinly sliced potatoes get golden brown and crispy on the top and perfectly tender on the inside. I like them simply seasoned with olive oil, butter, fresh thyme, salt and ground pepper. When they come out of the oven, I let them rest slightly and then finish them off with a light sprinkle of kosher salt (or sea salt) and freshly ground pepper.

Since we learned in culinary school that we eat with our eyes first, garnish is a nice way of communicating to your guest what they are eating. In the case of Potato Stacks, I clip a bit of thyme stem or just use the fresh thyme leaves to let everyone know what they are eating. Garnish conveys what is in the dish and also completes the presentation in a beautiful way.

Serve these gorgeous potatoes hot out of the oven along side dinners like Roast Chicken or Roast Beef. I also love to serve these simple but stunning potatoes for brunch with everything from Frittatas to Scrambled Eggs to simply Roasted Salmon.

Enjoy.

-xo

This is the brisket my family knows and loves. It’s an old fashioned recipe that turns out the most delicious brisket each and every time. This crowd pleaser makes appearances on Passover, Chanukah, Rosh Hashanah, and cold winter nights when we want something hearty and satisfying.

The recipe is a combination of one I got out of a cookbook from our local preschool and a classic recipe from my family. This brisket is so special to our family that my kids will have it forever in their food memories. Hopefully, they will grow up and serve it to their families.

The brisket is tender and lovely. The sauce is crazy delicious with just the right amount of sweetness. When serving, I cover the brisket in the sauce with a layer on the bottom and the top, so there isn’t a bite that gets past your lips without the delicious sauce. I like to serve this with potatoes and carrots. If you want to add them, do so in the last hour of cooking.

As for the cooking time, it’s a long process and I don’t want to ever want to forget the timing. I write out the timeline on a piece of paper so that 2 hours in I don’t start second guessing myself. When do I take off the cover? When should I add the carrots and potatoes?

My timeline looks something like this:

1:00 pm –  brisket in oven, covered

4:00 pm –  add carrots and potatoes

4:30 pm –  take cover off of brisket

5:00 pm  – done

Enjoy!

-xo

Breakfast Burritos may be the best thing to happen to my morning routine in years. They are the perfect “to-go” breakfast for busy weekday mornings and a huge hit on the weekends for a sleepover crowd.

This is a great make ahead breakfast. I make a big batch of Breakfast Burritos and freeze them for busy weekday mornings. We are out the door every morning by 7:15 am. There is little time for a proper breakfast but my kids still need to eat. I grab one of the personalized burritos, heat them up, and they have a perfect breakfast ready to go!

These burritos are easy to personalize for each member of the family. The great thing about setting up an assembly line of ingredients is that you can easily add in or leave out ingredients to your child’s liking. If one of your kids doesn’t eat cheese, skip it! Wrap up the burrito, label it (if freezing), and you have a great breakfast ready to go!

Set up the assembly line of ingredients.

Start layering ingredients.

Don’t overstuff the burrito or the tortilla will tear.

Don’t forget the salsa!

Here is a great recipe to get started making your new go-to breakfast.

Enjoy!