It's been a busy couple weeks with friends and family in town, which means lots of hosting, laughing, reminiscing and most of all COOKING!

If you're like me, you desire nothing more than to fill your home with the people you love, but this often comes with a certain level of preparation to keep yourself from getting overwhelmed with your hostessing duties.

And so, I keep this little gem in my back pocket because it will please ALL THE GUESTS. ALL THE TIME.

And with only 6 ingredients, you can keep it tucked away in your memory for that moment in the grocery store when you think, "What will I cook for dinner? Or lunch? Or brekky? Or brunch?" This dish is delish at any point in the day.

It's adapted from this little recipe from a southern lady named Paula Deen, so you can trust me when I say, "Y'all. This is gonna be good." (I also find it important to note that this recipe includes exactly ZERO tablespoons of butter, which given its creator, is kind of a miracle.) In all of its glory....

You should also know that I had a childhood aversion to "Quiche" since in my mind it equated to rubbery eggs in a sea of overcooked vegetables, but hear me when I say, this quiche will  make you question the validity of all previous quiches in your life. Just cook it already!

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Press the pie crust into a pie dish. As you can tell, "pie crust pressing" is not one of my spiritual gifts, so please no judgment.

2. If you haven't already cooked your bacon, do that now! I usually just microwave mine in some paper towels for 1 minute per slice. It's bacon, yall, so you fry it, bake it, or nuke it till its crispy and it will serve your tastebuds well.
​
3. Coarsely chop the spinach leaves and layer them in the bottom of the pie crust. Or pour those leaves straight outta that bag. 

Next top with the bacon bits. Then sprinkle the swiss cheese over top. See? It's too easy.

4. Whisk the eggs and add the whipping cream. Mix it all together and throw in a dash of Salt & Pepper for good measure. Carefully pour egg mixture over top the cheese. Don't pour to fast or it won't have time to sink in!

5. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through. The way I scientifically test the doneness is by simply jiggling the pan. The top will definitely be browned at the 35 minute mark, but make sure there isn't anything jiggling around underneath the surface. If so, give it a few more minutes. 

6. Take it out of the oven and ENJOY! Do you know how yummy this is? So yummy that I forgot to take a picture until I had served 3 pieces of it. My bad. The houseguests were really​ demanding.

Wishing you kudos in the kitchen,

I hesitate to even share this dish so early into our journey because it is undoubtedly my most requested recipe. And so, I'm fearful that after this post, my readers will softly close the door to this Food Freak Friday shop and quietly tip-toe away because they've already received the motherload. HOWEVER, if you promise never to leave my side, then I will share the yummiest piece of my heart with you. This is my go-to brunch offering, my blue ribbon potluck dish, and my favorite appetizer. Oh, and I almost forgot, it is unfairly easy to make. So easy, in fact, that you will almost feel guilty when people compliment you on how delicious these rolls are. Almost.

Without further ado, 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Using a bread knife (or your longest serrated knife) carefully cut the rolls in half. Expert Tip: DO NOT tear apart the rolls, but rather treat the entire package like one big loaf of bread. You'll safe yourself a headache later. Promise.
​
2. Spread a light coat of mayonnaise on each side of the rolls. If you are one of those odd ducks who HATES mayo, please DO NOT, under any circumstances leave the mayo out. I promise you will not even taste it, and I also promise that if you DO leave it out, you will regret it for the rest of your life. Lightly grease a 9X13 pan and squeeze the bottom half of the rolls into the pan. You may be thinking "But they don't fit!" Just tell all of the bottoms to "suck in" and I can assure you they will fit. 

3. Top with the ham and cheese, and cover with the tops of the rolls. Once again, just give the tops of those rolls a gentle reminder to "suck in!

4. Now for the heavenly part! Melt the stick of butter in a small bowl. Whisk in mustard, worsterchire, onion salt, and poppy seeds. Stir until combined and then spread over tops of the rolls. Be careful not to let any of the buttery goodness leak out of the pan, but instead pinch those cute little buns, so that it can run into the sides and bottoms of the rolls. I promise you'll thank me later for this.

5. Cover the rolls with some foil and bake in the oven for 15-17 minutes. Take off the foil and cook for another 3-5 minutes until the tops of the buns are slightly browned. DO YOU SMELL THAT? That this the smell of an award-winning dish, my friend. You will be invited back to every party, if for no other reason than the fact that YOU DELIVER DELICiOUSNESS. 

Wishing you kudos in the kitchen,

I don't know what it is about spaghetti night, but I haven't ever been a fan. I don't know if it's the lack of originality behind it or my ambivalent feelings about twirling tomato-covered noodles around a fork, but it's just not my jam. HOWEVER, when a mom at the playground says, "It's spaghetti night at our house tonight!" there is a small part of me that wants to tackle her because we all know that Spaghetti = SpagEASY. I don't want to make spaghetti per se, but I want to make something that is spagEASY. Is that too much to ask? And so, if your Spaghetti night needs a little remix, I've got the perfect new jam for you...

Directions:

1. Bring a large part of water to boil. Chop the garlic and thyme. (That's right! Only 2 things to chop - it's a Christmas miracle!)

2. If you want to trim some of the fat off of the chicken thighs, go ahead, but DO NOT perform full-on liposuction. Rather treat them like you would the thighs on a chubby 10 month old baby. The chubbier, the better. Say yes to the chubs and yes to a little chicken thigh fat. And then, season those thighs liberally with salt on both sides.

3. Heat 1 Tbsp. Olive oil in a heavy saute pan over medium heat. Brown the chicken thighs on both sides, about 5-7 minutes per side or until browned. Depending on how many thighs you have, they might have to take turns as to not overcrowd the pan. Once browned, transfer to a plate. (Don't freak out that they aren't fully cooked, they will get more stove time.)

4. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the garlic to the same pan you cooked the chicken in (There should be some fat renderings left in the pan, so LEAVE THEM THERE.) Stir the garlic constantly until it massages your nostrils with its heavenly scent. Then add the tomatoes, 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 chicken stock concentrate. Turn up the heat, stirring constantly and scraping up the delicious brown bits on the bottom of the pan until the sauce starts to simmer. 

5. Add the thyme & oregano and then snuggle those little thighs down into the sauce until they are partially covered by the sauce. They can all fit in the pan at this point even though it's a tight squeeze. Turn the heat down just slightly so that the sauce is simmering GENTLY. Partially cover the pan (if you don't have a lid, you can cover loosely with tin foil, just be careful not to let the foil touch the burner). Cook for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

6. While the chicken cooks, add the orzo to the boiling water with a tablespoon of salt and cook for 6-8 minutes or until al dente.

7. Once the chicken is cooked, you can either shred it or just leave it as is. You do you. Put some orzo in a bowl and top with chicken and a ladle-full of the sauce.

If you want to go crazy, you can thrown on some parmesan or serve with bread or make a vegetable because HEALTH. But don't judge me, I"m counting the thyme and tomatoes as a veggie here and I don't need any lip about it. After all, I just needed something spagEASY, ok?!

Wishing you kudos in the kitchen,