We could all use a dose of Good Fortune in the New Year! Symbolized by a nice slice of this delicious cornbread!

Who’s with me?!!

While we’re at it, we’re going to load up on Black Eyed Peas (symbolizing coins or wealth), Collard Greens (representing money) and Pork (as a sign of moving forward). Call it superstition or simply a delicious dinner!

Good Fortune & Good Intentions

Heading into the new year, I’ve been pondering my good intentions for 2022. Despite what cliche resolutions come to mind, for me it all comes down to making healthy choices. A healthy lifestyle, a strong healthy body, and mental peace and clarity are what I’m aiming for.

So to begin, I will continue to incorporate fresh ingredients into my cooking. And you know there will be plenty of fresh herb flavor-love woven throughout.

I will spend more time in the woods, my ultimate happy place. Hiking, strolling, deep breathing and looking up. All of which lead to a clear and peaceful mind.

Are you a resolutions kind of person? I certainly view the New Year as an opportunity to reset. Perhaps to a fault, I put off change as the the new year approaches. So I’ll add one more good intention in 2022 – I will be more timely when my path needs adjusting. And forgive myself when I veer off course.

Recipe Inspiration

My Sage Brown Butter Buttermilk Cornbread recipe is bursting with buttery herb flavors. It’s pretty darn good if I might say so. It’s that recipe that has inspired this Good Fortune Golden Cheddar Cornbread with Fire Roasted Poblanos.

Golden Cheddar Cornbread

Herbs and aromatics will elevate your cornbread. In this case, I use fire roasted poblano peppers to infuse the brown butter. While including some nice sharp cheddar cheese adds to the cornbread texture and the flavor.

This easy cornbread recipe is the perfect weekend comfort food yet also quick enough to prepare with a weeknight meal.

Wishing you health, happiness and good fortune in the year ahead. And may your plates be graced with delicious good eats!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Good Fortune Golden Cheddar Cornbread with Fire Roasted Poblanos

Good Fortune Golden Cheddar Cornbread with Fire Roasted Poblanos is a standout recipe with savory wonderful texture and buttery crisp edges!

Course Bread

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 2 poblano peppers fire roast, sweat, remove skins and seeds, dice
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
• 1 stick butter

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425° F.
• Fire roast poblanos until well charred on all sides. Place into a metal bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 5 minutes. Run under cold water to remove charred skins. Remove stem and seeds, then fine dice. Reserve.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients flour through salt. In a large bowl, beat buttermilk with eggs. Stir in 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, reserving 1/2 cup for topping.
• In a large cast iron skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add diced poblano pepper, reserving 2 Tablespoons for topping. Saute peppers until tender and butter is turning golden brown. Pour all but 1 tablespoon of melted butter/pepper mixture into buttermilk/egg mixture and whisk to combine. Slowly whisk in dry ingredients. Pour batter into cast iron skillet. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and diced poblano pepper.
• Place skillet into preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

The post Good Fortune Golden Cheddar Cornbread with Fire Roasted Poblanos appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

You’ve got a two bite slider roll bursting with Hot Dog Chili, ‘Lil Smokies, and Cheddar Cheese?!!

Tailgate Party Perfection!

I recently made a Tailgate Luncheon for 45 people…..eeek! And it turned out great! The picture below shows the set up! It was grand!

Here’s how we assemble these super easy and crowd pleasing sliders.

• Dinner Rolls – sliced across the top (not all the way through)
• Beef Lit’l Smokies – one per roll
• Hot Dog Chili – a generous spoonful per slider
• Cheddar Cheese – sprinkled on top of chili
• Bake at 350 degrees – for 10 minutes

Whether you’re hosting a birthday party, planning a game day tailgate party, or a college kid looking for an easy (and affordable) way to feed a crowd – these mini chili cheese dogs do the trick!

We’ve rounded up over 50 of our favorite Game Day & Tailgate Party Recipes for you to choose from. What’s your favorite prime time snack? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Chili Cheese Dog Tailgate Sliders

When you're planning a game day menu, you bet these Chili Cheese Dog Tailgate Sliders will be included.

Course Sandwich

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 24 Sliders

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 batch Hot Dog Chili or favorite canned variety
• 2 12-count pkgs dinner rolls
• 1 12 ounce Beef Lit'l Smokies cocktail franks
• 1 8 ounce block cheddar cheese shredded, about 2 cups

Instructions

• Prepare Hot Dog Chili (recipe link in post). Preheat oven to 350° F.
• Lay dinner rolls into (2) 9×13 baking dishes (or one full size foil pan). Cut slits on the tops of each roll being careful not to cut all the way through. Place one Lit'l Smokie in each roll. Top with a generous spoonful of chili. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese.
• Bake uncovered at 350° F. for 10 minutes or until cheese is fully melted.

The post Chili Cheese Dog Tailgate Sliders appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Yes, I referenced the holidays. They will be here in no time and this year we’ll be ready! We’ll have a whole line up of appetizers queue’d up and ready to go!

It just so happens this warm & cheesy dip is also game day worthy!

For this oven baked dip think bacon-wrapped, cheese-stuffed jalapeño popper flavors! Fresh jalapeños, 3 kinds of cheese, bacon-love, and a buttery crisp topping make this dip a fan favorite.

Jalapeño Popper Dip Ingredients

• For the Dip
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
• 4 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 5-6 jalapenos, roasted & diced
• 6 slices bacon, cooked crispy & chopped
• For the Topping
• 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
• 4 Tablespoons butter, melted

How to Assemble the Dip

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place a rack in a rimmed baking pan lined with aluminum foil
• Arrange bacon slices and jalapenos on rack and bake for 20 minutes (or until bacon is crispy)
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the remaining dip ingredients
• Chop bacon and jalapenos (discard stems and seeds), mix into dip
• Transfer dip to an 8×8 baking dish coated with cooking spray
• In a small bowl, combine Topping ingredients and spread on top of dip
• Bake for 20 minutes
• Garnish with crispy bacon and sliced jalapeno
• Serve with favorite chips or crackers

Recipe Tips

• You can adjust the ‘heat’ on this dip by adding more jalapenos or including the seeds. I used 5 average sized jalapenos (about 4″ long) and discarded the seeds. The result was mild on the heat meter.
• Cooking the bacon in the oven makes for easy cleanup.
• Roasting the jalapenos first mellows them out a bit and adds a nice smoky flavor.

For my college cooking kids, this Easy & Delicious Jalapeño Popper Dip Recipe is right up your alley! You can even assemble it the day before and just pop it in the oven before serving.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Easy & Delicious Jalapeño Popper Dip Recipe

This Easy & Delicious Jalapeño Popper Dip Recipe is perfect for holiday entertaining and a great addition to your game day spread!

Course Appetizer

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Dip

• 6 slices bacon
• 5-6 jalapenos
• 8 ounces cream cheese softened
• 4 ounces cheddar cheese shredded
• 4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese shredded
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

For the Topping

• 4 Tablespoons butter melted
• 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs (gluten free for GF version)
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese shredded

To Serve

• garnish with reserved crispy bacon & sliced jalapeno
• serve with favorite chips or crackers

Instructions

For the Dip

• Preheat oven to 400° F. Place a rack in a foil lined rimmed baking sheet. Arrange bacon slices and jalapenos on rack. Bake for 20 minutes or until bacon is crispy.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine remaining Dip ingredients. In a small bowl, combine Topping ingredients.
• Remove bacon and jalapenos from oven. Allow to cool slightly. Dice jalapenos, discarding stem and seeds. Chop bacon, reserving 2 Tablespoons for garnish. Add remaining bacon and diced jalapeno to dip. Transfer mixture to an 8×8 baking dish. Spread topping over dip. Bake for 20 minutes.
• Garnish with sliced jalapeno and crispy bacon. Serve warm from oven with favorite chips or crackers.

The post Easy & Delicious Jalapeño Popper Dip Recipe appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Last week I shared what would be the first recipe in a new series called College Cooking. My 21 year old bonus-son and his roommates requested some recipe inspiration.

College Cooking Challenge

“Start a recipe series called College Cooking and give us a new recipe each week that we can prepare in our off-campus housing kitchens!

Be sure the ingredients are readily available (and affordable) but help us break free from blue box mac ‘n cheese, frozen pizzas, and fast-food meals.”

When we went down for their initial move-in visit, little did I know that they had planned a cooking challenge for me. A ‘Chopped-like’ College Cooking Competition.

They gave me 5 typical college survival ingredients and asked me to turn them into an Appetizer, Entree and Dessert.

Oh boy!

My College Cooking Challenge Mystery Ingredients

• Instant Mashed Potatoes
• Ramen Noodles
• Frozen Chicken Tenders
• Steak-umms
• Cap’N Crunch

I can honestly say all but ramen noodles were making their debut on Lemony Thyme!

Before I planned my recipes, I was able to ‘shop’ from their pantry and fridge/freezer. No question they have their staple ‘survival’ ingredients, but they also had a nice array of spices and cooking essentials.

We made a run to their local Walmart for the remaining ingredients! That was an adventure in itself. Envision a college town Walmart the day after move-in weekend. Chaos but we nailed it!

The College Cooking Challenge Results

Cooking for these kids was a blast! I found some pretty creative ways to incorporate their go-to staple ingredients. And most importantly they loved the results and ate every last bite!

For the Appetizer Round I made Nashville Hot Chicken & Waffle Sliders, incorporating the frozen chicken tenders.

And I also made these Loaded Baked Potato Tots with Sour Cream & Cheddar Dipping Sauce! They were a huge hit!

Loaded Baked Potato Tots

My challenged included a 4-pack of microwavable instant mashed potatoes. Let me say a couple things about that. Of all the mystery ingredients, this was the one I feared most. All I could envision were thin and flavorless ‘watery’ mashed potatoes.

I now feel a bit foolish! They are nice and thick and taste pretty darn good straight out of the microwave. I can see why these meat & potato loving kids stock their cupboards with them.

*Partly attributed to the sodium count which weighs in at 690 mg. per serving.

So for this recipe, whether you use instant or have leftover homemade mashed potatoes is completely your choice.

Loaded Tots Ingredients

• You’ll begin with 3 cups of mashed potatoes
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup finely chopped crispy cooked bacon
• 2 Tablespoons snipped fresh chives
• Panko or plain breadcrumbs

• Combine all ingredients and mix well
• Using a teaspoon, scoop out mashed potatoes and shape into ‘tots’
• Roll each tot in breadcrumbs
• Place tots on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet
• Bake at 375 deg. F. for 25 minutes
• Serve with Sour Cream & Cheddar Dipping Sauce

You can certainly pan-fry these tots but oven-baked yielded a nice crispy tot with cheesy loaded mashed potato inside! And this dipping sauce is crazy good with cheddar cheese and bacony love.

There was not a tot to be found after the appetizer round!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our Instagram Story Highlights for how the entire College Cooking Challenge went down! More recipes to follow!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Loaded Baked Potato Tots Recipe

You can certainly pan-fry these tots but oven-baked yielded a nice crispy tot with cheesy mashed potato inside!

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

For the Loaded Baked Potato Tots

• 3 cups mashed potatoes cooled
• 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup crispy cooked bacon finely chopped
• 2 Tablespoons fresh chives snipped
• 1-2 cups dry plain breadcrumbs

For the Sour Cream & Cheddar Dipping Sauce

• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 Tablespoons cheddar cheese shredded
• 2 Tablespoons crispy cooked bacon finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon fresh chives snipped
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt (or garlic powder & salt)

Instructions

For Loaded Baked Potato Tots

• Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
• Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Using a teaspoon, scoop out potato mixture and form into tots. Roll tots in breadcrumbs then place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Serve with Sour Cream & Cheddar Dipping Sauce.

For Sour Cream & Cheddar Dipping Sauce

• Combine all ingredients and chill until ready to serve.

Recipe adapted from Rachel Hollis.

The post Loaded Baked Potato Tots Recipe appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

They are a hearty fill-you-up meal that eat like nachos. They also happen to be a fantastic way to use up your favorite leftover chili from the weekend.

And I call that winning!

Sweet Potato fries are the perfect pairing for a chili topping. The flavors meld so well together. For this recipe you can make your own Sweet Potato Fries or simply use frozen.

There is no shame in frozen French fries and these from ALEXIA are pretty darn good!! They bake up nice and crispy. The perfect base for your favorite chili and lots of cheesy goodness!

Now when it comes to the ‘Chili’ in these Sweet Potato Chili Cheese Fries – you can use your favorite or choose one of ours here. We have meaty chili, vegetarian chili, spicy chili, heart healthy chili. You pick.

When building your chili cheese fries, don’t skimp on toppings. We chose cheddar cheese, but Pepperjack or Monterrey Jack would be amazing! Fresh cilantro and sliced avocado are a must too!

Wrap me in a cozy blank, with a new Netflix series on the tv, and a plate of these Sweet Potato Fries and I’ll be one happy camper.

Is this the right time to ask…. What are you watching on Netflix right now? We’re always up for suggestions! Admittedly I was late to the Netflix game and only began to understand ‘binge watching’ about a year ago. I get it now ;-)

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook!

All my best,
xo Libby

The post Addicting Chili Cheese Sweet Potato Fries appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I’ll let these pictures do the talking.  Words wouldn’t do it justice.

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Tomato & Cheddar Pie

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 prepared pie crust
• 1 1/2 Tbl. cornmeal
• 2 pounds ripe tomatoes 1/4-inch slices
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 3 Tbl. fresh basil roughly chopped
• 2 scallions thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 Tbl. apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Lay tomato slices in a single layer on paper towels to drain for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place pie crust into pie plate. Trim edges. Sprinkle cornmeal evenly over crust.
• In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt & pepper. In a separate bowl, mix two cheeses together.
• To assemble pie, sprinkle 1/2 cup of cheese to bottom of pie. Layer 1/3 of tomato slices in single layer. Spread with half of the mayonnaise mixture and sprinkle with 1/2 of the scallions and basil and about 3/4 cup of cheese. Layer 1/3 of tomato slices topped with remaining mayonnaise, scallions, basil and 3/4 cup of cheese. Top with remaining tomato slices and remaining cheese.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes. Cover edges of crust with foil if becoming too brown. Allow pie to cool for at least an hour before serving.

The post Tomato, Cheddar & Basil Pie appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

We dug out an old favorite recipe for Cheeseburger Soup and gave it a little sprucing up.  Our NEW & Improved Bacon Jalapeño Cheeseburger Soup is the bombdiggity.

Those of us longing for spring and backyard BBQs, while Winter weather is still lingering, can get that fresh off the grill cheeseburger taste (and satisfaction) with this soup.  You just build it like you build your favorite cheeseburger and don’t skimp on the toppings.

Recipe tip: If you want a nice charbroiled flavor brown your ground beef in a hot pan.  You may want to wipe out any black bits before adding in the bacon.

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Bacon Jalapeno Cheeseburger Soup

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 6 slices of bacon
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 medium onion diced
• 2 jalapenos seeded and fine diced
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 medium baking potato peeled and cubed
• 2 Tbl. flour
• 3 cups beef broth
• 1/8 cup ketchup
• 1 Tbl. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbl. yellow mustard
• 2 cups milk or cream
• 6 ounces Cheddar or American cheese shredded
• salt & pepper to taste
• Toppings: crispy bacon diced tomato, shredded cheese and fine diced jalapeno. Serve with mini dill pickles.

Instructions

• In a Dutch oven, brown ground beef; drain and reserve. Add bacon and cook until crispy; remove to drain reserving 1 Tbl. bacon drippings.
• Add onion and jalapeno to pan and sauté until just tender. Add garlic and saute an additional minute. Return browned ground beef and potato: dust mixture with flour and stir until bubbly. Whisk in broth, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard; bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until potato is tender.
• Stir in milk and shredded cheese; stirring until soup is hot and cheese has melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve topped with crumbled crispy bacon, diced tomato, shredded cheese, and fine diced jalapeno.

Notes

Recipe tip: If you want a nice charbroiled flavor brown your ground beef in a hot pan. You may want to wipe out any black bits before adding in the bacon.

The post Bacon Jalapeño Cheeseburger Soup appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

To say I love ‘thrifting’ is an understatement.  And as a food blogger, I’m not alone.  We’ve always got an eye out for unique dishes and props to use for our food photography sessions.  I head straight to the dish/cookware section when I enter a thrift store then head to the cookbook shelf.  Last week while visiting our local Humane Society Thrift Store I spied this gorgeous cookbook.  The cover recipe was for Budín Azteca aka Aztec Casserole which matched this week’s Farmers Market bounty beautifully.

I was giddy when I pulled this gorgeous cookbook quietly off the shelf.  Yes I said quietly.  There’s an unspoken art to thrifting.  When entering an isle do a rapid visual inspection of the wares ahead of you.  If a treasure is spotted, you must act swiftly.  Like the day I spied a Romertopf Clay Baker on the bottom shelf at the very end of my isle.  I abandoned my buggie in order to maneuver my way to it without ever taking my eye off the prize.  This one was worth a fight (only if necessary of course).

The Farmers Market, located just walking distance from my office, reopened for the summer this past week.  Every Wednesday and Saturday morning from now through October our fresh produce will be purchased from our local farmers.  Boy does that make me happy.  Some of my favorite recipes on Lemony Thyme were Farmers Market inspired.

This Aztec Casserole is built in layers.  Sautéed squash, zucchini and corn become the vegetable layer.  Then there is the puréed tomato sauce layer, corn tortilla layer, roasted poblano peppers, cheeses, and chicken layers.  Repeated in true casserole style.

Once assembled the casserole is baked for 20 minutes or so until the cheese has melted and the ingredients are heated through.  The squash, zucchini and corn are cooked until just crisp-tender maintaining their fresh from the garden flavor.  I think that’s what I love most about this dish, well that and the fresh tomato sauce….along with the chicken and cheese.  And I can’t forget the tasty surprise of finding layers of corn tortillas nestled amongst all this goodness.

Aztec Casserole is as delicious to eat as it is cookbook-cover delicious to look at.  I can’t wait to try more authentic recipes from the regions of Mexico and share them with you.

All my best,
xo Libby

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Farmers Market Aztec Casserole

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 6 -8

Author Mexico The Beautiful Cookbook, lightly adapted

Ingredients

• 2 Tbl. olive oil
• 1 onion diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 3 large tomatoes about 1 1/2 lbs, peeled and puréed
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbl. butter
• 3 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 2 cups zucchini diced
• 2 cups summer squash diced
• 1/3 cup water
• oil for frying
• 10 corn tortillas
• 2 poblano chiles roasted, peeled & seeded, cut into strips
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese Monterey Jack, Cheddar cheese or Muenster

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a skillet, add the onion and sauté until transparent. Add the garlic and sauté an additional 30 seconds. Add the puréed tomatoes and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Set aside.
• Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the zucchini, summer squash and corn and cook for 2 minutes. Add the water; cover and cook for 8 minutes or until the zucchini is crisp-tender. Drain and set aside.
• In a skillet heat 1/2-inch of oil over medium heat. Add the tortillas one at a time and cook about 30 seconds per side. Reserve.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a large casserole dish.

To assemble…

• Place a thin layer of vegetable layer on bottom. Top with a layer of 4-5 tortillas. Then add a layer of tomato sauce. Add half of the remaining vegetables, half of the poblano strips, 1/2 cup of the sour cream in dollops, half of the chicken and 3/4 cup of shredded cheese. Repeat layers finishing with the cheese.
• Bake uncovered until the cheese has melted and the layers are heated through, about 15 – 20 minutes.

The post Farmers Market Aztec Casserole appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Some of my blogging friends and I joined together to “Celebrate Green and Welcome Spring.”  We shared dishes featuring naturally green ingredients.  I chose to share Colcannon Cheesy Potatoes with Kale.  It’s a fun twist on a classic Irish recipe that I thought would be a great side dish for your St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

Traditionally colcannon is made from mashed potatoes combined with cabbage or kale.  And while I think it makes a great St. Patrick’s Day dish, history shows that it was most often shared at Halloween.

For the first layer of this dish we make a mixture consisting of cream cheese or Boursin Spread, sliced scallions, shredded white cheddar cheese, and chopped baby kale then spread it into the bottom of a 9-inch square pan.

Another fun bit of colcannon history was that traditionally charms were hidden in the mixture.  Your fortune, or fate if you will, depended on which charm you were served.  A ring meant you would get married in the coming year while a button (for the gentlemen) meant you would remain a bachelor and a thimble (for the ladies) meant you would remain a spinster. Finding a coin in your serving of colcannon meant you would come into wealth.  Ha!  What fun we shall have with OUR Colcannon Cheesy Potatoes with Kale.

In fact, while we could mix our kale mixture with mashed potatoes which is classic, adding a layer of potato puffs sprinkled with cheddar cheese instead was too hard to resist.

Be sure to check out the other wonderfully green recipes below from my “Celebrating Green and Welcoming Spring” friends. 

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Colcannon Cheesy Potatoes with Kale

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author adapted from Publix Apron Meals

Ingredients

• 8- ounces Boursin spread or cream cheese
• 1/2 cup milk
• 8- ounces white cheddar cheese grated
• 1/4 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
• 3 cups baby kale finely chopped
• 2 scallions thinly sliced
• 4 cups frozen potato puffs

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Whisk together Boursin or cream cheese spread and milk. Stir in 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, black pepper, scallions, and chopped kale. Spread mixture in bottom of 9×9 pan.
• Arrange potato puffs in rows on top of cheese; top with remaining cheddar cheese.
• Bake for 35 – 40 minutes until potatoes are crisp and cheese is bubbly. Allow to stand 5 minutes before serving.

Pistachio Blueberry Cupcakes ~ Baking in a Tornado

Key Lime Chiffon Cake ~ Crumbs in My Mustachio

Asian Salad with Chicken ~ Tampa Cake Girl

Chocolate Mint Zucchini Swirl Bread ~ The Rowdy Baker

Roasted Tomato & Spinach Foccocia ~ Cooking From a SAHM

Lox me up and throw away the Key ~ Moore or Less Cooking Blog

Maple Poached Pear Salad with Walnut Crusted Goat Cheese ~ Hun, What’s for Dinner?

Green Tea White Chocolate Cheesecake ~ Manila Spoon

The post Colcannon Cheesy Potatoes with Kale appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I’m off this week.  Off from work.  My day job is running a door lock and hardware company.  Strike that.  My day job is motivating and hopefully at times inspiring my work family.  Ultimately we all want the same, from work.  It’s where we make our living, which funds our passions.

This recipe has nothing to do with that.  But I wanted to share where I am right now.

I’m home.  On a Monday.  Happy feet.  I’m hungry.  Let’s have grits.  I’m sorry, but I’m channeling my twitter voice.  Roughly poetic.

Why stop at grits when the recipe on the side of the bag suggests casserole?  When you read casserole, what comes to mind first?  It’s a bit twisted for me.  Casseroles deliver comfort, but they’re also delivered to those who need comfort most, which we don’t celebrate, but embrace.

I’m on Day #23 of sharing Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes. This might be better served to your HUGE family that rolled into town, waking up looking forward to brunch. This Cheesy Jalapeno Grits Casserole will satisfy their breakfast & brunch needs.

This morning, this cheesy gritty casserole with a hint of spice (not gritty in texture, this is creamy and smooth and buttery), hit the spot.  A great brunch dish or breakfast for dinner dish.

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Cheesy Jalapeno Grits Casserole

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 8 -10

Author slightly adapted from Jim Dandy

Ingredients

• 3 cups water
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup Jim Dandy quick grits
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup milk
• 3 eggs beaten
• 1 jalapeno fine diced
• 1 jalapeno thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch or similar casserole dish.
• Combine water and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, whisk in grits. Cook for 5-7 minutes until slightly thickened; remove from heat.
• Add 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar and butter until melted. Add milk, eggs, jalapeno, and pepper. Whisk until when combined.
• Pour into prepared casserole dish; top with remaining cheese.
• Bake until golden brown. about 50 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

The post Cheesy Jalapeno Grits Casserole appeared first on Lemony Thyme.