This recipe is the perfect make-ahead side dish that can be reheated in the oven or the microwave.

These creamy potatoes are fluffy with a nice buttery flavor.

Perfect if you ask me!

The Potatoes

For this recipe you’ll need 5 pounds of russet potatoes, or about 6 bakers. I find this variety of potato to yield the perfect smooth and creamy consistency.

No gritty or gluey mashed potatoes here. Please tell me you know what I’m referring to :)

The Cooking Method

Peel and cut potatoes into about 6-8 pieces each and place in large pot of salted cold water. Add a bay leaf, a few sprigs of fresh thyme, a couple garlic cloves and salt to the water. Thank you to the Kitchn for this recipe tip!

We’re going to take advantage of any opportunity to infuse flavor into our potatoes. If you don’t want flecks of thyme leaves in your potatoes you can place the fresh herbs in a cheese cloth bundle, then discard after boiling.

Cook potatoes just until *fork tender, then drain and return to the hot cooking pot to dry. Remove and discard the thyme and bay leaf before mashing.

*the ideal way to achieve fork tender potatoes is when you can insert a fork easily but still lift the potato from the water before it falls off. Not scientific, but tried and true.

I still use a good old fashioned potato masher but have heard of great results when using a potato ricer as well. For best results, please resist the urge to use an electric mixer which tends to deliver a gluey mash.

Add the following ingredients to the mashed potatoes:

• butter (1/2 cup)
• cream cheese (8 ounces)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• salt & pepper to taste

Continue to mash until well combined. Transfer potatoes to a 9×13 baking dish. Add dollops of butter to top, cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.

The beauty of this recipe is it can be made up to 2 days in advance of serving. And you can reheat in the oven or microwave.

Oven Heating Method

Oven heating is my preferred method because we love the buttery golden top.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Remove potatoes from refrigerator and allow to rest at room temperature
• Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes or lightly browned and heated through
• Heating times will vary depending on oven and if multiple dishes are being heated together
• Tent with foil If casserole begins to brown too quickly

Microwave Heating Method

Reheating in the microwave comes in very handy, especially during the holidays when oven space is in high demand.

• Microwave potatoes uncovered on high in one minute increments
• Stir after each minute, until hot

Family Favorite Side Dishes

If you’re planning your Thanksgiving or Holiday menu, here are a few our our family’s favorite side dishes.

• Three Cheese Mac ‘n’ Cheese
• Sweet Potato Casserole with Brown Sugar & Pecans
• Summer Squash Casserole
• Herb Browned Butter Stuffing
• Fresh Green Bean & Mushroom Casserole with Crispy Shallots

Everyone loves mashed potatoes. When you’re planning a big meal, go ahead and make this side dish in advance. One less thing to worry about as you’re enjoying the company of friends and family.

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

The post Easy Creamy Mashed Potato Casserole appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Puff Pastry Rocks!

We filled the buttery crisp dough with savory Buffalo Chicken Dip and baked it until it was warm and gooey! Your guests (and your family) will love this quick & easy appetizer!

I made this recipe for our neighborhood Thirsty Thursday gathering and it was a hit! As in, there were merely crumbs left at the end of the evening.

How to Assemble the Stromboli

• Thaw the puff pastry sheets at room temperature for about 40 minutes
• Unwrap and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet
• Generously fill the center third of the dough with cold buffalo chicken dip
• Sprinkle with green onion and crumbled blue cheese

• Using a pairing knife, cut 12 strips into the left and right thirds of the dough
• Alternate folding strips over filling, overlapping as you go
• Trim the last strips if necessary
• Brush with beaten egg
• Bake at 375 degrees F. for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown

The great thing about this Simple Buffalo Chicken Braided Stromboli recipe is everyone loves Buffalo Chicken Dip AND the result looks fancy, but is super easy to assemble.

The flavor pairings for these puff pastry Stromboli’s are endless. We’ve done Sausage, Peppers & Caramelized Onion; Bacon, Egg & Cheese; and Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli.

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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Simple Buffalo Chicken Braided Stromboli

Course Appetizer

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Time to Thaw Puff Pastry 40 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese softened & cubed
• 4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese shredded
• 1 cup ranch dressing
• 1/2 cup Frank's Hot Sauce
• 3 cups shredded cooked chicken a rotisserie chicken works well
• 3 scallions thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
• 1 17.3 ounce box frozen puff pastry (2 sheets) thawed
• 1 large egg beaten

Instructions

• Thaw puff pastry at room temperature for 40-45 minutes. Preheat oven to 375° F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

For the Buffalo Chicken Dip

• Meanwhile, prepare buffalo chicken dip. In a medium pan over medium heat, combine cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, ranch dressing and Frank's Hot Sauce. Stir until melted and fulled combined. Remove from heat and fold in shredded chicken. Cool.
• Unfold pastry sheets. Generously fill center third of each sheet with cooled buffalo chicken dip. Sprinkle each with half the sliced scallions and 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese.
• Using a pairing knife, cut 12 strips into the left and right thirds of each pastry sheet, as shown in the images above. Alternate folding strips over filling, creating a 'braid'. Trim last strips if necessary. Brush tops with beaten egg.
• Bake at 375° F. for 35-40 minutes until tops of pastry is golden brown. Allow to cool slightly. Slice and enjoy!

The post Simple Buffalo Chicken Braided Stromboli appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I am in sweet heaven. 

I sweetened the softened cream cheese with a little sugar, vanilla, and almond extract. 

For the blueberry syrup I simmered pure maple syrup with a handful of blueberries. 

The roll-ups are pan browned then rolled in cinnamon sugar. 

Lovefest I tell you.

I’m already dreaming of the next batch of French Toast Roll-Ups.  Perhaps a savory filling is in order.  Ah the choices.

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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Blueberry Cream Cheese French Toast Roll-Ups

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For French toast roll-ups…

• 4 slices white sandwich bread crusts removed
• 2 ounces cream cheese softened
• 1 Tbl. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• 1/2 cup blueberries fresh or frozen
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbl. milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• butter

For blueberry syrup…

• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup blueberries fresh or frozen

Instructions

For French toast roll-ups…

• Using a rolling pin, flatten each slice of bread.
• In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract. Spread 1/4 of mixture on half of each of the bread slices. Place a row of blueberries across the lower edge of each roll-up; roll tightly.
• Combine sugar and cinnamon in small dish. Beat egg and milk in separate shallow dish. Dip each roll-up in egg mixture. Heat 1 Tbl. butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook roll-ups in skillet turning until browned on all sides. Remove from skillet and roll in cinnamon/sugar. Serve immediately.

For blueberry syrup…

• In a small skillet warm maple syrup with 1/2 cup blueberries.

The post Blueberry Cream Cheese French Toast Roll-Ups appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

If you’ve never had Steelhead Trout it is similar to Salmon and smokes equally as well.  Here‘s a quick description of this fish species.  I’ve found it readily available (and fresh) at our local wholesale club or supermarket.

First the fish is dry brined overnight in a brown sugar kosher salt rub.  Then it’s on to the smoker for a low slow go of it.  The natural flavors intensify with this process, while also taking on delicious smoky tones, making it perfect for dips or spreads.

I followed this recipe from The Black Peppercorn for the dry brine and the smoking method. He’s got it going on!

We are loving our new Primo Ceramic Grill. Talk about upping our summer grilling game!

We smoked this beauty low and slow for 5 hours, gradually increasing the temperature from 100 degrees to 200 degrees over the course of five hours. Once the fish reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees it was time to dig in!

The result was an incredibly moist piece of smoked fish! Huge treat on it’s own. But this, after all, is a recipe for Smoked Steelhead Trout DIP!

The layers of flavors in the dip really come together. You pick up a little sweet, a good dose of smoky savory, with a spread of creamy comfort! If you don’t have a smoker grill, purchased smoked salmon works nicely too!

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

The post Smoked Steelhead Trout Dip 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 had a blast playing Secret Santa at the office this year!! I always do. This yearly tradition has become a great way to welcome in the holidays, with a bit of mischief and good fun.

The week of Thanksgiving we fill out our Santa wish list, then blind draw who we will secretly spoil the week of our annual company Christmas Party.  Last week, that all happened in epic proportion.  I drew Nick.  Nick, who’s favorite candy is Junior Mints.

Snap! I can do that. A quick Google search revealed just how easy it is to make Junior Mints from scratch with only four ingredients.  They’re that easy.

All my favorite Santas & Elves, gathered for the big revealing.  Love my work family.

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Homemade Junior Mints

Ingredients

• 3 ounces cream cheese softened
• 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
• 3 cups confectioners sugar
• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and extract until creamy. Add 1/2 cup of confectioners at a time until fully incorporated. The mixture may be crumbly. It will come together when rolled into balls.
• Scoop 1 tsp. of mixture at a time and roll into balls. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and press slightly into disc shapes. Chill for 15 minutes.
• Melt chocolate chips in microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between; until smooth. Dip minty discs in chocolate and return to parchment paper. Once dipped; chill and store in refrigerator.

Nick’s wish list revealed that his favorite food is chicken parmesan and pasta.  So on day#3, which is “A Clue About You” aka a hint at who might be their Secret Santa, I made him these Chicken Parmesan Meatballs.  Apparently a dead give-away.

I can’t share this post without giving a shout-out to my Secret Santa and his elf. Day #1 received an awesome chalk board, with a hand chalked message, and the most awe-mazing bundle of 48 colored chalks. This girl, who loves to draw, paint, and color was feeling the love. They took it up a notch and added some of my favorite trail pictures.

And Santa knew me so well.

The post Homemade Junior Mints appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Nothing fancy about this Spicy Sausage Cheese Balls recipe.  We just had a craving and conveniently had the ingredients on hand.  Or so we thought.  They’ll be a bonus recipe at the end for Bisquick from scratch.

We can all agree that most sausage balls we’ve had in the past were kind of dense and sorry to say, but dry.  This recipe uses a block of cream cheese plus 4 ounces of pepper jack cheese.  They are anything but dry and make the perfect bite sized appetizers.

I baked mine in mini muffin tins, but you could also place them on a shallow baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

I made a simple dipping sauce of mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, horseradish, apple cider vinegar and honey.

So whether you’re hosting a holiday party or getting ready to watch the big game, Spicy Sausage Cheese Balls are a crowd pleaser.  They can also be made ahead and frozen uncooked.  Just add a couple extra minutes to the cooking time if starting with frozen.

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Spicy Sausage Cheese Balls

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 40

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Hot bulk sausage
• 1 8- ounce block cream cheese softened
• 4 ounces pepper jack cheese shredded
• 1 1/4 cup Bisquick baking mix

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat mini muffin tins with cooking spray.
• Combine ingredients, mixing well. Roll into 1-inch balls. Place into muffin tins.
• Bake 20-25 minutes until nicely browned. Serve with favorite dipping sauce.

Notes

Sausage balls can be frozen uncooked. When cooking frozen, add 2-3 additional minutes to cooking time.

For Bisquick baking mix (yield 2 1/4 cups):
Place following ingredients into a food processor.  Pulse until mix resembles cornmeal.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup vegetable shortening, such as Crisco
1 Tbl. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
Store in air tight container in refrigerator.

adapted from My Baking Addiction.

The post Spicy Sausage Cheese Balls appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

This is a hearty appetizer.

Loaded potato dip is the hottest addition to our Game Day Pinterest Board. 

Serious baked potato love delivered finger food style. 

Win!!

I love that this recipe looks and smells like a loaded baked potato. 

It will fill your kitchen with all the aromas of baked potatoes.  All your favorite toppings like sour cream, cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, chives.

Come on!!! 

The Pub Fries stole the show, yet our dip is a stand alone winner as well. When you pack a hot from the oven dip with baked potato love you’ll hear the crowd go wild!

Perhaps it’s the cheese, or the crispy bacon, creamy sour cream and chives.

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

All my best,
xo Libby

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Hot Loaded Baked Potato Dip {with Crispy Baked Potato Wedges}

The Pub Fries stole the show, yet our Loaded Baked Potato Dip is a stand alone winner as well. It's packed full of baked potato love with cheese, bacon, sour cream and chives.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese softened
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
• 1/2 pound bacon cooked crispy & chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh snipped chives
• 1 tsp. garlic & herb seasoning
• 1 tsp. black pepper

To serve…

• Crispy Baked Potato Wedges for serving recipe link in post

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine all ingredients (reserving 1/2 cup cheddar cheese and a few bacon crumbles); spoon into a baking dish. Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar and bacon.
• Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
• Serve with Crispy Baked Potato Wedges.

The post Hot Loaded Baked Potato Dip {with Crispy Potato Wedges} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Pumpkin, pumpkin everywhere.  I had to jump in and join the party.  Keeping it simple, by taking our most favorite Banana Bread recipe and replacing mashed bananas with pumpkin puree.  The result is a Pumpkin Pecan Bread that is super moist, not too pumpkin-y, with subtle hints of cinnamon.

So about that failed attempt at a cream cheese swirl.  At the last minute I decided to add an ever popular twist.  With the batter already in my loaf pans, I softened 4 ounces of cream cheese and stirred in a 1/2 cup brown sugar.  Dolloped it on top and tried to swirl it into the batter.  I’m leaving that part out of the recipe below, although feel free to give it a go.

With or without the cream cheese swirl this bread will please even your non-pumpkin loving friends.  Yesterday I offered Bethany a piece of pumpkin bread, she crinkled her nose and said, “Nah, I’m good.  Not a fan of pumpkin.”  Today, I laid a bite sized piece on her desk.  I received this message via email…

“Don’t know what you gave me, but YUMMO!!!”

Should I tell her?

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Pumpkin Pecan Bread

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 20

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter softened
• 1 8- ounce package cream cheese softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 15- ounce can 100% pure pumpkin puree
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 cup pecans toasted

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 8 x 4-inch loaf pans.
• Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add in pumpkin puree and vanilla.
• In a separate bowl, combine flour and next 4 ingredients, gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed until just blended. Stir in toasted pecans. Divide equally into loaf pans.
• Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes, then cool another 15 minutes out of pans before slicing.

The post Pumpkin Pecan Bread appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

It’s football season, officially Autumn Thyme and we’ve dipped into the low 60’s here in the sunny south.  I for one am ready for fall.  Bring on apples, pumpkins, soups, stews, chili, comfort food and game day recipes, preferably in the form of hot dips.  Hot dips like BBQ Chicken Pizza Dip.

I made a Hot Pizza Dip a few months back that was crazy good.  It was a traditional pepperoni pizza turned dip recipe.  What’s not to love.  Yet, that’s not my favorite pizza combination.  I’m a BBQ Chicken Pizza girl, served with a drizzle or dipping of Ranch Dressing.  Why not turn my favorite pizza into a hot dip?  Rhetorical. It happened.  And it was good.  Think Buffalo Chicken Dip concept except replace buffalo flavor with BBQ flavor.  Heavenly.

I picked up a rotisserie chicken on my way home from work, making this dip a cinch to put together.  The other key ingredient I love on our BBQ Chicken Pizza is grilled red onion.  It brings a nice sweet crunch which went perfectly in this dip as well.

Chopped cooked chicken, grilled red onion, cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, BBQ sauce and ranch dressing, mixed well then scooped into your favorite 1 1/2 quart baking dish.

Sprinkle with a bit more mozzarella and diced red onion and bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until mixture is hot and bubbly.  Drizzle with BBQ sauce and ranch dressing then sprinkle with scallion and cilantro to serve.

I bought a tube of refrigerated pizza dough, cut it into strips and baked it.  It made delicious ‘pizza crust’ bread sticks, perfect for dunking into BBQ Chicken Pizza Dip.

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BBQ Chicken Pizza Dip

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 rotisserie chicken or about 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup diced grilled red onion
• 2 8- ounce blocks cream cheese softened
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce plus more for drizzle
• 1/2 cup ranch dressing plus more for drizzle
• scallion and cilantro for garnish
• 1 tube refrigerated pizza dough

Instructions

For pizza dip…

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Combine cooked chicken, grilled red onion, cream cheese, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, BBQ sauce and ranch dressing. Mix well and pour into a 1 1/2 quart baking dish.
• Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese on top and bake for 25-30 minutes until hot and bubbly.
• Drizzle with BBQ sauce and ranch dressing. Garnish with scallion and cilantro to serve.

For ‘pizza crust’ bread sticks…

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Roll out pizza dough and cut into 12 strips. Place strips on cooking spray coated baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes until golden brown.

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