For the past few days I have been pondering what to make for Sunday dinner.  On Friday we declared it would be Seafood Lasagna. 

As I prepared to head to the grocery store on Sunday morning, there was an abrupt change of plans.  “You know what, pick up a Ribeye for dinner.  That would be a lot easier than the lasagna.” 

As you wish.  Hmmp.  Since when has easy been my reason for cooking?  

Have you got time for a funny story?

After I picked out a nice bone-in Ribeye steak I headed to the seafood counter. 

I’ll have “about a half a pound of shrimp” and then stopped my fish counter guy at one handful, that’s plenty.  

I’ll have two sea scallops.  I apologized, he interrupted me and said “no no, it’s okay.  I had a lady last week buy one scallop.  One? What happens if you mess it up?  At least you’re buying a spare.” 

Then I asked for one crab cake.

That’s actually not the funny story.  And I’m not sure it’s all that funny unless you’re a food blogger or a professional chef.

By this point he had to ask. 

“So, what you making?” 

I told him I was making Seafood Lasagna Roll-Ups, to serve as an appetizer.  His response…. “Okay.  Have you considered a Gratin?”

Was he trying to tell me that this roll-up concept was a bad idea?  What part of it didn’t he like? 

Next thing I know he flops his “bible” on the counter.  No, not THE Bible, his bible.  The Flavor Bible. 

He went on to share that he had worked as a sous chef and had a passion for cooking.  We talked a little more about where I was taking my lasagna with the jalapeno alfredo sauce, etc.  We were digging each other.  And then I blew it.

I said “I’m a actually a food blogger.” I’m sure with a big grin on my face, drooling with a sense of accomplishment.  This is the funny part. 

He said, “I think I’m supposed to hate you.”  Oh (jaw drops) Um, well…can I just have my crab cake and I’ll be on my way.

Food Bloggers

Fellow food bloggers, are we ‘blogger types’ ridiculed by real chefs?  Have I been living under a rock?  Is it because we butcher (not literally) classic recipes and make them our own?  Is it because we encourage people to get into the kitchen, find their passion, and share it with their families….at their own kitchen tables?

Who knows?  Unless you do, in which case please comment below and fill me in. 

What I do know is that when I presented individual Seafood Lasagna Roll-Ups my family was quite happy.

And as for these roll-ups, I’m not sure my idea of making them cute and standing them on end was the best idea, as the filling ingredients gravitated to the bottom.  It did create a fun slightly crispy ruffle around the top though. 

Tonight we are having the remaining four as dinner.  I’m going to lay our Seafood Lasagna Roll-Ups down when I reheat them.  Either way will be fine. 

Remember comfortable, complete, and happy.

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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Seafood Lasagna Roll-Ups

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Jalapeno Alfredo Sauce…

• 2 jalapenos finely diced
• 1 shallot finely diced
• 2 Tbl. flour
• 4 Tbl. butter
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• salt to taste

For the Lasagna…

• 6 dried lasagna noodles prepared according to package instructions
• 1 Tbl. butter
• 12 medium shrimp peeled & deveined, cut in half
• 4 ounces crab meat
• 2 large sea scallops sliced in thirds
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions

For the Alfredo Sauce…

• Finely dice jalapeno and shallot. Melt butter in a large skillet, sauté fine diced jalapeno and shallot for 2-3 minutes. Dust with flour and sauté an additional 1-2 minutes until mixture is bubbly.
• Whisk in heavy cream and bring to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in Parmesan cheese, black pepper and garlic powder. Whisk to combine. Season with salt to taste. Reserve.

For the Lasagna…

• Prepare the noodles according to package instructions. Rinse under cool water; reserve.
• In a large skillet melt butter. Sauté spinach until wilted. Remove to paper towels. Add shrimp, scallops and crab meat to skillet and sauté for 3-4 minutes until opaque and cooked through; reserve.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a small casserole dish.

To Assemble…

• Line a large flat surface with parchment paper. Line up lasagna noodles in a row. Have sauce, cooked seafood and spinach, and cheese at hand. Spoon about 1/4 cup of Alfredo sauce onto each noodle and spread.
• Alternately top with a shrimp, cooked spinach, scallop slice, spinach, crab meat, spinach, and a shrimp. Sprinkle each with a good handful of grated mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Roll each noodle and stand or lay in casserole dish. Repeat with remaining 5 noodles. Spoon remaining alfredo sauce over rolls.
• Bake for 30 minutes until top is golden brown and bubbly. Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.

The post Seafood Lasagna Roll-Ups appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Whenever I bring up favorite Thanksgiving sides in conversation, Green Bean Casserole always rises near the top. Even though Stuffing seems to be the emotional favorite.

Hello carbs!

Before we get too far in, this may or may not be the time to share that before now, I’ve never been a big fan of green bean casserole.

Inevitably, every Thanksgiving luncheon or dinner I’ve attended has included at least one of this hallowed dish. I want to like it.

I love green beans and I love casseroles. But over the years I’ve been disappointed with the lack of…..flavor.

I’m not going to hate on canned “cream of” soups. In fact, I embrace them at times. But I’m just going to suggest that the classic recipe could enjoy a flavor boost by including fresh ingredients.

Several years ago, when I and every other food blogger were deconstructing dishes, I came up with this recipe. It was actually really good.

So it is with that sentiment in mind that I’ve freshened up this holiday favorite and made a proper casserole.

The Casserole Ingredients

• Fresh green beans
• Fresh mushrooms
• Homemade parmesan cream sauce
• Crispy shallots
• Shaved parmesan cheese
• Finished with a little lemon zest for bright flavor

The Preparation

Blanch or steam green beans until just tender and bright green. I steam mine 8 minutes over a pan of boiling water. Alternately you can blanch them in boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Place in ice bath to stop cooking, then transfer to a 3 quart casserole dish.

The mushrooms are pan browned first, giving them their wonderful golden color and rich flavor.

Add the browned mushrooms to the casserole dish on top of the green beans.

Prepare a basic white sauce, then add parmesan cheese. The result is a luxurious sauce that single handedly turns this dish into comfort food!

The green beans and mushrooms are blanketed with the luxurious parmesan cream sauce.

The casserole is baked covered for 35 minutes, then uncovered for an additional 15-20 minutes until lightly browned around the edges.

While the casserole is baking, prepare the crispy shallots. Thinly slice shallots then gently fry in batches in vegetable oil until deep golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Top casserole with the crispy shallots and bake an additional 5 minutes. Garnish with shaved parmesan cheese and lemon zest.

Fresh Green Bean & Mushroom Casserole with Crispy Shallots has all the comfort you want with the beautiful fresh ingredients you deserve.

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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Fresh Green Bean & Mushroom Casserole with Crispy Shallots

Fresh Green Bean & Mushroom Casserole with Crispy Shallots has all the comfort you want with the beautiful fresh ingredients you deserve.

Course Side Dish

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Servings 12

Ingredients

For the Green Beans & Mushrooms

• 2 pounds fresh green beans ends trimmed
• 1 pound cremini (button) mushrooms sliced
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs
• 4 Tablespoons butter divided
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil divided

For the Parmesan Cream Sauce

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 2 cups half & half
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• salt & pepper to taste

For the Crispy Shallots

• 3 large shallots thinly sliced
• 2 cups vegetable oil for frying

For the Garnish

• 1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese for garnish
• 1 zest of lemon for garnish

Instructions

For the Green Beans & Mushrooms

• Place a steamer basket over a large pot of boiling water. Add green beans and steam for 8 minutes or until just tender and bright green. Alternately you can blanch the green beans in boiling water for 3-4 minutes until just tender. Transfer cooked beans to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.
• Add 2 Tbl. butter, 1 Tbl. olive oil and 2 sprigs fresh thyme to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the sliced mushrooms in a single layer and brown on one side without turning, about 4-5 minutes. Turn over mushrooms and brown on the other side, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan and reserve. Melt remaining 2 Tbl. butter, 1 Tbl. olive oil and thyme sprigs. Add remaining mushrooms and brown on both sides. Remove from pan and reserve.

For the Parmesan Cream Sauce

• In a medium sauce pan, melt 2 Tablespoons of butter over medium heat until hot and bubbly. Add flour and whisk to combine. Continue cooking until lightly golden brown, stirring constantly. Gradually whisk in half & half. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add minced garlic and grated parmesan cheese. Whisk until cheese is melted. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

For the Crispy Shallots

• In a medium sauce pan bring 2 cups of vegetable oil over medium-high heat to 375° F. Working in batches, fry sliced shallots until deep golden brown. Remove with a mesh strainer and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Continue with remaining shallots.

To Assemble Casserole

• Preheat oven to 350° F. Arrange green beans in a 3 quart casserole dish. Top with browned mushrooms and parmesan cream sauce. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake covered 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15-20 minutes until sauce is bubbling and lightly browned around edges. Add Crispy Shallots and bake an additional 5 minutes. Garnish with shaved parmesan cheese and lemon zest.

The post Fresh Green Bean & Mushroom Casserole with Crispy Shallots appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

These sticky sticks are finger-licking good. The Kung Pao sauce packs a little heat with giant sweet and savory flavors!

The Kung Pao Sauce

This Asian inspired sauce is sweet, savory and slightly spicy. When cooked, the sauce thickens making it the perfect marinade and basting sauce.

The shallot and garlic are sautéed in olive oil, then the remaining ingredients are added. Bring to a boil and allow to cool completely.

• Olive oil
• Shallot & garlic
• Honey
• Soy Sauce (or coconut aminos)
• Rice Wine Vinegar
• Ginger
• Chili Crisp Oil (or sriracha hot sauce)

Instructions

Marinate 4 chicken drumsticks for 1-2 hours in cooled Kung Pao sauce. You can easily double or triple this recipe!

Remove chicken from Kung Pao Sauce and place on a rack set in a foil lined baking sheet. Pour sauce into a small saucepan and bring to a boil.

The Method

Many recipes I reviewed called for frying the chicken legs before baking.  I opted to go for a total baked version, basting along the way with boiled sauce. 

Bake at 425 degrees for 45 minutes or until internal temp. registers 175 degrees when stuck with meat thermometer.  They will be crispy, juicy and delicious!

We have one of those great meat fork thermometers.  If you don’t, I recommend the ThermoWorks one.  And I’d get it today and gift it to the house grill master.

Serve the drumsticks topped with crushed peanuts and sliced scallions.  Serve with fingers and napkins. These chicken wings pack so much flavor you’ll want to make them again and again!

Do you have a favorite finger food you’d like for me to recreate here? I’d love for you to share in the comments below.

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

All my best,
xo Libby

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Kung Pao Chicken Drumsticks

This Asian inspired sauce is sweet, savory and slightly spicy. When cooked, the sauce thickens making it the perfect marinade and basting sauce.

Course Appetizer

Prep Time 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Time to Marinate 2 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours

Servings 2

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the sauce…

• 2 Tbl. olive oil
• 1 small shallot minced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 Tbl. grated ginger
• 1 Tbl. rice wine vinegar
• 2 Tbl. soy sauce or coconut aminos
• 1 Tbl. brown sugar
• 1/2 Tbl. sriracha or chili crisp oil

For the chicken…

• 4 chicken drumsticks
• 1/4 cup peanuts
• 1 scallion thinly sliced

Instructions

For the sauce…

• Saute shallot in olive oil until tender, add garlic for 1 minute. Then add remaining ingredients and bring to slow boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Cool completely before adding sauce to chicken for marinating.

For the chicken…

• Marinate drumsticks in Kung Pao sauce for 1-2 hours, reserving some sauce for basting.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken legs on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes or until done to your liking when stuck with meat thermometer. Baste drumsticks 3-4 times during the cooking time.
• Top with crushed peanuts and sliced scallions.

The post Kung Pao Chicken Drumsticks That Are Finger-Licking Good! appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Whether you have a favorite Greek restaurant or a favorite Greek Island, this dressing will save you the trip!

I love how the classic Mediterranean aromatics and herbs make this dressing sing. But its the salty tangy feta cheese that’s the star. Sweet honey and the acid from the red wine vinegar are the perfect balance.

All of the ingredients go into your food processor, making this dressing quick & easy to make. I have a mini KitchenAid Food Chopper that I use almost daily. One of my most treasured kitchen appliances!

Homemade is better.

Especially homemade salad dressings. No chemicals or preservatives.

Just real good ingredients.

Garlic, shallot, lemon zest and a touch of honey infuse a base of extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar. Fresh basil and oregano add familiar Greek flavor. While the feta cheese adds a nice salty finish.

If you’re looking for an easy way to elevate a simple salad this feta & red wine vinaigrette is the answer! Give our Greek Salad or Mediterranean Chopped Salad a try.

Are there recipes that remind you of a favorite vacation that you’d like to see us recreate? I’d love for you to comment below. Your feedback is so important to me (and keeps the recipe love fresh).

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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Quick Greek Red Wine & Feta Vinaigrette

If you’re looking for an easy way to elevate a simple salad this feta & red wine vinaigrette is the answer!

Course Dressing

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 zest of one lemon
• 1 shallot
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 Tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup feta cheese
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients except feta, salt & pepper in bowl of a food processor. Purée. Add in feta and pulse until creamy, but with small pieces of feta still visible. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

The post Quick Greek Red Wine & Feta Vinaigrette appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

She peeling garlic, me shucking chili pepper seeds, all the while laughing about whether making homemade Chili Crisp Oil would be worth it in the end.

She had presented me with a jar of this fiery condiment several months ago and honestly I hadn’t used it much.

How to Use Chili Crisp Oil

But then I made sticky asian beef meatballs where the combination of sweet and heat was addicting.

Followed by chicken satay meatballs where I replaced sriracha with this crispy garlic oil.

Spooned over a simple bowl of ramen and it will be transformed into a flavor explosion.

And that was all in a matter of three days last week. Once I started using it I couldn’t stop thinking of the next dish that would incorporate Chili Crisp Oil. That’s when I decided we needed to start making our own.

I had arrived to her house with a recipe draft chicken scratched onto a post-it and the basic ingredients in tow. Lots of garlic and shallots, a big bottle of avocado oil, and dried chili peppers from the hispanic market, which by the way is always such a treat. There are so many wonderful ingredients begging for me to discover.

Quick funny story. For most of my life I have been a spicy food wimp. I’ve come around for sure, but even still I rarely use the really hot spices, including crushed red pepper flakes. I’m certain as I browsed through others recipes that somewhere I read to “remove the seeds from the dried pods.” Since we’re making what I know to be a spicy oil I’m thinking that we’re going to use the seeds from these gorgeous dried peppers. She sheepishly admits that she collected the seeds and discarded the outer chilies. Red chilies. The chilies that give Chili Crisp Oil its signature color and crispiness.

In the end, we had a deliciously infused oil, much milder in nature but not at all true Crispy Chili Oil.

Recipe note to self: read the entire recipe before you begin.

The Process

Back to the tried and tested recipe, where you remove the seeds from the pods and discard them.

What’s left are these beautiful red chilies that get ground up in your spice grinder. Then the chiles are rehydrated with hot garlic, shallot, cinnamon stick, and star anise infused oil that has been simmering for nearly an hour.

Not only is the oil infused but after cooling, the crispy garlic and shallot are returned to the oil at the end to bulk up the crunch factor (and flavor).

Chili Crisp Oil Ingredients

For our Chili Crisp Oil, to the ground chili pods we added smoked paprika, toasted sesame seeds, Szechuan peppercorns (another funny story…they’re not really peppers), anchovy paste, and salt.

This recipe allows you to get creative according to your taste and preference.

Oil – Starting with the oil, a nice neutral oil works well, like avocado, grape seed, vegetable, peanut.

Peppers – For the peppers, you can choose a dried variety from the hispanic market like we did (we used mostly Arbol Chili and Chile Japones, with a handful of Guajillo Chilies). Or you can use crushed red pepper flakes, fresh peppers like Serrano or a combination.

Spices – You can use smoked paprika or regular paprika or cumin or another favorite spice.

Nuts/Seeds – We chose toasted sesame seeds, but you could use peanuts or soy nuts to add additional crunch.

Szechuan Peppercorns – The Szechuan Peppercorns seemed to be included in most every recipe I read, however once I learned that they weren’t actually peppercorns we had no substitution in our first attempt. I did however locate them at Penzeys Spices – so I made the 30 minute drive this morning to pick some up. Another funny story, Penzeys is closed for in-store shopping, they only do curb-side and the website said it could take up to two days to process. So thankfully I was able to locate them at Cost Plus World Market which was nearby.

Umami – Our final ingredient is where this sauce gets its savory umami flavor, the anchovy paste. You can substitute or combine soy sauce, mushroom powder, MSG, ginger, sugar, chili powder.

The hot infused oil is poured through a mesh strainer over the chili flakes and remaining ingredients. The cinnamon sticks and star anise are discarded and the garlic and shallots are cooled, allowing them to crisp up, before returning to the oil.

The Results

I intentionally made this a big batch recipe. If you’re going to go to all this effort, make friends and share the love! I’ll be passing a jar over the fence to Ms. Pat and bringing Shelby a proper jar of red Chili Crisp Oil. You can certainly cut the recipe in half, yielding about 2 cups.

Back to the original question of whether it would be worth the work to make homemade Chili Crisp Oil. I’ve made it two days in a row. So yes, you need to make it 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

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Chili Crisp Oil

Once I started using it I couldn’t stop thinking of the next dish that would incorporate Chili Crisp Oil. 

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 4 cups avocado oil
• 4 heads garlic about 40-50 cloves
• 4 large shallot
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 6 star anise
• 4 cups dried chili pods we used mostly arbol chilies and chile japones, with a handful of chile guajillo
• 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 Tablespoon anchovy paste
• salt to taste

Instructions

• Peel and thinly slice the garlic and shallot. Add to a pot with the cinnamon sticks, star anise, and oil. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring ocassionally, until the ingredients become a nice deep golden brown. About 35-45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, wearing disposible plastic gloves, remove and discard the seeds and stems from the dried chilies, some remaining seeds are fine. Grind the chili pods in a spice grinder until they are similar in size to crushed red pepper flakes. It's okay if the pieces vary in size.
• Place the ground chilies in a heat proof or metal bowl along with remaining ingredients.
• Once garlic and shallot are browned, pour the oil through a mesh strainer (catching the garlic and shallot) into the bowl with the chilies, stir to combine. Discard the cinnamon sticks and star anise. Allow the garlic and shallot to cool before adding in to the oil mixture.
• Refrigerate in covered jars. Keeps up to three months.

Notes

Yields 4 cups of Chili Crisp Oil.

The post Chili Crisp Oil appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

With the way I love meatballs, this food holiday is deserving of a celebration.

A Meatball Palooza if you will.

I have so many meatball recipes to share (and several I’ve yet to create) that we’ll need days to properly honor those perfectly packaged bundles of love.

I shall call this celebration March Meatball Madness and share a meatball recipe every day for the remainder of the month.

We shall begin with Chicken Marsala Meatballs.

Let me just put it to you straight.

If you love Classic Chicken Marsala you’re going to love those flavors rolled into tender savory meatballs.

I mean luuuuv them!!

In order to keep the meatballs soft and tender, I combine all the ingredients except the chicken first, then gently fold that mixture into the ground chicken.

Overworking the meatballs can make them tough.

Baking ground chicken meatballs is my preferred method. When the mixture is quite soft and these meatballs are large (2″ diameter) they do better in the oven. I baked them at 400 degree F. for 15 minutes to firm them up a bit before pan browning them in butter and sage.

Earlier today when I passed a Chicken Marsala Meatball over the fence to Ms. Pat {share the love}, she gave me a lovely complement on my mushrooms.

She said, “I don’t know how you do it but your mushrooms are always incredible.”

The truth is I work a little harder for just that reason.

If you take the time to pan brown your mushrooms in a single layer (remember Julia Child’s advice “never crowd the mushrooms”) they will caramelize and take on the most incredible texture.

No mushy mushrooms here.

You will brown the mushrooms on both sides then remove them from the pan. You’ll add them back near the end of preparation.

I apply this method to most every recipe that incorporates mushrooms.

For the Marsala Pan Sauce, I add butter, shallot, and garlic to the pan and sauté until the shallot is soft.

The Marsala wine is added, then allowed to cook down until reduced by at least half.

Marsala wine comes in a variety of finishes. They range from sweet to dry and are not created equally.

During a trip to Sicily we were able to visit the wonderful coastal town of Marsala and sample several varieties, ranging from very sweet to a wonderful dry marsala that’s perfect for making Chicken Marsala.

Below are a few pictures from our visit to Marsala.

Once the Marsala is incorporated, good rich chicken stock is added with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Once that comes to a simmer I dust it with a little arrowroot (for gluten free version) or flour to thicken it just a bit.

Then the mushrooms are returned to the pan along with a little cream and the browned meatballs.

Let the meatballs gently simmer in the sauce for 5 minutes or so before serving.

I chose to serve these meatballs over spaghetti but they would be fabulous over egg noodles or cauliflower rice.

Every tender bite is bursting with hints of marsala and buttery sage. I am so in love with these Chicken Marsala Meatballs. I can’t wait for you to try them and let me know what you think!

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

All my best, Libby

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Chicken Marsala Meatballs

Every tender bite is bursting with hints of marsala and buttery sage.

Course Entree or Appetizer

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs (or GF Panko)
• 1/3 cup pecorino romano cheese grated
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tablespoons cream
• 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley fine chopped
• 1 Tablespoon dry Marsala wine
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic & herb seasoning recipe on blog

For the Marsala Pan Sauce

• 4 Tablespoons butter divided
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 16 ounces fresh button mushrooms sliced
• 1 bunch of fresh sage 8-10 leaves
• 1 shallot fine diced, about 1/4 cup
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 3/4 cup marsala wine
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 Tablespoons flour or arrowroot (for gluten free)
• 2 Tablespoons cream
• salt & pepper to taste

For Serving

• 1 pound spaghetti prepared al dente
• fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

For the Meatballs

• Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl combine breadcrumbs, Romano cheese, egg, cream, parsley, marsala wine, salt, pepper, garlic & herb seasoning. Fold mixture into ground chicken until just combined. Form into 12 meatballs, about 2 inches in diameter, place onto parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.

For the Marsala Pan Sauce

• While meatballs are baking, pan brown mushrooms in batches using large skillet over medium-high heat with 1 Tbl. butter & 1 Tbl. olive oil, adding additional butter/olive oil with each batch. Once deep golden brown, remove mushrooms from pan and reserve. In same skillet over medium heat, melt 2 Tbl. butter with fresh sage leaves. Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes until fragrant. Remove sage leaves and reserve as edible garnish.
• Remove meatballs from oven and add to skillet with sage butter; cook until nicely browned on all sides. Remove from pan and reserve.
• Add shallot and garlic to pan and saute over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until shallot is tender. Return the mushrooms to pan, add marsala wine and simmer until reduced by at least half. Add chicken stock, bring to a boil then dust with flour/arrowroot whisking until slightly thickened. Stir in the cream, then return meatballs to sauce to heat through.

For Serving

• Cook spaghetti al dente and divide into four bowls. Top each bowl with 3 meatballs, a generous serving of pan sauce and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

The post Chicken Marsala Meatballs for National Meatball Day! appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Homemade vinaigrettes are so versatile.

And delicious.

With oil and vinegar as your base, the flavor pairings are endless.

I chose lemony thyme and parsley for my herbs and shallot and garlic for my aromatics.

A splash of champagne vinegar and freshly squeezed lemon juice are the acidic elements.

For the olive oil I used a nice finishing oil.

I’m really just beginning to understand the wonderful nuances of olive oil varieties. Not an expert but I definitely appreciate a bright ‘green’ EVOO.

Lemony Thyme Vinaigrette was the perfect pairing with our Butter Bean Salad. Hope you’ll give both recipes a try. Enjoy!

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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Lemony Thyme Vinaigrette

Homemade vinaigrettes are so versatile. And delicious. With oil and vinegar as your base, the flavor pairings are endless.

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fresh herbs (lemony thyme and parsley) leaves only
• 1 small shallot rough chopped
• 2 small cloves garlic peeled
• 2 Tablespoons champagne vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in a small food chopper or blender. Puree.
• Store in air tight container in refrigerator for up to 1 week.

The post Lemony Thyme Vinaigrette appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I wanted to prepare and share a dish that said “when I am with you I am complete and comfortable”.  

On any given day, this is one of the most popular recipes on the blog. It’s a fan favorite and a family favorite. My 11 year old bonus daughter Ella made it for a weeknight dinner with some neighbors. I would say this also qualifies as a quick & easy recipe!

Salisbury Steak isn’t much more than kicked-up hamburger patties braised in mushroom gravy.  Almost like mini-meatloaves, sautéed in butter, then finished in a nice rich mushroom gravy. I really like the mushroom gravy.

Although, I’ve probably seen just as many recipes for Salisbury Steak with an Onion Gravy, so I say get happy and take it in the direction that makes you and yours complete and comfortable.

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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Salisbury Steak {with Mushroom Gravy}

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 3 -4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Salisbury steak…

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 cup finely diced onion
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1 Tbl. Worcestershire sauce
• 3 Tbl. fresh parsley minced
• 1 Tbl. dried shallot and roasted garlic
• or 1 garlic clove & 1 shallot clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp. freshly cracked pepper
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 Tbl. butter for pan frying

For the mushroom gravy…

• 1 Tbl. butter
• 8 oz. sliced mushrooms
• 2 shallots thinly sliced
• 1 Tbl. fresh thyme leaves minced
• 2 Tbl. flour
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups beef broth
• salt & freshly cracked pepper

Instructions

For the Salisbury steak…

• Combine ingredients and form into 3-4 oval shaped patties. Melt 1 Tbl. butter in a large skillet, sauté patties 4-5 minutes per side over medium heat until nicely browned. Remove from pan and reserve.

For the mushroom gravy…

• Add 1 Tbl. butter, sliced mushrooms, and shallots and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add the fresh thyme and cook an additional minute. Dust mixture with flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. The mixture will be thick. Gradually stir in beef broth 1/2 cup at a time, allowing mixture to come to a boil in between each addition. Add more broth until desired thickness is achieved. Season with salt and pepper.
• Return steak patties to gravy, reduce heat to low, and allow to braise until patties are cooked through.
• Serve over mashed potatoes with fresh parsley to garnish.

The post Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Here in the sunny south we’ve been experiencing some big weather swings.  Cold one day, hot the next.  Seems that kind of shift leads you straight into flu and cold season.  Yep, that’s right.  About 1/3 of my work family is or has been sick.  The only thing I could think to do was make soup.  Mushroom Soup with Cheesy Portobello Croutons hit the spot.

We had witnessed poor Ania go slowly down hill.  You could see in her face that she just didn’t feel good, but she hung in there, each day hoping that would be the day she would turn the corner and feel better.  When Friday afternoon rolled around I overheard a coworker ask her what would make her feel better.  The answer was soup.  Mushroom Soup.  Note to self, make Ania mushroom soup.

We have a Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe shared already, yet I had a feeling brothy would be better in this case.  So I sent her a text to confirm.

I wanted to do something especially for Ania.  Since she is a low-carb girl, most often when I’m passing samples around at the office, they aren’t on her plan.  I needed a soup that delivered comfort so I followed our French Onion Soup recipe but replaced the onions with mushrooms.  I had to come up with a replacement for the cheesy pumpernickel crouton.

Welcome the roasted Portobello mushroom cap loaded with Havarti cheese aka Cheesy Portobello Crouton.  If you’re a carb lover like me, feel free to melt that thick slice of Havarti over an even thicker slice of toasted pumpernickel bread.

Yes the cheesy crouton delivers complete comfort, and all those yummy mushrooms will make you smile, but the broth…..

The broth begins with cooking down the mushrooms in butter until they release all their natural juices.  Then fresh thyme, garlic, bay leaf, red wine and Worcestershire sauce build on that goodness.  Once the wine is cooked off, nice rich beef broth is added and the mushrooms simmer.  I’m telling you if layers of flavors had a picture in the dictionary this might just be it.

I delivered a big tub of Mushroom Soup {with Cheesy Portobello Crouton}.  I’m pretty certain Ania perked up after she enjoyed a bowlful for lunch.  Share the Love.  It just feels good.

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Mushroom Soup {with Cheesy Portobello Crouton}

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4 -6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the soup…

• 4 Tbl. butter
• 2 pounds thick sliced fresh mushrooms I used button and baby portobello
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly cracked pepper
• 1 cup red wine can sub white wine or omit
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbl. flour
• 48 ounces beef stock

For the cheesy Portobello croutons…

• 4 Portobello mushroom caps about 4-inch diameter
• 4 thick slices Havarti or Gruyere Cheese
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

Instructions

For the soup…

• In a large dutch oven over medium-low heat, add butter and sliced mushrooms. Stir to coat mushrooms in butter then allow to cook untouched for 10 minutes. Stir well, then allow to cook for an additional 5 minutes untouched. Stir, cook another 5 minutes, mushrooms should be releasing their liquid. Continue cooking, stirring every 5 minutes until the mushrooms are tender and have released most of their liquid.
• Add in minced garlic, bay leaf, fresh thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook for an additional minute, then add in wine and Worcestershire sauce. Allow to simmer gently until the wine has absorbed. Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs, discard.
• Dust mixture with flour and cook slowly for 5-7 minutes. Then add beef broth and simmer 10 minutes.

For the cheesy Portobello croutons…

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Using a spoon, scrape to remove the gills from the stem side of each of mushroom cap. Brush both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Cut a shallow ‘X’ into the top of each cap. Place in baking pan.
• Roast for 15 minutes on one side, then turn over and roast another 15 minutes. Fill each cap with a slice of cheese, then pop under the broiler until lightly browned and bubbly.
• Fill crocks with soup, top with cheesy Portobello crouton. Enjoy!

The post Mushroom Soup {with Cheesy Portobello Crouton} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

This Fresh Herb Vinaigrette is a salad game changer. It’s equally wonderful with fresh basil or cilantro and loves when you throw in a little lemony thyme or fresh oregano. Simple ingredients delivery big bright flavors.

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Fresh Herb Vinaigrette

This Vinaigrette is sure to become your new favorite. Use your favorite soft herbs like cilantro, basil, thyme, parsley or oregano to nuance the flavor profile.

Course Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups fresh herb leaves only cilantro and/or basil are preferred
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 shallot rough chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth. Store in refrigerator for up to a week.

The post Fresh Herb Vinaigrette appeared first on Lemony Thyme.