This dish likely evolved from rustic Italian North American home cooking, where ‘dump and bake’ meals became popular in the 1970s and 80s for their minimal cleanup. It combines affordable proteins (chicken) with pantry staples (potatoes, canned or frozen green beans) and a fat source (butter or olive oil) to create a savory, tender meal.
The ‘Italian’ moniker comes primarily from the Italian herb seasoning used to coat the ingredients, rather than from traditional Italian culinary techniques. Dry herb blends became widely available in the mid-20th century, allowing home cooks to easily create Italian flavors without needing an extensive spice rack.
Soldiers returning from WWII brought home a taste for Italian flavors—specifically oregano on pizza—which paved the way for a market for Italian flavored products.
You generally won’t find this pre-mixed blend in Italy; Italian cooks typically use fresh herbs (like basil, parsley, or rosemary) individually or in regional combinations rather than a single ‘all-purpose’ dried mix.
The classic blend typically includes dried oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, sage, and marjoram.
The Italian chicken, potato and green bean casserole is enjoyed for its ability to transform simple, humble ingredients into a comforting, nutritious, and versatile dish.
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Italian Chicken, Potato & Green Bean Bake
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Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
In a large mixing bowl, add the chicken, potatoes & green beans. Drizzle the olive oil over the ingredients in the bowl. Add Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, rosemary, basil, salt & pepper. Toss everything together until the chicken, potatoes & green beans are evenly coated with oil & seasoning.
Transfer the mixture into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, placing the chicken breasts in the center. Arrange the potatoes around the chicken & place the green beans on top. Cover the dish with aluminum foil (optional for a softer finish) or leave uncovered for a bit more crispiness.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through & the potatoes are tender. If desired, sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over the chicken & vegetables during the last 5 minutes of baking for a cheesy finish.
French onion meatloaf is a modern comfort food mashup that combines traditional North American meatloaf—derived from European, particularly German, traditions like ‘Hackbraten’—with the savory, caramelized flavors of classic French onion soup. It evolved from 1950s—1960s casserole-style cooking, using caramelized onions and Gruyère cheese to elevate the standard ground beef dish.
Hackbraten, the traditional German-style meatloaf, has a history that dates back to the Middle Ages, evolving from a humble, filling meal for laborers into a staple of German, Austrian, and Swiss cuisine. It is fundamentally a ‘ground meat roast’—a mixture of ground beef and pork, onions, eggs, and breadcrumbs, seasoned and baked until golden brown.
Unlike standard meatloaf recipes that use raw onions, this version relies on 20+ minutes of slow cooking to develop a sweet-savory base. Authentic versions typically feature Gruyere, a Swiss-type Alpine cheese, to mimic the molten topping of traditional French onion soup. Using breadcrumbs or soaked bread to stretch the meat was a common practice during the Great Depression. It remains a staple in this recipe to ensure a moist texture.
Basically, French onion meatloaf is a high-flavor ‘mash-up’ that combines the nostalgic comfort of a classic family dinner with the sophisticated, savory-sweet profile of French onion soup.
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French Onion Meatloaf
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Instructions
Caramelized Onions
Slice the onions thinly & sauté them in butter or olive oil over medium-low heat. Cook for about 20-25 minutes until they turn golden brown & sweetly fragrant. Season with salt & pepper, then allow to cool.
Meatloaf
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In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef with half of the caramelized onions, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, Worcestershire sauce, egg, & breadcrumbs. Mix gently until just combined to keep the meatloaf tender.
Transfer the meat mixture into a greased loaf pan. Shape it into a loaf & bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F for safe consumption.
Once baked, take the meatloaf out of the oven & pile the remaining caramelized onions on top. Sprinkle the Gruyere cheese generously over the onions. Return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melty and bubbly.
Allow the meatloaf to rest for about 5 minutes before slicing. This helps maintain its juiciness. Serve while hot, alongside creamy mashed potatoes or a salad.
Ravioli is a beloved pasta dish that has stood the test of time. With its delicious fillings, cultural significance, and versatility, ravioli continues to be a popular choice for people of all ages and backgrounds.
The name ‘ravioli’ is derived from the old Italian word ‘riavvolgere’ (to wrap). Ravioli was traditionally served ‘al brodo’ (in broth) before the introduction of tomatoes from the New World in the 16th century, when tomato-based sauces became popular.
In the past, ravioli was just a fancy way to recycle leftovers, but today you’ll find a variety of elegant fillings ranging from gourmet cheeses, butternut squash, kale & spinach, wild mushrooms, lobster, and chicken. It can be served in a variety of ways, such as boiled, baked, or fried, and can be paired with a wide range of sauces and toppings.
The sauce you choose to serve with your ravioli will depend on the filling of your little pasta pockets. The idea is to pair the right sauce with the filling to create balance. Light, cheesy ravioli pairs well with a rich, meaty sauce, while hearty meat-filled ravioli works better with something creamy or mild. This keeps the dish balanced so it’s not too heavy or uninteresting.
This casserole pairs cheese ravioli with a creamy beef parmesan sauce making a nice flavorful meal.
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Beef & Cheese Ravioli in Creamy Sauce
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Instructions
Beef & Ravioli
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef, breaking it up into small pieces with a spoon. Cook until beef is browned, about 5-7 minutes. Drain any excess fat. Add the onion & garlic, cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes until softened & fragrant. Stir in oregano, basil & salt & pepper to taste. Set aside.
While the beef cooks, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add ravioli & cook according to package directions, typically 3-5 minutes. Drain the ravioli, reserving about a cup of pasta water for the sauce. Set aside.
Sauce
In the same skillet you cooked the beef, reduce the heat to medium-low & add the milk, cream cheese & chicken broth. Stir continuously until the cream cheese is fully incorporated into the sauce, creating a creamy base. Add the parmesan cheese, garlic & onion powder & pepper. Stir until the sauce is smooth & slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
Assembly
Add the cooked ravioli & beef mixture to the skillet with the creamy sauce. Stir gently to combine, ensuring the ravioli is coated with the sauce. If the sauce seems to thick, add a small amount of the reserved pasta water to thin it to your desired consistency. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes to heat everything through.
Serve hot. Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley & additional parmesan cheese if desired.
July in Canada is the ‘everything goes better with corn’ season, and that includes seafood.
Scallops, those sweet and tender ocean gems, have a flavor profile that’s both briny and subtly sweet but never too fishy. Then there’s corn, that sunny yellow kernel-packed treasure. It’s like summer in vegetable form, with a satisfying crunch and natural sweetness.
This is an easy summer dish, perfect for any night of the week, but make no mistake, it’s also worthy of a weekend dinner with friends. Pair it with some small, boiled new potatoes tossed in parsley and butter. Yum!
Brion & I love both seafood and corn, so this kind of meal certainly works for us.
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Baked Scallops w/ Creamy Corn, Tomatoes & Chives
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Instructions
Corn, Tomatoes & Chives
In a large skillet, heat oil. Add corn kernels & season with 1/4 tsp salt. Cook until just about tender, 2-3 minutes. Add Boursin cheese & water; cook 1-2 minutes more while stirring. Remove from heat, stir in the halved tomatoes. Keep warm while scallops are baking.
Scallops
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Pour melted butter into an 11 X 7-inch baking dish; add scallops & spread to form an even layer. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, minced garlic, onion powder, paprika & dried parsley. Sprinkle over scallops. Bake scallops about 15-20 minutes.
Serving
Divide corn/tomato mixture on 4 serving plates. Top with scallops & fresh chives or green onions for garnish.
Summer equates to fresh produce so why not make the most of it in a vegetable pizza? When it comes to veggies the key word here is ‘ROASTED’. The veggies go in the oven with a little oil, herbs & spices until they start to brown up which brings out a little caramelization of their natural flavors and transforms them into little nuggets of vegetable GOLD.
Roasting vegetables brings out a depth of flavor with a hint of sweetness that lets the vegetables shine through in a truly magical way. Any combination of your favorite vegetables will work, so there is a lot of flexibility here.
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Roasted Vegetable & Smoked Cheddar Pizza
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Instructions
Roasted Vegetables
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In a large bowl, TOSS all roasted vegetable ingredients, combing well. Spread veggies onto a parchment lined baking sheet & roast for 20 minutes, stirring once half way through baking.
Herb Sauce
In a saucepan, combine all sauce ingredients. Heat & stir over medium heat until cream cheese is melted & sauce becomes thick & creamy. Grate smoked cheddar cheese.
Assembly/Baking
When vegetables are roasted, lower oven temperature to 375 F.
Divide herb sauce evenly between the 4 Naan breads & spread over each. Next, divide the roasted vegetables between the 4 pizzas. Top with grated smoked cheddar cheese.
Bake pizzas for 10-15 minutes or until veggies are nicely roasted & edges are crispy. Remove from oven & serve.
CELEBRATING THE LONG WEEK-END!
For many Canadians, Victoria Day marks the unofficial beginning of summer. It is Canada’s oldest non-religious holiday and although we still hang on to the British Queen’s name (for old times’ sake), this truly Canadian holiday has everything to do with the end of the cold weather and short days and a lot to do with some great food.
Canadians jokingly refer to this holiday as May ‘two-four’ day. This is an inside joke which refers to a case of beer, containing 24 cans. For many, this is the first (warm-ish) long weekend since Easter, so they head to campsites armed with a 24 (can) case of beer to celebrate the beginning of Summer.
Wherever you live across Canada, this May long weekend – typically marks the start of grilling season. It’s time to get outside in the sunshine, fire up the BBQ, and enjoy savory grilled food with family and friends.
Brion & I are enjoying some interesting burgers which are served on ‘swirly burger buns’.
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Burgers in Loaded Potato/Bacon Buns
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Instructions
Buns
In a large bowl, combine yeast with lukewarm water; whisk until yeast is dissolved. Let stand for about 3 minutes until foamy.
Add butter, salt, sour cream & potato; mix well. Add bacon, chives & sun-dried tomatoes; mix until just combined. Stir in flour, one cup at a time. When dough is completely blended, turn onto a lightly floured work surface.
Knead dough for about 10 minutes, until smooth & elastic. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap & let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about an hour.
Assembly/Bake
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
Remove risen dough from bowl, turn onto lightly floured surface; roll dough to about a 12 x 15-inch rectangle. From the long side, roll the dough like you would for a cinnamon roll & seal the edges. Using a piece of floss, cut roll into 10 pieces.
Place buns on lined baking sheet & lightly brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning. Allow to rise while oven is heating.
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Bake for about 25-30 minutes until light golden brown.
Burgers
In a large bowl, place all burger ingredients. Mix ONLY until combined. Divide mixture into 10 equal portions & form into patties.
Prepare all burger toppings. When buns are baked, grill burger patties, adding cheese slices toward the end so they can melt. Slice buns (grill for a few minutes if you wish) then 'load' burgers & serve.
It’s the cornbread version of upside-down cake, baked then flipped over to reveal a layer of sweet/ savory onions. The idea behind this type of recipe is that you put everything into a baking dish with the intention of flipping it over at the end and having the meal come out fully assembled. For the most part, this method is used to make delicious fruit cakes with the fruit on the bottom and the batter on top of it. Still, often its forgotten that you can apply this same principle in a more savory way.
Topped with sweet onions and filled with cheddar cheese & bacon, this upside down cornbread is truly amazing. The bread has the perfect touch of sweetness, plus, it’s the best choice when you want a side dish that packs a little more punch than your typical cornbread.
I have always been a lover of cornbread, so I’m always on the lookout for a version I haven’t tried yet.
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Sweet Onion Upside Down Cornbread
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Instructions
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In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove bacon & drain on paper towels, reserving drippings in skillet. Add minced onion; cook until tender, about 4 minutes.
Remove from skillet. Wipe skillet clean & heat oil over medium heat. Place onion slices in oil, filling bottom of skillet to the edges. Cook onions until tender & golden brown, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Roughly chop cooled bacon & sprinkle around onion slices.
In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt & onion powder. Stir in cheese.
In a medium bowl, whisk together sour cream (buttermilk), melted butter & egg. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients. Add buttermilk mixture & stir until combined. Fold in minced onion. Carefully pour batter over sliced onion & bacon.
Bake about 30 minutes until golden brown. Test with a wooden pick inserted in center that comes out clean.
Let cool in skillet for 10 minutes. Invert onto a serving plate & slice into wedges. Nice to serve warm with chili.
They’re not just for snacking—Ritz crackers go in casseroles, main courses, appetizers, side dishes and even desserts! Everybody loves Ritz, and even more when they’re on pork chops.
Breading is an essential ingredient in so many recipes. Turns out that many pantry staples (including crackers, chips, and other dried goods) can be used as a breading. All it takes is crushing up some crackers to get the same effect as your usual breadcrumbs and you may even find that you like some of these swaps better than the real thing! Ritz Crackers make a great substitute for traditional breadcrumbs.
Why use breading? Firstly, there’s the elements of taste and texture. Seasoned breading on a chicken or pork cutlet, for instance, helps encrust the meat in more flavor. It also adds a bit of texture and along with a good blend of spices, a humble pork chop becomes amazing!
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Ritz Cracker Crumb Pork Chops
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Instructions
In a small dish, combine spices. Mince onion (chopping by hand).
Empty 1 1/4 sleeves of crackers into a large zip-lock bag. Crush crackers finely until you have a uniform size. Add seasoning mixture & onions to the bag & toss well to incorporate.
Create a breading station for pork chops. One dish with flour, one with the beaten egg & one with the cracker crumb breading.
Dip one of the chops into the flour & flip it over a couple of times . Coat all sides of the pork chop well with a thin layer of flour. Dip the flour coated chop into the egg, coating all sides.
Lastly, dip coated chop into cracker crumb breading mixture. Press the crumb mixture onto the pork chop with your hand to ensure it is coated well. Lie breaded pork chop onto a platter. repeat this process for the rest of the pork chops.
Place breaded chops in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. This will help the batter adhere to the chops better.
Heat a griddle to a medium-low heat & spray griddle with cooking spray. Grill chops on both sides until cooked through & nicely browned. Serve with pork gravy if desired.
HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY!
St. Patrick’s Day is a funny thing here in Canada. It’s the one time each year that people seek out green food and drinks, everything from shamrock shakes, a green bagel, or green beer are part of our version of this holiday.
And what’s funnier, is that this holiday is a very different experience in Ireland. At least that is what I have been told by people who live there. They don’t do all the ‘crazy green stuff’ like we do, if they celebrate it at all.
Green food has been getting more and more ‘creative’ on this particular holiday. Clean eating, green foods like spinach, avocado and broccoli for example. A walk through the grocery store produce section will provide a variety of examples of just how many green foods are available to use in meals and snacks.
In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, I wanted to incorporate some green food in our supper meal. What better excuse could I have to make some broccoli pizzas!
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Zesty Broccoli & Smoked Cheddar Pizza
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Instructions
Herb Sauce
In a saucepan, combine butter, cream cheese, milk, garlic & onion powder, basil, oregano, salt & pepper. Heat & stir over medium heat until cream cheese is melted & sauce becomes thick & creamy.
Toppings
Slice grape tomatoes in half lengthwise & marinate in zesty Italian dressing.
Prepare broccoli florets. Steam in microwave dish for about 2 minutes. Drizzle with zesty Italian dressing.
Shred cooked chicken & grate cheese.
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Spread herb sauce over Naan breads & top with shredded chicken. Divide cheese evenly between the 4 Naan breads.
In the center of each pizza lay 6 marinated tomato halves. Place the florets in a circle surrounding them sprinkling veggies with black pepper.
Bake pizzas for 10-15 minutes or until veggies are nicely roasted & edges are crispy. Remove from oven & serve.
Risotto is one of those dishes that’s purely Italian in nature. Most traditionally made with Parmesan cheese, which is stirred in right at the very end of cooking to not only boost the rice’s creaminess but also lend its signature salty, nutty flavor to the dish. Don’t get caught up in tradition though, because risotto is one of the most flexible meals you can make.
While there is nothing wrong with Parmesan, the cheese possibilities for risotto are nearly endless and you quickly discover that the world of this comfort-food staple really has no boundaries.
Risotto is one of those gourmet meals that is really not difficult to make, and it doesn’t take long either. You can have it on the table in 30 minutes or less. It takes some work stirring — not the kind of stirring where you must stand at the stove and stir constantly. You can step away for brief moments, but you do want to do lots and lots of stirring. It’s the stirring that breaks up the starches in the rice and makes the risotto so incredibly wonderfully amazingly creamy.
This rich and creamy risotto with tender shrimp, uses Asiago over Parmesan cheese for a semisweet touch, plus tarragon and flat leaf parsley to give the dish some freshness.
Asiago is a whole milk cheese that originated in Northern Italy, around the Po River Valley where Italy borders Austria. Coming from the mountains, Asiago is similar to other mountain cheeses, such as Switzerland’s Gruyere or France’s Beaufort. Asiago is made in large wheels designed for long-term aging to get through tough winters. Dense and flavorful, Asiago’s flavor profile changes as time polishes the wheels over the course of several months or years. Taken from the milk of cows grazing on the grasses and wildflowers of the mountains, Asiago can have a fresh, fruity flavor or a savory, zesty taste on the palate.
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Asiago Shrimp Risotto
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Risotto
Heat 1 tsp oil in a LARGE POT or DEEP SKILLET over high heat. Add bacon & cook until fairly crisp. Blot on paper towel & crumble. Transfer to a small microwave-proof bowl. Leave about 1 Tbsp bacon drippings in pot & discard the rest. Add mushrooms & cook until browned. Remove to a dish, set aside.
Turn heat down to medium & return pot to the stove. Add butter & melt; then add garlic & onion. Sauté for 3 minutes or until softened. Turn up heat, add rice & stir until grains become partially translucent, about 1 minute (do NOT overcook).
Add wine & cook, scraping the bottom of the pot to get any brown bits, about 2 minutes. Turn down heat to medium-low; add about 3 cups of chicken stock. Leave, uncovered, stirring just once or twice, until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
Check firmness of rice & add 1/2 cup of broth at a time, stirring in between until absorbed & rice is cooked to YOUR taste.
Spicy Shrimp
While the risotto is cooking, combine spice mix in a plastic bag. Add shrimp & shake to coat well. In a skillet, heat butter & olive oil; add shrimp & sauté for 2-3 minutes, just until cooked. Keep warm.
Add the mushrooms back into the risotto towards the end, just to heat through. Right at the end when the risotto is ready, add a 'splash' more chicken broth to make the risotto slightly soupy, then take it off the stove.
Add butter & Asiago cheese, then stir vigorously (this will activate the starch & make it super creamy). Add shrimp & gently stir to incorporate them into the risotto.
Serve immediately. Garnish with reheated bacon & extra Asiago if you wish.
