If you are following me on the SnapWorldUniverse (search pinchofyum!) let me just say, you are so kind and patient. I have zero percent of a clue what I’m doing and yet somehow it feels okay and maybe even fun to do these dorky, unpolished little videos of food and life and Sage and share them with my SnapFriends.  Is that the right way to say that? I’m almost 29 which is almost 30, okay? Just let me be old.
A few of you have even snapped me pictures of your Pinch of Yum dinners and/or recipe questions. Like, sent them directly to me. And I might have squealed and run into the next room and told Bjork about it in detail because social media makes me cray like that.

Okay, that sauce tho!

Coming atcha like a dark horse:
And just like that, you have yourself an Everything Sauce.

A 5 Minute Magic Green Sauce that can be a dressing for your favorite salad or a sauce for your chicken or a rockin’ chip dip for that party you’re hosting tonight with you, yourself, and your sweats in front of the TV. Oh my word, you’re doing one of those, too? WE’RE TWINS.

This usually means that there’s too much flour in the dough, keeping them from spreading more. Be sure to always measure your flour correctly (spooning it in to the measuring cup vs. scooping from the bag). Since you can always add more, it’s important to not over-flour to start with. See the video in this post for reference on the correct consistency!

Can I freeze chocolate chip cookie dough?
Yes! Roll them up into balls, freeze them on a sheet pan, and then keep them in a bag in the freezer until ready to bake. We’d recommend letting them thaw on a sheet pan (covered) before baking.

Can I make these gluten-free?
We’ve never tried it with this recipe, but I’m sure you could! If you have a favorite, gluten-free flour, that’s probably your best bet. We’d love to hear how it goes.

How should I store the cookies after baking?
The cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days, or in the fridge for a week. We like the fridge method to keep them fresh!

NOTE ABOUT REAL SUSHI: I absolutely don’t want to discourage you from trying to make *real* raw fish sushi at home, especially if you have some kind of sushi wizard in your life to hold your hand and tell you it’s okay as you cut off those little buttery pieces of a raw tuna steak and put them directly in your mouth. ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh!!! I know, right? There is no food experience like it, and even the squeamy part of putting the raw fish in your mouth is (I promise you) DIVINELY DELICIOUS and will absolutely make you question the meaning of life.

But in the end, since practicality remains our close companion for weeknight dinners, we ultimately embrace the fake-out sushi bowls zone. We fry up some tofu, we toss it all in bowls with our favorite sushi friends, and we call these things AMAZING DYNAMITE PLANT POWER SUSHI BOWLS.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 6-ounce can diced green chiles (or fresh minced jalapeños)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2–3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1–2 teaspoons salt (more or less to taste)
2 14-ounce cans diced or crushed tomatoes (with juices)
1 14-ounce can beans of choice (optional, see notes)
1 cup water

Add tomatoes, beans if you want, and water to get the consistency right. Let it simmer for about 45 minutes to soften the vegetables, thicken it up, and let the flavors come together.
Serve with your favorite chili toppings, and there it is! VEGETARIAN CHILI! You did it. The equipment section above contains affiliate links to products we use and love!

Beans: A lot of vegetarian chili recipes are based around beans, and I wanted this recipe to be bean-optional for people who don’t like or can’t have beans. So if you want to skip the beans altogether, no problem! That being said, I like black beans in this vegetarian chili, but kidney beans, white beans, or pinto beans would all be great.

Toppings: For vegetarian chili – sour cream and cheddar or queso fresco. For vegan chili – cilantro, avocado, pickled onion or jalapeno, radishes, tortilla chips.

To assemble lasagna, spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray and spread a few spoonfuls of sauce around in the bottom of the pan. Arrange 3 noodles, top with about 1 cup sauce, 1 cup creamy spinach mixture, and 3/4 cup Mozzarella cheese. Repeat for three complete layers. Top it all off with the last three lasagna noodles, 1 cup sauce, and 1 cup Mozzarella cheese. Cover with greased foil so the cheese doesn’t stick and bake for 40 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for another 10 to brown the cheese (or turn on your broiler to get it browned). Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
NOTES
The equipment section above contains affiliate links to products we use and love!

The flaxmeal adds a nice flavor/texture and helps the lasagna hold together, but it’s not essential.

Freezer Meal Version

Sauté:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 ounces fresh spinach
Mix with:
1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
1 egg
Layer and freeze in dish:
1 24-ounce jar of really good pasta sauce
10-12 uncooked lasagna noodles
2 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
Bake from frozen: 425 degrees for 75 minutes. Remove cover and bake for 10 minutes until bubbly and browned. Let stand for 15 minutes to firm up.

And cover with more sausage gravy.
We might just need to call it like it is: the holidays are probably a little weird for most of us right now. A brunch with close family and friends can make it seem just a little more normal. Even if that brunch is for a smaller group than we’d wish for.

Food is my ultimate favorite way to bring little joys into the everyday, and in this season, HOLY SMOKES we need those little joys! We need that biscuits and gravy egg bake. We need extra sausage gravy. Whisk the eggs, grate the cheese, pop the biscuit pieces in there, and let’s eat.

Easy biscuits and gravy egg bake brunch for the win.
My friend Sarah (of Sarah’s White Chicken Chili fame) told me about this recipe on Tasty a few years ago and I just finally got around to trying it! I changed up the layers a bit from their version, and I knew I had to make it a green chile gravy when I saw a local restaurant with biscuits and green chile gravy item on their takeout brunch menu, which is how we ended up at this delicious biscuits and green chile gravy egg bake point in our lives!

SUPER good real food salad with a short ingredient list! Cilantro, sweet potato, roasted corn, pepitas, and a homemade chipotle garlic dressing. vegan / vegetarian.
INGREDIENTS
for the sweet potato noodle salad:
olive oil
2 sweet potatoes, spiralized!
4 ears sweet corn (kernels cut off the cob)
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup chopped fresh greens – spinach, micro greens, arugula, whatever
1/2 cup pepitas
for the chipotle dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons water
2 individual chipotle peppers, canned in adobo sauce
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon agave or honey
juice of one orange
juice of one lemon or lime
generous pinch of salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat a little bit of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sweet potato noodles and toss for a minute or two until softened. See notes.
Wipe the skillet out so it’s dry. Add the corn kernels and turn the heat to medium high. Toss around in the pan every few minutes until roasted-looking. See notes.
Toss the noodles, corn, cilantro, and pepitas together. Save a little of each ingredient for topping the salad if you want it to be extra pretty.
Pulse the dressing ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Taste and adjust to your liking.
Toss with the salad ingredients and you’re good to go!

If I manage to venture out to the store, even though I have a short list, what are the chances I find a few other yummy ALDI holiday treats waiting for me on the shelves? 100%.

But also, what about if you’re not wanting to / able to leave the house right now? VERY RELATABLE. You can shop ALDI via Instacart which is how I do 90% of my real-life ALDI shopping. Not sure about you, but I almost always have to work a little harder to make my cart total get past $35 for free delivery because ALDI is so affordable! Oh darn, looks like I need to throw in a few extra boxes of our favorite wheat crackers, a couple of packages of amazing marinated olives, and at least three bricks of goat cheese with blueberries. Shoot. Bummer. …How soon can it get here?

Okay, biscuits and gravy egg bake.

Here’s what happens: we just layer all the good things. Whisked eggs, biscuits, cheddar cheese, green chile sausage gravy…

What results from this mind-bendingly easy combination of ingredients is nothing short of a holiday miracle. Bless you, Homemade Oreos.

The fudgy cookie, the thick swirl of cream cheese frosting, the dense, soft, buttery texture of all of it together after chilling in the fridge (or sitting on your snow-covered Midwestern porch) for a few days is a specific brand of joyful moment that I wait all year for.

Put on the cozy sweater, get a mug of milk, or eggnog, or hot dark coffee (omg), and let the magic loose.

MORE OLD-SCHOOL DESSERT GEMS
Give us all the retro baked goods and desserts (like good Midwesterners). Some other favs from the blog:

The Best Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies (classic of all classics!)
The Best Easy Peanut Butter Pie (peanut butter, cream cheese, whipped topping, YES)
Blender Lemon Pie (grandma’s favorite)
Golden Grahams Bars (gimme all the cereal bars)
Modern Scotcheroos (modern makeover on a classic)
Fruit Pizza (more cream cheese frosting happiness!)
Chocolate Peanut Butter Saltine Toffee (yes, saltines – trust)
The sweet mom of the family that I babysat for in high school used to make these, which is why I’m calling these old school. ♡ Sometime in the early 2000s, I got the recipe from her and then gave it to my mom who went on to make these for all our swim meets. To this day, I have friends who make these every year as a Christmas cookie (myself often among them). They’re wonderfully basic, charmingly old school, and dangerously good.

This recipe was originally published way back in 2012 (woah!). We spruced it up with some new photos a few years ago, and it’s still one of our ultimate easy-cozy favorites that we just keep coming back to again and again. If you haven’t yet experienced its magic, please, please make it happen tonight.

Now is a good time to:

wear cozy sweaters
get a few candles going
immerse your house in the flavors and smells of your favorite classic comfort-food-but-still-kinda-healthy simmering stovetop recipes.
For example, RED CURRY LENTILS DUH.

These red curry lentils are one of my all-time favorite recipes. As is usually my vibe, we’re working with very basic pantry ingredients here and simple, straightforward prep. It’s hard to mess this one up.

Just cook your lentils and toss them in up this spicy red curry sauce with sauteed onions and a shot of coconut milk. OH MY PERFECTLY SPICY GOODNESS.
I’ve kind of had a fling with lentils lately. Or wait, like, over the last 8 years. These guys, this one, that other one, and now a walk down memory lane back to the original that started my love affair? I can barely stand it. If you’ve never made lentils before, this is a perfect recipe to introduce you to the magic of the most cheap, healthy, versatile, and absolutely delicious little food in the pantry. The Humble Lentil reigns supreme.

We’re always trying to eat a little better around here. Right? Maybe.

But there is one thing that I love more than anything in the world – yep – going there, and that is a really good, thick, soft, chocolate chip cookie with a glass of milk.

Today, tonight, whenever it is, if you’re going to eat a cookie, please make it count.

Please make it a soft, hugely huge and always soft, and buttery and chocolate chippy and perfectly soft (did I already say that?) chocolate chip cookie that will take your life to the next level.
I replicated the ULTRA THICK, ULTRA SOFT texture (it called for bold, right?) and maybe even improved the flavor with this version that is similar, but way easier and more sensible than the original.

And by sensible, I mean… just… like, lazy sensible, okay? I don’t mean THAT kind of sensible. You might need to start looking for another blog if you need your cookies to be sensible.

There is nothing sensible about this beautiful sugar and butter perfection.

Holiday times mean big food times, and big food times mean WE START WITH BRUNCH.

My love for this biscuits and gravy egg bake is borderline over-the-top. There are zero things not to love about a casserole-style dish of fluffy eggs and cheddar baked up with little bites of tender flaky biscuit pieces poking out the top, and buried under a blanket of creamy, savory, mildly spicy green chile sausage gravy.

It is THE brunch dish of 2020 for me because:

It’s so easy.
It’s a crowd favorite.
Each piece gets smothered in green chile gravy.
Repeat: green chile gravy.
And how about just a little more gravy.
It’s really, really delicious.
I like to pick up all the ingredients for this at ALDI: Simply Nature Organic Whole Milk, Simply Nature Organic Cage Free Eggs, Bake House Creations Jumbo Buttermilk Biscuits, Appleton Farms Premium Pork Sausage, Pueblo Lindo Chopped Green Chiles and really good Happy Farms Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese. Super short ingredient list.

And cover with more sausage gravy.
We might just need to call it like it is: the holidays are probably a little weird for most of us right now. A brunch with close family and friends can make it seem just a little more normal. Even if that brunch is for a smaller group than we’d wish for.

Food is my ultimate favorite way to bring little joys into the everyday, and in this season, HOLY SMOKES we need those little joys! We need that biscuits and gravy egg bake. We need extra sausage gravy. Whisk the eggs, grate the cheese, pop the biscuit pieces in there, and let’s eat.

Easy biscuits and gravy egg bake brunch for the win.
My friend Sarah (of Sarah’s White Chicken Chili fame) told me about this recipe on Tasty a few years ago and I just finally got around to trying it! I changed up the layers a bit from their version, and I knew I had to make it a green chile gravy when I saw a local restaurant with biscuits and green chile gravy item on their takeout brunch menu, which is how we ended up at this delicious biscuits and green chile gravy egg bake point in our lives!

Holiday times mean big food times, and big food times mean WE START WITH BRUNCH.

My love for this biscuits and gravy egg bake is borderline over-the-top. There are zero things not to love about a casserole-style dish of fluffy eggs and cheddar baked up with little bites of tender flaky biscuit pieces poking out the top, and buried under a blanket of creamy, savory, mildly spicy green chile sausage gravy.

It is THE brunch dish of 2020 for me because:

It’s so easy.
It’s a crowd favorite.
Each piece gets smothered in green chile gravy.
Repeat: green chile gravy.
And how about just a little more gravy.
It’s really, really delicious.
I like to pick up all the ingredients for this at ALDI: Simply Nature Organic Whole Milk, Simply Nature Organic Cage Free Eggs, Bake House Creations Jumbo Buttermilk Biscuits, Appleton Farms Premium Pork Sausage, Pueblo Lindo Chopped Green Chiles and really good Happy Farms Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese. Super short ingredient list.

And cover with more sausage gravy.
We might just need to call it like it is: the holidays are probably a little weird for most of us right now. A brunch with close family and friends can make it seem just a little more normal. Even if that brunch is for a smaller group than we’d wish for.

Food is my ultimate favorite way to bring little joys into the everyday, and in this season, HOLY SMOKES we need those little joys! We need that biscuits and gravy egg bake. We need extra sausage gravy. Whisk the eggs, grate the cheese, pop the biscuit pieces in there, and let’s eat.

Easy biscuits and gravy egg bake brunch for the win.
My friend Sarah (of Sarah’s White Chicken Chili fame) told me about this recipe on Tasty a few years ago and I just finally got around to trying it! I changed up the layers a bit from their version, and I knew I had to make it a green chile gravy when I saw a local restaurant with biscuits and green chile gravy item on their takeout brunch menu, which is how we ended up at this delicious biscuits and green chile gravy egg bake point in our lives!

Holiday times mean big food times, and big food times mean WE START WITH BRUNCH.

My love for this biscuits and gravy egg bake is borderline over-the-top. There are zero things not to love about a casserole-style dish of fluffy eggs and cheddar baked up with little bites of tender flaky biscuit pieces poking out the top, and buried under a blanket of creamy, savory, mildly spicy green chile sausage gravy.

It is THE brunch dish of 2020 for me because:

It’s so easy.
It’s a crowd favorite.
Each piece gets smothered in green chile gravy.
Repeat: green chile gravy.
And how about just a little more gravy.
It’s really, really delicious.
I like to pick up all the ingredients for this at ALDI: Simply Nature Organic Whole Milk, Simply Nature Organic Cage Free Eggs, Bake House Creations Jumbo Buttermilk Biscuits, Appleton Farms Premium Pork Sausage, Pueblo Lindo Chopped Green Chiles and really good Happy Farms Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese. Super short ingredient list.