Recipes By Lidey Heuck
187 recipes found
Prime Rib
Prime rib, also known as a standing rib roast, is a cut of meat that makes an impressive centerpiece for a holiday meal or special occasion. There are several different ways to cook a prime rib, but the most forgiving is the reverse sear: The roast goes into the oven at a low temperature for several hours, then rests on the counter before getting a final blast of high heat. While it’s not difficult to cook, precision is important here, so you should use a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast to test the temperature. This method works well with smaller or larger rib roasts, though the time will vary accordingly. Serve with jus and traditional side dishes, such as Yorkshire pudding, green beans and mashed potatoes.
Espresso Martini
The invention of the espresso martini — a cocktail with a jolt that has recently experienced a resurgence in popularity — is credited to British bartender Dick Bradsell, who was known for creating inventive cocktails at bars around London in the 1980s. It pairs mild vodka with freshly brewed espresso, coffee-flavored liqueur and a sweet splash of simple syrup. The espresso shot is the cocktail’s main ingredient and has a big impact on the drink’s flavor, so use one you like. (You may want to add an additional 1/2 ounce of coffee liqueur if your espresso is particularly strong.)
Aperol Spritz
A popular Italian aperitivo, or pre-dinner drink, the Aperol spritz is traditionally served with a few light snacks and meant to wake up the appetite before dinner. This cocktail gets its bright orange hue from Aperol, a bittersweet liqueur made from rhubarb and digestive herbs. Easy to commit to memory, this recipe follows the classic ratio of 3 parts Prosecco, 2 parts Aperol and 1 part sparkling water, but you can add another ounce of Aperol, if you’d like a stronger sip. Aperol spritz is traditionally served in large wine goblets, but will be delicious in any glass you have on hand.
Breakfast Casserole
The breakfast casserole is a perennial favorite for good reason: It’s easy to make, crowd-pleasing and endlessly customizable. Frozen hash browns provide great texture in this simple version, but feel free to use leftover cooked potatoes, diced into 1/2-inch pieces, in their place. Fry up a pound of bacon or use 1/2 pound of cubed ham instead of the Italian sausage, and experiment with different shredded cheeses. Made as written, or with your own additions, this casserole is a dependable and delicious breakfast standby.
Goulash
Hungarian goulash, a stew of paprika-spiced braised meat and vegetables, likely arrived in the United States with a wave of immigrants in the late 1800s. The dish began a game of telephone, slowly evolving into something new entirely. While American-style goulash may not bear much resemblance to its Hungarian namesake, the hearty one-pot dish has endured as an easy and comforting family weeknight dinner. Made with ground beef, bell peppers, diced tomatoes and macaroni, it falls somewhere between a beef chili and a meaty pasta. A sprinkle of Cheddar, stirred in just before serving, thickens the sauce and adds richness. Serve the goulash on its own or with a green vegetable and cornbread on the side.
Baked Spaghetti
This comforting baked pasta feeds a crowd and is an easy way to upgrade everyday spaghetti with meat sauce. Once baked, the spaghetti casserole slices into neat squares, and the layer of ricotta and Parmesan filling give it the rich flavor of a lasagna. Feel free to play around with the recipe, swapping in Italian sausage or ground turkey for the ground beef and sautéing leftover vegetables and adding them to the sauce. If you’re planning in advance, you can assemble the casserole (through the end of Step 5) and store in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to bake.
White Chicken Chili
This easy chili comes together quickly, thanks to rotisserie chicken or leftover roast chicken and an ingredient list that leans heavily on pantry staples. Made with canned chiles and seeded jalapeños, this chili has a mild heat that can be intensified with the addition of ground cayenne, or by leaving the seeds in the jalapeños. While some white chili recipes call for cream cheese or sour cream to thicken the broth, this one achieves a similar texture by mashing some of the white beans. If you prefer a creamy chili, feel free to stir in a large spoonful of sour cream just before serving. Or, include sour cream with a host of toppings — including crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese, diced avocado and pickled jalapeños — to make this chili a customizable family favorite.
Roasted Potatoes
These basic roasted potatoes are a versatile and easy side dish that can be made with just olive oil, salt and pepper, or dressed up with fresh herbs or garlic powder. This recipe aims for the sweet spot where creamy, tender interior meets golden, crispy exterior, but for extra-crispy potatoes, roast them for an extra 5 or 10 minutes. The longer the potatoes roast, the crispier they will be on the outside, though they will become slightly drier on the inside, so don’t overdo it. Baby yellow or red potatoes are called for here, but larger potatoes work, too; just chop them into 1-inch pieces before roasting.
Sangria
This classic red wine sangria comes together in just minutes. Any dry red wine will work, but the fruit-forward notes in Spanish reds made with Tempranillo grapes make them an ideal choice here. The amount of sugar added depends on your personal preference, the red wine you choose and the ripeness of the fruit. As is, this sangria is dry and balanced with a touch of sweetness. If you prefer a boozier sangria, you can increase the amount of brandy to ½ cup (in that case you may want to add additional sugar as well). Sangria is best served within 48 hours, when the fruit has softened but is still fresh. Serve in large glasses over ice, if desired, with a few pieces of wine-soaked fruit as a delicious and potent garnish.
Grilled Halloumi and Zucchini With Salsa Verde
A punchy salsa verde can instantly elevate any simply grilled vegetable, but in this recipe, it does double duty, serving as a garlicky, herby marinade and a finishing sauce for chunks of halloumi and zucchini. Firm, salty halloumi, which originated on the island of Cyprus, is a rare cheese that grills well, because of its high melting point. The key to getting a nice char on the halloumi and zucchini is to cut both into pieces of similar sizes, so they make good contact with the grill, and to be gentle when threading the pieces of halloumi so they don’t tear. These would make a nice meat-free main course, or an unexpected grilled side as part of a larger cookout spread.
Funnel Cake
This nostalgic carnival treat is surprisingly easy to make at home. Funnel cake, thought to have been popularized in the United States by the Pennsylvania Dutch, gets its name from its method of using a funnel to pour batter into hot oil. For home cooks, a glass measuring cup with a spout does the job just fine. The simple pancake batter is drizzled into the oil in a circular pattern, fried until crisp and golden, then topped with confectioners’ sugar. If you want to dress up your funnel cake, finish it with whipped cream and a pile of diced fresh strawberries. This recipe doubles easily, though you may want to have extra oil on hand for the pan.
Panna Cotta
Though panna cotta means “cooked cream” in Italian, this pudding-like dessert actually spends very little time on the stove. Gelatin and sugar are dissolved in warm milk before being mixed with heavy cream and vanilla, then poured into ramekins to chill and set. Surprisingly simple and ideal to make in advance, this recipe makes a traditional vanilla-flavored panna cotta that can be dressed up any number of ways, with fresh berries or diced stone fruit, raspberry sauce or fruit caramel. Serve directly from the ramekins for a more casual dessert, or unmold the panna cottas for an impressive and elegant end to any meal.
Frozen Pimm’s Cup
A Pimm’s cup is an English cocktail traditionally made with a splash of its namesake (a mildly spiced, fruity, gin-based liqueur), plus a glug of ginger ale, lemonade or lemon soda. Simply called a “Pimm’s” in the United Kingdom, the drink is a summertime favorite, famously sold in the stands at Wimbledon. This frozen version is easy to make at home and is perfect for sweltering summer nights. Lemon simple syrup gives the cocktail a burst of tart citrus without diluting it, and ginger beer provides a nice kick of ginger. Once the drinks are blended, they’ll stay frosty for a surprisingly long time. The herby and fruity garnishes, a nod to the flavors in Pimm’s, are a distinctive and essential part of the drink.
Frozen Watermelon Daiquiris
Fresh watermelon juice is one of summer’s most refreshing treats, and is arguably even more of a treat when used to make specialty summer cocktails. Its fresh, sweet flavor pairs well with everything from vodka to tequila to gin, and, in this case, white rum. Inspired by the ingredients in a classic daiquiri, this recipe uses frozen cubes of watermelon in place of ice for a potent, full-flavored drink. Along with freshly squeezed lime juice, a generous pour of rum and a splash of simple syrup to round things out, this is the ultimate summer party cocktail. If you think to freeze some watermelon ahead of time, you can have a pitcher of watermelon daiquiris ready in ten minutes, any day you like.
Easy Peanut Butter Fudge
This simple method for making homemade fudge takes only 15 minutes to throw together, and it calls for just five basic ingredients. This fudge is smooth, creamy and sweet, and it’s packed with peanut butter flavor. Because of its high butter content, fudge is best stored in the refrigerator, and it’s easiest to cut into squares after it’s been thoroughly chilled. The fudge can be served directly from the fridge, but for optimal creaminess, let it sit at room temperature for a half hour. While this recipe calls for an 8-inch-square pan, a 9-inch-square pan or rectangular pan with a similar volume works, too.
Italian Wedding Soup
This name of this popular Italian-American soup comes from a mistranslation of “minestra maritata,” a Southern Italian soup in which meat and vegetables are “married” together. Wedding or no wedding, the appeal of this comforting and easy soup endures: The combination of mini meatballs, pasta and greens in savory chicken broth, topped with a sprinkling of Parmesan, is always a crowd pleaser.
Fresh Corn Pancakes With Blueberry Sauce
Corn and blueberries are a beloved, if slightly surprising summer combination. They partner up in this twist on classic buttermilk pancakes, perfect for a summer brunch or special leisurely breakfast. A mix of all-purpose flour and cornmeal gives the pancakes a wonderfully light texture and makes them the perfect vehicle for sweet, crunchy corn kernels. (Use in-season corn for best results.) The simple blueberry sauce comes together quickly, with only four ingredients. Try any leftover sauce reheated on vanilla ice cream, with crumbled oatmeal cookies, for a blueberry cobbler-like dessert.
Arnold Palmer
Named for the eponymous professional golfer who was known to request a drink combining iced tea and lemonade after a day on the course, the Arnold Palmer has become a hugely popular American drink. While Mr. Palmer preferred a ratio that favored tea over lemonade, the drink has become more commonly known as a “half-and-half” — half tea, half lemonade. This recipe uses equal parts homemade lemonade and unsweetened black tea for a nicely balanced flavor, but feel free to adjust the ratio to your liking, using a bit more lemonade for a sweeter drink, or more tea for a slightly bitter one, Palmer-style.
Lemonade
A cold glass of lemonade on a hot summer day is one of life’s great simple pleasures, and it certainly doesn’t get any simpler than this basic recipe. Made with only three ingredients — water, freshly squeezed lemon juice and sugar — it comes together quickly and multiplies well, for big groups and lemonade stands alike. This lemonade packs a tart-sweet punch to account for some dilution as the drink sits on ice, but to avoid watery lemonade, add ice to individual glasses rather than the pitcher. Enjoy as is, or mix it with brewed iced tea for a classic Arnold Palmer.
Limoncello
Surprisingly easy to make at home, limoncello is a bright yellow lemon liqueur ubiquitous in Southern Italy. As lemon peels soak in vodka, they release their fragrant oils along with their color. You can steep the lemons for as few as 4 days and as long as a month, but know that most of the flavor and color from the peels will be transferred to the vodka in the first week. Poured into small glass bottles, homemade limoncello makes a thoughtful party favor. Chill in the freezer, and then serve it to guests after dinner for an impressive nightcap. Limoncello will keep for up to 1 year in the refrigerator in a sealed container. Don’t let those leftover lemons go to waste — use them to make lemonade, lemon curd or lemon meringue pie.
Stuffed Peppers
These classic stuffed peppers are as flexible as they are delicious: The filling combines lean ground beef with sautéed vegetables and cooked white rice (the perfect use for leftover takeout rice!), but ground turkey, chicken or pork can be substituted in its place. Topped with melty mozzarella, these peppers will feed a hungry crowd. For a speedy weeknight dinner, make the filling, stuff the peppers and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking.
Pumpkin Soup
This recipe turns canned pumpkin purée into a sublimely creamy, aromatic soup that makes for an elegant first course or a satisfying lunch on a cold day. While the combination of pumpkin and fall spices can easily veer in the direction of dessert, the addition of fresh rosemary, garlic, caramelized onions and curry powder plants this soup firmly in the savory camp. Finally, to make this recipe vegan, substitute olive oil for the butter, full-fat coconut milk for the heavy cream, and vegetable broth for the chicken broth. If time and availability allow, consider roasting your own sugar pumpkin for this recipe: The soup will have a deeper, more complex flavor (see Tip).
Seared Scallops With Jammy Cherry Tomatoes
In this vibrant dish, seared scallops are paired with cherry tomatoes for an easy 25-minute dinner that feels a little bit fancy. The tomatoes are cooked in white wine and butter until they’re falling apart, which means you can make this with any cherry tomatoes, whether you picked them up at the summer farmers’ market or at a snow-covered grocery store. The whole thing is finished with a sprinkle of fresh herbs and lemon zest. Equal parts casual and elegant, this dish is best served straight from the skillet, with a big green salad, a nice loaf of bread and the rest of the wine.
Cider-Glazed Brussels Sprouts
Simple roasted brussels sprouts get an autumnal upgrade when they are tossed with a tangy, sweet glaze made from apple cider, apple cider vinegar and mustard. If you’re making these for Thanksgiving, make the glaze (see Tip) and trim the brussels sprouts in advance, then pop the sprouts into the oven while the turkey rests. Note that this recipe is easily doubled for larger groups: Just use a larger skillet for the sauce and two sheet pans for the sprouts.