Gretchen Blazer Thompson

Caramel popcorn with sea salt

September 29, 2020 by Gretchen Blazer Thompson

This isn’t the one note, overly sweet caramel popcorn you’re used to getting bagged in stores or part of a popcorn tin at Christmas time. This is a rich popcorn with layered flavors of butter, sugar, and salt that will make you look at caramel popcorn in a whole new light.

What makes this caramel popcorn unique? The use of dark brown sugar rather than light which produces a deep, dark caramel. You can use light, but I highly recommend using dark – you’ll be amazed by the difference it makes! Plus the use sea salt in the caramel and then sprinkling flaky salt on top makes it even more addicting the normal caramel popcorn. These few tweaks take the caramel popcorn to a whole new level.

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Snack Ideas

September 24, 2020 by Gretchen Blazer Thompson

Who doesn’t love a good snack? I’m not talking about a snack bag of chips or goldfish (although I love both), I’m talking about a real snack. While working from home I have realized how easy it is to reach for all the stuff I shouldn’t be eating through out the day, so in a conscious effort to not, I’ve been eating a more substantial snack in the afternoon. By that I mean something that will fill me up until dinner so I don’t eat a whole bag of gummy bears at 5:00 p.m. (guilty).

I was thinking, this is something that’s on everyone’s minds now. Adults working from home, parents trying to homeschool their kids, everyone. So I thought I would share some of my favorite snack ideas so no one is hangry by the time dinner rolls around.

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Simple Tomato Sauce

September 22, 2020 by Gretchen Blazer Thompson

I started making this tomato sauce earlier this year when I wanted something lighter and brighter than traditional jarred tomato sauce for homemade gnocchi. Since then I haven’t looked back. Don’t get me wrong, there are great jarred tomato sauces out there, but if I have time I’ll make this instead.

It helps that this only takes a handful of ingredients, all of which I tend to keep on hand. The recipe might look familiar because I’ve used it multiple times before, like in my eggplant rollatini and zucchini ricotta roll-ups. Because I use it so much I thought it deserved its own place on the blog. I hope you like it as much as I do!

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Fall recipe roundup

September 17, 2020 by Gretchen Blazer Thompson

It’s officially my favorite time of year… fall! While I’m going to miss the summer produce (why can’t we have perfect peaches year round?), I’m ready for winter squash, warm spices, and soup season.

I thought it would be fun to do a roundup of some of my favorite fall inspired recipes, both from here and sources around the web. Bring on the pumpkin!

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The best black beans

September 15, 2020 by Gretchen Blazer Thompson

Have you ever been to Frontera Grill in Chicago? It’s a Rick Bayless restaurant, who I’ve loved since watching his cooking show on PBS as a kid. He cooks Mexican food, but not the Americanized Mexican food we’re all used to. He uses meats that aren’t as mainstream like goat, layers unique spices in a way that adds an unparalleled flavor, and has one of the most extensive tequila lists you’ve ever seen. Needless to say, Frontera Grill is one of my favorites and I try to go every time I’m in Chicago.

Whenever I go we tend to get multiple of the seasonal vegetables and appetizers for the table to try a little bit of everything. It sounds funny, but to me the standout is the black beans. The flavors and textures take a simple everyday dish and turn it into something craveable.

I’ve been trying to make something similar at home and while these black beans aren’t the exact same, they have many similarities. So I guess you could say this is my ode to Frontera Grill’s black beans.

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Classic Brownies with flaky sea salt

September 10, 2020 by Gretchen Blazer Thompson

Is there anything better than a warm brownie fresh out of the oven? I really don’t think so. My mom used to bake brownies from scratch when I was growing up when everyone else’s mom made them from a boxed mix. Are those boxed ones good? Sure, but they’re nothing like homemade. I always wanted to say to those boxed mix moms, you know making brownies from scratch isn’t that hard. Good thing I was a shy kid, something tells me those editorial comments wouldn’t have gone over well…

Always in search of the best brownie, I’ve made dozens of different recipes over the years and I think I’ve finally found it!

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Long weekend favorites

September 4, 2020 by Gretchen Blazer Thompson

Happy Friday of a long weekend! Even though labor day weekend is the unofficial end of summer, I love this time of year. Summer and fall produce start mingling together at the farmers market and it’s socially acceptable to start making pumpkin recipes and all the soup!

I thought I would try something different today and do a roundup of some of my favorite things as of lately. I hope you all have a great weekend!

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Zucchini Ricotta Roll-ups

September 3, 2020 by Gretchen Blazer Thompson

Zucchini is hands down one of my favorite, if not my favorite vegetable. I love how versatile it is and how it takes on the flavor of however you prepare it. It’s one of those vegetables that I always have in the fridge because I can throw it in tacos, soups, pasta, or just roast it in rings and eat it straight off the pan (guilty…).

This recipe truly highlights just how versatile it is. It’s one of Rich’s and my favorite dishes and while it’s good all year long (hello cozy comfort food), it’s particularly amazing now when zucchini is at it’s peak. Just make sure you make plenty – it’s one of those dishes that everyone wants seconds and it makes amazing leftovers for lunch the next day.

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Roasted Artichoke Arugula Salad

September 1, 2020 by Gretchen Blazer Thompson

I have a confession… I’m really picky about salads. I like salads, but delicious flavorful ones. I want something hearty and flavorful that doesn’t feel like an after thought. Too many times you see one on a menu at a restaurant and they end up tasting like, well nothing. Salad doesn’t have to mean sad and boring!

Enter this salad. With hearty roasted artichoke hearts, almonds, manchego cheese, and lemon juice it’s anything but boring! It also continues my salad pattern and decades long love affair with arugula. I love it’s peppery taste so much that I essentially don’t buy any other salad greens…

Who knew one person could have so many strong feelings about salads?

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Chili Lime Noodles

August 27, 2020 by Gretchen Blazer Thompson

I LOVE anything spicy! But spicy noodles, that’s at the top of my list!

I’ve been trying to come up with a recipe for spicy noodles that wasn’t spicy peanut noodles for a while now. I love spicy peanut noodles and make them fairly often, but I wanted a lighter alternative. These noodles fit the bill. Spicy, salty, acidic, and flavorful because of the addition of cilantro and chives. My mouth is watering just thinking about them!

The secret ingredient in this recipe is Trader Joe’s Chili Onion Crunch. Have you tried it? It’s extremely versatile and I’ve been using it in everything from a dipping sauce for potstickers, to on top of charred vegetables, but it really makes this recipe.

When I make these noodles I tend to serve them with a vegetable, like charred broccoli. But they would be equally as delicious with shrimp, salmon, chicken, or edamame. They’re also great cold the next day, so be sure to make extra.

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