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This is one of my ultimate feel-good meals. I almost always enjoy the process of cooking, but this is one of those recipes that I truly love to make start to finish. Pot roast for me is associated with cozy Sundays, snuggled up on the couch watching football as the rain pours down. You get the vibe? I love smelling the roast on the stove top and it turns out perfectly every time, no matter how much I alter the recipe. There is something awfully comforting about a good Sunday roast, and I hope you’ll give this recipe a try. As always, it makes my day when you make my recipes and share them online. Always feel free to tag @mydailydelish so I can see what you’ve made. I use chuck roast when I make this, but if you happen to have stew meat on hand instead, go ahead and use that. Note that the cooking time will be an hour or two less. You can alter this for the instant pot or crock pot if you prefer. When using the Instant Pot, I cook for 50 minutes and then add my potatoes in at the end for 5 minutes on high pressure. Crock pot should work for 4-6 hours on low or 2-4 on high. Katy’s Classic Pot Roast Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 3 hours Ingredients: 3-4 pound chuck roast 2 T olive oil 5 garlic cloves 1 onion 6 carrots, roughly chopped 1 cup red wine 3 cups beef stock 1 T Worcestershire sauce 1 T brown sugar 1 t dried parsley 1 t dried thyme Shake of cayenne Shake of dried rosemary Salt and pepper 8 gold potatoes Directions: 1.) Add olive oil to the base of a dutch oven. Heavily salt and pepper both sides of the chuck roast. Sear both sides in the hot dutch oven. 2.) Add roughly chopped white or yellow onion, chopped onion and garlic to the pot. Cover with broth, wine, Worcestershire and all seasonings. Wait on the potatoes for now. 3.) Cover the pot with a lid and allow to simmer for 2.5 hours, before removing the lid and flipping the roast. Take a slurp of the broth and make sure the seasonings are to your liking. Add additional salt and pepper if necessary. 4.) Add potatoes at the 2.5 hour mark and allow them to soften in the broth for the next half hour. You’ll know your roast is ready when it shreds apart easily with a fork. This should be right around the 3 hour mark, give or take depending on the size of your roast. NOTE: Sometimes I switch it up by oven roasting my potatoes insteard. I only do this with baby gold or red potatoes, however, and never with chopped russets. For this method, add your baby potatoes to a sheet pan and cover with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and a shake of dried rosemary. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes until fork-tender. Add them to your bowl before scooping on your roast and broth. This generally allows the potatoes to be used for a second recipe later on in the week as well!

It’s finally starting to cool down a bit over here in the south, which means the most appropriate thing to do is bake cookies. These dark chocolate peanut butter salted cookies are a riff on my fan-favorite salted chocolate chunk cookies , and they are phenomenal. The subtle addition of peanut butter is so welcomed. I don’t really have much else to say about these right now- I’m typing this up from my bed, the windows are opened, the Seahawks are on tv, and I’ve just scarfed one of these cookies down. I’m so happy and might doze off into a cookie-induced nap. I hope wherever you are, you are heathy and happy! Make these for someone you love, someone you need to apologize to, bring them to your neighbor or your mama. They’re so yummy and worth sharing. I make these extra big so this recipe will make roughly 12-14 cookies. Enjoy with a big ol’ glass of milk. Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Salted Cookies Ingredients: 1 stick room temperaure butter 2 T white sugar 1 cup packed brown sugar ⅔ cup peanut butter 1 egg 2 t vanilla extract or 1 t vanilla bean paste 2 cups flour ¼ t salt 1 t baking soda ½ cup dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate bar Flaky sea salt Directions: 1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2.) Cream together butter and sugar for 1-2 minutes. Mix in peanut butter, egg and vanilla. Mix together until light and fluffy. 3.) Slowly mix in dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Gently fold in chocolate. Maybe an unpopular opinion, but I prefer less chocolate than more in my cookies. Feel free to add more if you like. 4.) Drop cookie dough in 1½ inch scoops onto a baking sheet. Bake for 11.5 minutes. Add flaky sea salt to the tops of your cookies. Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes before enjoying otherwise they will most definitely fall apart. ;)

Ughhhhhhh.  I mean, can that one word be my whole write up for this recipe? Gahhh it is just so good. I love chicken parm. I was craving it in a bad way last week so I whipped it up for my birthday dinner. Chicken parmesan isn’t difficult, per se, it’s just kind of pain in the ass with the mess of the breading station and the frying in oil. But let me tell you, the pros outweigh the cons about a thousand to one. Chicken parm is delicious with good ol fashioned marinara sauce, but I vastly prefer it with vodka sauce. We didn’t even serve it with pasta- Just the chicken and some garlic bread and we were good to go. I hope you’ll give this one a try. Don’t be intimidated if you haven’t tried it before. You can pre-bread the chicken and store it in the fridge if you need to prep ahead of time. Just be sure to pull the chicken out 15 minutes or so before you start the frying process so that you aren’t frying from cold. The process is as follows: 1.) Work on your vodka sauce. Get it going in a pot and allow it to simmer until you’re ready to use it. 2.) Slice your chicken breasts in half to create four chicken cutlets. Lay the chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment. Pound with a meat mallet (or a rolling pin, mason jar, whatever ya got) until under an inch thin. Creating a thin chicken breast will result in a crispier, juicier and more evenly-cooked final product. 3.) Get your breading stations ready. In three shallow bowls, get your flour in one, cracked eggs in the next, and breading in the third. 4.) Bread then fry your chicken. VODKA SAUCE CHICKEN PARM Ingredients: 2 chicken breasts, cut in half then pounded thin 2 large eggs 1 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper 2 cups panko breading, seasoned l T Italian seasoning 1 t garlic powder Salt and pepper Olive oil for frying 6-oz fresh buffalo mozzarella Fresh basil Parmesan cheese Vodka sauce Directions: 1.) Make the vodka sauce. If using a jarred sauce, toss it on the stove and heat over low. 2.) Slice the chicken breasts in half. Place the four cutlets in between two pieces of parchment or plastic wrap, or place in a ziplock bag two at a time. Use a meat mallet or similar to pound the chicken nice and thin, under an inch thick. 3.) Make your breading station. In the first bowl add flour, seasoned with salt and pepper. Bowl number two holds the cracked and whisked eggs, and finally the third bowl holds the panko breading seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Dredge the chicken in the flour and shake off any excess. Be sure to get every piece of chicken. Dip the chicken into the eggs, then press into the breading. Flip and press the backside, ensuring the chicken is evenly and well coated. 4.) Once all your chicken pieces have been coated, it’s time to fry. Add olive oil to the base of a pan (roughly a half a cup) over medium-high heat. Once it’s nice and hot, gently place in your chicken. Once completely browned, flip and cook the opposite side. Cook until the internal temp is 165. It should take about 3-4 minutes per side. 5.) Coat the cooked chicken with a generous dollop of vodka sauce, and top with two pieces of buffalo mozzarella. Cover with grated parmesan and broil for 1-2 minutes. Add fresh basil on top before serving.

It’s our middle daughter Eden’s 6th birthday in a couple days, and I wanted her to be able to bring some treats into her class. I thought a cheerful, funfetti-like cookie would work well for my sparkly girl, and these came out perfect! The dough of this recipe makes the best sugar cookie. It’s the right amount of sweet and perfectly chewy. I especially like that there is no chilling time involved. To be honest, that’s my least favorite part of baking- all the rules! But this one comes together in a flash, and the final result is so happy and delicious. You can substitute the sanding sugar with sugar in the raw, and use any sprinkles that will make you smile the biggest! Enjoy! BIRTHDAY SPRINKLE COOKIES Yields 24 cookies. Bake time 10 minutes Ingredients: 1 cup room temperature butter 1 ½ cups white sugar 1 egg 1 T vanilla paste 2 ½ cups flour ½ t baking soda 1 t salt Sanding sugar 2 T plus additional large sprinkles Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 1.) Cream together the room temperature butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla paste (vanilla extract is fine too, but paste is the optimal way to go! Buy some here. It’ll change your baking game.) 2.) Slowly sift in the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix until it just comes together. 3.) Stir in the sprinkles with a wooden spoon or spatula. Use a cookie scoop to scoop out 1” cookies. Dust the tops of the cookie balls in sanding sugar, then top with a couple additional sprinkles. Bake for 10 minutes until puffy and slightly golden. Allow them to cool for a few minutes before eating.

Before the winter is over, PLEASE promise me you’ll make this dish. Promise?? Okay, good.I wish I could dive head first into this pasta, I really do. It has the most crazy depth of flavor. The meat is pull apart tender and the sauce is the perfect combination of all the things you want in Italian comfort food. The sauce comes together on the stove in a dutch oven which also means that your house will smell so incredible all day long. I recently grabbed a package of short ribs at Costco and used half for this dish and half for my Short Rib Peanut Ramen  (which you should also totally try!). I had plenty of meat for each dish and even froze half of this sauce to use for another time. If you aren’t super comfortable in the kitchen but find yourself needing to host a dinner party, this is a showstopper that is bound to impress your guests. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! SHORT RIB RAGU Prep time: 25 minutes Cook time: 2.5 hours Ingredients: 2-3 pounds boneless short ribs Salt and pepper 3T olive oil 1 white onion, diced 3 carrots, diced 6-8 garlic cloves 3 T tomato paste 1 cup red wine 1 can crushed tomatoes 2 cups beef broth 1 t dried thyme 1 t dried parsley 1 t dried basil 1 T brown sugar 2 bay leaves ½ t red pepper flake Fresh basil Directions: 1.) Dry the short ribs with paper towels then heavily salt and pepper each side. Add olive oil to a dutch oven, then sear the short ribs on both sides for 1-2 minutes per side. Remove short ribs and set aside. 2.) Add diced carrots, onions and garlic to the base of the pan and cook on medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Pro tip- I like to add my garlic in near the end of the 10 minutes so it doesn’t burn. 3.) Squeeze in tomato paste and stir it into the vegetables. Pour in a cup of red wine and mix into the veggies, using a wooden spoon to scrape up the burnt bits off the bottom. 4.) Add in all remaining ingredients then return the short ribs to the pot, ensuring they are covered by the liquid. Cook covered for 2.5-3 hours on the lowest heat setting, until the short ribs are completely pull apart tender. Taste the sauce and add additional black pepper and salt to taste. 5.) Use two forks to pull apart the meat. Cook up the pasta on the side according to package directions and combine pasta with sauce to serve. Garnish with additional fresh basil and freshly grated parmesan. Pro tip: Check on the sauce a few times throughout the cooking process, stirring occasionally and checking the liquid level. You shouldn’t need additional liquid, but if you do, add in another cup of beef broth. If the sauce looks too thin near the end of the cooking time, remove the dutch oven lid and allow it to simmer uncovered. This will allow some of the liquid to evaporate and will help thicken your sauce.

Most mornings for breakfast my kiddos eat sausage or bacon and some fried eggs. I like to fill their little bellies up with protein before they leave for the day to terrorize their precious, wonderful (and severely underpaid) teachers. But some days they luck out with homemade granola. I make a giant batch of this and it’s always gone in 48 hours. But that’s fine with me. It’s made with just a few ingredients and can be customized with whatever seeds and nuts you happen to have on hand. I pretty much always use walnuts and occasionally dress it up with some pumpkin seeds. Generally speaking though, this recipe is the perfect level of sweet and salty. I love that when you break it up you’re left with these big crunchy granola chunks (that - sorry - your kids will definitely be fighting over). It is delicious with fresh berries and great served in a parfait. HOMEMADE GRANOLA Ingredients: 5 cups rolled oats ½ cup avocado oil or olive oil ½ cup pure maple syrup, separated 1 t sea salt 1 t vanilla extract 1 t cinnamon ½-1 cup chopped walnuts Directions: 1.) Preheat oven to 250. 2.) Thoroughly combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, reserving 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup to use at the end. 3.) Press the granola onto a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes. Use the back of a spatula to really press the granola down- this is what will create yummy clumps. Check after 45 minutes and cook for an additional 15 minutes if necessary. Remove the granola from the oven and drizzle over the remaining maple syrup. Allow the granola to cool, and break apart with your hands and store in a glass jar. Enjoy!

One of my most favorite weeknight dinners. I’m honestly too sleepy to write up a blog post deserving of how good these are, so you’re just going to have to trust me and add these to your arsenal. My kiddos love these and I generally serve it up over rice for them, but I love scooping up a big ol spoonful of chicken and nestling into a lettuce cup for myself. It takes me back to the countless dinners I’ve had with my mom at a PF Changs- always ordering lettuce wraps to start, then moving on to Kung Pao Chicken. Memories. :) You can easily swap out the chicken for turkey, and add in water chestnuts, finely chopped broccoli or green beans if you need. This is a highly versatile dish. Just keep the sauce ingredients the same but use what you have in your fridge for the rest of it. Sometimes I serve with a spicy mayonnaise drizzled on top because we like it spicy over here at the vK house. Also, if hoisin sauce and oyster sauce aren’t already in your pantry- please head to your nearest Asian grocer and stock up! PS- the fresh cilantro and basil really add so much flavor to this dish. I wouldn’t make it without. The combination of the two fresh herbs works so, so well with the spices and other flavors going on in this dish.   CASHEW CHICKEN LETTUCE WRAPS Yields 4 servings. Prep and cook time: 15-20 minutes Ingredients: 1 T sesame oil 1 lb ground chicken 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 T ground ginger 2 scallions, diced 1 bell pepper, diced 2-3 carrots, diced ⅓ cup cashews, plus additional for garnish Large handful fresh cilantro Large handful fresh basil or Thai basil Lettuce cups Boston or Bibb lettuce Sauce Ingredients: 3 T soy sauce 2 T oyster sauce 1 T hoisin sauce 1 T brown sugar 1 T rice vinegar 1 t sriracha Directions: 1.) Add sesame oil and ground chicken to a pan over medium heat. Add in minced garlic, ginger, and scallions and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add in the remaining diced vegetables, then the sauce ingredients. 2.) Stir over medium heat until the chicken is all the way cooked through and the veggies are slightly softened. Add in cilantro and basil. 3.) Serve a large spoonful of the chicken mixture into lettuce cups, and toss with additional cilantro, cashews and scallions. Enjoy!

A loaded bowl of ramen is one of my most favorite meals on the planet. I love the way all the flavors come together to create a harmonious dish. I love the spice of the sriracha, the freshness of the herbs, the slurpiness (yes, that’s a word) of the noodles, the jamminess of the egg- I love it all. I bought short ribs at Costco the other day and was able to make three meals out of them. My favorite creation of them all was this one. I used my Instant Pot for this, but this could be easily adapted in the crock pot or in a dutch oven on the stove. The Instant Pot made this crazy simple, and if you have an IP that’s been sitting in your pantry for years unused, let this be your sign to pull it out! I first seared the short ribs in the base of the IP and then poured in the broth and seasonings. Once everything was cooked, I strained the broth and turned it into this delicious soup. Adding a bit of peanut butter and coconut milk really bulks up this recipe and adds a beautiful richness to the broth. CASHEW CHICKEN LETTUCE WRAPS Yields 4 servings. Prep and cook time: 15-20 minutes Ingredients: 1 T sesame oil 1 lb ground chicken 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 T ground ginger 2 scallions, diced 1 bell pepper, dicedSHORT RIB PEANUT RAMEN Yields 4-6 servings, Prep time: 10 minutes, Cook time: 60 minutes Ingredients: 2-3 pounds short ribs Salt and Pepper 1 T sesame oil 8 garlic cloves ½ white onion, diced 3-4” fresh ginger nub, cut in 1” chunks 7 cups beef broth 1 can full-fat coconut milk 1 T Chinese five spice ⅓ cup peanut butter ¼ cup soy sauce 1 T sriracha 2 T hoisin sauce 2 bay leaves Ramen noodles cooked to package instructions. Toppings: Cilantro Jalapenos, sliced Thai basil Jammy eggs Sesame seeds Scallions Directions: 1.) Turn the Instant Pot onto sauté mode and add sesame oil to the base of the pan. Salt and pepper the short ribs then sear both sides. Once seared, add in all additional ingredients. 2.) Stir the ingredients together then place on the lid. Cook on manual pressure for 60 minutes, then naturally release. Strain the broth and remove the ginger chunks and bay leaves. Shred the meat with two forks. 3.) When ready to serve, cook ramen noodles of your choice according to their package ingredients. Ladle up some broth and meat, then top with fresh cilantro and basil, sliced jalapenos and hoisin sauce and/or sriracha to taste. Note: If you’ll be serving all of this in one sitting, add the ramen noodles directly to the IP after the meat has cooked and everything has been strained. To cook, turn the IP back onto saute mode and toss in the noodles. Cook for 3-6 minutes until they are cooked through. If you’ll be eating this for multiple meals, I suggest cooking noodles on the side. 2-3 carrots, diced ⅓ cup cashews, plus additional for garnish Large handful fresh cilantro Large handful fresh basil or Thai basil Lettuce cups Boston or Bibb lettuce Sauce Ingredients: 3 T soy sauce 2 T oyster sauce 1 T hoisin sauce 1 T brown sugar 1 T rice vinegar 1 t sriracha Directions: 1.) Add sesame oil and ground chicken to a pan over medium heat. Add in minced garlic, ginger, and scallions and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add in the remaining diced vegetables, then the sauce ingredients. 2.) Stir over medium heat until the chicken is all the way cooked through and the veggies are slightly softened. Add in cilantro and basil. 3.) Serve a large spoonful of the chicken mixture into lettuce cups, and toss with additional cilantro, cashews and scallions. Enjoy!

I recently went to lunch at a yummy little spot in Greenville and had the most delicious green goddess cobb salad. The dressing was so thick and was left on the side though (my ultimate salad pet peeve), so I ended up using it as a dip for my fries more than a dressing for my greens. I am not complaining about this. It was the perfect accompaniment to my crispy potatoes! I dunked my fries into the dressing and was mesmerized by the complex flavors going on inside my mouth. Garlic, onion, lemon… So tangy and rich. Here is my take on the beloved Green Goddess dressing, that’s a bit more salad-friendly than the one I experienced. I’m not a fan of parsley so I omitted that, but feel free to use whatever fresh herbs you have on hand. Chives or tarragon would be especially delicious. This works great as a sandwich spread as well, or would be super tasty drizzled over grilled chicken or salmon. Keep the dressing in your fridge for up to a week and see all the ways you can enjoy it! GREEN GODDESS DRESSING: Ingredients: 1 cup fresh basil 1 cup fresh cilantro 1 cup mayonnaise Juice and zest of 1 lemon 2 garlic cloves ½ t salt Black pepper to taste 1 t pure maple syrup or agave 1 shallot 1 t anchovy paste 3 T water Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until combined. Drizzle in additional water if necessary to thin. Add additional salt, pepper or lemon juice to taste to get the perfect zing. Enjoy!

I have longtime been a lover of Mayak eggs. They are the perfect accompaniment to brothy soups, rice bowls and noodles. I make a batch of these most weeks and end of devouring them within 48 hours. They are full of umami flavor, with the perfect balance of sweet and spice (much like how I attempt to be as a person most days, come to think of it…) . I use my traditional jammy egg recipe to soft boil them, and then let them marinate overnight in my fridge before diving in. KOREAN JAMMY EGGS Ingredients: 6 eggs ½ cup soy sauce 2 T rice vinegar 2 T water 1 T brown sugar 1 T sesame oil 1 T chili oil 1 scallion stalk, minced 2 cloves minced garlic 1.) Soft boil eggs in boiling water for 6.5 minutes, and then set the eggs in an ice bath until they are cooled. 2.) Peel the eggs and place them in a glass jar or dish. 3.) Assemble the marinade and pour over the eggs. Gently toss the eggs in the marinade, and place the jar in the fridge overnight or for at least 4 hours, stirring once to ensure all sides of the eggs have adequate time to soak in the mixture. Eggs will last for 3-4 days in the fridge. One note about this recipe: There are times I don’t use garlic or scallions, skip the chili oil, or make other modifications. The most important components of the recipe are the vinegar, sugar and soy sauce, with all the other ingredients amping up the flavor. All that to say- don’t stress if you don’t have everything on hand. They will still be delicious, I promise!

You know by now that I’m a big salad girl. The more ingredients, flavors and textures the better. This winter citrus salad is so heavenly this time of year. I used grapefruit for this version, but the benefit of making it now is that you can pick your citrus of choice. Blood orange, navels, Cara Cara… The options are endless. The sweet and tart flavor of the citrus pairs so well with the creamy burrata and the saltiness of the pistachio. I know you’ll love this one! This salad dressing is a classic and works well on most salads. I always have a version of this hanging out in my fridge. CITRUS AND BURRATA SALAD Yields 4-6 portions Dressing Ingredients: 1 garlic clove, finely minced 3 T olive oil ¼ cup apple cider vinegar 2 T rice vinegar 1 T brown sugar 1 t dijon mustard ½ t salt ½ t dried thyme ½ t dried basil ¼ t black pepper Salad Ingredients: 6-8-oz spring mix ¼ cup pistachios 2 pieces of prosciutto, torn 1 grapefruit, cut into segments Pickled onions, to taste Toasted panko breadcrumbs, optional 1 burrata ball, torn Directions: Dressing: Mix all ingredients together in a small container. Sometimes I use an immersion blender to blend, but you can also just whisk with a fork, or toss in a mason jar. Salad: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl along with a few tablespoons of the dressing. Add additional dressing to taste. Tear the burrata on top to finish. Dressing will last in the fridge for a week or so! Just keep it covered.

I was recently out at a lunch in Greenville with some friends, and one of them ordered a dish that came with truffle and jambon macaroni. I obviously snuck a bite and knew immediately I had to recreate it! The best news for you is that this is a pretty simple dish to whip up. The truffle salt adds such a power-punch. It’s one ingredient that catapults this dish from good to fabulous. I keep truffle salt on hand and use it to amp up the flavor in lots of dishes, including my favorite late night snack, truffle and parmesan popcorn. Yum! I recently grabbed a ham from Costco and this is the perfect way to use up some of the leftovers. Just cube it up into half-inch pieces and add it into the mix. The truffle adds a depth that will truly blow you away. God this is good…  Make this and tag me on the interwebs when you do! I love seeing your creations. TRUFFLE + HAM MAC AND CHEESE Yields 6-8 portions Total time: 20 minutes plus optional bake time of 20 minutes Ingredients: 12-oz elbow noodles 3 T butter 3 T flour 1½ cups half and half or milk 1 cup chicken broth 2 cups cheddar cheese ½ cup freshly grated parmesan ½ t truffle salt ½ t black pepper Paprika, to taste 1½ cups cubed ham ½ cup toasted panko breadcrumbs Directions: 1.) Boil the pasta in salted water. 2.) Meanwhile in a dutch oven, mix butter and flour on low heat. Stir to create a roux. Pour in the half and half and chicken broth, and mix until there are no lumps remaining. Once the liquid is all warmed through, turn off the heat and mix in the cheeses and seasonings. 3.) Cube cooked ham into half inch pieces and mix into the cheese sauce. Add the cooked pasta and mix everything together. Turn the heat onto low to wam everything through. 4.) In a separate pan, toast the panko breadcrumbs over low heat being careful not to burn. Add a bit of additional truffle salt and stir to brown the breadcrumbs. 5.) Serve in individual bowls and top with breadcrumbs, or bake in the oven in a casserole dish for 15-20 minutes before serving. Pro tip: Including sharp cheddar in this is a must for me! I like to use part mild cheddar and part sharp to get the perfect flavors.