As you guys know, and have read me blog about for the last year, Aura and I have become new homeowners within the last year. I kid you guys not – in our old apartment, the kitchen was literally not big enough for both of us to be in it at the same time. Cooking was a chore, and both of us hated it. But, with the extra room, it was nice to open back up a cookbook and try a new recipe. Furthermore, I actually found that cooking is one of the few things I can do to actually turn my brain off from work and focus on something that isn’t on my to-do list. It really clears the ol’ noggin. So, since I’ve been in the habit of ranking things and looking back at the year in review, I thought, “hell – why not share my favorite new recipes I came across throughout the year?” So, here we are.
My Favorite Recipes from 2021
Nashville hot chicken – I actually sat down and immediately wrote this one out for a previous edition of the SoBros Recipe Book. It was my go-to the past year, and while I’m well aware that fried chicken is NOT good for you, I couldn’t help myself from making this recipe at least once every couple of weeks. It took some tweaking, but I finally came up with my own spice blend for the Nashville hot paste, too. Very proud to have that to call my own, and hey – Steven McCash told me I should open up a food truck with these bad boys.
Old Bay turkey cakes – Aura absolutely loves this recipe, and it’s something that we put in the rotation right away. I found this one out of an Old Bay cookbook that friend of the brand, RighteousJesse, found out one day while he was thrifting and picked it up as a gift because he thought of my undying love for Old Bay. What a thoughtful guy, huh?
Mississippi pot roast – I did a podcast with Cadbury last year on which we talked about our favorite recipes for winter weather, and he introduced me to the concept of the Mississippi pot roast. Roast…ranch seasoning,,,peperoncini peppers….onion soup mix…that combination of rich, savory, and tangy flavors had me intrigued. So, I quite simply Googled a Crockpot recipe for this, found one, and it was LEGENDARY.
Super easy turkey chili – From a taste/flavor standpoint, I don’t know that this would necessarily be my favorite, or most dynamic meal, but it’s just so damn easy that I had to pass it along to you guys. If you have a Crockpot and the freedom to throw this one together six hours ahead of dinner time, you are set. Brown a pound of ground turkey (or beef if you don’t care about being “healthy”), and throw it in the Crockpot with one can of black beans, one can of corn, a can of diced tomatoes, one can of Rotel dip, and one small can of chipotle sauce. Don’t drain any of the canned veggies…that’s literally the juice they cook in. Season with chili powder (I also throw in some adobo seasoning), and that is LITERALLY IT. It’s so tasty and easy.
Crockpot Sloppy Joe’s – Emily Bites done did it again. Well…really…Emily Bites provided the list of ingredients…for me, instead of preparing it the way she suggested, I threw all of the ingredients in the Crockpot and cooked it on low for six hours, and I used ground sirloin instead of ground beef. I know I’m leaning heavy on the Crockpot meals here, but I had to mention this one solely because of how surprising it was. I wouldn’t necessarily say it tastes like traditional sloppy joes, but it’s more of its own thing. It’s a hearty and satisfying meal that isn’t too bad for you, which is something I can’t say about everything I usually cook.
That’s it! Maybe some fun and tasty new recipes for you to try! To dive into the SoBros Recipe Book, check out the archives here.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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