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February 18, 2017

Scotch Egg Puff Pastry

Craving a comforting twist on a British pub classic? These baked Scotch Eggs Puff Pastry are everything you didn’t know you needed—crispy, savory, satisfying, and oven-baked to golden perfection. Instead of the usual deep-fried version, this recipe wraps soft-boiled eggs in a seasoned turkey sausage read more

APPETIZERS, BREAKFAST AND BRUNCH, SIDE DISHES

by Sandra Mihic

January 19, 2017

The Best Super Bowl Recipes – Roundup

Amazing Super Bowl Party Foods that will please you, your family and friends. Score a touchdown with recipes that I picked for you. ____________________________ CHICKEN Fried Chicken Wings Chicken Burger Mediterranean Sumac Chicken Spicy Baked BBQ Chicken Wings Chicken Wings in read more

CHICKEN RECIPES, DINNER, GRILL, PIZZA, SANDWICHES & WRAPS

by Sandra Mihic

January 18, 2017

Beef and Vegetable Soup

How’s your January going?

Mine kicked off with a full week of working out, eating clean, and doing a 7-day detox. Now that I’m past the detox, I’m still trying to stick with healthier habits—less bread, pasta, and sweets, and more veggies, fruits, and lighter meals.

This Beef and Vegetable Soup has been a lifesaver. It’s wholesome, hearty, and deeply comforting—exactly what my body (and mood) needed on these chilly winter days. I used high-quality beef and loaded the pot with tons of vegetables. It’s flavorful, nourishing, and doesn’t feel heavy at all.

The best part? You can easily make it meatless by swapping the beef for hearty greens like chopped kale, Swiss chard, or spinach. It becomes an ultra-satisfying vegetable soup or stew—and it cooks much faster, too!

📝 Soup Tips for the Best Flavor:

Sear the beef first until it’s deeply browned—this adds incredible depth to the broth.
Use a mix of root veggies (carrots, potatoes, parsnips) for sweetness and texture.
Don’t skip the garlic and herbs—thyme, parsley, or bay leaves can really enhance the aroma.
Add your greens near the end to preserve their color and nutrients.
Leftovers taste even better the next day!

Whether you’re craving a big, cozy bowl or looking for something nourishing post-holidays, this soup fits the bill. Pair it with my Skillet Cornbread for the ultimate winter comfort meal.

Be creative, cook with love, and take care of yourself—one warm bowl at a time. 💛

🌽 Skillet Gluten-Free Cornbread

Nothing pairs better with a warm bowl of soup than a slice of golden, slightly crisp cornbread—especially when it’s made in a cast iron skillet.

📝 Ingredients:

2 cups cornmeal

1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

½ tsp sugar

½ tsp baking soda

3 eggs

1 to 1½ cups buttermilk

2 tbsp olive oil + more for greasing the skillet

👩‍🍳 Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.
Add eggs, buttermilk, and olive oil, and mix until just combined.
Generously grease your cast iron skillet and pour in the batter.
Bake for 35 minutes, or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Want a jalapeño version instead? Check out my other cornbread recipe here

If you make this Hearty Beef and Vegetable Soup, please tag me on Instagram @sandraseasycooking and make sure to use hashtag #sandraseasycooking because I would love to see it and share it with my audience, and it is awesome feedback as well.

Beef and Vegetable Soup

Recipes you might like:

POTATOES, KALE AND MUSHROOMS SKILLET

Some days, meal inspiration flows like spring rain—effortless and refreshing. Other days? Total blank. But honestly, those “clean out the fridge” days often bring out the most creativity in my kitchen. That’s exactly how this Potatoes, Kale and Mushrooms Skillet came to life.

LENTIL AND CHICKEN STEW

My family loves this hearty Lentil and Chicken Stew, packed with vegetables. It is truly wonderful, super easy, and versatile too as you can use any vegetables you wish!

BEEF GOULASH STEW

I have been making this exact beef goulash stew for about 18 years. Of course, I am eating this very meal my entire life.

stew

Yield: SERVES 6

Beef and Vegetable Soup

This Beef and Vegetable Soup has been a lifesaver. It’s wholesome, hearty, and deeply comforting—exactly what my body (and mood) needed on these chilly winter days

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil (15 ml)
1/2 onion, chopped (about 75 g)
4 garlic cloves, minced (about 12 g)
1 celery stalk, diced (about 60 g)
1/2 lb beef, cubed for stews (225 g)
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (green beans, peas, carrots – or any mix you prefer) about 280–300 g
4 cups water, add more if needed (960 ml)
2 cups beef broth, chicken could be used as well (480 ml)
1 beef bouillon cube
1 tsp dried parsley (1 g)
2 dried bay leaves
2 large potatoes or 3 small, peeled and cubed (about 400–450 g)
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup tomato sauce (240 ml)
1 tsp tomato paste (6 g)

Instructions

In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté for 2–3 minutes, just until softened and lightly translucent.
Stir in the minced garlic and chopped celery, and cook for another 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
Add the cubed beef and sear for 3–4 minutes, turning to brown all sides evenly.
If you are using fresh vegetables add it now, because it takes more time to cook then frozen, *but if you're using frozen veg blend add it later. Step 7.
Pour in the water, beef or chicken broth and add the beef or chicken bouillon cube, dried parsley, and bay leaves. Stir, cover with a lid, and bring to a gentle boil.
Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and let the soup simmer for 40 minutes, allowing the beef to become tender and the flavors to develop.
While the soup simmers, peel and cube/dice the potatoes. After 40 minutes, add the potatoes and frozen vegetables to the pot and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Increase the heat to medium and cook for an additional 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fully cooked and fork-tender.
Stir in the tomato sauce and tomato paste, and let the soup come to a gentle boil. Cook for another 5 minutes to bring everything together.
Remove the bay leaves before serving. Serve hot with a slice of warm gluten-free skillet cornbread, and optional toppings like jalapeños, olives, or fresh herbs.

Notes

Use well-marbled stew beef for the most tender and flavorful result. Chuck roast or shoulder cuts work great.
Sear the beef before simmering—it locks in flavor and adds depth to the broth.
Chop vegetables evenly so they cook at the same rate. For a softer texture, add veggies earlier; for firmer bites, add later.
Simmer low and slow for rich flavor. If you’re short on time, use an Instant Pot or pressure cooker.
Make it ahead—the soup tastes even better the next day after the flavors have melded.
For a meatless version, skip the beef and add more potatoes, beans, or greens like kale or spinach.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 361Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 867mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 8gSugar: 9gProtein: 25g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate, but we try our best.

LUNCH, SOUP AND STEW

by Sandra Mihic

December 10, 2016

Breakfast Casserole

What better to start Holiday brunch than with breakfast casserole?! I have made many times this amazing breakfast casserole with different types of bread and meats. It is always a bit different, but extremely comforting and delicious. Therefore, when the cold weather knocks on our read more

BREAKFAST AND BRUNCH, HOLIDAYS, LUNCH, SIDE DISHES

by Sandra Mihic

November 30, 2016

Mediterranean Sumac Chicken

Sometimes dinner looks like this and that is perfectly fine. Mediterranean Sumac Chicken wrapped in this amazing flatbread is absolutely appropriate and perfect dinner in my opinion. It was so delicious that we ate a pan full of chicken and flatbread with Yogurt-Cucumber Sauce. The read more

CHICKEN RECIPES, DINNER, LUNCH, SANDWICHES & WRAPS

by Sandra Mihic

November 19, 2016

Dutch Oven Turkey

Dutch Oven Turkey with Wet Brine. Easy-Peasy recipe, however, you should always test it to make sure everything is up to your expectations.

I love making my turkey in Dutch Oven. I just made a little prep ahead of time and my turkey is always amazingly well cooked in my large Dutch oven.

We are literally less than a week away from Thanksgiving, and I am not freaking out at all. Ever since I started prepping in advance we are good to good.

I actually never made a big deal because all we need a bit of organization, preparation, and maybe your family to help in some areas for one successful Thanksgiving feast.

I said it before that my family has this tradition where everyone in the house makes something for “our table”.

Each year for the last 4 years, Aleks makes this amazing cranberry sauce. I tried and it was not, I repeat, it was not as good as his.

If you like Dutch Oven Turkey, Tap here for more tasty Dinner Ideas

All I know that I cannot enter the kitchen until he is done. He calls it a secret recipe. Anna makes her chocolate cupcakes, and Daniel was their boss.

So, this year Anna and Daniel are teaming up, so we will see what they will do in the end.

As of right now, they are just testing recipes. I just love the Thanksgiving atmosphere around my house, probably a week before… We all get into this holiday mood.

SO, LET’S TALK TURKEY!!!

I believe each family goes by their own traditional recipe, probably making how their grand- grandmother made it. We tend to pick up on those family traditions and that’s alright, it makes us happy this time of the year, especially remembering special moments that we carry for generations.

I found my tradition, here when I came to the USA, in particular when my husband and I got kids. To be frank, I didn’t grow up with the Thanksgiving dinner tradition.

So you see I had to find my own tradition because even if I did not grow up with it, I wanted my kids to grow up and remember all the beautiful things, aromas, and memories during Thanksgiving.

I would love it if they continue carrying the family tradition that we build from the moment they were born. When I made Turkey for the first time, it was a literary one big disaster. It was delicious in the end… Well, kind of delicious because we were so hungry waiting for the bird to get cooked.

We got this huge 17-pound turkey, and I’ve half defrosted, but it was still pretty much frozen. The bird cooked and cooked and cooked.

I set on the floor near the stove, with my little 11-month old boy crawling around me waiting for that thermometer to finally pop up.

It cooked for 9 full hours, and that thing never went out. I pulled it out of the oven, and in some spots, it was burned. Well, mostly dry like a bone, and not seasoned very well at all, but we ate it. It was a moment of “bring out a tub of BBQ sauce and a pitcher of water”.

Tap here for more side dish recipes

I tell ya, my hubby and I, had a bunch of moments, that you’d expect to watch on TV. You just laugh it off and move on. The reality is that I could make a roasted chicken with my eyes closed, but the turkey was really an unfamiliar place.

Anyhow, today I am sharing my recipe for really juicy turkey. After many years of testing different recipes, I finally figure out how to make it like really good. You do need a little time, about 12 to 14-pound turkey, water, vegetables, oil, and a very large POT.

I will tell you that wet brining, then seasoning a day later before baking it makes one amazingly delicious turkey. Another thing, using a dutch oven makes your life that much easier.

Why? It keeps the heat very well, turkey is cooking evenly, and the food tastes so much better. I will take you to step by step so you won’t make any mistakes.

Last, but not least, I want to say how thankful I am for such an amazing opportunity that came my way this year, and I am grateful for each and one of them.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Thanksgiving recipes you might like:

If you get inspired by my Dutch Oven Turkey recipe, please tag me on Instagram. @sandraseasycooking using hashtags #sandraseasycooking

Yield: Thanksgiving

Dutch Oven Turkey with Wet Brine Recipe

Dutch Oven Turkey with Wet Brine Full Recipe

Ingredients

WET TURKEY BRINE

1 cup kosher salt
1- gallon vegetable stock
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. black peppercorns
1 Onion quartered
2 Celery stalks chopped into 2-3 slices
2-3 stalks of Fresh Sage or 1 teaspoon dried
1- gallon COLD water

PREPARING TURKEY FOR ROASTING

1 (12-14 pound) young Turkey (reserve neck and giblets for the stock)
2 carrots
1/2 Onion
1 Lemon
4 crushed garlic cloves
2 Rosemary stalks
3-4 Fresh Sage leaves
5-6 slices of Hickory Smoked Bacon

HERB BUTTER

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon Sage
1 teaspoon Dry Parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Garlic powder
1 tablespoon Onion powder

Instructions

WET TURKEY BRINE PREP:

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, combine together kosher salt, vegetable stock, olive oil, black peppercorns, onion, celery, sage, then bring the water to a boil.

After it boils, remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate. Use when it’s completely cold.
Stir 1 gallon of cold water and stir again.
Remove giblets and neck from completely defrosted turkey.
Submerge turkey in the cool (never warm or hot) brine and refrigerate for 10-15 hours, but never more than 24 hrs.
Make sure to turn it around at least 3 times during brining.

Dutch Oven Turkey Roasting Prep:

Preheat oven to 425°.
Pat dry a turkey. Trim excess fat. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and the meat. Try not to break the skin, so be gentle. Lift wings, tips up and over back; tuck under turkey.
Combine all the ingredients for the butter, in a small bowl.
Rub butter mixture under loosened skin and over breasts and drumsticks, add inside of the turkey as well, then add a couple of fresh sage leaves and slide them in under the skin.
Stuff the turkey with 2 roughly chopped carrots, roughly chopped onion, quartered lemon, crushed garlic, and rosemary stalks. Tie legs together with cooking twine/butcher’s twine.
Place Parchment paper on the bottom of the Dutch oven or a small wire rack to hold the turkey and separate from the very bottom. Parchment pepper works well too.
Arrange turkey, breast side up, on a roasting rack or parchment paper. Bake turkey at 425° for 30 minutes without a lid, just to get a nice color on top.
Pull the turkey out, then add 5-6 slices of hickory-smoked bacon on the turkey breast, cover the Dutch oven and then reduce oven temperature to 325°F
Bake an additional 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the meaty part of the thigh registers 165°F. 12-14 pound Turkey should require about 2 hours to 2 hours and 15 minutes of roasting, but since I made it in the Dutch oven with a lid, it takes just a bit less time.
Let the turkey rest, loosely covered for about 30 minutes before carving.

Notes

BRINE:

I added whole Yukon gold potatoes 40 minutes before the turkey was done. Make sure to wash the potatoes, then season with salt and pepper, and just add on the side of the bird.

Garnish with whatever you feel like it, and serve with hot gravy and all the other fixings.

TURKEY:

I added whole Yukon gold potatoes 40 minutes before the turkey was done. Make sure to wash the potatoes, then season with salt and pepper, and just add on the side of the bird.
Garnish with whatever you feel like it, and serve with hot gravy and all the other fixings.

CHICKEN RECIPES, DINNER

by Sandra Mihic

Search for a recipe: BREAD

Scotch Egg Puff Pastry

The Best Super Bowl Recipes – Roundup