Devolk - The cozy table: 100 recipes for one, two, or a few

To Jeremy,
my #1 fan and
favorite taste tester

For me, food is life. In a sense, food is life for all of uswe have to eat to survive. But, for me, it is a passion. My biggest passion. I go to bed every night with thoughts of a new recipe or how to tweak a certain baking technique. I always wake up ready to get in the kitchen to start my day, while also kicking myself for not writing down said new recipe or baking technique. Will I ever learn? I grew up a northern southerner.

Yes, Im just as confused as you are. Half of my childhood was spent in the Chicago suburbs and the other half smack in the middle of North Carolina. I have a passion for foods from both the North and South, which you will find throughout this cookbook. My love of food started at a young age. And that love ultimately bloomed into my career. a CHEF! After graduating from high school, I got my culinary arts degree and achieved my dream of becoming that chef! I worked in professional kitchens until starting my blog, This Silly Girls Kitchen, in 2012 and it is now my full-time job. a CHEF! After graduating from high school, I got my culinary arts degree and achieved my dream of becoming that chef! I worked in professional kitchens until starting my blog, This Silly Girls Kitchen, in 2012 and it is now my full-time job.

On my blog, I love teaching my readers tips and tricks I learned from the restaurant industry and I incorporate them into my recipes. Throughout this book I have added pro tips: little nuggets of information about why I use certain techniques. Trust me on this: Ive got your back! Family is another passion of mine. I have amazing memories of growing up surrounded by my cousins and just having a blast. For me, they are more like siblings since, as an only child, I really got attached to them. One of my favorite childhood memories is of a huge group of us going down to the beach and my southern grandma making all of us kids tomato sandwiches loaded with mayonnaise on simple white bread.

Even now, every time I step out of my back door on summer mornings here in Florida, I can smell and feel that special trip in the air and taste those vine-ripe tomatoes. That is what food does to us. It triggers memories and immediately we can be transferred back in time. That is exactly the feeling I tried to encapsulate here. Make my Spaghetti and Meatballs with Sausage (page 39) and you will go straight to my mothers kitchen and see me in the corner sneaking a meatball after school. Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza (page 36)? Thats all my dads doing.

Strawberry Shortcakes (page 137), and I remember the first time I ever tasted the real deal, thanks to my northern grandma. But I cannot tell you how many recipes in this book remind me of my southern grandma, whose biggest wish was just to have family around and serve us a humungous meal. I truly would not be writing these words today without her. What does all this have to do with The Cozy Table, you might ask? Cozy = comfort. Comfort food has always been my favorite way to cook. Mixing together tried-and-true family recipes and putting twists on them to make it my own.

I love to elevate classic dishes and tweak them into something new and exciting. This whole book is just one big ball of love wrapped in comfort. Comfort food, a hug from those you love put onto a plate, just waiting to be devoured. There is positively no food better than comfort food. But one thing that I have come across in my years of cooking is... comfort food is normally made for a crowd.

Most likely you will see multiple-portion recipes for soups and sauces, seven-layer cakes, and enough broccoli rice casserole to feed an army! In this cookbook, things are laid out a little differently. I pare down those large comfort food recipes to be accessible to feed one, two, or a few people at a time. This book is perfect for anyone from newlyweds to empty nesters! I have tested these recipes over and over so they come out right each time. Now, with this book, I have opened up my personal kitchen to you, handing over the recipes I make every week. I truly hope you and your family enjoy them and start to make some more memories of your own, tucked in around your cozy table!

I highly suggest that before making any recipe in this book, you read the entire recipe through first. I have included notes and pro tips throughout, and to get a good idea of what you will need to execute the recipe successfully, these also need to be read through.

When I first started cooking, I ran into a lot of mistakes by not doing this. By reading the recipe through, you will know whether you need to preheat the oven right away or if preheating can wait until those potatoes are cooked. You will also know which ingredients need to be on hand and ready to use, so you wont run into any surprises halfway into the recipe.

The ingredients used in these recipes are straightforward and you can easily find them in your local grocery store. However, please keep these tips in mind before starting! Vegetables used anywhere in this book should be washed thoroughly and ready to cook. Make sure, before you start each recipe, to wash your veggies first! All butter used in this cookbook is unsalted.

That is how I always cook, and this way you always know just how much salt is going into a dish. Plus, next time you go to make those Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies (page 144), you will already have the right butter on hand! Most of the recipes in this book are 100 percent homemade. But if you find using some store-bought ingredients makes it easier, I say go for it! Except for the cream cheese crust for the Creamy Chicken Potpies (page 67) and Cheesy Bacon and Kale Quiche (page 71). You HAVE to try that crustits life changing.

For small-batch recipes, some special equipment will help you make the dishes properly. Here is a list of items you will need: 1 (3-quart) saucepan 2 cast-iron or oven-safe skillets (one 6- and one 8-inch) 1 (5-inch) baking dish (round or square) 1 muffin tin 1 mini muffin tin 2 (9-inch) round cake pans Several mini loaf pans (about 2 by 4 inches) or one larger loaf pan with multiple mini-loaf cavities Wire cooling rack Pizza stone (the best way to get that perfect, crispy crust, but you can use a baking sheet if you dont have one) Pizza peel (recommended) Grill (or a grill pan) Slow cooker Blender or immersion blender Electric mixer (stand mixer recommended but not necessary) 1 (4-inch) round cookie cutter Mesh strainer Zester (this is my favorite tool to mince garlic) Mandoline (very useful to have but not 100 percent necessary if you are confident in those knife skills!) Makes 2 servings Seven-layer dip is one of those iconic, nostalgic appetizers.

Layers of beans, cheese, sour cream, and other goodies makes it a go-to dip for get-togethers! Totchos have been a fun staple for a while now, incorporating nacho toppings on Tater Tots for a yummy twist. Instead of classic nacho toppings, I mix it up with seven layers of deliciousness as a nod to childhood! 26 frozen Tater Tots, or similar product cup refried beans cup diced tomato (from 1 medium tomato) cup shredded sharp Cheddar (or cheese blend of your choice) avocado, peeled, pitted, and mashed cup sour cream 2 tablespoons Green Salsa (page 170) or salsa of your choice 1 tablespoon roughly chopped cilantro 1 scallion, thinly sliced Note: Included on page 170 is a recipe for an amazing green salsa using tomatillos! You can use this salsa on lots of other yummy dishes as well, such as Grilled Chicken Tacos (page 47) and Ultimate Nachos (page 27)! Preheat the oven to 425F. Place the Tater Tots, in a single layer, in an 8-inch cast-iron skillet or oven-safe dish. Bake for 20 minutes. Top the Tater Tots with the beans, tomato, and cheese. Bake for an additional 3 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

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