HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN WITH ASPARAGUS

HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN WITH ASPARAGUS
2 tablespoons butter
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
+/-1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
2 cups asparagus pieces (1 bunch cleaned, trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces)
1 tablespoon Bragg’s liquid aminos
1 tablespoon honey
cooked rice

  • Heat oil in a large skillet over a medium heat.
  • Saute chicken pieces, shallot, garlic and red chili pepper flakes for 6-8 minutes.
  • Add asparagus and cook 3 minutes more.
  • Whisk together the liquid aminos and honey. Add to skillet and cook another couple minutes.
  • Serve immediately over rice.

FOUR WINDS SWEET & SOUR SLAW

When I was in college, I worked at several restaurants, but by far one of my most favorite was a dinner house called the Four Winds. It was originally a steak house, but as time went on it transformed into a more casual menu at lunch and with the sandwiches we served a slaw that we made fresh daily.  Best as I can remember this is the closest version to it and it is soooooooooooooooooo good!

FOUR WINDS SWEET & SOUR SLAW
2 celery stalks, diced small or sliced thin
1/2 small head red cabbage, thinly sliced or shredded
1/2 small head green cabbage, thinly sliced or shredded
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup mayonnaise
3-4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3-4 tablespoons sugar
Fresh ground salt and pepper, to taste

  • Whisk together the mayonnaise, salt, pepper, vinegar and sugar until well blended.
  • In a large bowl toss together the cabbages, celery and carrots.
  • Pour mayonnaise mixture over cabbage mixture, sprinkle with caraway seeds and toss until well coated.
  • Fold in raisins.
  • Adjust salt, pepper, sugar and vinegar to your personal tastes.
  • Cover and chill several hours before serving.

 

BUTTERMILK CORNBREAD with SALTED HONEY BUTTER

BUTTERMILK CORNBREAD with SALTED HONEY BUTTER

1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons plain white cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk

  • Preheat oven to 400°.
  • Lightly grease an 8-inch cast-iron skillet, and heat in oven 5 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, whisk together first 5 ingredients in a bowl; whisk in melted butter.
  • Add eggs and buttermilk, whisking just until smooth.
  • Pour batter into hot skillet. Bake at 400° for 30 to 33 minutes or until golden brown.

SALTED HONEY BUTTER
¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
2 ½ tablespoons honey, preferably raw wildflower
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt

  • Using a mixer whip butter and honey together until smooth and fluffy.
  • Fold salt in gently with a rubber spatula.
  • Serve soft or at room temperature, with a few extra grains of salt on top.

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TIMBERMILL BBQ BAKED BEANS

TIMBERMILL BBQ BAKED BEANS
1 small-medium Vidalia Onion, chopped small
2-15 ounce cans navy beans OR 3 1/2 cups FRESH cooked navy beans
1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce + 1/4 cup for “float”
+/-1/4 cup water or bean cooking water if you made them fresh
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 slices bacon, diced

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Whisk together the BBQ sauce, water (just enough to give you a wet consistency), brown sugar and molasses until sugar is completely dissolved.
  • Add in Worcestershire sauce.
  • Fold in beans and onions.
  • Bake 45 minutes.
  • Fold in bacon pieces, spread 1/4 cup BBQ sauce over top as a “float” and bake another 15 minutes.
  • Let rest 10-15 minutes before serving.

NOTE: Is also good made a day or two ahead so flavors meld well.

SWEET BAKED ACORN SQUASH

SWEET BAKED ACORN SQUASH with Brown Sugar – serves 4
This is an easy and delicious side dish which only requires a few minutes of actual hands-on time.
4 tablespoons butter
1 medium acorn squash, (about 1 1/2 pounds)
4 tablespoons light-brown sugar
Nutmeg
Coarse salt and ground pepper

  • Preheat oven to 425°.
  • Generously butter a rimmed baking sheet.
  • Halve squash crosswise. Scoop out seeds; discard. Slice a small piece off bottom of each squash half just enough to level.
  • Set squash halves, scooped sides down, on prepared sheet.
  • Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
  • Turn squash; prick insides all over with a fork.
  • Add 2 tablespoons butter, coating all the inside surfaces.
  • Top with brown sugar to each half and season with salt and pepper.
  • Continue to bake until flesh is easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 25 to 30 minutes.
  • Sprinkle with FRESH grated nutmeg.
  • Serve warm.

CABBAGE ROLL SOUP

CABBAGE ROLL SOUP
1 1/2 pounds hamburger
1 cup cooked rice or uncooked pasta
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
2 cups V-8 juice
8 ounces tomato sauce
2 cans original Rotel tomatoes with juice
+/- 8 ounces beef broth
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
FRESH ground salt and pepper, to taste
1 small head cabbage, chopped

  • In a large dutch oven, brown hamburger.
  • Drain hamburger in colander over a paper plate and paper toweling to catch grease.
  • Add onion and garlic to dutch oven, sautéing until soft and fragrant.
  • Add V-8, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and broth, stirring to blend.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Simmer over low heat 1-2 hours.
  • Add cabbage and simmer 1 hour more.
  • Add  pasta and simmer 20 minutes more until pasta is tender or add cooked rice and simmer 5 minutes until rice is heated through.

NOTE: If you like it thinner like soup, add more broth.

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MAPLE GINGER CHICKEN – plan ahead meal

MAPLE GINGER CHICKEN
4 bone-in chicken thighs
3/4 cup apple cider
1/2 cup PURE maple syrup
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 shallot, finely sliced
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
4 sprigs FRESH thyme leaves (Rosemary works too in a pinch)
3/4 teaspoon FRESH ground salt
1/2 teaspoon FRESH ground pepper
3 medium apples or pears, peeled, cored and quartered

  • Place a large Ziploc bag in a large mixing bowl (just win case the bag breaks)
  • Combine the apple cider, maple syrup, vinegar, shallot, ginger, salt and pepper.
  • Add chicken, seal and refrigerate for 12-24 hours, turning once or twice to make sure chicken is well coated.

  • Preheat oven to 400°.
  • Remove chicken from marinade.
  • Arrange chicken pieces skin side up in a large baking dish.
  • Tuck apples and thyme sprigs among the chicken pieces.
  • Pour marinade over top of the chicken.
  • Bake 45 minutes – 1 hour, basting occasionally until chicken is cooked through and the meat is starting to pull away from the bone.
  • Serve chicken and fruit with sauce spooned over top.

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BAKED HONEY LIME CHICKEN

BAKED HONEY LIME CHICKEN adapted from Dinner Then Dessert

With just 4 total ingredients these chicken thighs are first browned and then baked in the same skillet which results in PERFECT crispy, sweet and a little sour tender chicken that looks like you slaved over a hot grill.

1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
2 limes, 1- zested and juiced, 1-halved
5 chicken thighs, bone in and skin on
1 tablespoon avocado oil

  • Pre-heat the oven to 375°.
  • Whisk together the Bragg’s liquid aminos, honey, lime juice and lime zest.
  • Add chicken thighs to a ziploc bag.
  • Pour marinade over chicken, seal bag and rub marinade into chicken.
  • Heat the avocado oil in a large cast iron or oven ready skillet over medium high heat.
  • Using tongs add the chicken to the skillet and brown with the skin side down for 3-5 minutes. Reserve marinade.
  • Flip the chicken over so the skin side is up.
  • Add on the remaining marinade and halved lime.
  • Roast in the oven for 30-35 minutes.

NOTE: This recipe also works with any other type of citrus – lemon, tangerine, blood orange, grapefruit…

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RUM RAISIN CARROT CAKE with VANILLA CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

RUM RAISIN CARROT CAKE

CAKE
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup packed golden brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup butter, softened
3 Jumbo eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup golden rum*
3 cups grated carrots
8 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained well
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

  • Pour rum over raisins and set aside for at least an hour.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Grease and flour 2-9 inch cake pans.
  • In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and sugars.
  • In another bowl cream together the butter, brown sugar, vanilla and 1 egg. Add additional eggs and beat until well creamed.
  • Add dry ingredients gradually until well blended.
  • Add carrots, pineapple and walnuts until well blended.
  • Drain raisins and fold in last.
  • Pour batter into prepared pans.
  • Bake 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.
  • Cool 10 minutes.
  • Invert cakes onto rack and cool completely.

NOTE*:  As an option you could soak the raisins in orange juice instead and then substitute 1 teaspoon maple flavoring for the rum.

FROSTING
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar

  • In a medium bowl beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.
  • Add lemon juice and vanilla. Beat until blended.
  • Add powdered sugar gradually until well blended and smooth.
  • Ice first layer and then add 2nd cake top and ice again including sides of cake.
  • Refrigerate 1 hour to set icing before serving.

This recipe is also great as cupcakes.

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ALOHA BBQ PORK RIBS – revisited

I originally wrote this back in 2015 and it is still our FAVORITE recipe for ribs. I made them again recently and wanted to update that I used orange marmalade instead of the apricot pineapple jam and hubby thinks they are even better.

“We had the most amazing dinner tonight if I do say so myself.  I was missing a few ingredients for my normal BBQ sauce so made a few substitutions and we have a new “NORMAL” in this family. I added fresh pineapple slices topped with some of the BBQ sauce during the last 30 minutes of bake time and they were so juicy, tender and flavorful. We added a fresh steamed artichoke and there were NO leftovers!  I will use the rest of the sauce on chicken later in the week.”

ALOHA BBQ PORK RIBS
2-4 pounds baby back pork ribs
Fresh ground salt and black pepper

  • Preheat oven to 325°.
  • Bring ribs to room temperature.
  • Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs.
  • Generously sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Line a large cookie sheet with heavy duty foil.
  • Arrange ribs bone side up and cover with the foil.
  • Bake for 2 hours undisturbed.
  • Uncover, add pineapple slices and top with sauce and bake another 30 or minutes until the meat pulls away from the bone easily.

SAUCE
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup Smucker’s apricot pineapple jam (orange marmalade works well too)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon QUALITY honey
3/4 cup Tabasco Jalapeno ketchup
Fresh ground salt and black pepper

  •  In a large sauce pan whisk together all the ingredients and bring to a SLOW boil, stirring frequently.
  • Reduce heat to as low as possible and simmer while the ribs bake. Sauce will thicken during this simmering so stir frequently.

CRISPY ONION CHICKEN with CREAMY MUSHROOM SAUCE

Fried onions are the star of the show here. These fried onions give you the crunch you expect of fried chicken whether it be grandma’s Sunday dinner or the good old colonel in a pinch on a week night, but leaving you with a healthy, juicy piece of chicken you can eat with a knife and fork. And then the creamy rich mushroom sauce round you right back towards grandma’s Sunday dinner with the comfort food feel of home.

CRISPY ONION CHICKEN with CREAMY MUSHROOM SAUCE – serves 2
6 oz. Cremini button mushrooms washed
1/2 pound green beans, washed, dried and trimmed
Crispy Fried Onions (I use French’s but you could make your own crispy shallots)
2-6 ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, flattened to less than 1/2 inch
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup light cream
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon avocado oil
Fresh Ground salt and pepper, to taste

  • Preheat oven to 425°.
  • Cover baking sheet in foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

 

  • Dice 2 of the larger mushrooms into 1/4 inch pieces.
  • Cut remaining mushrooms into 1/4 inch slices.
  • Chop crispy onions into small pieces.

 

  • Pat chicken breasts dry.
  • Generously season both sides with salt and pepper.

 

  • Coat chicken breasts in sour cream.
  • Place the chicken breasts on your baking tray.
  • Sprinkle the crispy onion pieces evenly over the sour cream on the top of the chicken breasts.
  • Gently press the onion pieces down into the sour cream.
  • Place baking tray in hot oven and roast chicken 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

 

 

  • In a medium skillet pan melt butter and avocado oil over medium high heat.
  • Add sliced mushrooms, stirring occasionally until browned and caramelized.
  • Add green beans, seasoning to taste and stirring 5-8 minutes until green beans are tender.
  • Remove vegetables to platter with a slotted spoon.
  • Add 1 tablespoon avocado oil and diced mushrooms, cooking until mushrooms are slightly brown (3-5 minutes).
  • Add cream and bring to a SLOW boil, stirring frequently and cook until thick enough to coat spoon.
  • Adjust seasoning.
  • Remove from heat and plate immediately.

 

SPAGHETTI with RICOTTA MEATBALLS & PECORINO GARLIC BREAD

In my humble opinion (especially now that bread is a rarity in my diet) a “dressed” garlic bread is the ONLY way to go! The strong penetrating flavor of the  Pecorino cheese in the garlic bread as well as the meatballs raises your normal spaghetti to a NEW level.

 

SPAGHETTI with RICOTTA MEATBALLS & PECORINO GARLIC BREAD – serves 2

2 tablespoons Pecorino cheese
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped FRESH Parsley, minced
2 tablespoons chopped FRESH Basil leaves, chopped
3 Garlic Cloves, minced and divide in thirds
3/4 pound LEAN ground beef
2 tablespoons Ricotta cheese
¼ cup Italian Breadcrumbs
1/3 pound spaghetti noodles
1 cup of your favorite marinara sauce
Avocado oil
Fresh ground salt and pepper, to taste
1 French Roll

  • Preheat oven to 375°.
  • Bring a medium pot of salted water to a FULL boil.
  • Prepare a small baking sheet with foil
.

 

  • Mix together the ground beef, ricotta cheese, parsley, 1/3 of the garlic, pepper and 1 tablespoon of the Pecorino cheese with your hands until well blended.
  • Shape meat into ping pong sized meatballs.

 

  • Heat avocado oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat.
  • Add meatballs to hot oil stirring occasionally until browned ALL over, 6-9 minutes.
  • Set aside.

 

  • While meatballs are cooking cook spaghetti in salted boiling water until al dente, 8-10 minutes.
  • Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
  • Drain pasta. Toss with oil.

 

  • In a small mixing bowl combine 1 tablespoon of Pecorino cheese and 1 tablespoon avocado oil together into a paste.
  • Stir in 1/3 of the garlic.
  • Place bread on lightly greased baking sheet.
  • Spread paste over bread and bake until golden brown.
  • Top with sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

 

  • In a medium sauce pan combine marinara, a pinch of salt and reserved pasta water. Bring to a boil.
  • Return meatball pan to a medium heat. Add remaining garlic, cooking until fragrant.
  • Reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally until meatballs are warmed through, 8 minutes or so.
  • Plate and serve immediately.

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