Blackberry Jalepeno Chicken

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1/2 cup blackberry preserves

1/4 cup chicken stock

1 tablespoon ketchup

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon molasses

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 jalapeño, seeded (mild) not-seeded (hot), sliced thin

1 medium onion, sliced

1 garlic clove, chopped

6 slices bacon, cooked, chopped

salt & pepper

Sauce (optional)

1/4 cup blackberry preserves

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke

1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Goodies from the crockpot

Place sliced onions in the bottom of a crockpot. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Top with garlic, jalepeno, and bacon. In a small bowl mix together preserves, ketchup, stock, molasses, vinegar and liquid smoke. Pour over the chicken and set the crockpot to low and let cook for 5 to 6 hours, until chicken is fork tender. Turn crockpot to warm. If not preparing sauce, shred chicken in the crockpot using two forks. If preparing the sauce, remove chicken to a cutting board and shred. Using a slotted spoon remove the onion, jalepeno and bacon and put into a blender. Add ¼ cup of the liquid in the crockpot and puree until smooth. Add chicken back to crockpot and stir into remaining liquid. In a medium saucepan add preserves, ketchup, smoke, pepper and onion/jalepeno/bacon mixture and stir over low-medium heat until sauce is heated.

You can serve this a number of ways. For example:

On a bun, w/ pepper jack cheese with cooked bacon slices;

In a tortilla w/ queso fresco, sliced radish, and cilantro;

On top of a heaping plate of cheesy nachos;

Plain, topped with sauce;

Chilled on top of a salad

Recipe adapted from www.cookingforkeeps.com

Peach and Tomato Gazpacho

1 1/2 lb yellow tomatoes, chopped (3 cups)

1 lb peaches, pitted and chopped (2 cups)

1/4 cup crushed ice

2 tablespoons chopped shallot

2 tablespoons olive oil*

1 1/2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Optional: crumbled goat cheese and additional finely chopped basil

Purée two thirds of tomatoes and half of peaches with ice, shallot, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 2 teaspoons tarragon, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a blender until very smooth, about 1 minute.

In a bowl, toss together remaining tomatoes and peaches with remaining tablespoon oil, remaining 1/2 tablespoon vinegar, remaining basil, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a bowl. In a soup bowl add a couple spoonfuls of the chunky mixture, carefully ladle the liquid around. Top with goat cheese crumbles and finely chopped basil if desired.

*flavored olive oils, like basil or tarragon work great in this recipe!

Recipe adapted from epicurious.com

Smoky Lime Syrup & 3 Drinks

1/2 cup raw cane sugar
1/2 cup water
20 drops smoke bitters
1 lime, juiced + 1 tsp zest

In a small saucepan, heat sugar and water over medium heat, stirring often until sugar is dissolved. Take of heat and add lime juice and zest. Allow to cool then strain through a mesh strainer into a glass jar. Store in the refrigerator for up to one month.



Smoky Margarita

1 1/2 oz resposado or anjeo tequila
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
1/2 oz smoky lime syrup
3 dashes orange bitters
pinch of salt

Add first three ingredients into an shaker w/ 1 cup of ice. Shake vigorously for a minute then strain into an old fashioned glass filled with ice, topped with bitters and pinch of salt if desired.



Smoky Lime Rum & Cola

12 oz chilled cola
1 1/2 oz rum
1 oz smoky lime syrup
1 lime wheel

In a glass filled with ice, pour in syrup and rum, then top with soda. Stir and serve with a lime wheel.



Smoky Citrus Refresher

8 oz chilled lemon-flavored soda water
1 oz smoky lime syrup
1 lime or lemon wheel

In a glass filled with ice, pour in syrup and top with lime soda. Stir and serve with a citrus wheel.

Zucchini Fries w/ Garlic Aioli

Zucchini Fries

3 small zucchini

2 T + 1 T Italian seasoning

1tsp  + ½ tsp garlic powder

Pinch ground red pepper

Salt and Pepper

2 eggs beaten

¼ c grated parmesan cheese

1 cup panko bread crumbs

Garlic Aioli

1/3 c mayonnaise

1 small garlic clove finely grated or minced

1 tsp lemon juice

¼ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 425 F and line a baking sheet with foil. Slice ends off zucchini, then slice lengthwise. Cut each half in half widthwise, and each fourth into three triangle shaped fries. Should each be about 3” to 4” in length and ½” wide. Place fries in a small bowl or plastic bread bag, add 1T Italian seasoning, ½ tsp garlic powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper and toss to coat. In a shallow bowl, beat egg with pinch of salt and pepper. In another shallow bowl combine panko, cheese, 2 T Italian seasoning, 1tsp garlic powder, pinch of ground red pepper, black pepper and salt and stir until evenly incorporated. Take 5 to 6 fries and coat in the egg, then carefully coat each in the bread crumb mixture, generously coating. Place green skin side down on the baking sheet. Once all fries are coated and on the pan, bake for 15 to 18 mins or until breadcrumbs are golden brown. While baking, prepare the aioli by combining the mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice in a small bowl, letting flavors meld while the fries are baking. Allow fries to cool a couple minutes before serving with aioli. Not recommended for leftovers.

Recipe adapted from allrecipies.com 

Lemon Berry Fruit Pizza

SUGAR COOKIE CRUST

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Zest of ½ lemon

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

TOPPING

8 oz full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

2 cups confectioners' sugar

Zest of ½  lemon (don’t toss that lemon! See below for a special use)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Assorted fresh fruit, about 3 cups (I used raspberries, blueberries and strawberries)

To make the crust, in a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the softened butter for about 1 minute on medium speed. Add the sugar on medium speed until fluffy and light in color. Beat in egg and vanilla, scraping down the sides as needed.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cornstarch. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 different parts. Once completely combined, cover the dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 1 day.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 12-inch pizza pan with cooking spray or line a baking sheet with parchment. Remove chilled cookie dough from the refrigerator and press onto the pan in an even flat circle, as pictured above. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the edges are very lightly browned. Allow crust to cool completely before decorating. As the crust cools, slice the strawberries.  

To make the topping, in a medium bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat for 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat for 1 minute. Spread in a thick layer over the cooled sugar cookie crust. Decorate with fruit.

Cut into slices and serve. Fruit pizza may be made 1 day in advance, covered tightly, and stored in the refrigerator before serving. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Recipe adapted from sallysbakingaddiction.com

Using that leftover lemon: Have a dirty microwave? Slice your zested lemon in half. In a small bowl, add ½ cup water, juice each half of the lemon into the bowl of water, add the leftover halves into the bowl, pop into the microwave and run for 3 minutes. Then, do not open the door! Let sit for an additional 5 minutes. The oils and acid from the lemon and steam from the water will condense to the sides of your microwave’s interior. After 5 minutes, remove the bowl (do not throw away the lemon yet!) and wipe the interior of the microwave with a clean dry cloth. Works great getting that grime off! Now, the lemon rinds are soften, simply run them through your garbage disposal with a steady stream of warm water to freshen it up as well! If you don’t have a disposal, the lemons will nicely scent your garbage until the next time you take it out!

Blue Cheese and Onion Spread

8 oz Neufchatel cheese

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

½ cup finely chopped onion

½ cup slivered almonds

1 tsp olive oil

½ tsp cracked black pepper

In a small skillet, heat oil over medium/low heat. Add onions and cook down, stirring often for several minutes, until a caramelized golden brown. Set aside to cool. In the same skillet, raise heat to medium and add the almonds. Stir frequently until almonds are lightly toasted.  Set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, mixed crumbled Neufchatel cheese and blue cheese. Add caramelized onion, toasted almonds, and black pepper, mixing until well combined.

This spread can be served chilled, at room temp or heated. Great with crusty bread, crackers or crudité.

Optional add in: In a small skillet, fry one slice of center cut bacon until crisp. Remove bacon, but reserve fat in the pan to caramelize the onions. Crumble the cooled bacon and add to the dip, along w/ onions and almonds.

Optional substitution: Substitute chopped walnuts for almonds.

Original recipe 

Oven Roasted Almonds

Old Smoky Bay

2 c raw almonds

2 tsp olive oil

2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning

1 tsp sea salt

¼ tsp liquid smoke

Honey-Truffle

2 c raw almonds

2 tsp honey

2 tsp truffle-infused oil

1 tsp truffle salt or sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking tray with parchment. In a medium bowl, stir all ingredients and pour over parchment, spreading out evenly. Bake at 5 minute intervals for 15 minutes, stirring in between each interval. Cool before serving or storing in an airtight container.

Buffalo Chicken Dip & Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Buffalo Chicken Dip

10 oz can chicken breast, drained

8 oz Neufchatel cheese (low fat cream cheese)

8 oz bag shredded mozzarella

½ cup ranch or blue cheese dressing

½ cup buffalo sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl mix all ingredients until combined. Pour into a 8x8 baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot with chips, crusty bread or celery sticks. Can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

3 cups macaroni shells

1 recipe Buffalo Chicken Dip, chilled or mixed, but unbaked

½ cup crumbled blue cheese (optional)

½ cup celery, diced

½ cup onion, diced

1 tsp olive oil

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 T butter

Buffalo sauce for drizzle (optional)

Celery Sticks (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small skillet, sauté onion and celery in 1 tsp olive oil for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and set veggies aside. In a small bowl, microwave butter until melted and stir in bread crumbs. Prepare noodles al dente – should yield 6 cups of cooked noodles. Drain and empty into a large bowl. Carefully stir in dip, veggies and blue cheese (if using). Pour into a lasagna pan or deep casserole dish, top with bread crumbs and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until bubbly and bread crumbs are toasted. Serve hot drizzled with buffalo dip and celery sticks, if desired. While I doubt you will have leftovers, they can be refrigerated up to 3 days.

Buffalo dip courtesy of www.tasteofhome.com

Mac and cheese, original recipe

Cilantro Green Chile Chimichurri

½ head garlic, cloves broken apart, unpeeled

2 to 3 roasted serrano or hatch green chiles, about ¾ cup*

1 medium bunch of cilantro, thick bottom stems cut off

1 small bunch flat leaf parsley, thick bottom stems cut off

½ cup olive oil

2 tsp sea salt

Heat a small skillet on medium and add garlic cloves. Roast cloves, turning frequently, for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Carefully squeeze out the roasted garlic from the cloves. Discard the peels.

In a food processor add, cilantro, parsley, olive oil, garlic and salt. Pulse until the mixture is a thick paste. Scrape into a container and refrigerate until serving.

Serve as a condiment. Great with Mexican/Latin American food, on crusty bread, over cream cheese with crackers.

*To roast your own chilies, heat a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Add whole chilies and roast, turning frequently for about 10 minutes until blistered and brown. Remove from heat, allow to cool. Carefully remove and discard skins and stems – can be seeded to lessen the pepper’s spiciness.

Recipe courtesy of www.rickbayless.com

Porter & Bacon Brownies

photo from draftmag.com

14 ½ T unsalted butter

1 1⁄3 cups dark chocolate chips

1⁄2 cup smoked porter

2 cups white sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 eggs plus 2 additional yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

1  1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour

1⁄4 cup cocoa powder, sifted

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1⁄4 teaspoon smoked paprika

4 slices bacon, cooked and chopped, 1 ½ T bacon grease reserved

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or prepare with cooking spray a 9-by-9-inch baking dish for thick, tall brownies, or a 9-by-13-inch dish for thinner, wider brownies.

In a medium bowl add the butter, bacon grease, and chocolate; cook for 1 minute until just melted. Remove bowl and stir gently. Place back in microwave and cook for 30 seconds more. Remove and stir until smooth. Then stir in the beer until thoroughly combined. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks, sugar and vanilla until well-combined and fluffy. While whisking continuously, slowly pour the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture; whisk until completely incorporated. Sprinkle the flour, cocoa powder, salt and smoked paprika over the bowl; stir until just combined. 

Pour into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with chopped cooked bacon. 

Bake until brownies are shiny and dry, and the center feels firm, about 50 minutes for a 9-by-9-inch dish or 40 minutes for a 9-by-13-inch dish. Let cool and cut into squares.

Store extras in an airtight container.There will be very few. Promise.

adapted recipe from draftmag.com

Broiled Romaine Salad

1 small head romaine lettuce

1 medium chicken breast

1 bottle of quality balsamic dressing

½ apple, thinly sliced

¼ cup + 1T red wine

¼ cup grated Asiago cheese

¼ cup croutons, lightly crushed

olive oil

salt and coarse ground pepper

The night before serving, mix ½ cup balsamic dressing w/ ¼ cup red wine. Marinate chicken breast in a small container or plastic bag.

To prepare the day of, preheat oven to 375. Lightly coat a small casserole with olive oil and place the chicken breast and marinade. Bake for 25 mins. During that time, in a small bowl mix 1T red wine and ½ tsp olive oil. Add apples and toss. Place in another small casserole and sprinkle with coarse black pepper.  Also, rinse the head of lettuce, intact, and shake excess water. Cut off root base then cut entire head in half lengthwise. Rinse and shake dry again, halves remaining intact. Place on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

After chicken has baked for 25 mins, raise temperature to 425. Add apples to the oven and bake for an additional 10 mins. Remove from oven to cool slightly, and with a hot pad, move an oven rack to within 3 inches of the top heating element. Set oven to a high broil.

Place romaine halves on the rack directly under the heating element and broil for 1 minute or until leaves begin to char. Promptly remove from oven.

Thinly slice chicken. On a long plate, assemble the salad by placing one half of the lettuce, topped with chicken. Place apples to either side. Drizzle with additional balsamic dressing and top with cheese and croutons. Do the same on a second plate with the second half of lettuce. Serve immediately.

This salad can be also made with a number of combinations of proteins, dressings and toppings. Feel free to create your own combinations!

Hearty Vegan Superfood Stew

4 cups vegetable broth*

1 ½ cups shaved Brussels sprouts

1 ½ cups chopped kale (stems removed)

1 ½ cups cooked quinoa*

1 ½ cups cannellini beans*

½ cup chopped yellow onion

1 T olive oil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sized soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat then add onions. Sauté for 2 minute s then reduce heat to low and cover pot. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until onions become slightly translucent. Add vinegar and stir. Leave pot uncovered and cook down onions until caramelized, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add Brussels sprouts and kale, cooking for approximately 5 to 7 minutes or until greens are wilted. Add broth, beans and quinoa and bring to a boil. Then lower heat to a simmer for 30 minutes, until kale is tender. Season to taste before serving. 

*Shameless Target plug – these will give you the perfect portions for the recipe!