Category: gluten free
Honey Kissed Rosemary Sesame Chicken
| September 25, 2018 | Posted by Wendy Perry under buttahhhh, gluten free, here chickie!, honey, Mindless Mutterings from the Teacher's Lounge |
Your crowd will love this simple honey roasted chicken… seasoned with a hint of rosemary and sprinkled with the toasty goodness of sesame seeds.
Italian Rotisserie Chicken Salad Stuffed Tomatoes
Throw together this no-cook chicken salad in no time for a tasty meal on a hot summer’s day.
Well here we are, in the dog days of summer! In my neck of the woods, it’s been the monsoon days of summer. Rain! RaiN! RAIN! But hopefully, we have a little break in sight for that and can now “look forward” to good old hot.humid.days.of.August! And who wants to turn on anything that will add to that heat? Ummmm, nobody. This recipe for Italian Rotisserie Chicken Salad Stuffed Tomatoes was first published last summer in Carolina Country Magazine and a frequent go-to for me. We all love to grab a cooked rotisserie chicken now and then… we can do so many things with one… not to mention throwing the skin and bones into the crock pot overnight after pick’n for the BEST flavorful chicken broth. You DO do that don’t you? Oh there’s so much flavor in those bones and skin (if you don’t eat it) and all you have to do is cover with a quart or two of water, turn on low, and head to bed. By morning time, you’ll be waking up to the aroma of tasty broth to use for soups, cooking veggies like greens and butterbeans or just to sip. You can throw in some herbs on the front end, or simply cool and freeze and season on the back end depending on how you’ll be using it. I freeze in pint-size containers and it’s great to be able to grab and cook a little pot of butterbeans or collards with this deliciousness!
So here’s to the versitile Rotisserie Chicken!! Pick one up today and make this chicken salad twist… ooooh la LA, you’ll be glad you did.
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classy with a bit of sass!!
Who wants to cook on hot summer days? No need with this flavorful Italian chicken salad.... just pick up a rotisserie chicken, throw in a few ingredients and toss with the simple Dijon dressing, and that's it! Except for a juicy ripe summer tomato you're going to stuff with this good stuff.
- 1 rotisserie chicken, skinned, boned & shredded (about 5 cups)
- 1/2 cup sliced roasted peppers, drained
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, plus 2 tablespoons for garniish
- 1 4 ounce carton feta cheese with basil and tomato, reserve 2 tablespoons
- 2 tablespoons capers drained
- 8 large tomatoes, cored and drained upside down
- 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- crushed black pepper
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Whisk all dressing ingredients together. Stir dressing into chicken to coat. Add all remaining ingredients (except the tomatoes) and mix well.
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Chill several hours or overnight. Stuff tomatoes and garnish with reserved feta cheese crumbles and parsley. Serve immediately
- Don’t cut out too much of the delicious tomato — just enough to mound the chicken salad!
- If you have fresh herbs... oregano, rosemary, basil, etc., use them instead of dried for more robust flavor!
#BlackboardBlurbs… a little teachable moment!
So what are capers?
Soup’s on! Blushing Turkey Soup
| November 24, 2017 | Posted by Wendy Perry under gluten free, Mindless Mutterings from the Teacher's Lounge, published, soups, stews, chilies chowders and such, Thanksgiving |
Well here we are, just like that ~ looking at Thanksgiving 2017 in our rear view mirror. Did your grandmas tell you too, that “the older you get, the faster the days and years go by?”
To be honest, I don’t have any leftover turkey at my house. This year, my little family decided to do pork instead… since we never have been big on turkey. And we aren’t even doing our Thanksgiving meal until tomorrow (Saturday). We even did something outside our box and went OUT to eat for early supper yesterday on Thanksgiving… at an Italian restaurant! And liked it. And decided we might keep up this new tradition henceforth.
They only offered a buffet, but goodness gracious, you cannot believe all the food on the tables! I declare, if folks couldn’t find something there to suit their fancy, they needn’t be eating. The word “bountiful” comes to mind as there were platters and chafing pans filled to the brim with Italian creations… right alongside traditional southern Thanksgiving favorites like dressing and sweet taters.
And there were seafoods, fishes, prime rib, ham and yes, turkey! I suppose they might have some sort of soups on their menu the next few days too, which is a great way to give lurking turkey (and whatever else) a new life!
Earlier this week, my friend Heather Overton at the NC Department of Agriculture asked if I had any last minute ideas for such to feature on their blog, and well, of course I do! Waste not want not around my kitchen, and not often is anything thrown out. I love the challenge of “repurposing” food… bones, scraps and trimmings. I can and will make soup from just about anything… no two pots ever the same. I gift most of the soups I make since I just can’t eat it all! As it turns out, this tasty soup can actually work as a dip as well and a really fast way to throw together a simple meal so you can enjoy more family time this weekend.
So plug in that crock pot and enjoy… feel free to “color outside the lines” of the recipe and add in leftovers you have that will add more layers of flavor to your soup… or adjust the seasonings for your taste. Serve with crunchy pork rinds or cornbread and you’re set to head into the Christmas season… ready or not!
Looking for a way to enjoy your leftover turkey after the Thanksgiving feast is over? Enjoy this recipe featuring leftover turkey, George’s BBQ sauce and pork skins. If you don't have George's, simply substitute your favorite sauce to "blush" your soup.
- 1 15 ounce can white beans (navy, northern, etc.), drained
- 1 14 ounce can creamed corn
- 1 11 ounce can Mexican corn
- 3/4 cup George's Original or Hot Sauce
- 1/2 cup George's Special Sauce
- about 3 cups turkey or chicken broth
- about 4 cups shredded turkey
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- salt to taste
- 1 8 ounce cream cheese
- 4 cups grated cheddar cheese
- freshly chopped cilantro
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Throw all ingredients through salt into crock pot. Heat on high until nice and hot, or if you’ll be out and about a while, just turn on low. About 20-30 minutes before eating, stir in cheeses and melt. Ladle into mugs or bowls and scatter with cilantro. Serve with skins, cornbread or dressing.
NOTE: If you want to serve this as a dip, leave out the broth to make it thicker. Add in small amounts until desired thickness. Scoop with skins or chips.
Southern Colcannon… get’n my Irish on for a day! (1)
Southern Colcannon featuring North Carolina Sweet Potatoes and Wendy’s Cabbards (collards and cabbage) @ WendysHomeEconomics.com
UPDATE…. my Southern Colcannon and “Cabbards” recipes were published in Our State Magazine in March 2015! This is such a tasty recipe to serve anytime, but just right for adding a southern twist to your St. Patrick’s Day supper table. I am republishing this old fave per requests… I hope you’ll enjoy!
With all the blogs and newsletters filling my inbox with St. Patty’s Day recipes, I got to pondering what I could do to put the “Wendy Twist” on things while throwing some Irish South In Your Mouth. So far as I know, there’s nary a drop of Irish in me, but green IS my favorite color. Those are (that is) my credential(s) for this recipe.
All my life, I’ve seen “colcannon” but never really paid attention to what that is, so being the Culinary Adventurist that I am, it was time for me to dig deeper… turns out, “DIGging” around was appropriate since this dish involved taters that have been dug up… somewhere… sometime.
I first turned to a few dictionaries to find out just what such an oddly named dish is made of… and find that to be potatoes, greens (traditionally kale, but cabbage and other greens have come to be used), butter and seasoning. Bestill me heart, you little Leprechan! Some of my FAVs… this is a no-brainer for me. Since I love to sub this for that, and that for the other, I got to it.
Let’s start with the potato part. Seeing as how I am lucky to live in the heart of sweet potato country here in North Carolina, it only makes sense to me to throw aside plain old potatoes and grab Sweet Taters as I mostly prefer using anytime a potato is called for… This past week, at my local Piggly Wiggly, I got THE best white sweet potatoes… about the best of ANY colored sweet potato ever to pass my lips… so good in fact I got a whole case of them. All you have to do is throw some in the oven and bake until nice and soft when squished with a hot pot pad. (Note: I Dig the Pig, cause they are local folks who buy local NC goodies for their store.)
Next.. cabbage. I do luv me some cabbage, but even mo’ better are my cabbards. We’ve cooked those here before… and just so happens I still have plenty of my winter stash in the freezer, so just had to thaw and heat those.
Ahhh… Butter! A staple in my kitchen. Not much that makes butter better… except browning! I’ve been throwing browned butter into all sorts of stuff lately, so why not atop my Southern Colcannon too? And according to the song I found, see below (after creating my recipe), it seems there is supposed to be a butter hole on top! So there’s your pot ‘o gold. Toasty, nutty browned butter. I’m quite certain the fountains in heaven doth flow with luscious browned butter.
As I read more about Colcannon, it seems that it is mostly served with ham. Yet another staple in my kitchen, it only makes sense to this “Irish for a day gal” that a helping ‘o country ham (from here in North Carolina of course) snuggles up next to my concoction of Southern Colcannon!
Now that, my friends, is my contribution to the day of Irish celebration. Colcannon is so groovy, it has its own song.
So here you go… tap along.
The song “Colcannon”, also called “The Skillet Pot”, is a traditional Irish song that has been recorded by many artists.
“Did you ever eat Colcannon, made from lovely pickled cream?
With the greens and scallions mingled like a picture in a dream.
Did you ever make a hole on top to hold the melting flake
Of the creamy, flavoured butter that your mother used to make?”
The chorus:
“Yes you did, so you did, so did he and so did I.
And the more I think about it sure the nearer I’m to cry.
Oh, wasn’t it the happy days when troubles we had not,
And our mothers made Colcannon in the little skillet pot.”
The story of its name and the colcannon traditionalists versus “the other group” is rather interesting. I’ll let you decide if you need to know more… over here!
And on a personal “toot my horn” note, St. Patty’s Day is special for me… because it was on that day in 2005 I QUIT SMOKING!
If you have a Colcannon story or memory to share, please do in the comment box. Share your recipe too… for Colcannon or how you quit smoking.
What to throw together...
- baked sweet potatoes, any kind but white used in photo
- cooked and seasoned cabbards, cabbage or collards
- roughly chopped scallion, white and green parts (optional)
- salt and pepper
- browned butter
How to throw together...
- Use about equal parts baked sweet potatoes and greens. Exactness is not important.
- Throw baked potatoes into mixing bowl and mash. Fold in greens and mix well. If using, add scallion into mixture and stir to combine. Or, simply add into greens when cooking or heating. Season with salt and pepper.
- Make well in serving of colcannon and fill with browned butter.
- ENJOY!
Pantry Purge has its rewards… NEKKID nut butter!
| February 20, 2017 | Posted by Wendy Perry under butters 'n spreads, gluten free, molasses, peanut butter |
homemade honey nut butter
During our most recent snow “event” last week, cabin fever set in. So instead of being lazy like I did in the storm 2 weeks before, I hopped up off my buttkus and got productive around the house! I have an awesome pantry that from time to time, gets in total disarray. Little pantry devils come during the night and make the biggest mess you’ve ever seen. So last week, I had to get in there and fix the mess those little demons had made.
I love nuts… and like to keep some in the truck for a quick snack when out and about…. keeps me out of those drive thru junk food places and they offer me a quick heaping of protein to tide me over till I’m home. So I end up with bits and pieces of this, that and the other kinds of nuts from assorted companies… mostly from friends here in North Carolina… like Baker’s, Mackey’s Ferry, Bertie County, American’s Best Nut Co and others. Since y’all know me to be a “throw cooker,” you know I threw all those nuts together. There were VA blistered nuts, some salted nuts and some not, a menagerie of almonds (skin on, sliced, slivered), cashews and dry roasted.
So this morning, I threw them all into the food processor. As they whirled around, I drizzled in a little peanut oil. I also had a tidbit of local honey in a jar so I finished that off too, and drizzled that in while the nuts whirled about. Since some of the nuts were salted, I didn’t need to add more. I like creamy peanut butter and I also like it crunchy, so I pulsed mine to something kinda in-between the two.
And that was that! I cleared out about 6 cans, jars and bags of bits and pieces of nuts along with that jar of honey that needed to be out of the way for a new jar. And what did I end up with? Three half-pint jars of the BEST NEKKID clean peanut butter… if you’ve never made your own nut butters, do! You’ll never go back to store bought again… you’ll have just plain, natural butter without all those chemicals, preservatives and SUGAR you buy at the store.
Just look at the ingredients on the label of perhaps the most popular national brand you may have on your shelf… corn syrup solids AND sugar! I added natural sugar with the honey… and you can too! So had you rather eat and feed your family my recipe of…
just nuts, peanut oil and honey, or THIS:
And… you can make it just the way YOU and your family like it. If some like it crunchy, just take some out of the processor and make a jar of crunchy. And for those who like it smooth, just keep whirling in the processor until nice and creamy. Make it plain, with honey, or like I do sometimes with a tad of molasses. You can even spice it up as you like by adding things like a touch of cinnamon, or stirring in some mini chocolate chips. This is a great food to get the kiddos into the kitchen to have fun and make some good “whole” some peanut butter. (Not to mention that the whole process took me about 5 minutes, from getting processor out, adding ingredients, whirling and spooning into jars.)
Here’s to pantry purging and reinventing goodies with all the tidbits of “stuff” you find in there.
I hope you will make some of your own NEKKID peanut butter… and come back and share it here with us…
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