Spicy Honey Walnut Chicken

I’m typically not much of a honey lover. However, I happened upon this spicy version of honey at Magnolia Emporium a few months ago called MIke’s Hot Honey. I used it in a shrimp recipe that received rave reviews. I decided to see what I could create with chicken. Keep in mind you could substitute the chicken with shrimp, pork, salmon or even beef.

Start by creating a marinade for your chicken…I used organic chicken tenders that I cut into pieces. In a bowl, combine 3 TBLS of Mike’s Hot Honey, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 to 3 TBLS of paprika, a few dashes of hot pepper flakes, 3 to 4 cloves of minced garlic, 2 TBLS of orange blossom honey, the juice of one lemon, and salt/pepper. Add the chicken and allow to marinate for an hour or longer, if you have the time.

While the chicken is marinating, prepare you favorite rice. I used Jasmine rice for this recipe. Next, take about 3/4 pound of fresh green beans, cut off ends and chop into 1″ pieces. When chicken is ready, heat a cast iron skillet to medium high with about 1 tsp of coconut oil. Add the green beans and sear for about 4 minutes. They should turn slightly golden brown, but still have that snap. Remove green beans and reserve. To the same pan, add about 1 Cup of walnuts and brown for about a minute…be sure to watch these carefully and keep stirring. Nuts can burn easily. Remove nuts from pan and reserve with the green beans.

Once the walnuts have been removed, add the chicken with the marinade to the cast iron skillet and brown until chicken is fully cooked and marinade has carmelized. This should take about 6 to 8 minutes.

Once chicken is fully cooked, add back the green beans and walnuts…toss to heat through and serve on top of your cooked rice and ENJOY!

My Grandfather’s Stuffing (Dressing)

Thanksgiving for me is typically the only time of year that I make this amazing stuffing recipe. This recipe was handed down to me from my Mother who still has the handwritten recipe from my Grandfather. Even though I never got to physically meet him, when I make this, it makes me feel nostalgic and close to him. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. It is definitely an old school preparation and takes time to prepare, but it is so worth it in the end.

Start by browning one package of Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage. While the sausage is browning, you want to start toasting 1 and 1/2 loaves of white bread. I use a combination of the toaster and oven to speed up the process. Once the bread has been toasted, start pulling it apart into pieces in a large deep bowl.

Once the sausage has browned, remove from pan, drain any excess grease and place, in batches if you have to, in a food processor. Pulse only about three times to break up the sausage. Do not turn into a paste. Should looks something like this when you are done processing.

Cut three stalks of celery into tiny bits. I am all about knife cuts and tend to like my veggies, in this preparation, cut really small. Do the same with about 1/4 of a small white onion. Feel free to add more onion if you would like. I just do not like the onion flavor to overwhelm this dish. In the pan you browned the sausage, remove any remaining grease and add one stick of salted butter and the veggies. Allow to soften for about 5 to 8 minutes…do not brown.

Once the celery and onions have softened, add 2/3 of a box of stock to the pan. I use turkey stock, but feel free to use chicken or even vegetable stock. Allow to cook for a few minutes then add back the browned sausage. The mixture does not look that appealing at this point, but I promise you…it will be fantastic!

Mixture of celery, onions, stock and sausage... — Mixture of celery, onions, stock and sausage…

Add about 2 TBLS of dried parsley to the bowl with the toasted bread, then pour the stock mixture on top and start combining. The best way I have found to do this, is with your clean hands. Mixture should not be dry at this point…if it is just add a bit more stock and mix. Allow the mixture to cool just enough to add one beaten egg. Do not add the egg while it is too hot or it will scramble. Mix the egg into the mixture. You can then form into balls, place in buttered dish and bake on 375 for about 15 minutes and/or stuff your turkey. I usually make both for Thanksgiving!

Spicy Honey Shrimp with Shaved Brussel Sprouts

I love creating recipes with super fresh ingredients. I love it even more when I am unsure about the combination of ingredients and it turns out to be amazing. Who would ever think that shrimp and brussel sprouts can be combined to make one incredible dish? Here it is…and you are going to love it!

Start with 1 lb. of high-quality shrimp. Of course, I got these beauties from The Carolina Food Market. These fresh, local NC shrimp are 16/20 count, uncooked, peeled and deveined. You can purchase the majority of these ingredients from The Carolina Food Market. I love the convenience of one-stop shopping this market now has to offer.

Place the shrimp in a bowl. Season with coarse salt and pepper. Add 1 1/2 TBLS of Mike’s Hot Honey, (see website for retail locations). I purchased mine at the fabulous Magnolia Emporium. Add 1 1/2 TBLS of orange blossom honey, 5 to 6 cloves of minced garlic, 2 TBLS of paprika, and about 1 to 2 TBLS of olive oil. Allow the shrimp to marinate in the fridge for about 15 minutes. Feel free to add more/less of the above ingredients. I am not one to measure much, so if I think it needs more honey, paprika, etc., I just throw it in. It should look similar to this:

Take about 20 brussel sprouts, cut off ends and slice. I make about three slices per sprout. Once sliced, break apart. Heat a cast iron skillet with a touch of olive oil to medium-high. Place brussel sprouts in pan and start to brown. Do NOT BURN!

It takes about 8 minutes for the brussel sprouts to brown. Keep and eye on them and continue turning them as they are browning. Once browned, add the shrimp with the marinade. Turn down the heat just slightly. Shrimp will start to turn pink and the marinade with begin to caramelize. Continue to stir, so as not to burn. It should only take about 3 to 4 minutes for the shrimp to cook. Do not overcook your shrimp. Remove from heat and enjoy as is, or pair with jasmine rice. You can view me preparing this dish on my Facebook page, Charlotte Fashion Plate. ENJOY!

Clams in a Sambucca Spicy Sausage Cream Sauce

This recipe has amazing flavor and can be used with clams, mussels, shrimp or a combination of all three. This dish, even though it looks sophisticated and complicated, is super easy and quick! You can make this for under $10/person…this recipe will serve a family of four…hard to get a quality dish like this in a restaurant for the price…

Start by purchasing super, fresh clams. I buy all of my seafood and meats at The Carolina Food Market. You can get the majority of these ingredients at this market. For this recipe, I used 4 dozen little neck clams. I start by soaking the clams in a bowl of water and flour. The clams ingest the flour and spit it out with any sand/dirt that may be inside the clam. Soak for about 10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly and set aside.

Heat a deep pan with a touch of olive oil and add three hot sausage links with casings removed. Start to break up and brown. When sausage is almost browned, add 1 minced shallot and 5 to 7 minced garlic cloves along with a few dashes of red pepper flakes. Add about 15 cherry tomatoes cut in half and allow to cook down for about 5 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 small bottles of clam juice along with 1 1/2 tiny bottles of Sambucca. Increase the heat to where the sauce is just under a boil. Add the clams and cover with lid. Have a bowl handy to start removing clams as they open. Once all clams have opened and been removed, reduce the heat to medium and add about a Cup of heavy whipping cream. Taste the sauce and see if you need additional Sambucca or cream. Sauce will have a spicy/sweet taste. Add about 5 basil leaves chiffonade. Stir the sauce and allow the cream to warm up…about 4 minutes. Add the clams back in to the sauce and allow to heat up for about a minute or so. I also add a few cans of really good chopped clams at this point. Feel free to leave them out. I just love a lot of clams with my pasta. Have your favorite pasta cooked and ready in a bowl. I used linguine for this recipe. You can also forgo the pasta and just serve the clams in this sauce with crusty bread. Pour the sauce on top of the pasta and add fresh chopped parsley and a bit more basil. It’s that easy…ENJOY!

My Momma’s Chili (Soup)

We all have our favorite kind of chili, whether it be spicy, thick, with beans or without. This is the one I grew up on, just updated to a healthier version. I think of it more as a “chili soup” rather than your typical chunky, thick version.

Here, is how I make it. Start browning one pound of ground turkey breast with a bit of olive or canola oil. You can use ground chicken or ground beef. Season with about 2 to 3 TBLS of chili powder, salt and pepper. Add about 1/2 diced red onion. When the meat is browned and onions have sweated, pour in one large bottle of V-8 juice. I use the traditional version of V-8 juice, but you can definitely use a lower sodium version. Add large stalks of celery, including the leaves. This adds flavor. If you prefer celery as part of the finished product, you can dice and add to pot. Add one can (undrained) each of dark red kidney beans, light red kidney beans, white kidney beans and chili beans. Add hot sauce to your liking. I use Tabasco Sauce. Allow to slowly simmer for about 20 – 30 minutes. Do not boil…you want to maintain the integrity of the beans. Add chopped parsley to the pot. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, or any of your favorite chili toppings. A grilled cheese sandwich is also a perfect partner. This recipe makes a lot. Leftovers freeze very well.

Pan Seared Halibut with Crispy Skin

Another incredible dinner! I made Pan Seared Halibut w/ Crispy Skin, Flash fried Calamari and Cannellini Bean Salsa. The Halibut and Squid are of course from my spot Carolina Fish Market. Here is my how-to:

Pat the fish to dry and season with salt & pepper. To make the skin crispy, mix rice flour and cornstarch then lightly dust the skin side of the halibut in the flour mixture. In a pan with a little olive oil, sear the halibut skin side down till crisp, then turn to finish.

The Squid I cut into Calamari rings and marinate in lemon juice for about 30 minutes. Then using a mixture of rice flour and all purpose flour I add cayenne, paprika, salt and pepper. Separate flour mixture into two bowls. The calamari gets tossed around in the first bowl of the flour mixture, then placed into heavy cream. Then the calamari goes into the second bowl of flour mixture. Heat canola oil, then flash fry the calamari until golden. It comes out so tender with an unbelievable crispy crunch.

Last I make my Cannellini Bean Salsa which is a great summer salad, and easy to prepare. For this salad you will need cooked cannellini beans (fresh or canned), diced Roma tomatoes, minced garlic, fresh corn off the cob, fresh basil, olive oil, and salt & pepper. Combine everything and serve.

I made sauteed spinach to nestle my Carolina Fish Market Halibut on and garnished the dish with Calamata olives.

Dinner is done! Thanks as always to Carolina Fish Market, the best fish and seafood market in Charlotte.

Fresh Scottish Salmon Papillote

Back at my favorite local places in Charlotte to get the freshest seafood, The Carolina Fish Market. Tonight’s dinner was done quick and easy and everything was from The Carolina Fish Market. This is Fresh Scottish Salmon in Papillote (parchment).

On a sheet of parchment paper place salmon seasoned with salt and pepper, olive oil, fresh herbs, lemon, and fresh asparagus. Fold parchment closed and bake in the oven for about 12 minutes. The Salmon and veggies will steam perfectly. For a bit of crunch I made my Rice Cakes to accompany the Salmon.

For the Rice Cakes I was inspired by Futo Buto a Charlotte Ramen House. They have amazing food! For my version I take cooked rice and make into patties with a circle shape mold. I dust each with flour then dip into beaten egg, then back into Panko bread crumbs. Place them into the freezer for about 10 minutes to set. Then pan fry in canola oil until golden. Dinner is served! This entire meal was easy to grab on the way home. Easy to prepare and under $10 a person. Thank you to The Carolina Fish Market!

Seafood Pasta Fra Diavolo

Good evening friends, tonight’s dinner was a breeze thanks to one of my favorite go-to spots, The Carolina Fish Market. All this beautiful fresh seafood; scallops, mussels, North Carolina shrimp, lobster, and even the pasta remind me of the summer nights in Italy.

I know I’ve mentioned it before but, The Carolina Fish Market is a locally owned Fish Market, Chop Shop Meat Market, and Organic Grocery Store here in Ballantyne off Ardrey Kell and Marvin Road. I think it’s so important to support local businesses, and when it’s this kind of quality I’m all in.

Beside the fresh seafood, meat and organic groceries, Carolina Fish Market happens to carry fresh pasta and all kinds of marinara sauce from another favorite spot of mine, Pasta & Provisions, another locally owned South Charlotte business. They make the best fresh pasta and sauces. Using the freshest ingredients you can procure is one of my secrets to an authentic full-flavored gourmet meal.

Dinner was fabulous! Quick one stop shopping, one pan cooking, the freshest ingredients you can find, and an easy summer dinner. My Seafood Pasta Fra Diavolo, delicious and spicy!