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!

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!