adapted from

I know, I know - I'm way late on the bandwagon of chia seeds.  Honestly, I've been resisting the this trend for awhile; I don't necessary like the idea of eating something that's associated with a 90s kitschy gift, but after continuing to be bombarded by article after article singing the benefits, I decided to jump in.  Surprisingly this is not an April Fools joke.  After searching for some recipes that didn't make me want to poke my eyeballs out.  I made a few tweaks (e.g., subbing out almond milk (I'm allergic) for coconut milk, using a sweetened version of said milk in lieu of agave sweeter or maple syrup after the fact) and I (begrudgingly) have to say that it's actually quite good.  Good enough (or so good, in fact) I thought that I would share it with you.

After we went apple picking a few weekends ago, we had a TON of apples.  More apples than we could possibly eat before they went bad.  So I went to Pinterest to find something to do with all of these apples.  I happened across this recipe and knew that it would be a hit.  It's a really fantastic combination of savory and sweet, not to mention super easy. I also have to say that though I'm not usually a fan of chicken thighs, they are growing on me.  Give this one a whirl, I promise you'll love it.

Ingredients:
+ 4c chicken stock
+ 1c quick-cooking grits
+ 8oz gouda cheese, freshly grated
+ 1 tbsp butter
+ 1/4 tsp salt
+ 1/4 tsp pepper
+ 2 ears grilled sweet corn, cut from the cobb
+ 1 lb raw peeled & deveined shrimp
+ 1/2 tsp salt
+ 1/2 tsp pepper
+ 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
+ 1/4 tsp chipolte chili powder
+ 1/4 tsp ground cumin
+ 4 tbsp butter
+ 2 cloves garlic, finely minced

Directions:
Bring stock to a boil in a saucepan.  Once stock comes to a boil, add grits and whisk until they are fully mixed into the stock (~2 mins).  Reduce heat to low and cover, stirring a few times, until the grits are thick and creamy (~5 mins).  Stir in the grated cheese, salt, and pepper.  Season with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Pat shrimp completely dry with paper towels.  Season with salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, and cumin.  Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add butter.  Once the butter melts and begins to sizzle, add the shrimp and cook on both sides until pink.  As the shrimp cooks, the butter will brown.  Whisk occasionally to prevent it from burning.  When the shrimp is finished, stir garlic and cook for a second.  Remove from heat.

Spoon grits onto a plate or bowl and add shrimp on top.  Drizzle the butter from the pan on top and cover with spoonfuls of corn.

Being a big fan of a good Krispy Kreme doughnut and bread pudding, this recipe was a dream come true for me.  It does require one basic rule though and that is not even consider to caloric content of the dish.  Just don't - trust me, you'll thank me for it later.

Ingredients:
+ 1 dozen slightly stale Krispy Kreme donuts (ours were a couple days old)
+ 3 eggs (lightly beaten)
+ 1 1/4 c heavy cream
+ 1 c whole milk (we used 2% because it was on-hand)
+ 1/2 c brown sugar
+ 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
+ 1/2 tsp salt

How to:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut each doughnut into about 6 pieces each and place into a baking dish (we used a 9x13, but you could do a little smaller).  In a medium bowl, whisk egg, milk, heavy cream, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and salt together.  Pour over doughnuts and press doughnuts into the liquid to saturate.  Let sit for 10 minutes.  Place uncovered dish in over for 45 minutes.  Serve warm with favorite topping (e.g., whipped cream, chocolate sauce, fresh fruit, etc.)

Carrot cakes are truly an under appreciated cake.  I might be biased because I grew up with this as a staple in our family celebrations, and it was the top layer of our wedding cake; but besides all of that carrot cakes (really good carrot cakes) just hit the right spot.  And this is a REALLY good carrot cake.  For an added touch, serve with pecan ice cream (another under appreciated ice cream).

Ingredients:
 2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 eggs
2 c sugar
1 1/2 c oil
2 c grated carrots (approximately 2 large carrots)
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple (drained)
1/2 c chopped nuts, walnuts or pecans (I use pecans)

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 c butter
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 lb confectioners' sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt and cinnamon.
In mixing bowl, beat eggs and add sugar.
Let stand until sugar dissolves, about 10 minutes.
Stir in oil, carrots, drained pineapple* and nuts.
Stir in dry ingredients and beat until well blended--3 minutes or so with blender.
Turn into 3 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans or one 13-x9-inch pan.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.
Cool before frosting.

I cannot take credit for this recipe.  A girlfriend of mine, who is a far superior and much more effortless cook that I, shared it with me.  I was a little gun-shy as the last recipe she sent me, I nearly caught the end result of fire which lead to a dinner of take out at the last minute for our household (true story and not her fault, for the record - I got cocky in my cooking prowess).  I was downright blissful that this recipe was easy and packed a punch.  Instead of using taco shells or tortillas, we opted for an avocado.

Slow Roasted Chicken:
2 lbs bone-in chicken thighs (with skin)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp smoke paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325.  Arrange chicken on baking dish and rub with olive oil, including the skin.  In a small bowl, combine all spies and rub all over the chicken, including under the skin as well.  Roast chicken for 45 minutes.  Increase temperature to 425 and roast for 30 minutes more.
Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to cool until you can handle.  Use a fork to shred the chicken and discard the skin and bones.

Gorgonzola Slaw:
1/2 green cabbage, shredded (I used a mixed bag of slaw mix from the produce section)
3 tbsp full fat green yogurt
4 oz gorgonzola cheese, plus extra for crumbling on top
Juice of 1 lime
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:
While chicken is cooling, add shredded cabbage to large bowl.  In smaller bowl, whisk together the yogurt, gorgonzola, lime juice, salt, and pepper.  Pour over shredded cabbage and thoroughly mix together.

Assemble by scooping out the middle of a half of an avocado, adding the roasted chicken, and topping with slaw and crumbled gorgonzola.

Mussels are a favorite of mine; chances are, if they are on the menu somewhere, I'll be ordering them.  A lot of people don't try mussels at home because at first glance they seem intimidating.  I'm here to let you in on a little secret, they really aren't.  Most of the time in cooking mussels really is during the prep.  The other night, I grabbed a bag at the grocery store and cooked them up in some Old Meck Copper, served with crusty bread (it's all about the bread) and had a lovely meal with Scott.  It's definitely something worth trying and I'm going to be walking you through it.

Mussel Selection: Mussels fall into the category of seafood that you actually cook alive.  The key to a good mussel dish actually starts with selecting fresh mussels.  This means your mussels should be stored on ice at the establishment that you are purchasing them.  They should look moist and not dry.

Mussel Prep: Discard all mussels that are chipped, cracked or open.  These are all signs that the mussel is actually dead and no good to eat.  Place the good mussels in a bowl of fresh water to filter out any residual sand and grit.  Remove mussels from water, scrub shell and de-beard.  If beard is still attached, de-bearding involves pulling the remaining tassel towards the hinge of the mussel.  You might have to give it a solid tug.  Discard beard once removed.

Ingredients:
+ 1/2 stick (1/4 c) butter
+ 1 medium onion, chopped
+ 2 stalks of celery, diced
+ 1 c drained canned diced tomatoes
+ 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
+ 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
+ 1 bay leaf
+ 1/2 tsp salt
+ 1/4 tsp black pepper
+ 2 c lager (I used Old Meck Copper)
+ 2 lbs mussels, scrubbed well and beards removed
+ 1 tbsp dijon mustard
+ 2 tbsp heavy cream

Directions:
Heat butter in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat until fully melted.  Add onion, celery, tomatoes, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, salt, & pepper, stirring occasionally, until soften (approximately 4 minutes).

Add beer & bring to boil.  Add mussels & cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until mussels open (approximately 4-6 minutes).  Transfer to a bowl as they open and discard any mussels that are still closed after 6 minutes.  Remove pot from heat & stir together mustard & cream in a small bowl. Whisk into the hot broth let in pot.  Serve sauce over mussels.

I don't know about you, but the weather these days have be crazing something warm and substantial. Soup, though warm, doesn't always strike me as a substantial meal.  However, I made a killer chicken tortilla soup the other night which satisfied all my check boxes: warm - check; spicy - check; substantial - check.  And it was so easy to make that I thought it was worth a share.

Ingredients: 
+ 1 green bell pepper
+ 1 red bell pepper
+ 1 small onion
+ 1 can diced tomatoes
+ 1 can black beans (drained)
+ 1 can white corn (drained)
+ 6 cups chicken broth (can use up to 8 cups if want more liquid)
+ 1 chicken breast (for a short cut, I used a rotisserie chicken breast)

Cooking Oils/Spices: Olive Oil (3 tbsp), Cumin, Garlic Salt, and Cayenne Pepper

I love a good scallop dish and when this one was as easy as it actually was, I figured why not share? Besides, many inquiring minds what to know.  Apparently you share my love of scallops just as much as I do. Fair warning - there is a healthy amount of butter in this dish.  If you are going to make it - go big or go home.  So without further ado...

Parmesan Risotto: adopted from Ina Garten's recipe 
1 1/2 c Arborio rice
5 c simmering chicken stock
1 c freshly grated parmesan
1/2 c dry white wine
3 tbsp salted butter
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the rice and 4 cups of chicken stock in a dutch oven.  Cover and back for 45 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed.  Remove from the oven and add remaining cup of chicken stock, the Parmesan cheese, wine, butter, salt, & pepper, & stir vigorously for 2-3 minutes.  Rice will become creamy & thick.  Serve hot.


Scallops:
1 lb sea scallops
4 tbsp salted butter
2 cloves garlic

Melt butter in pan over medium heat.  Add crushed garlic clove and saute for a few minutes.  Add scallops and cook on each side for approximately 3-4 minutes depending upon thickness and preference for doneness.

I served it with sauteed green beans with (you guessed it) butter and garlic.  Hope you enjoy this as much as we did.

It's no secret that domestic is not a word that is used to describe me.  Cooking is often not my forte (I'm a baker), our house is usually in some sort of shambles, and I can't really get into my laundry woes (let's just say that I'd rather use the dry cleaner as an expensive ironer).  Therefore, I'm all in for using the crock pot.  They are amazingly simple, easy, and produce a huge bang for seemingly little effort.

Last week, we had my father-in-law in town, and I wanted to try my hand at coq au vin.  Usually a pretty ambitious undertaking, I stumbled across the idea of using a crock pot for this fancy meal.  After some research, I used a variation on the Williams-Sonoma version here and it was scrumptious.  I will preface this with the fact that it is a little more high maintenance then any usual crock pot recipe, but I think worth the extra effort.

Ingredients:

- 4 chicken thighs*
- 4 slices of bacon, roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp of butter
- 1/2 package of mushrooms, quartered
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1/2 cup of chicken broth**
- 1 1/2 cups red wine***
- Liberal dusting of fresh thyme & rosemary
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* Most recipes call for boneless, skinless - I opted for bone-in and skin.  Coq au vin is famous for being flavorful and in an effort to make the flavoring as rich as possible, I opted for this option
** I used low-sodium to cut back on our salt intake
*** I opted for a pinot noir, but any red wine would work

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Directions:

Season both sides of chick with salt and pepper.

Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add bacon and cook until just crisp.  Place bacon aside and remove drippings from skillet. Melt butter in same skillet over medium high heat.  Add chicken and cook until lightly browned (approximately 3 minutes each side).  Set chicken aside.
Add vegetables (garlic, carrots, onions, and mushrooms) and cook until barely soft.  

Add vegetables with chicken broth into crock pot.  Place chicken on top.  Add wine then season with thyme and rosemary, and add bacon on top. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours.