Category: Featured Recipe

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, cook 1 minute longer.
• Increase heat to medium-high and add the ground meat or chopped mushrooms. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes, breaking apart the meat as it cooks. Add the soy sauce, fish sauce (or umami paste), brown sugar, lime zest, lime juice, and red pepper flakes. Continue cooking until meat is cooked through, or an additional 4 minutes if using mushrooms.
• Off the heat, stir in the scallion, cilantro, mint, and nuts. Spoon into lettuce cups and serve with garnishes and dumplings for an easy weeknight, or any night dinner or lunch.

• Line an 8″x8″ pan with parchment paper. Make sure the paper sticks out all around the edges. (This will help you lift the caramels out later.)
• In a 5-quart heavy bottomed pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat.
• Add the brown sugar, sorghum, and cream and stir together.
• Bring this mixture to a boil cooking over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.
• Continue stirring scraping the sides with a silicone spatula to prevent crystals forming on the sides of the pot. Do not rush.
• Cook until the mixture reaches 248 degrees (hard ball stage). Cooking further could make the candy too hard.
• Pour the caramel into the prepared pan, and allow to cool in an undisturbed area for about 3 hours.
• Once set and cooled to room temperature, lift the caramels out of the pan by lifting up the parchment paper edges.
• Flip the caramels over on to a clean cutting surface & peel off the parchment paper.
• Use a buttered knife to cut into bite size pieces & either wrap in parchment paper or dip in melted chocolate then place in mini cupcake liners for packaging.

For the beef stir-fry:

• In a medium bowl, mix together soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, cornstarch, and ginger. Set aside half of the liquid, add the sliced beef to the bowl and toss to coat well.
• Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables in batches – heavier, courser vegetables such as carrots, peppers, and celery should be added first, followed by mushrooms – broccoli and snow peas should be added last to prevent overcooking. Stir the vegetables frequently and cook until tender-crisp. Remove to a clean plate or bowl.
• Allow the pan to get hot again, then add the beef in small batches, being careful to leave most of the marinade in the bowl. Allow the meat to cook for a minute or two before stirring. Turn or stir, to cook both sides – about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes total time. Remove to a separate bowl and repeat with remaing beef.
• When the last batch of beef has been added to the skillet, return the cooked beef to the pan, followed by the vegetables. Pour the reserved marinade over everything and allow to cook, stirring constantly for about 30 seconds.
• Serve immediately with fried rice and dumplings for a complete Asian-style dinner.

For the chicken fried rice:

• In a large skillet sprayed with cooking spray or misted with oil, scramble the egg over medium-low heat & then remove to small dish to be used later.
• To the same skillet, add the precooked fried rice, chicken, and 2 TB soy sauce. Gently warm the rice, stirring frequently and adding additional soy sauce if needed. Once the rice and chicken are completely warmed, about 10 minutes, gently stir in the scrambled egg.
• Serve with dumplings for a complete Chinese take-out style dinner.

For the chicken quesadillas:

• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until soft – about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the chipotles, adobo, and tomatoes. Cook until the liquid from the tomatoes has evaporated and the mixture has thickened – about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the honey, chicken, scallions (if using), salt, and cilantro. Keep warm while you prep to tortillas.
• Heat a second skillet or griddle over medium heat, spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Lay a tortilla in the pan, and heat until hot to the touch, but not crisp. Flip the tortilla over, then sprinkle with shredded cheese. Once the cheese is mostly melted, spoon the chicken mixture on half of the tortilla and fold over. Continue cooking until the tortilla is crisp, and then flip over to crisp the other side. Remove from the heat and allow to rest for 2 or 3 minutes before cutting into wedges.

• To cure the beef: Trim all but 1/8″ of fat from the outside of the brisket. Add 4 quarts of water to a large container (should be large enough to completely immerse the brisket). Add the curing salt, salt, and brown sugar – stir until everything is dissolved. Add 3 garlic cloves, 4 bay leaves, allspice berries, 1 TB of peppercorns, and coriander seeds to brine. Add the brisket and weigh it down with a heavy plate. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 6 days. The meat will turn gray on the outside, but will change to pink when it’s cooked.
• Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Remove beef from the brine and rinse. Make a spice bundle by stacking 3 8″ squares of cheesecloth and placing 3 garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves, and 1 TB of peppercorns in the center. Tie the bundle securely with kitchen twine. Place the brisket, spice bundle, beer, and 1 1/2 cups of water in a heavy dutch oven. Over high heat, bring everything to a simmer; cover and transfer to the oven. Bake until a fork easily slides into the meat – about 2 1/2 hours to 3 hours.
• Remove the brisket to heat safe, covered, baking dish, and add 1 cup of cooking liquid. Transfer to the oven to keep warm.
• Add a steamer basket to the Dutch oven and place over high heat. Once the liquid is boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and add potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, covered. Add the carrots and cook, covered for another 5 minutes. Add the cabbage wedges and cook for another 10 – 15 minutes, or until the cabbage is cooked through.
• While the cabbage is cooking, slice the beef, across the grain in 1/4″ – 1/2″ pieces. Transfer to a serving platter and slightly moisten with cooking liquid. Transfer the cooked vegetables to the platter; season with salt and pepper to taste.

• In a small bowl, combine oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, garlic, olive oil, white wine vinegar, brown sugar, and onion. Mix well – if you’re using garlic cloves or a whole onion, puree everything in a blender. Pour mixture over meat, coating all sides.
• Either preheat oven to 300 degrees, place coated meat in a Dutch oven, and pour 2 cups of water into the pot. Cover and roast for 5 hours, or until meat is fork tender. Alternatively, place meat in a crock pot with 1/2 cup of water, and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. This can also be made in an Instant Pot, by using 1 cup of water and cooking on high pressure for 75 minutes, with a natural pressure release.
• Remove the meat, shred or cube, and then return to the liquid to prevent drying out.

• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, break apart the sausage and cook through. If using chicken sausage, add 1 TB of cooking oil.
• Sprinkle in the flour and stir to coat the sausage. If you’re using chicken sausage, and it’s too dry, add a bit more oil and stir until the flour is thoroughly coating the meat. Allow to cook for about a minute.
• Slowly stir in the milk, 1 cup at a time, stirring to combine after each addition. Stir in the seasoned salt and 1 1/2 tsp of black pepper.
• Reduce heat to a simmer and allow to cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it reaches desired consistency. Taste for seasoning and add more if needed. If the gravy gets too thick, and in a bit of milk and stir.