Dairy Freed

Peach and Blueberry Grits

You know that feeling you get when you're happily minding your own business and suddenly realize you are the sole focus of everyone in the room and not in a good way?  Imagine you're a shy 16-year-old 'Yankee' in the south for the very first time and sitting in a rural Arkansas diner at 6:00 AM.

Spotted Cow Beer Pancakes

Didn't you learn in college that you shouldn't let good beer go to waste? So this morning I turned a half-full bottle of Spotted Cow beer I hadn't finished last night into pancakes this morning.

Cornbread Pancakes

This is a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs pancake that's for sure. Cooked rice may seem like an odd ingredient but it's a trick I learned from my mother. I had no clue she did it because it would extend the batter and she could make more pancakes with the same amount of ingredients. I just really loved the flavor and texture. 

 

Santa Fe Green Chile and Ham Frittata

Frittatas are what I usually make when I have a bunch of leftovers. For example, today I was cleaning out the fridge found a half bag of hash brown potatoes, some leftover ham and a jar of fire-roasted salsa a friend brought over on Saturday.  I added a can of diced green chilies and used the salsa as a topping and had a great lunch.

You really don't even need a recipe. Just heat up about 3 cups of leftover meat and/or veggies, add 4 beaten eggs, a few spices and you're all set.

So, what kind of frittata can you make from your leftovers?

 

Balsamic Braised Chicken Breasts

Leaving the chicken on the bone adds a surprising amount of flavor to your sauce without adding any fat or calories.  If you prefer to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts reduce the cooking time to 10 to 15 minutes. 

 

"Smoked" Shrimp, Tomato and Avocado Omelet

Don't you love it when you find something so good you keep trying to find new ways to use it? Right now that is smoked olive oil from The Smoked Olive company. I'm not sure how they smoke it (I asked and they're not saying) but the flavor is incredible. Whatever you add to it tastes like it just came off a grill or smoker.

How to Cook the Perfect Chicken Breast

Oh, the poor little chicken breast. The horrors we inflect on them, all in an effort to make sure they're safe to eat. What often happens is you end up with something overcooked, dry and tasteless. Had enough?

It doesn't take much to fix many of these problems, in fact, I'm just going to focus on the 3 things most people get wrong. Then I'll show you how to make a great pan sauce to go on it.

How to Make Chicken Picatta

 

Looking to change things up a bit a dinner? This recipe is easy to adjust depending on your taste, or what happens to be on sale.  It works just well with turkey breast or pork tenderloin in place of the chicken.

Sweet Potato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

It's a given, potatoes will explode in a microwave if you don't poke them, right?  Have you ever tried it? 

A few years ago the US Potato Board came to the magazine I was working for and showed us new techniques for baking, mashing and roasting potatoes in the microwave.  I'll be honest, I was surprised the techniques worked as well as they did but the one that stood out for me was the mashed version.  They went against "common sense" and didn't poke holes in them before nuking them. 

Chianti Steak Salad

Chianti is the classic Italian table wine we associate with straw-covered bottles.  Although good chianti is rarely bottled this way anymore, Chianti remains one of the best drinking and cooking wines you will find. Needless to say, I recommend serving a nice Chianti with this salad.