Name: Honey-Sesame Broccoli Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Yield: 6-8 servings
Ingredients: 1 pound broccoli - washed; 1/4 cup dried cranberries; 1/4 cup roasted, salted cashews - coarsely chopped; 2 tablespoons sesame seeds; 2 tablespoons honey; 2 tablespoons sesame oil; 2 tablespoons rice vinegar; 1/2 teaspoon salt

Honey-Sesame Broccoli Salad

July 3, 2015

Honey-sesame broccoli salad is a break from traditional mayonnaise-based broccoli salad. It’s light and just a little sweet, and it’s perfect for a summer meal!

I love broccoli salad. It’s a food I didn’t grow up with…I discovered it, randomly, in a gardening book that we bought several years back. Over the years, I’ve tweaked it several times until I arrived at my perfect broccoli salad recipe, but one thing is for sure…we make broccoli salad several times every summer. No cooking (unless bacon is involved), just some chopping and stirring. It doesn’t heat up the house, which is a plus in these crazy hot days we’ve been having this summer (still not complaining, though I would be complaining if my power bill went up!).

There’s one problem with my usual broccoli salad, though…there’s an awful lot of mayo and bacon in it. And gah, I love mayo and bacon, but since just about all of my meals involve something that I’m making for the blog (since we love leftovers), I’ve realized lately that my style of eating was a little off balance. How did I know? Because my.pants.don’t.fit. This is a problem. So, I’ve been working on easing up on the mayonnaise, bacon, butter, and cheese. They’re still here…that will never change. But maybe a little bit less of them? And less of the biscuits too, as much as that pains me. I believe in all foods in moderation…but I haven’t really been practicing moderation lately, and given my new, less active job, that hasn’t really stacked the odds in my favor, even with brutal HIIT workouts and lots of weight training.

It’s really okay, though, because if balance means getting to eat delicious foods like this honey-sesame broccoli salad I’m not going to cry. It’s still got sweet, from the honey and the cranberries, and it’s still got fat, from the sesame oil, cashews, and sesame seeds. But this broccoli salad is a lot less heavy than the “usual suspect” and, yes, it does have a decent amount less fat and fewer calories (by the way, I am not a low-fat fan, but I do think that you should balance the amount of carbs, protein, and fats that you eat, and my traditional broccoli salad definitely tips the scale in the fat direction…as Cookie Monster would say, it’s a “sometimes food“). No one will feel deprived eating this honey-sesame broccoli salad, and it’s perfect for a picnic, cookout, or just a Tuesday…and it’s perfect for packing in lunch boxes too!

Honey-sesame broccoli salad is a great summertime side!

Yield: 6-8 servings

Honey-Sesame Broccoli Salad

15 minPrep Time:

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Ingredients

1 pound broccoli - washed
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup roasted, salted cashews - coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Thinly slice the broccoli (stalks and florets) then stack and cut into matchsticks. Place in a large bowl. Add cranberries, cashews, and sesame seeds.
In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and salt until honey and salt dissolve. Taste the dressing and add more salt if needed.
Pour the dressing over the broccoli mixture. Toss to combine thoroughly. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

https://chattavore.com/honey-sesame-broccoli-salad/

Click here to print the recipe for honey-sesame broccoli salad!

Backyard Barbecue Closed

June 29, 2015

Backyard Barbecue was a BBQ restaurant in Soddy-Daisy near the lake. We enjoyed our meal there. Unfortunately, it closed just a couple of months after this review.

There’s a little spot near Soddy Lake that’s been a produce stand for as long as I can remember. I recall going there often as a little girl with my mom as she would buy tomatoes, squash, okra…of course, she knew the owners and they knew us. Small town connections. Anyway, a few years back half of that building was occupied by a restaurant. It’s been a couple of different places, but not all that long ago a BBQ joint, Backyard Barbecue, that had been in Daisy near Wal-Mart (in the old Delia’s location) moved in.

The owner of Backyard Barbecue contacted me a while back via the blog and invited me in. I had every intention of getting there before now, but I’ll be honest…I forget about it when I’m trying to think of somewhere to go. A friend texted me a few weeks ago to tell me that she had enjoyed her meal there, and my sister texted me the same thing this past week. I didn’t have anywhere else in mind for this weekend, so Philip and I decided to head over and get some barbecue.

There were no other patrons in Backyard Barbecue when we arrived around 12:30 or 1:00 on Saturday. The owners’ daughter took our order and promised us that we wouldn’t be disappointed with our meal. The joint is owned by a husband/wife pair; the man wasn’t there when we arrived but came in while we were eating. The lady heard us tell their daughter that we hadn’t been in before and brought us samples of the baked beans and potato salad, which she said were both recipes her husband had developed, to taste.

I didn’t take pictures of the potato salad or the beans; I guess I should have. In the spirit of full disclosure, I’ll tell you that I wasn’t too sure about the beans. They definitely don’t look like your run-of-the-mill baked beans…they are very dark in color, contain ground meat, and look more like chili than baked beans. I was a little suspicious but needn’t have been. They were delicious! They didn’t taste like run of the mill baked beans either, but I am not really a huge fan of baked beans so that was okay with me. They were sweet, tangy, and just a little bit spicy. The potato salad was actually very similar to the loaded baked potato salad I make (spoiler alert: I already have this recipe ready to post this Wednesday. Coincidence!) with red-skinned potatoes, bacon, and green onions. It was delicious as well. Neither of us ordered beans or potato salad to go with our meals, but we definitely will next time (and you should too!).

I considered getting a sandwich but decided instead to get a platter-meat, 2 sides, a roll, and sauce. I opted for brisket with fries and fried okra. They slice or shred the meat when it is ordered as opposed to having the meat already prepped ahead, allowing the meat to be served as fresh and moist as possible. The brisket was rubbed with a delicious, slightly spicy rub that I assume is made in-house and sliced thinly with the fat cap still intact. It was moist and delicious. Instead of drizzling the sauce on my meat, I decided to dip my meat into the sauce. The sauce was housemade…it was a thin sauce, not thick and tomatoey as you typically find around here. It was sweet and tangy and a little spicy, but not too much so. The fries were skin-on and appeared handcut; they were available seasoned or plain and I went for seasoned. The seasoning was a delicious rub. The fried okra was pretty standard for a barbecue joint-pretty sure it was frozen but it wasn’t bad. The roll was also pretty nondescript. I wish I had tried the honey cornbread that was listed as an available addition.

Philip decided to get the pork shoulder platter with slaw and fried okra. He was served a generous portion of pork shoulder that had been shredded. It had plenty of “bark” (the delicious dark bits from the outside of the smoked meat) mixed in and it was moist and flavorful. The slaw was a little sweeter than we would have liked. As I mentioned before, when we go back we will order potato salad and baked beans as our sides.

As I read reviews on Tomato (formerly known as Urbanspoon), as I typically do before visiting a restaurant, I noted that a few people said it was pricey. At $24 for two platters and two waters, it might be a little pricier than most barbecue joints in town but not too much so. Some also complained about the wait time. We didn’t have to wait long but there wasn’t anyone else in there while we were waiting. Since they prep everything as it is ordered, I could see how thing might be a little slower going on a busy night. If you are in a hurry, you might want to order ahead. The food was very tasty, though, and the people were very nice, so I’d encourage you to try Backyard Barbecue out for yourself!

Backyard Barbecue is located at 11210 Dayton Pike, Soddy-Daisy, TN, 37379. You can call them at (423) 457-9547. They are open from 11-8, Tuesday-Saturday. They do not have a website, but you can like Backyard Barbecue on Facebook.

Peach Pancake Muffins!

June 26, 2015

If you’ve ever lamented having to stand over a hot stove cooking pancakes, or thrown a food tantrum when you burn your pancakes (not that anyone I know has ever done that, ahem), pancake muffins are for you! These peach pancake muffins include perfect summer peaches for a breakfast or brunch dish you’re going to love!

I’ve mentioned here a time or thirty that I used to have a real problem with throwing food tantrums. In fact, cooking is the only activity that has ever evoked real rage within me. It’s been the cause of much embarrassment, I must admit. And nearly every incident I’ve ever had in my entire life has involved pancakes. Yes, pancakes.

There was a time when Philip and I were dating when I decided that I was going to make pancakes for dinner. We were at my parents’ house and I was probably making said pancakes with Aunt Jemima mix. I flipped the pancake and it either fell apart or it burned…I don’t recall exactly what, but what I do recall was getting really, really mad. And throwing the spatula. I remember my dad and Philip both staring at me like I’d lost my mind, which clearly I had. Philip married me anyway, for some reason. It was my first pancake-induced fit of rage, but it certainly wasn’t my last.

I’ve made a whole lot more pancakes over the years and I’ve learned to contain my tantrums. I’ve never gotten to the point, though, where pancakes don’t awaken a little bit of craziness in my brain. It seems like no matter which pan I use, which burner I set it on, or what temperature I turn it to, I always manage to either burn or undercook a few and they never look like Martha’s pancakes (or Cracker Barrel’s, for that matter).

This, my friends, is where pancake muffins come in. Imagine my delight when I saw a recipe for something called pancake squares. Pancake batter, poured in a cake pan and baked. Yesssssss. Problem is, this time of the year I do everything that I can to avoid turning on my oven. My 9×13 inch pan doesn’t quite fit in my toaster oven, but my muffin pan does. I slathered it up with butter and scooped in the the pancake batter, and guess what? I had just enough batter for 12 pancake muffins. I added some cinnamon and sliced some gorgeous ripe peaches that I bought and laid them on top for beautiful peach pancake muffins. Peach pancake muffins are perfection-no burning, no undercooking, and no craziness! Now that’s worth something!

Peach pancake muffins will change your life (or at least your breakfast)!

Yield: 12 muffins
Peach Pancake Muffins
15 minPrep Time:
25 minCook Time:

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Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour (I used half white whole wheat, half all-purpose)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and divided (3 tablespoons and 1 tablespoon)
2 ripe peaches
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Use the 1 tablespoon of melted butter to liberally brush the cups of a 12-cup muffin tin.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add the egg to the measuring cup with the buttermilk and whisk thoroughly.
Add the buttermilk to the bowl of dry ingredients then add the remaining three tablespoons of melted butter. Whisk just until combined-don't overmix. Divide the batter among the muffin cups.
Scrub the peaches under water to remove the fuzz. Half the peaches and remove the pits. Slice into 12 slices (you won't need add of it) and place one slice into each muffin cup.
Bake the muffins for 22-25 minutes. Remove from pan and serve immediately with maple syrup.
7.8.1.2
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https://chattavore.com/peach-pancake-muffins/

Click here to print the recipe for peach pancake muffins!

Skillet Cheese Soufflè with Swiss Chard & Artichokes

June 24, 2015

This skillet cheese soufflé is simplicity in a skillet. It’s a great way to use up whatever you have in the fridge, like the Swiss chard and artichokes I’ve used here, and it’s perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

I know that the words cheese soufflé evoke terror in the hearts of many. I get it, I really do. First of all, you have to have a special soufflé dish. Then, there’s the whipping of the egg whites and the making of the béchamel and the folding. Then, as if you weren’t already holding your breath out of pure fear, you have to worry that if you shut the oven door too hard or you accidentally stomp around, your soufflé will fall. Solution? Don’t make it.

Well, that’s not really a great solution, because soufflés are delicious and all that caution is maybe overdoing it a little. I’m not saying that you should go doing all the things I mentioned above to test the resolve of your soufflé, but it’s definitely not as scary as all that. But I’m not sure why I’m still talking about it, because this cheese soufflé is not that cheese soufflé.

A skillet cheese soufflé is much less terror-evoking. You don’t need a special dish, first off. Just a skillet. Second, there’s no béchamel. There is some whipping of egg whites but that’s really the hardest part of the whole thing. It’s not tall and fluffy like a standard baked-in-a-soufflé-dish cheese soufflé, but that’s okay. It’s still delicious.

I had some Swiss chard in my fridge that I needed to use up and thought that Swiss chard and artichokes sounded like a tasty combination. I used some smoked provolone chees that I had, which was definitely not a mistake. You should use whatever you have or whatever sounds good to you. I was going for a meatless affair but bacon, ham, or even shredded chicken would be perfect here. Have this skillet cheese soufflé for breakfast, lunch, or dinner-whenever you want it! Que sera sera indeed!

Try this skillet cheese soufflé for a delicious easy meal!

Yield: 2-4 servings

Skillet Cheese Soufflè with Swiss Chard & Artichokes (adapted from Cookwise by Shirley Corriher)

15 minPrep Time:

20 minCook Time:

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Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bunch of Swiss chard, stemmed, cut into thin ribbons, and washed
3 large eggs, separated, plus one large egg white
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup artichoke hearts (canned or frozen), well drained and coarsely chopped
2 ounces cheese of your choice, shredded (about 1/2 cup)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Preheat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat (I used my Lodge cast iron skillet) until shimmering. Add the Swiss chard and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted. Salt to taste and remove to a bowl. Set aside. Remove the skillet from the heat and wipe it clean.
Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl and whisk with the water and the 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Wash the whisk and, in a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form (if you don't feel like getting an arm workout, you can use an electric mixer!). Carefully fold a spoonful of the whites into the yolks then fold in the remaining whites.
Place the skillet over medium-high heat and add the butter. Tilt the pan to coat with melted butter. When the butter has melted completely, add the egg mixture and smooth with a spatula. Reduce the heat to medium and sprinkle the Swiss chard, the artichokes, and the cheese evenly over the top. Cook, shaking gently, until the edges have browned, about 2-3 minutes.
Place in the oven and bake for about five minutes, until the cheese has melted and the soufflé is lightly browned and puffy. Remove from oven, cut into wedges, and serve immediately.

https://chattavore.com/skillet-cheese-souffle-with-swiss-chard-artichokes/

Click here to print the recipe for skillet cheese soufflé with Swiss chard and artichokes!

Frosted Lemonade (Chick-Fil-A Copycat)

June 19, 2015

Frosted lemonade is my homemade, from scratch version of the confection by the same name that’s being served up at Chick-Fil-A restaurants this summer. A mixture of their lemonade and their Ice Dream soft serve, it’s pretty much summer perfection in a cup…and I think I’ve captured its essence perfectly!

Walking through the mall last month, I noticed a sign at Chick-Fil-A for something called frosted lemonade. Now, I might have mentioned a time or two that I have a major thing for lemonade, and Chick-Fil-A’s lemonade is no exception. When I was in high school I would drink that stuff until I got a stomachache…it’s pretty much the gold standard for lemonade in my opinion.

Anyway, I assumed that a frosted lemonade was basically the same as a frozen lemonade…just a lemonade slushie, more or less. I was wrong, friends. Very very wrong. While frozen lemonade still sounds delicious, it pales in comparison to what frosted lemonade turned out to be, which is a mixture of Chick-Fil-A’s lemonade and their Ice Dream, which is soft serve. Um, yes please. I knew I had to try it out. It took me weeks to get around to it, but eventually we plopped down $6 and some change for a couple of cups of it and discovered that yes, it was just as delicious as it sounded.

The problem was $6. I knew I had to remake it at home, so I considered how I could do so. I thought about just a vanilla ice cream and lemonade milkshake, but I never get the right texture when I make blender milkshakes. Besides…Chick-Fil-A frosted lemonade had a texture that was closer to homemade ice cream just out of the churn than a milkshake. I decided to take that route, mixing up a vanilla ice cream base but subbing in a whole lot of lemon juice (and a little bit of water) plus some lemon zest in place of a cup of whole milk or cream from the original recipe.

Turns out it was just right for making the frosted lemonade that I want. This copycat Chick-Fil-A frosted lemonade recipe is great straight out of the ice cream maker, but you can also freeze it-just be sure to take it out of the freezer about an hour before you want to serve, stirring frequently until it reaches the right consistency!

What are you waiting for – make this frosted lemonade ASAP!

Yield: 4-6 servings

Chick-Fil-A Frosted Lemonade Copycat

30 minPrep Time:

5 minCook Time:

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Ingredients

juice of 3 lemons plus enough water to make 1 cup
zest of 1 lemon
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Heat the lemon juice, water, sugar, and lemon zest in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Add the cream and stir to combine.
Strain the lemon cream mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or a bowl with a spout. Cover and refrigerate until completely chilled.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Serve immediately or freeze until ready to serve. If you freeze it, be sure to take it out of the freezer 45 minutes to an hour prior to serving, stirring frequently until the mixture reaches the texture you want.

https://chattavore.com/chick-fil-a-frosted-lemonade-copycat/

Click here to print the recipe for frosted lemonade!

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