Chocolate Chili Chess Pie with Liquored Pie Dough

When Heather Earnhardt opened her cafe, The Wandering Goose, in Seattle, she added a little bit of Southern charm and comfort to the city. From her childhood in the South with her close-knit family comes this collection of traditional Southern favorites that makes use of all of the delicious food ingredients available here in the Pacific Northwest. Her specialty is her biscuits - both sweet and savory - as well as traditional Southern fare such as pickles, fried chicken, grits, cakes and this luscious Chocolate Chili Chess Pie with Liquored Pie Dough. This delicious recipe comes from Heather L. Earnhardt's Big Food Big Love: Down Home Southern Cooking Full of Heart of Seattle's Wandering Goose. From the Author: "Chocolate Pecan Pie is one of my favorites, but I wanted a spicy version without nuts. I love the balance of sweet and spicy heat. After your first bite, the chili spice lingers a few moments but is not too overpowering, and the hint of cinnamon adds a nice warmth. Serve this with a big dollop of Whipped Cream. This pie dough will most likely make more than you need, but keep it in the freezer so you can pop it out to defrost and within a few minutes have a homemade crust ready for a sweet or savory pie. You can use a food processor or a stand mixer. If using a stand mixer, just be sure not to over-mix the dough once you add the water or vodka. Use ice water if you don't have vodka, or half vodka and half water if you don't have a lot of vodka."

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Bread & Butter Pickles

Growing up in the South, Heather Earnhardt used to help her Granny in the kitchen whenever she would can, pickle or preserve fruit and vegetables in the summer. Big Food Big Love: Down Home Southern Cooking Full of Heart of Seattle's Wandering Goose has a whole chapter called "All About the Pickles: Jar it Up". One of her most popular is this quick-pickle version of Bread & Butter Pickles. This recipe that you'll want to make over and over again comes from Heather L. Earnhardt's Big Food Big Love: Down Home Southern Cooking Full of Heart of Seattle's Wandering Goose.From the Author: "Our front-of-house staff asks the kitchen for sides of these pickles with their meal. They're great for gifting to friends and family. You can find a crinkle cutter at kitchen supply stores or online; if you don't have one, regular slices are just fine."

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Buddha Bowl

This Buddha Bowl from "a modern way to cook" by Anna Jones is chock full of good-for-you things and a rich curry, fragrant with a homemade curry paste and peanuts, all served over over brown basmati rice, then topped with freshly pickled carrots, crispy kale, and toasted seeds. From the Author: “This all comes together in 45 minutes, but you do need to stay on top of a few things at once. The list of ingredients may look long, but I promise this is simple to make. You can also make a double batch of the paste and freeze some.”

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Harissa Spiced Fig, Merguez, and Almond Salad

We love a good salad, and are always looking for a good salad cookbook to give us inspiration. Salmagundi: A Celebration of Salads from around the World by Sally Butchec has wonderful salad recipes from a variety of cuisines! This recipe for a spiced fig salad, which comes from the book, artfully combining sweet and spicy flavors in a spice-infused honey for predictably delicious results.From the Author: "This is a rather special salad. Actually, figs have the capacity to render pretty much anything special: their appearance is lush for starters - they have but to lie down on a plate or pose in a fruit bowl and they steal the show. They are also feted for their aphrodisiac properties: yup - they are the all-around floozy of the fruit world."

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Corned Beef and Caraway Cabbage

Spring is in the air! This is my favorite time of year: Spring training baseball is on the radio, Mother Nature is providing us with some gorgeous sunny days between all the rain, and one of the most fun celebrations on the calendar is right around the corner.That's right, St. Patrick's Day is almost here, and whether your entire family is from the Emerald Isle or you're just Irish at heart, St. Patrick's Day is a great excuse to have some friends over to enjoy a pint or two of Irish stout and some corned beef and cabbage. For our recipe, be sure to brine it for as long as recommended. The salt in the brine carries the flavor of our pickling spices used through the whole piece of meat, and the extra spices reserved for the cooking liquid lend it a great burst of flavor on the surface. This St. Patrick's Day be safe, enjoy some delicious corned beef and remember: "May the lilt of Irish laughter lighten every load. May the mist of Irish magic shorten every road... And may all your friends remember all the favors you are owed!"

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Creole-Spiced Coleslaw

I'll admit it... I was a little skeptical about developing a spiced coleslaw. Coleslaw is one of those things I've long appreciated for its' simplicity, but boy, have I been missing out! The depth of flavor added from the Creole Spice and the bold, assertive heat of the chile flakes and Piri Piri makes the cooling quality of the mayonnaise and crisp cabbage in this slaw even more pronounced and refreshing. The classic juxtaposition of creamy, tangy, and crunchy that we love in coleslaw still sings here, but is undeniably enhanced by the savory blend of bell pepper, celery, and onion in the Cajun 'trinity' tradition.This slaw is interesting and delicious enough to be served as a side dish alongside any grilled entree, or top off a juicy pulled pork or fried fish sandwich with a generous scoop. Be warned- you may never be satisfied by the original version again!

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