Recipes
Game Day Brisket Sliders
Nothing welcomes fall quite like a slow cooked brisket, and nothing says game-day quite like sliders! Brisket sliders combine the two and dish up an eye-catching platter of food that's sure to please the crowd. It's quick to make and simple to serve, too, so you can spend your time cheering on the team. For this round, we teamed up our Tarheel BBQ Rub with grilled onions, mustard and a pickle, the ideal trifecta of condiments for anything on a mini-bun. But this recipe was so fun to make, we are already planning out the season with more flavors like Harissa, Sassy Steak Spice and Kofte Spice. The genius of this recipe is how easy it is to make a whole mess of sliders. Simply cook the brisket a day ahead. Once you get it into the slow-cooker it is very hands off. Then, when you are ready for kick-off, just slice open a package of rolls and assemble the sliders as one big unit. You can even serve them pull-apart style, right from the pan.
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Chicken Fried Chicken
I'll to drive over an hour for chicken fried steak - it's a weakness - and this chicken fried chicken would be equally worth the trip. Fortunately, it's an easy home-made comfort food meal so you don't have to get in the car. The chicken breasts, pounded flat into even-cooking cutlets, are delicious and the gravy... OH, the gravy is sensationally seasoned with our Cascade Mushroom Mix and Voodoo. Serve it up with garlic mashed potatoes and a green vegetable for the perfect plate.
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Black Cardamom Pastries
Eastern European cuisine doesn't get nearly as much attention as it should Enter Mamushka: Recipes from Ukraine and Eastern Europe, by Olia Hercules! We always love to see an under-appreciated or rarely used spice get some time in the spotlight, as is the case in this recipe for Ukranian Verhuny fried pastries with Black Cardamom. This unique spice has the sharp camphor of green cardamom along side a musty, earthy flavor that complements these pastries exquisitely. A fantastic recipe! From the Author: "These are Ukrainian “angel wing” pastry crisps. Originally, they used to be fried in lard (think of Portuguese pastel de nata lard pastry). I add some ground black cardamom seeds to the sugar, but feel free to use vanilla sugar instead. "
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Baked Quince
We do love some good quince. It's an underused fruit, and the firm flesh lends itself quite well to baking or poaching. In Olia Hercules' Ukranian cookbook, Mamushka: Recipes from Ukraine and Eastern Europe, this recipe piqued our interest. You don't often see juniper used in desserts, and this was absolutely delicious!From the Author: "My uncle had a quince tree in his garden and I have always had an overwhelming love for this fruit. We even used to eat it raw (yes, crazy, I know!) or chop it and turn it into jam. I do love it roasted or poached whole, though. Add some sea salt flakes and black pepper, remove the vanilla, and halve the quantity of sugar to make a delicious addition to roast duck."
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Pickle Jar
It's easy to fall in love with a delicious recipe, and doubly so when that recipe is versatile and easy to make. Such is the case with this recipe Rose Water & Orange Blossoms, by Maureen Abood. This versatile mixed pickle jar, can easily accommodate whatever vegetables you happen to have on hand. From the Author: "Mixing vegetables in one jar is a great way to make use of a variety of vegetables you may have on hand, and they look just great in the jar. The tops of the peppers sliced off and placed strategically to face out from the jar look like little flowers—so pretty that you hardly want to disrupt the jar to pull out the pickles to eat!"
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Fresh Herb Falafel
Truly well executed falafel is a revelation to the palate, and this recipe from Rose Water & Orange Blossoms by Maureen Abood provides exactly that. You can also make the falafel mix a day ahead, as well. For more delicious Lebanese recipes, be sure to check out this cookbook - you will want to make every recipe! From the Author: "What a fantastic discovery homemade falafel is! Completely fresh and such a difference from falafel in restaurants, because of the copious fresh herbs and balance of spices. We’ve never cooked with cumin in my extended Lebanese family, but here you can add a pinch if you like."
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Vegetable Pasta Bake
For summer gatherings, this healthy pasta bake offers an easy way to keep a large group fed and get in some vegetables along with the burgers and brats. Using a medley of fresh summer vegetables, this dinner option is hearty, but still light. The version below is Greek inspired with our El Greco herbal blend and feta cheese but you can mix is up and use Fine Herbes or Provencal Seasoned Salt and goat cheese if you're feeling joie de vivre!
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Bacon-Wrapped Ranch Poppers
Warm up the grill for your next BBQ with these flavorful poppers! The jalapeños are filled with cream cheese spiked with our Ranch Seasoning and then wrapped in bacon for the perfect bite. They disappear quickly, so plan on cooking up several rounds.
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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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