Featured post

The Best Chicken Soup

Leave a reply

This chicken soup that (I hope) you are about to make is the BEST. It is so flavorful and does the body and soul good. And by the time you read this, we’ll be feeling like winter again AND maybe it’ll be close to the weekend so it gives you time to buy all the ingredients because…well…there is something about a hot bowl of soup on Sunday. I actually used up a lot of ingredients hanging out in the fridge to make this baby. I don’t know about you, but I never really feel like cooking on Sunday, but I do it. This soup simmering on the stove for all of 45 minutes makes it okay. And full disclosure…this recipe is inspired from Ambitious Kitchen’s Best Chicken Soup You’ll Ever Eat. It actually pops up FIRST when you type in the words “best chicken soup.” Everything I’ve ever made by Monique has been delightful so TRUST. I made a couple of modifications to add a bright lemony flavor to it but the OG stands on its own just splendidly.

Here’s how you make it.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil. I actually next leveled and used duck fat (yum)
  • 4 cloves of garlic, grated
  • 1/2 sweet or yellow onion, diced finely
  • 1-2 celery stalks plus leaves, chopped (we chop very finely because my people don’t want to crunch it)
  • 2 carrots, sliced thinly
  • 1 TBS fresh grated ginger plus it’s juices
  • 1TBS fresh grated turmeric (you can use 1 teaspoon ground turmeric). You want the color!
  • Juice of one lemon plus its zest (zest it first)
  • 4-6 cups chicken broth or stock
  • 1 pound (or about 4) boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme, leaves only OR you can use a mix of dried herbs as I did here (1/2 tsp. of what you love, taste and adjust at the end)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup pearl or Israeli couscous, or tiny pasta like pastina
  • 2/3 cup frozen peas to be tossed in at the end
  • 1 parmesan rind (scrape the stamp off with a knife)

In a large pot, get the olive oil or fat shimmering. Add the onions and the celery and saute about 3 minutes until softened. Add carrots and garlic and continue to cook until the garlic is fragrant. Add the ginger and turmeric, lemon zest and lemon juice, parm rind, and bay leaf. Add the chicken thighs to bottom of the pan and pour the broth over it all. The thighs should be submerged. Add the herbs and salt and pepper and bring to a good simmer. Cook for about 20-25 minutes until the thighs are tender.

Remove the thighs from the broth and shred with two forks. Add the chicken back to the pot then add the couscous. Cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until the couscous or pasta is done. Add the frozen peas and cook until heated through. Taste for seasoning, Top with fresh herbs.
First person to find the parm rind can eat it. It’s delicious.

NOTE:
You may want to add more broth depending on how “soupy” you like your soup. If you don’t have fresh herbs, use dried (which I did a mixture of fresh and dried on this day). You could also add beans instead of couscous, lentils, gnocchi, or quinoa. This will affect your cooking time, however. As a matter of fact, you can see on my instagram reel and maybe can tell in the photos that I used a Harvest Grain blend that I love from Trader Joe’s since there’s pearl couscous in this blend. There’s also quinoa, lentils, orzo. You might call this soup day a fridge purge day (it was).

I hope you make this Chicken Soup. It really is for the soul and when you do, tag me or let me know and let Ambitious Kitchen know too…because she really gets the credit here.

Advertisement
Featured post

Triadfoodies Favorite Things & Holiday Gift Guide

Leave a reply

Happy Ho-Ho-Holidays, foodies. It’s our absolute favorite time of year and we are back once again to share with you so many of our favorite things and drop them all into our annual Holiday Gift Guide of Glorious Deliciousness. I forget how many years we’ve done this, but we are thrilled to be back with our favorites of 2022. We hope this guide inspires you to grab a an item or two for a loved one’s stocking or re-create this guide and be more popular than Santa himself. Everything you see here is available at local markets and of course, online. And we are happy to be giving away this basket to a lucky winner. Keep reading to find out how to win.

sippin SNAX

Our newest discovery! When it comes to noshing, a little snack mix can’t be beat. Have you ever sat at the bar, drink in hand and found yourself munching away at the salty bar snack? Melissa Wallace definitely had her eureka moment when she thought of sippin SNAX, a selection of crunchable goodies that specifically pair with wine, beer, and cocktails. With seasoned pretzels or peanuts for beer and red wine, the choices are quite fun. sippin SNAX, like all of our gift guide items, make great stocking stuffers, but they are the perfect housewarming gift. If you know a realtor, tell them about these treats for their client baskets, or you can be the star of the gift giving when you arrive with your bountiful selection. We highly encourage the sampler pack which can be delivered right to your door. We find ours at Deep Roots Market in Greensboro and sippinsnax.com

Whole Hive Honey

Your breakfast biscuit just leveled up…literally. From up here in the High Country, Whole Hive Honey has enjoyed several years of popularity and if you’re a visitor to the Boone area, you’ll see their honey on many shelves. The Hive recently released “Sweet Heat,” a hot honey that is incredible. Enjoy it on toast or biscuits, but I highly encourage you to add it to homemade dressings and sauces to add the slightest kick. Its side kicks are the maple flavored honey that is spectacular in its own right and great in a glaze for roasted chicken or your holiday ham or on a biscuit with a little sprinkling of salt, and the Better than Butter biscuit honey is a newbie as well. You’ll be reaching for these sweeties again and again. wholehivehoney.com 

Gorilla Grains

My love for the Gorilla runs long and strong. We are rarely without our favorite granola in our home. I’m pretty sure that a long, long time ago, Gorilla Grains was one of our first published “favorite things,” and so he makes his return for 2022. This year’s holiday spice tastes like a Moravian Sugar Spice cookie so we encourage you to seek that out online or in stores like Buie’s Market and the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market, Saxapahaw General Store, or buy online. I am telling you, this granola…it’s righteous…Its crispy, buttery goodness is unforgettable. There is absolutely no other granola like it. gorillagrains.com

Spicewalla Spice Blend Buxton Chicken Rub

If you’ve been to Asheville’s Buxton Hall, you know the flavors of smoking and grilling and Southern goodness abound. If you’ve been to Meherwan Irani’s Chai Pani then you know why it’s a James Beard Award winner. Irani’s spice company, Spicewalla, has created Buxton’s Chicken Rub and let me tell you, you will use it on all the things. Yes, chicken, but also roasted potatoes, veggies, pork chops, steak, next year’s turkey. It is wonderful. You can order Spicewalla online or you can find it in some local stores but do not deny yourself a trip to the spicewallabrand.com where the choices and flavors are seemingly endless. 

Fisher’s Christmas Whiskey

I feel like I’d be remiss if I didn’t add a spirit to our holiday gift guide. Fainting Goat Spirits Christmas whiskey can be a bit hard to find once it’s released. This infusion of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and orange peel is bottled in limited quantities at the distillery for a short time. And if by the time you read this, the ship has sailed, let not your heart be troubled. Look for it again next year. It’s best to get on their email list. The winner gets a bottle of this incredibly popular spirit. Check out FaintingGoatSpirits.com for more information or visit the distillery in downtown Greensboro.

Batistini Farms Vanishing Grape Balsamic

From dressings on salad (ahem, toss some pickles in it…ahem) to drizzles on risotto, this white grape balsamic from Clemmons’ Batistini Farms is liquid gold in my house. It is tangy and sweet and will forever have a place in our pantry and in our gift guide. Find it b-farms.com.  

Black Mountain Chocolate Fruit Cake

She’s the living Queen of our Favorite Things. Take her to a party and be the “popular one.” Pair it with some sipping SNAX for a salty sweet treat. Pick up more than one as she freezes great. Enjoy her all season long and find her at Black Mountain Chocolate in Winston-Salem. blackmountainchocolate.com

Now you have your list, no need to check twice. So go out and support local small businesses. We will be giving the entire contents of the holiday gift guide to a lucky winner. Follow YES! Weekly on Facebook leave a comment on the gift guide post about what you’re most excited to try. We will announce the winner on Friday, December 9, and the winner can collect their basket on or after December 14. 

Featured post

“Red Weapons” Pot Roast w/ BFR Meats

Leave a reply

Slow cook Sundays is our current collaboration for the month of February with our friends at BFR Meats. You can find BFR’s meats including steaks, ground beef, sausages, ribs. pork, jerky. Check them out online and on High Country Food Hub.

Here’s my spin on Mississippi Pot Roast, featuring one of my favorite ingredients, Red Weapons. It’s a fun twist on an already twisted viral recipe.

Unless you’ve been under a rock the last few years, Mississippi Pot Roast is an insanely popular recipe all over the interwebs, and pinterest is full of a host of different versions. It’s quite delicious, but often laden with dried dressing or seasoning blends and soup mixes, which means the recipe can reach stratospheric sodium levels. On this collaboration with BFR Meats, I wanted to try a different version of MI Pot Roast, using their boneless chuck roast but with an Eastern NC spin, mainly featuring famed Chef Vivian Howard’s “Red Weapons,” which I keep on hand in my fridge as an aptly named flavor hero.


We love to serve our pot roast with mashed potatoes or pureed cauliflower but I thought with the slight spiciness and acidity of Red Weapons, that making creamed corn and then pureeing to a rustic texture it would be delicious. I was right and it’s quite rich, so not an every day combo for us. It was pretty too and a nice departure from potatoes.


About Red Weapons: From Chef Howard’s book, This Will Make It Taste Good, it’s a pickled tomato and jalapeño mixture that is filled with aromatics like ginger, garlic and scallions, mustard seeds and spices. You allow the mixture to boil then you jar it for a few days and watch the science happen as the veggies and brine settle to the bottom and the flavorful “oil cap” rises to the top. After 3 days of “pickling”, it’s ready to be used for as long as you have it. There’s some suggestion that it’ll last up to 3 months in the fridge simply jarred if you don’t use the canning method, but I have not died and it’s been at least four months. Need to make more now. This is by far my favorite recipe in her cookbook and I encourage you to support authors and buy this book as I will not be placing the Red Weapons recipe here, however during the promotion of the book, the recipe was shared online so you can easily find it. But buy the book! Make RW then come back to this recipe in 3 days, mkay?

Red Weapons Pot Roast

Ingredients:
2-3 lb chuck roast
Ranch seasoning blend (I used a tsp each onion powder, garlic powder, dill weed, basil, thyme, parsley, salt). You can use a ranch packet if you prefer.)
Packet Au Jus Seasoning (optional) Note: I used BFR Meats au jus but you can use better than bouillon or anything that may further ratchet up the beefiness. Have fun with this part
1 1/2 cups Red Weapons Twin B (the veggies and brine)
3 TBS Red Weapons Twin A (the solidified oil)
1 cup (approx) beef broth or water if needed
Salt/Pepper

Directions:
Generously salt and pepper the chuck roast. Sear on both sides until browned. This step is optional but does add depth of flavor. It’s helpful if you can do this in your slow cooker providing it’s equipped but again, if you don’t want to mess up two pots, skip it.

Add the seasonings, Red Weapons veggies, brine and oil to the roast then add about 1/2 cup of broth, just enough to reach halfway up the roast. Keep the remaining if needed toward the end of cooking. Set the slow cooker for 8 hours on low. Give it a peek near the end and add a little broth if needed. See Pressure Cooker method below.

After the scheduled time, the meat should be very tender, juicy, and falling apart. She won’t be the cutest thing you’ve ever seen but she’s succulent and unbelievably good. Beefy, tangy, slightly spicy and soul warming. Serve the roast and its gravy on mashed potatoes, or if you’re feeling indulgent, pureed creamed corn. Make it keto or paleo by serving on pureed cauliflower.

We hope you give this recipe a try and if you do, please let me know. Be sure to check out BFR Meats on the website as well as High Country Food Hub.

Note:
This is the perfect recipe for the Instant Pot or pressure cooker as well. In fact, that’s usually the way I make this version of pot roast. Simply reduce the water or broth by half and cook on high pressure for 65 minutes, allowing for a natural pressure release. Shred the meat and serve as suggested above.

Featured post

Beef Short Rib Bo Ssam w/ BFR Meats

Leave a reply

Slow cook Sundays are our current collaboration for the month of February with our friends at BFR Meats. You can find BFR’s meats including steaks, ground beef, sausages, ribs. pork, jerky. Check them out online and on High Country Food Hub.

My family and I recently enjoyeda beef short rib version of Bo Ssam, traditionally a pulled pork dish served with all kinds of toppings and sides and has been made famous by Momofuko’s David Chang. Ssam, is Korean for “wrap” and butter or bib lettuce is used as a vessel to hold decadent and unctious pork shoulder that’s been cooked for hours and hours. It’s paired with kimchi, toppings and sauces. While we are no strangers in NC to a great fall off the bone pork butt, I wanted to try it with BFR Meats Beef Short Ribs and the result was fantastic. It still takes a few hours so, let’s put your slow cooker to use. Ssam is great fun with family and friends who can choose to wrap or make a plate or bowl. Try out all the flavor combos and just go to town. 

Ingredients
4lbs. beef short ribs
4 cups stock
1/3 cup soy sauce or tamari
1 tbs. turbinado or coconut palm sugar (white sugar will do)
5 tbs. brown sugar
1 tbs. salt

Ssam Accompaniments 
Bib lettuce
Kimchi
Ssam sauce (Momofuko inspired recipe below)
Ginger scallion sauce (Momofuko inspired recipe below)
Carrots, Scallions, Cilantro, Micro greens for toppings (optional)
Rice

Marinade
3 tbs. tamari
3 spring onions, sliced
1 tbs. rice wine vinegar
2 tbs. sesame oil 
4 tbs. Gochujang sauce or sambal oelek
1 inch knob fresh ginger, grated or sliced (you can use jarred)
3 cloves garlic smashed or minced
Salt/Pepper

Directions: 
Generously salt and pepper short ribs. In a bowl mix the marinade and pour over the ribs. Work it in well. Conversely, place ribs in a plastic bag and pour over, giving it a good massage. Let marinate overnight or at least 2 hours. 

When ready to cook, remove ribs and place in your slow cooker. Add the 1/2 cup soy sauce or tamari, 1 tbs. of turbinado or coconut sugar, and stock to just cover the ribs. Cook on low for 8 hours. Check after 6 hours to see if the ribs pull apart from the bones. Once the meat is cooked and very tender, remove from the liquid and then remove the meat from the bones, roughly shred, and place on a foil lined pan. ***Note***At this point, you may choose to remove some of the connective tissue from the meat, as it makes for a more enjoyable and visually appealing eating experience. It’s not entirely necessary but we do it.  It won’t take long if the meat is cooked until tender.  Save and strain the cooking liquid for later. 

Mix the brown sugar and the tbs. of salt in a small bowl. Spread the shredded meat on the pan and sprinkle with the brown sugar and salt mixture. If it looks a little dry, drizzle a bit of the cooking liquid onto the meat. Bake at 500 degrees for 10-15 minutes until the meat is caramelized with some crispy edges. 

Ginger Scallion Sauce inspired by Momofuko
Ingredients: 
1 bunch thinly spring onions, white and green part
splash soy sauce 
1/4 cup freshly minced ginger (I use jarred)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp sherry vinegar
salt to taste

While the meat cooks, mix together ingredients for Ginger Scallion Sauce, adjust seasonings to taste. 

Ssam Sauce inspired by Momofuko
Note: Here’s where I had to modify as I don’t have access to the suggested recipe’s ssamjang. 2 tbs. ssamjang or fermented bean &n chili paste. I used 2 tbs. gochujang (found with Asian sauces)
2 tbs. tbs. chili garlic paste or sambal oelek
1/2 cup sherry vinegar
1/2 cup neutral oil

Mix the sauces and vinegar and slowly add oil until desired consistency. Adjust for taste. 

Once the short rib meat is caramelized and the sauces are made, place on a platter and surround it with your ssam sauces and toppings. Serve with rice and have fun making the different combinations. 

This is the meat mixture with kimchi, all the sauces on rice

This is the meat mixture in the bib lettuce “ssam”

Oven method:
Follow the marinade recipe as instructed. Drizzle the bottom of a braiser or dutch oven with oil and place the ribs in a single layer as much as possible.  Add stock, soy/tamari, tbs. of sugar, pop the lid on and cook 300 degrees for 3 hours. Continue with the rest of the recipe above. 

Featured post

A Review of Winston-Salem’s Newest Chicken Sandwiches

Leave a reply

When last we visited the fair Camel City, we decided to check out two very different chicken sammies. One is huge and packs some heat and the other is also a good size, yet more traditional. Let’s take a stroll to 5th Street downtown…

Top: Timmy’s Hot Chicken’s The Tim Bottom: Skrimp Shack Chicken Samwich

Timmy’s Hot Chicken 237 W. Fifth Street

We flew in on Timmy’s Hot Chicken’s second day open. Not something I usually do, but it’s not Tim’s first rodeo. We ordered The Tim ($8) which is as “basic” as it gets: chicken, pickles and comeback sauce. Although I like spicy food, I ordered it medium because I was scared 🙂 …It’s GIANT with two good-sized perfectly crispy thighs that are super juicy on the inside, a light schmear of comeback sauce and a few pickles. Pic of size does not do it justice. I removed one of the thighs and still wasn’t able to finish the entire sandwich. The goal was to share it anyway, but my entire table wanted their own sandwich (only my husband could finish his). With medium. it still had a kick but wasn’t uncomfortable. I’d be willing to share the Hot with mr. foodie one day. You can get as many toppings as you want, all the way up to The Timothy ($10) which is basically loaded with slaw, bacon, cheese and sauce. Not into bread? You can also order chicken tenders, thighs or beyond chicken if you prefer a protein to go with a side.  A plethora of sides are available at Timmy’s and we especially enjoyed the mac & cheese. The slaw is a nice accompaniment to the rich chicken. We didn’t try the collard greens, but if you do, let us know what you think! All in all, the sandwich is a good value for the size. Sides are not included in the sandwich price.

I highly recommend the bread pudding as a dessert. It wasn’t full of layers like you are used to as it was really like pudding, but you could really taste the banana and it had a nice depth of flavor.

Oh and if you love a challenge and are so inclined, Timmy’s invites you to try the Hellfire wings and eat them in 10 minutes or less and you get your name on a plate! Note: Tim told me that hellfire is ridiculously spicy.

Across town at the Skrimp Shack (1103 Silas Creek Parkway)…we were invited to pop in and try their new Chicken Thigh Samwich which features their crispy signature breading, slaw, pickles and their own “sweet sauce” that was created just for the sandwich. The sauce will remind you of a comeback sauce or a bit like a white barbecue too, albeit less spicy than Timmy’s. 

Skrimp’s chicken samwich isn’t as huge as Timmy’s, which means you’ll likely be able to finish if you didn’t just eat half of The Tim, lol. This is the sandwich you’ll want when you want to eat local, fast, inexpensive and you want your chicken sandwich traditional. We don’t always need bells and whistles, y’all, right? The sandwich comes with slaw and feel free to get yours the way it comes, but I like to taste the main event in a sandwich so I ordered my slaw on the side. Skrimp Shack’s slaw is really good, I just ususally prefer slaw not on my sandwich. If you’re not in the mood for a sandwich or even chicken at Skrimp Shack, by all means order some freshly fried oysters, shrimp or fish as they never disappoint. They even have terrific fish tacos. Sides are too many to mention but we do love Skrimp Shack’s mac & cheese.

Chicken Thigh Samwich, slaw on the side and an order of mac & cheese

Fried Oysters…just a few to sample

Again, this is not a best or better review…simply a tell-all about chicken sandwiches, but if you love you some banana pudding, Skrimp Shack has it too and it’s a big one …big enough to share and it has the layers like you may know and love. It has more of a vanilla pudding base with bananas layered in. Super old school and yummy.

Oh and fun fact! If you can’t eat your whole sandwich and you happen to have an air fryer, these chicken thighs reheat incredibly well. I literally had 2 whole chicken thighs and 2 half sandwiches to eat when we got home and they made some delicious leftovers.

With that foodies, I send you out into the world to eat local and try some locally-owned chicken sandwiches. Where do you find your favorite non-chain chicken sandwiches? Let us know below or comment on our instagram post!

Featured post

A Look Back at Our Chef’s Table at Sixth and Vine with Chef Ebony Warfield

Leave a reply

A Chef’s Table is an experience. What started five years ago as a handful of people letting the chef surprise us has transcended into a gathering of friends that seem to extend beyond itself as we see new faces each month. When we sat together at 6th and Vine to get to know Chef Ebony Warfield, there was an unmistakable magic in the air and by the end of the evening, Chef Ebony felt the magic and the love.

Ebony Warfield is the new executive chef at 6th and Vine, a restaurant located on 6th Street that has become somewhat of a Winston-Salem icon. Ebony is the first Black Executive Chef in Winston-Salem. It’s even more special because the restaurant is also woman-owned as Kathleen Barnes has remained an integral part of WSNC food scene for a number of years. You can learn more about Ebony and Kathleen in my podcast on the Triad Podcast Network. With a military background and a number of years working locally in some of our top dining establishments, this wife and mother’s dedication to her profession is inspiring. I knew I NEEDED to feature Ebony at a Chef’s Table. She and Kathleen promptly said “yes,” and once we went live, the event sold out in just a few hours.

Ebony introduced the evening that was about to commence as “…dinner at your grandma’s house, if your grandma went to culinary school.” Soul-filling and nourishing dishes that inspired by her upbringing and training were nudged into creative iterations that dazzled our eyes and palates. The attention to flavor and detail was remarkable. At the end of the evening, Ebony received a well-deserved standing ovation, which led to her tears and our tears. She felt it! It was special. If you were there, thank you for being a part of it. Thank you for showing this talented chef all the admiration she’s due. If you missed it, fear not, foodie. She’s in the kitchen of 6th and Vine dazzling diners 5 days a week including Saturday/Sunday brunch.

Let’s take a look at our four course Chef’s Table with Chef Ebony Warfield.

Course 1: Southern Charcuterie with homemade cornbread, pimento cheese, pickled collards, homemade jam, homemade toasted & caramelized pecans

Course 2: Pureed White Bean Soup, Ham Cup, Parley Oil

Course 3: Roasted Chicken with Local Seasonal Vegetables

Course 4: Lemon Blueberry Upside Down Cake

We hope you get a chance to visit 6th & Vine and see what Ebony and her team are churning out. While the menu has stayed the same in many ways, because Ebony didn’t want to mess with what was working, her touches are evident and the specials always look amazing.

Tears of joy with a standing ovation

Chef Ebony Warfield, 6th & Vine owner Kathleen Barnes, Mary Haglund

Our next Chef’s Table is September 15 at Spring House Restaurant, Kitchen and Bar featuring Chef Tim Grandinetti. It’s SOLD OUT but stay tuned for more Chef’s Tables in the coming months.

Featured post

Triadfoodies Chef’s Table with Chefs Swing & Andrews at Young Cardinal Cafe & Co.

Leave a reply

Breakfast for dinner anyone? If that’s one of your favorite things, you would’ve loved our latest Chef’s Table at Young Cardinal Cafe & Co featuring Chefs David Swing and owner and chef Adam Andrews. You probably know Chef Adam as owner of Jeffrey Adams on 4th, The Trophy Room, Dogwood Hops & Crops and Twisted Pine Catering. Though no longer an owner, he helped Fourth Street Filling Station become what it is today. And as if he’s got any time on his hands, he also has a farm which supplies produce to his restaurants. David Swing was a featured chef back in October 2019 and we were excited to work with him again at his new digs in a completely new way.

Young Cardinal opened its doors at 424 4th Street, Winston-Salem, in February 2020 just before the Covid pandemic hit. No one could’ve seen what was coming as the dining public waited anxiously for downtown’s newest breakfast and lunch spot to open. YC barely skipped a beat once restrictions were handed down. They pivoted and offered a to-go menu and even had a little market set up for downtown residents to quickly grab a few grocery items. In fact, Young Cardinal was busy during those lockdown days and more and more people enjoyed the deliciousness and were happily sharing their experiences with their friends on social media.

At June’s Chef’s Table, I wasn’t quite sure if there would be a July event as staffing issues still were projected to be a factor and many restaurants are not back to either capacity or normal hours. But I reached out to Chef Swing and he and Adam Andrews gave me an enthusiastic thumbs up. Twenty-four hours after the tickets went live, we had a sold out event.

This spread was amazing. The Scotch eggs were so tasty.

Young Cardinal is all about breakfast and lunch items, but fun and creative additions to your typical breakfast fare, along with the soul-soothing favorites like eggs, bacon and waffles. Our Chef’s Table was no different. No only were we greeted at the bar with a huge board of delectable snacky and brunchy type items from scotch eggs (OMG sooooo good), pimento cheese, bacon to biscuits, ham and cinnamon rolls, we had four huge courses of breakfast with a twist.

Course 1: Avocado Toast with Tuna Poke

Course 2: “Huevos Rancheros with Pork Belly, Mole Sauce

Course 3: Nashville Hot Honey Chicken & Grits

Course 4: Ube Waffles w/ Duck & Pickled Blueberry Syrup, Matcha Whipped Cream

To say we were stuffed after basically four full brunch courses is an understatement. Good thing we all went home and hopefully to bed because the brunch nap was a felt need after this dinner. But it was delicious and we are so happy Adam opened his doors to us!

We were also so pleased to have Sixth and Vine’s Executive Chef, the stunning Ebony Warfield, with us. She’s featured next month at our next Chef’s Table, which sold out in just a few hours. We are super excited about that!

If you’d like to know more about Chef Swing and Chef Andrews and the Adams restaurant group and everything they’ve got going on (which is a lot), check out my podcast with them here. You can also find the Triad Podcast Network and “At the Table with Triadfoodies” wherever you listen to podcasts.

If you missed out on this Chef’s Table, the good news is Young Cardinal Cafe & Co is waiting for you right on 4th Street in downtown Winston-Salem. You can get your breakfast fix 6 days a week, Tuesday-Sunday 8am-3pm. Be sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram for specials and their schedule. Chef Swing did tell me they will be closed the week of July 24-30. Annnnnnd….drop me a note in the comment section. Where would you love to see a Chef’s Table in the Triad? Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point? Would love to hear from you.

Young Cardinal Cafe
424 4th Street, NW
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
youngcardinalws.com

Roasted Purple Tomatillo Salsa

Leave a reply

Yes! Purple tomatillos and they make the prettiest salsa. I was so excited last week to find purple tomatillos by Hedge Family Farm on the High Country Food Hub. To me, they are a little sweeter than their green cousins. Of course green tomatillos work for this recipe. All the ingredients (except lime) in this recipe were purchased from a local farm via the food hub. I just love having access to it here. Get this recipe in a bowl, whip up some margs or ranch water, head out to the deck and enjoy.

  • 3 pounds tomatillos (husks removed, rinsed)
  • ½ medium red onion (use white or even green for green tomatillos)
  • 1 jalapeno
  • 2-4 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
  • ½ cup cilantro
  • Juice of lime
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • Honey (only if it’s a bit tart)

Once the tomatillos are husked place them on a baking sheet and roast or broil for 10 minutes until they get a little charred and blister a bit. During that time, you can also roast the onion, jalapeno and garlic in a separate pan at the same time until charred or you can grill or sear in a skillet. You just want them to get a little color, yet stay fresh and crisp.

Once the tomatillos and veggies have that toasty look, drop them in your blender or food processor and pulse them until nearly your desired consistence. Add the cilanto and lime juice and give it another pulse or two. Less if you want it chunky, more if you like it less chunky. (Are we still saying chunky?). Add salt and pepper, hot sauce and more lime or cilantro if you need it. If you’re using green tomatillos and they’re tart, a drizzle of honey could balance it out. Serve with excellent chips.

If you make this recipe, let me know, give me a shout on social media. That’s where you’ll find me more often than on this keyboard. Enjoy!

Join Me for Dinner in the Gap!

Leave a reply

Foodies! I have exciting things happening up on the rock (you know, the mountains).

I’m so thrilled to be a part of the inaugural Dinner in the Gap, the farm-to-table gala of the year. My friends at BFR Meats will be hosting this incredible multi-course event at their farm on Hwy 421 in Deep Gap near the New River. It’s a NC food collaboration between local producers and two of the best chefs in the High Country, Kyle Martin of Cafe Violette in Blowing Rock, and Robert Strom of Beacon Butcher Bar in Boone. When I tell you these two chefs are truly emerging as the best in the area, if not the state, well you know I’m speaking truth. Kyle and Robert will be presenting a multi-course dinner prepared with local ingredients from North Carolina and it will all be hosted by me! Click here for tickets!

I have spent lots of time with Daniel and Alex and I’ve come to know them as friends and partners here in the local food scene. I truly appreciate their knowledge and care of their farm and their animals. They have a heart for the mission of getting to know your farmer and where your food comes from. They have a wealth of knowledge and their excitement is contagious.

Ann, Daniel and Alex Brown

Chef Kyle Martin, Cafe Violette
Chef Robert Strom, The Beacon Butcher Bar

We are thrilled as well to announce the NC SweetPotatoes Commission as a sponsor.

We have quite a few contributors to the evening as well and part of the fun will be a live auction with proceeds all going to F.A.R.M Cafe in Boone, working to “feed all regardless of means.”

Ticket Includes:

Welcome Bag

Free Range NC Charcuterie Table (First Course)

3 Drink tickets to Carolinas best Breweries, Wineries, & Distilleries

4 course Curated & Narrated Local NC Dinner

Bidder Card for the F.A.R.M Cafe Live Auction

Dancing the Night Away with one of the HIgh Country’s most engaging bands

Click here for tickets!

Everything Bagel Mac & Cheese

Leave a reply

For our final #sausagesunday collaboration with BFR Meats, it was implored upon my son to make his favorite mac & cheese of all time, Everything Bagel Mac & Cheese. This recipe is inspired by Lindsay of The Hunger Diaries, who came up with this “hack” for her YouTube Channel. There are several meatless Everything Bagel macs on the interwebs and her hack includes sausage to give it that “breakfasty” kick. I had to make a few changes since she uses feta but it’s a close tribute to her recipe and it’s so so good. And I’m absolutely shocked that my son loves this mac so much because he typically refuses to eat anything that’s everything. I mean, has he ever in his little life tried an everything bagel, everything pretzels, everything seasoning? That’s a hard no. Go figure.

BFR Meats has gotten into the pork business lately and I love their pork products, especially this breakfast sausage. It’s not too fatty and has great flavor.

So when the little man said it was the best mac & cheese he’s ever tasted and one of the top 5 meals of his life AND he asked for it for his birthday, well it went down in the history books (after I was wiped up from the floor). If you give this recipe a try be sure to tell me what you think and share it on the socials!

Ingredients: 

1 8oz block cream cheese at room temperature
1 lb pasta (short, spirally like cavatappi and be sure it can handle the stirring)
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar
1 cup shredded gruyere (you can also add or sub asiago)
½ cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese or parmegianno
6 cups whole milk 
1 turn (about 1/4 cup) heavy cream (optional)
6 cloves garlic, minced 
Salt/Pepper 
Drizzle of EVOO 
1 lb. breakfast sausage, crumbled and browned
2-3 tbs. everything but the bagel seasoning

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

Place cream cheese in the center of a large round casserole or a 13-inch baking dish. 

Spread the uncooked pasta and cheeses around the cream cheese, pour milk around the center, add garlic, and salt. Mix it in lightly around the exterior and try to cover the pasta as much as you can but leave the cream cheese in the middle. Add freshly cracked black pepper to the top and drizzle the cream cheese with some olive oil.

 Bake at 350 for 55 min. Give it a good mix about halfway through baking.

Meanwhile in a medium size skillet, crumble and brown up your sausage and set aside.

Once the mac & cheese is bubbly, remove from oven and stir in the sausage. It should be creamy and cheesy. If it’s not quite ready, gritty or needs more creaminess, add some milk and return to the oven for a few more minutes. You can even top with more cheese here if you wish and bake another 20 minutes. If you look closely, my cream cheese did not get entirely creamy but I was running out of time since we were headed to the movies ;).

Before the mix-ins

Top the finished mac with everything bagel chips, everything but the bagel seasoning, and chives or parley for some color (you’ll see I didn’t do that since a certain someone won’t eat it if I add something green). Enjoy!

This mac & cheese reheats well with a little bit of cream to loosen it up and fresh crushed bagel chips on top.