Author: Suzanne Strength

You know all of the shows, "Best Of" magazine, newspaper and internet articles? I want to know if they are really worth the fuss. I'm trying to find out if I'd recommend them to MY friends and family. And as often as I can, I'll give you the source of who gave ME the original recommendation.
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Spicy Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Krapow Gai)

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Got a new favorite recipe that I’m excited to share! Pad Krapow Gai! Sounds exotic right? Well, it is, sort of. But exotic doesn’t mean difficult. This is going in my once a week dinner round-up. Comes together easily and is relatively healthy. And this is the first dish I’ve made in as long as I can remember that the entire house loved and there were NO leftovers. KEEPER ALERT!

Spicy Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Krapow Gai)

Original recipe found at All Recipes: Spicy Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Krapow Gai)

Spicy Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Krapow Gai)

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

  • ⅓ cup chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or as needed
  • 2 teaspoons fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, coarsely chopped
  • ¼ cup sliced shallots
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons minced Thai chilies, Serrano, or other hot pepper
  • 1 cup very thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
  • 2 cups hot cooked rice

Directions

Instructions Checklist

  • Step 1Whisk chicken broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, white sugar, and brown sugar together in a bowl until well blended.
  • Step 2Heat large skillet over high heat. Drizzle in oil. Add chicken and stir fry until it loses its raw color, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in shallots, garlic, and sliced chilies. Continue cooking on high heat until some of the juices start to caramelize in the bottom of the pan, about 2 or 3 more minutes. Add about a tablespoon of the sauce mixture to the skillet; cook and stir until sauce begins to caramelize, about 1 minute.
  • Step 3Pour in the rest of the sauce. Cook and stir until sauce has deglazed the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook until sauce glazes onto the meat, 1 or 2 more minutes. Remove from heat.
  • Step 4Stir in basil. Cook and stir until basil is wilted, about 20 seconds. Serve with rice.

Chef’s Note:

Makes 2 large or 4 small portions.

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The Charleston Academy of Domestic Pursuit’s Coconut Pie

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My sister gave me this book for Christmas and I am fascinated at the intricate education with descriptive prose provided within its cover. It is actually perfect for beginners and for seasoned cooks as well. I wish I lived closer to the Deans to take advantage of some in-person training.

My family has been in quarantine for about 2 weeks, so it has forced me to slow down. I haven’t been out to eat since New Year’s Day, which is some kind of record for me I’m sure. So, I’ve been experimenting in the kitchen and this one jumped out at me while I was reading one night. I hope you like it as much as we do!

Coconut Pie

  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2-3 tablespoons bourbon
  • one 9-inch pie shell, partially baked

Preheat oven to 325.

In a large bowl thoroughly whisk together all ingredients except the pie shell. Pour into the partially baked pie shell and bake 30 minutes. Let the pie cool at least 20 minutes before serving. Yummy warm or at room temp!

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Hot Chicken Salad

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I love a casserole. I love a CHICKEN casserole. It’s my favorite meal. I make one and keep it in the fridge and eat on it all week long. This one is creamy and delicious. Dice your veggies super small unless you like them crunchy (shudder).

  • 2 cups cooked chopped chicken
  • 1 cup crumbled cracker crumbs; save 1/4 cup for top
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 2 cans cream of chicken soup
  • 1 cup Mayonnaise
  • 3/4 cup onion; chopped fine
  • 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 6 Hard-boiled eggs; chopped
  • salt

Mix all. Put in buttered dish and sprinkle with reserved crumbs. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Hickory · Huntersville · Lincolnton

Best of Restaurants-Frozen Treats!

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Is there anything better than a cool treat on a hot day?  Only issue is you gotta eat it fast so you don’t wear it!  Here are a list of my favorite frozen goodies:

Half Watermelon Half Wedding Cake Snoball from Pelican’s Snoballs in Lincolnton

Cow Pie Sundae at Udderly Delicious in Hickory

Lemon Vanilla cookie sandwich with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream at Cookies with an Accent in Huntersville

 

Basil and Strawberry Sorbet from the McNinch House in Charlotte, NC

Charlotte

Cousin’s Maine Lobster

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Cousin’s Maine Lobster

Last night Cousins was at D9 brewing for their summer concert series, along with 4 other trucks.  We decided on them because Lobster.

We placed our order from the pretty extensive menu (considering it is a food truck) and paid.  Our order was ready super fast!  I got a combo with a  Maine Lobster Roll (with mayo), tater tots and a water.

The Lobster roll was served cold, which I was fully expecting.  It was refreshing on the hot night and was good.  Not great, but good.  The tater tots were delicious, hot and fresh.  The bottled water was warm, so that was disappointing.

Had my buddy not given me a taste of her Lobster quesadilla, I might have given this truck a 3.  The quesadilla was so good!  it was served with a fresh salsa and a chipotle ranch dressing squeezed over all.  It was rich, but really delicious.  I’d definitely get that on a return visit.

Give them a try if you love lobster!

Maine Lobster Roll

Lobster Quesadilla

Tots!

 

Asheville

Day Trip: Asheville

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Asheville is most definitely one of North Carolina’s jewels.  It’s a hip city with a vibrant downtown, plenty of breweries, tons of culture and shopping, diversity galore and a happening restaurant scene.  Seriously one of my favorite day trips.  Also, my bestie from college lives there so we always have a blast!

The Sights

So much to see and do here, and I didn’t have time in one day to do them all.  I’ll share other fun stuff I’ve done (just not on this particular trip)

Biltmore Estate

If you get a chance at Christmas, you have to go to the Biltmore for a look around.  Here’s the trick: make a reservation at one of the restaurants at night so you can go in a little early and check out all of the beautiful lights!  This was one of my favorite fun things we did!  There is one area, it looks like a patch of woods that has thousands of lights draped from the tree limbs.  There are adirondak chairs in there for relaxing and many people take picnics in (I’m told these lights stay up all year long).  It has to be seen, too cool to talk about.

Food

I thought because I visited on a Sunday I didn’t really need reservations.  I was wrong.  Every place on my wishlist was reserved up on Saturday when I went to plan this last minute jaunt.  So, don’t be me.  Plan your trip so you can get in to the restaurant you want!  But seriously, everywhere is good, so even if you mess up like me, you’ll eat well.

The French Broad Chocolate Lounge

No trip to Asheville is complete without coming to the French Broad Chocolate Lounge. It is iconic! We arrived 10 minutes before they opened and were the first in line!

We selected a few items to take home: Marshmallows, chocolate chip cookie and a sticker.

The rest we had at the table to sample and all were very special. We tried the liquid truffle, one in milk chocolate and the other in honey lavender. The word that leaps into my mind is indulgent. They came in espresso cups but even that was too much for one person. It was just so rich! You must at least try these once, though. My daughter liked the flavor of the lavender honey, but not the garnish that sort of ruined the smooth texture. It was pretty though.

The salted caramel cheesecake was amazing! Smooth and creamy with a brownie bottom atop a squiggle of that caramel. And the size really wasn’t overwhelming. Perfect!

We also sampled a pecan tart. The filling was so thick it was almost like treacle, but so good! The crunch from the pecan topping and the crust made this a welcome sweet sticky relief.

If you are in Asheville, make sure you stop by. They truly have something for everyone and you will feel so spoiled! Even if you aren’t hungry, they will pack it to go!

Sake Sushi in Black Mountain

Not reaaaallly in Asheville, but we hit this place on the way home from Asheville while we were doing a little antiquing in Black Mountain.  There’s a cool new community called Cheshire Village that it so cool you should just do a ride by to check it out.  While there, stop at Sake Sushi for some really great Asian food!

We had spicy crab rolls, bento boxes and garden salads with ginger dressing.  We loved the sushi so much!  Small rolls, and perfectly flavored.  The salad was refreshing with real ginger in the dressing.  The bento boxes came with a spring roll, 3 pieces of a California roll, steamed rice and your protein.  We tried Katsu chicken, Katsu fish and Shrimp Teriyaki.  We all agreed that the chicken was best.

Regeneration Station and Junk Recyclers

Do you like repurposed furniture and funky finds?  This place is for YOU!  Huge warehouse full of every kind of houseware, vintage and otherwise that you can think of.  Each booth is as different as can be so you’ll never get bored.  Plus: they let you bring dogs in, so I had just as much fun looking at pooches as I did the cool stuff.  Quirky and funky rules here!

Here’s a cool blurb from their website:

“Tyler Garrison, founder of Junk Recyclers, started a full-service junk removal company focused on salvaging unwanted items and diverting them from the waste stream. Not long after, The Regeneration Station was born as an additional way of minimizing the waste that goes to landfills and contributes to the community in a sustainable way.”

An amazing day trip with lots to see and do.  Visit soon!!

Recipe

Cheesy Ground Beef Empanadas

Suzanne Strength1 Comment
My brother-in-law is from Argentina and makes these fabulous empanadas for holidays when we are together.  His are from his mother’s recipe, passed down for generations and take hours to make.  Days!
These aren’t those.
These are actually pretty simple.  They use refrigerated pie crusts and the meat only simmers for 15 minutes.  Still doggone delicious!  I found this recipe at Great Grub Delicious Treats.

Cheesy Ground Beef Empanadas

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 tsp garlic salt
  • 1 tsp Slap Ya Mama® seasoning
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red peppers
  • 1/4 tsp chili powder
  • 8 oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 Tbsp diced jalapeños
  • 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated
  • 2 boxes Pillsbury™ Refrigerated Pie Crust
  • 1 egg

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°.

  2. In a cast iron pan or large frying pan, add ground beef, chopped onions, minced garlic and cook over medium heat until ground beef is no longer pink. Drain grease and return to pan.

  3. Sprinkle with seasonings, stir.

  4. Add tomato sauce and jalapeños, stir and let simmer for 15 minutes.

  5. Unroll pie crust on a lightly flour surface. Using a 4 inch bowl, turn bowl upside down and press down to cut dough. Should be able to get 4 pieces per pie crust.

  6. Add a little water to the edges of the dough before filling to help seal.

  7. Add a small amount of shredded cheese and about a 1/4 cup of meat mixture.

  8. Fold dough over and using a fork, close up the edges by pressing to seal and place on a baking sheet.

  9. In a small bowl, whisk egg and one tablespoon of water together. Using a basting brush, brush egg wash over the top of each empanada.

  10. Bake for 15 minutes or until empanada crust is golden brown.

  11. Carefully remove from oven and enjoy.

Recipe

Checkerboard Chess Pie

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More Quarantine Recipes!  This one I found in one of my old cookbooks: “Aunt Bee’s Delightful Desserts” which I probably got at a Cracker Barrel or similar.  Believe it or not, all of the Andy Griffith Show cookbooks are awesome and have great recipes that work and I love all of the trivia about the show that is included.  Give them a try if you ever see one!

Checkerboard Chess Pie

  • 1 stick butter or margarine
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1 tablespoon dark vinegar (I used balsamic)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 pie shell, unbaked

Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs, vinegar, and vanilla.  Mix and pour into an unbaked pie shell and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  Serves 6-8