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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Big Love Buttermilk Fried Chicken

When Heather Earnhardt opened her tiny 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, pies, cakes, grits and this Big Love Buttermilk Fried Chicken. 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: "Fried chicken is an emblem of the South and loved the world over: there are as many styles and flavors as there are ways of eating it. Whether it's served hot over a buttermilk biscuit or eaten cold as a midnight snack standing in front of the refrigerator, fried chicken is good any time of the day or night. And it's good for you! If your oil is at the correct temperature, the chicken won't absorb any excess and will come out with a crackling skin and hot, juicy interior. My hope is that you fry enough of this chicken so that there are one or two pieces left for a midnight snack."

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Golden Milk

Golden Milk is a delightful warm, spiced beverage often sipped before bed for its healing properties. The key ingredients are milk and turmeric, and from there variations abound! Most begin with a non-dairy milk and a healthy dose of turmeric, along with other spices to round out the flavor. Our favorite begins with a base of DIY cashew/coconut milk for pure creamy goodness, and we've blended in the spices with the making of the milk so there's no straining later on. No muss, no fuss and maximum flavor!

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Chicken Drumsticks with Spices and Coconut Milk

This lovely recipe comes from Béatrice Peltre's My French Family Table. This recipe is one of the author's favorite chicken "go to recipes" for when she needs a dose of delicious comfort food.From the Author: "When I'm thinking about comfort food that involves chicken, I like to imagine the sauce that will come with it, something wonderful to flavor a bowl of steaming grains such as brown rice, millet, or quinoa on the side. The sauce in this chicken dish is packed with many of my favorite aromas, from an array of fresh-scented herbs and spices - what's not to love about saffron? - to the flavors of lime juice and coconut milk. I always hope there will be leftovers for the next day so I can have a quiet lunch at home when Lulu is at school and Philip is at the office."

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Mummy's Nutty Saffron Rice

If you're looking for a spectacular side dish, perfect for any dinner, look no further than this delicious Saffron Rice. It's easier to make than you might think...but you don't have to let anyone know that. We saw this dish in Summers Under The Tamarind Tree: Recipes and memories from Pakistan, and knew that we had to get permission from author Sumayya Usmani to share it with everyone.From the Author: " I was never fond of raisins and rice as a child, but as my taste buds matured, I realized that my mother's Persian-influenced recipe is a spectacular yet simple midweek rice dish, a good accompaniment...The saffron is infused in the water that cooks the rice, much like a pulao, and it gives the final dish a rather elegant biryani look."

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Tellicherry Buttermilk Biscuits

I drew inspiration for these Tellicherry buttermilk biscuits from, My Two Souths by Asha Gomez. This enchanting cookbook was a delightful collection of recipes blending culinary traditions from Southern India and the Southern United States. A match made in heaven! I couldn't wait to cook from it! Biscuits are one of my most loved foods from down-home cooking, and adding pepper shows how easy it is to make something simple even more sensational with just one spice. I barely adapted this recipe from the original. I used shortening instead of butter for sentimental reasons. My childhood mornings were often spent watching older generations crumble it into flour while I waited for that first hot biscuit out of the oven.

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Georgian Spiced Lamb Chops with Molasses Mustard Glaze

If you're tired of the same old meat & potatoes, then whip up this delightful dinner seasoned with spice blends from Georgia. We've grilled up some spiced lamb chops with Khmeli Suneli, an exotic blend of herbs and spices, and then finished them with a bold molasses-mustard glaze. Want more? We did! Add a side of mashed potatoes with Svaneti Salt. All these bold and distinctive flavors combine wonderfully, taking comfort food to a whole new level.

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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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Michael's Boeuf A La Bourguignonne

Turkey dominates the center of the Thanksgiving spread, but it doesn't have to be the only protein on the table. Boeuf a la Bourguignonne is a French peasant dish from Burgundy that uses beef simmered in wine to create a hearty and pleasing stew. A nice dish for a rainy winter day, this recipe is a favorite addition to Michael's Thanksgiving table.

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