Have you ever made nut butter at home? If not, what are you waiting for? It is so easy and much cheaper than buying at the store. I make homemade peanut butter and almond butter all of the time. I like to try new variations of my favorite nut butters, so when I saw Erin’s (Naturally Ella) recipe for Sea Salt and Honey Almond Butter I knew I was in for a special treat. I had everything in my pantry so I busted out my food processor and got started. 

To make it you will need: almonds, honey, and sea salt. Yes, there are only three ingredients involved in making this delicious almond butter. Big time bonus, huh? 

Place the almonds in the food processor. 

Turn on the food processor and let it work its magic. 

The almonds will go through different stages. Keep the food processor going until the almonds release their oils. 

The almonds will start to ball up right before it is ready. 

Then the almonds will turn into a smooth and creamy butter. When you get to this stage, you are good to go. 

Turn off the food processor and scrape the almond butter into a large jar. 

Sprinkle in sea salt. 

Add in the honey. Stir until combined. Taste the almond butter and adjust sweet/salty combination to your liking. 

Cover the jar with a lid and store in the refrigerator. 

Homemade nut butter in under ten minutes, with only three ingredients—you’ve got to get in on this! It’s so easy and so good! I am in love with the sweet and salty combo. I could eat it straight from the jar, but I try to control myself. I love to eat it on apple slices, toast, or crackers. It is great for breakfast or a healthy snack. 

Thanks Erin for sharing your Sea Salt and Honey Almond Butter recipe. My jar is already half empty and it’s only been a few days. I guess I will be whipping up another batch soon. For other delicious and healthy recipes, visit Erin’s beautiful blog, Naturally Ella. 

Printable Recipe

Sea Salt and Honey Almond Butter

by Erin on March 26, 2012 in Condiments March 26, 2012 Condiments

See post on Erin’s site!

5.00 Mitt(s) 2 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: -

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 12

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Homemade almond butter that beats out store bought any day!

Ingredients

• 2 cups Dry Roasted Almonds
• 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Honey

Preparation Instructions

Place almonds in a food processor and turn on. Almonds will go through different stages but you will want to let your food processor run until the oil has released and almond butter has smoothed out (it will ball up right before this happens). Turn off food processor and transfer to a mason jar.

Stir in salt and honey; taste. Adjust sweet/salty combination to your liking. Cover with an airtight lid and keep in the refrigerator.

 
 
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Maria and her husband Josh (who she affectionately refers to as her “dough boy”) blog at Two Peas and Their Pod. They’ve been featured on Saveur, Eatocracy, Gourmet Live, Glamour, and the Los Angeles Times, to name just a few. They’d also just recently added a little pea to their pod. We’re so glad to have them here!

 
Chilly evenings, to me, call for a big pot of Bolognese bubbling away on the stove.

As soon as the cold weather sets in, there isn’t anything I crave more than this Orecchiette Bolognese. Maybe it’s the different meats and spices, maybe it’s the wine, or all of the above? I’m not quite sure but I’m pretty certain I give a little sigh after each and every bite I take.

Fact: This is the fourth time I’ve made Nam’s recipe. Yes, fourth! Nam posted this recipe a while back and it has been in my recipe repertoire ever since. And after the third time of making this amazing sauce it dawned on me that maybe I should share it with all of you here on the Tasty Kitchen Blog because honestly, it’s way too good not to!

The base to any Bolognese is the mirepoix or the combination of celery, onions and carrots. And from thereon out you build and layer ingredients, simmer and layer some more to create the magnificent flavors of this Bolognese sauce. Then the sauce simmers until your nostrils can no longer stand the fabulous aroma and you simply need to have a big bowl of pasta ASAP.

So grab your celery, carrots, onion and garlic. Use a sharp knife to dice them pretty fine.

Add a little olive oil to a 4 to 5-quart Dutch oven and add the minced vegetables and garlic to the pot.

Sauté until the vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally. Measure and add in the red pepper flakes and continue to cook for an additional minute.

Now add in both the ground beef and veal and use a wooden spoon to break up the meat into small pieces.

Once the meat is fully cooked, add in the fresh thyme, bay leaf and tomato paste.

Stir to combine and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Now add in the heavy cream (or whole milk) and let it simmer until the cream has evaporated, about 10 minutes.

Once that is done, add in the wine. Just like the heavy cream, let it simmer until evaporated, about 10 more minutes.

Next add in the crushed tomatoes and their juices.

Stir and bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce to the lowest setting and simmer for 2-1/2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes or so. In the last half hour is when I like to bring a large pot of water to a boil, season with kosher salt and make the pasta as directed on the package. My rule of thumb: the sauce can always wait for the pasta and not the other way around. So I make sure the pasta sauce is pretty much done before starting on the orecchiette.

I quickly check the Bolognese sauce and season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.

Remove the bay leaves before combining the sauce with the cooked and drained orecchiette.

Simply serve with minced parsley and, in my case, lots of fresh grated Parmesan cheese!

I’m so excited to feature this recipe on the Tasty Kitchen Blog. It’s my go-to Bolognese because it’s so simple and straight-forward. Oh, and it’s pretty darn delicious, too! This also freezes beautifully so you can definitely make a double batch and freeze it for a quick and cozy dinner on a busy weeknight. The wine is subtle, but the sauce has so many flavors going on and will have you licking your bowl. Trust me on this.

Be sure you check out Nam’s blog The Culinary Chronicles and browse through her well-established TK recipe box. She’s has a plethora of delicious recipes to choose from!

Thank you Nam for this gem of a recipe. It definitely is a much-loved recipe in our home—and many others, I’m sure!

Printable Recipe

Orecchiette Bolognese

by Nam | The Culinary Chronicles on December 14, 2011 in Main Courses, Pasta December 14, 2011 Main CoursesPasta

See post on Nam | The Culinary Chronicles’s site!

5.00 Mitt(s) 6 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 3 hrs

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 6

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Orecchiette Bolognese, rich and meaty and deliciously tummy-warming.

Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 cup White Onion, Finely Minced
• 1 cup Carrots, Finely Minced
• 1 cup Celery, Finely Minced
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh Garlic, Finely Minced
• ½ teaspoons Dried Red Chili Flakes (or Less Depending On Your Heat Preference)
• 1 pound Ground Beef
• ½ pounds Ground Veal
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh Thyme Leaves
• 2 whole Bay Leaves
• 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
• 1 cup Milk Or Cream
• 1 cup Dry Red Wine
• 1 can (28 Oz. Size) Crushed Tomatoes
• Kosher Salt And Black Pepper To Taste
• 1 pound Orecchiette Pasta, Cooked Al Dente
• Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Fresh Italian Parsley, Chopped

Preparation Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot. Add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Saute until softened but not browned. Add chili flakes and sauté for an additional minute. Add beef, veal, and ½ teaspoon of kosher salt. Use a wooden spoon to crumble the meat and break into small pieces. Once the meat is no longer pink, add thyme and bay leaves. Add tomato paste and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.

Add the milk and bring to a simmer. Continue simmering until all the milk has evaporated and only clear juices remain, about 10 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a simmer. Continue simmering until all the wine has evaporated, about 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes with their juices and bring to a boil, then place the heat at the lowest setting. Continue on this very low simmer for 2 – 2 ½ hours, stirring every 20 minutes until you get a rich, thick meaty sauce. Check for seasonings and add kosher salt and pepper accordingly.

Toss the cooked orecchiette in the bolognese sauce and serve topped with parmesan cheese. Garnish with Italian parsley and enjoy!

 
 
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Laurie is the force behind Simply Scratch, a blog that documents her efforts to find and create recipes that are made simply from scratch. (We think it’s sweet that her mother-in-law helped her set up her blog and get started.) We love her recipes; they’re not just tried and true, but they look gorgeous as well. Check out her blog and you’ll become a fan too.

 
Tasty Kitchen member Jennifer is the mastermind behind the brilliant idea that is Chicken Alfredo Garlic Bread Pizza.

Did you hear that? Chicken Alfredo. Garlic Bread. Pizza. All rolled into one!

Those are three pretty fantastic reasons to make this recipe.

This is perfect as an appetizer, party finger food, or even a weeknight main dish along with a side salad. It literally has layer upon layer of flavor: buttery garlic bread spread, then chicken in a creamy Alfredo sauce, broccoli, and finally a layer of gooey cheese. It doesn’t get any more satisfying.

You know you want to make it!

The recipe starts off by shredding a couple different kinds of cheese. First, some Parmesan for making the Alfredo sauce …

And mozzarella for topping. Mmm, cheese.

The ingredient list is fairly short for something so delicious! You’ll need cooked, shredded chicken, steamed broccoli, butter, half and half, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley flakes, garlic powder, salt, pepper, a loaf of Italian bread, and a clove of garlic (which I think was hiding behind my bread in the photo above!).

Press or mince the garlic.

Melt the butter.

Add the garlic and cook for a minute.

Slowly stir in the half-and-half. I had a little bit of a half-and-half mishap while trying to simultaneously stir, slowly pour, and shoot a picture. I won’t get into it but suffice to say, you’ll have to use your imagination to visualize the adding of the half-and-half.

Add the Parmesan cheese.

Give it a stir, cooking a couple minutes until thickened.

Take the Alfredo sauce off the heat and add parsley flakes, salt, and pepper. Try not to eat it with a spoon.

For the garlic bread, blend together more butter, garlic powder, and more parsley flakes in a bowl.

In another bowl, stir together the chicken and Alfredo sauce.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line a large baking sheet with foil or a Silpat liner. (I was out of foil.)

Slice the loaf of bread in half lengthwise and place it on the prepared baking sheet.

Top with the butter spread.

Then the chicken-Alfredo mixture.

And the broccoli …

And then finally that beautiful mountain of mozzarella.

Bake until the cheese is melted, about 15 to 18 minutes. I wanted my pizza browned a bit in places, so I briefly ran it under the broiler after the cheese was melted (after about 15 minutes). Stay with it if you decide to broil though—it can go from perfect to burned in a matter of seconds!

Slice it up and serve.

Just try to resist a slice! Give it a try and I’m sure you’ll have found a new favorite way to enjoy garlic bread, chicken Alfredo, and pizza. Thank you to Jennifer for the delicious inspiration. Be sure to check out the great recipes on her lovely blog Mother Thyme!

Printable Recipe

Chicken Alfredo Garlic Bread Pizza

by Jennifer | Mother Thyme on September 30, 2013 in Main Courses, Pizza September 30, 2013 Main CoursesPizza

See post on Jennifer | Mother Thyme’s site!

5.00 Mitt(s) 1 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 18 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 8

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Crusty Italian bread smothered with garlic butter and topped with Alfredo sauce, chicken and cheese for one tasty pizza.

Ingredients

• FOR THE ALFREDO SAUCE:
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 clove Garlic, Minced
• ½ cups Half And Half, Regular Or Fat Free
• 1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 pinch Parsley Flakes
• 1 pinch Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
• Salt To Taste
• FOR THE PIZZA ASSEMBLY:
• 1 loaf Italian Bread
• ½ cups Butter, Room Temperature
• 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
• ½ teaspoons Parsley Flakes
• 1-½ cup Cooked Chicken Shredded
• 2 cups Cooked Broccoli Florets (a Steamable Bag Works Great)
• 3 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Preparation Instructions

For the Alfredo sauce:
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Then add garlic and cook for about one minute longer. Gradually stir in half-and-half followed by Parmesan cheese and continue stirring until blended and sauce thickens.

Reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally until heated through.
Remove from heat. Stir in parsley flakes, pepper and salt.

For the pizza:
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside. Slice Italian bread in half lengthwise. Put the bread halves onto the sheet, cut side up.

In a medium bowl mix butter, garlic powder and parsley flakes until blended. Generously spread over bread.

In a medium bowl toss chicken with prepared Alfredo sauce. Spread evenly over the Italian bread slices. Top with broccoli then sprinkle with cheese.

Bake for 15-18 minutes until cheese is melted. Cut into desired slices and serve.

Note: Leftover chicken, store bought rotisserie chicken works great for this recipe.

 
 
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Faith Gorsky is the writer, receipt developer, photographer, and food stylist behind the blog An Edible Mosaic, and the cookbook author of An Edible Mosaic: Middle Eastern Fare with Extraordinary Flair (Tuttle Publishing; November 2012). She was born, raised, and spent most of her life in Upstate New York, and she currently lives in Kuwait. When it comes to cooking, her favorite thing to do is go into the kitchen hungry, open the fridge, and start creating. She loves to travel, especially to places steeped in rich culture and history. She also enjoys reading (cookbooks mostly), vintage shopping (especially in old markets), watching movies (of all genres), and is enamored with ancient cultures (especially Rome and Egypt.

The only thing Texans love more than game day is an irresistible game day wing! This week, our love for all things tailgate inspired us to test out these Sticky Lime Chicken Wings provided by TK member Mike.

Here’s what you’ll need: 3 pounds chicken wings (3 pounds should be roughly 25 wings), washed and patted dry; fresh squeezed lime juice, whole limes for their zest, Frank’s Red Hot Original, maple syrup, melted butter, crushed garlic, cayenne pepper, olive oil, and Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

We decided to bake the wings rather than grill them since it is so cold out, so it required a slightly longer cooking time. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Season the meat generously with salt and pepper, and then bake the chicken for 40 minutes, or until browned nicely.

In the meantime, we started on the sauce by juicing enough lime juice to make 1/4 cup.

Fully zest limes over a small bowl.

Pour the lime juice into a large bowl.

Add the fresh lime zest …

Pour in the Frank’s Red Hot Original …

Add the maple syrup …

Melted butter …

The garlic that has been chopped …

And the cayenne pepper.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Right before the wings are done cooking, pour the sauce into a medium saucepan and heat thoroughly over medium low.

Transfer the cooked chicken to a large bowl and then pour the heated sauce over the wings.

Use a spatula to be sure to scrape all the “goody-bits” from the pan. Toss until the wings are well coated.

Plate the chicken wings with a generous amount of the sauce to accompany them.

In the end, you should have beautiful, colorful chunks of seasonings and flavorful garlic on top of golden-skinned wings. We went crazy for the perfectly harmonious balance of tang and a kick just hard enough to wake up your senses but still deliciously easy enough on the palette to share with all your tailgate peers! For other mouth-watering ideas and beautiful writing, visit Mike’s blog Verses from My Kitchen.

Printable Recipe

Sticky Lime Chicken Wings

by Mike (Verses from my Kitchen) on October 2, 2012 in Main Courses, Poultry October 2, 2012 Main CoursesPoultry

See post on Mike (Verses from my Kitchen)’s site!

4.00 Mitt(s) 1 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 2

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Sticky Lime Grilled Chicken Wings. Perfect for a group of friends.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds Chicken Wings, (3 Pounds Should Be Roughly 25 Wings), Washed And Patted Dry
• ¼ cups Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
• 2 whole Limes, Zested
• ⅔ cups Frank's Red Hot Original
• 3 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
• ¼ cups Butter, Melted
• 2 cloves Garlic, Skin Removed And Crushed
• 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 2 pinches Kosher Salt And Fresh Ground Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Oil For The Grill

Preparation Instructions

1. Heat the grill to medium high heat (400 F). Season the wings with a generous amount of coarse salt and black pepper. Rub the grill grates with oil so the wings do not stick. Add the wings to the grill and cover the grill. Flip every couple of minutes or so, until they’re slightly charred and crisp and cooked through, roughly 20 minutes. Keep an eye for flare-ups and burning, turning down the heat or moving the wings off the direct hot spot until the flares are under control.
2. Meanwhile, combine the lime juice, lime zest, hot sauce, maple syrup, butter, garlic and cayenne pepper in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Before the wings are done, transfer the sauce to a medium pan over medium low and heat the sauce.
3. Remove the wings from the grill and transfer to a large bowl. Pour the warmed sauce over top and stir to combine. Enjoy!!

 
 
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There’s so much to say about Georgia, we don’t know where to start. Leaving Wall Street for the French Culinary Institute, followed by a stint at the Gramercy Tavern and La Chassagnette in France, her passion for food and food traditions are evident and inspiring. Visit her site at Georgia Pellegrini, where you’ll find more recipes, photos, learn all about her wonderful books Girl Hunter and Food Heroes, and enjoy her latest adventures.

  This dairy-free Coconut Honey Rice Pudding from Fuji Mama rocked my world. It had the traditional creaminess of rice pudding but with the extra richness that only coconut milk can offer. My kitchen also smelled amazing for many hours, which was an added bonus.       To make it, you will need: soy […]

In a season filled with hearty stews, warm baked goods, and rich sauces, we found this Orzo with Kale and Roasted Tomatoes from TK member Lindsay to be refreshing and light while still being festive for the cold months. This recipe is quick with flavors that, although simple, will knock those winter socks off. And […]

I first discovered panko bread crumbs back in 1999. Please don’t ask me how I know that; I just do. I remember vividly reading a recipe that contained panko bread crumbs, and I remember vividly that I was nursing my second baby, and I remember vividly that I was hormonal and desperate, and the next […]