Ham and Cheese Cups

prep: 20 minutes
bake: 20 minutes

you’ll need…
1 box refrigerated pie crust, softened according to package directions
1 cup chopped ham, cooked chopped bacon or sautéed vegetables
1 cup shredded cheese (whatever you have on hand!)
4 eggs
1¼ cups light cream or whipping cream
1 teaspoon seasoning salt (your favorite)

let’s get to it…
Place oven rack in center of oven. Heat oven to 425°F.
Lightly spray 12 muffin cups with nonstick spray. Unroll crusts from pouch; press down gently to smooth out seams and cracks.
Cut 6 rounds from each crust with a 4-inch round cutter (or a glass about that size). Place one round in each muffin cup; press gently so that edges cup the sides to the top. Evenly divide the chopped ham, cooked chopped bacon or sautéed vegetables between the 12 muffin cups. Evenly divide the cheese between the 12 muffin cups: set aside
Beat the eggs, light cream and seasoning salt in a bowl until well blended. Using a ladle or measuring cup, pour egg mixture evenly into each of 12 muffin cups.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until eggs are set in the middle and the edges are golden. Serve immediately.

Nashville Style Hot Chicken

prep: 3 hours

cook: about an hour

serves: 6

special equipment:
 A deep-fry thermometer

to dry brine the chicken you’ll need…

1 3–4 pound chicken, cut into 10 pieces, cut breasts cut in half, discard backbone and wing tips

3 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

for the dredge you’ll need…

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons salt

for the dip you’ll need…

2 large eggs

2 cups buttermilk

1 tablespoon hot sauce (vinegar based, like Tabasco)

for frying you’ll need…

Safflower Oil, Vegetable Oil, Peanut Oil or Lard (yep, I said the “L” word)

for the spicy sauce you’ll need…

1 cup hot frying oil

4 tablespoons cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon chili powder

let’s get to it…

Place the chicken in a large bowl and rub it with the salt and black pepper; cover and let it hang out in the refrigerator for 3 hours (or overnight if possible). Let the chicken stand at room temperature for about 45 minutes before cooking.

Set a wire rack inside a large rimmed baking sheet lined with paper towels.

Whisk the flour, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt together in a 9x13x2-inch baking dish (like a lasagna pan). Beat the eggs, buttermilk and hot sauce together in a medium bowl; set aside.

Heat the oil in a large (10-inch or 12-inch) skillet or other heavy straight-sided skillet (not nonstick!) to about ¾-inch deep. Prop the deep-fry thermometer in the oil so the bulb is submerged, but not touching the bottom of the pan. Heat over medium-high heat until thermometer registers 350°F.

Using 1 hand for dry ingredients and 1 hand for wet ingredients, dredge 1 piece of chicken in the flour mixture. Shake off the excess. Dip the chicken piece in the buttermilk mixture; shake off the excess. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture AGAIN and shake off the excess.

Place 4 to 5 pieces of chicken in the skillet, depending on how much room you have. Working in batches, fry the chicken, turning with tongs every 1–2 minutes. Adjust the heat to maintain a steady temperature of 325°F. Cook until the skin is golden brown, about 10 minutes for wings and 17 to 20 minutes for thighs, legs, and breast quarters, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken reads 165°F.

Remove chicken from skillet with tongs, allowing the excess oil to drip back into skillet; transfer the cooked chicken to the rack. Repeat until all of the chicken is cooked.

And now, this is what makes Nashville Style Hot Chicken so HOT:

Ladle 1 cup of hot oil into a small saucepan or heatproof bowl and whisk in the cayenne pepper, dark brown sugar and chili powder. Brush or baste the sauce over the Nashville Style Hot Chicken. Serve on a slice or two of white bread with a few pickles.

Best Gluten Free Coffee Cake Ever

prep: 20 minutes
cook: 45 minutes hour

serves 12

you’ll need…

1 cup chopped pecans

½ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup brewed coffee, chilled

1 8-ounce container sour cream

½ teaspoon vanilla

2 cups gluten free flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon gluten free baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1½ cups sugar

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup gluten free chocolate chips

let’s get to it…

Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan.

Combine the pecans and brown sugar together in a small bowl. Spoon half of the mixture into the greased pan; set aside remaining nut mixture.

Whisk the chilled coffee, sour cream and vanilla together in a small bowl; set aside.

Stir the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl until blended; set aside.

Beat the sugar and the butter together with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add the beaten eggs. With mixture on medium-low, alternate adding the flour mixture and the sour cream mixture and mix until smooth. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Spoon half of the batter into the greased Bundt pan on top of the nut mixture you sprinkled in earlier. Sprinkle remaining nut mixture on top of the batter. Top with the remaining batter.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool the Best Gluten Free Coffee Cake Ever in the pan for 10 minutes and then loosen the sides with a knife. Invert it onto a wire rack and remove the pan. Cool cake completely before slicing into a little piece of heaven.

Super Easy Chef’s Salad Recipe

prep: 15 minutes

serves 10

you’ll need…

12 cups lettuce
1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced
3 hard boiled eggs, sliced into wedges
8 ounces ham, sliced ¼-inch thick and cut into 3-inch strips
8 ounces cheddar cheese, sliced ¼-inch thick and cut into 3-inch strips
8 ounces turkey, sliced ¼-inch thick and cut into 3-inch strips
1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 cup vinaigrette
2 cups croutons

let’s get to it…

Place the lettuce in a large serving bowl and toss with half of the vinaigrette.

Arrange the cucumbers, eggs, meat, cheese and tomatoes on top of the greens in an artsy way. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette on top of the salad and top with a few croutons. Serve the remaining croutons with the salad.