Remember my Uncle Rob from the filet tailgate sandwiches with whiskey marinade? Well he is a multi-talented man. In addition to grilling up delicious tailgate eats he also harvests honey! As in he has bees in the backyard and a complete beekeeper’s suit. “Rob’s Love Nectar”- check it out! I may be afraid of the bees, but I certainly love their honey.

Recently Uncle Rob mailed me a big bottle of his honey so I decided to make a series of honey posts out of it. These sticky and sweet honey baked wings are the first of four honey installments and are definitely the best way to kick off this series.

I was am will-always-be obsessed with these wings. The marinade consists of honey, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and rice wine vinegar to create a balanced flavor profile. The honey caramelizes while the wings are baking in the oven and makes these bad boys incredibly addictive. Finger-lickin’-can’t-breathe-too-busy-eating addictive.

They are also extremely low maintenance as you can just stick them in the oven and let the magic happen. I was very nervous to break down the wings myself, but after a couple snips with a pair of kitchen shears I had the process down.

Currently Rob’s Love Nectar is only available through personal gifting, but shop local honey and support your neighboring beekeepers! Also honey pollinated from bees local to your area is said to help with seasonal allergies so that’s another reason to source your honey locally.

Sweet & Sticky Honey Baked Wings

 

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Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
• 4 pounds chicken wings & drumettes
• 1 scallion, chopped, for garnish
• Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9" x 13" with nonstick tin foil and set aside.
2. Combine the soy sauce, honey, vegetable oil, rice vinegar, garlic and ginger in a medium saucepan with a whisk. Bring the honey mixture to a boil then simmer on low for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Place the split chicken wings in the prepared pan. Pour the heated honey mixture over the wings then toss to coat.
4. Bake the chicken wings for about 1 hour or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F and the skin has darkened. Garnish wings with scallions and sesame seeds before serving.

Notes

To break down the wings follow the steps below:
*Clip off the wing tip at the knuckle using a pair of kitchen shears. Dispose the wing tip or save for homemade chicken stock.
*Make a small snip in the fat between the wing and the drumette so it's easier to get to the joint.
*Cut the knuckle between the wing and the drumette to separate them.
*Cut off any excess fat.

3.2.1311

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

This post was originally published on 8/29/2014. It was updated with new photos and content on 2/5/2019.

Sometimes the best dishes are the ones that take you under ten minutes to make, but still cause you to dance around the kitchen shouting, “Omg, this is SO good!” in between mouthfuls. Before getting reminded that your excited eating habits need to be worked on so the heimlich doesn’t become necessary. But sometimes these things cannot be controlled. I’ll work on it though.

These mini breakfast tacos are the perfect mid-week breakfast, weekend brunch, after school snack, quick dinner and picnic staple. Okay, maybe not the last one. But for everything else this dish is up for the job. The recipe is so simple, but we like simple around here. Especially if it means we can have breakfast tacos for breakfast on a regular basis.

I like to add some creaminess to my scrambled eggs by adding a little cream cheese. It’s a great trick someone taught me years ago. It doesn’t impart the cream cheese flavor on the eggs, it just makes them creamy and fluffy. If you don’t have any cream cheese, you can use a little milk instead. The eggs won’t be as creamy as when you use cream cheese, but they will still be fluffier than just plain scrambled eggs.

How easy is this dish? Well let’s see, first you scramble up some eggs. Then you pile them on top of softened tortillas shredded cheese, salsa and avocado slices. Done! This is just a base recipe and you could definitely get more creative with your taco toppings. Roasted red peppers, corn salsa and pickled red onions are just some ideas off the top of my head. What would you pile on your breakfast tacos?

These 10 Minute Mini Breakfast Tacos are so easy it’s dangerous. How can breakfast tacos be dangerous? Because while you’re chomping away and exclaiming in delight how good they are you might require the heimlich. So eat responsibly folks.

10 Minute Mini Breakfast Tacos

 

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Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon cream cheese or milk
• Salt, pepper and a sprinkling of any other favorite seasonings (I like to sprinkle on some garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and cumin)
• ½ tablespoon butter or cooking spray
• 2 6-inch corn or flour tortillas
• 2 tablespoons shredded cheese (cheddar, monterey jack and pepper jack are all great options)
• Salsa, avocado slices and any other desired toppings

Directions

1. In a small mixing bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. Add the cream cheese or milk, salt, pepper and desired other seasonings then lightly beat to combine. If you use cream cheese it won't be mixed in; that's fine.
2. Melt the butter, or heat the cooking spray, in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Once melted, add the beaten egg mixture. Let the eggs cook a little then begin to scramble them, making sure to flip them over and break them up often so they remain light and fluffy without getting crispy.
3. Meanwhile cover the tortillas with a lightly damp paper towel and heat in the microwave for 45 seconds.
4. When the eggs have cooked through and are still fluffy (I like to take mine off when they are still very slightly wet) remove from the heat and divide over the top of the tortillas. Top with the shredded cheese. Add salsa, the avocado slices, and whatever other toppings you like.

3.2.2802

Lauren Uncategorized 1 Comment

We are still in the peak of peach season. Although it varies based on the year’s climate, peach season is at its peak during July and August. So it’s not too late to squeeze the most out of this juicy sweet fruit!

I love cooking and baking with in season ingredients because they are at the pinnacle of their deliciousness. When I was down in Delaware for my annual family reunion a couple weeks ago my Aunt Dottie grabbed some local peaches at a farmer’s market and asked me to make a peach dessert for dinner.

I realized I didn’t have a go-to peach dessert so I quickly started scouring the web for a recipe that would help the fresh peaches shine. When I stumbled across this recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe I knew it was the one. Just reading the recipe made me drool as I imagined how light and refreshing it would taste. I also loved that it looked simple to whip up.

This peaches, blueberries and cream delight is aptly named. We know from my browned butter peach ice cream with graham cracker crumble that peaches and graham crackers are a tasty pair. This dessert starts with a subtly sweet and buttery no-bake graham cracker crust. Then a sturdy whipped cream is made and folded into the fresh peach slices and blueberries.

You can adapt this dessert to whatever fruit is your favorite or in stock at your local farmer’s market. Strawberries, plums or any other stone fruit and berries would work well. The next combination on my list is peaches and raspberries… mmm. Enjoy!

Peaches, Blueberries & Cream Delight

 

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Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

for the crust

• 3 cups graham cracker crumbs, about 2 sleeves of graham crackers
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 12 tablespoons butter (1 ½ sticks), melted

for the filling

• 8 ounces light cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups heavy cream, chilled
• 5 fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and thinly sliced
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions

for the crust

1. Combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter and mix until combined. Reserve ⅓ of the crumb mixture for topping the dessert. Press the remaining crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9” by 13” pan. Refrigerate while making the filling.

for the filling

1. In a large bowl beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together until light with a hand mixer or a stand mixer. Beat in the vanilla.
2. Carefully pour in the heavy cream and beat on low. As the mixture starts to come together bring the speed up to medium-high and continue until the mixture is thick and airy.
3. Take the crust out of the fridge and spread a thin layer of the cream over the crust. Layer the sliced peaches on top, followed by the blueberries.
4. Scoop large blobs of cream onto the fruit and carefully bring together with your rubber spatula to cover the fruit. Continue adding the cream until the 9” by 13” pan is filled to the edges.
5. Sprinkle with the reserved graham cracker crumbs and cover with plastic wrap before returning to the fridge. Let sit in the fridge for 2-12 hours before serving.

3.2.1311

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

My stepmom’s orzo pasta salad is a delicious regular at all our family barbecues. It has a great combination of ingredients with the saltiness from the feta cheese and the sweetness from the bell peppers and grape tomatoes. Also whole olives which olive lovers enjoy and non-olive lovers rejoice that they can easily pick them out and plop them on their fellow olive lovers’ plates.

The best part is the orzo tossed in the simple vinaigrette. What is orzo? Although it may be shaped like rice pilaf, orzo is a pasta. It is typically made with semolina flour, which is denser than white flour and helps the orzo keep its shape and bite after being cooked. This makes it the perfect choice for a make ahead pasta salad since most traditional pasta can get mushy from sitting in a vinaigrette overnight. Not this dish!

My stepmom has been making this exact winning combination of ingredients for the Greek orzo pasta salad for years so it would be ill-advised to mess with the best.

However, as with any pasta salad one of the beauties is that with a good base and vinaigrette you can mix and match according to your own tastes and preferences.

Not a feta fan? Swap in some goat cheese. Not big on bell peppers? Toss in some sliced snow peas. The possibilities are endless! But make sure you try this possibility first

Diane's Orzo Pasta Salad

 

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Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound box orzo, cooked as directed being sure not to overcook
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into ¼” by 1” pieces
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into ¼” by 1” pieces
• 1 orange bell pepper, cut into ¼” by 1” pieces
• 1 large cucumber, peeled and cut into ¼” by 1” pieces
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 4-5 leaves fresh basil, chopped
• 1 can large black olives, drained
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. In a large bowl combine the cooked orzo with the olive oil until completely coated. Add the bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, basil, olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Mix until combined.
2. Mix in the feta cheese. Adjust salt and pepper according to taste. Refrigerate until serving, making sure to mix well before serving.

3.2.1311

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

I ate a lot of delicious dishes at my family’s beach trip earlier this month, but my new favorite was my Uncle Rob’s tailgate filet sandwiches with whiskey marinade. He wanted to do something for Lemon & Mocha so I told him to come up with his signature dish for me to photograph while we were down at the beach. He did not disappoint with these succulent steak sandwiches.

During football season my Uncle is a regular tailgater at his alma mater, Villanova. He makes these regularly and I am sure they go fast. They certainly would if I was there!

My Uncle Rob and my Aunt Dottie, who hails from the University of Delaware, have a fun football rivalry tradition. Every fall Villanova and the University of Delaware play a big game. The person with the losing school has to place the winning school’s vanity plate on their car for the entirety of the year. My Uncle Rob wanted me to be sure to point out that Villanova has been on quite the winning streak 😉

No matter what team you’re rooting for this fall these delicious sandwiches will soften even the fiercest rivalry!

Matt and I don’t have steak often as it is usually our splurge meal, but I will definitely be making these sandwiches soon especially since I was already craving them the next morning. Enjoy!

Uncle Rob's Tailgate Filet Sandwiches with Whiskey Marinade

 

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Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• ¼ cup whiskey
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup dijon mustard
• ¼ packed light brown sugar
• ¼ cup minced green onions
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Dash of worcestershire sauce
• Ground pepper to taste
• 6 1" thick filets
• 6 pretzel buns
• Pepper jack cheese, horseradish sauce and lettuce for serving, optional
• 6 pack of beer for the chef, age permitting

Directions

1. Combine the whiskey, soy sauce, mustard, brown sugar, onions, salt, worcestershire and pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Place the filets on a cutting board and top with plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet pound filets until they are ½" thick.
3. Combine the filets and marinade in a large plastic bag to marinate for 6-8 hours.
4. Heat grill to high heat. Grill according to desired doneness. For medium-rare, grill for 3 minutes on one side, flip and grill for 2 more minutes before letting rest for 3-5 minutes before eating.

Notes

If you can't find filet, possible substitutions include eye of round steak or hanger steak.

3.2.1311

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments