Category Archives: Recipes

Pumpkin Martini

I love everything pumpkin…including cocktails. Haaaaaay! In fact, I was anxiously awaiting going on set to do my live shot at The Weather Channel this morning, and I ended up ~~gulping down~~, er tasting my martini– well, cuz a girl can’t serve something she hasn’t sampled, right??? It was a hit, and it’s not overpoweringly sweet…it is strong though, y’all, so be warned! Settled my nerves down right away, LOL!

Pumpkin Martini

Ingredients

1 shot vanilla vodka
1 shot Baileys
1 shot pumpkin spice liquor
heavy whipping cream
cinnamon and cloves

Instructions

Combine vodka, baileys and pumpkin spice liquor over ice. Strain ice and serve cold in a martini glass. Pour in heavy cream to fill entire glass. Top with a pinch of cinnamon and cloves.

https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/10/pumpkin-martini/

Pumpkin Mousse

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OK, so how cute does the mousse look stuffed into that little punkin’?? This recipe is soooo super easy. I modified it a bit from a Dave Lieberman recipe— the key is whipping the cream right before you serve it so it stays fluffy and light! If you’re using mousse cups, you can put a little ginger snap in the mousse for added “pretty” and “yummy” effect!

Pumpkin Mousse

Ingredients

1 can pumpkin
3 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1 Tb vanilla
2 Tb pumpkin spice liquor

Instructions

Combine 1 cup cream, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and pumpkin in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. Bring to room temperature.
Whip 2 cups cream into soft peaks with vanilla and fold into pumpkin mixture. Serve with ginger snaps as a garnish.

https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/10/pumpkin-mousse/

Pumpkin Bread with Pecan and Ginger Snap Crust

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This is a recipe from my Grandma Ronnie’s cookbook. Her sister, whom we called, Aunt Marj, was a phenomenal bread baker. I modified her recipe slightly by adding the pecan and ginger snap crust— OMG. Pumpkin Heaven. Slather a little salted butter on that hot bread—- LIGHTS OUT. I made it for my segment on The Weather Channel this morning and the crew completely devoured it! Sign of a successful recipe if all you have are crumbs to clean up!

Pumpkin Bread with Pecan and Ginger Snap Crust

Ingredients

For the bread

2/3 cup butter softened
2 2/3 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 (15oz) can pumpkin
2/3 cup water
3 1/2 cup flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger

For the crust

1 stick butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup ginger snap cookies pulsed in the food processor
2 Tb brown sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 2 (9x5x3 inch) loaf pans.
In a standing mixer, cream butter, sugar, eggs, pumpkin and water.
Sift and blend into wet mixture: flour, baking soda, baking powder, slat, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger.

For the crust: Melt stick of butter in sauce pan and combine pecans, ginger snaps, brown sugar and cayenne. Set aside.

Pour into pans and bake for 30 minutes. Take out of oven and scoop crust ingredients onto top of each loaf. Continue baking for another 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/10/pumpkin-bread-with-pecan-and-ginger-snap-crust/

No Bake Cheesecake

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This is the first dessert I learned how to make! It’s still my go-to recipe for dessert-on-the-quick and it never disappoints. Literally, just 4 ingredients: Cool Whip, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla, whipped and scooped into a ready-made pie crust. I’m partial to Oreo crusts, but you can do shortbread, graham cracker, whatever your little heart desires.

I love topping fresh fruit on it and drizzling a little Grand Marnier on top, but you can do hot fudge, caramel, sprinkles, or again…whatever your little heart desires. Also, try changing up the vanilla extract for another flavor– use lemon and add in some lemon zest…or almond extract….or coconut and sprinkle some coconut shreds on top. It’s a great base for any flavor profile you’re craving!

No Bake Cheesecake

Ingredients

1 block of full fat cream cheese
1 regular tub of Cool Whip
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tb vanilla extract (or you can use almond or whatever flavor you like)
1 pre-made crust (Oreo, Graham cracker, Shortbread)

Instructions

Mix cream cheese, cool whip, sugar and vanilla together in a standing mixer until smooth.
Scoop into a crust of your choice and put in freezer.
Pull out of the freezer 30 minutes before serving to let it get a little soft. Top with your favorite berries, chocolate or caramel.

https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/10/no-bake-cheesecake/

Grandma Ronnie’s Popovers

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popover
In honor of “National Yorkshire Pudding Day,” I thought it would be the perfect time to share my grandmother’s signature recipe. “Ronnie,” as she was lovingly called by our family, was the original culinary goddess…her roasts were legendary, and so were the popovers (or Yorkshire Pudding) that she made with them. The key is adding some of the drippings from the roast to the batter– and then baking them until they are golden and popping out of the pan! Remember to turn the temperature down after the first 25 minutes and then continue baking for another 15 minutes. I have forgotten that little step before and then realized my popovers had deflated and wilted! When they are baked to perfection, they stay “popped” in the pan after you take them out of the oven.

popovers

These golden gems are stand alone delicious, but the real food heaven happens when you drench them in gravy, in between bites of tender roast beef. Just thinking about that decadent meal, I am totally transported back to Ronnie’s kitchen in Connecticut, the rich smells wafting through the grand rooms of my grandparent’s house. I used to lie on the kitchen couch (yes, she actually had a COUCH in her kitchen!) and watch her deftly wielding multiple pressure cookers while putting the finishing touches on her apple pie. Ronnie LOVED to cook for a crowd (sound like someone else you know??) I miss her every single day. I just wish she had lived to see me turn into a great cook– her passion for all things delicious continues to inspire my own culinary dreams. I hope this recipe will inspire you!

In Ronnie’s kitchen

Grandma Ronnie’s Popovers

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Ingredients

4 eggs
2 cups milk
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
drippings from roast turkey/beef

Instructions

Heat oven to 450. Grease 12 deep popover cups or 15 medium muffin cups. With hand beater, beat eggs slightly, add mil, flour and salt and beat until just smooth.
Add a tablespoon of drippings to each cup.
Fill popover cups 1/2 full, muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake for 25 minutes.
Lower oven temperature to 350 and bake for 15-20 minutes longer until deep golden brown. Immediately remove from pan and serve hot.

https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/10/grandma-ronnies-popovers/

Peanut Butter Curry Dip for Veggies

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By now, you guys know that I’m kinduvasnob in the kitchen. As in, there’s a little bit of groan when I have to feature “somebody else’s recipe.” But, I am in awe of another blonde culinary goddess in the kitchen….my new friend and kitchen partner, Sherry Coleman Collins.

Sherry is a registered dietician with the National Peanut Board, super Mom to an adorable 14 month old, and she joined me in the Atlanta Plugged in Kitchen to whip up some imaginative peanut butter dishes. You’ll never go ranch again once you taste this dip….it’s the shiznittabam, just sayin’. Stay tuned for more of Sherry’s showstopper recipes next week– and videos too!

Peanut Butter Curry Dip for Veggies

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Ingredients

1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tsp fresh grated ginger
3 tsp curry powder
½ tsp salt

Instructions

Mix all ingredients and chill 1 hour or more to allow flavors to marry.
Serve with fresh vegetable crudité.

https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/10/peanut-butter-curry-dip-for-veggies/

Seared Duck Breast, Roasted Fall Root Vegetables, Herb Raspberry Vinaigrette

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duck salad

I had a chance to cook up some “duck delish” with Chef Michael Deihl, to promote the Cheer for Children Gala next weekend. Duck can be super intimidating, but cooked the right way (always medium rare, y’all!) it is the perfect protein. Chef D combined it with root veggies and a yummy raspberry vinaigrette— scrumptious! And it’s all for such a great cause. For more info on the event, you can check out the site here.

Seared Duck Breast, Roasted Fall Root Vegetables, Herb Raspberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients

5 Duck breasts (remove skin)
4 heads Baby lettuces (washed and patted dry)
3 carrots, peeled and cut diagonally
2 golden beets, peeled and cubed after roasting
3 parsnips, peeled, cut diagonally
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 Tb fresh basil chopped
2 Tb fresh cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 shallot, diced
1 cup raspberries
2 oz raspberry vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Remove skin from raw duck breast and render skin to clarify duck fat.
Marinate duck breast in 2 oz olive oil with cilantro, jalapeno and garlic for 2 hours.
Remove duck breast from marinade and sear in rendered duck fat on both sides until browned. Remove to paper towel.
Roast duck breast in 400 degree oven for 5-7 minutes until medium rare. Let rest to room temperature.
Toss carrots, parsnips and golden beets in olive oil and salt and pepper. Place in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes and roast until tender. (Beets will need a total of 1-2 hours to roast, so start earlier).
Mix tomatoes, shallots, dijon, basil, vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper and let sit for 30 minutes.
Strain tomato mixture and add to raspberries. Puree in a blender or food processor.
Slice duck breast thin, on the bias.
Taste everything and check seasoning.
Arrange lettuce leaves, top with duck breast, add tomato and root vegetable mixture. Drizzle duck breast and lettuce with raspberry vinaigrette.

https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/10/seared-duck-breast-roasted-fall-root-vegetables-herb-raspberry-vinaigrette/

Peanut Butter Halloween Treats

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It’s almost Halloween– but don’t just load up on the sugary candy alone– mix it up with some peanut butter– packing some protein and goodferya stuff into the Halloween treats! Don Koehler from the Georgia Peanut Commission showed me how to whip up easy, delish morsels in the Atlanta Plugged In Kitchen….my fave? The no bake Mandarin Orange Peanut Butter Pie. OMG.

And the prep isn’t scary at all!

Goober-ry Trail Mix

Ingredients:

1 cup roasted peanuts

1 cup peanut butter morsels

1 cup candy corn

1 cup Reese’s Pieces

5oz. bag dried cherries

5 oz. bag dried mixed berries

1 cup golden raisins

Directions: Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Put a generous serving in snack size zipper bags.

Mandarin Orange Peanut Butter Pie

Ingredients

¼ cup creamy peanut butter

8 oz. lite cream cheese

¼ cup granulated sugar

8 oz. lite whipped topping

1 graham cracker pie crust

11 oz. can mandarin oranges

2 TBSP granulated sugar

1 TBSP corn starch

Directions: Combine first 4 ingredients together and pour into pie crust. Refrigerate while you prepare the topping. Drain oranges saving juice in a small saucepan. Add sugar and cornstarch and cook on high constantly stirring with a wire whisk until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat and continue stirring for another 3 minutes as it boils. Remove from heat and let it cool. Meanwhile, arrange orange slices on top of pie. Stir glaze until it thickens and cools and pour over pie. Refrigerate pie for at least 3 hours. Serve with additional whipped topping if desired.

Halloween Haystacks

Ingredients

½ cup peanut butter morsels

1 cup candy corn

½ cup salted, skinless peanuts

½ cup chow mein noodles

Directions: Microwave together the peanut butter morsels and candy corn for 1 minutes. Stir. Microwave for 30 more seconds. Stir in the peanuts and chow mein noodles. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper and let set. Store in an airtight container.

Muscadine Cake with a Muscadine Glaze

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Muscadines aren’t just for wine, y’all! Ground those grapes up and they make a delicious base for a super moist cake. And yeah, I’m using a box mix, don’t judge! The secret to the moistness is the box of vanilla pudding (no need to actually MAKE the pudding, you just pour in the powder) AND the glaze is key. Make sure you poke a ton of holes into the cake so the glaze seeps in– sticky, yummy delish!

Muscadine seeds are a bit high maintenance– I cut the grapes in half, took out the seeds and THEN put them in my juicer. It’s worth the extra step!

The crew on The Weather Channel’s AMHQ show loved it— and you will too. Here’s the live shot with Sam Champion!

Muscadine Cake with Muscadine Glaze

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Ingredients

For the cake:

1 box yellow cake mix
1 small box vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
1 1/4 cup muscadine juice

For the glaze:

1/2 cup muscadine juice
2 cups powdered sugar
juice from 1/2 a lemon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients and pour into a greased and floured bundt pan.
Bake for 45-50 minutes. Cool slightly and mix glaze ingredients in a small saucepan.
Poke holes in cake and let the glaze soak into the holes.
Dust with powdered sugar.

https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/10/muscadine-cake-with-a-muscadine-glaze/

Shaved Broccoli Salad and Rainbow Chard Tart

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I love cooking with my foodie friends– especially when they can teach ME something that I never knew….Meet Chadwick Boyd, Food and Lifestyle Expert, and King of all things Lovely and Delicious. In fact, that’s what his company is called. And he lives up to the name with these incredible recipes he taught me in the Atlanta Plugged In Kitchen!

Chadwick says, “Whole vegetable cooking is an outgrowth of the sustainable food movement. Cooks are now embracing using all parts of vegetables – roots, stalks, leaves and all. This recipe is inspired by Tara Duggan’s recipe in her excellent book, Root to Stalk Cooking. It’s also inspired by my grandfather Frank who used to sit at the kitchen table and peel broccoli stems as a pre-dinner snack.”

Shaved Broccoli Stalk Salad with Golden Raisins and Lemon

2 bunches broccoli with leaves, washed
2 Tablespoons golden olive oil
Zest from 1 fresh lemon + juice from half
1 cup golden raisins
½ cup French feta (or regular crumbled feta)
Crunchy salt (Kosher)
Black pepper
Directions

Trim all the leaves off the stems of the broccoli. Cut off the florets. Reserve both in a bowl. Cut the stalks in half. Remove the tough outer skin using a sharp vegetable peeler. Discard. Run the peeler along the cut side of the stalks and thinly shave. Gently pat with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture.

Place the shavings, florets and leaves in a large mixing bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon zest, juice, raisins and feta. Toss gently. Season with the crunchy salt and pepper. Transfer to a platter or large serving bowl.

Serve immediately or chill in refrigerator (you can make this a few hours ahead).

Rainbow Chard and Parmesan Tart

1 puff pastry, thawed
4 Tablespoons olive oil
1 small shallot, finely chopped
6-8 stalks and leaves of Josie’s Organics rainbow chard, washed and dried, stems evened up
1 cup chicken broth
2 Tablespoons grated parmesan
Kosher salt and fresh black pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400°.Unfold pastry dough onto a lightly oiled baking sheet.Heat 3 Tablespoons of olive oil in a large 12-inch skillet on medium-high heat. Add shallots. Let soften, about 5 minutes.Lay chard gently into skillet. Add chicken broth. Cover and cook for 5 minutes until stalks are tender with a fork. Remove from heat.
Brush pastry dough evenly with remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Carefully arrange chard lengthwise on pastry dough, alternating different colored stalks. Top with any remaining broth and shallots in the pan. Evenly dust with parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.

Bake for 25 minutes until golden and bubbly, turning the baking sheet once halfway through.

Let rest 5 minutes on a cutting board before cutting to serve.

DRESS IT UP! – To kick this recipe up another notch, add small dollops of fresh whole milk ricotta before sprinkling with parmesan. The fresh cheese settles nicely into the pastry dough and gives a nice, creamy touch to the chard.