It is no secret my crew and I love Asian inspired meals. I seriously watch Mark Weins of Migrationology every single day.  He is this amazing blogger and food traveler that I am subscribed to and dude makes me so hungry with every single video. He does primarily focus on Asian countries but he has been featuring videos of his trip to Mexico and that is another place that has some serious amazing good food.



Anywoo, I am now contributing as recipe developer for Town and Gown magazine here in my town. When the editor said healthy and good, I knew I wanted to do Asian inspired. The use of fresh greens, herbs and veggies is so inspiring and so healthy. Pair it with a little flair with the sauces and oh muh gawd, yes.

My children loved each one of these recipes but they took most to the spring/summer rolls so much that I had to make them everyday for that entire week. I didn't complain though, heck, they were eating clean, right.



Check out these recipes coming to the Town and Gown website soon, but for now, if you are local to Starkville, Mississippi or the surrounding areas, you can pick up the magazine locally and try these out!

My mom claimed she did not want prime rib or ham for Thanksgiving as my menu so beautifully stated.  Of course, she got a serious side eye and a "What would you like instead?" 

I was serious. This is my mama and even though I was in charge of Thanksgiving dinner and my kids and other invited family members had no say in what I was making, my mama was the exception. Shoot, I still remember those epic punishments I would get when I kept running in and out the house as a kid, so there was no way I was going to say, deal with it mama. Instead, I asked her what she wanted and she answered with chicken.



I consider myself I foodie. I was not just going to do any kind of chicken for her, I planned out this epic worthy whole baked chicken that was sure to knock her socks off but exxxxxcuse me when she called me up and said, Never mind on the chicken, your Aunt Angie bought me some. Now, ok. It's only the day before Thanksgiving. I head to the kitchen, glance in the fridge at the lone whole chicken that is chilling inside and give it a "Maybe tomorrow" salute.



And then tomorrow came. Not thinking, I left most of the leftovers at my mom's, so I was limited on corn, bread, salad and that lonely whole chicken that never made it to the rack of the oven.  I decided that it would make a nice lunch for my crew.



I opened my pantry and pulled out some Kyvan bbq dry rub, Honey Apple BBQ Sauce, some balsamic vinegar and decided, hey, let's make it happen.

Look at that drizzle...Oh yeah.

Thus, this lunch was born.


This is a super tasty and easy to make dinner or lunch for your crew.



My kids could not get enough of the bbq dry rub croutons so I had to use my entire leftover loaf of crusty italian bread to make them more. They popped them like popcorn, so this is a nice way to use leftover bread, an addition to a great salad, or an amazing snack option.

You will need:

Chicken
Whole Chicken (cleaned)
1/2 cup Kyvan BBQ Dry Rub
1/2 cup Kyvan Honey Apple BBQ Sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1.2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup softened butter

Spread softened butter all over chicken. Pat on and spread the dry ingredients. Bake at 450 degrees in oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat in oven to 350 degrees and cook 25 minutes per pound.

Once roasted, coat chicken with bbq sauce and place in oven for 10 minutes.



Kyvan BBQ Vinaigrette 
1/2 cup olive oil
1⁄2 cup balsamic vinegar
1⁄3 cup Kyvan Honey Apple BBQ Sauce
1⁄2 lemon squeezed
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1 tablespoon fresh oregano or parsley, chopped fine
1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger

Mix all ingredients well. Shake well before serving and refrigerate after making and use.



Kyvan BBQ Croutons
Bread (cut into one inch cubes)
Kyvan BBQ Dry Rub
Olive Oil

On baking sheet line cut bread cubes. Sprinkle lightly with olive oil and then sprinkle bbq dry rub.

Herb Salad
1/2 cup basil
1/2 cup mint
1/2 cup dill
2 cups of arugula spinach mix
1/2 cup micro greens
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup of almonds




Check out Kyvan and purchase their deliciously southern products here.

When it comes to dinner, I try to make things that are not only tasty but things that use fresh ingredients.  I love making salads for my kids to encourage them to eat healthy and to always try fresh foods. One kid eats his salads with no dressing, he just loves the greens.

This simple, assembly only required salad is perfect for those holiday gatherings. The cranberries, apples, pecans and raisins add the perfect touch of fall.



I like that he enjoys a good salad and I like that my other children, now all in their teens, do not turn their noses up to a bowl full of fresh veggies and leaves. For this dinner, my daughter asked for a rainbow salad. She asked for these ingredients so of course, mama complies. This salad was the perfect introduction to the creamy bacon-y goodness that was our chicken and spinach pasta. Oh lawd, this was good. The sauce is simple and only takes minutes to make.



Pasta
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Salt to taste
1 bag fresh spinach
2 diced garlic cloves
8 strips of bacon (cooked, drained and chopped)
2 cups of heavy whipping cream
1 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
Cooked noodles of your choice
Parmesan for garnish

In skillet, heat butter on medium until melted. Add in diced garlic.  Season chicken with salt and pepper to your liking and place in skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes each side, then cover skillet and cook for about five more minute. Flip chicken over and continue to cook until it is not pink in center or rubbery. 

Once chicken is done, remove from heat and place on cutting board. Cut chicken into strips, cubes or leave whole as I did.

Pour in heavy whipping cream, add cheese, black pepper and chopped bacon. Stir well so that it does not stick. Add in chicken and then fresh spinach, stirring to mix well. Reduce heat to medium low and cover.

Cook on low for about five minutes until spinach is wilted and cooked. Stir well and leave on low heat until ready to serve. 

Add in salt to taste after cooking because the bacon adds in a bit of saltiness. 

Serve over pasta or pour over pasta and mix.




Rainbow Salad
Golden raisins
Chopped pecans
Diced sandwich meat of your choice
Shredded sharp cheddar/colby cheese
Cubed Granny Smith apples
Dried Cranberries
Shredded Carrots
Lettuce of your choice

Clean lettuce and place in your serving dish. Arrange your ingredients as I did or toss together!

Just in time for the 4th of July, this simple southern classic is a sure win at your bbq!


I must admit...I am not a fan of potato salad. In fact, I have never tasted it until today. It is one of those things that makes me question if I am really Southern. I mean, who in their right Southern mind does NOT like potato salad? You only see it at every single potluck, party, office shindig, family reunion and gathering here! At any event, someone is sure to have a casserole dish full of this potato-ey tradition.

But here I am, posting a Southern Potato Salad recipe for a dear and awesome reader who requested it. I can't take the honors of making this because I sought the help of my number one cooking idol...my mom. I will say this, I tried it today and I liked it! Why oh why did I wait so long!?

I have never been a fan of any kind of salad that had meat in front of the name. Tuna salad to me, did not involve relish of any kind because I just could not stand relish. I could not bear the thought of fruit, meat mixed with mayo, so I never tried chicken salad. Imagine how surprised I was when I finally decided to give it a go. I kept it simple, really simple and wowie. I fell in love.

You will need:
2 Chicken Breasts
2 tsp of Creole Seasoning
Mayo
1 cup Red Seedless Grapes
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp of salt

Cook your chicken breast seasoned with creole seasoning. Sprinkle both sides and cook until the juices run clear when poked with a fork to the middle. Remove from heat and shred your chicken.  I shred using a fork once the meat has cooled.


In a bowl, add chicken, grapes (sliced in half), mayo, salt, pepper.  I do not give an estimate of how much mayo because I do not like a lot of mayo, so I add in a tablespoon at a time, until it is the consistency that I like.


And voila! Chicken salad. Seriously, how come no one told me how easy and tasty this was?! My kids engulfed these bad boys and my best friend asked to take some for his lunch.