Tag: blog

Sweet and Spicy Breaded Chicken

Snow days make me want to cook!! Something about being cooped up that pushes me into the kitchen everytime. So for dinner tonite a sweet and spicy breaded baked chicken breast.

This is a no dredge recipe making it even easier! No messy dunking and breading just a crispy coating full of flavor!

Here’s what you need:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp spicy bbq rub

1 Tbsp butter

1c. Panko bread crumbs

3 Tbsp sour cream

Sweet Hot honey to taste

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425°F

In a microwave safe bowl add butter and melt in microwave about 20 seconds. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil, salt, pepper, panko crumbs, and bbq seasoning. Stir mixture together. Set aside.

Rinse chicken and pat dry on paper towel. Add the additional one Tbsp. Of olive oil to a glass baking dish coating the bottom of the pan. Add chicken. Spread sour cream onto the chicken and top with crumbs mixture pressing it lightly onto the chicken.

Bake 20-25 minutes until chicken is cooked through and crumb topping is golden brown.

Drizzle with honey and serve! Enjoy!!

Spicy Sausage with Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli

There’s just something about a really good pasta dish on a cool fall night that just hits the spot. I recently found a new favorite fresh pasta at a local Kroger grocery store and put it to great use in this flavorful dish!

Below is a photo of the pasta, the one shown is cheese ravioli, and the one I used in this dish was actually a spinach and ricotta ravioli of the same type. Although I believe either would taste great in this recipe, and the colored stripe in the pasta makes it pretty too!

This pasta paired with a spicy sausage and light delicious sauce really hit the spot!

Here’s what you need:

1pkg spinach and ricotta ravioli

1lb spicy sausage

1 roma tomato chopped

1 sm bunch of green onions chopped and separated into greens and whites.

1 clove garlic finely chopped

1 lemon quartered

2Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp sour cream

Salt and Pepper

Cook Ravioli according to package directions, drain reserving 1/4c. of pasta water.

Heat a small amount of oil in a medium sized pan add sausage, onion whites, and garlic cook on med-high heat ubtil sausage is browned and cooked through. Add 2 Tbsp butter, sour cream and pasta water. Squeeze half of the lemon over top and add tomatoes. Stir well, and simmer until thickened.

Top ravioli with sausage mixture, plate and top with onion greens. Enjoy!!

Spicy Asian Taco

Another twist on a classic! I love tacos, and I love Asian inspired flavors! So why not create a little flavor infusion! These tacos are quick easy, and delicious. They are topped with a fresh made quick pickle of cucumber and radishes for a little tangy sweet flavor! Great for a quick family dinner.

Here’s what you’ll need!

For pickle topping:

3-4 large radishes thinly sliced

2 small cucumbers thinly sliced

2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

salt

pepper

and 1 tsp sugar

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, coat vegetables well and set aside to “pickle” the veggies. Stir occasionally as you prepare the rest of the meal.

For spicy sour cream:

3 Tbsp sour cream

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

For Beef filling:

1 Tbsp oil

1lb lean ground beef

2 cups shredded purple cabbage

3 green onions thinly sliced

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp sugar

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes,

1 tsp Siracha sauce

Flour tortillas, and chopped cilantro

In a Large sauce pan over med-high heat add oil, cabbage and green onions, cook 3-4 minutes until tender. Add ground beef, garlic powder, and sugar. Cook until beef is browned and cooked through. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and siracha. Stir well and heat through.

To assemble take a tortilla and top first with the sour cream, add beef mixture and top with quick pickled veggies, and chopped cilantro. Serve immediately! Enjoy!!

Tuscan Sausage Spaghetti

Spaghetti is a pretty regular occurance at our house it’s quick easy and can serve a large group when we need it to! So I prepared a variation on traditional spaghetti with this Tuscan Sausage version that includes red peppers and just a little tuscan spicy heat! Enjoy!

1lb spicy sausage casing removed

1 medium red bell pepper thinly sliced

1 md yellow onion thinly sliced

4 servings spaghetti noodles

2 tsp spicy tuscan seasoning

1 Tbsp chicken boullion

1 tbsp butter

1 can crushed stewed tomatoes

1/4c. Parmasan cheese

2 tsp. Parsley chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot boil water seasoned with a little salt, once boiling add pasta and cook 9-10 minutes until soft. Drain pasta reserving 1c. of pasta water

While pasta is cooking, In a large sauce pan add 1Tbsp butter melt, and add onions, red peppers, and a tsp. of spicy tuscan seasoning. Cook until crisp tender 3-4min. Add sausage and cook crumble into pieces as it cooks. Once meat is cooked through add tomatoes, 1 tsp tuscan seasoning. Heat through add 3/4 c pasta water and chicken boullion. Allow to simmer until thickened.

In a large bowl combine pasta, and sauce. Toss to coat add 1/2 of the parsley and half of the parmesan cheese and stir into mixture. Add additional pasta water if too thick. Salt and pepper to taste. Coat noodles well. Plate up and add additional parmesan cheese and parsely as desired!

Rosemary and Maple Glazed Porkchops with Creamy Apple Salad

Adding a little sweetness to your meal is never as easy as it is with pork! I often pare this protein with apples, pears, and now maple flavors! The combination of sweet and savory is amazing!

This meal is a simple to prepare crowd pleaser with a little wow factor because the flavors make it seem like a complicated dish, when in fact it’s easy peasy! So prepare and serve for your family meal or as a dinner party fave this is a diverse dish with lots of flavor!

Here’s what you’ll need:

For couscous

1tsp vutter

3/4 c couscous

1/2 tsp fresh rosemary

3/4c. Water

The whites of two green onions or scallions chopped (save the greens aside chopped)

In a small sauce pan add 1 tsp butter, rosemary, and scallions. Cook until fragrant about one minute. Add couscous and 3/4c of water. Bring to a bowl cover and remove from heat set aside.

For pork chops

2 medium boneless porkchops about 1/2in. Thick

1 tsp butter

2 Tbsp sugar free maple syrup

1 Tbsp bouillon concentrate

1Tbsp white wine vinegar

3/4c.water

1/2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary

Salt and pepper

Pat pork chops dry with a paper towel, and salt and pepper both sides. In a medium sauce pan add butter until melted. Add pork chops, cooking on medium high heat 2-3 minutes eaxh side turning once. Remove to a plate. Turn heat down slightly to medium add maple syrup, boullion concentrate, vinegar, water, and rosemary. Slowly increase heat until mixture is bubbly, reduce over heat until thickened. Add pork chops, turning to coat.

For salad

2c. Mixed Spring greens

1 med. Apple chopped (I used gala)

2 Tbsp Mayonnaise

1 tsp white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

In a medium bowl combine mayo, salt pepper and vinegar. Add greens and chopped apple toss to coat.

You’re ready to plate! Place couscous on plate and spoon sauce from pork chops over top, top with pork chop and sprinkle scallion greens on top. Serve with apple salad! Enjoy!!

Tasty Party Jello Shots!

It’s almost time for our annual Halloween party and I spent the evening preparing some tasty jello shilot treats for our friends! The flavor conbo’s are out of the world and the perfect party kicker!

Here’s what you need:

Firey Harvest Shots

1c. Apple Cider

1 pkg Orange Jello

3/4c. Fireball Whiskey

Heat the cider and mix in the orange jello take off heat and stir until dissolved. Add Fireball whiskey and mix together. Pour into small co diment containers cover and chill until party day!

Maliboo Blue Raspberry

1 c. Pineapple juice

1 pkg blue raspberry jello

3/4c. Malibu Coconut Rum

Heat pineapple juice and add jello, remove from heat and stir until dissolved add Malibu rum and poor into condiment containers, cover and chill! Enjoy!!

Klavon’s Pizzeria and Pub

Amber and I are kicking off the 2019 tour with a visit to Klavon’s! The Vandercook Lake location opened it’s doors in 2014, and has become a “go-to” location for locals and visitors alike!

Justin Klavon started his career in pizza as a teenager and quickly found that he had an aptitude in business as well as in the culinary space. His first venture Justin Tyme Pizza opened in Clark Lake MI, and quickly spread to three locations before he conceptualized Klavon’s. Klavon’s began as a small sports bar concept in Rives Junction MI, and has since brought Chicago style stuffed pizza to the forefront in Jackson County. But Justin wasn’t done yet! His concept took on a new look and feel when he developed the Vandercook Lake location. The restaurant is much more high end sports bar than pub and pizzeria. Justin credits his staff for the success of his restaurants, and would eventually like to create an available franchise model for loyal employees looking to be part of the companies growth. Klavon’s looks forward to opening it’s Mason MI location later in 2019, and to be honest I can’t wait to see how Justin’s vision grows and changes with each addition!

@Tour_the_Town got permission from store manager Marissa, to take some photos and share our experience with you. We want to thank her and the Klavon’s staff for being so lovely to us and allowing us to share your story! Because it was an incredibly busy Saturday night we made our visit quick, snapped a few pics, and got our pizza to go. One of the many perks of this location is the drive up window, however anytime we can we visit and stay to watch a game on the tv chandelier, or hangout with friends we do. The vibe and atmosphere are outstanding.

Spring and summer bring new opportunities to enjoy Klavon’s as they open the patio for additional outdoor seating. Large groups are welcome, and reservations making seating availability a breeze. Need space for an event? No problem! Klavon’s “K-Lounge” seats up to 25 guests with private servers for your convenience. They have literally thought of everything!!

Now let’s talk about what’s really important here… THE FOOD! Klavon’s offers a full menu from appetizers, soup and salads… to burgers, wraps and of course their famous pizza! They haven’t forgotten the most important details offering dessert menus, and specialty drink menus all presented on I-pads when you’re seated for a convenient way to browse and choose your favorites.

We selected the hand- made tortilla chips with their specialty peach salsa, pepperoni pinwheels, a small “Detroiter” pizza, and a specialty barbecue chicken stuffed pizza, a personal favorite of mine! We were feeding 5 adults and two teenage girls and there was more than enough to go around, we even had some leftovers.

The tortilla chips were restaurant made, thin, crispy, lightly salted, and totally addictive. Couple with the handmade peach salsa it was a perfect starter. The peach salsa is just what you would expect, very fresh, lightly sweet, with a little heat. A nice light way to start a meal.

The pepperoni pinwheels will get your mind turning about that delicious pizza that’s one it’s way! Pepperoni, and Mozzarella wrapped in a yeasty handmade dough the bottom of the pinwheel is coated in a delicious crust of parmesan, and romano cheese. So Yummy!

And on to the main event! The pizza!!! The Detroiter is a new menu addition and I my husband couldn’t eat it fast enough lol. This authentic Detroit-style pizza is topped with pepperoni, Italian sausage, peppadew peppers and a blend cheeses. It’s finished with a signature tomato sauce, ricotta cheese, oregano and pecorino. It has some spicy notes, but is a deeply satisfying pizza unlike anything I’ve tried before.

My all time favorite pizza from Klavon’s though is the barbecue chicken Chicago style stuffed pizza. This monstrously sized pizza starts two layers of crust filled with chicken, bacon, mozzarella, red onion, and topped with a sweet barbecue sauce and parmesan cheese. One slice fills me up and it’s so delicious!

If you’re interested in a fun night out with some delicious, and uniquely creative dishes. Visit Klavon’s pizzeria and pub. You can peruse their menu by visiting their website http://www.klavons.com or follow them on twitter @klavons or find them on facebook! Thanks for following along! Behind the scenes pics will be shared all week on instagram @Tour_the_Town