Roasted Pimento Cheese Chicken
Ingredients
4 split chicken breasts
4 tablespoons of pimento cheese (use your favorite)
1 avocado, sliced
2 limes, one juiced and one for garnish
4 tablespoons of your favorite pico de gallo
tortilla chips
birds nest:
3 stalks of celery, cut in half
1 onion, chopped
8-10 small baby carrots
3 garlic cloves, peeled
salt
pepper
olive oil

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Toss all of the birds nest ingredients with salt, pepper, and olive oil and place it in the bottom of a cast iron skillet or other pan – this will be the “nest” for you bird
Toss the chicken breasts in lime juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil and lay on the nest
Place in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour or until the juices run clear
Remove the chicken from the oven
Turn the oven to broil and broil on high for 3-4 minutes until the skin is nice and crisp
Top the chicken with a healthy dollop of pimento cheese,
Return the skillet to the broiler for about 3 minutes (just enough to let the pimento cheese soften and bubble just slightly
Top with a few avocado slices, a scoop of pico de gallo, and crumbled tortilla chips. Serve with a simple roasted vegetable like asparagus
Enjoy!

Pimiento Cheese Grits with Pepper-Seared Sea Scallops and Red Pepper Sauce

This dish brings together five of my favorite ingredients: pimientos, grits, sharp cheddar
cheese, sea scallops, and black pepper. The creamy grits take on the flavors of the
pimientos and cheddar cheese and make a great accompaniment for the pepper-seared sea
scallops.

Serves 6

The Pimiento Cheese Grits

Makes 6 cups

6 cups water
1 2/3 cups coarse stone-ground white grits
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped red bell pepper
8 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese
1/2 tablespoon salt
Dash of white pepper

Bring the water to a boil in a heavy-bottomed stockpot or large saucepan. Slowly pour in
the grits, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low and continue to stir so that the grits
do not settle to the bottom and scorch. After 8 to 10 minutes, the grits will plump up.
Cook the grits over low heat for another 25 to 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the
cream, butter, cheese, and the roasted peppers. Cook an additional 10 minutes to melt the
cheese and allow peppers to flavor the grits. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.
The grits will have a thick natural creamy consistency, and will have become soft and
silky. Keep covered and warm until ready to serve. If the grits become too thick, add
warm water to adjust the consistency.

The Red Pepper Sauce

Makes 1 3/4 cups

1 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup roughly chopped yellow onion
1/2 teaspoon roughly chopped garlic
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup red pepper flesh from 2 large roasted red peppers chopped, or 2 (4-ounce) jars
pimientos, drained and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Salt to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and
garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Reduce the heat and make a roux by adding the flour and
stirring until well combined. Continue to cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring
constantly. Do not let the onions or flour color. Turn up the heat to medium and, stirring
vigorously, add 3/4 cups of chicken broth. Continue stirring vigorously until the broth
thickens and is smooth. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup of chicken broth, the red
pepper strips or the pimiento, and the basil, stirring constantly until the broth thickens
into a sauce.

Bring the sauce to a low boil, then simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes to cook
out the starchy flavor of the flour. Skim off any skin that may come to the top and
discard. Remove the sauce from the stove and let it cool, stirring occasionally, for 10
minutes. Puree the mixture in a food processor or blender until smooth. Season to taste
with salt and cayenne pepper. Use at once or place in a storage container, let cool to
room temperature, cover, and refrigerate. Red Pepper Sauce will keep for a week in the
refrigerator.

The Scallops

12 large sea scallops
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
4 tablespoons light olive oil
2 ounces white cheddar cheese, cut in a small dice for garnish
1/2 recipe Red Pepper Sauce

Season the sea scallops with the black pepper and salt on the flattest surface of each
scallop. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan to the smoking point. Gently
place the scallops seasoned-side down in the hot oil. Allow them to sear for 1 minute.
Carefully lift the scallops so that the oil can get under each one. Continue to sear,
adjusting the heat if necessary, until a golden crust or sear is obtained. Gently turn the
scallops over and cook them on the other side for 4 to 5 minutes. They should still be
a little translucent in the center. Remove them from the heat and allow to rest for a
moment.

Divide the grits between 6 warm serving plates. Arrange two scallops beside the grits and
sprinkle with the cheddar cheese and a drizzle of red pepper sauce.

6ea. Carolina Cup oysters
4ea. Stalks of crisp celery
1 Small bunch of cilantro
3ea. Large red ripe tomatoes
2T. Ground Horseradish
2c. Half & Half
Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
6ea. Tall Shot Glasses

Pull the Oysters out of their shells and save the liquor from them making sure there are no shells in it. Keep refrigerated. Take the celery stalks and cilantro and send them through a juicer. Taste the extracted juice and season with a little kosher salt to taste. Reserve and keep cold.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Take your tomatoes and with a very sharp knife gently score an X in the bottom of them each. In a bowl place some cold water with ice deep enough to cover the tomatoes. Place the tomatoes, one at a time, into the boiling water for about 15 seconds. With a slotted spoon pull the tomato out of the water and submerge it into the ice water. Repeat this process till all the tomatoes are done. Peel the outer skin off of the tomatoes and cut them in quarters. Pull all of the seeds out of the tomatoes and puree them in a food processor. Season to taste. Place this puree into a fine mesh colander and allow the tomatoes to drain. You can save the juice to drink yourself while you’re working on the next part of this recipe. Once they have had some time to drain scrape the tomato puree into a container and chill. At this point you are ready to assemble your shooters. I like to use a tall shot glass with a foot on the bottom like a wine glass. This helps to steady them so they can sit in your fridge without tipping over, but any tall shot glass will do. In the bottom of each glass add the tomato puree, about an inch deep. Next add the oysters with a little of the reserved liquor. Atop of this add the celery juice mixture and a couple drops of the olive oil. You can then place them in your fridge until your ready to serve them. When you are ready, take the horseradish and half & half and place them into a small pot. Bring to a simmer. Shut off the heat. Next you’ll need an immersion blender. What’s that you say? It’s that hand held blender that you can place in a pot to puree something. Braun makes the one I use and it works well because there are holes in the bottom to help you incorporate air into what you’re pureeing. Take the blender and puree the horseradish cream by plunging the mixer in and out of the cream to help get it bubbly and airy. This may sound hard but it’s easy as pie. When you have a bunch of frothy bubbles on top use a spoon to gather them up and drizzle that “froth” into your shooters. Serve immediately to your guests. You’re done. Drink up and enjoy! If you like you can serve them with a dash of Tabasco but that’s up to you.

Smoked Sausage Biscuits with Mustard Mayo
Ingredients
• Kielbasa, good quality
• Biscuits
• Cast iron skillet
Mustard Mayo – Ingredients
• 1 Cup of Mayonnaise
• 1/3 Cup of Sour Cream
• 2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
• Salt and Pepper
• 3 or more Dashes of your favorite Hot Sauce
Instructions
1. Cut sausage into pieces to fit a small biscuit
2. Cook sausage in a cast iron skillet until well browned
Note: I prefer my sausage crisp and almost burnt for more flavor
3. Generously spread each side of the biscuits with mustard mayonnaise
4. Tuck the sausage inside the biscuit and serve immediately