Stonewall Kitchen Spicy Corn Relish. 

Without exception, Stonewall Kitchen’s Spicy Corn Relish has been our best selling, and for good reason. The tangy, spicy, sweet flavor of this relish is most unique and absolutely top-notch. Recently I simply added one can of black beans for a perfect side dish.

Super simple and a sure winner! Here’s another version with a few more ingredients to try as well.

I always keep the jars from Stonewall Kitchen and re-use them as drinking glasses. Love them!

Here are the simple recipes from the night:

BBQ Pulled Pork

Ingredients:

Salt and Pepper

2-3 lb. trimmed boneless pork loin

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

One bottle of Stonewall Kitchen Bourbon Molasses Barbecue Sauce

6 Sandwich Buns

1. Rub salt and pepper over a 2-3 lb. trimmed boneless pork loin. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a heavy pot. Brown the roast on all sides.
2. Remove roast and place in a crock pot. Add 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar and 1/2 the bottle of BBQ sauce to roast. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours until the pork can be pulled apart with a fork.
3. Shred the pork, removing excess fat, and toss with remaining BBQ sauce.
4. Serve warm on a sandwich bun – as an option, top with coleslaw.

Recently I grilled sliced Polenta and had a feast! It makes a great appetizer or side dish and can be topped with just about anything you can imagine…..

Directions:

1. Slice Bella Famiglia Polenta into 1/2 inch thick pieces. Brush lightly with olive oil.
2. Grill Polenta slices on medium-high heat. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side, turning gently with a spatula.
3. Top each Polenta slice with your topping of choice. The possibilities are endless, but here are a few ideas:

• sliced avocado, sliced grape tomatoes, chopped scallions and capers.
• salami nuggets, tomato bruschetta, and shaved parmesan cheese.
• lump crab meat, chopped shallots, and fresh lemon juice.

Discover your own unique and savory combination – and enjoy! Or should I say buon appetito!

For years I’ve used a very simple method for freezing peaches. In fact, I thought everyone did it this way until I began talking with customers at the store who admitted to being a bit intimidated by the process. Here’s what I’ve done with great success:

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in saucepan. Gently place a peach in the water for 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, retrieve peach and place in cold water for 30 seconds. Gently peel skin off. Slice peach into eighths and remove pit. Fill 1 gallon freezer bags with approximately 6 to 7 peaches, depending on size. Seal freezer bags airtight and lay flat in freezer. Will keep for up to 6 months. No need to add sugar and preservatives.

I found a vertical chicken roaster at a local kitchen supply store and purchased it in lieu of using beer cans. Actually, I purchased two. One roasted chicken is never enough to provide for delicious leftover chicken sandwiches. You clearly have a bit more leeway using these roasters instead of beer cans in that they can be filled with any type of liquid or marinade.

Infused Chicken on the Grill:

sweet basil and beer

Ingredients:

• 2 roasting chickens, about 4 1/2 to 5 lbs each
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• coarse sea salt and cracked ground pepper
• 3/4 cup dry white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)
• 3/4 cup beer
• 2 sprigs each, fresh rosemary, thyme and sweet basil

1. Preheat grill at medium heat. Rinse and pat dry roasting chickens. Rub each chicken with 1 Tbsp olive oil and season with coarse sea salt and cracked ground pepper. Set aside.
2. Fill one reservoir with wine and sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme. Fill the other with beer and fresh sweet basil.
   

   rosemary, thyme and white wine

3. Place chicken roasters on top of each vertical roaster. Carefully place onto prepared grill and cover. Cook for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Juice should run clear when chicken is fully cooked.
4. Carefully remove from grill. Carefully take chickens off of vertical roasters and allow chicken to stand 5 to 10 minutes before carving.

a captive and willing audience

Fortunately for me, I had an immediate opportunity to try out this recipe with a very willing and hungry group of people. Janelle’s friends were more than delighted to sample the dinner.

The votes were essentially split down the middle in terms of preference. Half favored the beer and basil, the other half the wine, rosemary and thyme.

I found them both very good and flavorful. Of course, the best part is that despite 6 hungry teenagers I still had a bit of chicken leftover for sandwiches the next day.

DJ’s Roasted Corn and Pancetta

Ingredients:

• 5 ears of corn, blanched and cut
• 1 small red onion chopped
• 3 Tbsp Olive oil
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 4 oz sliced pancetta
• Seasonello seasoning to taste

Please pardon my teenage vernacular, but it is quite warranted; OMG! The flavor of this dish is simply fantastic. The sweet white corn, the salty pancetta and the buttery olive oil all combine to make this a flavorful dish you will love. This is most definitely a winner!

Last week Kristin showed me a recipe in the Food section of the paper that I quickly tore out and carried home to make. This would be perfect for a Sunday Brunch, a Bridal Shower, a summer cookout, an evening snack – you get the idea….

Melon Salad with Prosciutto-Basil Dressing

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, coarsely chopped
• about 15 large basil leaves chopped (3 Tbsp) plus more for garnish
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• One 2 1/4 pound ripe cantaloupe, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch cubes; about 5 cups
• Freshly ground black pepper

Case in point; Charred Tomato & Chicken Rigatoni. Here is an easy and delectable recipe made with Shore Boys Soup that is simply too delicious to eat only during chilly winter days. We carry both Cream of Crab and Cream of Charred Tomato Soups at Good Earth year-round. Tim Quinn, owner of Shore Boys Soups, gave me the following recipe.  With my trusty Sous Chef Evelyn by my side, we made this dish the other night for dinner and added a few of our own personal touches. Enjoy!

Charred Tomato & Chicken Rigatoni

Ingredients:

• 1 pint Shore Boys Charred Tomato Soup
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (I used a Chardonnay)
• 3 cups uncooked rigatoni
• 1 1/2 to 2 lbs. boneless chicken tenders
• 6 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), divided
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, julienned (about 6 large leaves)
• 6 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
• 8 oz. sliced provolone cheese

The overwhelming consent from my family was that this dish was a success! And really it is so very simple. I’ve no doubt there are many delicious recipes that can be made from Shore Boys Cream of Crab Soup as well. Evelyn and I will need to do a lot of experimenting this summer.

*Shore Boys Cream of Crab Soup has won “Best Cream of Crab Soup on the Eastern Shore” by What’s Up? magazine.

Fortunately for us staff members here at Good Earth, we are privileged to indulge in tasty dinners during a typical staff meeting. And on occasion we get to dive into a scrumptious dessert before covering the “work.”  For last week’s meeting, Dave had Chef Duty at the grill so I offered to bring dessert. (Listen, everyone is grateful for the food, but they thank you for the dessert!)

As we all know, the weather went from a cool, mild, rainy Spring right into the middle of August. I figured ICE CREAM would be a sure-fire hit with everyone so that’s what I went with. I chose a very well known ice cream sandwich recipe and tweaked it just a bit. Here are the details:

(*No we don’t sell any of these ingredients, but we thought it was a fun recipe anyway.)

Ice Cream Sandwich Cake (Ooooh-la-la!)

Ingredients:

• 20 ice cream sandwiches
• Two 12 oz Cool Whip containers (yes, it says TWO!)
• 8 oz chocolate fudge sauce
• 8 oz caramel sauce
• 3 Butterfinger Bars, crushed

The BEST part about the warmer weather is that it means amazingly delicious produce in abundance!

One of my favorite vegetables by far is fresh asparagus. To ensure you’re getting a very tender and tasty asparagus, always look for thin stalks. There are 2 methods of thought for preparing asparagus: 1). Hold the stalk with two hands at each end and bend slightly. The stalk will break naturally. Keep and use the end with the tip. 2). Trim and thin the thick end of the stalk with a paring knife or vegetable peeler and use the whole stalk. It’s your choice!

Here’s an easy and tasty version of the traditional Insalata Caprese (Caprese Salad) that goes well as a side dish to virtually any meal.

Caprese Salad with Roasted Asparagus:

Ingredients:

• approx 20 asparagus stalks
• 4 Tbsp Bella Famiglia Olive Oil
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 6 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
• salt and pepper to taste