Oven-Fried Chicken {Gluten-Free}

Serves 4

My parents have been reading the book Wheat Belly and have been cutting back on the amount of wheat/gluten they consume. I'm still in the early stages of researching this way of eating, and since it makes sense that this could be a healthier lifestyle, I've been trying to come up with delicious gluten-free substitutes for the everyday cravings we wheat-lovers want.

My dear friend, Frederiche Gray, who has been my hairstylist for years now, is moving to Oregon today. My family had Frederiche & his husband over for a sending-off dinner last night, and I decided to make a tried-and-true delicious recipe that I've posted on this blog before, but I made a couple changes to make it gluten-free!

Cree LaFavour's recipe from Poulet: More Than 50 Remarkable Recipes That Exalt the Honest Chicken, Oven-Fried Chicken, is one of my all-time favorite dishes to make. It's crispy, juicy, and so much healthier than fried chicken (I actually think it's BETTER)! I researched how to make a gluten-free all-purpose flour, and found this wonderful blog called Gluten-Free Girl and The Chef. The blog explained which flours could be used and what the correct proportions are to make a gluten-free all-purpose flour (see the post here). I decided to use oat flour as my whole grain flour, and potato flour as my starch. My family, who has eaten this recipe before, liked the gluten-free version even more! It was so crispy, and seriously delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup organic whole milk
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1 tsp. Kosher salt, plus 1 tbsp.
• 8-10 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts)
• 3 oz. oat flour
• 5 oz. potato flour
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• Black pepper
• Flaky salt for finishing
• 1/4 cup coursely chopped fresh chives or parsley

Directions:

In a large bowl, stir together the milk, olive oil, lemon juice and the 1 tsp. Kosher salt.  Add the chicken to the bowl and turn to coat on both sides.  Marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour, or cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. If refrigerating, return the chicken to room temperature for 30 minutes or so to take the chill off before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 400° F.

Stir together the oat flour, potato flour, 1 tbsp. Kosher salt, and cayenne in another large bowl.  Season with the black pepper.  Lift the chicken pieces from the marinade and dredge in the seasoned flour to coat on both sides.  Give each piece a little shake to remove any excess flour.  Lay the pieces on a parchment paper-lined or lightly greased baking sheet, skin-side down.

Bake the chicken for 30-40 minutes, turning after 15 minutes, or until the crust is a deep, golden brown.  I covered my chicken with aluminum foil at the end because the crust was very crispy, and I didn't want it to burn. Either insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of a thigh or cut into a thigh with a paring knife.  The thermometer should register 175° F.  If using a knife, look for clear, not red or pink, juices running from the spot where you pierced the meat and opaque, barely pink flesh at the bone.  If the chicken isn't done, bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer and check it again.

When the chicken is done, remove it from the oven, sprinkle with a little flaky salt, and let rest for 5 minutes.  Arrange on a platter or divide among individual plates.  Scatter the chives or parsley on top and serve.

Spicy BBQ Baby Back Ribs

Serves 4-6 

My mom found some delicious-looking organic baby back pork ribs yesterday at Native Sun in Jacksonville, FL, for me to make for a family dinner. I'd never cooked ribs before, so I researched some different cooking methods. I found a wonderful recipe on AllRecipes.com (link to original recipe below) that had rave reviews. I altered the sauce and cooking method, and got very lucky! The sauce turned out incredible (I will use it for different BBQ meats in the future), and the meat was literally falling off the bone. The garlic is a nice touch, and I'm going to double it next time! I cannot wait to make these yummy ribs again. :)

Ingredients:

Ribs:

• 4 pounds baby back pork ribs 
• 2/3 cup water 
• 1/3 cup Bragg apple cider vinegar 
• 6 large garlic cloves, barely chopped 
• 2 bay leaves 
• Freshly ground black pepper 

Barbeque Sauce:

• 1/2 cup Melinda's Jalapeño ketchup 
• 1/2 cup ketchup 
• 1 cup water 
• 1/2 cup Bragg apple cider vinegar 
• 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce 
• 1/4 cup organic creamy yellow mustard 
• 4 tablespoons butter 
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar 
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha pepper sauce 
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place ribs in two 10x15 inch roasting pans. Pour water and apple cider vinegar into a bowl, and stir. Sprinkle some freshly cracked black pepper over the ribs. Add the garlic and bay leaves to each of the pans. Pour diluted vinegar over ribs, and cover with foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Baste the ribs with their juices. Reduce heat to 300 degrees F. Bake for 35 minutes more. 

In a medium saucepan, mix together jalepeño ketchup, ketchup, water, Bragg apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, butter, brown sugar, Sriracha pepper sauce, and sea salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer barbeque sauce for 2 hours. 

Place all ribs into one container, discarding cooking liquid and bay leaves, keeping garlic. Pour half of your BBQ sauce all over them. Cover and marinate for at least 2 hrs in the refrigerator. (I marinated for 3 hrs.) Take the ribs out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you're ready to cook them to let them get to room temperature. 

Preheat grill for medium heat. 

Lightly oil preheated grill. Grill ribs (with garlic) over medium heat for 10 minutes, turning ribs once. Baste ribs generously with barbeque sauce, and grill 2 minutes. Turn ribs, baste again with barbeque sauce, and grill 2 minutes. 

Place ribs on a serving platter, and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with extra BBQ sauce on the side for dipping. Garnish with grilled garlic.

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com

Flagship Romance CD Release Party!

I've been dying to announce this!!! ♥

I'm thrilled to say that my duo project with Shawn Fisher, Flagship Romance, is releasing our debut EP, "The Fudge Sessions," at Jack Rabbits in Jacksonville, FL, on January 19, 2013! SAVE THE DATE!! We have been working really hard, and we're so excited about this record. "The Fudge Sessions" was recorded this past July at Fudge Recording Studio in New Orleans, LA.

We have an amazing team around us, and without all of them, we couldn't be where we are today...

Jack Miele {producer, engineer, electric guitar, bass, percussion, & more} | Chris Arceneaux {drums} | Beau St. Pierre {piano, Rhodes, organ} | Ian Smith {trombone} | Chelsea Partington {engineer} | Lucio Rubino {string production} | Shawn Grove {mixing engineer} | Jeff Lipton & Maria Rice at Peerless Mastering | Tim Hall {manager} | Our parents

The above people have made this record become a reality, and we couldn't thank them enough!

Please mark your calendars - it's going to be a killer party!! And I would appreciate it SO much if you would spread the word to your friends & families.

xxoo, Jordyn

Caramel Rum Pecan French Toast

Serves 4

Happy Sunday, everyone! This is a recipe I conjured up awhile ago, and just found it hidden on my computer. I wish I could've made this today - it's the perfect Sunday brunch (and I'm soooo hungry right now)! 

Now, this is not a simple, nor easy recipe, but the final result is most definitely worth the time & effort. My family DIED over this French toast, and I'm sure yours will, too, if you decide to make it. It's crispy, sweet, buttery, and nutty! I'm making my own tummy growl. 

Ingredients:

French Toast:

• 2 cans Pillsbury Simply French Bread
• 6 eggs
• 1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups Ian's Plain Panko crumbs
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup very chopped pecans
• Pinch ground cinnamon
• Small pinch ground nutmeg
• Unsalted European butter
• Confectioner's sugar for dusting

Caramel Rum Sauce:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup salted butter
• 1 tbsp corn syrup
• Splash Mount Gay rum

Strawberry Compote:

• 2 cups chopped fresh strawberries
• 1 tbsp water
• 1/4 tsp Confectioner's sugar

Directions:

Bake French bread as directed, set aside.

Put strawberries, water, and confectioner's sugar in a small saucepan. Cook on medium high heat, covered, for a few minutes till juices come out. Uncover & let simmer, stirring occasionally till thick. Leave on low heat till ready to use.

Put caramel sauce ingredients in small saucepan, but wait to heat until French toast is almost finished.

Make egg wash: Crack 6 eggs into large shallow bowl. Add heavy cream & vanilla, mix well.

In another large shallow bowl, mix together Panko crumbs, brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, & nutmeg.

Heat electric griddle to 375 degrees, or heat large pan on stove on medium high heat.

Cut French bread in 1.5 inch diagonal slices. Soak pieces in egg wash. Add large pat of unsalted butter to skillet. Dip both sides of soaked bread pieces into the pecan coating, then add to skillet. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side, till browned & crispy.

Turn caramel saucepan on medium high heat. Stir constantly until ingredients are melted together well.

Dust French bread with confectioner's sugar. Serve compote & caramel rum sauce in separate bowls. Also, serve with good Maple syrup if wanted. Enjoy!

Soaking up Design Sponge at Home

I love, love, love the store Anthropologie. It inspires me so very much every time I walk inside... And I am seriously obsessed with their book collection. I saw Design Sponge at Home in Anthropologie, and was initially drawn to it because of the color (tangerine is my favorite interior accent color at the moment). I purchased it after flipping through, and realizing that it was more than just a pretty cover - but it is just as inspiring as the store it's sold in!

Design Sponge is a blog started by Brooklyn-based writer Grace Bonney. She compiled her favorite homes and DIY projects, and put them into this very well-designed, gorgeous hard-back book. 

I'm so excited to begin a Do-It-Yourself project that is featured in Design Sponge at Home. I'll take some photos of the final product and post them here. You can find some fun DIY projects on the Design Sponge blog.

I highly recommend this book to anyone in love with interior design or DIY! You can purchase the book at Anthropologie, Amazon (it's a lot cheaper there), and more.

Thai Beef Salad (Yum Nuea)

Serves 4-5

My family has been frequenting a certain local Jacksonville Thai restaurant for about 17 years now. Pattaya Thai Grille was once owned and operated by our friend Lek, who's son, Russell, now owns and it and is the main chef. 

Shawn & I were invited to a dinner with new friends recently where we were to bring a dish made with flank steak, and then all of the dishes were to be voted on. I told Lek about this food contest, and she verbally gave me the recipe for her version of Thai Beef Salad (Yum Nuea). I put my own style into it, and it was quite a hit at the dinner!

The measurements below are guesstimates, since I make this by taste. If you like your food very spicy, add another chili pepper... If you're not into spice, SHAME ON YOU! Just kidding. ;) Just use 1 chili pepper. If you cannot find thin soy, use Tamari or regular soy sauce, but taste the mixture before pouring it all over your steak. You may want to add a little more lime juice.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. flank steak 
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice 
• 3 tbsp. thin soy sauce 
• 1 tbsp. granulated sugar 
• 4 cloves garlic 
• 2 chili peppers 
• 1 med. white onion, thinly sliced 
• 1 green onion, sliced 
• 3 cups fresh cilantro, chopped 
• Fresh mint leaves, for garnish 
• 3 medium tomatoes, sliced for garnish 
• Jasmine rice

Directions:

Take your steaks out of the refrigerator to let them warm to room temperature (about 20 minutes). Turn your grill on (I have an electric grill since I live in a condo & am not allowed to have gas or charcoal). Let it get to high heat (about 15 minutes).

Prep your onion, green onion, cilantro, tomatoes and set aside.

In a food processor or blender, finely chop the garlic and chili pepper. Set the mixture aside.

Grill the flank steaks for about 5 minutes on each side, or until they're done to your liking. Let the cooked steaks rest on the counter.

Arrange sliced tomatoes on your nicest platter or large plate. In a bowl, mix together the garlic/chili pepper, lime juice, thin soy, and sugar. This is your sauce... and wow, it's good.

Cut flank steaks into quarter-inch slices - cut against the grain, or your meat will be chewy. Cut the slices in half, and then arrange half of the meat on the serving platter. Stack your meat high to make it look like there's a lot of it. Arrange half of the sliced onions on top of the meat. Pour half of the sauce over the meat & onions. Generously sprinkle some of the fresh cilantro on top. Repeat with the rest of the meat, then the onion, the rest of the sauce, more cilantro, and then top with the sliced green onion and fresh mint.

Serve with jasmine rice, and make sure to spoon that delicious sauce over the rice. Bon appetit!