I was shopping for Thanksgiving and came across a bunch of turkey wings.  They sell a lot of necks and wings prior to the holiday and I buy them for making my turkey bone broth for the gravy ahead of time.  I wanted to also make chicken drumsticks.  When I got home I thought it would be incredible to make a GIANT platter of wings.  Supersize the normal look.  So I did and named them Dragon Wings. They were so good and a fun twist!  

Dragon Wings
1 dozen chicken drumsticks
1 dozen turkey wings, cut to flats
2 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard 
Rub of choice for each or same for both.  I used PitBoss Grills GSP for the flats and Nashville Hot Rub for the drumsticks.  

Instructions:
Dry chicken and turkey and rub with mustard.  Season all over with rub of choice and allow to rest and become room temperature while you fire up the grill.

Heat grill to 400F.  I used a drumstick rack which was perfect because it left room for the turkey flats and cooks the drumsticks to perfection.  I will never do them differently again.  I cooked them both until they reached 200F. The flats were done well before the drumsticks.  Keep an eye on your flats, flipping and moving them to make sure they don't flare up and get over charred.  I made the fire in the center and put the flats around the edges on my Kamado charcoal grill.  Served with a homemade Alabama white sauce. 

Alabama White Sauce:

2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon creamy horseradish
1 teaspoon cayenne
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together all the ingredients and serve with chicken and turkey.  Enjoy!  

This is my special recipe for hoagie spread.  It is pickled and the perfect topping for Cuban and Brisket Sandwiches. 

Ingredients:
4 large hatch chilies, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 orange pepper, diced
1/2 white onion, diced
1 1/2 cups pickling or Persian cucumber, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced

Pickling Spice:
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
3 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons mustard seed
2 teaspoons dill seed
2 cloves garlic, chopped 
handful fresh dill

Prepare pickling spice by bringing ingredients to a boil and allowing to simmer until sugar is dissolved.  Allow to cool. 

Chop all vegetables and pour over pickling spice.  Make sure to prepare your jars by sanitizing them.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil and simmer jars and tops for 10 minutes.  Make sure they are submerged in the water.  Pull out with tongs and fill with pickled mixture.  The mixture will get more intense in flavor over a couple days.  They will last three months.  

This fluffy, jiggly wonder was smoked on my vertical smoker for an extra touch of smoke.  You can also just make it in your oven.  Japanese cheesecakes do not have a crust, are lower in calories and sugar and literally melt-in-your-mouth!  You must give it a try! 

Ingredients:

• 6.5 ounces cream cheese
• 2. 5 tbl  salted butter
• 3 tbl whole milk
• 1/3 c pastry flour

4 tsp cornstarch
pinch of sea salt 
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites
1/4 cup caster sugar

Directions:
Preheat smoker to 300F.
Prepare 6 inch cake pan by spraying it with baking spray and lining it with parchment paper.
Heat cream cheese, butter and milk in a saucepan on low heat until combined.  Place water bath in smoker/oven to heat. Add egg yolks one at a time until just combined.  Sift dry ingredients together (all but the sugar) and slowly fold into mixture until it is no longer lumpy.  Clean mixing bowl and whip egg whites until frothy and then slowly pour in fine sugar.  Whisk until stiff peaks are just formed do not over whip the egg whites.  Fold in meringue to the other ingredients. Pour batter into prepared pan and smoke bake at 300F for 30 minutes then lower temperature to 225F for 60 more minutes.  Remove from oven and flip onto a serving platter.  I would grease/spray the serving platter so you do not damage cake because it will stick.  enjoy this jiggly delight! ​

​I am obsessed with figs!! I wanted to make a cake that allowed the figs beauty to shine and it did!  It was so delicious made up of juicy, freshly picked figs!  There is also a video on my instagram feed check it out: @mlkfredcooks.

Ingredients:
CAKE:
3 cups of cake flour
1 tbl baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup salted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
6 egg whites, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla (clear if you want it extra white)
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, full fat, room temperature

Stablized Cream:
2 cups heavy whipping cream, very cold
3 tbl cold water
1 tbl unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp orange extract
1 tsp orange zest
1/4 cup fresh figs,chopped
4 fresh figs, divided (whole and slices for decoration, sliced for middle of the cake)

Directions:

Preheat your smoker or oven to 325 degrees F. Spray your sheet pan with non-stick spray and then line with parchment. Spray again. Set aside.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, and the sugar for two minutes on medium-high speed.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and begin to add the egg whites on medium speed, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl between addition. Once all of the egg whites are added, mix for about 1 to 2 minutes on medium speed.
Add vanilla extract and beat until incorporated.
With the mixer on low speed, add flour and buttermilk mixture interchangeably.  Only mix until the flour mixture is incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again for another 20 to 30 seconds on low. Fold in the sour cream.
Pour cake batter into prepared sheet pan and bake/smoke at 325F for 25 minutes.  Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes and then flip onto a sprayed rack.  Allow to cool completely.  

Prepare stabilized cream.  

In a small bowl, place the cold water and sprinkle with the gelatin. Let sit for at least 10 minutes. In a small saucepan, bring ⅓ cup heavy cream to a simmer and then stir in the gelatin mixture. Refrigerate, stirring frequently, until cool but not set, about 5-7 minutes.
In a chilled stainless steel bowl with a chilled whisk attachment, beat the remaining whipping cream, icing sugar, orange extract, orange zest and vanilla until it thickens and soft peaks begin to form, about 1 to 2 minutes. Very gradually add the gelatin mixture and continue beating until medium-firm peaks form.  Keep covered and chilled until ready to use.

Assemble cake:

Using a 4 or 6 inch ring cut two layers of cake.  Reserve scraps for cake pops or another recipe.  Line your ring you used to cut the layers of the cake and with an acetate sheet.  Press first layer of cake carefully into lined ring.  Fill with a layer of stabilized cream.  Press sliced figs with beautfiul face facing the acetate. Fill with remaining cream and chopped figs and more cream.  Place second layer on top and press gently.  Make sure to push the cream carefully towards the spaces between the figs.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.  Pipe remaining stabilized cream (you may need more) and top with figs, mint and honey.  My favorite cake for its beauty and taste! 

​
Ingredients:
12 tablespoons salted butter
3 eggs, room temperature
2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons root beer extract
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup root beer

Frosting:
1 cup salted butter
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon heavy cream
2 teaspoons root beer extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of sea salt

Directions:
Preheat smoker or oven to 350F.  
Combine flour, salt and baking powder.  Cream butter and sugar together until creamy, add eggs one at a time.  When incorporated add root beer extract and vanilla.  Add root beer and flour mixture half of each at a time until fully combined.  Do not overmix.  Fill prepared baking cups 2/3rds full and bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  For frosting cream butter, add extracts and gradually whip butter.  Pipe a generous portion of frosting and top with a fresh cherry and straw.  I also included a video where I sliced cupcake in half and added ice cream!  Amazing!

Ingredients:
8 ounces of cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tbl lemon juice
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
2 tbl fresh herbs (parsley, chives)
1 pound peel on, deveined shrimp


Directions:
Preheat Smoker or oven to 225F.  Season shrimp with BBQ rub of choice.  I used maple chipotle.  Smoke for 35 minutes depending on the size of your shrimp.  They should be pink and tender.  Allow to cool, peel and chop.  In a stand mixer blend cream cheese through herbs until smooth then add the chopped shrimp.  Blend until it is the consistency you desire.  Serve with toasts, crackers, veggies or chips.  Enjoy! 




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Smoked Cajun Shrimp Dip
Published on August 5, 2022




Michele Karabin

7 followers

Cook time: 1 hour 0 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients:
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This is such a cook looking hummus made naturally black by making my own black tahini out of toasted black sesame seeds and sesame oil.  The garbanzo beans are also black.  What is the difference between black chickpeas and regular chickpeas?  Black chickpeas/garbanzo beans also called Kala chana chickpeas have a nuttier flavor, they are more firm and also have a higher fiber content and a low glycemic index.  

Ingredients:
Black Tahini:
1 cup sesame seeds
 tbl sesame oil

Hummus:
14 ounces black garbanzo beans, soaked
2 tbl black tahini
2 tbl lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp cumin
Pinch of cayenne
Salt to taste
2 tbl olive oil
2 ice cubes and up to 2 tbl water

Prepare Tahini by grinding toasted sesame seeds in a high speed blender.  Slowly stream in sesame oil until smooth.  

For hummus, soak beans overnight or you can use an instant pot.  I smoked mine for an additional flavor at 225F for 25 minutes. You can skip this step if you do not have a smoker.  Blend all ingredients, except the oil an ice cubes.  Stream in the oil and then add the ice and ice water until smooth.  Serve with pita bread, crackers or pretzels. Enjoy!

Hands down this was one of the most interesting recipes I have prepared to date!  I appreciated chocolate a couple days ago.  Now, after making it from cacao pod to bar, I appreciate it even more. 

When I first opened the pod I was amazed and kind of disgusted at the same time.  The pod contained a string like center that held a bunch of slimy white seeds.  They smelled good, kind of like oranges and grapefruit, citrusy.  That helped.  I pulled out the slimy seeds and put them in a couple of large bowls to ferment. I covered them and put them in the oven with the oven light on to create a warm environment.  I patted them dry every day for 7 days until they were dry and darker in color.  I then roasted/smoked them to kill bacteria and to add more flavor.  They were dark now in color and smelled like brownies.  I was excited.  Then came the winnowing.  Winnowing is the process of removing the outer shell from the cocoa beans.  This took a long time and you want to make sure to keep out the shells from the chocolate to keep it as pure as possible. 

For grinding and processing the nibs, there is a machine used in making chocolate called a melanger. This creates a smooth chocolate and there are also machines that temper the chocolate.  I ground the nibs in my high speed blender until it looked like cocoa powder.  Add melted Cacao Butter, Vanilla, sea salt and powdered sugar until smooth and pour into molds and place in the refrigerator. This worked! I had beautiful and delicious chocolate! Try it and let me know how it goes! You can also add rice crispies, nuts, fruit and be creative in the process.  I absolutely enjoyed all of it! 

Ingredients:
3 large cacao pods
1/4 cup of powdered sugar
1-1 1/2 cup of cacao butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon of sea salt and more to sprinkle on top

Crack open the pods and remove the seeds spread them in a couple of bowls so there is room to dry.  Cover with a kitchen towel and put in the oven with the oven light on.  This supports the fermentation process.  You need to ferment the chocolate to develop the flavor.  My oven light is on one side of the oven and the bowl underneath dried and fermented more quickly so I swapped spaces halfway through the process.  It takes 5-7 days until they are dry and fermented.  You want them to look about two shades darker than day one.   Next you want to roast to kill bacteria at 350F for 2-25 minutes.  I put mine in the smoker at 400F then turned it down to 350F after putting them in because I was worried about bacteria.  Then comes winnowing.  Separate shell and beans and then grind beans in a high powered blender or grinder until smooth.  I also put powder in microwave to heat the powder to help it move along in the grinding process for 1 minute.  Then add remaining ingredients and process until smooth, scraping down the sides.  Pour into molds and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.  You can also temper your chocolate, I did not check temperatures or do this and it was great! 

Ingredients:
1 Pink Pineapple, peeled and chopped
zest and juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup of sugar or less depending on your taste
2 tbl corn syrup
pinch of sea salt

Hibiscus Lotus Root
1 lotus root, peeled and sliced
1 tbl dried hibiscus tea leaves
2 tsp raw honey
1/2 tsp ginger, grated

​Prepare your sorbet by blending all ingredients in a high speed blender. Place in a sealed container and allow to set for at least 6 hours.
Make lotus root decorations by briefly blanching lotus root in boiling water for two minutes. Steep tea, add honey and ginger and place lotus root into tea mixture for a couple hours until the color develops. These will have a nice crunch to them and absorb the flavors. Perfect decoration for mixed drinks and various recipes. Lotus root also can be sautéed and incorporated into many recipes.
**You can also dye them blue by using blue butterfly pea powder or any color you like.

​Grilled Tteokkochi!  This is so so delicious and so easy to make.  You can find rice cakes at your Korean market.  They sell them fresh and frozen.  If there is not a Korean market near you, you can make them fresh by soaking rice.  Check this recipe out, it is time consuming but fairly easy:

https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/garaetteok

I found fresh already made rice cakes at the market so this made the recipe very simple.  

Ingredients:
1/2 pound of bacon
1 package of rice cakes
1 tbl grapeseed oil

Glaze and Sauce:
2 tbl gochujang
2 tsp maple syrup
1 tbl ketchup
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbl toasted sesame seeds

Directions:
Cut 1 lb of bacon in half and roll slices around the rice cake.  Brush with grapeseed oil and grill on a hot grill until crispy.  Brush with glaze and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.  Serve with the remaining dipping sauce.