Tag Archives: kentucky derby

  1. Maple Bourbon Glazed Chicken Wings

    Maple Bourbon Glazed Chicken Wings

    Maple Bourbon Glazed Chicken Wings

    As I sit down to write this recipe I am having the realization that these Maple Bourbon Glazed Chicken Wings in a nutshell are basically a food representation of my marriage and just 9 days before our 10 year wedding anniversary, at that. I would love to act as if this was 100% purposeful in it’s intent, but nope, kinda just a happy accident. But you guys, chicken wings inspired by the Kentucky Derby – it’s like Buffalo meets Louisville. I a Buffalo girl, my husband Mark from Louisville. Nifty. Totally planned (not really).

    Tomorrow is the Kentucky Derby and while I could care less about horse racing, in fact I actually have some inherent issues with it from a moral and ethical standpoint, I do have a husband that grew up in Louisville, surrounded by the culture of this 2-minute long historic sport. They party for 2 weeks prior to the Derby in Louisville, there are boat races, fireworks, fancy hats and a plethora of foods and cocktails exclusively served for the Derby. They don’t mess around.

    Read the rest of this entry »

  2. Photo Fun Day Friday

    Happy Friday Guys! I hope you had a fantastic week. It’s been a fun and busy one over here. We are gearing up for a big show this weekend, Unique LA, which is a huge amazing show featuring all things handmade. If you are in the LA area you have to check it out, it’s an amazing show. We are booth # 258 – Hero Design Studio. We designed a whole new booth for this show, constructed completely out of recycled wood pallets. I cannot wait to see it all constructed and completed.

    On top of getting ready for the show, we are also counting down the days until my sister Vicky arrives here in California for a visit. She gets here Monday and I couldn’t be any more excited!! She is here 6 days and I cannot wait to show her around, take her to Disney and just hang out!

    What do you have planned for your weekend?

    Photo Fun Day Friday

    Had to get a bottle of this for our Kentucky Derby party last Saturday.

    Photo Fun Day Friday

    Jalapeño cornbread mini muffins. I kinda made the recipe up on the fly but here are two other cornbread muffin recipes here on the blog. Cheddar and green onion cornbread and vegan cornbread muffins.

    Photo Fun Day Friday

    It is rare that you will spot bacon in my kitchen. It’s almost like spotting a unicorn. I bought some yummy organic applewood smoked bacon that I baked until crispy for the hot browns and it made the kitchen smell amazing.

    Photo Fun Day Friday

    A black-eyed pea salad inspired by this recipe, an effort to bring something healthy to the Derby menu.

    Photo Fun Day Friday

    Grain-free apple cobbler. I used my berry cobbler recipe and subbed out the berries for some yummy granny smith apples.

    Photo Fun Day Friday

    The assembly line for the Hot Brown Sandwiches. I made the sauce gluten-free, just so I could taste it to make sure it was OK, but otherwise I made these ALL for Mark.

    Photo Fun Day Friday

    Look at this beauty! She was sitting there when I was photographing food, posing like this.

    Photo Fun Day Friday

    I rolled over the other morning and woke up to this little face staring back at me from the other side of my pillow.

    Photo Fun Day Friday

     Playing some arm balances in my home yoga practice the other day. This is Eka Pada Koundinyasana I. It isn’t perfect, but I am working on it.

    Photo Fun Day Friday

    Toast with avocado, tomato slices and sprouts. The perfect breakfast.

    Photo Fun Day Friday

    My cucumbers are growing like crazy. I have a huge row of them. I planted these from seeds just a week and a half before I took this photo. It’s incredible.

    Photo Fun Day Friday

    Since we didn’t have a CSA this week, I took the bike for it’s first trip to the farmers market. Likely the first of many.

    Photo Fun Day Friday

    Yesterday’s post-run smoothie. Recipe can be found on my instagram.

    Afterlight

    Hubby surprised me last night with reservations to Carthay Circle Restaurant at Disneyland. Sunday marks 10 years since our first (blind) day and 6 years since we got married.

    Photo Fun Day FridayDisney is just so darn magical. Gets me every time.

     

  3. Grain-free Maple Bourbon Pecan Tart – Gluten-free + Dairy-free

     

    Grain-free Maple Bourbon Pecan Tart - Gluten-free + Dairy-freeI am going to start off this post by saying that this isn’t the usual über healthy dessert that I am usually touting here on Tasty Yummies. It has a full 2 cups of maple syrup and some additional coconut sugar. So yeh. But the good news is it IS healthier than the usual pecan pie. No butter, no corn syrup, no refined sugar, etc. Could I have made this healthier? Probably, but this was the compromise I came up with since I promised hubby I wouldn’t mess with this classics too much. I actually hadn’t even planned on sharing this recipe, but after I posted a photo on Instagram, people were begging for the recipe.

    I made this for the Kentucky Derby party that we hosted here at our house on Saturday. I promised Mark an afternoon of all of his favorite Southern foods that remind him of Louisville. I promised not to “healthy-up” the recipes. I made mini hot browns (the sandwich made famous at the Brown Hotel in Louisville), pimento cheese dip, southern style deviled eggs, jalapeño cornbread mini muffins, a blackeyed pea salad, apple cobbler (I made this recipe with apples instead of the berries), mint-infused raw sugar simple syrup for Mint Juleps and this Maple Bourbon Pecan Tart. The menu was ALL about Mark and though I couldn’t eat a lot of it, I wanted it to be all yummy and I wanted to bring as much of Mark’s home to him on a day he is super homesick

    Grain-free Maple Bourbon Pecan Tart - Gluten-free + Dairy-freeWhen I promised to make pecan pie, I did specify that I had to make it gluten-free and dairy-free so I could enjoy it and I refused to make it with the usual corn syrup or regular sugar. I wanted a grain-free crust that would compliment but not overpower the tart and I went for as much maple and bourbon flavor as I could get.

    I am so excited with how this turned out. It has a really rich flavor from the maple syrup and the bourbon that is really special. It is luscious, sticky and sweet, without being overly sweet and heavy. Though it isn’t something I will be making often, it is perfect for those special occasions, like a Derby party or the holidays.
    Grain-free Maple Bourbon Pecan Tart - Gluten-free + Dairy-free

    [print_this]Grain-free Maple Bourbon Pecan Tart – Gluten-free + Dairy-free
    Serves 8-10

    Tart Crust

    • 2.5 cups almond flour aka almond meal
    • 3 tablespoons flax seed meal
    • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
    • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
    • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1/8 teaspoon salt

    Preheat the oven to 375º F. Lightly grease a 9 or 10-inch tart pan. In a large bowl, add all of the crust ingredients and mix very well. I like to get my hands right in there to make certain it is all mixed up. Add the crust mixture to the tart pan and press down firmly into the pan, going up the sides just a tad bit. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.

    Tart Filling

    • 2 cups pure organic maple syrup, preferably Grade B
    • 3 large local farm fresh eggs, lightly beaten
    • 1/4 cup coconut sugar or firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
    • 1/4 teaspon salt
    • 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
    • 3 tablespoons bourbon
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 cups organic raw pecan halves or pieces

    Meanwhile in a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the maple syrup to a boil and boil for 8 to 10 minutes to reduce. Remove from the heat and pour into a heatproof measuring pitcher. The syrup should be reduced to 1 1/2 cups. If necessary, return the syrup to the saucepan and continue to boil until sufficiently reduced. Let cool to room temperature before proceeding.

    In a bowl, stir together the eggs, coconut sugar, reduced maple syrup, the bourbon, salt, coconut oil and vanilla until well mixed. Add the pecans and stir well. Pour into the partially baked pie shell, making sure the pecans are evenly distributed.

    Bake the pie until the center is set and firm to the touch, 25-30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 1 hour; remove pan sides. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.[/print_this]

  4. Jalapeño Corn Bread Muffins – Gluten-free + Dairy-free

    Jalapeño Corn Bread Muffins - Gluten-free + Dairy-free

    Jalapeño Corn Bread Muffins - Gluten-free + Dairy-free

    Hey guys, hope everyone has been well! Sorry for the lack of posts as of late, it has been a bit busy over here with us getting our house ready to get on the market and everything else we have going on, with work and otherwise. We leave tomorrow morning to head to California for the week, where we plan to explore and really dive into what will soon be our new home. Both my hubby and I agreed that with such a HUGE life decision pending, we owe it to ourselves to be 150% positive that this is where we want to move and that this is what we want to do. We are both 99.9% sure, but the last time we were out there, last July, we were talking so casually about it, more like a 5-year plan. Since we really never do anything half-assed, we decided why would we wait so long? Let’s get our house here in Buffalo on the market, sell it and go! So after this week long trip, we plan to get back home, get our house on the market and when it sells, we are gone. We have been painting, putting up lights, decluttering, ebaying, craigslisting and just getting ourselves and the house ready! It has been exciting and worth it though, we can see the progress being made and we are getting that much closer. It looks like if the house here in Buffalo goes on the market in early June, there is a possibility we could be living in California by late Summer. That is so exciting and terrifying, all at once.

    As you can imagine, this is partially why I haven’t had as much time to play in the kitchen, play around with recipes, etc. I have been cooking and baking but I have been sticking with trusted and favorite recipes, or just simple throw together things that require very little thought. Though I did try to create a new recipe on Friday night and it just didn’t go as planned, I was trying to make grain-free, vegan ginger snap cookies and they just didn’t come out quite as I had imagined. They tasted amazing but the dough was a bit too thin and the cookies spread out more than I had wanted. So back to the drawing board on those.

    Saturday we had a fun little Kentucky Derby party at my parent’s house. So I, of course, did a little baking and cooking! I made oven “fried” okra (vegan and gluten-free), which turned out pretty good and these corn bread muffins. I also made a little something for everyone else, a Louisville favorite, “hot browns”! These are totally not gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free or anything else Beth friendly, but it’s one my hubby’s favorites and it reminds him of home. Rather than butchering a classic trying to make it healthy for me, I took one for the team and made a mini version of the traditional sandwich. Basically a hot brown is roasted turkey served on top of thick toast, topped with a thick, creamy white cheese sauce, some bacon and a slice or two of tomato. All of that is just put in the broiler until browned and bubbly, and you have one happy hubby! This may have been the first time I have ever made something that I couldn’t take a single taste of. I made the cheese sauce from scratch, but since it was thickened with regular flour, I couldn’t taste it. I was relying on everyone else’s taste, it felt strange and foreign. Kinda fun though, too.

    Mini Hot Browns

    Mint Juleps

    My mom made some oven baked “fried” chicken, we had some delicious beans and greens, some vinegary coleslaw and my dad made pulled pork. Oh, and of course, the bourbon and the mint juleps were flowing freely. My sister made a hysterical horse head cake and for me, she made some incredibly delicious and super beautifully decorated gluten-free and vegan chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting, totally from scratch. They were so amazing. My mom also pulled out some of my great grandmother’s (my great Yia Yia) old hats and we all picked one out to wear.

    Gluten-free, Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes made by my sis

    Kentucky Derby Cake

    Since I always make sure to make at least one or two things that I know I can eat that are somewhat healthy, besides the simple corn meal crusted fresh okra bits that I baked up to make crispy, I decided to have some fun with these corn bread muffins and add in a little heat with the jalapeños. You could certainly leave those out if you don’t like jalapeños, or you could try chipotle or some roasted poblanos, etc – but I would recommend trying it. The heat and spice is very subtle and it is so nice with the gritty corn flavor. If you like your corn bread more on the sweet side, than savory, just add in a more sugar (or sweetener of your choice).

    Our Derby party was super fun and laid back. As we always do, Mark and I hit one of the seedy OTB’s (Off Track Betting) before heading to my parent’s house. It is the only time of year we bet on horse racing. It is our tradition. I always like to bet on one favored horse and one underdog. I put just $10 to win on each of my two picks and didn’t expect much! My underdog horse, #19 – “I’ll Have Another”, actually won and I walked away with $155! Yay!

    I am so glad we got to have this little party! This is one of the times of year that Mark gets homesick and we all love a good excuse to party! With us gearing up to move, I cherish these moments more than ever before!!

    Our Derby Hats

    Jalapeño Corn Bread Muffins - Gluten-free + Dairy-free

    [print_this]Jalapeño Corn Bread Muffins – Gluten-free + Dairy-free
    makes 12 muffins

    • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
    • 2 teaspoons white vinegar
    • 2 large farm fresh brown eggs, lightly beaten at room temperature (you could try using an egg replacer here to make vegan,
    • but I haven’t done so yet, myself)
    • 1/3 cup olive oil (you can also use canola oil or melted coconut oil)
    • 1 cup gluten-free stone ground, whole grain medium grind corn meal (If you can’t find whole grain, regular will work and if
    • you prefer fine grind over medium, that’s ok, too)
    • 1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour (I used a blend of tapioca, potato starch and sorghum flour)
    • 1/4 cup organic raw cane sugar (regular sugar will work, too)
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt
    • 1 to 2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped

    Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a full-sized muffin tin with paper liners.

    Mix the vinegar with the milk, and set aside. In a large bowl mix together well all the dry ingredients, corn meal, all-purpose flour, cane sugar, baking powder and sea salt. In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, olive oil and milk/vinegar mixture. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture slowly, mixing all the while. You can use a spoon or a mixer on low, just make sure the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Fold in the finely chopped jalapeños, make sure they are evenly mixed throughout.

    Pour the mixture into the prepared muffin tin and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the top is firm and the edges are slightly browned. Serve warm if you wish.

    [/print_this]

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