Making Something Delicious

Last week we talked all about how to whip together a delicious meal in no time using leftovers and everything you have on hand, but this week we are focusing on the opposite: preparing slow-cooked items and dishes that are a little more ambitious, or simply something you’ve never tried before. I know getting supplies can be a little bit challenging right now, but taking some time to learn to cook and perfecting specialty dishes is an amazing way to enrich your life and a great way to be with your family. I’ve included three of our family favorites and one spectacular brand-new recipe this week.

Have you ever made homemade chicken fingers? First of all, they are very simple, and second, they are so absolutely delicious that I would pretty much have to hide them from my kids when I was making them so there would be enough for dinner. But by no means is this a kids-only dish. I cannot tell you how often friends would come to town and request Patrick's Chicken Fingers, which is in my cookbook. They are really fun to make with your kids! You can do a Paleo, gluten-free, or regular version.

I love sloppy joes! I slow cook mine in the oven, letting them simmer luxuriously for an entire afternoon. The ingredients are things you’ll find in your cupboard. I love adding sumac and Aleppo pepper to my version to step it up a little bit, but they are absolutely not necessary, and you can throw in some of your own favorite spices. This concoction is lovely as is, and even better on a bun served with pickles and maybe some additional mustard. I have a Whole30 version and a regular version, and if you can handle a little bit of brown sugar, it's absolutely worth it.

One of my favorite recipes from the cookbook is my vegan chili. While I am certainly a girl who enjoys meat, I am also a very vegetable-forward cook. My son Patrick, who is vegan, particularly loves this spectacular chili. It is in the book but not on my blog, though it currently lives on the blog of my friend, recipe tester, and food guru Ann Volkwein, who shares a wonderful recipe for scallion pancakes below. 

Hunter’s Chicken is a new recipe that is not only naturally Whole30, but absolutely scrumptious and something you’ll want to make right away. Chicken thighs, mushrooms, and chicken stock are the secrets to this dish, and while it is not challenging to make, it is sort of next level cooking, which is satisfying and life-enhancing to do at least once in a while.

This week a few members of our nocrumbsleft team did some cooking while sheltering in place, and we are sharing the finished products. Am I the only one finding myself a bit obsessed with food and what I’m eating next?

Teri Turner, founder, nocrumbsleft™
Author:  No Crumbs Left, Recipes for Everyday Food Made Marvelous
Podcaster: nocrumbsleft Table Talks
Pottery Shop:  nocrumbsleft.store

Amid these confusing, frequently chaotic time (I’m looking at you, remote learning!), thank goodness for beautifully relentless spring. Crunchy scallions are in the market, my potted chives have sprung up—and there’s a patch of wild ramps in our woods! I’ve always wanted to master Pajeon (Korean scallion pancakes), so we foraged and made a ramp variation. Give it a go! Hooni Kim’s masterful recipe from his new book, My Korea, is on my new site, Tucan.com.  
 
Spring forward.
 
Ann Volkwein

It was such a treat to indulge in some slow cooking this week. As mighty as the not-quite-full-size oven in my apartment may be, I had previously been nervous to attempt long roasts in it. I decided to try the Bavarian Pot Roast from the no crumbs left cookbook, and it turned out beautifully. I had forgotten how comforting it is to eat a meal that has been cooking all day. Even though I am far away from my family, this meal felt like a warm hug from home.

Molly Scullion, nocrumbsleft™
@mollyscullion

Although we’re not launching our entire spring collection, we have Robin’s Egg Blue and Cherry Blossom in a limited edition. They're part of our Drippy Collection. To find out more:

Click here to have Teri contact you about both colors.

Click here to have Teri contact you about Robin's Egg Blue.

Click here to have Teri contact you about Cherry Blossom.

If you're looking for a small luxury or want to order something for Mother's Day, there's lots of good stuff in the shop! The store is stocked with Marinated Onion Bowls, Patty Bowls, and Fred Bowls in all colors. Click here to view the shop.

While the podcast is on hiatus, we're going back to some of our favorites. In this week's episode, I talk with James Beard Award-nominated Greg Wade, the head baker at Publican Quality Bread in Chicago, about the importance of sustainability and his role in the ground breaking farming documentary, “Sustainable.” He talks about his amazing collaboration with Marty and Will Travis of Spence Farm and how they grow their grains, what makes his bread and grains so different, and why many gluten-sensitive people are able to enjoy his bread. Teri and Greg further discuss how his baking was inspired by growing up in the kitchen with his mother and grandmother, about the New Kitchen Culture and what that means, how he inspires his bakers, and what’s next in baking, his bread camp, and his wonderful collaborative spirit.

Listen on: