Tag: cooking

Buffalo Chicken Burgers

Red Rose & HoneyLeave a comment

Hi friends! Today I am sharing one of my all time favorite recipes – Buffalo Chicken Burgers. This recipe is easy and can be made right in your kitchen; no BBQ grill needed. In fact, I think this recipe actually comes out better on the stove top than the grill. The consistency of a chicken burger is a bit different than a beef burger which makes it prone to falling apart on the grill. These Buffalo Chicken Burgers come out perfect every time and I seriously can’t get enough of them. They’re melt in your mouth good!

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When I make these burgers, I love to use a cast iron skillet or grill pan on my stove top. A few months ago I got a new Le Creuset Skillet from QVC. I have had a Le Creuset Dutch oven for a few years which I absolutely love. This brand is really well made and I think I will have these pieces forever. What I love about my new Le Creuset Cast Iron Skillet Grill is the shape. If you’re like me and have a 5-burner stove with the awkward oval burner in the middle, this skillet is a perfect fit. Now that I have an oval skillet that properly fits over this burner, it heats evenly which makes for a much better dish. This skillet can fit two good size burgers at a time (perfect for date night at home) and it gives burgers great grill marks. I realize Le Creuset items are a bit pricey. When you purchase through QVC you have the option to break your payments up into multiple “Easy Pay” payments which may make these splurge items a bit more manageable. I have the Le Creuset Cast Iron Skillet Grill in the color Coastal Blue.

Right now you can get a similar Le Creuset grill pan (I do not have this one) on sale at William Sonoma for $99 and free shipping. If you’re not in the market for a Le Creuset Skillet Grill that is okay. You can use a traditional cast iron skillet (like this one) for this recipe too. A cast iron skillet is a cookware staple. I get so much use out of mine and it’s under $30!

The Ingredients:

  • 1lb ground chicken
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 – 1/2c plain gluten-free panko bread crumbs (depends on how wet your mixture turns out)
  • 1/4c finely chopped carrot, celery and yellow or white onion (tip: use the food processor)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp paprika (optional)
  • 4 tbsp Buffalo style hot sauce (1 tbsp/burger)
  • EVOO to prep the skillet
  • Optional: Blue cheese dressing, mixed greens & a warm gluten-free bun to finish your burger

The Directions:

  • In a large bowl, add the egg, carrots, celery, onions and dry seasonings to the ground chicken.
  • Start combining the ingredients by hand while gradually adding in the panko. You may need more or less depending on how much fat is in your ground chicken and/or water in the veggies. The burgers will be on the wet side, but should still form patties that you can easily transfer to your skillet. Avoid drying up this mixture with too much panko which will cause the burgers to dry out when they’re cooking.
  • Using the combine mixture, divide the chicken into four equal burger patties.
  • Pre-heat your grill over medium heat then lightly brush with olive oil.
  • Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.
  • Brown each size of the burgers for about 4 minutes. You will know the burgers are ready to flip when they easily lift from the skillet with a rubber spatula. They will also have grill marks or be nicely browned from your pan.
  • Transfer the skillet into the oven for about 20-25 minutes. Use a thermometer to be sure they’re cooked fully.
  • At this point, don’t forget to toast your buns if they’re frozen or if that’s how you prefer them.
  • Carefully remove from the oven and drizzle 1 tbsp of Buffalo hot sauce over each burger then place the burgers and skillet back into the oven under the broiler on low for 3 minutes.
  • Again, carefully remove the skillet from the oven transfer your burgers to your favorite buns, top with blue cheese dressing and mixed green. Enjoy!
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Gluten Free French Onion Soup

Red Rose & HoneyLeave a comment

One of my all time favorite soups is French Onion soup. I remember the last time I had it before going gluten-free years ago. Since then I have longed to enjoy this delicious soup again, but I have never found it on a gluten-free menu. This summer, I decided to take matters into my own hands and make it myself. It is a fairly easy soup to make, but it is very time consuming. I decided to make it again recently and I loved how this recipe turned out. Thankfully, I wrote everything down while I was cooking in hopes of sharing it all with you here. Please note this site and this post include affiliate links.

I made this soup using my 8.5qt stainless steel Calphalon Dutch oven. I don’t think my exact one is available anymore, but found two similar pots (click here and here). If you don’t have this exact style pot, you will just want to use a well-made, large, heavy pot that heats evenly; I believe this helps with the caramelization. The Le Creuset Dutch oven or something similar would also work well. To serve this soup, I ordered soup crocks and soup spoons to make sure we got the “real” French onion soup feel. When we traveled to Ireland a few years ago, I had the most delicious soups throughout our trip and they were always served with the best soup spoons. Having these spoons at home now reminds me of our time in Ireland.

I hope you try and enjoy this recipe!

The Ingredients:

Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 2 hours Servings: About 8

  • 8 tbsp (1 stick) of unsalted butter
  • 6lbs of yellow onions, sliced into half moons
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1.5 tbsp dark brown sugar
  • 2 large cloves of garlic finely minced
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1.5 c red wine (I used a red blend)
  • 32oz low sodium beef stock
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • Salt to taste
  • 4-8oz Gruyere cheese thinly sliced or grated
  • 1 Gluten Free Baguette 

The Directions:

  • Slice the onions into half-moon shape and set aside in a large bowl.
  • Melt butter over medium/low heat then add the onions and stir to coat the onions into the melted butter.
  • Over medium/low heat, regularly stir the onions and bay leaf. You will need to keep an eye on the pot to make sure the onions do not stick. For this amount of onions, the caramelization process can take up to 1.5 hrs
  • Once the onions start to darken (about 30 minutes) add the dark brown sugar which will help with caramelizing the onions.
  • When the onions are close to fully caramelized (about 1.25 hrs), add black pepper, thyme and fresh garlic then stir.
  • When the onions have a dark, rich color and are fully caramelized add red wine to deglaze. Let the alcohol cook out and reduce the liquid for 5-10 minutes.
  • Add the beef stock and 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar which will help to balance out the sweetness of the onions and sugar. Bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes.
  • While you soup simmers, pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Taste your soup. If it’s still too sweet, gradually add another tbsp of vinegar and season with salt to taste.
  • Slice your baguette (or brea of your choice), drizzle with olive oil and toast in the oven.
  • Spoon your soup into the crocks, add toasted bread and top with gruyere cheese.
  • Place the crocks on a baking sheet and broil on high about about 5 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted and slightly charred.
  • Top with a sprinkle of dried (or fresh) thyme and serve.

Cooking Notes:

  • This soup is heavier on the onions than it is on the stock. If you prefer you soup to have more broth, you can add some while cooking, but you may have to adjust the seasonings to maintain the flavor.
  • When I reheated this soup, I added a little extra stock each time.

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Butcher Box Review

Red Rose & HoneyLeave a comment

Hi Friends! Today’s blog is all about Butcher Box. The waitlist that was implemented earlier this year due to the pandemic has been lifted, so new customers can sign-up now. I am going to share all that I think you need to know before you first order. Speaking of first orders, Butcher Box is currently running a $15 off promotion for new customers (click here – I’ll get $15 back with this code too). If you’re on the fence about trying it out, I hope this post helps. We have ordered from Butcher Box a few times a year for just about 2 years. Overall we have been really happy with the quality!

If you take a peak at their website, you will learn that Butcher Box has quickly grown from a start-up company to one of the nation’s top online sources for grass-fed beef. They have very high standards when it come to product sourcing, sustainability and humanely raise animals (click here to read more on BB sourcing). This means that customers are getting high quality beef, pork and poultry. Butcher Box beef is 100% grass-fed!

Butcher Box is a subscription service for grass-fed beef, free-range and non-GMO organic chicken, heritage pork and wild seafood. Although it’s a subscription, you have the option to delay or change your shipment days. This means you don’t have to commit to it every month. We order roughly once per quarter to supplement our grocery store purchases. Usually we save our BB items for weekends when we have more time to dedicate to cooking a nice meal. It’s also a great option for a home date night.

Source: Butcherbox.com

You start by selecting your box type (custom or random) and size (classic or big). There is currently a $20 difference between the custom classic and custom random boxes. The random selections do allow you some preferences (see below), but you don’t have full control over your order. We are a family of 2 and have enjoyed the custom classic option. It allows us to pick 6 selections of our choice. I feel that this ensures we get our money’s worth and truly look forward to cooking each item. Something I also like about Butcher Box is that on their website they provided suggested uses for each selection along with more detailed recipes. You order will be shipped to you with dry ice. All of the items are frozen, so you should transfer them directly to the freezer upon arrival.

Although the pricing may initially seem high, think of it this way. The custom classic box is currently $149. Let’s say you chose 6 orders of organic chicken breast, you will receive roughly 18 lbs of chicken. That comes out to about $8.27/lb which I feel is pretty on-par with my local grocery store for organic chicken breast.

When it comes to quality, Butcher Box is top notch. We have loved just about everything that we have tried. My husband {who is not a picky eater} can always tell when I cook with Butcher Box. That’s how noticeable the quality is in comparison to organic brands you find in the grocery store. For the quality alone, I can’t recommend Butcher Box enough. I also like having the option to try beef or pork cuts that I wouldn’t typically pick up in the grocery store. It’s a great way to try new recipes at home.

Items that we have tried and loved:

  • Boneless Skinless chicken breast
  • Chicken party wings
  • Boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • Whole chicken
  • Ground beef
  • Steak tips
  • Stew beef
  • Sirloin steak
  • NY strip steak
  • Flat iron steak
  • Filet mignon
  • Boneless pork chops
  • Pork tenderloin
  • Ground pork
  • Ground breakfast sausage
  • Babyback ribs
  • Bacon
  • Whole turkey (available around Thanksgiving)

The only item we were not crazy about has been the pre-made beef burger patties. Otherwise, everything has been fantastic. There are few negatives I want to share to ensure you get my full and honest opinion. Since everything comes frozen, you do have to plan ahead to ensure you properly thaw you selection in time for your meal. Additionally, since everything is frozen it can be hard to tell how many pieces of chicken, wings or steaks are in a package. For chicken breast specifically, there have been times that I felt I did not get a full 3 lbs of chicken in my selection.

Through social media I have seen others highlight some packaging issues upon arrival. I did not notice any packaging issues with my orders until this year. One of our selections had a tear in the packaging. Fortunately, Butcher Box’s customer service has been great and they quickly made good on the issue. I carefully inspect each piece before putting in my freezer to ensure it’s fully sealed. I would encourage you all to do the same.

To see how I use Butcher Box in my kitchen, be sure to follow me on Instagram (@redroseandhoney). Don’t forget to use THIS LINK to save $15 on your first order – I’ll save $15 when you sign-up too!

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