20 Questions with Reilly

Reilly Hamilton is my second born daughter. When she became a big sister at the age of 4, she announced, “I can’t believe we have a baby!” She continues this fondness for babies with regular FaceTime sessions with her cousins’ babies and toddlers. She learned her way around the kitchen from the get-go and once accompanied me, in her monogrammed chef’s whites and houndstooth pants, on Good Morning West Virginia where we made her Dressed in the Bowl Caesar Salad. So many years later, this recipe is still a family favorite.

If you made Reilly’s name into an acrostic poem, the E would certainly be Enthusiastic! Her Aunt Maura always said, “no one’s more psyched than Reilly!” a point that’s hard to argue. When she chose to leave West Virginia for college, we were thrilled she landed at the University of Kentucky and got to visit her often. Since we moved to Louisiana during her college years, she requested a crawfish boil for her graduation celebration. We packed up cases of fresh crawfish like luggage and boiled them up with her friends in the backyard of their rental house, such a fun flashback!

What’s your 20 minute recipe? Mediterranean chicken. It’s so simple and so flavorful! You can change it up, adding sliced mushrooms or artichoke hearts. 

What’s your favorite city? Valencia, Spain. I spent a semester there my junior year. I still keep in touch with my host family and have been back to visit them. The people are so friendly and the beaches are beautiful. The architecture is really cool, too.

What’s your favorite restaurant in your current city? Tsunami in downtown Baton Rouge. I love their sushi and the view at sunset is great.

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? Pickled green beans, the ones from Cajun Chef.

Who taught you to cook? You did. For my ninth birthday I asked for a chef’s outfit with my name on it so I could be like you. 

Surf? or Turf? Turf. With a side of surf.

What’s on your cooking playlist? Anything from Leon Bridges to The Rolling Stones.

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? TEA! Unsweetened. Iced. Sometimes with a splash of peach syrup.

Dinner with friends—at home? or out? Out. In New York you’ll never run out of amazing restaurants.

Most stained cookbook? Nothing Fancy, Alison Roman’s newest book. She makes having people over for dinner so approachable.

Indispensable kitchen tool? Silicone spatula.

Staple childhood comfort food? Filet. I have always loved it.

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? Poppa Tom. We would laugh the whole time and both have seconds. Ice cream for dessert.

Best thing you’ve ever eaten in an airport? Probably Shake Shack. Don’t forget to ask for pickles.

Ideal grilled cheese? White bread with Kraft American singles, cut diagonally.

How do you like your toast? Golden brown with butter and lots of flaky sea salt.

Favorite pizza topping? All of them.

Where would you want to take a cooking class? In Italy.

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? Always make your own salad dressing.

What’s your favorite sports team? Kentucky Wildcats.

Mediterranean chicken is quick enough for a weeknight and also impressive for weekend guests. Boneless chicken is seasoned, quick-browned, then baked in a HOT oven with grape tomatoes, olives and capers which make a tasty sauce in minutes.

Mediterranean Chicken

Brown some boneless chicken in an ovenproof skillet, add grape or cherry tomatoes, olives and capers and the sauce makes itself while you put on some couscous and toss a salad.

• 4 4to5 ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• salt & pepper

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes

• 3 or 4 small garlic cloves, lightly smashed with the flat of a knife and peeled

• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, or more if you like

• 2 to 3 tablespoons capers

• about a cup of sliced mushrooms or artichoke hearts, optional

HEAT the oven to 450.

SPRINKLE the top side (where the skin used to be) of the chicken with a good bit of salt and pepper. Note: if your chicken breasts are larger than 5 ounces, cut them into 2 or 3 cutlets each.

HEAT the olive oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet. (I prefer stainless steel which doesn’t react with the acidic sauce). Lay the chicken, seasoned side down, in a single layer in the skillet. Season this second side of the chicken with salt and pepper. When the chicken is golden and releases from the skillet when you coax it with tongs, turn them over.

ADD the tomatoes, garlic, olives, capers and optional mushrooms/artichokes to the skillet and shake to combine.

PLACE the skillet in the hot oven and set your timer for 15 minutes. Put on some couscous and toss a salad. Remove the skillet from the oven, covering the handle of the skillet with an oven mitt or pot holder. The tomatoes will be juicy and blistered and chicken cooked through.

SERVE in pasta bowls: a piece of chicken, a scoop of juicy tomatoes and a spoonful of couscous.

20 Questions with Aimee

Laughter is the best medicine and I can always count on Aimee Henry, a chef and registered dietitian in Denver, to get me giggling. We grew up together in a place we call paradise: Melbourne Beach, Florida. When we weren’t getting sunburned, we were in one of our kitchens making some sort of delicious mess. A favorite elementary school cooking activity was jazzing up frozen pizzas with fresh ingredients and singing our own advertisement jingles.

Though a 1,200 mile diagonal line separates us now, we can pick up easily with a phone call, some that go on for hours. One such chat led to me asking Aimee to contribute some nutrition tips to my cookbook. Her guidance is woven throughout. I love visiting her in Denver and I am ready to go the minute the coast is clear. We still catch up in our hometown which includes long walks on the beach and maybe a slice of pizza at the Boardwalk.

What’s your 20 minute recipe? It might be too common, shrimp tacos? Or I have a spicy Thai shrimp soup that’s quick and dirty. Just a few ingredients and it’s a crowd pleaser. I love these flavors together. You have to have coconut milk on hand. This one’s from an old Southern Living cooking school I went to at the Melbourne Auditorium in the 90’s. I’ve changed it up a bit, adding the shrimp at the very end and cilantro and green onion.

What’s your favorite city? Malaga, Spain. Got the local scoop and had the BEST recommendations of where to eat. The people were super friendly, really the most welcoming locals. I’ll never forget the grilled artichokes in Malaga.

What’s your favorite restaurant in your current city? Can I say two? Uncle 2.0, a homemade ramen place. It’s so good! And the Sushi Den, it’s a stand by.

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? This is easy! I just cleaned out my fridge. Iowa Country Dill Mustard. I bought it in Iowa at the farmer’s market. It’s super vinegary. I also found a bottle of sake, chilled, which was a fun find.

Who taught you to cook? My mother first. She inspired me to cook and continue cooking. Then I got my culinary training, a 6-month program in Boulder, Colorado with the final month in Provence, France. First time I used a chef’s knife, wore a white jacket with droopy sleeves, cooking at altitude, French cuisine. What am I doing here? Then I relied on my palate.

What’s your go-to dish for company? Oooohhh depends on the season. Usually something on the grill, chicken or fish, and a salad or two. Burrata with good tomato and basil in the summer, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, cracked black pepper and coarse salt. I like veggie kabobs. I’m a kabobber. You can do them ahead of time and then you don’t have to think about it. In the winter, Beef Bourguignon with potato gratin.

What’s on your cooking playlist? I like the Talking Heads station on my Sonos player. It’s a really good station.

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? Tea without question. English breakfast with a little bit of sugar or honey. OK it’s usually sugar and half and half. I might do a decaf cappuccino with dessert. I love coffee ice cream and a good affogato. I just like to say it.

Date night—at home? or out? Date night out. Definitely out. Well, it depends on where I am in the relationship.

Most stained cookbook? Well, I did not stain it, it is stained from my mother. It’s the Betty Crocker cookbook. Probably my go-to is the New York Times Craig Claiborne book.

Indispensable kitchen tool? My large Boos Block cutting board and an 8-inch chef’s knife. I’m a firm believer in the larger the cutting board the better, and lots of prep bowls.

Staple childhood comfort food? That’s a hard one! Grilled cheese is boring. I’ll say my mom’s homemade bagels. We didn’t have bagels in Melbourne Beach, Florida. You had to go down to South Florida to get bagels, so my mom learned to make them.

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? A meal with my mom and dad.

Surf? or Turf? Surf for sure. Shellfish in particular, crab and scallops. Not those teeny little ones.

Ideal grilled cheese? Gruyere on rosemary sourdough bread. Sometimes I’ll slice a big dill pickle on there, or have a pickle on the side.

Favorite pizza topping? Mushroom and onion, or spinach, mushroom and onion. I put dollops of ricotta on halfway through and top with arugula at the end.

Where would you want to take a cooking class? I think it would be fun to do a class in Italy. Tuscany. That whole experience in France was phenomenal.

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? I have two. Enhance your knife skills and get comfortable. It’s nothing but a thing! And grow your own fresh herbs. My chives are coming up and I’m thrilled. The oregano and mint are coming soon.

Three things next to your stove? There’s more than three, there’s so much! I have that salt from you, my dear. Peppermill, crushed red pepper. On the other side of the stove I have olive oil, butter, shallots and garlic. There’s a lot going on.

What’s your favorite sports team? That’s so easy! Clemson Tigers. Otherwise I watch golf.

Do you have a wellness tip you’d like to share? Nourish your body, get some sunshine and give yourself some grace if you find yourself finishing off a pint of ice cream.

As we were wrapping up, Aimee said “you didn’t ask me the pie question” (one I had asked my mom in her recent interview). “I was ready for it. I was gonna say it’s more about crumbles, crisps and cobblers. Yes.”

Aimee’s Spicy Thai Shrimp Soup is the perfect balance of spice and creamy coconut, guaranteed to chase the blues away.

Spicy Thai Shrimp Soup

Homemade soups are their very best when made with homemade stock. Barring that, Aimee suggests choosing low or no-salt added store-bought broth. Her version calls for fresh ginger and crushed red pepper. Since I was out of ginger, I revised by subbing a heaping tablespoon of red curry paste from my pantry. Worked like a charm.

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

• 1 small onion, chopped

• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (I used shiitakes)

• salt to taste, if using unsalted broth

• 5 cups chicken stock

• 1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk

• 1/3 cup uncooked long-grain rice

• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving

• handful each of chopped green onions and cilantro

HEAT the oil in a medium stockpot over medium heat and add the ginger and crushed red pepper (or red curry paste if using, see note) and stir for one minute. Add the onion and cook another minute, then add the mushrooms, stirring just until they begin to wilt, two minutes or so. Season with salt (I used about a teaspoon since my stock was unsalted).

ADD the stock or broth, coconut milk and rice and stir. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. The rice should be just tender.

STIR in the shrimp and cook just until shrimp turn pink. Add the lime juice, green onions and cilantro.

LADLE the soup into bowls (6 good sized servings) and serve with lime wedges.

20 Questions with Lance

Lance Nacio launched Anna Marie Shrimp, his commercial fishing business, in 1997. His acclaim stretches far beyond Louisiana with television appearances on The Food Network, CNN’s Eatocracy, and the TODAY Show with Al Roker. Partnerships with Rouses Supermarkets and Market Umbrella have helped him weather some extremely difficult times and he is constantly innovating. He started selling his catch at a pop up market in Baton Rouge in 2003 which is where I discovered his celebrated Louisiana shrimp and fish. I caught up with him recently at his booth at Red Stick Farmer’s Market, the week before the market switched from walk up service to drive through.

My freezer is always stocked with one pound packages of Lance’s peeled and deveined shrimp. I made his suggested Grilled Shrimp Salad to rave reviews from my family and will run through the ‘Bubba Gump’ ideas to keep these delicious shrimp in regular rotation in my kitchen. Taking a page from his playlist, I cued up some Guns ‘N Roses for this writing session.

What’s your 20 minute recipe? Grilled shrimp salad. It’s quick and easy. You can do like Bubba Gump and do all the things with shrimp! It’s so versatile.

What’s your favorite city? I would have to say it’s New Orleans. It’s so rich with food and culture. There is so much history.

What’s your favorite restaurant in your current city? For the ultimate food experience, go to New Orleans. Big Al’s or Spahr’s Seafood in Des Allemands. It’s the catfish capital of the world!. They have THE BEST catfish platter! It’s a really nice place for a sit down authentic Cajun dinner. You can see pelicans, egrets, seagulls and gators right outside the window.

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? Not in the fridge, it’s in my freezer. Squid, I’m fixing some now. It came from my boat, Anna Marie.

Who taught you to cook? My mom, and one of my first jobs was as a cook on a tugboat. I learned from some tough Cajuns.

What’s your go-to dish for company? Seafood boil. It’s a community meal. Newspapers out and everyone sits down and enjoys.

What’s on your cooking playlist? I like 80’s rock. Classic rock is my go-to.

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? Coffee every morning, two cups of dark roast from Community Coffee.

Date night—at home? or out? Preferably at home.

Indispensable kitchen tool? Black iron skillet or pot.

Staple childhood comfort food? We call it sticky chicken. It’s an excellent meal. Seasoned with salt and pepper and browned in pork fat. We ate that growing up a lot.

Ideal grilled cheese? At home I make it on Evangeline bread with a good thick slice of cheddar.

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? Leah Chase. I have shared a few meals with her, what an awesome experience! She called me the shrimp man. I’d like to do that again.

Best thing you’ve ever eaten in an airport? That’s a tough one! I’ve been through a lot of airports, the food is not really up to par.

Favorite pizza topping? I like a lot of things on pizza. Mushrooms, Italian sausage, Canadian bacon, onions. I don’t put seafood on pizza.

Where would you want to take a cooking class? Probably at Nicholl’s. They have some really good chefs who volunteer there.

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? Use leftover bacon grease to start any meal.

Three things next to your stove? A container containing bacon grease, Tony Chachere’s, garlic powder.

What’s your favorite sports team? Saints of course.

Favorite seafood dish? Shrimp and grits. Get it at GW Fins.

Post-crisis silver lining? People are going to be more conscious of where their food comes from. I think It’s gonna be better and stronger when we get through this.

Salad + Shrimp = quick, delicious, nutritious. This one is Lance’s version, with avocado, beets, carrots, and tomatoes, dressed with a ‘shaker jar’ lemon vinaigrette. Freestyle it your way with your market haul. Or wrap the grilled shrimp in tortillas for shrimp tacos

Grilled Shrimp

A sprinkle of seasoning and a few minutes on the grill turn Anna Marie Shrimp into the star of a quick weeknight meal.

• 1 pound large peeled and deveined shrimp

• 2 teaspoons Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning

• a swipe of canola oil for the grill

HEAT your grill to medium, about 400 degrees, or a grill pan over medium high flame. Using a heat-proof brush, lightly oil the grill grate of the grill pan with a little canola oil.

SEASON the shrimp while the grill gets hot: Sprinkle both sides of the shrimp with Tony’s (or your favorite seasoning blend).

COOK until the underside turns pink, then turn to cook the second side. Remove from the grill to a clean platter when the inside just turns opaque. This happens fast, about 4 to 5 minutes total. A perfectly grilled shrimp just snaps on the outside with a delicate charred crust and is juicy inside.

20 Questions with Helen

My mom Helen has magical powers. I realized this when I was tiny, wandering off to bed after family dinner and awaking to a world of intricate baked goods, hand-lettered posters or beaded wedding gowns. No matter the occasion, my mom was creating something special for it, into the wee hours of post-midnight. With five kids and a husband, birthdays came around quickly, always celebrated with fanfare and homemade cake. I can hear the mixer spinning and see her piping a sweet message with her retro metal icing set.

A couple of hurricane seasons ago, as Irma threatened my family and hometown on the east coast of central Florida, my sister mused, “I wish I could put her on a plane to stay with you.” and so it was! With a bit of arm twisting, a few days after mom’s 88th birthday, she boarded a direct flight from Orlando to New Orleans. I asked what she would like for dinner when she arrived. She didn’t miss a beat: “Duck. Louisiana style.” The month she stayed with us is time I will treasure forever! We cooked nonstop.

Last year we moved her to assisted living after a couple of serious health scares. She turned 90 in August and is thriving in her new environment. “I really like it here!” she sings. Truly music to my ears. Her only lament is that she can no longer cook. I had a great phone call with her this week to flashback on her food memories.

What’s your 20 minute recipe? Borscht! Cold beet soup. It’s very nice in the summer, so refreshing. The beauty of it is that it’s fast, not much preparation. Just chill a can of beets and a can of beef consommé. Pour them both into the blender and blend until smooth. Add the juice of half a lime, pour it into bowls and eat it! Some like to add sour cream.

What’s your favorite city? Melbourne Beach, Florida. It has a nice pier on the river. One of the first restaurants, Poor Richard’s, was so successful. It started out as just a collection of garage sale finds. Djon’s is there now.

What’s your favorite restaurant in your current city? I really like the Fish House. They have fried oysters and mountains of shrimp. It’s kind of dilapidated from the front and that’s it’s charm. And the Yellow Dog is excellent for a special occasion.

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? My sister in law left me a pound of Irish butter. What an unexpected treat!

Who taught you to cook? My mother was a very good cook. We also had cooks in our home and my sister and I always hung around the kitchen watching them. I never did take Home-Ec. I’ve learned a lot by doing. My first successful cake was when I was 12. I didn’t get into pies until later after I watched a woman from the Alabama Extension Service making a pie in a store window. I was just passing by as she was crimping her crust and I said, “I think I can do that!” since my success with my cake.

How many pies have you baked? Two a week for 50 years sounds about right, and maybe one a week for ten years after that. You do the math! (my calculation says 5,720).

What’s your go-to dish for company? Fried chicken. I think it’s what people like the most, for sure! Some of the other things you couldn’t be sure.

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? I don’t know what Kombucha is. Back in the day I liked coffee.

Surf? or Turf? I would rather have the surf. I like shellfish. I LOVE crab! It’s one of my favorites.

Most stained cookbook? Probably The Joy of Cooking. It’s like an encyclopedia, you could find anything in there.

Indispensable kitchen tool? My mixer!!

Staple childhood comfort food? Dill pickles. Whole ones with a glass of milk.

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? I think I’d like to share a meal with your dad.

Best thing you’ve ever eaten in an airport? I got some sushi that was really good, probably the Atlanta airport.

Ideal grilled cheese? Aged cheddar, thicker than normal sliced bread and I’d put in a slice of tomato and grill it with butter. Not TOO much butter so it’s not too messy on your hands when you eat it. And that’s it!

Favorite pizza topping? I like pepperoni, mushrooms, green peppers, different variety of cheeses and chopped anchovies. Nestle them down in the cheese so they don’t get dried out.

Where would you want to take a cooking class? I’ve had some excellent food in New Orleans over the years. I’d like to take a cooking class there.

What’s your favorite community service cooking memory? When I was teaching confirmation classes at the church, our project was to cook and serve at Daily Bread Kitchen. Years later some of the patrons would come back with big donations as a thank you for helping them when they needed it.

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? I like the idea of using older eggs for hard boiling. If you salt the water and take the pan off the heat after the water boils, let them sit for 12 minutes, it makes them easier to peel. Another one is when you do a pie, butter the surface of the dough to seal it off from the filling so the crust doesn’t get soggy.

What’s your favorite sports team? My favorite to watch is the ice skating competitions.

Ideal indeed! Grilled aged cheddar on thick-sliced bread with tomato. Serve with slices of Florida sunshine:)

Helen’s Grilled Cheese

Dear Reader: This sandwich is at the top of my list of childhood comfort foods. Full disclosure, beets are a hard no for me so I’m choosing to highlight the glory of this grilled cheese instead of mom’s borscht. If you adore beets, give her super easy from-the-pantry recipe a go. Happy Cooking!

For each serving you will need: 2 slices of bread, some soft butter, thick slices of aged cheddar, tomato slices.

HEAT a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Spread the outside of each slice of bread with butter. Set one slice, butter side down, in the skillet as it heats. Top with an even layer of cheese, then slices of tomato, then another layer of cheese. Top with the second slice of bread, butter side out.

COOK the sandwich low and slow to melt the bottom layer of cheese. When the underside of the sandwich is your preferred shade of golden, carefully flip and cook the second side. When side two is golden and all the cheese is melted, maybe with some sizzling out on the hot skillet, remove to your waiting plate. Cut the sandwich in half on the diagonal for maximum enjoyment. Serve with orange slices.

20 Questions with Galen

The local food scene in Baton Rouge features some devoted young farmers and Galen Iverstine is the meat guy, passionate about feeding the community delicious pasture-raised beef, pork, chicken and turkey. He thinks on his feet, always ready to adapt to any situation. I met Galen the week after I relocated to Louisiana, calling him as a complete stranger to ask about getting involved with flood relief in the Baton Rouge area. He was serving barbecue to the residents in his parents’ neighborhood while they cleaned up from the 2016 flood. I offered that my daughter and I could come out and make pancakes and our friendship was forged.

For this interview, Galen and I met for a cool drink at French Truck Coffee. He had just done a next level hand-washing tutorial with his staff at the butcher shop and met with me before heading home to make dinner for his kids while his wife went to girlfriends’ night out. Each day since, he and his staff have devised and revised plans to continue to serve their loyal customers during this unprecedented time. I’ve stopped by their fan favorite shop each day this week to find them doing brisk business a few customers at a time while also packing bags for home delivery. In a time when hugging isn’t advised, it’s really great to shake the hand that feeds you!

What’s your 20 minute recipe? 20 minutes is the time period I have to cook! Every recipe in my house starts with 1 1/2 cups of Basmati rice. I slice Bavette steak from the shop into really thin strips across the grain, do a quick marinade and stir fry it with vegetables. This one’s my go to and I change it up with different spices

What’s your favorite city? Lahaina, Hawaii on Maui. I worked there for five months when I took a hiatus from school at 21. It was the perfect time to do it. I went back and visited with my wife for our honeymoon.

What’s your favorite restaurant in your current city? This is so hard, I don’t wanna make anybody mad. We always go to Beausoleil. They were my first customer. Service and menu are great. They have great classic cuisine and great cocktails and it’s always well executed.

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? The liquor that’s left from a pickled something. The Cultured Guru pickle brine is really good. It’s fermented so it adds depth and funk to whatever I’m cooking. I like to pour a little in a pot of soup.

Who taught you to cook? My parents taught me the basics and I have learned from a lot of the best home cooks in Baton Rouge.

What’s your go-to dish for company? Spaghetti and meatballs cuz I make a damn good spaghetti and meatballs! I do some bone-in meat that falls off in the red gravy that takes all day to cook. I do the meatballs 1/3 beef, 1/3 pork and 1/3 Italian sausage. Please don’t put sugar in your gravy! I follow it exactly the way my grandmother made it and put a whole carrot in to sweeten the whole pot while it simmers.

What’s on your cooking playlist? Guy Clark.

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? Coffee. 100 percent! French press. I brew the Parish State of Mind from Titan Coffees. We sell it in the shop.

Date night—at home? or out? Out if we can pull it off. We have designated the first Friday night out with another couple. We go try out the new place in town.

Most stained cookbook? I have a couple of really stained pages in John Folse’s big book. The carrot cake and Gumbo Tips are great. I don’t use a lot of recipes, I’m just looking for guidance.

Indispensable kitchen tool? Chef’s knife, tongs and a good spatula.

Staple childhood comfort food? My grandmother’s roast, rice and gravy. Or her spaghetti and meatballs. If she invited you for dinner you would drop everything and be there in five minutes. She always made this great salad with a minced-to-powder blend of celery, parsley and green onion tossed in. I still make it today.

Go-to olive oil? I like the ones from Red Stick Spice for finishing. Most of my high temp cooking is done with avocado oil. I really like a good butter.

Ideal grilled cheese? The one from Chelsea’s circa 2006.

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? Thomas Jefferson. He’s an agrarian, so smart. It’s really cool touring Monticello.

How do you like your toast? Medium/just browned with an uncomfortable amount of Kerrygold butter.

Favorite pizza topping? Italian sausage.

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? Don’t overcomplicate it. The most sustainable way to cook is to buy ingredients you can use in multiple platforms throughout the week.

Three things next to your stove? Salt, spoon rest and a big Boos Block cutting board

What’s your favorite sports team? I ride dirt bikes, that’s my sport. Just started back this year. I do enjoy an LSU baseball game.

Freestyle stir fry! This one features what I had in my produce drawer: mushrooms, red bell pepper, carrot, green onion. Cilantro and broccoli microgreens make a fun and flavorful garnish.

Galen’s Bavette Beef Stir Fry with Basmati Rice

Galen describes the bavette steak as ‘such a great cut of meat that nobody knows about’ and after testing the recipe as he suggested, I’m a believer! I will now be stocking 1 pound bavettes from Iverstine’s Butcher Shop in my freezer. He tweaks the recipe to match the veggies he has on hand and spices the stir fry accordingly. Galen confessed he doesn’t have room for the clutter of kitchen gadgets. I did test this recipe using my birthday gift rice cooker for the rice and I am hooked. The ingredients here are as I tested

• 1 1/2 cups Basmati rice (cooked according to package directions)

• 1 pound bavette steak, frozen/partially thawed and thinly shaved across the grain in diagonal slices

• 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 cup soy sauce, divided use

• 2 fat garlic cloves, minced

• spoonful of hot chili oil or good pinch of crushed red pepper

• 1 tablespoon avocado oil

• 1/2 pound sliced mushrooms

• 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

• 2 carrots peeled and cut julienne (there’s a peeler for this and it’s a great kitchen gadget!)

• 2 green onions, sliced

• chopped fresh cilantro for flavorful garnish

• broccoli microgreens for garnish, optional

START the rice. After it boils, reduce heat to simmer and cover. it will be ready to fork fluff when your stir fry is done. Or let the rice cooker do the work for you.

TOSS the sliced beef with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, the minced garlic and the chili oil or crushed red pepper. Set aside for a few minutes to marinate while you prep the vegetables.

HEAT the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the beef in a single layer and cook for about a minute, then toss and stir fry another minute or until the meat is mostly browned. Using tongs, remove to a bowl, leaving the juices in the skillet.

ADD the mushrooms to the skillet and cook stirring for a few minutes until just tender, then add the bell pepper and carrot. Cook another minute or three until the bell pepper softens. Add the 1/4 cup soy sauce and scrape the pan to get all the good bits incorporated.

ADD the cooked beef back to the skillet and stir in the green onions.

SERVE over rice, garnish as desired with cilantro and microgreens, more chili oil or crushed red pepper and a squeeze of lime if you like.

20 Questions with Sara

Sara Hamilton is my first born and she had little choice but to be raised on the kitchen counter. Fortunately she took to it like a baby to bathwater. In her youth, her favorite T-shirt was the Life is Good PB&J, so it’s no surprise what she claims as her childhood comfort food. I have the best memories of Sara’s cooking exploits including the time she decided to make homemade pop tarts late one night in middle school. In high school she would kick us out of the kitchen to host her friends for big dinners or cake pop parties. I can still hear the laughter!

When Sara left home for college, she glanced at the stacks of cookbooks in the kitchen and said, ‘I’m going to miss you!’ She wrote about turning her dorm room into a dinner party and worked in a campus after hours cafe, upgrading the standard grilled cheese. A native of West Virginia, Sara also wrote about the official state food the pepperoni roll describing it as infinitely greater than the sum of its parts. Now that we’ve all moved away from West Virginia, it’s a joy to make pepperoni rolls in our home kitchen! Just as we left for Louisiana, Sara graduated from college, moved to New York then London and is now back in New York where the counter space is premium.

What’s your 20 minute recipe? Noodle Bowls with Broccoli and a creamy sesame sauce.

What’s your favorite city? London. Or New Orleans. Two great cities

What’s your favorite restaurant in your current city? That’s so hard! Most recently I went to Win Son, delicious Taiwanese food. It is sooooo good! I had a noodle bowl and a deep fried scallion pancake filled with beef tartare.

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? Harissa. I found some in the back of my fridge the other day and I put it on a bagel with bacon, egg and cheese. It was so good!

Who taught you to cook? YOU! You taught me how to cook! Thank you!

What’s your go-to dish for company? Fancy pasta. A favorite is all’Amatriciana which can even be a 20 minute recipe so you can make it for friends on a weeknight.

What’s on your cooking playlist? Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Bad Bunny and Remi Wolf.

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? COFFEE, though I do love tea!

Most stained cookbook? Salt Fat Acid Heat.

Indispensable kitchen tool? Sharp knife or rubber scraper.

Staple childhood comfort food? Peanut butter and jelly, and grilled peanut butter and jelly for special occasions.

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? Nina Compton. I love her food and it would be really cool to meet her!

Best thing you’ve ever eaten in an airport? I had some really good Turkish ice cream at the airport in Istanbul. It’s not like regular ice cream, it’s almost chewy. It’s really good.

Date night—at home? or out? Cook at home! Definitely! Listen to some music, drink some wine.

Ideal grilled cheese? Ruth Reichl’s grilled cheese. Can we make it?!

How do you like your toast? Very well toasted with lots of butter and salt.

Favorite pizza topping? Pepperoni, weirdly. Even though that is boring. Or caramelized onions.

Where would you want to take a cooking class? Ballymaloe Cooking School in Ireland.

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? Salt your pasta water really well.

Three things next to your stove? Salt, olive oil…That’s all that will fit on the counter.

Cooking the broccoli right in the pasta pot makes this dish come together quick!

Noodle Bowl with Sesame Dressing

Sara loves this with soba noodles. We’ve made it with ‘what’s in the pantry’ and it’s delicious with any type of cooked al dente long pasta. Couple of keys: Add the broccoli when there’s 4 minutes left on your timer, depending on cooking time for your desired noodle type; and don’t forget to save some pasta cooking water

8 ounces soba or other long noodle

small bunch of broccoli cut into florets

1 cup thin sliced red bell pepper

handful of sliced green onion

handful of rough chopped cilantro

1/4 cup tahini

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

a few drops of sesame oil, to taste

pinch or so of crushed red pepper flakes

lime wedges for serving

BRING a large pot of generously salted water to a boil and cook the noodles according to package directions for al dente. Add the broccoli for the final 4 minutes of cooking time (Angel hair cooks so quick so you actually start the broccoli then add the noodles).

DRAIN the noodles and broccoli, reserving a mugful of cooking water. Transfer to a large serving bowl or back into your pot to toss with the dressing.

MAKE the dressing while the noodles are cooking. In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and crushed red pepper flakes.

TOSS the noodles with the dressing, red bell pepper, green onion, and cilantro.

SERVE warm or at room temp with lime wedges and chopsticks if you like.

20 Questions with Nancy

Nancy Bruns relocated to her hometown of Charleston, West Virginia when she and her brother Lewis Payne revitalized their family’s award winning salt business. Breaking ground in 2013 on their 21st Century version of a multigenerational industry, Nancy fully immersed herself in all things salt. We became fast friends the moment Lewis and his wife Paige introduced us at an intimate dinner party at their home. I had the good fortune of being a salt taster early on, before they had coined their name J.Q. Dickinson SaltWorks, and catered their big family feast for their website photo shoot.

Nancy blends her many talents as a formally trained chef and entrepreneur to become a salty success story. Her enthusiastic expansion of the family business earned her the accolade of West Virginia Wonder Woman. When she isn’t at work in Malden, you can find her preparing delicious meals in her kitchen or exploring the food scene outside of West Virginia traveling with her kids.

What’s your 20 minute recipe? Shrimp and sausage skewers with smoked paprika glaze. I think it can come together in about 20 minutes, or to save time you can ditch the skewers and do it as a sheetpan roast.

What’s your favorite city? New York City. I love the eclectic mix of food and the vibrancy of the food scene. I always find something interesting and new. I usually go twice a year, once each for business and pleasure.

What’s your favorite restaurant in your current city? Noah’s Restaurant & Lounge. I love that he’s raising a lot of his vegetables and he’s the one in the kitchen. You can feel the love in the food.

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? a jar of preserved Meyer lemons, always something I keep on hand. I love the flavor! Not as tart as regular lemons and it’s salty which of course I love.

Who taught you to cook? Started with my parents! They always enjoyed cooking together. Some of my fondest family memories are from the kitchen and around the family table. Someone would put the phone receiver in the kitchen drawer so we wouldn’t have any interruptions at dinner. My mom would sign me up for children’s cooking classes and in high school I went to a French cooking series in Washington, D.C. After college, I went to culinary school. I can’t forget Otis! He’s an important mentor as well. I worked for him at his shop Laury’s Gourmet two summers during college.

What’s your go-to dish for company? I love braised dishes! They’re easy to have finished in a warm oven. In the winter I’ll do a braised pork shoulder in Guinness Stout with balsamic vinegar and sour cherries. It’s not a 20 minute recipe. In the summer I like serving al fresco, something off the grill with a big salad.

What’s on your cooking playlist? I love Mumford and Sons, Avici. I love Don McLean’s American Pie.

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? I’m a coffee drinker. I love coffee! Decaf. People who drink decaf should not be ignored. I love decaf espresso with frothed milk.

Most stained cookbook? Probably my mother’s cookbook Let’s Have An Affair. My next one is New Basics. I use books for inspiration and look at recipes then throw it together to make it my own.

Indispensable kitchen tool? My chef’s knife for sure, and my Peltex whip. It’s great for turning fish and eggs.

Staple childhood comfort food? Eggs & toast. Two softboiled eggs with lots of butter and salt and pepper. It makes me feel good! You’ve gotta get the eggs just right though. I’m a big fan of egg cookery. People take them for granted. When I was a guest on Jeff Shirley’s Three Things, my ‘favorite’ and ‘future’ were all about eggs.

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? Julia Child. I would want to be in the kitchen with her and then sit down at the table with her. Just the two of us or maybe Paul could come. Can I ask for this to be in France?

Best thing you’ve ever eaten in an airport? In Spain, Iberico ham sandwich on really good crusty bread. I could eat that daily, or three times a day. The Madrid airport. American airports are getting better.

Go-to olive oil? It’s hard to have just one! I love the Villa DiTrapano for finishing and Colavita for everyday.

Ideal grilled cheese? Bread is very important. Sourdough, mix of cheeses. Swiss, Havarti and spread a little goat cheese on there, too. Lots of butter on the bread and griddle until it’s almost charred.

Favorite pizza topping? Prosciutto with arugula.

Where would you want to take a cooking class? I would love to do something in the South of France. If I can dream, I’d look for a five day intensive cooking there. Maybe I’d go with my friend April. (!!!)

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? Go with your instincts when you’re cooking. It’s okay to mess with a recipe, you don’t have to follow it exactly. This is why I don’t do a lot of baking.

Three things next to your stove? Salt and pepper and olive oil. Yes, of course JQ Dickinson salt and I like Telicherry peppercorns in a grinder.

What’s your favorite sports team? I really like the Green Bay Packers. I love that they’re owned by the fans. I gave my son one share for Christmas. It’s fun to say, ‘hey! I’m part of this team.’

Tossed with a smoked paprika glaze, shrimp, Cajun sausage, peppers and onions roast in a blazing oven for a super delicious weeknight meal. For a dressier presentation, skewer and grill the ingredients for company.

Nancy’s Shrimp and Sausage with Smoked Paprika Glaze

Nancy threads the dressed shrimp, sausage, and vegetables on skewers before cooking and suggests rice as a serving accompaniment. Oven-roasting the ingredients on a sheetpan and serving with fast cooking couscous makes for an easy weeknight meal. I placed my sheetpan on top of my oven’s pizza stone to really get things sizzling. The fresh herbs here remind me it’s time to start a windowsill garden!

For the glaze:

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

• 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika

• pinch of crushed red pepper

• pinch of salt

• 2 teaspoons Sherry vinegar

• 1/3 cup olive oil

COMBINE the garlic, thyme, smoked paprika, crushed red pepper, salt, and Sherry vinegar in a small bowl. DRIZZLE the olive oil in slowly while whisking to blend.

For the sheetpan/skewers

• 3/4 pound large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

• 1/2 pound Andouille sausage, cut into thick coin slices

• 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares

• 1 small red onion, cut into chunks

• 3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley for serving

HEAT the oven to 400 and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil (hello easy cleanup!)

PUT the shrimp in a bowl and toss with about 3 tablespoons of the smoked paprika glaze.

PUT the sausage, bell pepper and onion on the prepared baking sheet, drizzle with about 3 tablespoons of the glaze and toss to coat. Push these ingredients over to cover about 2/3 of the sheetpan to make room for the shrimp.

LAY the shrimp out in a single layer on the other 1/3 of the sheetpan.

ROAST for 8 minutes, then turn the shrimp and roast for 2 minutes until shrimp are just cooked through. Remove the shrimp to a dish and continue roasting the sausage and vegetables until the vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes.

SERVE a scoop of sausage and vegetables with three or four shrimp, sprinkle with parsley and offer the remaining smoked paprika glaze on the side.

With thanks to Nancy for this versatile recipe loaded with the flavors of Louisiana!

Happy cooking!

20 Questions with Ellen

Baking is Ellen Gray’s personal sport and she speaks fluent pie. As they say, the proof is in the pudding and her blog No More Mr. Nice Pie was a finalist in the 2018 Saveur blog awards in the baking and sweets category. A trip through her site’s photos and recipes is like walking into a magical world of delicate pastry, seasonal fruit, and poetry, complete with confidence-building tutorial every step of the way. When she’s not baking professionally or writing on her blog, she whips up witty words and delicious recipes for Saveur and Food52.

I had the good fortune of meeting Ellen briefly at our shared writing coach Molly O’Neill’s annual event The Longhouse Food Revival where she was serving up her famous pies with scoops of ice cream. The following year, Ellen and I were some of the lucky attendees at a food writing retreat, hosted in absentia by our dear Molly, at Julia Child’s summer home in the south of France. Daydreaming about this experience, I’m at Julia’s famed kitchen counter, observing Ellen rolling out pastry for a summer vegetable tart featuring our haul from the local fresh air market. We often muse about when can we go back.

What’s your 20 minute recipe? You can make a pie in 20 minutes. Crumb crusts are quick, and really if you’re organized, you can do it. Key lime pie, the recipe is right there on the can of sweetened condensed milk, only takes a few ingredients and 15 minutes in the oven. If you’re smart, you’ll make two and freeze one. Frozen Key lime pie can be a dessert life saver! It serves up like a citrusy semifreddo.

What’s your favorite city? Whatever city is warm in winter and cool in summer and serves great food. I love them all!

What’s your favorite restaurant in your current city? Arturo’s in Maplewood, New Jersey, adjacent to where I work. It’s the BEST pizza place. They are amazing! The New York Times wrote it up. It’s tiny and there’s always a line.

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? When I find some squirreled away rhubarb in my freezer, it’s just amazing. It makes everything better.

Who taught you to cook? Three women. My mother, paternal grandmother, and her housekeeper Jessie. She really taught me how to feed a crowd.

What’s your go-to dish for company? Chicken pot pie.

What’s on your cooking playlist? I vacillate. Jazz, classical, music from the 70’s, show tunes.

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? Absolutely coffee! With some whole milk. I grew up with a Chemex before anyone called it a pour over. I still brew this way.

Date night—at home? or out? We see a lot of theater, we are very lucky. So we don’t do a traditional date night. I’ll run from work to the train and meet my husband at the show. Sometimes I’ll grab a dollar slice on the way and arrive with a smudge of sauce on my cheek.

Most stained cookbook? I have a beloved copy of Silver Palate. I just adore that book. I also turn to the Farm Journal’s Complete Pie Cookbook again and again.

Indispensable kitchen tool? I’ll tell you what you can’t really replace is an offset spatula.

Staple childhood comfort food? Homemade chocolate pudding with marshmallows in the bottom.

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? Laurie Colwin.

Go-to olive oil? Frantoia from Palermo. Made in the antique olive oil pressing tradition by five generations of extra virgin olive oil producers,

Ideal grilled cheese? The BEST I ever had, at Borough Market in London. Assortment of cheeses, the Shire medley. It’s remarkable!! I dream about that grilled cheese.

Favorite pizza topping? Well-made fresh tomato sauce, really delicious fresh mozzarella and fresh basil. There’s really a small summer window for this and it always tastes better when you’re in Europe. UNLESS you get a really good dollar slice and they’re not usually a dollar anymore. They’re more like $4.

Where would you want to take a cooking class? Wild Flour Bread near Sebastopol, California. I want to learn to make bread and scones there. When you walk in it’s like when the colorized part of the Wizard of Oz happens.

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? People tend to be overly critical when they’re making pie. They need to relax a little bit, it’s only pie. They can try again.

Three things next to your stove? Kosher salt in a very generously filled OLD salt cellar that belonged to my grandmother, an oversized pepper mill, and a framed Charles Schulz comic strip of Lucy scolding Snoopy about junk food and Snoopy says, “come back and have some doughnuts and potato chips with your cupcake.” It reminds me of wisdom of the late Jonathan Gold. Be a curious eater. Don’t do what everyone else is doing.

What’s your favorite sports team? Whoever my children choose as their favorite soccer team. Really whoever has the best jersey. My sport is baking and I’m a runner. I’ve run lots of half marathons. I’m happiest as a team of one.

A classic Key lime pie is a fun canvas for Ellen Gray. She is partial to freezing this popular pie and embellishing it with a variety of fruits at serving time.

How do you bake a pie in 20 minutes? Divide the steps: first make and bake the crumb crust. Next mix the filling, pour it into the cooled crust, and bake for 15 minutes. Following Ellen’s advice, make two pies and you’ll spend almost zero minutes making dessert when you’re in a pinch!

Graham Cracker Crust

1¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
 
STIR together the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and salt in a medium bowl.

ADD the melted butter and toss with a fork to incorporate. Butter a 9” pie plate and press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the pie pan and up the sides. (A small measuring cup is helpful for smoothing the crumbs evenly into the pie plate.)

CHILL the crust while you preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Bake the crust for about 8 minutes, just until it turns golden. Remove from the oven and set on a rack to cool while you prepare the filling. Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

Key Lime Filling

Delicious as-is. For Ellen’s over-the-top embellishments, check out the LIME section in her recipe index.

4 large egg yolks
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons lime zest
1/2 cup Key Lime juice (Ellen uses Nellie and Joe’s- available in most supermarkets)
 
PLACE the egg yolks in a large mixing bowl. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat the egg yolks for 5 minutes until thick. Add the sweetened condensed milk and the zest and beat until smooth, then gradually add the Key Lime juice, beating on low speed to combine.
 
PLACE the cooled pie shell on a baking sheet. Gradually pour the filling into the crust and bake the pie in the preheated 350 degree oven for 15-17 minutes. The pie will be set around the edges and be the slightest bit jiggly in the center. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for several hours until firm (or freeze for the ‘semifreddo’ texture, or for later).

CUT into thin wedges and serve as desired. A dollop of whipped cream and thin slice of lime? Or go over the top with Ellen’s extras. ENJOY!

20 Questions with Gray

Thomas Graham Hamilton III is my larger than life brother in law. He’s a concrete guy who is most at home next to his mega sized Big Green Egg in his Melbourne Beach, Florida backyard. He has been affectionately known as Gray from the get-go and also answers to a handful of other nicknames: Gray Babe, Bubba, Papa G, Pop. His self-proclaimed grilling name is Willie Rose, a reference to his favorite masonry trowel.

A groomsman in my wedding, Gray was the Love Shack dancing partner of Cameron Washburn, a memory that continues to bring down the house. Gray and his wife Tami host us anytime we ask. The grill becomes the centerpiece of every visit and it’s hard to tell which way he will roll with the menu. Ribs, pizzas, low and slow pork shoulder. Lately he’s come to love a bone-in, skin-on chicken thigh, seasoned simply with salt and pepper. We had them last night and the extras will feed us for the weekend.

What’s your 20 minute recipe? I would feed the world grilled chicken thighs. You grill three times as many as you need and eat ‘em throughout the week. I just found out I’ve been doing it wrong! Man I was doing low and slow but hotter and shorter is better, then they don’t get dried out.

What’s your favorite city? Whitefish, Montana. I don’t want the word to get out on this place.

What’s your favorite restaurant in your current city? Ichabod’s Dockside. Double Crown and any of their fish. Their chef used to be in the masonry business.

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? It’s not IN the fridge, it’s on top of the fridge. Chicken in a Biscuit crackers. I’m glad my wife isn’t taller so she can’t see them hiding up there.

Who taught you to cook? Paul Kingery, the original barbecue guy of South Brevard.

What’s your go-to dish for company? Steaks on the grill with baked potatoes. Scrub ‘em good so you can eat the skin.

What’s on your cooking playlist? Grazing in the Grass by Hugh Masekela. That’s my walkout song.

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? What’s Kombucha?!? Coffee. Just black. I am anti four-bucks. I get mine at the 7 Eleven.

Date night—at home? or out? I prefer at home but it doesn’t work out like that. We go to Ichabod’s. I live in a town of 3,000. This isn’t like Manhattan.

Indispensable kitchen tool? I like this fake Damascus chef’s knife. It’s $300 compared to the real one that’s like $8,000 made by Bob Kramer.

Staple childhood comfort food? Crunchy PB&J and Cheerios.

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? Gus Desch. I’d ask, ‘did my mom sneak out of the house?’ (Gus Desch is Gray’s maternal grandfather of Notre Dame football and Olympic hurdling fame)

Best thing you’ve ever eaten in an airport? Believe it or not, eating Chinese food in a big airport where the planes were taxiing underneath the skybridge.

Would you rather hunt on the land or the sea? I’m not a big hunter, but I do like to bird hunt. I really like to go offshore fishing with multiple friends for large fish—wahoo, dolphin/mahi mahi/dorado, whatever you call it, then tuna.

Favorite pizza topping? Cheese and pepperoni.

Where would you want to take a cooking class? I’d like to take a class with Anthony Bourdain—I love that guy!— at Guy Fieri’s outdoor kitchen. Just to see the stone work!

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? Keep it simple.

Three things next to your stove? My stove is this grill. Koozie, tongs, and lump charcoal.

What’s your favorite sports team? Chicago Bears

What’s your signature hosting drink? Lindsay’s big time homemade margaritas.

It’s a stretch to call it a 20 minute recipe…the idea is this: grill a lot to enjoy the encore later.

Gray’s Simple Grilled Chicken

Get your grill going nice and hot while you prep the chicken. Trim large bits of visible fat off the bone-in skin-on chicken thighs and load them with salt and pepper. Start them bone-side down and turn after about 20 minutes. Cook on the skin side until it’s dark golden and crisp. Grill three times as many as you need so you can enjoy them from the fridge later.

20 Questions with Ellie

Ellie Goldman’s mom Christie stopped me in the produce section of our favorite Charleston grocery store about 10 years ago to inquire about cooking classes for kids. “My daughter loves to cook!” she explained. She signed her up for my Summer cooking camp and suddenly Ellie and I became fast friends. Fast forward, Ellie is now deciding which college she will attend in the Fall.

On any given night, one of the three Goldman kids will plan the menu and make dinner for the family. Her younger brothers (and of course her parents and neighbor grandparents!) will miss her in the kitchen once she leaves for college. They can all be sure she will know how to feed herself (and likely throw a fabulous dorm room dinner party!) at whichever university she chooses.

What’s your 20 minute recipe? I like to make butter and salted pecans. I make them around the holidays and also mom keeps pecans in the freezer so I can make them any time. It’s just pecans, butter, and I like to use J. Q. Dickinson salt. We gave them to all our neighbors at Christmas, wrapped in little takeout boxes lined with tissue paper.

What’s your favorite city? Chicago. I love the shopping and the big city vibe. It’s clean and progressive, I like that!

What’s your favorite restaurant in your current city? Pies and Pints. I like all their pizza varieties and usually fall back on the sriracha shrimp.

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? Godfather peppers from (our neighbors) the Leefs. They can be used on anything! I like them on steak, or from a fork.

Who taught you to cook? My mom taught me, she’s a really good cook! My grandma taught me to bake.

What’s your go-to dish for company? I like to make a cheese platter with crackers, grapes and apples. It always features brie baked with honey.

What’s on your cooking playlist? I like to turn on happy upbeat music that makes you feel happy and good!

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? Coffee! We have an espresso machine and I like it with almond milk and a little sugar.

Dinner with friends—at home? or out? I like to cook for people. It’s more fun than going out.

Most stained cookbook page? I have been collecting recipes in a notebook and the most stained page is the recipe for red velvet cupcakes.

Indispensable kitchen tool? Silicone baking mats for cookies or macarons. They make life so much easier!

Staple childhood comfort food? PB&J, grilled. Creamy peanut butter and strawberry jam, on Charleston bread if we have it.

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? The young actor Timothy Chalamet. I really like the films he’s in.

Best thing you’ve ever eaten in an airport? a great fresh food breakfast in Chicago. I don’t remember the name of the place but it was great finding greens and fresh stuff.

How do you like your toast? Wheat, toasted not too brown with creamy peanut butter right on it, then honey.

Favorite pizza topping? Banana peppers, they go well on a lot of pizzas.

Where would you want to take a cooking class? at a vineyard in Italy.

Three Instagram accounts you follow? Taste of All Charleston, elaborate cakes, and videos of exotic foods

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? If you are baking macarons, make them in the winter when it’s drier.

What’s your favorite sports team? Virginia Tech. I’ve been brainwashed by my parents.

Quick to make and great for gifts, Ellie loves these butter and salted pecans.

Ellie’s Butter and Salted Pecans

all you need is butter, pecans, and salt. For each cup of pecans, you’ll need about a tablespoon of melted butter and a half teaspoon of salt. Toss this trio together in a bowl, scrape it all out onto a rimmed baking sheet (preferably lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper for easy cleanup), add another good sprinkle of salt, and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. Check at 10 minutes when the aroma begs you to open the oven door. Have a peek. Depending on how you like them/the oven, cook a few extra minutes without leaving the kitchen. Remove the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool, then store in an airtight container for up to a week or wrap for gifts.