This year has been full of unprecedented times and situations. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many families and individuals will be cooking at home this holiday season. That’s why we are bringing the dishes to you all month long in our Quarantine Kitchen series. We talked to twenty-three chefs who willingly shared some of their favorite dishes to prepare for the holidays. Stay tuned Dec. 1 through 24 on the blog as well as our social media channels for a new dish to feature in your home each day and let’s get cooking!
Few things go together quite like a good book and a sweet treat.
That’s the idea behind Sugar Island Bakery and Supplies, a combination bakery and bookstore located in Topsail Island. Offering a wide array of sweets along with savory options and fresh ground, locally sourced coffees and a lot more, Sugar Island is likely to have just what you’re looking for this holiday season.
Of course, the only thing better than enjoying a freshly-baked treat is reading a new book at the same time. Sugar Island also operates a full, two-story bookstore with genres ranging from cook books to fantasy to technology. There are also a wide range of audio books to explore, and you can even order online!
Sugar Island chef Samantha Jo Smith has given us not one, but two recipes to try out while we’re all at home over the Winter. The first is a sweet treat – Blueberry Gems with a splash of nutmeg and honey – while the second is a savory Miso soup made from a variety of fresh vegetables.
Recipe 1: Blueberry Honey Gems
- Ingredients:
- Dry ingredients:
- 3 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- Wet ingredients:
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- 3 Eggs
- 2 tablespoons Honey
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ½ cup Vegetable oil
- Other ingredients:
- 1 cup Blueberries
- ¼ cup chopped blueberries
- Dry ingredients:
- Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Combine dry ingredients in large bowl.
- Make a hole in dry ingredients and stir in wet ingredients.
- Stir until lumps disappear.
- Add in berries and barely stir.
- Scoop into lined muffin pans.
- Bake 12 to 14 minutes until domed and firm in the middle.
- Notes from the chef: This recipe can be mixed and baked immediately or refrigerated for up to three days for fresh muffins every morning!
Recipe 2: Miso Soup
- Ingredients:
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 cups kale, thinly sliced
- 2 cups diced & microwaved sweet potatoes
- 3 tablespoons miso paste
- Instructions:
- Bring broth to a boil.
- Add onions and kale and boil for 5 minutes
- White boiling, microwave a whole large sweet potato for 6 minutes
- Remove pot from heat and add miso
- Whisk until dissolved
- Scoop small spoonful’s of cooked potato into soup
- Stir well and simmer for 5 minutes
- Notes from the chef: I love soup! This soup is super versatile. Leftovers can be used with pasta or rice or reduced to a sauce for fish or chicken.