COTW: Macy Wiggins
This week’s Cook of the Week is Macy Wiggins. She is the daughter of the Donna and Ronald Wiggins of Twin City. Macy is a graduate of DEA, Class of 2013. Macy and Avery, together, have two pets, their fluffy cat, Cardi; and their Boykin, Blaze. In Macy’s spare time, she loves to ride the side by side, go to the beach, and enjoys hanging out with her friends and family. Macy is also a huge Atlanta Braves fan and plans on going to more games this season. Here are a few recipes Macy would like to share with you. Enjoy!
Country Sausage Gravy
•1 lb. pork breakfast sausage
•3 Tbsp. butter
•1/4 c. all-purpose flour
•3 c. whole milk
In a large skillet over medium high heat, cook bulk sausage until brown and crumbly. If excess oil, drain while keeping a solid tablespoon of the sausage oil in the pan. Add butter and stir well until melted. Sprinkle sausage with flour, stir, and allow to cook for several minutes until flour can absorb some of the fat and get golden brown. Add milk and stir. Continue stirring occasionally over medium heat until gravy thickens, 5-10 minutes. Drizzle over warm fresh biscuits and enjoy!
Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
•2 lbs. Chicken Breast
•3/4 lbs. fettuccine pasta
•1 lb. white mushrooms thickly sliced
•1 small onion, finely chopped
•3 cloves garlic minced
•3 1/2 c. half and half
•1/4 c. parsley, finely chopped, plus more for garnish
•1 tsp. sea salt, plus more for pasta water
•1/4 tsp. black pepper
•3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
•1 Tbsp. butter
Cook fettuccini in a pot of salted water (4 quarts water, 1 tablespoon salt) according to package instructions, then drain and set aside. Meanwhile, slice chicken into strips and season all over with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium/high heat and sauté chicken until lightly golden and cooked through (about five minutes). Remove chicken from pan and cover to keep warm.
In same pan over medium/high, heat one tablespoon of olive oil and one tablespoon of butter. Add onion and sauté for three minutes or until soft. Add sliced mushrooms and sauté until soft (5-7 minutes), stirring frequently. Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
Add half-n-half and simmer over medium/high heat for 8-10 minutes, or until beginning to thicken. Add chicken back to pan, then add 1/4 cup parsley and season sauce to taste (1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper).
Add cooked pasta and stir to combine. Heat another minute until warmed through then turn off heat, cover and let rest 10-15 minutes then stir and serve garnished with parsley.
Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese
•6 large jalapeno peppers
•4 oz. cream cheese, softened
•4 green onions, chopped
•dash black pepper
•6 slices Colby Jack cheese
•6 slices sourdough bread
•butter
Roast jalapenos on a pre-heated grill or burner of a gas stove top, turning to char all sides. Place roasted jalapenos in a paper bag to steam. After about 10 minutes, remove from bag and gently peel off skin. (It is recommended that you wear gloves for this step.) Cut off top of each pepper. Slice down one side of each pepper and carefully remove seeds and ribs.
In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, chopped green onion, and black pepper. Butter one side of each of the bread slices. Flip over three slices of bread and spread the unbuttered side generously with the cream cheese mixture. Layer on jalapenos and cheese slices; top with remaining bread slices, butter side up.
Grill in a heated pan, coated with cooking spray or a bit of butter, until golden browned.
