Eat

If you love sushi but have never tried a poke bowl, you don’t know what you’re missing! Poke bowl places have been popping up around the Triangle for the last few years and I was skeptical at first. Once I tried it, I realized it’s basically […]

If you live in the Triangle and love chocolate, chances are you have heard of  Videri Chocolate Factory. In non-pandemic times, you can take a free tour of their chocolate factory in Downtown Raleigh! They have an amazing selection of chocolate bars, bonbons, and even […]

Cheerwine is a North Carolina tradition and one of the many products that was born in NC. Every year around the holidays, Cheerwine releases a limited edition batch of their Cheerwine Holiday Punch – and if you haven’t tried it yet, I know your first […]

Summer weather is almost over, but these rolls scream summer to me. The hot buttery toasted roll, with the cold herby shrimp salad on top: a match made in heaven. This salad is really easy to throw together and you can store it in the fridge for a few hours or the whole day if you need to make it early!

I wanted to use a local bakery for rolls, but I couldn’t find anyone around here that made split top buns. They are a pretty New England specific item since that is the birthplace of seafood salad rolls. But good ole Pepperidge Farm came through! They had a regular variety, potato roll, and Hawaiian flavored version of the split top buns at Harris Teeter.

For the shrimp, you can buy them raw and roast or grill them if you’d like, but I used the already cooked, frozen, prepped shrimp from Costco. They come from the freezer section and they are already deveined, peeled, and tail off. So all you have to do is thaw them, super easy!

I make the sauce first and taste test to get it right while my shrimp are thawing, then I throw the shrimp in at the end.

This shrimp salad is so delicious because it has fresh herbs like dill and parsley finished off with orange zest that lightens everything up.

I toasted these buns with butter in the oven on my broil setting and watched them very closely. Then I served them alongside my Chili Lime Sweet Potato Fries with Jalapeño Ranch. They are awesome together! Search my site for that recipe if you’d like it.

Hope you guys love this recipe! If you try it, let me know how it goes and snap a picture for Instagram! You can tag me @beckeatsworld 🙂

• 4 split top sandwich buns (such as Pepperidge Farms)
• 2 tbsp salted butter, softened
• 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning

For the Shrimp Salad:

• 1 lb cooked shrimp – deveined, peeled, tail off
• 1/2 cup Duke’s Mayo
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp prepared horseradish
• salt and pepper to taste

• In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for the Shrimp Salad except the shrimp and combine with whisk until fully incorporated.
• Add shrimp to the sauce mixture and toss to coat. Regfrigerate until ready to assemble the rolls. (Up to 1 day)
• Slightly open a split top bun out and spread softened butter on the inside. Toast in the oven on broil for 1-2 minutes until lightly browned. Top with cold shrimp salad and sprinkle Old Bay seasoning on top. Serve immediately.

While getting groceries feels like a post-apocalyptic experience right now, I noticed that everyone and their mother decided to purchase all the sweet potatoes and potatoes as part of their stash. I managed to snag a few and since I already love sweet potatoes, I was thinking up a new way to use them that I haven’t tried yet.

That’s when I thought of doing the at-home equivalent of sweet potato fries. But to be honest, I hate frying anything at home. It’s messy and it usually stinks up the whole house. So I decided to bake these and the combo of the seasoned wedges and the jalapeno ranch is killer. I’m a saucy girl. Everything needs a sauce, right?!

When you cut the sweet potatoes into wedges, there are really no rules. You can cut them in whatever shape you’d like, just trim the ends and keep the skin on. My cutting board has seen better days…

Once you’ve got them cut into wedges, toss them in a bowl with olive oil, lime juice, chili powder, salt, pepper, and fresh chopped parsley. Yes, the parsley can be left out if you don’t have any. But the combination of lime juice and chili powder with the sweetness of the potato is what makes these full of flavor… so don’t skip that!

Spread them out evenly on a lined baking sheet and bake them at 430 degrees for 35 minutes, or until they are as crispy as you’d like them. Try not to crowd them on the baking sheet. I used two baking sheets to spread them out. If you crowd them, they will steam instead of crisp.

While the wedges are baking, you can mix together the Jalapeno Ranch. I am pretty picky about ranch. I don’t mean to be dramatic (ok, yes I do…) but bottled ranch is the absolute worst. It’s so much better home made and it took me a while to nail down a good recipe. I usually add a different element to the basic ranch recipe each time I make it and I just felt like jalapeno would play well with the chili lime flavor of the wedges. I was right, I love anything spicy and this hit the spot.

Two things to remember when making ranch from scratch: 1 – fresh herbs really do make a difference. You can substitute for dried if that’s all you have but if you cook a lot, I would really recommend just purchasing a few small fresh herb plants and keeping them alive for regular use. Fresh herbs really take cooking to a new level. You don’t know what you’re missing! 2 – if you plan on storing ranch in the fridge and using it more than a couple days later, use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic. Fresh raw garlic becomes more potent in the fridge. So I would recommend only making a small amount of ranch for this recipe and not trying to store leftover sauce. It’s better fresh with fresh garlic but it doesn’t keep well that way.

Yep, I’m still using a hand mixer whisk to whisk sauces together. I do have other real whisks, I just prefer using this one. (insert laughing emoji)

When the wedges are ready, serve them hot with the sauce on the side. Such an easy recipe with limited dishes and a whole lot of flavor. I made these with a friend over and we were legit fighting over who would get the last few wedges. They’re SO GOOD.

• 4 sweet potatoes, scrubbed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Jalapeno Ranch:

• 1/3 cup Duke’s Mayo
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tbsp fresh jalapeno, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp fresh dill, chopped
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp milk, or more depending on desired consistency

• Preheat oven to 430 degrees. Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with foil or parchment and set aside.
• Trim and discard the ends of the sweet potatoes. Slice potatoes into wedge shapes and toss them in a large bowl with the olive oil, lime juice, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Spread them out evenly on the prepared baking sheets and try not to overcrowd them.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until desired crispiness.
• While the sweet potatoes are baking, whisk together all the ranch ingredients in a small bowl except the milk. Add the milk last to thin the mixture to desired consistency. I usually start with 1 tbsp and and up putting 2 tbsp.
• When the wedges are done, serve them hot on a platter with ranch on the side for dipping.

This is my obligatory one pumpkin recipe per year! Up until recently I had never tried pumpkin and chocolate together. I thought the flavors wouldn’t go together. But I was so wrong! Chocolate and pumpkin really compliment each other and these muffins are a great example. […]

This is probably my favorite pie ever and I’m kind of surprised I haven’t written out this recipe yet. It’s super easy and you should have almost all the ingredients already in your pantry. It doesn’t get better than a warm slice of chocolate chess pie and a big scoop of ice cream.

Andia’s Ice Cream in Cary, NC has a Cannoli Cream flavor that goes perfectly with this pie! It has hints of cinnamon and a super creamy texture from the ricotta cheese in it, just like a traditional cannoli. Since the flavor isn’t too strong, it doesn’t take over the pie which makes it a perfect pair for this recipe. If you live in the Triangle, they are totally worth a drive! They are doing contactless quart pickups right now because of the Coronavirus, but don’t forget to go back once they fully re-open because their normal menu has all kinds of treats like giant milkshakes and baklava ice cream sandwiches.

Let’s start by discussing pie crust. I used to be a much better cook than baker. I sucked at baking and one of the things I struggled most on was pie crusts. So if you’re worried about doing a crust from scratch, just buy one. It’s much easier and the frozen ones taste fine! Just be sure to buy a deep dish pie shell if you’re going to buy one. The regular size is weirdly small and shallow. I’ll do a full pie crust tutorial sometime soon!

For whatever crust you decide on, make sure you dock the pie crust before baking and you don’t need to blind bake this crust. Translation: take the frozen pie shell out of the freezer for 10 minutes to thaw, poke holes in the crust with a fork, and bake! The fork holes are necessary to help keep the pie crust from bubbling up and making huge craters in your pie.

To make the filling, just whisk together the dry ingredients first in a large bowl.

Then you’ll add the wet ingredients and use a hand mixer with whisk attachments to whip some air into the pie. Mix the pie filling on max speed until it starts to lighten up, about 2-3 full minutes. You’ll see lots of bubbles in the filling and that’s what you want. When it bakes, the bubbles will rise to the top and create a top crust.

The filling is very runny when you fill the pie shell, so don’t freak out if you think that the pie will never set solid. It does! It just requires a long bake time. The trickiest part of this pie is judging whether it’s done or not. Towards the end of the baking time, the only way you can tell if it’s done is by gently jiggling the pie. It should have a very slight jiggle but be totally set in the center. If you’re worried it’s not done, just bake another 5-10 minutes. It’s better to err on the side of caution.

Gosh, I just love this pie so much! It’s so rich and chocolately. Sometimes typing up these recipe posts makes me crazy hungry! Do yourself a favor… make this pie, and buy Andia’s Cannoli Cream ice cream to put on top! Let me know how you like it!

^^If that picture doesn’t make you want to make this pie immediately, I give up 😉

• 1 9-inch deep dish pie crust (unbaked)
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 5 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp instant espresso powder (optional)
• pinch salt
• 1 cup evaporated milk (8 oz)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Microwave the butter until melted and set aside to cool slightly.
• Prep pie crust by docking with the tines of a fork and if necessary, thawing the crust to room temp.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, flour, espresso powder, and salt. Pour butter and evaporated milk into the bowl and use a hand mixer to whisk until combined. Add vanilla and eggs, then beat on high speed for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is lightened up and bubbly.
• Pour mixture into unbaked crust and bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Check the pie after 55 minutes to see if it’s set. It should have a very slight jiggle but be set in the center. Do not underbake! If the crust starts to get too dark, use a pie crust shield or pieces of aluminum foil to cover the crust while the pie continues to bake.

I celebrated my 28th birthday this past weekend! On my actual birthday, I went out somewhere nice for dinner as usual. But I also wanted to cook something special that I normally wouldn’t splurge on. I decided to roast a Beef Tenderloin so naturally I went to my favorite local butcher for the meat – The Butchers Market.

Isn’t that cut of meat gorgeous? The Butcher’s Market is my go-to place for quality meat. It’s not cheap by any means, but when you are cooking an expensive cut of meat you need something that’s good quality. My dad always taught me that “you get what you pay for” and it 100% applies to meat. They have 4 locations now – Cary, Raleigh, Holly Springs, and their brand new location in the Bedford neighborhood in North Raleigh. Right now they are offering online ordering with curbside pickup or you can shop as usual in-store. I could talk about their products all day, but in summation: literally everything they offer is amazing! Especially their marinated meats and other prepped items. Here’s the link to their website if you’d like to check them out: https://www.thebutchersmarkets.com/

The first thing you’ll need to do for this recipe is let the tenderloin rest at room temperature for 1 hour. Then you can prep the garlic herb rub. It’s really simple but packed with flavor! Combine fresh minced garlic, chopped rosemary, salt, pepper, and canola oil until it forms a paste.

Next, use your hands to rub this mixture on all sides of the tenderloin. Make sure your tenderloin has been tied tightly with butcher’s twine. Any decent butcher will do this for you upon request, but if they don’t you can grab some twine at your local grocery store.

Roast the tenderloin in a 500 degree oven inside a roasting pan for 20 minutes then use a meat thermometer to check the temperature.

I like my tenderloin to be medium rare, so I stop roasting it when the internal temp is 120 degrees. It will continue to cook a bit more while resting. If you prefer your meat cooked longer, simply continue roasting until the tenderloin reaches your desired temp.

This tenderloin was so delicious it’s hard for me to even explain it in a way that gives it proper justice! It was truly the most tender meat I’ve ever had. The inside was like butter and the garlic rosemary rub gave it the perfect hit of flavor. It doesn’t even *need* the sauce, but I love horseradish sauce so much and it’s perfect for beef. The sauce kicks it up a notch! You will not be disappointed with this recipe. If you give it a try, post a picture on Instagram and tag me in it! My handle is @beckeatsworld

For the Tenderloin:

• 2-3 lb Beef Tenderloin, trimmed and tied
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

For the Horseradish Sauce:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 2 tbsp Cream Style Horseradish, such as Inglehoffer
• 2 tbsp Duke’s Mayo
• 2 tbsp chives, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

• If not already tied, tightly tie the tenderloin in 2 inch sections with butcher’s twine so it conforms a consecutive shape. Refer to photos above.
• In a bowl, combine garlic, rosemary, oil, salt and pepper until it forms a light paste. Evenly coat the tenderloin with this mixture and allow it to rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F and place the tenderloin on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes then insert a food grade thermometer into the center of the tenderloin. Continue to roast until internal temperature reaches 120 degrees F. If you want it cooked more than medium rare, roast until 130 degrees for medium and 140 degrees for medium-well. The tenderloin will continue to cook after you take it out of the oven.
• Remove from oven at desired temp and cover with foil for 15 minutes. While the tenderloin is resting, mix together all of the horseradish sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
• Slice the tenderloin and serve with horseradish sauce on the side.

If you live in the Triangle and love chocolate, chances are you have heard of  Videri Chocolate Factory. In non-pandemic times, you can take a free tour of their chocolate factory in Downtown Raleigh! They have an amazing selection of chocolate bars, bonbons, and even a cafe inside where you can get one of the best mochas in town. Most recently they have started a soft serve window with all kinds of elevated toppings that I guarantee you’ve never had on your soft serve before… But did you know Videri also has baking supplies? When I found out they carry baking chocolate chunks and baking cocoa, I knew I had to dream up a recipe that would do their chocolate justice. 

For this recipe, you’ll need a tart pan. The cool thing about a tart pan is the sides of the pan pop right off from the bottom, making it really easy to construct the pretty ridged crust and making it convenient to serve. I used Biscoff cookies for my crust which I think adds another element of flavor to this dessert… and I happen to be obsessed with cookie butter. Don’t judge me.

The crust is super simple! Mix together crushed Biscoff cookies, melted butter, and powdered sugar.

I use a measuring cup to press the crust to the sides and compact it into the tart pan.

Bake the tart crust for 8 minutes. While the crust is in the oven, you can start on the filling. Microwave heavy cream until its scalding but not boiling, then mix in Videri chocolate, and let it melt together then cool off a bit. Once that cools, you’ll add a touch of salt and 2 eggs. Then you can pour that delicious filling into the cooled crust and pop that baby in the oven for 20 minutes.

When it comes out, it might have a few bubbles but don’t worry because after you cool it down in the refrigerator, we are about to top this thing with a delicious chocolate ganache which will smooth everything out. Is there such a thing as too much chocolate? NOPE.

Next you’ll prepare the ganache which is also super easy, pour it onto the tart, and refrigerate a bit more to set it up before you add the raspberries. I always start adding berries from the middle of the tart and work my way outwards, it usually ends up looking cleaner that way.

Now all you have to do is dust the tart with a little powdered sugar for decoration and you’re done! Pretty painless if I do say so myself. And so so rewarding. This dessert tastes and looks like it could be served in a restaurant for $10 a slice.

I made this for Valentine’s Day this year but honestly it’s an all-season recipe. I’m a sucker for all things chocolate. Life is short… Buy good chocolate. Especially if you’re making a chocolate-focused dessert, you’ll really notice the difference when you choose a quality ingredient vs. those store brand chocolate chips. Plus, it’s a great way to support local NC businesses!

I’ll just leave this here…

For The Crust:

• 1 3/4 cup Biscoff Cookies, crushed
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 6 tbsp salted butter, melted

For the Filling:

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup Videri baking chocolate pieces
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 tsp salt

For the Ganache + Raspberry Topping:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup Videri baking chocolate pieces
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
• 12 oz fresh raspberries

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch tart pan with non-stick cooking spray.
• Combine all crust ingredients in a bowl until mixture comes together. Spread the crust mixture evenly over the base and sides of the tart pan, pressing into the pan with a measuring cup to compact it down.
• Bake crust for 8 minutes and let it cool for 15 minutes.
• While the crust is cooling, prepare the filling. Microwave the heavy cream for about 1.5 minutes, then add the chocolate to the cream and let it sit for 3-4 minutes. Then whisk the cream into the chocolate until it’s smooth and well combined. Make sure the mixture is cool enough before adding eggs and salt. Whisk to combine.
• Pour filling into the cooled crust and tap the pan on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake for 20 minutes.
• Let the tart cool on the counter for 15 minutes, and then move it to the refrigerator to cool for another hour.
• Prepare the ganache topping by microwaving another 1/2 cup cream and adding in the remaining 3/4 cup of chocolate and powdered sugar. Let it sit for a few minutes and then whisk together until completely smooth and melted.
• Pour the ganache over the tart. Don’t use anything to spread it, just tip the tart around to spread the topping. Cool for 30 more minutes and then top with raspberries and a dusting of powdered sugar.
• Store in fridge but best served at room temperature!

If you live in the Triangle and love chocolate, chances are you have heard of  Videri Chocolate Factory. In non-pandemic times, you can take a free tour of their chocolate factory in Downtown Raleigh! They have an amazing selection of chocolate bars, bonbons, and even […]