Restaurant Review: Glenlake Café, Raleigh, N.C.

Posted on July 16, 2013 by kelleychisholm

Glenlake Cafe exterior

Nestled in an office park off of Edwards Mill Road, behind Stough Elementary School and the back entrance of Crabtree Valley Mall, is Glenlake Café (4141 Parklake Ave Raleigh, N.C. 27612), a small place that serves breakfast and lunch, M-F, 8am to 3pm. Unless you work in the office park or live in the area, you may not know it’s even there. However, if you are close by, you definitely should give Glenlake Café a try for its daily specials, tasty sandwiches and wraps, homemade soups and most awesome salads — all reasonably priced!

Glenlake Cafe Menu

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Kel’s Cheesy Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas

Posted on July 11, 2013 by kelleychisholm

Awesome chicken and spincah quesadillas!

With all of the rain that has soaked Raleigh in the past several months, we haven’t grilled outside nearly as much as we normally would. One of the last things I made before our kitchen remodel began were these wonderful chicken and spinach quesadillas with jalapeno-cheddar tortillas and lots of yummy cheese. Delicious ! I have a quesadilla maker that I got for a Christmas present several years ago (thanks Darren and Meredith!) and often use, but it was packed so I just used a large skillet instead.

These quesadillas go great with my fresh and easy pico de gallo that I posted earlier this week (click here for the recipe.) Also, if you want a vegetarian version, omit the chicken and either double the spinach or add a can of drained seasoned black beans.

Kel's quesadilla and pico de gallo

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Kel’s Fresh and Easy Pico de Gallo

Posted on July 8, 2013 by kelleychisholm

Pico de gallo 2

You say tomayto, I say tomahto, let’s call the whole thing off – Louis Armstrong

Don’t call off this delicious pico de gallo recipe, regardless of how you pronounce one of my favorite foods in the world – the awesome tomato (and I say tomayto, BTW. ) It’s finally tomato season in North Carolina and I couldn’t be happier! There are so many recipes out there calling for fresh tomatoes and so little time to make them all!

Pico de Gallo on Quesadilla

The good thing about this pico de gallo recipe is you can make it year-round by using Roma tomatoes when homegrowns aren’t available. It is so much better than the jarred stuff and is a breeze to make! Plus it is low-fat and vegan — how often do you get truly delicious and healthy together!

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Kel’s Crab Salad Stuffed Avocados – Yum!

Posted on July 5, 2013 by kelleychisholm

Kel's Crab salad stuffed avocado

Whenever I come home from the beach, I usually am still craving seafood. Our last visit was no different, and this time crab was on my mind — crab salad in particular. I have had a fondness for crabs since I was a little girl. I remember growing up outside of D.C. and my Dad would go to Maryland and get live blue crabs when they were in season. He would steam them and then cover the table with newspapers to let the cracking and dipping begin. Crabs dipped in butter — Heaven! I remember one time he let a few of the crabs out on the floor (I think he had drank several beers) and my sister and I were scared to death that we were going to get pinched.

I also remember loving my Pampa’s crab salad (it was as good as his tuna salad, click here for the recipe.) He put capers in his, which I excluded because I was out, but use them if you have them, to taste. I had a couple of ripe avocados I needed to use, so decided to put the crab salad in them and use the scooped out avocado in the salad for a wonderful marriage of flavors. Crab and avocados are simply wonderful together! And the presentation rocks — perfect to dress up a nice luncheon!

Yum!

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Kel’s Famous Crunchy Fried Chicken

Posted on July 2, 2013 by kelleychisholm

Kel's Cafe Crunchy Fried chicken

I decided to learn how to fry chicken and make homemade gravy while I was still in high school. I was dating Ted, who later turned out to be my ex-husband. His mom, Geraldine, made some of the best fried chicken I’ve ever had, to this day. She used an electric fryer and as much as I tried to duplicate her recipe, I couldn’t get it exactly right. My Dad made really good fried chicken as well, and he used cast-iron skillets instead of electric fryers. I couldn’t replicate his recipe either, so I decided to take some of the techniques from both of them and come up with my own signature dish. And that I did.

By the time I was in college, I had a recipe that I was quite pleased with. I bought a cast-iron skillet that I used just for frying chicken and still have to this day (I have my Dad’s skillets, too!) Unlike my Dad and Geraldine, I decided to marinate my chicken in buttermilk at least 6-8 hours before frying. Buttermilk is a natural tenderizer and helps to make the chicken nice and juicy. I also added crushed cornflakes to my flour mixture, which gives the chicken extra crunch.

Three essentials for Ke's fried chicken

This was one of my most requested dishes for several years, until the age monster made so many of us watch our fried food intake. But every now and then, I love to get out my cast-iron skillets and fry up a batch of this wonderful comfort food. National Fried Chicken Day is July 6th — a great reason to give this a try, or make some for your Fourth of July celebration. You’ll be glad you did!

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Kel’s Basic Black Bean Salad

Posted on June 18, 2013 by kelleychisholm

Kels' basic black bean salad

I love black beans, especially in salads. I’ve been making this particular black bean salad for years and it’s one of my go-to dishes to take to pot luck lunches or dinners. It goes great with Mexican dishes, as a side to chicken and fish, or as a stand-alone salad. Not only is this black bean salad fast and easy to make, it is good for you and, as an added bonus, vegan. The red bell peppers and corn give it a slight bit of sweetness and a lot of crunch, and the jalapeño hot sauce and lime juice make the perfect marinade for it. It is one of my most requested recipes!

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Kel’s Individual Pineapple Upside Down Cakes With Grand Marnier

Posted on June 14, 2013 by kelleychisholm

Place pinapple and cherry in ramekin

Break out your ramekins – it’s time to make individual pineapple upside down cakes. These mini-cakes are so cute and the brown sugar and Grand Marnier sauce is awesome. It soaks into the cake, making it incredibly moist, not to mention mouthwatering delicious.

So good!

I use fresh pineapple for this, but you can use the canned rings instead (buy the pineapple in its own juice, not heavy syrup.) Also, I use a boxed cake mix, but feel free to use your favorite homemade cake batter. I did have enough batter from the cake mix to make six cupcakes, which made the kids happy! Or, just make more of these fantastic pineapple upside down cakes.

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Jerry’s Most Delicious Marinated Yellow Squash

Posted on June 11, 2013 by kelleychisholm

Pour the marinade over the squash

My friend and fellow foodie, Jerry Jackson, sent me this recipe for marinated yellow squash the other day. Jerry is (among other roles) senior editor and publisher of FMI Quarterly, the journal I edit, and he loves to go to all of the new restaurants in the area and then let me know which ones are worth visiting. We meet several times a year to discuss Quarterly production, etc., usually at an area restaurant, which is much better than getting together in the office.

After reading his recipe, I knew I would have to try it since I love yellow squash. Two added bonuses are (1) it is vegan, and (2), it does not require any cooking. The marinade is excellent, with two types of vinegar and just the right amount of sugar. The sweet onion, green pepper and celery add extra crunch to the dish. Perfect for the summer – light, yet tangy and refreshing. A perfect blend of flavors that is good for you! Continue reading →

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Kel’s Cucumber Melon Mojito

Posted on June 7, 2013 by kelleychisholm

Kel's cucumber melon mojito

I was taking stock of my container herb garden a few weeks ago to see what I needed to replant, and was happy that my mint was coming back quite nicely. That’s a good thing, because my main use for it is in mojitos, one of my favorite summertime drinks. Now I just needed to decide what new flavor of mojito I was going to make — last year it was pineapple (see my post Mojito Mojo for the recipe) and the year before it was blood orange, both of which are excellent.

fresh mint

I decided to go with a melon mojito since I have almost a full bottle of Midori liqueur. Then I thought I’d add some cucumber as well — I love the taste of melon and cucumber together. The result?  A cool, refreshing and pretty green cocktail that is not too sweet. Kermit would love it!

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Joyce’s Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas For a Crowd

Posted on June 4, 2013 by kelleychisholm

Enchiladas out of the oven

For nearly 30 years, a group of us who used to work or hang out at The Pub in Raleigh (now closed) has been going to the beach for a week around Memorial Day. While many of the faces have changed during the years, one thing has remained constant and that is the wonderful food that is prepared during the week.

chicken enchilada

For several years I have only been able to stay a couple of days, and last year I had the pleasure of trying some of Joyce’s most excellent leftover chicken enchiladas for lunch. When I heard she was making them again this year, I asked if she’d be willing for me to post her recipe, complete with photos. Lucky for all of us, she said yes. These enchiladas are fantastic – wonderfully spiced with tons of cheese. And perfect for leftovers the next day! Continue reading →

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