FROM OUR KITCHEN

FROM OUR KITCHEN Cooking with the Gifford Family

If Emily Gifford had a Food Network show or a best-selling cookbook, it might well be called, “The Little Kitchen That Could.” The Adrian native makes gourmet meals nearly effortlessly in her apartment-sized kitchen, with its limited counter space and basic appliances.

“I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2006, and had major surgery and chemo and I spent a lot of time on the sofa, watching Food Network,” Gifford recalls. “I always loved to cook, and I was just obsessed with the shows. I couldn’t even eat but I would watch the programs and wonder who has a kitchen like that? The reality is that most people don’t have double ovens, they have tiny spaces — those are the real kitchens.”

Gifford, who is the director of the theatre program for Adrian Public Schools, has cooked since she was a child, first with her mom, Andrea Carrico, and now with her two children, Brenna, 12, and Emerson, 6. While her kitchen is small, she is able to create meals to rival any cooked in the well-appointed kitchens found on the Food Network. “I don’t have fancy appliances and double ovens,” she said. “I think a lot of times, if people love to cook and they watch these shows, it deters them from cooking.” Gifford pointed out that the shows look amazing, but a person who loves to cook may not feel they can replicate the gourmet dishes because they lack a “convection oven or a Vitamix blender." “But you don’t have to have that dream kitchen to do all of this stuff,” she says, as she plates the main course for the afternoon.

On the menu is Spatchcock Chicken with Sauce, Balsamic Marinated Vegetables, Grilled Peach Salad with Olive Oil Dressing, and Lemon Basil Olive Oil Cake with Coconut Whipped Cream. “For me the key is prepping ahead of time,” Gifford explains as she dishes up the chicken, vegetables, and salad. “I marinated the vegetables overnight. I made the sauce yesterday and left it in the blender in the fridge. I roasted the nuts yesterday. If I tried to make a huge meal in this kitchen all in one day, it would be hard because I don’t have space to spread out.”

The meal is perfect for a summer grillout but also can be cooked in the oven. It reflects Gifford’s creative approach to cooking and pretty much the rest of her life as well. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Siena Heights University in Theatre and Speech Communication with a minor in psychology. The weekend before this interview, she wrapped up “Pippin,” at Adrian High School, a musical production she directed. She also has performed in theatre productions, as well as doing costume design and staging. And then there is the cooking.

A thrifty shopper, Gifford will challenge herself to creating interesting dishes out of leftovers. The chicken she cooked for this interview will make its way to the fridge for the next day, but, Gifford said, it will be a different dish completely once she starts cooking. “I like it, it’s a great meal, but I like the challenge of looking at ways I can make a new dish out of leftovers,” she said. “Plus, a chicken like this is a great buy. The whole chicken cost maybe $4, but there is so much you can do with it.”

Gifford does not eat sugar, grains or dairy, mostly because she just feels better when she avoids those foods. “I do like to eat healthy,” she said. The meal for this article features sides of salad and roasted vegetables, and a cake made from almond flour, stevia, and olive oil. She is constantly developing new recipes and gluten-free, non-dairy versions of common dishes. She has friends who follow different eating plans and she’ll often swap recipes and try out new ideas. “Baking is a science, cooking is an art,” she says.

Gifford has passed along her creativity to her daughter, Brenna, who hopes to one day become an actor or a singer. Brenna admits “anything pig” is among her favorite foods and she brings out a cookbook filled with her own recipes. She enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, too. Six-year-old Emerson is a bit shy about revealing his favorite foods, but he does grin from ear to ear when his mom and sister talk about his love for roasted Brussels sprout “chips.” “I have a small kitchen, $20 thrifted appliances, I have mismatched dishes, but at the end of the day, when you’re cooking for friends and family, they don’t care about that stuff,” Gifford says. “They want to come and enjoy your cooking and spend time with you.”

(or as I call them, the best grilling side dish that goes with EVERYTHING) 16 ounces baby Bella mushrooms, halved if large 2 red bell peppers, cut into bite sized pieces (an inch probably. I have a big mouth. So your bites are probably smaller than mine) 1 zucchini, cut into coins and halved 1 yellow summer squash, treated like the zucchini. 1/2 a large red onion, chunked. Don’t be scared of big pieces. They get super sweet when roasted!

MARINADE:

SPATCHCOCK CHICKEN SPICE RUB

1 tbsp each-Brown sugar Swerve, Smoked Paprika, Garlic powder, Salt 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper 5 pound chicken, spatchcocked Olive oil 2 lemons

Pat your spatchcock chicken dry with paper towels. Rub spice mixture all over the bird. Brush heated grill with oil. Place the chicken, skin side down, on a pre-heated medium high grill for 5 minutes or so until the skin is nicely charred and starting to crisp. Turn heat to low, flip the chicken, and grill on low until internal temperature reaches 165, about 45 minutes. Remove from grill and let rest for 10 minutes.

Halve the lemons and grill cut side down while chicken rests. Serve on the platter with the carved chicken and drizzle with the Best Ever Green Sauce. Serve with additional B.E.G. sauce. Trust me. You’ll want extra.

How to spatchcock a chicken: Using SHARP kitchen scissors, cut down either side of the backbone of the chicken and remove. Flip it over so chicken is breast side up. Press down until it flattens. You’ll feel some bones crack, but don’t let that power go to your head. That’s it! You’ve got a fancy looking bird that will cook perfectly and in much less time than one who kept their backbone intact. And keep that spine to make some epic chicken stock later on!

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce) 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp Swerve brown sugar 3-5 cloves of garlic, minced or grated 1/2 each of tsp. salt and black pepper 3 or 4 tbsp of chopped fresh herbs. I use Rosemary, thyme, oregano, and basil. But use whatever you have! Pretty fail-proof recipe!

Toss vegetables with marinade, cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Overnight is even better! The longer they hang out with that luscious sauce, the happier they’ll be.

Roast at 425 degrees Fahrenheit on a baking sheet for about 30 minutes, OR grilled in a grill basket on medium high heat. Cook ‘em where you’ve got the space. And IF you have any leftover, they reheat beautifully. But I doubt you will.

GRILLED PEACH SALAD

Arugula 3 firm, ripe peaches, quartered 2 thinly sliced shallots 1 ounce crumbled Bleu cheese 1/2 cup spiced pecans (see additional recipe)

Grill peaches flesh side down on medium high heat until they have nice grill marks. Place arugula on a platter, drizzle with dressing, and top with shallots, nuts, and Bleu cheese. Arrange grilled peaches and serve.

DRESSING

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp white wine vinegar 1 clove finely minced or grated garlic 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 1 tsp Dijon Mustard 1 tsp raw honey Salt and pepper to taste

SPICED NUTS

THE BEST EVER GREEN SAUCE

(best ANYTHING you’ll ever eat) 10 basil leaves (or just a big handful I don’t measure or count anything) 1/3 ish cup of cilantro leaves 4 green onions, roughly chopped 6-8 garlic cloves (I grate mine because my $20 blender is too wimpy to do the work for me, but you can throw them in whole if yours has some muscle) Juice from a lemon 3/4 cup Mayo A few good cracks of sea salt

Blend! Taste test for salt amount. And try not to eat it all with a spoon before it makes it to the chicken.

4 cups raw whole nuts (I use half pecans, half almonds) 2 egg whites 1 tbsp each of Cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1 cup brown sugar Swerve stevia substitute

Whisk egg whites until frothy. Toss nuts in egg whites. Mix spices and Swerve. Coat the nuts with the spice mixture and spread in an even layer on a non stick baking sheet. Bake in a 225-degree oven for 2 hours, stirring half way through.

Recipes by Emily!