Miss Dot's

01/30/2023

Deep frying chicken might not be in the first chapter of Cooking 101, but it's certainly a foundational recipe in the more advanced class: Southern Classics. A great southern cook has to know how to fry up good chicken, which has as much to do with the pre-frying process as it does the actual cooking.

When cooking for a Diabetes patient, it's not so much the frying that's bad. Simply use healthful cooking oils like coconut oil or lard. The problem is getting a good crust without the standard white flour. This version allows you to meet the problem halfway, using gluten-free flours for a familiar (though delicate) crust, and a combination of frying and baking.

Iron Skillet Fried Chicken
4 boneless chicken breasts
1 cup cultured buttermilk
1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup arrowroot
1 tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp rubbed sage
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
1 tbsp Mrs. Dash
Coconut oil or lard, and butter, for frying

Marinate the chicken breasts in buttermilk overnight in the refrigerator using a large Ziplock bag. Try to ease out all the air you can before sealing. When ready, take the breasts out of the plastic bag and dry on paper towels.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl and dredge the breasts in it. Set them back in the fridge for at least 30 mins.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take a baking sheet and place a metal cooling rack on it for finishing the chicken in the oven. Atop the stove, heat an iron skillet to a medium heat, and just before you fry the chicken, add the oil and a couple of pats of butter (make sure you add the butter last, just before you fry the chicken, to keep it from smoking and turning rancid).

Dredge the chicken again in the flour mixture and fry just until the crust is crisp. The chicken will not be done yet.

Place the chicken on the metal cooling rack and once all the breasts are partially fried put it in the pre-heated oven to cook the chicken the rest of the way. It should take about 15 -20 minutes. Handle them carefully so as not to knock too much of the crust off.

01/15/2023

Hello everyone! Long time, no post. December was quite the month with that flu that was going around. I'm grateful for my health and each day I'm privileged to witness.

Now that the new year is here, so are the final preparations on missdots.com! The website is built, and once a sufficient amount of recipes are uploaded, we will officially launch.

In the meantime, it's time to turn up the heat here in the midst of winter. A little red chili pepper will do, as part of my Thai Sweet Chili Mayo, a stevia-sweetened sauce for one of my absolute favorite recipes: Mahi Mahi Bang Bang. You'll get the rundown in subsequent posts, so stay tuned!

12/27/2022

MissDots.com is still being built! So many recipes to add! In the meantime, for those of you who find your way to this page, here's a little about me...

In the Summer of 2011, I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. It ran in my family. I had already fought and won against Congestive Heart Failure, Colon Cancer and debilitating back pain. I thought at this point, what else? I consulted with my Maximized Living doctors, Dr. Jason and Dr. Jenny Kestner, and was convinced that I could reverse the Diabetes through nutrition and not medication.

The nutritionist at the Diabetes clinic turned up her nose at the suggestion that the diet would be effective, and she cautioned me to take the medications prescribed or else. Telling me I couldn’t do something really hacked me off, and after spending a year and a half of my life in a medicine-induced fog after my heart failure and another 3 years of chemo brain, I was not at all excited about medicating this new problem. I was more motivated than ever and started the Advanced Plan the very next day. By the end of the two weeks, I had dropped 20 pounds, and oh, by the way, I never once took the medicine.

The nutritionists at the Diabetes clinic were floored…

11/26/2022

The website is live! Join our mailing list to get updates about our progress.

Hi y'all, I'm Dorothy, but you can call me Miss Dot. In 2011, I reversed Type II Diabetes following the Maximized Living Advanced diet plan. With this high-fat, low-carb regimen, I stunned my doctors and nutritionists who implored me to simply take the pills they prescribed. Instead, I sought healin...

11/24/2022

Green beans are a Thanksgiving staple, and I certainly have my version of the classic casserole (complete with homemade cream of mushroom soup and homemade fried onions).

In keeping with the theme of my last post, however, I’m showing y’all a much simpler take on this wonderful side item. My Spiced Green Beans take almost no effort to make. Just throw the ingredients into a pot, and cook to tenderness! Check it out…

1 - Trim one pound of green beans

2 - Add to a large pot with 2 cups chicken stock, 3 tbsp butter, 3 tbsp coconut oil, 2 tbsp Mrs Dash seasoning, 1 tbsp salt and 1/2 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes

3 - Cook over a medium heat. Add water as needed until the beans are fork tender

11/23/2022

Cooking for two? Or is Thanksgiving just you? Sometimes the whole turkey to-do is a bit much for a scaled down holiday, but that doesn’t mean you can’t cook up a more personal version of the classic bird.

This roasted turkey leg recipe is really quite simple. It’s big on flavor, and you don’t have to commit to the long brining and prep process of a whole bird. The secret is sage butter.

1 - To make the sage butter, simply mix a 1/2 tsp of rubbed sage into 1/4 stick of salted, grass-fed butter. (For this version, I dried fresh sage leaves from my garden, but not even that is necessary if you didn’t spend your summer pulling weeds from your raised beds)

2 - Freeze the butter, and when you’re ready to assemble, remove from the freezer and cut into coins or slivers.

3 - Make slits in the skin of the turkey and insert the butter between the skin and meat.

4 - Rub the turkey legs with melted butter or coconut oil and salt generously. Broil for 15 minutes on each side to form a delightfully crispy skin.

5 - Finish cooking for 30-35 minutes until the bird is to temp. 180 degrees.

11/22/2022

Are you stocked up for the holidays? I just made a big batch of chicken stock from a beautiful free-range chicken! It’s destined for soups, sauces and sides, and if there’s a little leftover, I might just sip a mug for a cozy evening treat.

There’s lots of recipes out there for stock, but I don’t find many that incorporate the little touches that make mine extra nutritious.

1 - Take a stock pot and add 1 locally sourced, free range bird.

2 - Add 1 onion, 2 ribs celery, 3 carrots, 3 cloves smashed garlic, a few peppercorns. Cover with water.

3 - Bring to heat. Notice I didn’t say boil or simmer. The key to keeping all those healthful minerals and nutrients in tact is to cook low and slow. The water should let out a single “bloop” once or twice a minute. Cook for 6-8 hours this way.

4 - The final secret is to add 2 tsp of vinegar late in the cooking process. This helps the bones release their minerals.

I also add a tbsp of salt at the end. This stock ends up a beautiful golden color with an amazing taste. Cooking this slow also doesn’t overcook the meat. It’s still usable for chicken salad or enchiladas.

11/21/2022

The holidays are upon us! And in other great news, the Miss Dot’s website is nearly finished! Although it won’t launch in time for Thanksgiving, I’m spending this week highlighting some of my holiday favorites.

Pimento cheese is a southern classic, and there are as many ways to make it as there are unique sub-regions of the south.

This version is the favorite of my web designer and food photographer Brandon. He wasn’t born a southerner, but he moved to Nashville and spent a decade there. His version is a bit more hipster, informed by a certain celebrity chef, and absolutely packed with flavor. The secret is smoked cheddar.

1 - Whip 4oz of cream cheese in a bowl until soft, then mix in 1/2 cup homemade mayo

2 - Then add a dash each of your favorite hot sauce, salt, pepper, honey, and paprika, and mix

3 - Fold in 1lb of cheese, then fold in your homemade Pimento made from one red bell pepper

4 - Taste and adjust those dashes of seasoning to your liking

Note on the cheese: If you’re going the very healthy route, use raw cheddar and smoked paprika. If you want Brandon’s flavor bomb, use smoked cheddar and regular paprika. (He 50/50 mixed Tillamook’s Hickory Smoked Cheddar and Smoked Black Pepper White Cheddar)

Get a box of your favorite gluten-free crackers, and you’ve got a lovely appetizer for your next holiday get-together.

10/16/2022

When making Pimento Cheese, perhaps the most important ingredient, besides cheese, is… you guessed it, pimentos!

This is another ingredient, like the mayo, that can come from a grocery store, yet is incomparable to the freshly made version.

While finding true Pimento peppers might be difficult, you can achieve a great result with a classic red bell pepper (any pepper really as long as it’s sweet- and not spicy-natured). Here’s the scoop:

1 - Simply broil or grill your peppers, turning often, until nice and blackened.

2 - Place in a bowl and cover with a towel, let steam for 10 min

3 - Peel the skin off, then cut or tear into strips

4 - Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes with some avocado oil and a pinch of good salt

And voila! Jar it up and save for later, or let cool and dice it into your pimento cheese!

10/11/2022

Homemade mayo is so easy to make, and fast. Just an egg, oil and some pantry staples and you can have the most healthful, flavorful and customizable version of this classic condiment. I made this one with olive oil and a duck egg, hence the color (and added zip of flavor).

This week, I'm breaking down the basics for a good Pimento Cheese, mayo being an essential ingredient.

Homemade Mayo:
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
3/4 cup oil (something healthful like avocado, olive or walnut)

In a medium bowl, add all of the ingredients except for the oil. Using a wisk or electric handmixer, vigorously beat the egg yolk mixture for about 30 seconds, until the color brightens. Continuously mixing, add the oil very slowly, 1/3 cup at a time, adding the last 1/3 cup all at once. Continue beating until the mayo has thickened, then cool in the refrigerator until the mayo has thickened up even more.