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Southern food is the best food in the world and nobody does it quite like Kentucky. On the following pages, you'll find Kentucky recipes, Kentucky food and drinks, and Kentucky food reviews. For restaurants and reviews, please see Kentucky Restaurants.

Crispy Kale Chips Recipe: Made Better With Bourbon Smoked Sea Salt

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Kale and Bourbon Smoked Sea Salt
Kale, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Sea Salt
1 head kale, washed
2 tablespoons olive oil
Bourbon Smoked Sea Salt (or regular sea salt), for sprinkling

{Directions Below….}

Bourbon Smoked Sea Salt

  1. Pre-Heat the oven to 275 degrees.
  2. Wash (and dry) the kale. You want to make sure it’s thoroughly dry or it won’t get as crispy as you want it to.
  3. Cut the ribs away and discard. Cut the kale leaves into 1 1/2-inch pieces.
  4. Place in a bowl (or directly on a large baking sheet) and drizzle with the EVOO and Sea Salt. If you can get your mitts on Bourbon Smoked Sea Salt, do so. It adds a little extra flavor and, if you’ll allow me to be all girly for a minute… it’s pretty.
  5. Be sure each piece is coated with the oil and sea salt. Bake on a large cookie sheet until crisp, turning the leaves halfway through, for about 20 minutes. If, after 20 minutes, they aren’t as crisp as you prefer, put them back for a few more minutes. Just be sure you don’t put them back and walk away – they’ll turn on you fast.
  6. Enjoy as a healthy, crunchy snack!

Be sure your cookie sheet is large enough for a single layer of kale chips. If they have to ride on one another’s backs, they won’t get nice and crunchy.

Kale Chips

February is National Hot Breakfast Month: Perfect Time to Spotlight a Few Kentucky Foods

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Broadbent's Bacon and Ham

September and February are a lot like me – they have breakfast on the brain. September is National Breakfast Month and, not to be outdone, February is National HOT Breakfast Month.

Come on, though, you can never celebrate breakfast too often. Each day this month, I’m going to focus on a different breakfast recipe on my food blog – if you’re into breakfast food as much as I am, you can check that out.

In honor of National HOT Breakfast Month, I wanted to shine the spotlight on a few of my favorite Kentucky foods.

Broadbent Hams

Broadbent’s Hams and Bacon are the perfect way to get your delicious breakfast started. Not only are their foods off the charts delicious, they’re made right here in Kentucky so you have the satisfaction of putting great food on the table for your family as you help support other Kentucky families.

Broadbent's Country Ham

While everything is exceptional, my favorite Broadbent’s food is the ham. Absolutely delicious! The Hickory Smoked Biscuit Cut Slices (above) make some of the best breakfast sandwiches you ever had. Add a fried egg and a slice of cheese and you’ll be in your own delicious little world.

Visit Broadbent’s Website for more information.

Two Sisters Jams, Jellies, and Preserves

Two Sisters Jams with Gluten Free Biscuits

Two Sisters Jams, Jellies, and Preserves is another favorite Kentucky food – best jams, jellies, and preserves you’ll ever, ever, ever, ever find. Ever.  Click the link to visit their website. Whatever you do, you’ll want to get your hands on a jar of their Cherry Bomb Pepper Jelly and their Tiki Torch and Strawberry Rhubarb jams… they are my personal favorites, but I’m not lying – everything they make is outstanding.

Common Grounds Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Coffee

Common Grounds Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Coffee

See the beautiful bag of coffee beans above? One of my favorite things in the world. For whatever reasons, this is simply some of the best coffee you can buy. I always grab my bags at Kroger, on the “Kentucky Foods” kiosk. These kiosks are usually either in the back (near the meats) or near the front of the store. I’ve had other varieties of Common Grounds but this one is the best. It is just phenomenal.

Yoder’s Homestyle Damson Plum Jam

Yoder's Homestyle Plum Jam

One of my favorite jam or jelly flavors is plum – I am over the blue moon crazy about it. It can, however, be tricky to find. The Yoder’s Damson Plum Jam (above) is the best Plum jam I’ve ever had – the flavor is everything that’s right and magical about plum jam.

I’ve found Yoder’s Plum Jam in the gift shops in the Kentucky State Resort Parks. The one, above, was bought at Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park but I find them regularly at the other parks as well.

You simply have to grab a jar – it’ll rock your world. It’s Heavenly on toast, biscuits, bagels, muffins, and holy cats does it make ridiculously good Thumbprint Cookies!

More Kentucky Foods

The Kroger “Kentucky Food” Kiosks, the Kentucky State Parks, and the Hitching Post in Aurora are some of my favorite places to buy Kentucky food. There are so many to choose from and I’ve yet to get anything that let me down.

You can, of course, find even more Kentucky food and coffee online. I recently found a great coffee made here in Kentucky simply by asking Google the right question. I’ll have my raving Good Folks Coffee Review up in a day or two. Good Folks does everything the right way -from packaging to the perfect coffee, itself. I love Kentucky products that make you proud to see the name Kentucky on their product.

What are some of your own favorite Kentucky Foods and Coffees? Give them a shout out in the comments!

Bourbon Barrel Foods: Bourbon Smoked Sea Salt Simply Makes Life More Delicious

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Bourbon Smoked Sea Salt

Bourbon Barrel Foods’ Bourbon Smoked Sea Salt… One of My “Can’t Live Without”s!

As a food blogger, I think about recipe development, ingredients, and food combinations almost every waking hour. As a Kentucky blogger and proud Kentuckian, I am devoted to supporting Kentucky businesses and committed to promoting them on Genuine Kentucky and any other platform I can climb upon.

Lucky for me, Kentuckians are great at what they do and if I can just get them to try their Kentucky Made product once, they’ll return again and again and again.  Which is what my husband and I do when it comes to our favorite Kentucky food.

Louisville’s own Bourbon Barrel Foods makes a Bourbon Smoked Sea Salt, Pepper, and Sugar are three such addictions.

As you can see in the picture above, I have a Rachael Ray 3-Tiered Salt box (as any Rachael Ray fan would have, right?).  Kosher Salt, Bourbon Smoked Sea Salt, and Himalayan Salt live in the three compartments – at all times. The Bourbon Smoked Sea Salt is out of this world on and with any meat you can think of. It gives the bacon, fish, chicken, steak, burgers.. whatever…. an unmistakable and delicious smoky, bourbon flavor that kicks it up to a whole new level.

I’ve also sprinkled it on eggs, pasta, and baked potatoes, roasted vegetables, and fries and it’s a knock out every single time. I’ve even been known to make hot cocoa, top it with whipped topping, drizzle on a little caramel, and sprinkle the top with Bourbon Smoked Sea Salt.

So good… you don’t even know.

I find my Bourbon Smoked Sea Salt, sugar, and pepper all at Kroger. They’re always in a “Kentucky Foods” kiosk that’s usually in the back of the store. The display used to be at the front of the store, near the checkouts, but they (unfortunately) moved them to the back.

You can also find Bourbon Barrel Spices and Seasonings on Amazon – which is as convenient as it gets. Amazon also carries some of their products I can’t find in Kroger.

{Continued Below…}

Bourbon Smoked Sea Salt

Visit Bourbon Barrel Foods for more information and to see the wonderful foods they keep churning out. While you’re on the website, check out the Bourbon Barrel Stave Pen – he’s a real looker!


Nona’s Downtown Market in Owensboro: New Location, Same Awesomeness

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Hershey's Gluten Free Cupcake from Nona's Downtown Market in Owensboro, KY
Nona’s Downtown Market in Owensboro used to be located downtown, on Second St. It was a beautiful building, but I actually like the new location (on Hill St. – across from Jimmy John’s) even better. Tooling around downtown Owensboro can sometimes prove to be a headache. With the one-way streets, traffic, and the fact that something is always going on – I find that I really only go downtown if I NEED something.

The location on Hill St. is more convenient and… like I said… it’s right by Jimmy John’s!  I also don’t hate the fact that it’s close to Starbucks. And the library.

Great spot!

As you can see from the pictures here, Nona’s still has the same “can’t find anywhere else” products she’s famous for. Kentucky gifts, food, crafts, and more.  You could do A LOT of Christmas shopping in Nona’s – but, if you’re like me, you’ll find yourself buying two of everything, one for them and one for you-know-you.

As Southern as Possible Towel from Nona's
I hope you’ll go by and visit as soon as possible (why not today??!!). They’re uncommonly friendly and, I guarantee, you’ll find at least three things you’ll want to buy on the spot – that’s usually what I average each trip.

If (like me) you have to eat gluten free, ask them about their gluten free foods. They’ll let you know when to expect what.

Follow Nona’s on Facebook to stay up to date on the fresh delicacies they have from day to day.  Nona’s is also on Instagram – Simply search for “Nona’s Downtown Market Owensboro.”

If you eat gluten free (whether it’s a decision your brain OR your body made), you’ll find a lot of gluten free food reviews on my food blog. There are, of course, also a ton of gluten free recipes.

Hershey's Gluten Free Cupcake from Nona's Downtown Market in Owensboro, KY
 

Trifecta Barbecue Sauce and Pulled Pork Tacos – Match Made in Heaven

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Pulled Pork Taco with Trifecta Barbecue Sauce
As a food blogger (Get Cooking! is my food blog, if you ever get a chance to check it out), I spend a lot of time with food, recipes, food reviews, kitchen tinkering, and culinary brain-storming. I love to try a variety of different food products but, make no mistake about it, when I find a personal favorite, I’m as loyal as loyal gets.

For ages, when it came to BBQ Sauce, I bought Guy Fieri’s line of sauces. I still think they’re good… darn good. But one day, a while back, I was in Kroger and noticed jars of a sauce I’d never seen before: Trifecta Gourmet Sauces. There was an Original and a Sweet Heat – I’m a reasonable kind of gal, so I bought one of each.

I haven’t bought another brand since that day. Literally. I reach for Trifecta each time without even glancing at the other brands. Sorry, Guy.

We go through a lot of BBQ sauce in our family. BBQ is one of my husband’s obsessions (like me with catfish, Chai Tea Lattes, and strawberry sundaes), so we have some sort of BBQ at least once a week.

Even though I’m all about Kentucky Made products, when I first grabbed a bottle of Trifecta off of the shelf at Kroger, it was because of the prominent “Gluten Free” labeling. I appreciated their attention to detail and for caring enough about those of us who have to eat gluten free to give us a clear “welcome” mat.  It was after stepping onto the welcome mat that I noticed it was, indeed, made right here in Kentucky.

I tried the Sweet Heat first – in a “Chicken Sauce” recipe I make regularly, and it made it better than ever. Naturally, it’s the only BBQ sauce I’ve used in the recipe since.

The Original BBQ Sauce is also out of this world delicious. Thick, rich, and wonderful in every single way.

In the photos shown here, I used it with some leftover pulled pork I’d made in the crock-pot. Paired with Queso Fresco (Mexican Fresh Cheese), cilantro, and sweet onion on a corn tortilla, Trifecta made the most amazing pulled pork tacos imaginable.

Look for Trifecta Barbecue Sauce the next time you’re in the store. I’ve found it (in the BBQ Sauce aisle) at Kroger, but if you don’t see it there, look for it in the “Kentucky Proud” section.  Apparently it’s also sold in Wal-Marts – and you can even find the Sweet Heat on Amazon.

Trifecta BBQ Sauce and Shredded Pork Taco

"When reading about a Kentucky event, please be sure you check the date. Old events are not always deleted from the website. If you have an event you'd like to see on Genuine Kentucky or a 'Made in Kentucky' food or product you'd like reviewed, please contact us! " ~ Joi ("Joy")

Fraley Music Festival
Maddox
Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park Trail Through the Forest