News / recipes

With a disposition as sweet as their small-batch spreads, Suzy and Clark Neal, the makers behind Unicoi Preserves, are two of the nicest folks you’ll ever have the chance to meet.

Residing in the North Georgia mountains, Sautee-Nacoochee to be exact, this couple has a passion for creating Georgia Grown spreads that are sure to bring people together whether used in a party food, on a cheese plate, or in an old-fashioned PB&J.

Recently, we had the opportunity to chat with Suzy about everything that’s been going on for the Georgia artisans including their newest product addition, award-nominated pretzel rolls, and much more.

When your Georgia Crafted Peaches first found out about Unicoi Preserves’ newest jar of goodness, we were immensely excited to discuss their sweet with a little heat Cherry Jalapeno spread.

The idea for this sweet and spicy spread came from their love of cherries but with a little twist of flavor.

“Cherry Jalapeno Spread came about from our love of cherries. Clark and I look forward to cherry season every year and think that the bright, tart flavor of cherry is complimented by the spice of jalapeno peppers. Ours is a unique recipe that we have been cooking and taste testing for over a year, working to get the balance of sweet, tart and heat just right.”

As Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, this spread is perfect for your holiday recipes and to include in a Georgia Crafted gift box.

“This is a beautiful product for the holiday season and gifting; it's just so festive spooned over goat cheese or cream cheese. We are all about entertaining and Unicoi Preserves Cherry Jalapeno Spread is the perfect pair with Georgia Crafted bamboo cheese boards.”

Adding their newest spread to their collection of other delicious flavors such as Vineyard, Vineyard Fire or Apple Cider Pepper has given Suzy and Clark plenty of new recipes to explore.

“Clark and I have been creating new recipes using Cherry Jalapeno Spread so stay tuned. It’s delicious on a toasted panini sandwich with roast beef and your favorite melty cheese and on bagels with a schmear of cream cheese.”

Not only are the Neal’s talented when it comes to concocting delectable spreads, but they also create delicious recipes to share with all of their friends, family, and followers. If there’s anybody’s get-together your Georgia Crafted Peaches would like to attend, it’s a party at the Neal house because they’ll serve up get-in-your-belly-good food.  

Recently, Suzy’s recipe for Peanut Butter Pretzel Rolls was a top contender at the National Festival of Breads in Manhattan, KS.

“I am very honored to have my Peanut Butter Pretzel Roll recipe chosen from over 300 entries as a finalist at the National Festival of Breads. Bread baking is a hobby I shared with my Mom and I'm always looking for unique ways to spotlight Unicoi Preserves, so a bread baking competition was right up my alley!"

"I created my recipe, took some pictures of my bread and submitted it online following the guidelines of the contest. I was thrilled to get a phone call from the organizers of the event asking if I was available to come to Kansas to compete and immediately said yes.  I competed in the Food Blogger category against three wonderful bakers and while I didn't win my category, I came away a winner with great memories, a lot of nice swag from the sponsors, new friendships and connections.”

Suzy’s Peanut Butter Pretzel Rolls are easy to bake and are best served with Unicoi Preserves Strawberry Vanilla Spread. 

When it comes to Suzy’s favorite recipe to cook up during the hot summer months, she prefers a delicious appetizer that brings the heat as well: Her Jalapeno Poppers glazed with Unicoi Preserves.

“There are never any leftovers when we take them to parties. We usually use Apple Cider Pepper Spread but we've recently tried our new Cherry Jalapeno Spread and its great as a glaze on them too!”   

With so many different flavors of Unicoi Preserves spreads to choose from, you have to wonder which flavors best reflect the personalities of the artisans.

Suzy says, “I'm Salted Caramel Peach Spread because I'm constantly looking at what's trending in the food world and I'm a proud Georgia Grown Peach!”

As for Clark, “He’s Strawberry Vanilla Spread because he's a traditional guy but is always up for an adventure and putting his unique twist on traditional recipes.”

To check out more delicious recipes from Unicoi Preserves, click here. We promise you’ll be hungry as soon as you start scrolling. To add all of their spreads to your pantry, you can shop our Unicoi Preserves collection to ship these little jars of goodness right to your doorstep.

I was raised in Southwest Georgia where there were at least two carbs at every meal and a pitcher of sweet tea ready to be poured by family and friends alike at the dinner table.

As I am preparing for my wedding this upcoming November, I realized that this habit would not help me feel my best on one of the most important and most photographed days of my life.

After becoming familiar with the Keto diet from a friend, I decided to give it a try. I will admit that after hearing about this diet I thought it was just another fad such as the grapefruit juice diet or South Beach Diet that was not a day at the beach for lack of a better cliché.

The Keto diet’s premise surrounds a low carb, high fat diet that causes your body to burn fat instead of carbohydrates.

Individuals who swear by the diet have stated that you reach a sense of euphoria after being on the diet for a week or so.

I’m sorry but this idea made me a little skeptical of such a great diet that emphasizes little to NO carbs. However, it’s worth a shot to at least try the diet for a week for the sake of November 10, 2018.

After purchasing a Georgia Crafted Keto Deluxe Box, I had an arsenal of snacks and meal ideas to effectively begin THE KETO DIET.

Day 1: To be perfectly honest, day one was not as bad as I anticipated, but it included a lot of hunger and stomach growling. Unknown to my fiancé, we were in this together so he would be forced to eat the same dinner as my Keto-focused self.

The dinner consisted of lettuce wraps featuring Dinner Tonight! Burger seasoned burgers with a few slices of tomatoes and some special keto sauce. The folks at Wholesome Yum said that this recipe would taste like a Big Mac without the bread. With a sauce combination of mayo, white vinegar, mustard, paprika, and pickles, I must say that I didn’t miss Mickey D’s in the slightest.

Day 2: Day one began with optimism but on Day two the carb withdrawals began to hit. I wanted nothing more than a slice of bread. It didn’t even have to have anything on it. I went to the grocery store for a few groceries and I kid you not I could smell the bread from six aisles away.

However, I persevered and made it through day two with a little help from a Keto-approved fruit dip recipe perfect for strawberry dipping. With greek yogurt, Georgia Grinder Honey Almond Butter from my Georgia Crafted Keto box, and a little bit of honey, I whipped up a dip that tasted almost like cookie butter without the guilt.

Day 3: Because the weekend was over, it was back to work for me and hopefully a space free of carb-filled distractions. With the help of Front Porch Pecans Sea Salt Pecans from my Keto Box sitting beside my monitor at my desk, I could thoughtfully snack and keep myself full and focused without traveling to the temptation riddled break room.

Day 4: Ah! Day four was not a breeze but this no carb thing is getting a little easier. I still daydream about Oreos and find myself drooling after scrolling to a Tasty video on my Facebook feed but I have not broken. I am a Keto-strong warrior! I prepared an “I can’t believe it’s not a chocolate shake” smoothie with Nourished in 5 Back to the Basics Plant Protein powder from my Keto box to get my day off to a wonderful start.

Day 5: When I wake up in the morning, I feel less bloat and more confidence. I head back to the office with Striplings General Store Beef Jerky to help me have a protein-packed snack throughout the day.

My energy has increased, and I feel ready to hit the gym after work. Most of the time, I feel too sluggish to do anything but eat then sleep after a long day at the office. However, after participating in the Keto diet, I feel ready to run on the elliptical for about half an hour.

Day 6: The sense of euphoria has not quite been reached but I do feel better and ready to tackle the day. I enjoy a protein-packed breakfast featuring a sweet potato toast recipe from Little Bits of Real Food and Real Talk covered in Georgia Grinders NaturAlmond Honey Almond butter and a few banana slices.

Day 7: The week is already over? I survived without inhaling an entire row of Oreo cookies?

I am pretty proud of myself but prouder of the Keto diet. Although I felt as if this diet was simply a bunch of hype created by fit influensters and bloggers, I must say that this diet works even for a carb-loving Georgia Peach.

Without the help of the Georgia Crafted gift box for snack and gift ideas, I would not have had the perfect catalyst to begin this healthier lifestyle. I am excited to continue this Keto journey until my wedding in 9 months and plan on getting another Georgia Crafted Keto box to help me reach my health and fitness goals.

For anyone considering the Keto diet, living with little carbs is not an easy feat and the first few days will consist of foggy thoughts and a little hunger.

Research low-carb recipes that fit your tastes and preferences, and check out the Georgia Crafted Keto and Keto Deluxe Gift boxes as well as the Keeping it Keto section of their site.

You’ll gain plenty of delicious snack and meal ideas while also supporting small businesses throughout Georgia including Georgia Crafted.

We featured delicious, gluten free Oliver Farm Pecan Flour in our August subscription box. Have you used yours yet? You can also buy a bag of this Pecan Flour in our shop, whether you missed out in August or you're ready to buy more.

Here's a great way to use that Pecan Flour: Clay at Oliver Farms sent over a decadent pecan flour brownie recipe. With triple chocolate and double pecans (and 2 sticks of butter, y'all!), these brownies promise to be a truly special treat.

Pecan Flour Brownies

These pecan flour brownies are a rich, triple-chocolate treat—perfect for a special occasion. Top with vanilla ice cream for an even-sweeter treat!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (gluten-free if needed)

• 1/4 cup Oliver Farms Pecan Flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

• 1 cup toasted pecan halves, finely chopped

• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into pieces

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

• 4 large eggs, room temperature

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Position rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 350º F.

2. Coat a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray, and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, pecan flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in chocolate chips and chopped pecans.

4. Gently melt chopped semisweet chocolate, unsweet chocolate, and butter together in a medium bowl over simmering water, or in a microwaveable bowl. Cool to lukewarm.

5. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in the lukewarm chocolate mixture while whisking, then allow to cool to room temperature.

6. Add the wet mixture into the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined.

7. Pour into prepared pan.

8. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating once during baking, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Do not overbake.

9. Cool on a rack before cutting.

These brownies can be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container. Best eaten within 3 days.

Recipe courtesy of Oliver Farm, via Dede Wilson on bakepedia.