What's Your Secret Ingredient?

May 19, 2023 • York, Maine

Written by: Hannah Aisling - Digital Marketing Specialist

Here at the Stonewall Kitchen headquarters, you’ll discover a building full of foodies, seasonal cooking competitions and samples galore. With all the taste-testing, recommendations and recipes shared, it’s easy to find your new favorite products. Although you can find recipes on the side of our product packaging, many of our employees use our products so often that they discover a unique way to use them in everyday dishes. Today we’ll be giving you an inside look as we’ve asked our employees to submit their favorite products and recipes that they come back to time after time. Specifically we asked them. what is your tried-and-true “secret ingredient”?

Appetizers & Sides

Like any good meal, we’re starting off strong with our favorite appetizers and sides.

An image of a rustic serving board with a baked brie covered in chutney and bacon pieces flanked by crackers, berries and an open jar of chutney, all on a light gray granite countertop.

Corey’s Major Grey Chutney Baked Brie

  • Use a brie (round or slice)
  • Sliver off the papery top
  • Layer on Stonewall Kitchen Major Grey’s Chutney
  • Top with crispy, cooked bacon
  • Cook for about 25 minutes at 350 (Keep an eye on it!)
  • Serve with crackers
A top-down image of couscous salad in a gray bowl. The bowl is on a wooden serving tray and it is surrounded by a number of things like a bottle of vinaigrette, mint sprigs, cut lemons and a light blue napkin.

Alice’s Lemon & Avocado Vinaigrette Couscous Salad

  • A box of couscous
  • ½ cup of the Lemon & Avocado Oil Vinaigrette
  • ½ cup craisins
  • ½ cup sliced almonds
  • Zest and juice of one lemon
  • A few sprigs of fresh mint chopped
  • 1 shallot chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Tip from Alice: “I cook the couscous according to the box directions, allow it to cool, and then I combine everything in a bowl and toss it all together. You can serve it right away or I find it’s usually better if I cover it in the fridge for a few hours!”

Entrees

Moving on to our main course we’re serving up savory ramen, garlicky shrimp, and comforting chicken divan.

An image of a white bowl of ramen garnished with green onions and chilis. An empty jar of Scallion Aioli is behind the bowl and is in between two large ceramic jars.

Kyle’s Scallion Aioli Ramen

Start boiling your favorite ramen noodles. In the serving bowl, add the flavoring packet, a raw egg, as many crushed garlic cloves as you’d like and add tablespoons of Stonewall Kitchen Scallion Aioli to your taste. Mix ingredients all together to combine. With hot, starchy water from the cooked noodles, pour a little in the bowl and whisk. Repeat to cook the egg without curdling and repeat until you have a nice broth. Add noodles, folding it over themselves. Top with extra sliced scallions, a drizzle of Napa Valley Naturals Toasted Sesame Oil and a spoonful of your favorite chili crisp. Enjoy!

On a dark countertop, a large yellow bowl is filled with a garlicky shrimp dish, with rice, limes, and peas mixed throughout. To the left of the bowl is a jar of Mango Lime Salsa.

Karen’s Garlicky Shrimp with Mango Lime Salsa

Marinate the shrimp in olive oil and garlic for 30 minutes. Steam the broccoli in 1” of water for 5 minutes. Prepare rice according to directions. Stir fry shrimp. Add Mango Lime Salsa. Add rice, broccoli and snow peas. Stir until all ingredients are blended approx. 5 min. Garnish with scallions and limes.

An image of a small plate of Chicken Divan with a lemon slice garnish. A white casserole dish is in the background with more of the chicken in it. A jar of chutney is in the foreground and behind the plate is some florets of broccoli.

Keith’s Chicken Divan

  • 1 jar Stonewall Kitchen Major Grey’s Chutney
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 cup grated cheese
  • 1 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 large bag of broccoli florets
  • 2 cups cooked, chopped chicken (I buy a rotisserie chicken and use the meat from that)
  • 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
  • 1 cup mayonnaise or sour cream

Preheat oven to 350. Butter or use cooking spray to coat a 9x14 baking dish. Steam the broccoli for 2 minutes; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, soup, mayonnaise or sour cream, chutney, curry powder and lemon juice. Place steamed broccoli in bottom of greased baking dish. Spoon chicken mixture over the broccoli. Sprinkle with grated cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake for 45 minute to 1 hour, or until breadcrumbs are browned and cheese has melted. Serves 8.

Tips & Tricks

Still hungry? Don’t worry, we also rounded up all our favorite flavorful tips and tricks.

Bill’s Muffuletta Salad Scrambled Eggs

Image of a glass jar of Muffuletta Olive Salad on a white background.

“Add 1 heaping Tablespoon (or more) of Tillen Farms Muffuletta Olive Salad to your scrambled egg mix. This will add a bit of zest to your scrambled eggs!”

Ian’s Guide to Upgraded Tuna Salad and Grilled Cheese

Image of a glass jar of Ghost Pepper Aioli on a white background.

“I have a few tips to elevate some of your favorite everyday sandwiches:

  1. Stir a good amount (~¼ cup but you can go as heavy as you like) Tillen Farms Muffuletta Olive Salad into tuna salad in place of mayo. It's beautiful on toasted rye bread with a nice sharp cheese.
  2. Spread Stonewall Kitchen Ghost Pepper Aioli onto bread (in place of butter) to make a grilled cheese with a kick.”

Natalie’s Go-To Ingredient: Roasted Garlic Onion Jam

Image of a glass jar of Roasted Garlic Onion Jam on a white background.

“One of my favorite products is the Stonewall Kitchen Roasted Garlic Onion Jam, I use it for a variety of things! I put two tablespoons in my mashed potatoes to make the perfect garlic mashed potatoes, or even when sautéing green beans. For a party dish, slather it over brie and bake at 300 degrees for five minutes, served with our Simple White Crackers! It’s the most versatile product with both a sweet and savory flavor profile – love it!”

Darren’s Flavorful Fried Chicken

Image of a glass jar of Buffalo Aioli on a white background.

“One of my favorites is to make fried chicken but substitute the egg wash with Buffalo Aioli. It makes the breading stick great, and the aioli flavor is powerful enough to shine. Serve the buffalo chicken with our Bacon Ranch Dressing.

Ask anyone around here and you’ll learn a new way to use your favorite Stonewall Kitchen products. From unique appetizers, to flavorful sides and show-stopping entrees, there is always something new to try. Be sure to share your favorite creations with #MyStonewallKitchen on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook!

Hannah Aisling • Digital Marketing Specialist at Stonewall Kitchen

Hannah has been with Stonewall Kitchen since 2016. She joins the Marketing Team as a Digital Marketing Specialist, combining her experience from the E-commerce and Merchandising. When not in the office, you can find Hannah in the garden working on her pumpkin patch, at the beach, or snuggled up with her favorite furry friend, Rosie the cat.