Yield: 10 date appetizers.
10 whole dates, pitted
10 Brazil nuts
20 jumbo raw cashews
½ cup blue cheese (or goat cheese), crumbled
5 strips bacon
Preheat oven to 400º. Stuff each date with a Brazil nut, 2 jumbo cashews, and about half a teaspoon of cheese.
Cut each slice of bacon in half. Wrap a strip of bacon around each date, making sure that the ends of the strip overlap a bit. Keep the seams neatly tucked under the dates. Set the finished dates on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 400º for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until the bacon starts to turn golden and gets slightly crispy on the edges. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Chef’s note: These stuffed dates are best served warm, but are also delicious cold. You can also make them in advance and reheat them in the microwave for a minute or two.
In North Carolina, spring brings the scent of fresh-cut grass and memories of helping Dad mow the lawn.
Nostalgic burger joints are like time machines, delivering something extra special that keeps us coming back.
This tiny city block in downtown Greensboro once had a gigantic reputation. Not so much for its charbroiled beef patties — though they, too, were plentiful — but for its colorful characters and their wild shenanigans.
In the 1950s, as Americans hit freshly paved roads in shiny new cars during the postwar boom, a new kind of restaurant took shape: the drive-in. From those first thin patties to the elaborate gourmet hamburgers of today, North Carolina has spent the past 80 years making burger history.
