Pan-Fried cornmeal batter fish

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp oregano leaves
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 lbs fish fillets, steaks or pan dressed ( cod, flounder, bluefish, shark steak, tuna steak, or swordfish steak, to name a few)
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except the cornmeal, fish and oil. Place cornmeal on waxed paper. Coat both sides of the fish with the cornmeal, then dip into the batter. Heat oil in a cast-iron skillet until hot. Place 3 to 4 fish in hot oil and cook over medium to medium low heat until golden brown. Turn and continue cooking until golden brown and fish flakes with a fork. Repeat with remaining fish. Serve with country fried potatoes and green beans or collard greens, cornbread or homemade biscuits and honey butter. Yes lawd!!!

Chesapeake Crab Cakes

Living in the Chesapeake area introduced me to a LOT of good foods. Having a fisherman for a father, grandfather and uncle (no, they're not the same person!! sheeeeeesh!!) didn't hurt either. I've had croakers, bluefish, flounder, oysters, clams, lobster, porgies, striped bass (also known as rockfish) and the ever delicious Maryland blue crabs. This particular recipe came to me while I was working in a seafood department for a supermarket chain. One of my regular customers asked me how it tasted so I finally broke down and made it so I could give an accurate report. Gotta keep up good customer relations, yanno. These went VERY well with some steamed veggies and a good beer!!

Ingredients:

1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat
1 cup seasoned fine dry bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
2 whole green onions, including tops, chopped
1 egg
2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
oil for frying

Directions:

Pick over crab meat, getting out all shells and cartilage. Flake crabmeat with fingers into small shreds. Combine with 1/2 cup bread crumbs, salt, pepper, dry mustard, worcesterchire sauce, onion and egg. Mix well, then mix in enough mayo or Miracle Whip (miracle whip WILL change the taste and give it a certain TANG)until the mixture clings together. Using your hands, shape into 8 patties. Coat with remaining bread crumbs. Set on wax paper, cover with more wax paper and chill for one hour or longer. Fry in about 1/2 inch of hot oil in a skillet until browned. Turn and brown other side. Serve with sliced lemon and tartar sauce with some steamed vegetables and a nice ice cold lager!!

Mom-Mom's Chicken and Rice

My grandmother used to make this dish that was just fantastic, and so very very simple. Recently, I experimented with it and voila!!! Mom-Mom's chicken and rice. Talk about a slice of heaven...YUM!!!

Ingredients:

1 whole roaster chicken
2 cups of white rice (uncooked)
1 large sweet onion
1 pint whole fresh mushrooms (optional)
Black pepper
garlic powder
chili powder
sea salt

Directions:

Place the whole roaster into a large saucepan or cast iron dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to a boil and season with pepper, garlic powder, chili powder and sea salt. Turn heat down to medium low. Chop up the onion into small to medium chunks and add into the mixture. Cover and walk away. Check back 20-30 minutes and stir. Repeat until chicken falls off the carcass.

Once the meat is off the carcass, pick all bones, skin, and gristle out of the sauce pan and discard. Add in the two cups of rice and turn heat to medium and cover again. Check mixture every 10 minutes until rice is cooked and fluffy,stirring frequently. Chop and sautee the mushrooms in some butter then add to the mix as well. Bring to a simmer and let sit for about 10-15mins, stirring constantly. Serve in bowls with bread and butter.

Random stuff I have cooked for good reasons...

Here's some pics of stuff I've done, mostly for celebrations. One set is things I cooked for a Iron Chef-type competition with friends. I lost by 3 measley points to someone who has been an executive chef for the past 20 years. The other set is some of the stuff I cooked for my cousin's graduation party. It's ribs, london broil with the spicy soy marinade and fried wings!! YUM!!!!

Asian Pineapple Burger

Ok, this was a group effort between myself and my pack (my close group of friends). This is what happens when you take hungry SCA fighters and leave them to their own devices. Yeah, it's all that and a bag of fries!

Ingredients:

2 lbs of ground beef
North Carolina style vinegar based BBQ sauce
2 cups of kim chee
sliced pineapple, grilled
sliced horseradish cheddar cheese
sea salt
black pepper

Directions:

Slice the pineapple into 1/4 to 1/2 inch chunks. Coat with olive oil to prevent sticking and grill about a minute to two minutes on each side, just enough to get a nice char and remove. Make your burgers about a quarter to a third pound each. Mix in the NC vinegar based BBQ sauce into the meat. Place on the grill and cook over medium heat to a nice medium rare to medium, turning only once. Season with sea salt and black pepper just before turning. While burgers are cooking, take the kimchee and put it in your food processor and chop it on low. Get it to the consistency of cole slaw. Once you turn the burgers and the down side is almost done, place a slice of grilled pineapple onto the burger. Then, spoon some of the kimchee onto the burger. Place a slice of horseradish cheddar cheese onto the burger and let it melt. Close the lid for about a minute to two minutes. Remove burgers and place on your preference of hamburger buns. enjoy!!!!

Chicken and Mushrooms

I made this last week while on vacation at Pennsic. The chicken came out so tender and juicy, that it just melted in your mouth. The combined flavours of the Jack Daniels and the mead was incredible as well!

2lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 pint fresh button mushrooms or 2 huge portabello mushrooms
3 cups Jack Daniels
2 cups mead (yes you can find this at a quality liquor store)
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Creole seasoning
Tarragon


Directions:
Dice up the mushrooms. Place into a zip lock baggy with all spices except the tarragon. Pour in the mead. Seal bag and put in the fridge to marinade for several hours.
Place chicken thighs into a wok and cover with jack Daniels. Add or subtract amount of Jack to make sure it is covered. Add in the seasonings, including the tarragon. Turn up to medium heat and slow cook. Keep turning every 10 minutes to make sure they are cooked thru nicely. After about 20-25mins, add in the mushroom and mead mixture. Continue to simmer on medium or until mushrooms are tender. Serve over rice with corn or green beans as a side.

Oven baked beef brisket with Aye thats the rub dry rub and mango/apricot bbq sauce

This is my first time around using a dry rub. I came up with my own rub recipe which I affectionately call "Aye, that's the rub" (gotta love SCA humor). I also added a nice sweet bbq sauce so I got the sweet first, then the spicy. Oh yeahhhhhhhhhh!!

Aye thats the Rub dry rub:

1to 2 tablespoons of the following:

Black pepper

dried minced onions

garlic powder or drained minced garlic

cajun spice

coriander

cumin

tumeric

chili powder

curry powder

salt or adobo seasoning - 1Tbsp

crushed red pepper

Mango/Apricot BBQ Sauce:

1 whole mango

apricot preserves

1 bottle bbq sauce

black pepper

cajun spice

soy sauce

hot sauce

1-2 shots of Jack Daniels

Slice the mango and dice as fine as you can get it. Mix in with all other ingredients. Refridgerate until ready to use.

Directions:

Rub the rub into the brisket or whatever meat you're using. Place on a baking pan and into the oven at about 225 degrees. If using a grill, keep it on med. low to low heat. Cook for several hours, only turning once. Once it is at to the desired doneness, start basting with BBQ sauce. Turn every 15 minutes until you get the desired glaze or crust on it. Slice diagonally and plate, keeping some extra BBQ sauce for dipping.

Damn Pretty Fried Chicken

This is my first time using this recipe. It came out fantastic..and that is, if I may say so myself, some Damn Pretty Fried Chicken!!

Ingredients:

4 lbs of chicken thighs, bone in
2-3 cups of flour
salt
pepper
cumin
garlic powder
tumeric
adobo
2 cups of buttermilk

Directions:

Rinse the chicken and pat dry. In cast iron skillet, pour an inch of oil into it and put the burner on medium low heat. Flick water into the skillet until the oil starts to sizzle. In the meantime, in a ziplock baggie, mix flour and seasonings until you can see flecks of black pepper in the mix. Bathe the chicken in the buttermilk then coat with the flour mix. Drop into the skillet and cover, let cook for 10-13 mins. Turn and cook for another 10-13 mins. Once it is a nice golden or deep golden brown, remove and place on a plate with a paper towel on it to soak up the excess oil. Serve with sides and enjoy!!

Classic tomato salsa

Salsa and chips. One of the best snacks out there. It's good for sports games, movies, get togethers and anything else you want to use it for. There's nothing better than fresh salsa. It's so alive with flavours that just explode in your mouth. For this recipe, you'll need:

8 fresh red tomatoes

3-6 fresh jalapeno peppers

1 medium white onion

4 limes

a bunch of fresh cilantro

Directions:

Skewer the jalepenos and either roast them over a open flame (like with a gas oven), or on a stove top griddle on medium heat if you have an electric stove. Leave them there 2-3 minutes or until the side begins to brown and crisp. Turn and repeat. Meanwhile, using a chopper on low, chop up the tomatoes and onion. Put them into a bowl. Slice up the jalapenos and put them in the chopper as well. Add them to the bowl. Using a grater, remove the zest from the limes and add them into the bowl, then slice the limes and squeeze the juice into the mix. Finely chop the cilantro and mix in thoroughly. Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy.

*Alterations: If the salsa is too soupy for your tastes, add in a small can of tomato paste to thicken it.

Reuben Quesadilla

Reuben Quesadillas

1 medium onion, cut in half, then sliced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus extra for coating tortillas
1/2 pound (1 cup) sauerkraut, drained
6 flour tortillas
6 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded
3/4 pound corned beef

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In saute pan, saute the onions in
1 tablespoon oil until lightly tanned. Add sauerkraut (watch
out for splashing) and cook for 8 minutes more until dried.
Using a plate as a template, cut tortillas to even rounds with
paring knife. Lightly coat bottoms of 3 tortillas with
vegetable oil and lay out on cutting board. Spread with 1/2 of
the cheese. coat with single layer of corned beef, then
sauerkraut. Cover with another single layer of corned beef,
then with remaining cheese and tortillas. Press down to
compact. Lightly coat tops with vegetable oil. Bake for 10
minutes until lightly browned on the outside and melted on the
inside. Cut each quesadilla into 8 wedges. Serve with Russian *

Dressing
RUSSIAN DRESSING:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup minced scallions
2 tablespoons drained chopped capers
Mix all ingredients together well, and chill until needed.

*Alterations: I ended up grilling this on my stove top griddle. I left out the onions, and instead of saurkraut, I used cole slaw. Oh man, talk about YUM!!

Bill's Creamy Mac n Cheese

My friend, Kelly from Tx, was looking for a good mac n cheese recipe to try out. Of course, I come flyin in like Mighty Mouse to save the day!!! Ya can't go wrong with three different types of cheeses!!! Enjoy!!

Bill’s Creamy Mac n Cheese

Ingredients:
2 boxes of elbow macaroni
16 oz Colby Jack cheese, shredded
8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz velvetta cheese, cubed
1 ½ cups of milk
½ - ¾ stick of butter or margarine
Salt
Black pepper
Garlic powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Cook 2 boxes of elbow macaroni for 7-8 minutes (al dente). Place into a colander and run under cold water to stop cooking. Place all cheeses except ½ cup of cheddar cheese, milk and butter or margarine into a large skillet and cook on medium low heat. Stir to mix into a cheese sauce. Add in cooked elbow macaroni. Stir to coat macaroni completely. Pour into a deep baking dish. Add more cheese if desired. Coat the top with the ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Place into oven and cook for 30-45 mins or until golden brown and crispy. Spoon out and serve as a side dish.

Chicken Satay aka chicken on a stick

I tend to frequent chinese all you can eat buffets and one of my favs has always been chicken satay or chicken on a stick (on a steeeeek). This is my version of chicken on a stick (on a steeeeek) with a few...changes...enjoy!!!

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon tumeric
dash of black pepper
dash of cajun spice
2-3 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breast (you can also use beef, like chuck roast, rib eye, etc)
12 bamboo skewers

Marinade (optional)
1 part soy sauce
1 part olive oil
1 part rice cooking wine
1 part sesame oil

Directions:

In a small bowl combine all ingredients. Whisk until sugar is dissolved. Dice your meats into small cubes and then place into the bowl, making sure they're completely covered. Refridgerate for 2 hours. Pull out and place on skewers. Place on a grill or on a stove top griddle at med. temp. Turn every 1 to 2 minutes to keep from burning. Baste with marinade every turn, if you choose. Serve with Thai peanut sauce for dipping.

General Tso's Chicken with broccoli

I love chinese food. I love doing stir fries. I could easily eat stir fry every night of the week. I also love me some General Tso's chicken. This is my version of this great classic recipe! Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

1 large egg white
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine, or dry sherry
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 teaspoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
Vegetable oil, for frying
12 dry red chile peppers
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup roughly chopped lightly toasted cashews
Green onions, sliced on the bias, garnish
Hot steamed white rice, accompaniment

In a bowl, whisk together the egg white, 2 tablespoons of the cornstarch,
2 tablespoons of the wine, and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. Add the chicken
and toss to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for up to 2
hours.

To make the sauce, in another bowl, whisk remaining 1 tablespoon
cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of the chicken stock until smooth. Add the
remaining 3 tablespoons chicken stock, 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy
sauce, the vinegar, and sugar and whisk to combine. Set aside until ready
to finish the dish.

In a large wok or pot, heat enough oil to come 3 inches up the sides to
350 degrees F.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and carefully slide into the hot oil.
Fry, turning, until golden brown and cooked through, about 2 minutes.
Remove and drain on paper towels.

Discard all but about 1 tablespoon of the oil from the wok.
(Alternatively, in a clean wok or saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over
medium-high heat.) Add the chile peppers and stir-fry until nearly black.
Add the garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes and 1/2 cup green onions.
Stir-fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the chicken stock sauce,
bring to a boil, and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens, about 1
minute. Remove from the heat.

Arrange the chicken on a platter and pour the sauce over it. Garnish with
the cashews and additional green onions. Serve with hot rice.

Monster Burgers and Fresh Cut French Fries

One of my best signature meals. Quick, easy and very tasty!!!

Ingredients:

2-lbs of ground beef
1/3 lb yellow american cheese, cheddar or horseradish cheese
seasoned salt
black pepper
garlic powder
cajun seasoning

Directions:

Coat frying pan with non-stick spray. Form ground beef into 1/3 lb patties. Place in frying pan and cook on medium heat. Season to taste. Cook for about 15 to 20 mins until burgers are done to your personal preference. Turn off heat and place cheese on burgers. Allow to melt. Place on burger buns, granish and add condiments to taste.

Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler

Taken from the Lady herself, Paula Deen. I made a few adjustments with it, primarily, using fresh peaches as well as fresh nectarines, because it was early in the season and the peaches weren't looking all that great. I also added in a cup plus of peach nectar. You can find it in the latino section of any grocery store. It's tasty and also mixes well with vodka...or so I've heard! :)

Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler Recipe


2 (16-ounce) cans sliced peaches in heavy or light syrup, or
in fruit juice, your choice
1 pint fresh blueberries, optional
1/2 cup baking mix (recommended: Bisquick)
1/3 cup sugar
Ground cinnamon

Topping:
2 1/4 cups baking mix (recommended: Bisquick)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
Cinnamon sugar (1/4 cup sugar combined with 2 teaspoons ground
cinnamon; store in an empty spice shaker jar; shake well
before each use)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray a Dutch oven with vegetable oil cooking spray
Drain 1 can of the peaches. Combine both cans of peaches,
including the juice from the undrained can, the blueberries,
if using, the baking mix, sugar, and a sprinkling of cinnamon.
Place this mixture into the Dutch oven.

To make the topping: Combine the biscuit mix, sugar, butter,
and milk in a resealable plastic bag. Drop bits of dough,
using your fingers, on top of the peaches. Sprinkle with
cinnamon sugar.
Place the Dutch oven into the preheated oven and bake for 45
minutes, until the top is golden brown and crusty.

Curried Chicken

I found this recipe a while ago and just used it yesterday. I soooooo like this better than the original one I had posted. It came out wondermus!!!


Ingredients:

3 tsp butter
1 tsp crushed bay leaves
3 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp dry mustard
pinch of cayenne pepper
3 tsp salt
1 tsp brown sugar
2 med onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 lbs chicken pieces
4 tsp flour
1 cup boiling water
cornstarch/water slurry ( 1 tsp cornstarch to 2 tsp water)

Directions

Melt butter in large skillet. Add bay leaves, curry powder, dry mustard, cayenne pepper, salt, brown sugar and onions. Saute until onions are transparent. Add chicken pieces and brown over high heat for 15 mins, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle on the flour and cook for another 15 mins. Add water, and cover tightly. Simmer over low heat for 15 mins or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken. Add cornstarch/water slurry and boiling water until gravy reaches desired consistency. Adjust seasonings. Serve over rice and peas or green beans.

Chicken and Dumplings

1 Purdue oven stuffer roaster chicken
1 box of Bisquik
celery
onions
carrots
green beans
corn kernals

-OR-

1 big bag of mixed vegetables
Chicken bullion
Sea salt
black pepper
garlic powder
cajun spice

Directions:

Bake oven stuffer roaster until golden brown. Slice meat off of the bird and set aside. Place the carcass into a large stock pot and cover with water. Turn the heat up to high and let boil. While the carcass is being boiled down, slice up the removed chicken meat and put it into the stock pot (sans skin). Once meat has fallen off of the carcass, remove the carcass from the stock pot. Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove any left over bones from the mix and discard. Turn down to medium and stir occasionally. Add in vegetables and chicken bullion to taste. Stir until veggies are done. Mix up Bisquik dumpling batter (directions are on the box) and drop dumplings along the top in a circle, then fill the middle with the dumpling mix. Put lid on and let cook until the dumplings are solid and a bit on the brown side. Serve in a large bowl and enjoy!

Beef Stew

Beef Stew

Vegetable oil, for searing
2 1/2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium onions, cut into 6ths
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/3 cup all-purpose flour, or to cover
10 cups cold water, or chicken or beef broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
6 sprigs parsley
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 1/4 pounds medium red potatoes, quartered
4 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces
7 canned whole, peeled tomatoes, lightly crushed
2 to 3 teaspoons red wine vinegar, or to taste

Heat a large Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Pour in enough oil to fill the pan about 1/4-inch deep. Season the beef generously with salt and pepper, and add to the pan. Saute the meat, uncovered, stirring only occasionally, until well-browned, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a plate. Repeat with the remaining beef. Discard the oil and wipe out the pan.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Return the pot to the stove and melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute more. Add the reserved beef and scatter the flour over the vegetable and beef mixture (enough to lightly coat) and cook stirring until lightly toasted. Add the water or broth, and bring to a simmer. Tie the parsley, thyme, and bay leaves together with a piece of kitchen twine and add the bundle to the pot. Season with 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste. Cover and transfer to the oven. Cook the meat until just tender, about 1 1/2 hours. (This can also be done on the stove at a low simmer.)

Remove pot from the oven. Skim the fat from the cooking liquid with a spoon or ladle. Add the potatoes, carrots, celery, and the tomatoes, and bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the liquid thickens and the vegetables are tender, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the herb bundle. Stir in the vinegar and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Divide among bowls and serve immediately.

Yield: about 4 to 6 main course servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 45 minutes

Sweet Spicy soy sauce marinated chicken or beef

This is one I am planning on doing for a dayboard or brunch at an SCA event. It calls for the marinade to be brushed on while it's on the grill. I used london broil, but any thick cut of steak will do.

Ingredients:

Thick Soy Sauce

Thin Soy sauce

Ground ginger

Dark sesame oil

chopped scallions

diced thai chilies or crushed red pepper

honey

sea salt

ground black pepper

2-3 lbs of london broil or 2-3 lbs chicken legs or thighs

Directions:

Get the grill up and running. Let the coals turn white then cool a bit. Place the meat directly on the grate. Mix the ingredients to taste. Give a light coating to the meat with the sea salt and black pepper. Within the last 15-20 mins of cooking, brush the marinade onto the meat, turning every 5-10 mins. Set some aside for dipping. Serve hot off of the grill.

BLUDD

Tis my signature cordial. I've been making this for about 15 years now. I can't tell you what's in it, but I thought it'd be funny to tease everyone a bit! Hehehehehehhe!

Sausage cornbread

I found this in a cookbook that I have called 'Flavors of the South'. I had never heard of sausage cornbread and it appealed to my tastebuds and tummy. I was not disappointed. Because of time constraints, I just used Jiffy cornbread mix, but you can try this from scratch. Be warned tho. The Itis (pronounced eye-tiss) sets in REAL quick with this!

Ingredients:

1 lb of sausage meat, hot or mild

1 1/2 cups cornmeal

1/2 cup flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup milk

1 egg

2 tablespoons of sausage drippings.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425. In a skillet on medium, cook the sausage. Once all nice and brown, set aside and save the drippings. Mix up your cornbread batter and add in the meat as well as two tablespoons of the drppings. Pour into a cake pan or back into the skillet and bake for 25 mins or until golden brown. Cut into wedges and serve.

Parmasean Wings & Sweet-n-Sour Wings

This time of year means two things: A) SUPER BOWL!! and B) SUPER BOWL PARTIES!!!! And what is one of the best things to have while watching the big game? WINGS!!!!! Here are two wing recipes that totally rock, have lots of flavour and are easy ( and I am talkin E-Z) to make!!

Parmasean Wings

Ingredients:

5 lbs disjointed chicken wings
1 lb melted butter
1 16oz can of parmasean cheese
4 tsp garlic powder
4 tsp oregano

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F. Dip wings in melted butter then roll in mixture of parmasean cheese, garlic powder and oregano. Place on a greased sheet pan or baking pan. Bake for 45mins.


Sweet n Sour Wings

Ingredients:

5 lbs disjointed chicken wings
3-4 cups ketchup
4 tbsp worstershire sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
4 tsp soy sauce
4 tsp seasoned salt
2 cups crushed pineapple

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F. Thaw wings. Mix ketchup, worstershire sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce, seasoned salt and crushed pineapple. Pour over wings. Bake in sauce for about 1 hour. Serve.

Mom-mom's Oyster Stew

Grandmothers. Nanas. Mom-moms. Grammies. Whatever you call them, we all have them and we all love them. They save us from buttwhuppins, teach us all kinds of neat things and love us unconditionally. Mine was a whiz in the kitchen and had a way to cook EVERYTHING. This lil dish was given to me when I asked her what else I could do with oysters besides steam them or fry them. OMG, talk about yummy!!!!Enjoy!!


Ingredients:
1 qt. oysters
1/2 lbs butter cut into pieces
2 potaotes, diced
scalded milk or cream
2 tbsp salt
1tsp white pepper
papricka

Directions:

Heat oysters in their liquid over high heat. Cook until the edges curl (2 to 3 minutes). Add butter and the scaleded milk/cream and potatoes. Season with salt, pepper and papricka to taste. Serve in a bowl or soup toureen.

Kreyters

Ok ok, Kelly, here ya go...sheeeeeeeeeeesh!!! Kreyters, your basic country fried potatoes...with a twist...

Ingredients:

4 whole large potatoes
1 onion
1 green, 1 red, 1 yellow bell pepper
6 pieces of bacon
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
seasoned salt
black pepper
cajun seasoning
garlic powder
2 sticks of butter or margarine

Directions:

Chop up onions, peppers and set aside. Cook bacon until crispy then remove. Wash then cube, or slice up potatoes. Place in skillet with butter or bacon drippings. Add in onions and peppers. Stir or flip every few minutes. Add in bacon. Season to taste. Cook until potatoes are tender. Top with cheddar cheese and let sit on very low heat until cheese is melted. Spoon out and serve!!

Thai Peanut Sauce

I got this from my good friend Laura. This totally RAWKS over chicken!!

Ingredients:

1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup water
black pepper
Chinese five spice
sea salt or seasoned salt
cayenne pepper

Directions:

Mix peanut butter and water into a blender. Mix until smooth. Add more peanut butter or water until you get the desired consistancy. Add spices to taste. Pour over baked boneless skinless chicken breasts.

Bill-B-Q sauce (cuz anyone can make BBQ sauce)

Born during a family cookout on Memorial Day, the original BBQ sauce was made with premade BBQ sauce due to time constraints. It has, however, evolved into a made from scratch item that has everything you look for in a BBQ sauce, including that little TANG that hits the back of your tongue. Most recently, I've also added in either apricot or peach preserves to add a real nice mellow sweetness that is followed up by that there TANG.

Bill-B-Q Sauce (cuz anyone can make BBQ sauce)

Ingredients:

2 cans tomato sauce
1 med. bottle of ketchup
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 small bottle of unsulphured molasses
1 tsp of cinnamon
black pepper
creole seasoning
honey
worchestershire sauce
hot sauce
Jack Daniels whiskey
liquid smoke

Directions:

Mix ingredients. Cook over medium heat for 30 mins or until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Taste and add seasonings to taste. Add in more honey, Jack, hot sauce and worchestershire sauce to taste. Bring to a simmer. Bottle to cool or pour into a bowl to brush onto whatever you have on the grill. Add it during the last 10-15 mins of cooking. Set some out for dipping as well.

Mom's Vegetable Goulash

Mom used to make this for us all the time. It was good, quick and easy...plus it kept ya regular!

Mom's Goulash

Onions
Celery
Green peppers
Mushrooms
Corn
tomatoes
lima beans
green beans

stir fry with butter, add all in and let simmer until soft...add in sliced whole tomatoes until they';re soft...sprinkle with parm plus...and then serve...maybe a tablespoon of sugar...use usual seasonings...(lil salt or Adobo seasoning, black pepper, garlic powder, cajun spice)

Eggplant Salad

I found this dish at a local Moroccan restaurant and immediately fell in love with it. It was served as an appetizer with pita bread, but this could easily be served as a main dish. That's how filling it is.

Eggplant Salad: Shlada De-al Bedenjan


4 eggplants
1 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large tomatoes, peeled and grated
1/2 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 flat-leaf parsley sprigs, finely chopped
4 cilantro sprigs, finely chopped
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 lemons, quartered

Cut the eggplant into 2-inch cubes. Bring a large pot of
salted water to a boil. Add the eggplant and cook until
tender. Drain.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the
tomato, onion, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for
8 to 10 minutes. Add eggplant, paprika, cumin, black pepper,
parsley, and cilantro and cook gently, mashing the ingredients
occasionally, until any excess liquid cooks off, about 10 to
12 minutes. Add the vinegar, mix well, and let cool.

Transfer the eggplant salad to a platter and garnish with the
lemon quarters.

Andouille and Chicken Jambalaya

Found this on the web for my friend, Magnus, for some shindig he was having. It turned out REALLY well and has now become a staple in his recipe repetoire.

Andouille and Chicken Jambalaya




1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped bell peppers
3 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons cayenne
1 pound andouille, chorizo, or other smoked sausage cut crosswise
into 1/4 inch slices
1 1/2 pounds boneless white and dark chicken meat, cut into 1 inch
cubes
3 bay leaves
3 cups medium-grain white rice
6 cups water
1 cup chopped green onions

Heat the oil in a large cast-iron Dutch oven over medium heat. Add
the onions, bell peppers, 2 teaspoons of the salt and 1 teaspoon of
the cayenne. Stirring often, brown the vegetables for about 20
minutes, or until they are caramelized and dark brown in color.
Scrape the bottom and sides of the pt to loosen any browned
particles. Add the sausage and cook, stirring often for 10 to 15
minutes, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot to loosen any
browned particles. Season the chicken with the remaining 1 teaspoon
salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon cayenne. Add the chicken and the bay
leaves to the pot. Brown the chicken for 8 to 10 minutes, scrapping
the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned particles. Add the rice
and stir for 2 to 3 minutes to coat it evenly. Add the water, stir
to combine, and cover. Cook over medium heat for 30 to 35 minutes,
without stirring, or until the rice is tender and the liquid has
been absorbed. Remove the pot from the heat and let stand, covered
for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the bay leaves. Stir in the green onions
and serve.

Honey Butter

I kinda sorta borrowed this from my good friend and brother from another mother, Magnus. Then I tweaked it a bit. The friends at work love it with my homemade bread and chili, and now so do the family. According to my best buddy, Laura, it even has medicinal value. Apparently, her back was bothering her and then she sampled some of the honey butter and it went away. I just thought it was a fluke, but the next time it happened, she had some again...and the pain went away! Hurrah for natural cures!!

Ingredients:

1 lb salted butter (can also be sweet whipped butter)
16 oz honey
vanilla extract
ground cinnamon

Directions:

Leave the butter out until it gets to room temperature. Place into a mixing bowl. Add in honey and start the mixer. Keep adding the honey until well mixed and until it gets to the proper consistency. Add in cinnamon and vanilla extract to taste. Serve with warm bread, biscuits, or a bagel...or two...or five...

Ginger Scallion Soy sauce

Now this little number you can also get from any chinese restaurant when you order steamed or fried dumplings. In addition to dipping the dumplings into it, you can also use it to marinade your burgers while cooking them. It will add a very sweet but tangy flavour to the burger!! Quite delicious!

Ginger Scallion Soy Sauce:



1 small piece ginger, about 2 ounces
2 scallions (green onion)
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon spicy Chinese chili red paste (optional)


Peel ginger and cut into small pieces. Press about 1/2-inch piece of
ginger in a garlic presser and squeeze ginger juice and small bits
into a medium size bowl. Grate another 1/2-inch piece into same
bowl. Finely chop the scallions and place in the same bowl. Add all
other ingredients and mix well. Adjust by tasting and enjoy this
fantastic Chinese dumpling dipping sauce.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Drunken Corned beef and cabbage

This is something that I've made nearly every St. Patty's day. One particular St. Patty's day, I had it in the crock pot and asked my roommates to keep an eye on it and just make sure they saved me some. When I got home, I had a decent sized bowl waiting for me. The rest, however, was gone. Gee, some friends I have, huh?

Ingredients:

2 briskets of corned beef
1 head of cabbage
3-4 russet potatoes
2 pint cans of Guinness stout
sea salt
black pepper


Directions:

Trim fat off of the corned beef briskets and dice into cubes. Fill a crock pot with the two pint cans of Guinness. Wash, peel and cube the potatoes, keeping the cubes small. Place the cubed corned beef and potatoes into the crock pot and turn it on high. Cover and let cook. Once the beef and potoates start to get soft, shred and add in the cabbage. Season to taste. Cook until cabbage is soft. Serve in large bowls with Irish soda bread.

Marinated fried boneless skinless chicken breasts

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. So is boredom...and hunger...definitely hunger. I came up with this idea after coming home from Pennsic 28. I had company who were starving, as was I, and I was in the mood for fried chicken. This is the result. Needless to say, there was none left over. *le sigh*

1-2 lbs package of boneless skinless chicken breasts
1-2 bottles of J.W. Dundees' honey brown lager (or equivalent)
seasoned salt
black pepper
garlic powder
cajun spice
2 1/2 cups of flour or corn meal
cooking oil

Directions:

Wash and place chicken breasts into a microwavable bowl. Using a fork, poke holes in the chicken and then pour the entire bottle(s) of Honey Brown over them. Cover with foil and set in the fridge to marinate for a few hours. Meanwhile, pour the flour or cornmeal into a seperate bowl and add seasonings. Pull the chicken out and drain. Place them one at a time into the flour/cornmeal-seasoning mix. Make sure they are completely coated by the mix. Pour about an inch and a half into a frying pan and turn heat up to medium. When the oil starts to bubble, place the chicken into the frying pan. It should immediate start to sizzle and pop. Fry on both sides until golden brown. Place chicken pieces on a plate with a paper towel to drain excess oil. Serve with side dishes or salad.

Mama's Fry Pies

As a child, my family and I would roam all over the area, plucking wild raspberries and strawberries to make these. We'd then go to my grandmother's house and make them and serve them up with vanilla ice cream. Berry Berry nummy!! Almost any fruit can be used for this. Use your imagination!

Mama's Fried Pies

8 ounces dried peaches
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons margarine
1 homemade pie crust, recipe follows, or substitute with ready-made
biscuit dough
Oil, for frying

Cook fruit in water until tender. Drain and mix with sugar and margarine.
Mash well. Refrigerate overnight if possible. Roll out homemade piecrust
dough and cut into saucer-sized circles.

Spoon fruit onto circles and fold over into crescent shapes, then close
the edges completely with a fork. Fry until golden brown. Place fried pies
on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Variations: For baked pies, place crescents on a lightly-greased baking
sheet in a 400 degree oven until golden brown.

For apple pies, use dried apples and add apple pie spice (or nutmeg and
cinnamon) and vanilla to taste.

For prune pies, use dry, pitted prunes and add vanilla to taste.

Homemade Pie Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup ice-cold water
Place the flour and a dash of salt in a mixing bowl. Add the shortening
and cut it in with a pastry blender or use your hands, as I do. Add the
water, a teaspoon at a time, kneading until the dough is smooth.
Yield: 1 pie crust

Apache Fry Bread

Apache Fry Bread

4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
3 cups water
5 pounds lard
Chili powder, honey or powdered sugar, for garnish


Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Slowly
add in the water, a little at a time, using a fork to blend until
the mixture forms into dough. Knead the dough until all the lumps
are gone about 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough
rest about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, melt the lard in a Dutch oven over high heat. When it
just begins to smoke, drop a small piece of dough into the oil. If
it quickly rises to the top, the oil is hot enough to begin frying.
Take a piece of dough and roll it into a golf ball-sized ball.
Stretch the dough into a disk-like shape as you would a pizza dough.
When you have a piece ready to go, carefully place the dough into
the oil and let it brown on 1 side about 1 1/2 minutes and then turn
it over to brown the other side for another 1 1/2 minutes. Remove
the fry bread from the oil and let it drain on paper towels until
cool. Enjoy fry bread by sprinkling it with chili, honey, or
powdered sugar.

White BBQ sauce ???

Now this one has an interesting back story. I was watching food network one night and along comes Bobby Flay's BBQ america. He was visiting some of the best BBQ joints in the south. Now, those that know me, knows I loves me some BBQ, so I watched. Some of the joints were cool and I picked up some cool tips, however, the big surprise came in the final segment. Bobby stopped in Alabama to investigate a report of a white BBQ sauce. My head tilts, and I go "Aroooooo?" just like Scooby Doo. "A white bbq sauce? This I GOTTA see!!". and see it, I did. Unfortunately, the recipe was not given...least not yet. A few days later, I was reading thru this big azz book called "the BBQ Bible", and lo and behold, there it was!! Talk about bein happy!! Anyhows, I tried it out, and had some of my friends try it out. It's been a BIG hit ever since!!

Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
1 cup horseradish sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
black pepper
cayenne pepper
garlic powder
cajun spice

Directions:

Add the mayo or Miracle Whip, horseradish sauce and apple cider vinegar into a bowl. Add more of each until it gets to the desired consistancy. Season to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use. Lather onto beef, pork or chicken during the last 10-20 mins on the grill.

addendum:

I was fortunate enough to be watching TV one night and Unwrapped was doing a feature on...white bbq sauce, straight from Big Bob Gibson's place. Here is the 'official' recipe for the white bbq sauce.

Ingredients

1 cup mayo
1/4 cup white distilled vinegar
1/4 lemon juice
1/4 cup apple juice
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
salt
black pepper
cayenne pepper

Directions

Combine all ingredients into a bowl except for the seasonings. Mix until smooth. Even out to taste. Add seasonings to taste. Brush over chicken, beef, or pork during last 5-10 minutes of cooking. Set some aside in case extra is wanted.

Chicken Flautas

Now, these, I used to make for my ex-girlfriend, Karoline, and she loved them! I would take them and put them into two overlapping tortilla shells to make them bigger and then serve them over spanish rice. Very delicious and VERY filling!

2 1/2 pounds chicken
1/2 onion, chopped
1 1/2 jalapenos
1 tablespoon salt
1 to 2 cups vegetable oil
36 corn tortillas

In a pot, cover chicken with water. Add onion, jalapenos, and one
teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil and simmer until tender, about
1 hour. Remove meat from pot and cool. Pull chicken apart into small
pieces. Chicken should be continuously pulled apart until
string-like consistency. In a deep pan, heat the oil to about 375 to
400 degrees F. Dip corn tortillas into hot oil for 1/2 a second or
until tortilla is soft. Lay the shredded chicken in the middle of
the corn tortillas. Add enough meat to make sure you taste the
flavor of the meat and the corn tortilla. Roll the tortilla up and
put toothpick through the middle of the flauta to hold in place.
Once rolled, deep fry each flauta in the oil already heated (used to
soften the corn tortillas) until corn tortillas turn to a golden
brown or to your preference. Allow cooling off time. Remove
toothpicks and serve 6 flautas on a plate with salsa or guacamole.

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 1 hour
Inactive Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Chili con Carnage

This is one of my signature dishes. I've worked hard to perfect this recipe and as a result, it's now infamous. It's a real pleaser with my peeps from work and around the SCA. It's also perfect for cold winter nights! Enjoy!!



Chili con Carnage


Ingredients:
3 lbs ground beef,
2 lbs of sweet or hot
italian sausage,
1 large vidalia onion,
1-2 green peppers,
3-4 green or red chili peppers,
2 12-oz cans of red kidney beans,
3 20-oz cans of tomato paste,
1 5th of Jack Daniels Tennesee Sour Mash Whiskey,
Black pepper,
garlic powder,
creole seasoning (I recommend Luzianne or Tony
Chachere's),
Crystal Louisiana Hot Sauce,


Instructions:
Skin the italian sausage and place into a skillet
along with the ground beef. Cook a pound at a time
of each. Pour in enough Jack Daniels to cover it
and simmer until browned throughout. Season to
taste. Remove sausage and beef mix and place in a
large bowl. Chop up onion, and green peppers. Add
into the next sausage and beef mix. Continue to
season to taste. Once sausage, beef, onion and
pepper mix is done, pour everything into a large
sauce pan or a crock pot. Add in red kidney beans
and tomato paste one can at a time until all are
gone or there is no more room in the saucepan or
crock pot. Chop up chile peppers and toss in. Add
in hot sauce for added heat and flavor. Let simmer
for an hour or two, stirring occasionally. Serve
in large bowls.

Notes:
This is best served with sourdough bread and a
nice lager!!

Welcome to the Kitchen!!

Howdy, y'all!! Welcome to my kitchen! I know, I prolly sound like Paula Dean, but trust me, I'm not. I love to cook as much as she does, and I am looking to share some of my best recipes and whatever lil changes I might make to it. So belly up to the table and I hope you brought your appetite, cuz no one, and I mean NO ONE, goes home hungry!!

Peace,

Bill