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.