A Mardi Gras meal !!!

Tomorrow is Mardi Gras.

For the second year in a row, we’re not having a party but we’ll celebrate anyway. Got some beads hanging around the house. The zydeco music is in the CD player, ready to play. I'll spend tomorrow making gumbo for our Cajun pleasure. Gumbo takes a while to brew properly and I usually prefer to make it at least a day ahead of time. However, I don't have a car here today and I'm missing some of the basic ingredients so I'll need to make a grocery run in the morning and then get my "mess a brewin'.
Wanna make some, too?

Here’s my recipe:

GUMBO
Gumbo, a Cajun specialty, can be many things. There are almost as many variations out there as there are cooks.. I pretty much took all the things we liked in many different versions and put them together to come up with this one. It makes a ton, freezes great and keeps our crowd happy ! The downside: it will take you the better part of a whole day to make the pot. (Remember, you can eat this for a long time, it does make a lot !)

1 ½ cups canola oil (It has better flavor if you use butter, instead!)
1 ½ cups flour
3 cups chopped sweet onions
2 cups chopped celery
3 cups chopped bell peppers
1 lb. smoked spicy hot sausage - cut cross-wise into ¼” slices
(I use andouille, but chorizo or kielbasa also works.)
3 tsps. salt
2 tsp. cayenne
6 cups of beef broth (I use low sodium)
1 medium-sized chicken, cut up (I use about 1 ½ lbs. of boneless breast cut into large bite-size pieces.)
3 cups chopped okra (fresh or frozen)
Cajun seasoning
3-4 Tbsp. of parsley flakes
2-3 Tbsp. file powder
1-1 ½ lbs. peeled shrimp
2-3 sliced jalapeno peppers (partially de-seeded)

Making the Roux -
(The roux is the most important part. Get this right and the rest simply falls together.)

First, make a chocolate brown roux. Heat oil in heavy -bottomed pot (or cast iron skillet) over medium heat. (I found my club-ware pot - although heavy - did not work real well. I use a cast iron Dutch oven bottom for this and it is perfect. I do, however, need to switch to the bigger pot once the roux is working. This makes a big pot full!) Gradually add flour (about a ¼ cup at a time), mixing with a whisk or wooden spoon until each addition is well integrated.

When all flour has been added, constantly stir over medium heat (lower heat slightly as necessary). Roux will gradually change from light caramel color to peanut butter color to a rich brown. This process should take about 20-25 minutes.

If black, burned specks appear in the roux, throw it out and start over. Be careful, this substance can splash easily and does stick and burn any skin it touches.

Now that you have a good roux, add the onions, celery and bell peppers and continue to stir for several minutes until wilted. Add the sausage. Add about 4 cups of beef broth. Stir until the roux and broth are well combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

Season the chicken with Cajun seasoning, being sure to coat it well. (I put this in a plastic bag and shake it well, then let it sit in the bag soaking up the seasoning until the gumbo has cooked with the sausage for that hour.) Add the uncooked chicken pieces at the end of that hour. Add the okra, parsley and file at that time, too. Let simmer for 2 hours. Stir occasionally.

Taste test occasionally during that time to determine if you need to add more of the spices to suit your own taste. (Remember, the spices “expand” and get a little richer while the gumbo sits in the fridge overnight or the next day!)

Finally, add the shrimp. Simmer for 8-10 minutes. Turn heat off. Shrimp will finish cooking in the residual heat.

To serve: Prepare a bowl of white rice. Fill a soup bowl about 2/3 full with the gumbo and top with a spoonful or two of rice in the center of the bowl. Add a good fresh crusty bread will for a complete meal.

Easy Decadent Gourmet Brownies

I was the dessert person for yesterday's family meal. I made fancy brownies. Everybody dug in and enjoyed. They pronounced this recipe "A Keeper".

Picture is from Betty Crocker website.

We are a family of brownie lovers. Brownies are a staple to us. Thinking back, I don't think a week went by that my mom didn't make a batch of brownies. No family get-together is complete without somebody bringing a batch of brownies, no matter what other desserts might be present.

Although I have made them from scratch, I honestly prefer a boxed mix. The mix is reliable, turns out every time, and is, oh, so easy. My preferred brand is actually my local discount grocer's house brand. (If you have an Aldi's nearby, try their Country Cupboard brownie mix.) That said, I must admit, I used Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix this time around. I stocked up last time our local store had a Dollar Day sale.

I wanted to do something a little different and we had just bought a similar single serving brownie at a deli that features "home-baked" goodies on Saturday. (It's an Amish run store and the goodies are a big attraction.) The Big Guy had suggested I try making them at home as he absolutely loved it. Simple enough. It was a regular brownie with a layer of fluffy peanut butter icing and then topped with a thick fudgy chocolate icing. I knew I could do that - with or without a specific recipe.

While the brownies were baking, I went on line just to see what I could find about gourmet brownies. The true treasure trove turned out to be Betty Crocker's official website. There are pages and pages of ways to make your brownies special. The one's I made are called Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies. (They also have a gluten free version of these.)

I suggest you go to the site yourself and find a favorite way to dress up your next batch of brownies.

But, because these were just so delicious and so decadent, I'm reprinting it here anyway!

1 box Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix
(prepare as directed on the box)

Peanut Butter Filling:
1/2 Cup butter, softened
1/2 Cup creamy peanut butter
2 Cups powdered sugar
2 tsps. milk

Topping:
1 Cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 Cup butter

Mix all filling ingredients together and spread on cooled brownies.

Combine chocolate chips and butter in a microwaveable bowl and heat uncovered in microwave for 30 - 60 seconds or until it stirs smoothly. Cool 10 minutes and then spread over the peanut butter filling.

Pop the whole pan into the fridge to set for about 30 minutes.

Just a few personal comments about the preparation:
*I let my brownies cool for one hour before icing.
*I used a bit more milk in my peanut butter filling to make it a little easier to spread. I'd actually like to play with it a bit more to see if I can get an even fluffier consistency.
*I made mine in a 13"x9" pan and ran a little short of chocolate topping and needed to whip up some more. I would use the full 12 oz. bag of chips and 3/4 Cup of butter.

I'm thinking of trying one with maraschino cherries today.

One can't have too many pies!

Pie Party was lots of fun last night. Got together with quite a few cousins and family that we only get to see once or twice a year. Thank goodness for email and FB, as that's how we stay connected the rest of the time.

My Peach Streusel Pie turned out great. It looked good and was well received by the crowd. I think this one's a keeper. Best part is it is really super simple to make. Basically, it's a ready made refrigerator crust (unless you insist on making your own crusts). Drain two 29 oz. cans of sliced peaches, mix them with 1/3 cup flour, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 tsp pf cinnamon and blend well. Evenly spoon this mixture into the crust. Make a streusel topping using 3/4 cup flour,1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and 2/3 cup butter. Spread evenly over pie. Bake at 375 for about 45 mins. or until nicely browned.

In general, everybody brings a pie (although some have translated that to simply equal "dessert" so we have had a big variety) and a finger food. We had three very different pumpkin pies, a sweet potato pie, my peach streusel pie, pumpkin cake, pumpkin roll, mint chocolate chip cookies, hand-dipped chocolate candy and so much more. There were dips, salsas, pinwheels, a spiral ham (Hey, it can be "finger food" too!), and much more. Our contribution here was crab dip in a bread bowl with bread pieces to dip. Must've been good to the last drop as there was noen left. We washed it all down with coffee, spiced cider and a variety of wines and other alcohol. I believe a good time was had by all.

Then, this morning The Big Guy comes down with a bug, virus, plague, whatever. He's running a fever, has chills and pretty much slept all day. He was sleepy most of yesterday, too, but we never considered a symptom of anything other than too much turkey! I'm keeping my distance and hoping it's just a 48 hour thing. This is not the season to pass this around. We're just too busy.

So, here's hoping you're still enjoying your holiday weekend.

Beware of how you impress the little ones!

Woohoo !!! Our extended family welcomed a new member this week - my kingdom of “Aunthood” continues to grow. She’s little and pink and cute a a button!! Mom, Dad, Big Bro and the little Princess are doing just fine!

Speaking of nieces…
My sister-in-law, “L“ , called the other night to ask for a recipe that I apparently made for her granddaughter, “K” , at some point in time. Seems the little one’s mom asked if the apples growing in L’s yard were worth doing anything with or just serving as squirrel feed these days. As L stated she used to use them for cooking but hasn’t in years, little K piped up with the words, “Aunt Sue [me] made me cooked apples with cinnamon and sugar!” She went on to insist I picked the apple we used from that tree.

While I’m not denying I did do such a thing, (I have in the past done so for other little ones in the clan but that was several decades back when we had our own apple tree.) I’m sure I must’ve picked the apple from the fruit basket on the counter. I’m not even sure I knew they had an apple tree.

Seems she’s now determined someone needs to make her some of those apples again. I’ll be visiting next week, so I’m elected. (Hope, I don’t need to climb the tree to get an apple!)


Seems we never know what will stick in a child’s mind and memory as something unique and memorable.

As a small child, I referred to one of my Mom’s friends as “The Rainbow Lady.” At the time, no one knew why but they thought it cute and went along with it. Years later, The Rainbow Lady finally asked why I coined that name. Seems back then, so many of the church ladies wore “invisible hairnets” to keep their “do” in place but hers was not really “invisible”. Her’s had little bits of different-colored sparkly glitter on the netting. Worn over her prematurely snow white hair, it made me think of a rainbow. Such a simple explanation!! (Do they still sell "invisible hairnets" ?)

Similarly, I have a friend named Steve. When he met the little one who would soon become his step-granddaughter, she quickly named him “TV” and she stuck to her guns on that one! We all hypothesized about how she had come up with that nickname. No one could even remember the television being on during her visits. Seems she heard his sister-in-law jokingly calling him “Stevie” (a name he wasn’t even called as a child). To a toddler, it definitely sounded like “TV“. He is now known to a whole generation in that family as “TV.” (Of course, his kids had a “Grandad” and a “Grand-Doug”. Maybe it just runs in the family!)

Another young lady in the family tells me every time she sees the sizeable aqua choker I wear 24/7 (as important to me as my engagement and wedding rings) , she thinks the words “Pretty. Like your eyes.” I’m sure I haven’t said that to her in well over a decade, not since she was 3 (or less) but I do remember holding her as an infant and toddler, who, like all babies in arms, was fascinated by my jewelry and saying those words - often.

So, just in case you’re looking for a quick, easy and, apparently,memorable way to fix an apple for your little one (or anyone in your life) try this:

Microwave Apple Chunks

Peel and core an apple (or 2) and chop into bite-size chunks;
Place apple in a small, microwave custard dish or bowl;
Sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar (I usually mix 1 tsp cinnamon into 1 T white sugar.);
Add a dab or two of butter on top;

Microwave on high for 1 minute at a time, stirring after each minute, until the apples are warm and soft (not mushy);

Enjoy!!

The Irish are coming... The Irish are coming...

Are you getting your Irish on yet? St. Patrick's day is just a little over 24 hours away. Better get ready to PARTY !!!!! (Any excuse to party works, doesn't it?)

Thought I'd drop another recipe on you just in case you were looking for something easy and tasty to whip up for that St. Paddy's Day get-together.

I found this recipe a year or two ago in one of the local weekly papers just a few days before our St. Patrick’s Day house party. It went over very well as an appetizer and that crowd has requested it a number of times since then.

CORNED BEEF & HORSERADISH SPREAD

1 (12 oz.) can corned beef
3-5 oz. from a jar of horseradish (to taste)
4 oz. cream cheese
½ cup mayonnaise
1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
Black pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients. Mix well and refrigerate for several hours (even overnight). Serve with crackers. Can be garnished with some fresh parsley to make it look pretty.

For a more “dip-like” consistency, use 1 cup of mayo and omit the cream cheese.

Hope y'all are planning a BIG party day. After all, everybody's a little Irish on St. Paddy's Day!!

GO RAVENS !!!! Game Day Menu!!

Baltimore born and bred, I remember the Colts literally sneaking out of town in the middle of the night. It was devastating to this sports town. This town has not forgiven them yet. So believe me, even though we will be away from home, we will be flaunting our purple pride and tuned in for the match between the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore’s indomitable Raven’s!

Whether your team is playing on Saturday or Sunday, chances are, you’re planning to watch one of the football playoff games this weekend. So you will definitely need food to maintain your sustenance for all that screaming, yelling and jumping around. Thought I’d share a recipe or two that we plan to make.

Along with the usual menu of wings, chips and beer (Baltimore IS a beer town!!!), we may just make up a batch of these jalapeno gems!

FRIED JALAPENOS

Prepare 6-8 jalapeno peppers by removing the stem end, and, using a pointed paring knife, remove the seeds and veins from the pepper. (The pepper’s heat is contained in the seeds and veins. We like the heat, so I usually only remove about half of the seeds from ours.)

Cream together:
1 ½ oz. cream cheese
1 - 1 ½ oz. shredded cheese of your choice
(mozzarella, cheddar, taco mix, etc.)
1 oz. mild or hot salsa (How hot do you want these?)

Beat 2 eggs in a small, deep bowl.
Blend ½ cup flour with ¾ cup seasoned bread crumbs in a cereal bowl.
Use canola oil to prepare a deep fryer to the fill depth or a frying pan to about a 2” depth.
Using a spoon, fill each pepper with the cheese mixture.
Dip each stuffed pepper in the egg bowl and then roll in the crumb mixture, coating completely.
Dip a second time in the egg and again in the crumbs.
Carefully place the peppers, a few at a time in the oil.
Fry till golden brown.
Serve warm.


We might even serve some ribs!!!

OVEN-BARBECUED BABY BACK RIBS

(Since we don’t own a real charcoal smoker, I developed this recipe to make my ribs in the oven. They can almost convince you they were smoked on the grill. These are “dry ribs” which means they are cooked without sauce, just a seasoned rub.)

2 racks of baby back ribs
½ cup dry rub to coat both sides of each rack
8-10 oz. apple cider or apple juice to spritz ribs while they cook

Remove the transparent membrane from the back of the racks of ribs before cooking. Generously apply rub to both sides of the ribs.
Place the ribs on a raised rack in a roaster pan.
Bake at 225° for 2 ½ hours, turning the ribs after one hour.
Spritz ribs with apple cider at that time and raise the oven temperature to 350° and continue cooking for 2 more hours, spritzing ribs about every half hour and turning after one hour. Finish the ribs off with 10-15 minutes under the broiler to brown them up.
** If you don’t have a small spray bottle to spritz, you can spoon the juice over the ribs just as you might baste a turkey.

This process should produce flavorful F.O.B. (fall off the bone) ribs!! If you must, add the bbq sauce of your choice.



GO RAVENS !!!!!!

Goal status and a recipe for Chicken Pot Pie

One week down and only 51 to go in the new year. So, what have I accomplished so far? To be honest, not a heck of a lot! I've been feeling lazy most of the week. I guess I'm winding down from the hectic weeks just past and the weather hasn't helped.

It's been cold. When it's cold, I just want to hunker down, pull up a blanket and hibernate. Can you guess I'm not a winter gal? Our temps have run about 20 degrees colder than normal for this time of year. While we did have one deep snow (19") the other few have only been dustings. It should be snowing within the hour but we're only expecting a few inches from this storm. I know in the big picture of weather around the country, we're not doing bad, just shivering a bit. In my world, it's miserable and can't turn to Spring soon enough for me!

So, I've basically stayed inside most of the week. I have stuck to my goal of listing one item a day in my shop. When I add a listing, I also make at least a dozen entries in the Promotion section of the Etsy Forums and I also Twitter right away about the new item. This generally gets me off to a start with about 20-25 views within minutes. I'm not sure if it means much to my sales but it makes me feel better.

I've made no sales this week at all. Nothing online or otherwise. I have to admit, I really didn't expect any this week but it would have been nice.

We're having a little gang in for a get together on Saturday so I've had to give some thought to what I'll be serving. I finally came up with a menu and did some grocery shopping today. It was a heavy duty shopping spree (involving 4 stores) as I not only needed things for Saturday but the cupboards and fridge were getting a little bare in general. I also needed cleaning supplies. Seemed like everything ran out about the same time in the last week or two.

I've cooked at home everyday this year so far! (That's a little unusual for us.) I started working on preparing a chicken pot pie as soon as I got in from shopping but things were going slowly and time was getting a little tight. The Big Guy had an errand to run so we went ahead and went out to dinner, too. Guess we'll have pot pie tomorrow!

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It's been a while since I've shared a recipe, so I'll share the basic pot pie recipe I follow.

CHICKEN POT PIE

2 packages refrigerated rolled pie crusts (total of 4 crusts)
4 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. flour
2 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. thyme
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup light cream
4 cups cubed chicken
2 (1 lb.) bags of frozen mixed peas, corn & carrots
1 can small whole onions

*In a glass lasagne pan, take two crusts and cover the bottom and sides of the pan, cut extra crust from the overlap of pan and fill in all open spots.
*Melt butter in large pan over low heat, blend in flour, salt, pepper and thyme. Cook until mixture is smooth and bubbly, remove from heat.
*Stir in broth and cream. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly, boil and stir 1 minute.
*Stir in chicken and vegetables. Pour into pastry-lined pan, spread evenly over pan.
*Take last two pie crusts and place over pan. Cut pie crusts with about ½ inch overhang. Use extra pieces of crust to fill in the open spots, pinch the edges to seal the pie.
*Melt 2 Tbsp. butter and brush edges and center of pie. Cut 2 two-inch slits in center of pie to let out steam.
*Place pie on shallow cookie sheet, and bake at 425° for 1 and ¼ hours. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
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Okay, I start with this and expand a little. This is actually my nephew's recipe which I alter a bit. I don't use the cream but make my "gravy" more like a roux for gumbo. We prefer to add chunks of potato (which I pre-cook in the microwave) to our pot pie. I also spice the roux up a little with some spices.

This will be a good stick-to-your-ribs meal after the snowy morning that's forecast for tomorrow!

Ummm! Ummm! Now, that's a great cake!

Okay, I promised y'all Gran's pound cake recipe.

Got your mace ready? (That question only makes sense if you read yesterday's post!)

Gran's Pound Cake

1 lb. (2 cups) butter
3 ½ cups sugar
1 tsp. mace
½ tsp. salt
4 tsp. vanilla
10 eggs
4 cups flour

Hey, I NEVER said it was dietetic!!

In mixer bowl, cream butter, add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add mace, salt, vanilla and 8 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in flour, a little at a time; add the remaining eggs. Combine and mix well.

Lightly grease and lightly flour bottom and sides of pans. Pour into 2 4-qt. tube pans or 6 loaf pans. Bake at 300° for 1 ½ hours or until done. Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Turn out onto rack to cool completely.
***This cake tastes best if made 3-4 weeks or more ahead of use. Wrap it in plastic wrap and then in heavy foil. Place it in freezer. Get it out of the freezer and thaw to room temperature for 1 hour before serving. To serve, cut into slices. This is especially good served topped with ice cream or fruit such as strawberries or peaches.

Gran used to always say the freezing intensifies the flavor and slightly changes the consistency and texture of the cake. Just recently, I caught this same tip on a cooking show on t.v. They, of course, explained why that happens using scientific terms. I think my Gran learned it from experience. Either that, or she just never wanted to admit most people didn't eat crispy cake as she often forgot to get it out ahead of time!

Pumpkin Cake, anyone?

There’s a chill in the air. All right, it’s downright cold out there today! So, I’m thinking Fall - you know, leaves falling outside, corn stalks and pumpkins on display, fires in the fireplace, and something really yummy on the table.

I’m thinking pumpkin flavor !!

Which leads me to my cousin’s pumpkin cake! It’s been one of her signature dishes for years now. I’m not sure where she originally found it but we refer to it as “Carole’s Pumpkin Cake.” It tastes heavenly (especially with cream cheese icing) and it has a light and fluffy texture. You’ve just got to try it!

Don’t tell her you heard it from me, but here’s the recipe:

Carole’s Pumpkin Cake

Grease and sugar an angel food cake or bundt pan.

Mix with whisk:
2 cups pumpkin
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2/3 cup water

Add and mix by hand:
3 ½ cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. nutmeg

Bake at 325° for 1 ¼ - 1 ½ hours. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pan. Dust with powdered sugar.

** Great with cream cheese icing.

So, I’m off to buy some pumpkin and eggs so I can whip one of these up tonight, too!

Santa Fe Chicken

It was fairly quiet Monday. I found time to read this morning and managed to finish the book I started last week. It wasn't that long a book, I just had trouble finding time to read!

A friend is visiting for a few days so after letting her sleep in a bit, we finally made a grocery run. I have a wonderful selection of leftover BBQ samples, albeit all have a bite out of them . However, we also needed fruit and veggies and such. Upon our return, I set about turning leftover pieces of BBQ chicken into a skillet dish I call Santa Fe Chicken for our dinner.

That recipe originally came from a magazine ad for salsa (I don't recall which brand). I made it fairly often when that ad was running and I had kept a copy with my cookbooks. Somewhere along the line, it got misplaced and, for whatever reason, I hadn't made it in a long while. (Don't we all go through those sort of phases?) These days, I simply make it from memory. How close it is to the original, I can't recall!!

Santa Fe Chicken

1 - 1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I cut mine in bite-sized chunks)
4-5 medium potatoes, cut into chunks about 3/4" square
1- 1 1/2 bell peppers, chopped (any color will do)
1 - 1/2 large onions, chopped
1 can corn
2 12-oz jars of medium salsa
Crushed garlic, to taste

****I like to pre-cook my potatoes, onions and peppers in the microwave before dumping them in the pot.

Simply dump it all in one big pot, stir well and let it stew a bit to meld the flavors.

We serve this with a nice loaf of fresh bread and it makes a fairly easy, filling meal.

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Okay, now what to do with the rest of those leftovers. Got to think of something interesting!!! After all, we're serving guests!

Post BBQ Leftovers

After every BBQ contest, we are faced with the same old question: "What to do with all these leftovers?"

We are accredited by and judge for the Kansas City Barbeque Society which is the largest bbq organization in the world. As such, they are the sanctioning body for the majority of the BBQ competitions held throughout the U.S. When you watch specials on the Food Network about the American Royal competition held annually in Kansas City, you are watching a KCBS event.

All KCBS sanctioned contests MUST include four basic categories which are always done in the same order over a two hour turn-in period. There may be additional categories associated with any specific contest and those may be judged the same day or on the previous night but any KCBS event will consist of chicken, ribs, pork and brisket, in that order.

The judging process is serious business. Every judge is asked to sample and rate six samples from each category. Each sample is tasted and rated on its own merits. Sample #1 is tasted and then completely graded before moving on to sample #2. They are not compared to each other. There are specific elements we are looking for in each entry.

Ultimately, each judge will be presented with 1 1/2 - 2 lbs., or more, of meat at a contest. Obviously, most of us cannot eat every piece of food in its entirety while judging. Most take two, maybe three, bites of a sample before grading it. When the category is done, we are entitled to go back and eat the whole thing if we desire, pack it up to take with us or throw it away. I, like most judges, carry ziplock bags and a cooler with us to contests.

In the chicken category, turned in at 12 noon, we are most often served six thighs. Cooks can submit any part of the chicken but most find thighs cook the most consistently and retain their moisture in the submission box. (Breasts tend to dry easily. Wings and legs tend to turn out less consistently.) I have been served all parts at various contests and this week my table was served five thighs and one submission of sliced breast meat. Obviously, between the two of us, we have a pretty good stock of leftover chicken at the end of the category. (Incidentally, spouses cannot judge at the same table so we never judge the same entries.)

Ribs tend to produce the least leftovers. Often, by the time we've taken 2 or 3 bites, there really isn't much left on the bone. Nonetheless, I usually have a few ribs left over.

The pork category consists of pork butt and can be served as pulled pork, sliced or chopped. When we first began judging back in 2005, the vast majority were turned in as pulled pork but we are now receiving just as many sliced and frequently chopped samples these days. This is usually another large batch of leftovers as samples tend to be sizeable servings.

The final category, turned in at 1:30 in every contest, is beef brisket. We are generally served one decent slice per sample. This doesn't sound like a lot, but by this time, we are getting somewhat full. Most judges test for tenderness by pulling a chunk off of the slice with a gentle tug. We then taste that piece but often have the rest of the slice left over!

Believe it or not, we have judged contests that included additional categories at this point. Many events include a sausage or dessert competition. Some have an "anything but" category and quite a few have "whole hog" judging. The most categories we've faced in one day have been seven. After that event, we brought home nine pounds of leftovers!!

Needless to say, I have learned the best ways to warm up leftover ribs and brisket slices and have come up with a variety of recipes for the leftovers. Since chicken is a mainstay of regular diet, I have never had trouble finding uses for those scraps. I've had to be a little more creative with the other categories. Tonight we had enchiladas made from the leftover pork samples.

Pulled Pork Enchiladas:

I generally dump the pork in a bowl (shredding any sliced or chunked samples) add just a speck of my own rub for seasoning, some chopped onions and bell peppers (precooked in the microwave) and some shredded cheese. Mix well and fill and roll soft tortillas to form enchiladas. I open a can of black beans and poor it into a large rectangular glass baking dish and then add one drained can of black beans and two drained cans of diced tomatoes with chiles. Stir this well and then place the enchiladas on top of the bed of beans and tomatoes. I drizzle a little sweet bbq sauce over the top of the enchiladas and sprinkle a little more shredded cheese over that. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes, until the cheese browns.

***A little pulled pork really stretches this way. I made 8 enchiladas tonight - enough for two hungry men and myself. Oh, and we had leftovers! I put three in the freezer. These make easy, quick lunches for the guys. I wrap them separately and they can just grab them frozen. By lunch time, they've thawed and they warm them in the microwave at work.

Toddlers don't roll cookie dough into balls and other facts of cooking.

One thing I’ve learned about all of you, Dear Readers, is - You LOVE good recipes. So, while I was baking a batch of homemade cookies to pack as “car nibbles” for our road trip this week, I thought I’d share the recipe with you and tell you a cute tale about cookie baking from back in my really naïve days!

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Obviously, this isn't one of the nephews. She is, however, one of the nieces and she IS baking. What can I say? It's the closest I could come for illustration purposes using my picture files.

When two of my nephews (We’ll just call them “Li’l Kid” and “Toddler“) were little (and I was somewhat inexperienced at cooking with kids), I was watching them one day when I decided to bake some peanut butter cookies with them. It seemed like a good idea at the time ! In, literally, hundreds of hours of babysitting in my youth, I guess I’d never tried to bake cookies with any of the toddlers along the way.

The first thing I learned that day was that children under two years of age definitely have trouble with the concept of rolling a ball of dough between their hands. After squashing that ball of dough between his palms like a vice, “Toddler” then made fists, causing the dough to ooze between his fingers. (He was actually enjoying this.) His next move was to attempt to wipe the dough off - in his hair, his clothes, on the furniture, the rug, etc. After squirting him down, that little munchkin went down for a nap! I decided “Li’l Kid” and I would continue without him.

At the ripe old age of four, “Li’l Kid” had rolling these balls down to an art in no time. I did, however, learn four-year-olds don’t comprehend gently pressing the fork into the cookie to create the criss-cross design. His efforts resembled a stab or a jab or, actually, were more like a steamroller. Those were some ugly and lop-sided cookies !!

At the end of the day, they were proud to show Mommy and Daddy the cookies they made regardless of how unappetizing they looked!

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RICH & CREAMY PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Assuming you all have accomplished rolling dough to form balls and can gently press with a fork, you should have no trouble at all making these.

The thicker the cookie, the softer the cookies will be.

1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 cup peanut butter, smooth or chunky
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda, in Tbsp. boiling water
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour

Cream sugar and butter. Add vanilla, peanut butter and eggs, blending well. Stir in baking soda. Mix dry ingredients and add gradually, mixing well. Scoop out by teaspoonful and shape into ball. Place on cookie sheet and flatten in criss-cross pattern with tines of a fork dipped repeatedly in granulated sugar. Bake 8-10 minutes at 350°.

Makes 4 dozen.

Store in tightly covered container. Can be frozen up to 3 months. (But I seriously doubt they’ll even make it into the freezer!)

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Well, I hope y'all enjoy your cookies as much as I'm enjoying my vacation!

Guest Blogger, Dawn (and Nikki) - "Better Than Cake" Cake

Okay, I had to ask everybody for a little assistance in pulling off these blog posts while I’m traveling this week. Today’s Guest Blogger is my niece, Dawn, (who, incidentally, is also the one responsible for getting these posted correctly each day while I’m gone!)

I wanted to run Dawn’s daughter’s really easy, tasty recipe and I wanted Dawn to do the intro. So, take it, Dawn ….

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This is a cake that Nikki makes and everybody likes -- including M. my sister-in-law, who doesn’t like cake! This is how the name came about.

Nikki made this and, since she didn’t want to hurt her feelings, M. tried it. Well, M. liked it so much she ended up eating 3 big pieces of it !!

After Nikki and M. finished their last of many pieces, they both decided to attack my last bite. The two of them, armed with forks, were fighting for MY last bite and they ended up sending the piece flying in the air. You can probably guess who ended up wearing the piece. ME !!!

Of course, they thought it was hysterical. After it landed on me, it bounced off onto the table and the two of them went in for the kill. I had the last laugh though, sort of. Not realizing where the piece landed, I put my elbow down on the table just as the two of them were going after that piece and, YUP, I put my elbow right in it !!!

“Better Than Cake” Cake

1 Duncan Hines Butter Recipe Yellow Cake Mix
1 can Pillsbury Funfetti Vanilla Frosting
10 Oreo cookies

Mix the cake as directed on the box.
Chop about 4 or 5 cookies into small pieces and add to the batter, mix and pour into a 13” x 9” pan.
Bake per instructions on the box.
Once the cake has cooled, frost it and then add the Funfetti sprinkles.
Chop the last of the Oreos and spread on top of the icing.

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Thanks, Dawn and Nikki !!

Blueberry Orange Bread

I’m STILL working my way through the blueberries!!! There’s bread baking now, again!! (It freezes great!!!)Many of you have asked for the bread recipe, so, here by popular demand is the recipe for

Blueberry Orange Bread

2 T butter
¼ C. boiling water
1 T grated orange rind
½ C orange juice
1 egg
1 c sugar
2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powderCombine the butter with the boiling water. Add 1 T orange rind and ½ C orange juice. Set aside.

Beat the egg and sugar until fluffy.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture alternately with the orange juice mixture. Start and end with the flour. Mix well. (Batter will be thick.)

Fold in the blueberries.

Spoon into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350° for 55 minutes (or until toothpick inserted in bread comes out clean).
Cool in pan for 10 minutes.If desired, you can make a glaze using 1 tsp orange rind, 2 T orange juice and 2 T honey to drizzle over the bread. I usually do not glaze mine. If you are planning to freeze your bread do not glaze before freezing.

¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 C fresh blueberries

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Guest Bloggers?

As some of you know, we will be heading West on Friday to visit my Mother-In-Law and other family members. In between gathering the many things needed for the trip, doing laundry, organizing for the packing, and figuring what I need to do here at home for those not traveling, I'm busy putting together some posts to leave for your reading pleasure while I am on vacation. I've lined up some humorous pieces, an in-depth interview or two, a few helpful tips and some guest bloggers. If any of you would like to post as a Guest Blogger, please contact me ASAP. I need to have copy and any photos in my possession by noon on Thursday so I can review the piece and pre-post it. So, if you have something to say, please let me hear from you.

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Well, I've got more berries to do something creative with, laundry to switch and lots more to do so i need to get a move on. Talk with y'all again tomorrow.

Daddy's Chocolate Icebox Cake

It dawned on me yesterday that I haven't shared a recipe in ages!! (At one point, I intended to make that a weekly feature.) After telling you about my Dad last night, I thought I'd share one of his favorite desserts. (No, it doesn't contain peanut butter!)

DADDY’S CHOCOLATE ICE-BOX CAKE

This is a great summer recipe as there's no oven involved!

This was one of the first things I learned to make as a child since it involves no real cooking and makes for a great kid’s project. I was always led to believe it was Daddy’s favorite. Since I had never seen this served anywhere other than at my Gran’s or at our house, I assumed it was invented by Mom or Gran. Until two years ago when I was looking at a cookbook put out by the D.C. Blues Society and actually found a version had been submitted by Ann Rabson, one of my favorite performers. She’s definitely not a member of the family and not from this area so maybe it wasn’t a family original !!!

*** This has to be refrigerated for several hours before serving, so plan ahead !

Ingredients:
1 box Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers
1 container of Cool Whip or real whipped cream
A large tray or cookie sheet that will sit flat in the refrigerator.

*Holding a wafer in one hand, spread the whipped cream and put a layer on one side of the wafer. In deciding how much to use, remember you want to use enough to have an eighth to a quarter-inch layer between the wafers, plus enough at the end to cover the whole thing. Place a new wafer on the iced side of the last one and ice the other side. Sit this “wafer sandwich” flat on the tray and work on that surface from then on. Repeat icing wafers and stacking them next to the previous wafer, until you run out of wafers. It will sort of resemble a train.

*Cover the entire train of wafers with the whipped cream just as if you were icing a long, rectangular cake. You can sprinkle the top with chocolate or colored jimmies or add a maraschino cherry or two for decoration.

*Cover the cake and put it into the refrigerator for at least 5 hours. (The cookies soften while it chills.)

*To serve, take it out and cut into slices. Gran used to slice this on a diagonal so that each slice had pretty stripes. Mom used to just slice across most times (which is MUCH easier!)

This is VERY sweet, so small slices work best !


*** Ann Rabson’s version differed in that she calls hers a Crawling King Caterpillar and arranges it with a curve or two, like a caterpillar. She grates a little bitter chocolate over it and adds walnuts to the finished product.

Not long after discovering Ann's version, I also heard of someone else again making a similar dessert! A Martha Stewart Show viewer sent photos of a Radiator Cake from the ‘50s. They made it with whipped cream and graham crackers instead of chocolate wafers. As a variation, they suggested adding chocolate syrup to the whipped cream! An audience member stated the Radiator Cake she recalled from childhood was made with chocolate pudding between the crackers and iced in whipped cream.

I did a little research and found that Nabisco actually printed the original recipe on the cookie wrapper in the 1930s. I have also found pictures of the same idea made in a round cake pan, stacking the cookies with layers of whipped cream between them and drizzling the top with chocolate syrup. Pictures of that version can be found here along with a variety of other variations, including mixing a little Bailey's Irish Creme into the whipped cream for an adult flavor!

And to think, all these years, I believed this was a family original !

Watch for these upcoming posts ...

I've been taking stock of my plans for the next month or so and that includes topics I want to share here. (I've got a huge stack of notes about possible posts.)

Just want to give you a little heads up, here. There are two in-depth crafter profiles in the works and I'm almost finished putting together my next Marketing Series. I hope to bring you Part 1 of the series on the Ins and Outs of Craft Shows next week. There are a bunch of recipes and a few book reviews just sitting here waiting to be shared. I've also begun notes for a series on various craft paints and their particular uses.

Oh, yeah, I want to show off some of my new creations and a lot of great products from some of my fellow online crafters, too. (Look for some of these tomorrow.)

***I still need a few more participants for the Craft It Forward movement. (See yesterday's post if you are interested.)

So, go out and get creative in your world tomorrow. If we all spend more time crafting pretty, fun and useful objects, the world will be a much happier place in which to live.

Fried Fish Recipe

Okay, I promised a recipe for Fried Fish.

(Just because I don't enjoy eating fish doesn't mean I can't cook it. Besides, this works just as well when frying scallops and I DO like them.)

You'll need a heavy skillet (or a deep fat fryer), 4 fish fillets (catfish, pollack, haddock, any light fish) (you can also use 1 lb of sea scallops), 1/4 seasoned bread crumbs (or 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal), Cajun seasoning to taste, 2-3 eggs, hot sauce of your choice, oil for the fryer (I generally use Canola oil but, if you have it, peanut oil is wonderful!) (My m-i-l prefers "shortening." It's her secret to great cooking.)

Heat the oil to frying temp. Beat the eggs and a few drops of hot sauce together in a small deep bowl. Add Cajun seasoning (to taste) to the bread crumbs or cornmeal and mix well in another small deep bowl. Pat the fillets (or scallops) dry with a paper towel. Dip each fillet into the egg mixture and then dredge in the dry mixture. (I like to repeat this procedure twice although once is actually sufficient.) If using a skillet, fry the fillets until golden brown on bottom side and then flip to brown the top side. If using a deep fryer, let fish stay submerged until golden brown. Drain on paper towel to collect excess grease.

****Serve with hush puppies or corn bread, a green veggie like string beans and maybe some apple sauce.

Ham Croquettes

With Easter coming, many of us will be looking for ways to use that left-over ham.
So here's a recipe my mom always used :

HAM CROQUETTES

After a baked ham dinner, Mom liked to make these tasty patties with the leftover ham. They were almost as good as the original meal.. As a child in those pre-food processor days, I loved to help grind the meat with an old-fashioned hand cranked meat grinder. I still own one just like it but it hasn’t been used in 20 years!

3 cups (or more) cooked ham, chopped
½ sleeve of Ritz crackers (Mom also occasionally used saltines.)
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 egg
3-4 Tbsp. spicy brown mustard
Black pepper, to taste

· Grind ham and crackers using a food processor or a blender set on “chop”. (If using a grinder, use the “fine” grinding blade.)
· Blend in egg, onion and mustard. Mixture should have a hamburger consistency. (If too dry, add more mustard or a little mayo, if you prefer.)
· Form into patties about ¾” thick and brown on both sides using a stovetop griddle or shallow non-stick fry pan.

Best served warm - either, alone or on a bun with condiments.

Add a little zing to the mixture with a dab of horseradish or Tabasco or a dash of BBQ rub or Southwest seasoning.

Daddy's Chocolate Ice Box Cake

While I'm away, I've left a recipe or two for you to try!

DADDY’S CHOCOLATE ICE-BOX CAKE

This was one of the first things I learned to make as a child since it involves no real cooking and makes for a great kid’s project. I was always led to believe it was my Daddy’s favorite. Since I had never seen this served anywhere other than at my Gran’s or at our house, I assumed it was invented by Mom or Gran. Until the other day. I was looking at a cookbook put out by the D.C. Blues Society and actually found a version had been submitted by Ann Rabson, one of my favorite performers. She’s definitely not a member of the family and not from this area so maybe it wasn’t a family original !!!

*** This has to be refrigerated for several hours before serving, so plan ahead !


Ingredients:
1 box Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers
1 container of Cool Whip or real whipped cream
A large tray or cookie sheet that will sit flat in the refrigerator.


* Holding a wafer in one hand, spread the whipped cream and put a layer on one side of the wafer. In deciding how much to use, remember you want to use enough to have an eighth to a quarter-inch layer between the wafers, plus enough at the end to cover the whole thing. Place a new wafer on the iced side of the last one and ice the other side. Sit this “wafer sandwich” flat on the tray and work on that surface from then on. Repeat icing wafers and stacking them next to the previous wafer, until you run out of wafers. It will sort of resemble a train.

* Cover the entire train of wafers with the whipped cream just as if you were icing a long, rectangular cake. You can sprinkle the top with chocolate or colored jimmies or add a maraschino cherry or two for decoration.

* Cover the cake and put it into the refrigerator for at least 5 hours.

To serve, take it out and cut into slices. Gran used to slice this on a diagonal so that each slice had pretty stripes. Mom used to just slice across most times (which is MUCH easier!)
This is VERY sweet, so small slices work best !

*** Ann Rabson’s version differed in that she calls hers a Crawling King Caterpillar and arranges it with a curve or two, like a caterpillar. She grates a little bitter chocolate over it and adds walnuts to the finished product.

P.S.
WOW!!!
It took 50 years, but I just heard of someone else again making a similar dessert! A Martha Stewart Show viewer sent photos of a Radiator Cake from the ‘50s. They made it with whipped cream and graham crackers instead of chocolate wafers. As a variation, they suggested adding chocolate syrup to the whipped cream! An audience member stated the Radiator Cake she recalled from childhood was made with chocolate pudding between the crackers and iced in whipped cream.


And to think, all these years, I believed this was a family original !

Friday!!!

How can it be Friday again already? There’s still a lot on this week’s “To Do” list. Didn’t we just have a Friday a few days back? Now, I’m scrambling to get things done on the list!


By now I wanted to do at least another post or two about http://www.byhand.me/ and all it’s wondrous features. I’ve been meandering around the site a little each day getting to know it. There are just so many good things there. I’m working on what they call a “Spotlight.” It’s a lot like the Etsy treasuries (for those who are Etsy fans). I hope to put one together by the beginning of the week for you to see. I’ll have to give you all those spotlighting details next week. If you get a little impatient and have some time on your hands, check it out for yourself.



Next week, I also hope to tell you about Timothy Adams’ new site, http://www.handmadeology.com/. I haven’t had as much time to explore there yet but I’m working on it. Both sites seem really informative, easy to maneuver and fun to use. Check them out at your leisure.


My next in-depth crafter profile should also appear next week.


So, what did I accomplish this week? I actually did some painting and produced some new merchandise soon to be seen in my shop at http://www.splashin.etsy.com/! I filled some orders and began sketching out some Spring ideas. One whole afternoon was spent traipsing about trying to locate one particular, somewhat evasive, supply I need for a gift I’m working on. (Phone calls to various stores just weren’t going well and had sent me on a couple of wild goose chases!)


I took a long look at a few stragglers in my shop that just hadn’t garnered a lot of interest and began re-working them a bit. They’ll soon reappear the listings in their new forms. I changed my Beach Bum Denim Set from a 3 pieces to 2 and lowered the price when I relisted the other day. (The denim jackets have just gotten too pricey and hard to locate.)


The biggest time drain has been planning and working on my new Spring promotionals, both online and hands-on. I have the opportunity to participate as a supplier for items for some swag bags this Spring and I’ve been busy brainstorming and producing prototypes. I have to come up with items that are fairly quick and inexpensive to produce, eye-catching and interesting enough to make these folks check out my website. I’d also like it to be something they’ll keep around for a bit and actually use. That way, they’ll have an occasional reminder to check out my stuff. The monkey wrench in all this is -- I’ve got three events to do swag items for and a fair number of the recipients will be at all three events. I’d like to have different items for each event. As soon as I get some of these together, I’ll present them here and get some opinions from all of you.

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Tuesday is Mardi Gras. We’re not having a party but we’ll celebrate anyway. Got my door decorated and beads hanging around the house. The zydeco music is sitting atop the entertainment center, ready to pop it in. I’ve got a tub of jambalaya ready to give to my neighbor and a grocery list for my gumbo supplies. Gumbo takes a while to brew properly so I’ll be cooking over the weekend. (Still no oven!) Want’a make some, too?
Here’s my recipe:

GUMBO
Gumbo, a Cajun specialty, can be many things. There are almost as many variations out there as there are cooks.. I pretty much took all the things we liked in many different versions and put them together to come up with this one. It makes a ton, freezes great and keeps our crowd happy ! The downside: it will take you the better part of a whole day to make the pot. (Remember, you can eat this for a long time, it does make a lot !)


1 ½ cups canola oil
1 ½ cups flour
3 cups chopped sweet onions
2 cups chopped celery
3 cups chopped bell peppers
1 lb. smoked spicy hot sausage - cut cross-wise into ¼” slices
(I use andouille, but chorizo or kielbasa also works.)
3 tsps. salt
2 tsp. cayenne
6 cups of beef broth (I use low sodium)
1 medium-sized chicken, cut up (I use about 1 ½ lbs. of boneless breast cut into large bite-size pieces.)
3 cups chopped okra (fresh or frozen)
Cajun seasoning
3-4 Tbsp. of parsley flakes
2-3 Tbsp. file powder
1-1 ½ lbs. peeled shrimp
2-3 sliced jalapeno peppers (partially de-seeded)

Making the Roux -
(The roux is the most important part. Get this right and the rest simply falls together.)

First, make a chocolate brown roux. Heat oil in heavy -bottomed pot (or cast iron skillet) over medium heat. (I found my club-ware pot - although heavy - did not work real well. I use a cast iron Dutch oven bottom for this and it is perfect. I do, however, need to switch to the bigger pot once the roux is working. This makes a big pot full!) Gradually add flour (about a ¼ cup at a time), mixing with a whisk or wooden spoon until each addition is well integrated.

When all flour has been added, constantly stir over medium heat (lower heat slightly as necessary). Roux will gradually change from light caramel color to peanut butter color to a rich brown. This process should take about 20-25 minutes.

If black, burned specks appear in the roux, throw it out and start over. Be careful, this substance can splash easily and does stick and burn any skin it touches.)


Now that you have a good roux, add the onions, celery and bell peppers and continue to stir for several minutes until wilted. Add the sausage. Add about 4 cups of beef broth. Stir until the roux and broth are well combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.


Season the chicken with Cajun seasoning, being sure to coat it well. (I put this in a plastic bag and shake it well, then let it sit in the bag soaking up the seasoning until the gumbo has cooked with the sausage for that hour.) Add the uncooked chicken pieces at the end of that hour. Add the okra, parsley and file at that time, too. Let simmer for 2 hours. Stir occasionally.


Taste test occasionally during that time to determine if you need to add more of the spices to suit your own taste. (Remember, the spices “expand” and get a little richer while the gumbo sits in the fridge overnight or the next day!)


Finally, add the shrimp. Simmer for 8-10 minutes. Turn heat off. Shrimp will finish cooking in the residual heat.


To serve: Prepare a bowl of white rice. Fill a soup bowl about 2/3 full with the gumbo and top with a spoonful or two of rice in the center of the bowl. Add a good fresh crusty bread will for a complete meal.


Makes 8-10 servings.
***This also tastes better when shared with friends.