Friday, December 31, 2010

New Year's Eve Shrimp Cocktails

Big 16/20 ct. wild American shrimps, gently berled in a lil' dat good Zatarains shrimp & crab boil, then shocked in ice water so them cold-boiled shrimps nice and crisp. After shockin' & chillin' - peel and devein.

Some the best cocktail shrimp sauce I ever made, mebbe the best ~ kicked up with all kinda good stuff, not the least of which some good Cajun Power worchestershire and spicy red pepper garlic sauce. Cocktail sauce is wayyyy more than just catsup & horseradish, ah garrontee.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Fat Johnny's Praline Pork Chops

Best damn pork chop I ever ate. Tru dat.

Cooked direct over hardwood charcoals to git a lil' Pitsburgh Burn on'em, them moved indirect & smoked to target temp of 150* wit a lil' peach wood.

Seasoned with my new favorite seasoning Pig Pen's Original ( sent to me by my buddy, RT )

This is the best thing to come out of the ol' coonass test kitchen in a long time. I used Dumplin' Valley BBQ Sauce as a base to develop a Praline BBQ Sauce. You can see the difference ~ regular DV on the right, and my Praline BBQ Sauce creation on the left. Killer stuff ... mebbe one these days I'll share the recipe & technique ... but first you gotta go buy yerself some Dumplin' Valley ... it's the ONLY sauce that will work in this recipe. Dumplin' Valley <----click

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Mustard-Crusted Pork Tenderloin

Napped with a redeye/cranberry gastrique.

Target internal temp 150* ... tented & rested before slicing ... perfect pink, moist and juicy.

Hot out the oven ~ nice mustard/cornmeal crust.

Seasoned, then bronzed (using my new favorite spice: Pig Pen's) ... then slathered with homemade mustard & dusted with a lil' cornmeal and into oven.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Dulce De Leche Cranberry Fudge

Homemade chocolate/caramel fudge with cranberries.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Sausage/Cheese/Biscuit Balls

These are known as Bisquick Sausage Balls ... original recipe calls for using Bisquick and store-bought breakfast sausage. I made my own scratch biscuit dough and used some of my homemade hot sausage.

Hot out the oven ~ also used Tillamook cheddar in them.

Ready for the oven ~ 350* for about 20 minutes.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Grits And Redeye Gravy

Pan seared ham, cheese grits, hot sausage/biscuit balls & fluffy scrambled eggs

Smothered with some homemade redeye gravy ~ Sunday breakfast on da bayou.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Christmas Dinner On The Down Low

Christmas Dinner on the down low: the back story ... there was a time in my life when I had a booze/drug problem that persisted for a couple of decades, and one Christmas I was particularly down & out ... no job, no car, no money, I scraped up all my loose change and walked to a 7-11 Store on Christmas morning and bought a tater, an onion and a package of weinies ... went home and made this casserole for my Christmas dinner. By the Grace of God, I've been clean and sober now for almost 20 years ~ don't need to eat like that any more and I certainly didn't need to eat like this today ... but I think that in order to appreciate where you are, you gotta remember where you been. Merry Christmas Y'all, and would somebody please pass the catsup .... Ho Ho Ho.

Merry Christmas, Ah Garrontee

Friday, December 24, 2010

A Cowboy's Christmas Prayer

I ain't much good at prayin' and you may not know me, Lord
I ain't much seen in churches
Where they preach Thy Holy Word
But you may have observed me out here on the lonely plains
A-lookin' after cattle, feelin' thankful when it rains
Admiring Thy great handiwork, the miracle of grass
Aware of Thy kind spirit in the way it comes to pass...
That hired men on horseback and the livestock that we tend
Can look up at the stars at night and know we've got a friend

So here's ol' Christmas comin' on, remindin' us again
Of him whose coming brought good will into the hearts of men
A cowboy ain't no preacher, Lord, but if you'll hear my prayer
I'll ask as good as we have got for all men everywhere
Don't let no hearts be bitter, Lord, don't let no child be cold
Make easy beds for them that's sick
And them that's weak and old
Let kindness bless the trail we ride
No matter what we're after
And sorta keep us on your side, in tears as well as laughter

I've seen old cows a-starvin', and it ain't no happy sight
Don't leave no one hungry, Lord, on Thy good Christmas night
No man, no child, no woman, and no critter on four feet
I'll aim to do my best to help you find 'em chuck to eat
I'm just a sinful cowpoke, Lord, ain't got no business prayin'
But still I hope you'll catch a word or two of what I'm sayin'
We speak of Merry Christmas ~ Lord, I reckon you'll agree
There ain't no Merry Christmas for nobody that ain't free

So one more thing I'll ask you, Lord, just help us what you can
To save some seeds of freedom for the future sons of man. Amen.

S. Omar Barker
~~~**~~~**~~~
Eva Cassidy ~ Silent Night

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Ghosts Of Christmas Past

This is me, circa 1956, telling jolly ol' Santa at Macy's Department Store in Topeka about the Red Ryder 200-Shot BB Gun that I wanted for Christmas.

Circa 1955 ~ again on "Santa's" lap in my jammies, along with my sister, Brenda. This pic was taken out at the old farmhouse where I grew up ... Santa, in this pic, is my Grandma Johns.

Circa 1954 ~ Christmas morning at the old farmhouse ~ I made a real haul that year ... it was the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER! I can remember that chair and the new trike, and a drum, and....

Gotta love the lil' Christmas tree ... that's my Grandpa Eddy in the pic with me ... he and my Dad probably drug that tree in from somewhere in the pasture behind the house ~ that's where we got our tree every Christmas. I'm guessin' Grandpa gave me that drum (lil' drummer boy, me?) because I'm pretty sure my Dad would not have made that mistake? LOL

Chunky Tex-Mex Chili Con Carne Y Frijoles

About 3# of cubed top sirloin steak and pork tenderloin

Chipotles, anaheims, serranos, onions, garlic, tomatoes, beans, herbs & spices, beer, beef stock, and a couple other secret ingredients that I cannot disclose unless you sign the chili waiver. <---click to see the waiver

Now thatsa bowl of red, ah garrontee!!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Alsatian Choucroute Bubble Bread

Scratch beer/bread dough on bottom, topped with 4 kinds of pigmeat (pork chops, ham, smoked sausage and bacon) ... and some aged swiss cheese.

Then a layer of bavarian kraut and onions with homemade mustard.

Then topped with more pieces of bread dough (think pull-apart) and a dusting of caraway seeds.

Hot out the oven ... git yerself a cold beer and start pullin'
~~~**~~~**~~~
Shelby Lynne ~ Silver Bells

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Sourkraut & Weinies For Grownups

Choucroute Garnie, plated.

Served with some of my homemade mustard.

Boiled brussel sprouts w/taters & bacon ... side dish for the choucroute garnie. I made a beer/butter sauce for these veggies, kicked up with a lil' horseradish. Very tasty.

Choucroute Garnie

Layer of Bavarian style kraut in the bottom (kicked up with butter, onions & seasonings) then topped with a few seared pork chops, smoked sausage & thick cut bacon.

Then more kraut and a second layer of pigmeats ~ baked ham, more smoked sausage & bacon.

Finally topped with another layer of kraut, covered and baked for about an hour.

Monday, December 20, 2010

BBQ Ham Sandwich ~ My Way

Made with all the crumblies off the choppin' block when I sliced that baked ham ~ tossed with some honey/hickory bbq sauce & slapped on a bun.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Ham & Cheese Omelette

Omelette filled with diced baked ham, 2 kinds of cheese (cheddar & pepperjack), green onions, black olives, jalapenos ~ sided with some more sliced ham, pan seared.

Splashed with a lil' Trappey's hot sauce & chased wit some dat good Community Coffee - black.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Baked/Glazed Ham

Slow baked 4-hour ham ~ sliced nice & thick

Lil' mac & cheese to go with the baked ham

Glaze made with homemade wild sand plum jelly, homemade creole mustard, Steens cane syrup, brown sugar, fresh orange juice ... and one very important *secret* ingredient...

This is the ham stock from the baked ham ~ this is what kicks yer ham & beans up to the top shelf, baybee.

Friday, December 17, 2010