Saturday, February 27, 2010

Head 'em Up And Move 'em Out

Muffaletta Cracker Spread

Mais ... I hadda some leftover muffaletta fixins (ham, salami, pepperoni, olive salad) so I hauled off and ground it all up & mixed it wit a lil' mayo and creole mustard ~ badda boom, muffaletta cracker spread for gameday snackins today. Definitely not yer father's ham salad. Rock Chalk Jayhawks!!

Friday, February 26, 2010

Apple Pie ~ Hot Out The Oven

Coolin' in the proverbial *windowsill* as we speak ~ gonna be all I can do to keep my spoon out dat pie until after supper....

Mom, Baseball, And.....

Apple Pie, Baybee ... homemade scratch dough, 2 kinds of apples, sugar, butter, cinnamon, etc ... what's not to like? Thinkin' this oughtta chase dat roast pork & kraut right out of my memory, eh ~ got vanilla ice cream? Pie is bakin' in the oven as we speak ~ smellin' real good too, ah garrontee.

Big Ed Albert ~ Jammin' At Shake's Place

Whiskey Deaf And Whiskey Blind

Norman Blake ~ Whiskey Deaf And Whiskey Blind

Wish Is'e down in Florida
Florida on a hog
'Stead of way in ol' Georgia
Treated like a dog
Whiskey deaf and whiskey blind

Seaboard train a 'rollin' down
The high iron seaboard line
Gonna catch her for Dunellon
Just to ease my worried mind
Whiskey deaf and whiskey blind

Way down on the corner
See the big parade go by
Wish Is'e in the brass band
A' marchin' to the sky
Whiskey deaf and whiskey blind

Cannot stand the government
Cannot stand the law
Cannot stand the dark days
A' comin' on us all
Whiskey deaf and whiskey blind

Way on down the railroad
Just a walkin' on the ties
If Beulah Land's in Florida
I'll never say goodbye
Whiskey deaf and whiskey blind

If I die a roamin'
In some distant land
Take me to the graveyard
Way down in Alabam'
Whiskey deaf and whiskey blind

You can take my banjo
And hang it by the door
Way down in sunny Dixie
I won't need it no more
Whiskey deaf and whisky blind

It's fare you well, darlin'
Away on down the line
Fare you well forever
And the days of auld lang syne
Whiskey deaf and whiskey blind

Thursday, February 25, 2010

On The Jimmy Reed Highway

On The Jimmy Reed Highway ... tribute to bluesman Jimmy Reed, on Austin City Limits. Click here <----click

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Breakfast Of Champions

Big ol' bowl of choppin' block bbq (chopped ham, brisket & smoked sausage scraps) wit some dat good Arthur Bryants Original sauce ... whooooboy, this is my kinda breakfast cereal ~ ya think I ought to slice a banana on top, huhhhhh?
~~~**~~~**~~~
Johnson Mountain Boys ~ Let The Whole World Talk

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Pan Seared Peppercorn Steak (Top Sirloin)

Mais, I think them Froggie cooks call this Steak Au Poivre ~ call it what you want, it's a top sirloin steak simply seasoned with kosher salt & cracked black ... then pan-seared medrare & served up atop a bed of caramelized sweet red onions & garlic. Gonna have this wit dat pigskin tater ... cain't decide which one is the center plate entree & which one is the side dish?

Meat & Taters ... it's what's fer supper!!

Pigskin Taters? Baked Tater Footballs??

90 ct. Idaho Russet, peeled & dusted with Cajun seasoning ... then wrapped with bacon & baked.

Hot & fluffy in it's new skin ... would it be over the top to put butter & sour cream on this tater, huhh??

So, what shall I call these things?? Talk amoungst yerselves ... while I go eat lunch!!

Kaw-Cajun Baked Tater Football

OK OK ... so I got me 1 nice big Idaho Russet tater in the basket ~ gotta do something wit it today, so I thawed out a top sirloin steak that I cut last week ... steak & baked potato fer supper tonight. Boring. So I said to myself: "Self, how you gonna liven up dat tater, huh ... mebbe some bacon bits? Nah, let's wrap the whole damn tater in bacon, yeh." So I hauled off and peeled dat nasty ol' tater skin off and replaced it wit PIGSKIN (bacon) ... pigskin = football ... get it? Seasoned dat peeled tater real good wit cajun seasoning before doing the skin graft - finished wit a lil' cracked black ... badda boom, in the oven as we speak. Film at eleven.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Marcia Ball ~ Love Sweet Love

Marcia Ball ~ Love Sweet Love

Smothered Burritos Tonight

Filling for burritos ~ yeah, I know ... you prolly sayin: "is that diced potatoes in there?" Yep. Why do I put diced potatoes in my taco/burrito meat? Because I like it in there, that's why! Jayhawks & Sooners in the Phog tonight ~ Rock Chalk, baybee.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Olive/Asiago Primavera Toast

Mais ... if I gotta eat a salad, at least gimme some good bread to go with it!! Made with homemade Italian bread (a poboy bun), olives, asiago cheese, mayo, garlic & Italian herbs.

Sunday Morning Gospel Hour

Charlie Louvin ~ Where We Never Grow Old

I have heard of a land on the far away strand
’Tis a beautiful home of the soul
Built by Jesus on high, where we never shall die
’Tis a land where we never grow old

Chorus:
Never grow old, never grow old
In a land where we’ll never grow old
Never grow old, never grow old
In a land where we’ll never grow old

In that beautiful home where we’ll never more roam
We shall be in the sweet by and by
Happy praise to the King, through eternity sing
’Tis a land where we never shall die

Chorus

When our work here is done and the life-crown is won
And our troubles and all our trials are o’er
All our sorrow will end, and our voices will blend
With the loved ones who’ve gone on before

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Grilled Onionburger Sliders

Cooked hot & nasty in the ol' cast iron skillet ~ weighted. Ain't pretty, but ate better'n any burger I've had in recent memory. Served'em up on toasted Italian bread - no catsup, no mustard, no condiments of any kind 'cept a lil' kosher salt & cracked black pepper. Delicious.

Banana/Butterscotch Pudding

Well, I hadda couple bananas I needed to do something with ... wanted to make a banana meringue pie but was too lazy to make the pie dough & meringue. Plan "B" was banana pudding, but didn't have vanilla wafers ... so I hauled off and made a homemade butterscotch pudding, then folded in some sliced bananas & butterscotch chips. Chilled & served it up wit a dollop of whipped cream ~ worked for me....

A Salad Is Just A Salad...

...until you sex it up with olives and dress it with a warm homemade bacon/asiago dressing. Crisp romaine hearts, tender celery hearts, cucumber, radishes, sweet teardrop tomatoes, red onions, etc ~ surprisingly it didn't suck.
~~~**~~~**~~~
Carolina Slim ~ Ain't It Sad

Friday, February 19, 2010

Baked Potato Gestalt ~ Spud Love

OK OK ~ so I made some comment the other day about making the *perfect* baked potato (or something to that effect) ... and several of y'all wanted to know how to do it. So, here's how: first, you make a roux. LOL ~ gotta love that old cajun joke, eh? But anyway, I digress ... first you gotta have the right kinda potato to start with, AND a little knowledge of the chemistry that happens when you bake a potato. I'll tell you what kinda potato is right (best) for baking ... it's Idaho Russets ... but you gonna hafta do your DD on that chemistry thing. I ain't no chemist.

Once you have educated yerself, and been to the groceria and bought yer tater (get at least a 90 ct, 70 ct would be even better) ... here's the deal: You gotta bake that 'tater in a HOT oven (refer to your tater chemistry 101 notes) ... so preheat yer oven, not yer damn microwave, to 400-425* and commence to scrubbin that tater clean under cool tap water, dry it good, rub it with some kinda oil/butter/EVOO/bacon fat, and sprinkle it with some kosher salt ... then wrap it in foil, poke it a couple times with a fork (AFTER you've wrapped it) so the steam can escape, and bake it in dat hot oven. How long? Until it's just done ... don't overcook it ... squeeze it, and if it just gives a lil' ~ it's done. This will take a lil' practice, but once you learn the *feeling* of a perfectly done baked potato you'll never forget it. For a 90 ct russett @ 425* that will take about an hour ... for a 70 ct mebbe a lil' longer ... why ... because a 70 ct tater is bigger than a 90 ct tater, that's why.

Now, here's the important part ... as soon as that tater is perfectly done ... you gotta eat it then ~ not 15-20 minutes later!! Now is when the tater is gonna be at it's lightest and fluffiest texture ... so don't let that tater sit around in that damn foil for 15-20 minutes after it comes out the oven, ya'heah? Timing is everything in cooking. Now ... here's a lil' Chef trick: when you take that perfectly baked tater out the oven, you got to smack it down on the countertop immediately (while it's still in the foil) this will cause the insides of dat tater to *explode* within it's skin, resulting in a very fluffy baked tater. Don't try this after you take the foil off, or after you've let that tater sit in the foil for 15-20 minutes after it comes out the oven. It won't work that way. Gotta do it IMMEDIATELY after it comes out the oven, while still in the foil. It's takes practice ... I didn't say this was gonna be easy.

Now, after you've taken your proper, perfectly baked tater out the oven and smacked it just right ... now unwrap it (take the foil off) and plate it ... cut a lil' slit down the middle & squeeze it open. If you don't see an immediate release of hot steamy tater love ... you ain't done it right. Go back and read your tater 101 notes, and try again till you git it right. Any questions??

Spicy Beef Ragu Alla Puttanesca

Made with chunks of beef top sirloin, homemade tomato sauce kicked up with lotsa garlic, anchovies, olives, red pepper flakes, onions, peppers, herbage, etc ... spicy ... served it up over penne tossed with shredded asiago and a big green salad & garlic toast.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Little Walter ~ Mean Old World

Little Walter ~ Mean Old World

My Favorite Casserole

Broccoli/Wild Rice/Cheese Casserole ... one of the best flavor combinations known to mankind. I could eat this every day ~ hey, it's got green stuff in it ... gotta be healthy ... right??

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Hey Mister ~ Throw Me A Poboy!!

OK, so it's poboy week at the ol' coonass cucina ... Ferdi Poboys last night (ham, roast beef & dat good debris gravy) ... and smoked brisket, ham & cheese poboys for lunch today (dressed with dijon mayo & mixed peppers) ... and tonight we're having fried oyster & shrimp poboys with homemade ff's washed down with 3-2 cold beers while watchin' some KState Wildcat basketball. What?? I'll eat a salad next week...

Fresh Baked Poboy Buns

Well, on account yesterday was Mardi Gras / Fat Tuesday ... I hauled off and baked some poboy buns for to make some dem famous Ferdi Debris Poboys (roast beef/debris gravy/baked ham) last night. Sided 'em up with some dirty rice and lotsa good Zydeco music ... whooooboy, who dat say an ol' cosmic plowboy way up on the nort side da bayou cain't git his voodoo freak on, HUHHHH??

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Shrove Tuesday ~ Dirty Rice

Made with some fresh ground sirloin, berled chicken gizzards, homemade beef stock, lotsa veggies (includin' the holy trinity, doncha'know 'bout 40 cloves of garlic) and a splash mebbe three dat good Cajun Power. There a couple other *secret* ingredients in there ... but I cain't tell you on account then I'd just hafta kill you!! Gonna side this up with some chunks of smoked brisket point aka burnt ends. Y'all git to shrivin' real good now, ya'heah?
~~~**~~~**~~~
David Doucet ~ My True Love

Ain't Nuthin' But A Party ~ Mardi Gras

Monday, February 15, 2010

Stuffed 'Tater Overload

Directions: take one bigassed Idaho Russet potato & bake it to perfection (yes, there is a right way and a wrong way to bake a potato) ... then load it up with butter, fresh broccoli florettes and creamy beef stroganoff. Easy Peasy ~ dinner is served.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

For All The Girls I've Loved Before


Blaze Foley ~ Faded Loves And Memories

Faded loves, and memories
How they take the best of me
This old chain around my shoulder's
Only makin' me look older than I am
I'll get over you someday

Faded loves, and memories
Where I go they follow me
And I just can't seem to lose 'em
So I might as well just use 'em
One more time ... one more sad ol' country song

Faded loves ... and memories
Yesterday they let me be
Some girl smiled, so I walked over
Flipped her hair and brushed her shoulder
So I know I'm gettin' stronger every day

Faded loves ... and memories

Bill Monroe ~ Farther Along

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Not Your Father's Baked Steak

Baked Top Sirloin Steaks ~ Hunter's Style Mushroom/Onion Gravy ... atop spicy Andouille Cornbread Dressing

Savory ~ Garlicky ~ Herby ~ Oniony ~ Beefy ~ Mushroomy ... what's not to like, HUHHHH??

Stuffing made with day old, stale leftover cornbread. What? You didn't think I was gonna throw that stale cornbread away did ya??

If Trouble Was Money...

Charlie Musselwhite ~ If Trouble Was Money

Friday, February 12, 2010

Sloppy Boudreaux

After cutting up about 7# of top sirloin into steaks & lean chunks for stroganoff, etc ... I ground all the trim & made this Sloppy Boudreaux. Fresh, coarse ground top sirloin ~ good stuff.

Sloppy Boudreaux ~ kicked up with Cajun Power garlic sauce, creole mustard, onions/peppers, Wooster sauce, lil' cayenne ... whooooboy, gonna slap it on a poboy bun & dress it up real good: Sloppy Boudreaux PoBoy ~ it's what's fer supper.