It's a Boudin day!

It's a Boudin day today. Pronounced Boo-Dan, this spicy Cajun sausage is made from rice, pork, and pork liver. I've really missed Boudin since I am no longer workin in New Orleans. Now my local Kroger store carries this Zummo brand. This is some I cooked up for lunch today.  Check out Zummo Meat Co.

Now a little quiz...

1. What's my favorite pork and rice sausage? Ans. Boudin
2. What is Chef Donald Link's favorite pork and rice sausage? Ans. Boudin
3. What do I say to my friend Dan on Halloween? Ans. Boudin

¿Como Se Frijole? How You Bean?

Beans, beans, good for your heart, you wanna cook 'em, but where do you start?  Although they've also been called the "Musical Fruit" for some reason I never cooked them from scratch hardly at all.  Easier to just buy a can.  My friend Carol Culp gave me a big bag of Pinto Beans last week.  I fixed a pot of them and they were creamy and delicious.  Thought I'd pass the recipe along, here tis...

1 lb (2 cups) dried pinto beans
1 tbs bacon grease
1 tbs butter
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Tony Chachere's
1 tsp salt
6 - 8 cups of water

Pour beans in a pot that has a lid, cover beans with warm water and soak them for at least an hour, maybe overnight.  Drain beans off and return them to the pot with 6 cups of warm water.  Cook them on MED, add your bacon grease, butter, and pepper.  Cook them for about 1½ - 2 hours or until tender, add Tony Chachere's and salt.  Remove lid and cook stirring to reduce the soup a bit.  Serve with cornbread.  In case you missed it, here's the best cornbread recipe.  Cornbread Cooking Class

On a Budget Crabby Soup

Do you love crab soup but have a Chicken Noodle Budget?  For a quick pot of crab soup that doesn't cost you a bundle, you can find small 6 oz. cans of BumbleBee or Chicken of the Sea Crabmeat for around $2.00 to $2.50 at your local grocer or Walmart. 

Ingredients
2 Six oz cans of crabmeat

1/2 stick of butter

1/2 medium onion (diced small)
1 sm rib of celery (diced small)
1 green onion (sliced thin)
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
4 tbs plain flour
3 cups milk

2 cups water 
1/2 cup heavy cream

1 chicken stock cube (boullion)
1/2 tsp Tony Chachere's
1/2 tsp salt, pepper, garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne, paprika, nutmeg
1 bay leaf

Preparation

In a small sauce pot  bring the 2 cups of water to a boil, add the stock cube and stir until it dissolves. Keep warm.  Melt butter in pot or saucepan. Sauté onions, celery, green onion, garlic, and spices. 

When onions are softened, add 4 tbs of flour. Stir until flour turns a light tan color. Add the chicken stock and whisk into roux. Once stock is mixed in woth roux, add milk and cream. Bring mixture up to a near boil being careful not to scorch it. Add crabmeat and fold in well. 

Turn heat down to simmer. Let cook and thicken about 20 - 30 mins longer stirring occasionally. Serve and enjoy. This is also a great base for when you have a good 16 oz. can of pricey lump crabmeat. This soup is great with Cheddar Bay Biscuits or cornbread.

Pecanless McCandless Pie

I made this for my friend Tucker McCandless who loves pecan pies but likes the gooey pie part best, and also Trixie (Lexi Jones) whom I love dearly and has nut allergies.  I made her one of these for her birthday.

Ingredients
1 cup light Karo syrup
1 cup dark Karo syrup(or molasses/pure cane syrup)
1 cup brown sugar
½ tsp vanilla
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tbs corn meal
1 tbs plain flour
7 eggs
½ tsp salt
6 tbs butter (melted)
2 unbaked pie shells (thawed)

Preparation

Preheat oven at 350º, place pie shells in oven for 5 mins. Mix dry ingredients, then mix wet ingredients. Combine and divide mixture between two cooled pie shells. Bake for 40 - 45 mins., until pies have turned dark brown and puffed up and done inside. Remove from oven carefully, wait 30 mins before slicing. You can jiggle the pies slightly while in oven to see if they're done. You can also tap the top to see if it is still liquified inside.

This is my friend Tucker McCandless (on the left) and myself over at Carver's Orchard buying produce.  His Mom Cassie couldn't resist this photo op. 

Tasty Pork Loin

My pretty neighbor girl Jessica Potts gave me this recipe after she fixed some one night and it was AWESOME!!! Have never cared that much for pork loin as it is usually dry for my taste. This baby ain't dry.  Brown rice is a nice side dish.

Ingredients

2 lb pork loin filet
1 cup soy sauce
½ cup brown sugar
6 cloves garlic (minced)
½ tsp coarse ground black pepper


Preparation

Combine last 4 ingredients and marinate pork loin in plastic bag in fridge for several hours or overnight. Take out of fridge and let warm up to room temperature for about an hour. Place on cookie sheet, (recommend foil and little rack) in 450º oven for 45 - 50 mins or until internal temp is 145º. let stand about 15 - 20 mins before slicing. In a saucepan, reduce marinade to thick sauce,serve with pork loin.

Low Country Hoppin' John

I have been wanting to make this for some time now and finally got around to it. I made a vegetarian version of this and took it into work since many of the cast are eating healthier. They loved it. You can throw in a smoked ham hock or smoked ham to this if you are suffering. Here we go...

Ingredients
1 lb (2 cups) Dried Black Eyed Peas
1 cup onion (diced)
1 cup celery (sliced thin)
½ cup red bell pepper
4 - 5 cloves of garlic
4 green onions (sliced thin)
½ stick butter
2 tbs oil
1 10 oz. can Rotel tomatoes
1 ½ cups uncooked rice
2 tbs worcestershire sauce
1 tbs Tony Chachere's
1 tsp black pepper
½ tsp Cayenne pepper
1 tsp sea salt
2 bay leaves
8 cups of water
1 - 2 smoked ham hocks or ½ Lb Ham (opt.)


Preparation

Rinse black eyed peas and cook whole pound in 6 cups of water on MED. In a separate, oven-proof pot, saute all veggies (except green onion) in butter and oil, until starting to soften. Add all spices except for salt. Add peas and all other ingredients except rice, cook until peas are tender. Add salt and rice and be sure to stir it in completely. (might want to add a cup of water) Cook all together for about 20-25 mins., stirring occasionally, until rice has nearly soaked up all the broth. Cover and place in 300º 0ven for 40 minutes. Garnish with green onions.