Big Dude's Eclectic Ramblings

Pasta Primavera Ala Beverly

2012-02-01T04:38:00.025-05:00

This meal is brought to you by the real cook at Almost Heaven South, my adorable wife and soul mate, Bev. I don't think this dish is really pasta primavera and it's probably more accurate to call it baked pasta topped with vegetables but I like the name. We had a partial jar of marinara and some leftover vodka sauce from our ravioli meal, and some veggies that she wanted to stir fry and she turned it into a delicious meal.

1 1/2 jars sauce - mix of the two
1 lb shaped pasta - penne rigate for this meal
1 lb Italian sausage, sliced and fried
1/2 lb Ricotta cheese
1 cup or so of shreaded mozzarella cheese

She cooked the penne pasta at dente, and made a baked dish as follows:

Mix the sauces together and then toss with the pasta and sausage.

Add half the pasta mix to a greased 9"x9" dish, spread the ricotta over the pasta, and add the remaining pasta.

Cover and bake at 375* for 40 minutes or until bubbly.

Remove foil cover, top with cheese, and bake until cheese is melted.

While it was baking, she sautéed some broccoli, peppers, grape tomatoes, zucchini, and olives in olive oil and when all was done she plated the pasta then topped with the veggies and some grated parmesan.

I thought it was outstanding and would never have thought of adding veggies to a baked pasta dish, but will from now on. A while back, we began using Dreamfields pasta and really like it - it has less digestable carbs than regular pasta.

I usually don’t have a fire unless the temperature is in the 40’s, but daughter, Wende, came down and it was dreary and wintery looking outside so I built an evening one. There was a brief period when it was almost the perfect looking fire. I should have opened the screen, but forgot.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: A Hearty Breakfast For The Man Of The House

Two years ago: Welcome To Our Pet World

Larry

Traditional Cottage Pie Ala Tricia

2012-01-31T04:58:00.017-05:00

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, Shepherd’s Pie was on Bev’s meal want list and we made extra mashed potatoes for it. As I understand, it’s Shepherd’s Pie when made with mutton or lamb and it’s Cottage Pie when made with beef, however most folks seem to use the titles interchangeably. Even though Bev said she wanted Shepherd’s Pie, I knew she wanted the other one, especially since she’s not a big ovine fan.

As it often happens, a recipe popped up on one of my blog reads just when I needed it and in this case it was for Traditional Cottage Pie from Tricia over at Saving Room For Dessert – a blog I only recently began reading. Please check out her site for the complete recipe and some nice step-by-step photos.

Bev and I jointly did the cooking this day and followed the recipe for the meat mixture, which Tricia had adapted from Danny Boome of the Food Network. After freezer diving, I found a one pound package each of ground bison and lean ground beef from our neighbors Belted Galloway cattle. Since I used our homemade beef broth, rather than consumme, I simmered an additional 5 minutes to cook out some or the liquid.

For the potato topping, we used the leftover potatoes made from the Pioneer Woman recipe and added a cup or so of shredded yellow cheddar - all we had - so our potatoes are a little orange and streaky. I considered making individual bowls, but Bev talked me into the easier one pan version.

It took 15 minutes in our oven at 400* on the convection bake setting to get the potatoes lightly browned.

Ours had more liquid in the dish bottom than Trica's appeared to have, but we all thought it was delicious and will use the recipe again. We didn't serve anything else so we could eat more of the pie - which I did.

The next day as I was typing this up, it dawned on me that I should have removed the meat mix with a slotted spoon, leaving the liquid, rather than pouring it from the skillet into the baking dish - thanks Tricia for a very good meal.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Bayou Bay – The Local Cajun Joint

Two years ago: Birthday Dinner For Wende

Larry

01/21/2012 meal date

Country Ham And Biscuits

2012-01-30T04:40:00.011-05:00

In our continuing, and barely making headway, effort to reduce our freezer inventory, Bev suggested having country ham and biscuits for breakfast, and she got a quick "you bet" from me. We had two fairly thick slices of ham and a 12 pack of Food Lion biscuits.

Since the fat is pretty salty I like to trim it off prior to cooking. There are many ways to cook ham in a skillet, but since it’s basically the same thing as prosciutto except aged 6 months less and usually sliced thicker, and since prosciutto is regularly eaten raw, I only try to get my country ham hot without really cooking it.

Frying just seems to make it dryer and more chewy, especially if it’s thick, so I add just a little water to a pan, bring in to a simmer, drop in the ham, and add a lid. I cook it a few minutes on each side and it’s perfect - warm and as tender as it can be - this also removes some of the salt.

My plan was for ham biscuits with cheddar cheese and onion, but after baking this is what I had for biscuits - note the halved one. They were either too old or just lousy biscuits, but they were lousy biscuits.

So I went to plan B.

The sandwich was good, but there will be a next time for the biscuits.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Dirty Ole Man Joke

Two years ago: None

Larry

01/19/2012 meal date

Chicken fried Steak Ala Katherine

2012-01-29T04:35:00.026-05:00

Lately, I’ve been coming up with most of the dinner menus and Bev often asked me “what’s for dinner tonight,” but on this morning she gave me a list of things she’d like to have in the near future all which sounded great to me. However, two of them were also high on my list, helped reduce the freezer stock, and fit well together – chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes, then cottage pie using the potato leftovers.

So for this day it was the chicken fried steak and after some freezer diving, I found a package of cubed steak and a flat iron steak to use. I didn’t do anything extra to the cubed steak and tenderized the flat iron with a spiked meat mallet. We have several recipes for chicken fried steak including a jar of homemade rub that is normally used, but I wanted to try the one from Katherine over at Smoky Mountain Café, even though she’s from NOLA and not Texas. But, since she said of hers – “Oh yeah baby, this will show Chicken Fried Steak who's boss!”, it had to be tried – especially since I know she’s a great cook.

Katherine’s spice blend is similar to mine but without cumin or S&P, but her gravy recipe is quite different and is the part that I really wanted to try. Please stop by her site for the complete recipe and some great step-by-step photos.

I cooked the steak per her recipe except I seasoned the meat with S&P prior to breading:

I cooked the gravy per the recipe except I already had some precooked bacon so I started with bacon grease we had on hand. - then I forgot to use the bacon.

Bev made the mashed potatoes using my favorite recipe from Pioneer Woman - mashed them with our new potato masher – the old one was painful on the hands to use, but this one works great.

Mashed Potato Ingredients

■5 pounds Russet Or Yukon Gold Potatoes

■3/4 cups Butter

■1 package (8 Oz.) Cream Cheese, Softened

■1/2 cup (to 3/4 Cups) Half-and-Half

■1/2 teaspoon (to 1 Teaspoon) Lawry's Seasoned Salt

■1/2 teaspoon (to 1 Teaspoon) Black Pepper

Preparation Instructions

Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces that are generally the same size. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 to 35 minutes. When they’re cooked through, the fork should easily slide into the potatoes with no resistance, and the potatoes should almost, but not totally, fall apart.

Drain the potatoes in a large colander. When the potatoes have finished draining, place them back into the dry pot and put the pot on the stove. Mash the potatoes over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape, before adding in all the other ingredients. (I think this is an important step that we hadn't done before).

Turn off the stove and add 1 ½ sticks of butter, an 8-ounce package of cream cheese and about ½ cup of half-and-half. Mash, mash, mash! Next, add about ½ teaspoon of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt and ½ a teaspoon of black pepper.

Stir well and place in a medium-sized baking dish. Throw a few pats of butter over the top of the potatoes and place them in a 350-degree oven and heat until butter is melted and potatoes are warmed through (we didn't do this).

We added some carrots and salad to get this:

As expected, Katherine's recipe did not disappoint - the breading produced a very nice crust on the meat and the thyme added a unique twist to the gravy – I’d definitely make it again. With the thyme gravy, it wasn’t your typical chicken fried steak but it was way better than what we had in Texas the Hill Country Cupboard, who’s claim is “the world’s best chicken fried steak.” After a side-by-side comparison, flat iron steak is the new meat for this dish around here. Thanks Katherine for a delicious dinner.

Bev heading to the kitchen with her two favorite libations - diet coke and red wine.

Of course there was the requisite breakfast the next day - it wasn't as good as the supper but we'd used all of the gravy on the four meals.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Beef And Broccoli Stir Fry

Two years ago: Scrambled Eggs Ala Lea Ann Ala George

Larry

01/20/2012 meal date

Saturday Humor

2012-01-28T04:19:00.019-05:00

Hollywood Squares

These great questions and answers are from the days when ' Hollywood Squares' game show responses were spontaneous. Peter Marshall was the host asking the questions, of course.

Q. According to Ann Landers, what are two things you should never do in bed?

A. Paul Lynde: Point and laugh

Q. According to Ann Landers, is there anything wrong with getting into the habit of kissing a lot of people?

A. Charley Weaver: It got me out of the army.

Q. It is the most abused and neglected part of your body, what is it?

A. Paul Lynde: Mine may be abused, but it certainly isn't neglected.

Q. Can boys join the Camp Fire Girls?

A.. Marty Allen: Only after lights out.

Q. It is considered in bad taste to discuss two subjects at nudist camps.. One is politics, what is the other?

A. Paul Lynde: Tape measures.

Q. As you grow older, do you tend to gesture more or less with your hands while talking?

A. Rose Marie: You ask me one more growing old question Peter, and I'll give you a gesture you'll never forget.

Q. According to Cosmopolitan, if you meet a stranger at a party and you think that he is attractive, is it okay to come out and ask him if he's married?

A.. Rose Marie: No wait until morning.

Q. Charley, you've just decided to grow strawberries. Are you going to get any during the first year?

A. Charley Weaver: Of course not, I'm too busy growing strawberries.

Q. When you pat a dog on its head he will wag his tail. What will a goose do?

A. Paul Lynde: Make him bark?

Q. If you're going to make a parachute jump, at least how high should you be.

A. Charley Weaver: Three days of steady drinking should do it.

Q. True or False, a pea can last as long as 5,000 years...

A. George Gobel: Boy, it sure seems that way sometimes.

Q.. Paul, what is a good reason for pounding meat?

A. Paul Lynde: Loneliness!

(The audience laughed so long and so hard it took up almost 15 minutes of the show!)

WE DON'T STOP LAUGHING BECAUSE WE GROW OLD,

WE GROW OLD BECAUSE WE STOP LAUGHING

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Grilled Shrimp With Spinach And Strawberry Salad

Two years ago: Breakfast On A Bun

Larry

Enchilada Casserole

2012-01-27T04:27:00.076-05:00

On BBQ day, I’d ended up with two quart bags of pulled pork for us and we’ve been eating on it since then and we were down to a pound and I was ready for something Mexican. I’d recently discovered a container in the freezer labeled Mexican Sauce and had no idea what that meant but hoped it would work for enchiladas. I was thinking along those lines because we had a big bag of the taco size corn tortillas on hand.

Ever notice when you buy corn tortillas that your choices are a very small bag with hardly enough for a meal or a big bag that would feed an army – this is the size we had.

I decided that rather than just mix together a bunch or ingredients I’d actually measure and create a recipe. I started by sautéing one cup each of diced onion and sweet pepper and a Tbsp of finely diced jalapenos in a little olive oil and when they had softened some, I stirred in the pork.

When they were done, I nuked the corn tortillas under a damp paper towel to soften them up and began to stuff. I quickly learned that their small size would not allow me to get as much stuffing in them as I wanted and after a couple of times having most of it fall out when I turned them seam side down, I went to plan B. I had larger flour tortillas but using them would have created burritos and I wanted the corny flavor of the enchiladas.

So I decided to just make a casserole that came close to being just like a rolled enchilada. I added a layer of tortillas to the pan bottom and topped with the meat mixture, cheddar cheese, and just a little of the sauce, which wasn’t exactly an enchilada sauce, but still very tasty.

Next was another layer of tortillas, about 1½ cups of sauce, cheddar and mozzarella cheese, and sliced black olives. I covered with foil and baked at 400* for 25 minutes, then removed the cover and baked for another 7 minutes. Upon removal from the oven, Bev added some sliced green onion and we rested it for about 5 minutes.

Then it was sliced and served.

I thought it was good but not outstanding in part because it needed more jalapeno heat and in part because the Mexican sauce and the flavor of the pulled pork could have been a better match - next time I’ll use less flavorful pork and add some Mexican spices. However, I did think I achieved the goal of having it taste very close to rolled enchiladas and with a little tweaking, I’ll make it again using this recipe:

2 T oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced sweet pepper
1 T finely diced jalapeno
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound pulled smoked pork, without pork juice added. (can also use chicken or beef)
To taste, your favorite Mexican seasoning, salt and pepper
To taste, fresh chopped cilantroAbout 10 corn tortillas based upon size, halved
2 cups shredded cheddar, divided
2 cups shredded pepper jack, divided
2 cups enchilada sauce
15 black olives, sliced into thirds
Tops from 2 green onions, sliced

Preheat oven to 400*

Add oil to skillet over medium low heat and when hot add onion, peppers, garlic, pork, cilantro and seasonings and cook until pork is warmed thru and veggies are softened. stir in 1/4 cup of sauce.Taste and adjust seasonings a couple of times while cooking.

Add 1/4 cup of sauce to a greased ?"x?" dish or pan and spread over bottom, then cover with a single layer of tortillas - can double if more is desired.

Cover tortillas with meat mixture, then 1cup of each cheese.

Add another layer of tortillas, then the remaining sauce and remaining cheeses.

Add the olives, cover with foil, and bake for 25 minutes, then remove foil and bake 5 or so minutes until cheese just starts to brown.

Remove from oven, top with green onions and rest 5-10 minutes before serving.

Next time I'll measure the herbs and spices for a complete recipe.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Smoked Salmon Spread

Two years ago: Glad It Wasn’t Snow

Larry

01/19/2012 meal date

Shrimp & Spinach Omelet

2012-01-26T04:12:00.080-05:00

We had a small bowl of the shrimp/spinach mixture left from our ravioli dinner and, as usual, I used it for other meals. For the first one, I stirred it into potato soup and for the second it was scrambled eggs, both of which worked well. For the last of it, I made the breakfast meal I’d envisioned originally – an omelet.

I whipped up two eggs with a little cream and cooked them in a pan with a lid until set – I wish I could do that flip in the pan thing like the pros do. Then I added the shrimp mix to one side, slide it out of the skillet and folded it as I did – I can at least do that part.

I topped it with some reheated Vodka Sauce left from the same meal and sided it with a slice of toasted homemade bread.

Like pizza dough and pasta, I think of eggs as a canvas to build on – as if you didn’t know – and this was as good or better than the original ravioli and a whole lot easier.

News comes to me via my Yahoo web page and this headline cracked me up - "Secret Service: Man detained at Bush home had gun" - because is there anyone in Texas who doesn't have a gun in their car.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Chicken Saltimbocca

Two years ago: Burger Buns For Bread Day At Almost Heaven South

Larry

01/19/2012 meal date

Lemon Night

2012-01-25T04:19:00.021-05:00

I’ve been wanting to make risotto for some time (I think I bought the arborio rice 6 months ago), had found a package of scallops in the freezer, and along came Pam’s recipe for Seared Scallops on Lemon and Spinach Risotto from over at Sidewalk Shoes. Then we had some raw sliced and steamed whole Brussels sprouts left from our hash dish a couple of nights earlier and our favorite way to eat them is steamed and tossed in a lemon, butter, garlic sauce. So we decided to just make it a lemon night.

Check out Pam’s site for some good shots and the risotto recipe, which we followed as written (except I added 1/2 tsp of granulated garlic with the oil) and like her, I used chicken broth (homemade from the freezer).

As an aside, for those of you who buy chicken broth but eat chicken regularly, if you have time, you might want to consider making your own - I'm not talking stock here with veggies and stuff that require more prep time. For me it's simple, for boneless breast dishes, just buy bone-in breasts, cut off the meat (5 minute job), toss the bones and skin in a pan, cover with water and simmer several hours. Then strain, de-fat, and freeze the broth then we grind up the bones, fat, etc. in the Vitamixer for dog food. I'd guess we get a quart of broth for a time committment of 15-20 minutes and it's so much better and richer than the store bought - it can be thinned at time of use as desired, but we rarely do.

I made up the rice part of the risotto ahead of time and covered it while we did other things - this is just before startig the rice.

I'd read several other risotto recipes and ended up adding the broth two ladles full at a time. Here's some shots through the process and our flat sided wooden spoon that worked very well to prevent sticking.

We had way too many scallops for just Bev, Pat and I, so we invited neighbors, Pat and Steve, down to help us eat them. Pat brought a nice salad which, as is our dinner tradition, we ate prior to cooking the main course - except for the risotto this time.

I gave the scallops a light dusting of Emeril's Essense and cooked them in a mixture of olive oil and butter.

For the sprouts, I usually just wing it on the sauce, but I decided to come up with a repeatable recipe and I believe this is it:

½ stick butter

2 garlic cloves, finely knife minced

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Cook everything over medium low heat until garlic is fragrant, but not browned, then add the room temperature sprouts and toss until the sliced ones are done and the whole ones are warmed thru. When about done add some crumbled crispy bacon.

About half way thru entree cooking, I stirred the spinach and lemon zest into the risotto.

We plated first with the risotto, then some scallops, and the brussels sprouts and topped everything with some grated parmesan, added a hot roll (it was bread day) and a lemon wedge, which I used on my risotto.

All we needed was some lemon meringue pie to finish off lemon night, but we opted for no dessert.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Breakfast Po Boy

Two years ago: I Love Good Italian Food

Larry

01/18/2012 meal date

Breakfast Ala Bev

2012-01-24T04:09:00.034-05:00

I know I get lots of comments on my breakfast meals, but if you are a regular, you know I’m kinda of lazy and won’t often go the extra mile in the morning to go from a good to a great dish. But Beverly will and she’d said the previous night that she would be making a special breakfast, which is my cue to not get up and eat an early meal before she gets up.

It was a 20 degree morning following a 60 degree day with a predicted high of 40, so I’d gone to the basement den and built a fire to read the paper, drink coffee, and blog by. I was reading blogs and came to Pam’s post about some perfect looking biscuits over at For The Love Of Cooking. Since I usually eat by 8am and it was then about 9:30, I felt like Pavlov’s dog and had to be sure I wasn’t druelling on my keyboard. These were the third bunch of great looking biscuits I’d seen in a few days and I was then really hungry.

Fortunately, Bev came thru a few minutes later with this:

½ lb of breakfast sausage

½ bag frozen Ore Ida hash browns

A big handful each of diced onion and sweet pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

Toss it all in a skillet and cook until done. Plate it up and top with shredded cheddar and a couple of over easy fried eggs to get this. Maybe I should let her cook every breakfast.

I usually don't show it, but to eat, I cut the eggs up and mix well to get everything coated with the yolk. It doesn't make for a pretty shot, but it was outstanding and certainly took care of the hunger. But, in the very near future, I can still see some of these great biscuits with the rest of the sausage made into sawmill gravy.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Pasta with Feta and Kalamata Olives Ala Kevin

Two years ago: Green Chile Cheeseburgers

Larry

01/17/2012 meal date

Brussels Sprouts Hash

2012-01-23T04:58:00.027-05:00

Bev likes to watch the Today Show and especially the cooking segments, often saving the recipes and recently, she liked the hash part of this recipe: Filet mignon with sweet potato and brussels sprout hash and fine herb yogurt by Chef Eric Gabrynowicz - click the link to see what he did with it.

We like Brussels sprouts steamed, then sautéed in a garlic, lemon, butter sauce and topped with crispy bacon and parmesan cheese and we had some leftover Alfredo sauce (garlic, butter, and parmesan), so this was our hash recipe:

1 large sweet potato, sliced in ½“ pieces, steamed to almost done, then ½” dice

1 lb brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced thinly lengthwise

3 slices crispy fried smoked bacon, diced, Benton’s of course

Almost ½ cup alfredo sauce from ravioli night

2 wedges juicy lemon, squeezed, or to taste

Preheat pan, add 2 tbsp olive oil, and diced sweet potato.

When potatoes have browned for a few minutes, add the sprouts and bacon and cook until they’ve browned a little.

Then add the Alfredo and lemon juice and continue cooking to desired level of doneness for the sprouts.

We served this with some smoked bone-in chicken breasts from BBQ day, which were nuked for 1 ½ minutes and put under the broiler skin side up until crisp – 7-8 minutes.

Bev’s comment – “Wow darlin, that was a five star meal.” I love to please my honey and this may become the new brussels sprout dish. I have no idea how the recipe would be as written, but it will have to go a long way to beat this and trust me, as weird as it sounds, brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes are very complimentary to one another.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Bean And Sausage Soup

Two years ago: Two Outstanding Breakfast Meals

Larry

01/16/2012 meal date

Shrimp and Spinach Ravioli Three Ways

2012-01-22T04:09:00.035-05:00

If you’ve been reading this blog for very long, you likely know we love to do taste tests here at Almost Heaven South and this meal presented a great opportunity. When we made our first pasta dough a couple of weeks ago, we put half of it in the freezer with the idea of using it for our first ever homemade ravioli. This is a long post, so if you don't want to read it all, please read the verdict at the bottom.

My plan was to have Cajun and make crawfish ravioli from a recipe I’d discovered, but alas, the crawfish tails could not be found, so I decided to just substitute shrimp. Then the chief cook around here decided she’d rather have something else, did a little search on the web, and found a recipe she wanted to use, but she also wanted spinach in it. I’ve learned that when she’s happy, I’m happy, so the plan sounded great to me.

So we agreed (read last sentence above) on a recipe from Epicurious for Shrimp Ravioli With Rosa Vodka Sauce, especially since it was simple and had the vodka sauce I’d been wanting to try since seeing a similar one on Kathy’s blog over at Spoonful Of Thyme.

We used these ingredients for the filling and it is per the original except we substituted spinach for the parsley.

Filling

1 lb of shrimp, after cleaning

2 gloves of garlic minced

3 T of salted butter

1/2 lb of ricotta

3 eggs

3 T parmesean cheese

1 lb fresh spinach, sautéed in butter to remove the water (I cooked it pretty dry)

Cook the shrimp in butter until pink, drain and chop very fine in a food processor (original recipe called for pureed). The original said to stir into the remaining filling ingredients in a medium bowl, but I decided to add the garlic to the food processor with the shrimp and when it was almost the size I wanted, I added the spinach.

Then I mixed with the other ingredients.

Now this is where the taste test came in. Since we didn’t know what sauce our guests would want, we decided to make the Rosa Vodka Sauce, an Alfredo Sauce, and a Lemon Butter Garlic Sauce. Here are the sauce recipes.

Rosa Vodka Sauce

2 cloves of garlic minced

1/4 t red pepper flakes

5 T unsalted butter

1/4 C chopped fresh parsley

2/3 C Vodka

3/4 C heavy cream

1 large can (28 oz) pureed or crushed tomatoes (I used a qt of our home canned tomatoes, drained off some of the water, and the immersion blender to chop them up).

In a sauce pan, add butter, garlic cloves and pepper flakes and saute until garlic is cooked. Be careful not to burn the garlic or it will be bitter. Add vodka and simmer 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, parsley and cream and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add salt for taste and serve with ravioli.

Alfredo Sauce - from Allrecipies

1/4 cup butter

1 cup heavy cream

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes, then add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly, heating through. Stir in parsley and serve.

Lemon Butter Garlic Sauce - adapted from Cooks.com

1 stick salted butter

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 cloves garlic ran thru the garlic press

Melt butter and add juice and garlic, cook on low heat about 5 minutes.

We made the vodka sauce and the ravioli filling before the guests (SIL Pat and buddies Joe and Carol) and had everything ready for the other sauces. After they arrived we made up the ravioli. We used the dough we'd frozen from our first pasta experience, allowed it to come to room temperature and rolled it to #4 in the pasta machime.

Then we turned on the pasta water and set down to a nice Beverly tossed salad.

We decided for the taste test we would cook some ravioli and try with one sauce before moving to the next one and we started with the Alfredo, as it was the mildest. We cooked and plated the ravioli then topped with the sauce and some parsley.

Then it was the Lemon Butter where we cooked the ravioli and tossed them with the sauce in the skillet then plated and topped with grated parmesan and parsley.

And finally the Vodka Sauce, again plated, sauced, and topped with cheese and parsley. Unfortunately I only took one bad shot, but here is the sauce in the pan.

The Verdict: The dough ended up being much tougher and more rubbery than the original and from now on we'll make just enough to cook and not try freezing it. This half dough recipe made 20 nice sized ravioli although I crowed them in and made 30. Our one tablespoon mellon baller worked perfectly for adding the filling. The spinach and shrimp worked well together, and the filling was very shrimpy.

The Alfredo sauce had a good flavor but it was too thin - perhaps I should have packed the cheese tightly when I measured it, but next time I may start with a half strength roux to make sure it thickens. The lemon sauce was not quite lemony enough so next time I'll add another tablespoon of lemon juice. The vodka sauce had a good flavor but it was also too thin - it was my favorite with the shrimp though.

And for dessert, Bev had made a batch of Death By Chocolate Cookies.

A great thing about this meal was we got to experience several firsts – homemade ravioli, using frozen homemade dough, the filling, and the three sauce recipes, but the very best part was the visiting and Carol walking around the kitchen, using a tablespoon as a microphone and doing a play-by-play of the cooking, ala Alton Brown from Kitchen Stadium. I only wish we'd gotten a video of it - I don't think she realizes how funny she can be. While the food was just okay, it was a great evening.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Crappie And Rotel

Two years ago: Special Breakfasts For Alex

Larry

01/14/2012 meal date

Saturday Humor

2012-01-21T05:00:00.039-05:00

The Lawn Mower

A preacher was making his rounds on a bicycle, when he came upon a little boy trying to sell a lawn mower. 'How much do you want for the mower?' asked the preacher.

'I just want enough money to go out and buy me a bicycle,' said the little boy.

After a moment of consideration, the preacher asked, will you take my bike in trade for it?'

The little boy asked if he could try it out first, and, after riding the bike around a little while, said, 'Mister, you've got yourself a deal.'

The preacher took the mower and began to crank it. He pulled on the rope a few times with no response from the mower.

The preacher called the little boy over and said, 'I can't get this mower to start.'

The little boy said, 'That's because you have to cuss at it to get it started.'

The preacher said, I can't cuss. It's been so long since I became a Christian that I don't even remember how to cuss.'

The little boy looked at him happily and said,

'You just keep pulling on that rope. It'll come back to ya.

On a semi-funny note, I learned yestreday that I'm almost one of those old folks who can fall victim to marketing. There is a commercial running pretty often that talks about the financial collapse of American and says you need to go to www.endofamerica3.com to learn how to save yourself. Since I already have some concerns in this area (not to the Chicken Little state yet), I decided to have a look and by the time it was over I was ready to buy - afterall, it's only $49.50 and it's refundable for up to 4 months.

Before I hit the subscribe button and went to get my credit card, I decided to do a quick web search and glad I did. Here are a couple of articles I found interesting - link1 & link 2. Of couse I'd never heard of Porter Stansberry or know if he's trying to scam me or if the other article writers are real or just have an axe to grind, but I do know I'am keeping my $49.50. Getting old is h#(%, but getting old and stupid is even worse - at least I didn't trade for the lawn mower.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: It's Garden Time In Tenneessee

Two years ago: Nothing

Larry

Breakfast Pork Fried Rice Ala Larry

2012-01-20T04:31:00.039-05:00

Not only am I a novice Asian cook, I’m even a novice Asian food eater and although I always enjoy it, it’s only a once a month or less meal for me. Since most Asian dishes include rice, when we eat it out, I nearly always get fried rice if it’s an option. Also a dish I usually see on Asian menus is pork fried rice and I just happened to have some leftover steamed rice from Asian Night and some pulled pork from BBQ day so I decided to have it for breakfast.

I found the following ingredients list for basic fried rice:

1 - 2 green onions, as desired

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon salt

Pepper to taste

4 tablespoons oil for stir-frying, or as needed

4 cups cold cooked rice

1 - 2 tablespoons light soy sauce or oyster sauce, as desired

Note the existence of rice and eggs in the dish. The recipes I found for pork fried were less eggy than I made, but this is the breakfast addition, so my ingredients were:

1 tbsp bacon grease

2 cups steamed rice
1 cup pulled pork
2 green onion, sliced and divided
1 tbsp Sriracha hot sauce

4 eggs

1 tbsp cream

S&P to taste

I forgot to add the planned two slices of pepper jack cheese in a small dice, but I have enough left for another meal and perhaps I'll remember it then.

I washed and chopped the green onion and added the white part with the rice to a skillet with the hot grease and when the rice began to brown a little, I added the pork.

I cooked until the rice had the color I wanted, then stirred in the Sriracha and cooked a few more minutes - about 15 minutes total over medium heat. I assumed the pork had enough flavor, so I added no other Asian type, or other, sauces.

While it was cooking, I beat the eggs and cream frothy along with a pinch of my pork rub and the green onion tops. I made a well in the center of the rice mix and poured in the eggs.

As it started to cook I began stirring it into the rice mixture.

When it was fully incorporated and the eggs were done, I served it.

I’m not sure I could pass off my pork and rice scramble as pork fried rice but it was very good whatever it’s called.

When I told Bev of my plan prior to starting, she unenthusiastically said she'd eat a little of it, then took a bite and said this is really good. As she was going back for seconds she said I really like fried rice and yours is really good - so I guess she liked it.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Alex’s Supper Menu

Two years ago: Baked Potato Filled With Egg, Cheese, And Bacon

Larry

01/14/2012 meal date

German Night At The Ranch

2012-01-19T04:24:00.015-05:00

As it turns out, one of my BBQ customers has a German background and makes his own kraut, a quart of which he gave me back in the fall. I hate it took me so long to try it, but we finally got to it recently. It’s common to cook pork with kraut and in this area it’s often country style ribs, which are really just sliced up pork butt, but I wanted to use some pork loin from the freezer.

Since the pork loin is so lean, it would become very dry if I used the same cooking process as with the ribs and I do not like dry meat, pork or otherwise. So after thawing, I cut the loin into 1” chunks, added it to a pan with oil and browned a little then covered it with the kraut – I had a probe thermometer in one of the pieces and cooked it to 140*. I considered brining the meat, but thought the cooking in the salty kraut would suffice.

I don’t know of a meal more German than pork, kraut, and potatoes, so Bev made some potato cakes from leftover mashed potatoes – adding some chopped chives and chopped crispy bacon – all we needed was some sausage, spargel (white asparagus), and good bread. We also had some spicy brown mustard on the side.

As it turned out, the un-brined loin did not work well in this application as it needed more flavor and it didn’t provide much flavor to the kraut either - I also should have trimmed off the fat as it didn't cook long enough to render and add any flavor to the dish. So I ended up making a very average dish out of some good ingredients - some of the better homemade kraut I’ve eaten. As you can see this was more of a what not to do post. Fortunately, the potato cakes made up for it as they were delicious.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Ye Olde Steakhouse For Breakfast

Two years ago: Dogs & Fries – Finally Pretty Weather

Larry

01/09/2012 meal date

Soup Beans And Cornbread

2012-01-18T04:53:00.018-05:00

This title can mean different things depending upon where you live or were raised. Since I grew up in the North, about 75 miles south of Pittsburgh, soup beans were white (navy in our house) and for my East Tennessee wife they were brown (pintos) and our cornbread was yellow while hers was white. So the other day when Bev said she wanted beans, I was sure it meant pintos, but after a look in the pantry, she surprisingly decided on a mix of navy and great northern beans (we didn't have enough pintos and we're still trying to reduce our inventory in the pantry).

For me, regular cornbread is only good hot out of the oven smothered in butter or beans, but Mary’s recipe, from One Perfect Bite, for bacon and onion cornbread muffins sounded like it would be even good leftover, so it was the choice for this meal.

After an hour soak, we put the beans on about noon with some smoked ham hocks and minced garlic that had been cooking in water for the same hour, and let them cook until 6pm. Bev made the cornbread using the inspiration from Mary’s recipe but used what we had on hand so her recipe became the following (remember, she’s the real cook in this family and pancakes is as close as I get to baking):

Ingredients:

6 thick slices of Benton’s smoked bacon, already cooked and crumbled

½ cup finely chopped onion

1 2/3 cup White Lily Cornmeal Mix

1 teaspoon baking powder (for additional raising)

2 large eggs

½ stick salted butter, melted and cooled

1¼ cups plain Greek yogurt (used due to not enough sour cream)

¼ sour cream

¼ cup milk

Directions:

1) Melt 1 tbsp of bacon grease in a skillet, add onions, and cook over moderately low heat until softened and translucent (or leave 1 tbsp of grease in skillet if bacon is freshly fried).

2) Sift cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl.

3) In another bowl whisk together eggs, butter, yogurt, sour cream, and milk, stir in the bacon, onion and the cornmeal mixture, and beat batter well. Divide batter among 12 well-buttered standard muffin cups and bake muffins in middle of a preheated 425-degree F oven for 20 minutes, or until they are golden. Rather than well-buttered, Bev used bacon grease in the muffin tin wells.

4) Turn the muffins out onto a rack and let them cool. Yield: 12 muffins (Ours made 18 smaller muffins).

Bev added no addition salt since she used salted butter and pretty salty country style bacon.

First of all, the beans were very good, but the highlight was the muffins, which were delicious.

The first 12 were made as described above and the final 6 had shredded pepper jack cheese added to them.

My meal of three muffins topped with beans and chopped green onion was outstanding.

But the last muffins with the cheese in them were to die for. After Beverly, my buddy Joe and I ate our fill and sent some home with Joe for his wife, the muffins were gone and one of the things I wanted to find out was if they were still good the next day. Oh well, guess we’ll just have to make another batch.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Chicken Chow Mein

Two years ago: Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese

Larry

01/12/2012 meal date

Man Does Not Live By Eggs Alone

2012-01-17T04:52:00.008-05:00

Sometimes, potatoes are required. I’ve said this before, but when I was a kid, one of my favorite lunchtime meals was fried potatoes and onions, where the raw ingredients went into the skillet together and by the time the potatoes were done, the onions were well caramelized. To this day, I rarely allow an opportunity go by to use these ingredients, like this meal for example.

For Christmas dinner, Bev had made twice baked potatoes, but had baked two that did not get made up and I discovered four green onions languishing in the same fridge drawer. I cut the potatoes into large cubes, so they’d stay together, diced the onions, and added the potatoes and onion bottoms to a hot pan. When they were about done, I added most of the onion tops and cooked until they were soft.

It the meantime, I cooked two over-easy eggs and topped the potatoes with them, along with a few raw green onion tops.

I’d tell you it was delicious, but you already knew that. I'm going to have to be careful or this blog will morph into one of just breakfasts meals from leftovers.

David Made Me Do It

There is a dish out there called eggs in purgatory that is basically eggs cooked in tomato sauce and served over pasta, mashed potatoes, etc. (photo from the web).

One site I looked at it says “If you have never paired up eggs and tomato sauce, you do not know what you are missing!”

If you read my Greek Pasta post on Jan 8, there was this comment from good friend Dave - “Larry, I must admit that your latest breakfast creation is beyond imagination! What's next... a couple of eggs over spaghetti and meatballs ?......” Here it is Dave – leftover homemade pasta and meatballs (all chopped some) in a dish with an egg in a well.

Although it did add a little creaminess, this was probably a waste of an egg as the other flavors pretty well overwhelmed it – but you never know till you try.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Scrambled Eggs And Kielbasa

Two years ago: It’s Stir Fry Night At Almost Heaven South

Larry

01/04/2012 & 01/08/2012 meal dates

Pork Butt How-To

2012-01-16T04:25:00.059-05:00

Pork butt, pork butt, how do I smoke thee, let me count the ways. All you have to do is read a couple of BBQ forums or blogs to discover that many folks win competitions cooking it a number of different ways. I’ll first discuss some of the decisions to be made then the method that has delivered good results for me and is predicated on maintaining as much of the natural juices as possible.

You start with how much if any of the fat cap to leave on the roast and move on to whether or not to brine, marinate, or inject. Then you decide on the rub formulation and is it applied 8 hours early, just prior to cooking or somewhere in between and how much do you use – and you haven’t yet begun to cook it.

Next to decide is the heat source – wood or charcoal or a combination – or you may be using an electric, gas, or pellet smoker - then what temperature to cook it at. Ready for the smoker, okay, will it be fat cap up or down, will it be cooked bare the entire time or wrapped in foil or put in a pan at some point. Will it be basted during the cook and with what, and will you capture the juices. Finally, at what point will you take it off the cooker, and after removing, what do you do with it?

Oddly enough there are many correct answers to these questions and I’ve seen many different ones just on the blogs and forums I read – the answers are often determined by the type of smoker being used - remember, a smoker is just an oven with a smoky environment. So what follows is how I do it for myself and my customers.

First, I buy whatever breed of pork is in the package I get on sale at the local market and it’s nearly always Excel from Cargill Meat Solutions – I’m pretty sure I can’t tell the difference between Berkshire, some other shire, or whatever the local 4-H'ers raise. I usually load up on sale day and freeze them, always using the oldest ones first thereafter.

I remove and thaw them in the fridge for a couple of days and around 2pm on the day prior to BBQ day, I remove from the fridge, unwrap, and rinse them . Then I remove all but about an 1/8” of the fat cap, score the fat in a diamond pattern and apply my rub, which is a 75/25 mixture of Billy Bones Original and XXX Cherry.

After the rub application, I put it fat side down into a foil pan, where it will stay until done – I leave a little fat to provide some heat protection for the early part of the cook. Then I cover with plastic wrap and leave it set on the kitchen counter for about 6 hours (don’t tell the food police I do this) and I know some successful competitors also do this.

At the 7- 8pm cooking time, I add a remote probe thermometer (ThermoWorks or Polder), put it into the smoker at 225* and don’t bother it until next morning. My smoker is a Stumps vertical box-type in which I use all natural charcoal briquettes with some fist sized hardwood chunks (usually oak or hickory) dispursed throughout. I use a DigiQ controller, which maintains a accurate and even cooking temperature.

When I get up, it will usually be in the 165* internal range with the pan about half full of juice, which I dump into a bowl for later use.

Whenever it reaches about 170* and has the deep mahogany color I’m looking for, I cover it tightly with foil and cook to around 200*- 205* using the probe-goes-in-like-warm-butter test or looseness of the bone to determine final doneness.

After removing from the smoker, I again dump the juice, recover with the foil and put into a cooler for an hour or two, then remove, uncover, and allow it to cool to pulling temperature (just cool enough to handle).

When pulling, we flip it and remove any remaining fat cap and break it apart to cool some more.

While pulling, I remove as much of the remaining fat in the meat as possible, then I return the saved and de-fatted juices from the pan to the meat along with some sop (1 tbsp/ meat lb. of secret blend of vinegar, lemon juice, and salt) and mix everything together.

I find that collecting the rub infused juices and returning them to the meat provides as much flavor as I need which is why I don't inject, while the sop provides a slight tang and needed salt. I add no sauce at this point and rarely add it to a sandwich. This is the finished product.

I have no idea how mine would stack up against the product the professional competitors turn out, but I’ve yet to get any I like better from a BBQ restaurant and my customers seem well pleased.

Interestingly, we only occasionally use it for a BBQ sandwich, but rather use it mostly in other dishes – burritos for example.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Hodgepodge Sandwich

Two years ago: Pasta Alfredo With A Twist - Twice

Larry

Asian Night At Almost Heaven South

2012-01-15T04:04:00.014-05:00

Friends Kathy and Ashley (mother/daughter) came down recently so Ashley could cook us an Asian meal and give as some pointers - while in college, one of her good friends was a young man from Japan who gave her some lessons. Tonight’s meal was Japanese Curry, which I didn’t know existed and this is the recipe she used:

3 chicken breasts, bite sized pieces
4 large carrots, diced
4 medium red potatoes,peeled diced
2 large onions, diced
2 celery ribs, small dice
1 sweet pepper, green and colored
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
Chicken juices from sauteing
Water, to cover vegetables
1 large pkg Golden Curry

She started by getting everything prepped.

And began the cooking with the chicken in oil and added S&P to taste.

Remove the chicken and add the potatoes and carrots and season with S&P. When they begin to soften, add the remaining veggies.

Then the chicken juice and water, chicken, and Japanese Golden Curry. Simmer at least 1/2 hour - more cooking makes it better.

Add the broccoli about 10 minutes prior to serving. This is Ashley hard at work – I’m not big on going out for dinner as I hate to leave home in the evening, but I could get into this idea of someone coming here to cook for us.

She served it over plain white rice which Bev cooked in her rice cooker successfully for the first time – and sided it with grilled romaine dressed with bottled Caesar and grated parmesan. This is my plate (first helping).

Ashley advised it can be made with beef or pork, vegetarian, or one of her favorites - canned tuna.

I’ve never been a big fan of curry – considering it okay but never something I go out of my way to eat, but I have to say, I really liked this dish. When it comes to menu selection, I still don’t think curry dishes will be able to compete against the things I really like, but I’ll at least read and consider your curry recipes now, maybe even try one – I’m expecting one “I told you so.”

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Spanish Omelet Ala Mika

Two years ago: First BBQ Day Of The New Decade

Larry

Meal date 01/04/2012

Saturday Humor

2012-01-14T04:21:00.008-05:00

The Haircut

A teenage boy had just passed his driving test and inquired of his father as to when they could discuss his use of the car. His father said he’d make a deal with his son: “You bring your grades up from a C to a B average, study your Bible a little, and get your hair cut, then we’ll talk about the car.” The boy thought about that for a moment , decided he’d settle for the offer, and they agreed on it.

After about six weeks his father said, “Son, you’ve brought your grades up and I’ve observed that you have been studying your Bible, but I’m disappointed you haven’t had your hair cut.” The boy said, “You know, Dad, I’ve been thinking about that, and I’ve noticed in my studies of the Bible that Samson had long hair, John the Baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair, and there’s even strong evidence that Jesus had long hair.”

You’re going to love the dad’s reply:

“Did you also notice that they all walked everywhere they went?”

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Some More Snow Shots

Two years ago: Honey Mustard Chicken Fingers Ala Steph Then Larry

Larry

Homemade Pasta – Finally

2012-01-13T04:45:00.039-05:00

We bought an Atlas Pasta Machine several years ago and it had never been out of the box, except for looking at when we got it – Bev actually knew where to find it. For the past couple of months, we’ve been talking seriously about making some pasta but the motivation had yet to come along – until now. Following a meal with friends, Ashley and Kathy, we were setting around talking and the subject of spaghetti and meatballs got into the conversation. Ashley advised she had a recipe she would make for us and none of us had made pasta, so the motivation had finally arrived.

Without checking any recipes, Bev headed to the store to buy some semolina flour, which I thought all pasta was made from, then I discovered that even Mario Batali uses all-purpose flour in his basic pasta dough recipe. So I did some research about the two flours and discovered the semolina makes a stiff dough and is more difficult to work with but I found some recipes using various combos of semolina and AP flour and went with one that was 50/50 from All Recipes as follows:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups semolina flour

1 pinch salt
6 large eggs
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions – as written

1. Thoroughly sift together all-purpose flour, semolina flour, and pinch of salt. On a clean surface, make a mountain out of flour mixture then make a deep well in center. Break the eggs into the well and add olive oil. Whisk eggs very gently with a fork, gradually incorporating flour from the sides of the well. When mixture becomes too thick to mix with a fork, begin kneading with your hands.

2. Knead dough for 8 to 12 minutes, until it is smooth and supple. Dust dough and work surface with semolina as needed to keep dough from becoming sticky. Wrap dough tightly in plastic and allow it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

This is the classical method to make it, but I also found some recipes using a food processor or mixer dough hook. We thought it might be easier to get right if we went the food processor route and used this from Mangia Bene Pasta.

Insert the metal blade of the food processor. Place all of the ingredients in the bowl. Pulse until the mixture begins to come together and form a ball. Remove the dough and knead lightly until is smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into 3 or 4 balls, cover, and let rest 30 minutes (at room temperature). Bev whisked the eggs, oil, and salt together then poured it over the flour in the food processor and pulsed until a ball formed.

We made four dough balls and after resting, ran two of them thru the pasta machine for supper and froze the other two per instructions from ehow.com - half the dough was plenty for four of us. We watched the You Tube video posted by Pam over at For The Love Of Cooking and it was very helpful. We pretty much followed that procedure but decided 5 rather than 7 was the right thickness for our fettuccini. I can’t believe I went in to take a shot of the ready-to-cook pasta then got busy and forgot.

A few days after making this, Claudia, over at What's Cookin Italian Style Cuisine, posted a dish that lead back to the same recipe we used and it was called Old Fashioned Egg Noodles, so I guess that's what we made - I wondered about the high amount of eggs (one egg per cup of flour seems to be more the norm).

Prior to making the pasta, Ashley made the meatballs from a recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook

Meatballs

1 C Panko breadcrumbs

½ C buttermilk

¾ ld ground beef – 85%

¼ lb ground pork

¼ c grated parmesan

2 T minced fresh parsley

1 large egg yolk

2 med garlic cloves, minced

¾ t salt

1/8 t black pepper

Oil for frying

Soak the Panko in the buttermilk for ten minutes, add the remaining ingredients and mix gently to combine. Form into 1½ inch meatballs and fry in oil until nicely browned, about 10 minutes, and drain on paper towels. Add to sauce to finish cooking.

The breadcrumbs swelled up and are obvious in the photo.

She also made a simple tomato basil sauce using a recipe from the same book.

Here’s my plate and it was delicious, with the only negative being I over-cooked the pasta a little – being our first time, I wasn’t sure what the taste and texture should be. Bev loved it and commented that making it fresh was definitely worth the effort.

Prior to starting the pasta, Bev made a salad of two split and grilled romaine hearts topped with bottled Caesar Dressing, cheddar cheese, olives, salami, pepperoni, and grated parmesan - it was also delicious.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Flat Irons On The Grill

Two years ago: Thank You Mister Tree

Larry

01/05/2012 meal date

Rotisserie Chicken On A Cool Day

2012-01-12T04:56:00.019-05:00

I’d been wanting to cook something on a spit for a while and decided this was the day – never mind that it was 30* outside or that snow flurries were predicted for the evening, I wanted to do this. It happens we had a chicken in the freezer and Bev suggested she really liked beer can chicken and I had to explain this was all about the spit. We also had asparagus and romaine that we needed to cook, so it was an entire meal on the grill.

For the chicken, I just rubbed with oil and used Bev’s favorite Wolfe Citrus Rub inside and out added it to the spit and tied the legs and wings.

I can’t recall the last time I cooked chicken or anything else on the spit, so I had to do a little research to get an idea for cooking time and one to one and one half hours seemed to be the general advice. I used the infra-red burner on the grill back for most of the cook, but it wasn’t getting the job done quickly enough – windy, 30* temps and snow flurries a likely contributor.

I swapped the infra-red for the regular grill burners so the heat would rise past the rotating meat and when it was close to the temp I wanted, I tossed on the asparagus and romaine.

In the meantime, Bev made some Hollandaise Sauce using this recipe from Ina Garten

Roasted Asparagus with Hollandaise – asparagus part omitted.

12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)

4 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 pinches of cayenne pepper

Directions

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Place the egg yolks, lemon juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 3/4 teaspoon pepper and cayenne in the jar of a blender. Blend for 15 seconds. With the blender running, slowly pour the hot butter into the blender and blend for 30 seconds, until the sauce is thick. (You can leave it in the blender at room temperature for up to 1 hour. If it is made in advance, add 1 tablespoon hot tap water and blend for a few seconds before serving.)

Pour the hollandaise sauce over the warm asparagus and serve.

Bev said it was the easiest she’d ever made, but she missed the UNSALTED butter part and then added one of the 1½ tsps. of salt before realizing it was too salty. Fortunately the asparagus was under salted and it worked okay. It was also pretty tangy and used twice the amount of lemon as a similar recipe from Tyler Florence. While the technique is a keeper, the actual ingredients will need to be adjusted for our taste.

Here’s my plate and it satisfied my current cook-on-the-spit need.

The leftovers made a delicious omelet which I made by sauteeing the chicken and asparagus to reheat, then I stirred in some of the hollandaise which also provided the salt for the dish.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Ham & Cheese Sandwich

Two years ago: Frozen Lake - Now This Is Cold For Around Here

Larry

1/2/12 meal date

The Last Of The Christmas Prime Rib

2012-01-11T04:02:00.018-05:00

If you read blogs and watch TV cooking shows like I do, you see lots of beef sandwiches – Italian beef, French dip, roast beef po boy, etc. and I decided to combine what I considered the best of several to use the last of our prime rib.

The French Dips I’ve seen (speaking about just sandwiches here) have the meat and perhaps cheese on them and they are dipped in warm jus by the eater. For the Italian Beef, the meat is usually cooked in the simmering jus and the bread is often dunked in the juice by the cook.

I sliced the last of the prime rib as thin as I could with a knife and added it to simmering jus in a skillet.

When the meat was warm, I split a roll and dunked it in the jus on all sides, then added shredded pepper jack to the bottom half, then piled on the meat, then more jus, then the bun top, then more jus on top – so there be some on the plate for further dipping as needed.

Needless to say, I ate it with a knife and fork and it was outstanding - nearly roll your eyes back in your head good (speaking of rolling your eyes back, I've researched Ageless Male and believe it probably doesn't work - in case this applies to any of you). I might have added a little horseradish sauce if I’d had some made up, but hey, this was just lunch for me.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: What A Difference A Day Makes - It's Snow Time In Tennessee

Two years ago: Kentucky Hot Brown Scramble

Larry

01-07-2012 meal date

Salisbury Steak Ala Lynda

2012-01-10T04:35:00.045-05:00

Sometimes it’s a little scary how close Bev and my minds are. I’d recently bookmarked a couple of recipes for this dish one within a few days of her asking if I’d ever had Salisbury Steak. I answered perhaps only in TV dinners as a kid, but I’d just saved a couple and had been thinking of making one. She advised we had some already cooked mushrooms we needed to use and we should make it since we had everything on hand but the meat – which she bought the next day.

I looked up the two recipes and found one was for onion gravy and Lynda’s from Lynda’s Recipe Box called for mushroom gravy – check out her site for the recipe, which I closely followed for making up the beef patties - it made two 6 oz, one 8 oz and one smaller patty, which I saved for breakfast. I mixed them with a fork just enough to combine, weighed them out in a bowl, then dumped them on a plate and worked them only enough to get the shape I wanted.

Since I was using pre-cooked mushrooms, I made the gravy by sautéing the onions in the butter, then adding the flour to make the roux. Then I added a couple of tablespoons of the very rich beef broth (the jus) leftover from our Christmas prime rib and the mushrooms (also Christmas leftovers), which had some liquid, and with just a little water, the thickness was just right. Then I poured it over the meat, added a lid, and cooked about 5 minites.

We had an eclectic combo of sides to use things we had on hand and for luck, so it was grilled romaine lettuce and canned black eyed peas (this was New year’s Day) that Bev doctored with some picante sauce and chopped jalapenos.

All I can say is I’m now a big fan of Salisbury Steak – how could you not like a small personal size meatloaf, fried crusty, and topped with brown gravy. Bev commented that she liked the very loose texture of them. And I thought this version was excellent – thanks Lynda for a delicious meal.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Ham & Eggs – Basic Food

Two years ago: Smoked Turkey and Kentucky Hot Browns

Larry

1/1/12 meal date

The Last Dinner Roll Must be Used

2012-01-09T04:55:00.042-05:00

I just love Bev’s homemade rolls and since they are made sparingly, I consider them a special treat. It didn’t matter that she baked another pan 2 days later or that the one from Christmas was then 5 days old, it had to be eaten in a special way.

I try to remember to take pictures of each meal, then decide to post them based upon how they turn out and I wasn’t planning to post this one, but. I was ready for breakfast, Bev was still in the sack, and I headed for the kitchen. The first thing I spotted was a plastic bag with a small piece of cheddar and some sliced green onion and another bag with chopped fried bacon – guess we forgot to put them away. I knew the last roll was wrapped in the foil I saw so I decided to put these items to use.

I sliced the roll and the cheese into three pieces, arranged on a plate and topped the bread with the cheese, the onion, and some bacon. I nuked them for 30 seconds which just melted the cheese a little.

In the meantime, I cooked two eggs over easy – the bread area only needed one, but since it was thick I knew I needed extra yolk to swirl around on the plate to soak up with the bread.

Talk about simple and delicious, this was about as easy as it gets and I’d gladly serve it to you as a guest – maybe fancy it up with a little garnish and some fruit. And now it’s on to the remaining 2 day old rolls.

When you're outside on Jan 6, 2012 in shorts and a tee shirt laying in two wheel barrow loads of wood for the fireplace, it's just possible that something doesn't make sense.

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Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Ham Reuben Sandwich

Two years ago: Prime Rib Makes Pretty Good Leftovers

Larry

12/30/11

Greek Pasta

2012-01-08T04:34:00.061-05:00

I’d mentioned earlier that we were trying to get our house better organized and we’ve started in the kitchen with Bev doing the pantries and me doing the fridge. As always, I find many things to trash but also discover the occasional ah ha, such as this jar of Greek Olives With Feta Cheese from Harry and David’s.

Since we’ve discovered we love pasta with various sauces other than just marinara, especially those made from olive oil, this seemed like a perfect marriage. I don’t know how long we’d had the stuff, but it tasted fine, had nothing unusual growing in it, and didn’t make me ill when I tried it the day before – I couldn’t even find it in their current on-line catalog.

We had some olives left from our Christmas appetizer, some sliced ones from who knows where, and some that wouldn’t fit when I combined the multiple jars we had in the fridge, so I tossed them in with the other items early in the day. We also had some feta that needed used and it went in as well.

Then I remembered the small amount of olive salad from NOLA’s Central Grocery I’d seen in the fridge and it tasted close enough to go into the mix as well. Then I discovered some thin sliced salami that I julienned and added to the oil.

I cooked a pound of linguini, drained and tossed with the olive mixture - I also noticed a few grape tomatoes in a package on the counter and they were halved and tossed in as well. After plating it was topped with some grated Pecorino Romano – it’s what was open and this was a clean out the fridge meal.

We sided it with some leftover rolls made into garlic bread and it was a delicious meal – Bev even had seconds. In hind site - mine's 20/20 you know - I shoud have used a small pasta so it would be easier to pick up the chunky olives with the pasta. If I’d had some capicola and provolone to add, I would have called it pasta muffuletta – hmmm – go ahead and beat me to it.

Breakfast leftovers you asked.

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Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: My World Has Just Changed – Diet Food

Two years ago: Sausage Bean Chowder – Way Good Cold Weather Grub

Larry

12/30/11 meal date

Saturday Humor- For You Old Dogs Out There

2012-01-07T05:52:00.001-05:00

Old Shepherd

An old German Shepherd starts chasing rabbits and before long, discovers that he's lost. Wandering about, he notices a panther heading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having lunch.

The old German Shepherd thinks, "Oh, oh! I'm in trouble now!"

Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the panther is about to leap, the old German Shepherd exclaims loudly, "Boy, that was one delicious panther! I wonder, if there are any more around here?"

Hearing this, the young panther halts his attack in mid-strike, a look of terror comes over him and he slinks away into the trees.

"Whew!," says the panther, "That was close! That old German Shepherd nearly had me!"

Meanwhile, a squirrel who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the panther. So, off he goes.

The squirrel soon catches up with the panther, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the panther.

The young panther is furious at being made a fool of and says, "Here, squirrel, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine!"

Now, the old German Shepherd sees the panther coming with the squirrel on his back and thinks, "What am I going to do now?," but instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet, and just when they get close enough to hear, the old German Shepherd says...

"Where's that squirrel? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another panther!"

Moral of this story...

Don't mess with the old dogs... Age and skill will always overcome youth and treachery!

Cunning and brilliance only come with age and experience.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Just Another Pastrami Sandwich And A Christmas Gift

Two years ago: Philly Style Cheese Steaks

Larry

Twice Baked Potato Twice For Breakfast

2012-01-06T03:16:00.000-05:00

I just love twice baked potatoes and we only have them for special holiday meals so I’m always happy to have them leftover to stretch out my pleasure. I know some of you chuckle at the things I’ll top with an egg, but this one made perfect sense to me since it was potato, bacon, and cheese.

For meal one I just nuked the potatoes to reheat and topped with a couple of fried eggs.

For meal two, I nuked a potato for 1½ minutes to get it hot enough to start cooking the egg and made a well large enough to hold the egg. I put it in the toaster oven, preheated to 350*, for 5 minutes, then turned on the broiler and it took about 4 minutes for the egg to set up.

Added some S&P and chopped parsley and dug in.

I’d be hard pressed to say which I liked better, but I wish the potatoes weren’t all gone so I could run a few more tests. My buddy Joe sent me this in an email and just I had to post it.

A Real Cowboy Has No Fear

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Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Now That’s A Steak & Our Christmas Gift

Two years ago: Always Helps To Put Things In Perspective

Larry

12/26/11 & 12/28/11

Open Faced Prime Rib Sandwich

2012-01-05T04:12:00.029-05:00

Bev found a pan of rolls in the fridge that didn’t get baked for Christmas and we had plenty of meat left, so she requested prime rib au jus. I don’t know if this was the correct name, but I knew what she wanted – many years together will do that you know.

While the rolls were baking and then cooling just a little, I reheated the left over jus in a 12” skillet and cut and trimmed some thin slices of meat. When the rolls were about ready to eat I added the meat to the simmering jus for a few minutes just to get it warm.

For mine, I sliced two rolls into three pieces each - ate one piece.

Then added some hot jus, then the meat, and more jus.

Not a great photo, but trust me, it was delicious and required no sides to get in the way, although I later had a slice of pumpkin pie.

I just finished watching my recording of the Orange Bowl and for any who thought my Mountaineers had no business in a BCS bowl game, I'd say the record setting drubbing (70-33) they put on Clemson might suggest otherwise.

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Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Hoppin John’s

Two years ago: Steak For Breakfast & Supper

Larry

12/28/11

Egg McLarry

2012-01-04T04:50:00.020-05:00

I had some deli ham and burger buns and I decided on a simple egg sandwich using a ring mold for the egg to fit the bun and nuked the other stuff. Very good.

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Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Manhattan Clam Chowder

Two years ago: Chicken Pot Pie From Leftovers - As Usual

Larry

12/20/11 meal date

Potato Soup Into Seafood Chowders

2012-01-03T04:19:00.042-05:00

Bev likes to make potato soup for either Christmas eve or the day before and she made up a big batch this year. As I’ve posted before, her soup is just potatoes, potato water, and dairy so it can easily be converted into something else. As it turns out, we had about a dozen raw and two grilled shrimp left from our Christmas day appetizer that needed to be used.

I cleaned and chopped the shrimp and added them to several dippers of the leftover soup, thinking it would likely require a little shrimp stock as well, brought it to a simmer, and turned it off with the lid on.

After an hour, I reheated it a little, added to a bowl, and topped with some chopped bacon and green onion. I sided it with some leftover cornbread sticks and it was very good - it needed no additional shrimp flavor.

I ate the remainder of it the next day and stirred in the bacon and green onion prior to nuking to reheat and I preferred it the first way.

Since the shrimp worked so well, I decided to try some from the piece of smoked salmon left over from making the salmon spread for Christmas Day. Since it was already fully cooked, where the shrimp was raw, I expected less flavor from it, so I chopped it pretty small and added it to the soup. While it was good - it was smoked salmon and potato soup afterall - I preferred the shrimp and I think the salmon is better used otherwise - the salmon cakes Bev wanted for example.

We used the last of our potato soup for our New Year's Eve supper then proceeded to our elaborate evening's celebration. We built our first winter fire, put on some old music, ate some cheese fondue, sipped a little champaigne and went to bed around 11pm. I figure this day has rolled around something over 4 billion times, so I was confident it could happen once again without me as a witness - boy what an ole stick-in-the-mud.

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Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: New Years Day At Almost Heaven South

Two years ago: Fried Crappie - Last Meal Of The Decade

Larry

12/27/11 & 12/29 meal dates

Steak - It’s What’s For Breakfast

2012-01-02T04:44:00.053-05:00

When I trimmed up the rib roasts for Christmas, I cut a thin slice from each end to square them up and to give me a good look at the meat. I could just grind these pieces into burger, but a couple of them were too good for that and seemed just perfect for a breakfast steak.

I seasoned a couple and tossed them on the grill for about three minutes per side.

While the steaks were resting, I cooked two sunny side up dippy eggs for me and a scrambled one for Bev. After forgetting to start the toaster oven, then it not toasting when I did – no doubt operator error – I decided warm eggs was more important than toast and just went with bread.

The flavor was good but the meat was tougher than I expected, but I was still ready to face the day. That evening, an old friend, who we hadn’t seen in several years, came over for supper and we had steak again. We seasoned them with Montreal Steak Seasoning and cooked them over charcoal. For sides we had cheesy foil pouch potatoes, and Caesar salad. Fortunately, the meat was nice and tender this time.

After Christmas, I had a repeat of last year using prime rib and a roll for egg dipping.

I had a little trouble with one egg for the picture, but it was still delicious.

After skipping the first 23 bowl games (remember when there were just four on New Year's Day - now I count 35 over three weeks), there are finally several on today I'll have to watch at least parts of and with the temp in the 30's, I think I'll build my first fire of the year.

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Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Finally - The Last Of The Christmas Leftovers

Two years ago: Quiche And Fatty – Real Men’s Breakfast

Larry

12/21/11 & 12/27/11 meal dates

Tilapia In Lemony Sauce

2012-01-01T04:59:00.056-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR

As we begin the new year, I want to thank you for tuning in to my ramblings over the last 12 months and we hope you have your new year off to a good start.

While at Ft. Bragg Bev discovered some frozen Tilapia in the freezer and decided to make it for supper. She found a recipe at All Recipes for Chicken Piccata With Angel Hair Pasta and used the recipe but subbed the fish for the chicken and served it over brown rice. Based upon reviews, she doubled the sauce amount and her recipe became:

Ingredients

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 pound tilapia
A couple of raw shrimp per serving, cleaned

2 tablespoons olive oil

Garlic powder and squeeze tube garlic (all they had) to taste

1/2 cup butter, divided

2 cup dry white wine

2/3 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

4 tablespoons capers

4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

8 servings brown minute rice – girls preference

Directions

1. Whisk together flour, black pepper, and paprika in a shallow dish. Dredge the fish pieces in the flour mixture, coating evenly; set aside. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; stir in the garlic.

2. Place 2 tablespoons of butter into the skillet with the olive oil. Cook the fish pieces in the oil and butter over medium-high heat until brown, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the fish from the pan and set aside.

3. Pour the wine into the hot skillet and bring to a boil over high heat, scraping the browned pieces from the bottom and sides of the pan. Boil the wine until it is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the chicken broth, reserved garlic, lemon juice and capers. Cook for 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and parsley. Return the fish pieces to the skillet and continue cooking over medium heat until the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Toss the shrimp into the pan the last 5 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, cook the rice per package directions.

5. Remove the fish pieces to a serving dish and drizzle with a few tablespoons of the sauce and capers.

6. Plate the rice, top with some sauce and then a piece of fish and the shrimp.

I thought it could have been very good, but we both thought it was a little too tangy, so next time we’ll initially add half the wine and lemon juice then adjust to taste.

I'm looking forward to another year with the love of my life and hopeful 2012 will turn out better for the planet and our country than I'm afraid it might be - sorry to be a pessimist or realist.

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Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Pretending To Be Young To End The Year

Two years ago: Prime Rib For Family Holiday Dinner

Larry

12/14/11 meal date

Lexington BBQ For Breakfast

2011-12-30T04:37:00.034-05:00

BEV AND I WISH YOU THE HAPPIEST OF NEW YEARS

This is the third of several posts this week and next that are made from leftovers.

I’d mentioned in a previous post that I’d brought home a couple of pounds of chopped pork from Lexington Barbeque in NC and I decided to use some for breakfast. I added some of the pork, half a good sized green onion, and 1½ strips of crisp fried, chopped bacon to a pan and when it was well warmed, I added two beaten eggs.

In the meantime, I sliced some Cabot cheddar, laid it in the middle of a flour tortilla, and nuked it to melt the cheese.

I added the eggs to the tortilla, rolled it up and topped with some warmed Picante sauce from a jar.

It was very good and an excellent way to kick off a busy day – I can’t believe that jalapenos only occurred to me while writing this 10 hours later.

Good-by old friend. After this meal, I retired our 8” non-stick skillet which no longer was. After a couple of years of almost daily use – my egg pan you know – it is now well seasoned as in like a cast iron pan. It has a nice baked-on layer of grease and is completely smooth – no texture at all - and it behaves like a cast iron pan, which is not too good for scrambled eggs, for example.

I did this the same day the new 8” and 10” (which we didn’t have) non-sticks showed up.

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Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Leftovers Ala Larry

Two years ago: Great Salsa – My Opinion Of Course

Larry

12/19/11

A Meatball Breakfast

2011-12-29T04:00:00.021-05:00

We’d had pasta with olive oil/ herb sauce sided with meatballs the previous night and I decided to try a first for breakfast – see if you can guess what before you read on. All we had was hamburger buns so I lightly toasted one and chopped and nuked two meatballs which had no other sauce on them - although sauce would just make the dish similar to Eggs In Purgatory.

Since the bun was round, I used a mold to cook the eggs and planned sunny side up but I had to flip them briefly to get them out of the mold. Even though the mold is slick, PAM is still required for eggs.

I topped the bun with the meatball, then the eggs, then grated Romano, then chopped parsley.

It was delicious and a good meatball may be like good bacon and make most everything better. Other than the cooking spray, the other thing I’ll do different next time is add the meatball to the bun then some white melting cheese and heat again to melt the cheese so it will hold the meatball on the bun while it’s being eaten.

We began our let's-get-this-place-organized winter campaign yesterday as our stuff is totally out of control - Bev did the kitchen pantries and it's my turn to do the fridge - hopefully we can get done by spring.

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Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Christmas With Kids At Almost Heaven South

Two years ago: Chicken & Dumplings - Comfort

Larry

12/17/11

Prime Rib Again For Christmas

2011-12-28T04:08:00.100-05:00

Bev and I hope each of you had a wonderful Christmas. The bad news is we didn’t have a white Christmas, but the good news is the driving conditions for travelers in the Southeast were very good.

For the past two years, and again this year, our Christmas menu was centered around smoked prime rib. I’ve often posted about Benton’s Country Ham’s, but they offer more than ham and bacon and carry some nice choice rib eyes which most people buy as steaks. I like their meat and they occasionally give me a break on the whole roasts, so I stopped by the other day and bought the last three they had.

A few days before Christmas I carved them up by first rinsing and taking a light cut from each end. Then I removed most of the hard fat from the fat cap and most of the fatty tail – both just add grease to the smoker without adding any flavor to the meat. From the three whole rib eyes, I ended up with one whole and two half roasts and the rest cut into steaks.

Here are the 1 1/2 roasts to be smoked on Christmas day.

We began the Christmas meal with a social hour that included smoked salmon spread and a cheese, summer sausage, and olive tray. I’d smoked the salmon on Thursday using some of the Scottish Salmon that we brought back from our trip to Maine in May and my normal brining and smoking process - this is just before and after smoking.

We then sat down for an appetizer of chargrilled shrimp followed by Caesar salad with Ruby Tuesday’s delicious croutons. We again used the process of preparing and eating a course then moving on to do the same with the next one.

For dinner, we had 3 children and 10 adults and we served buffet style with the meat being cut to order – it was given a quick dunk in simmering jus for those who wanted it more done than medium rare. This is heading for the smoker after setting out with the rub on it for a couple of hours.

I smoked it at 225* to an internal of 121*, which took 4 hours, wrapped it in foil, and put in a cooler until dinner time. When ready to eat, I put it in a 500* oven for about 10 minues for crust develpment. I'd used 450* last year and will go back to it as the fat was burned a little at 500*.

To go with the meat, we served brussel sprouts which were steamed then sauteed in a lemon/butter/garlic sauce and topped with grated parmesan and crumbled bacon, mushrooms sautéed in butter with a little Kitchen Bouquet added for color, twice baked potatoes, green bean casserole supplied by friend Ashley who used a make-from-scratch recipe from Alton Brown for Not Your Mama's Green Bean Casserole that even had homemade onions for the topping, horseradish sauce, and hot rolls. Here we are ready to cook the main course - it's times like these that I love our cooktop - four 12" pans on it and two other burners under the cutting board in case we need them.

This my plate and I was sure stuffed when done.

I thought it was all delicious and the guests seemed to enjoy it - Bev and I believe, less the nutmeg, this will be the new go-to recipe for the green bean casserole.

For dessert, we had pumpkin pies furnished by SIL, Pat, and Key Lime and French Silk pies furnished by friends David and Laurie which were also delicious.

The one learning from this day was it's not a great idea to have a Grandkids present opening-a-thon in the morning then host a dinner party in mid afternoon. Too much for us old folks in a short period of time and we were pretty well comatose after everyone left on Monday. Bev didn't get out of her nightwear and I only did because I had to take the car in for service.

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Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Leftover Prime Rib

Two years ago: Christmas Day At Last

Larry

12/25/11

Salmon Scramble

2011-12-27T04:54:00.031-05:00

We just happened to have a few small pieces of salmon left from our grilled seafood dinner, while at Fort Bragg, and I decided it would make a good scramble. I began by sautéing a green onion and when it had softened some I added the chopped salmon.

When it was warm I added two eggs, beaten with a little cream, and a diced up slice of provolone cheese.

After plating I added some of the cold creamy parmesan dill sauce and stirred it into the eggs to melt.

If you like salmon and you like eggs, I have to believe you would enjoy this – I loved it.

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Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Holiday Dinner Five - Christmas Dinner For Us And Others

Two years ago: Sausage Gravy And Biscuits

Larry

A Trip To Mecca For BBQ

2011-12-26T04:08:00.085-05:00

On our way back from Ft. Bragg, we decided to go cross country for a stop in Lexington, NC which calls itself the Barbecue Capital Of The World and with twenty or so BBQ joints in a town of 20,000, it would be hard to argue with them - they also hold an annual BBQ Festival. NC has two styles of BBQ – chopped whole hog with a vinegar, salt, and pepper sauce in the East and chopped pork shoulder with a sauce that includes ketchup in the West. Again arguably, the top spot in Lexington is Lexington Barbecue (no website I could find), so that’s where we went - we got there at 3pm on Friday afternoon and they were still pretty busy.

None of the girls wanted BBQ and Bev and I just wanted to try it so we ordered a "small tray" consisting of enough chopped pork and slaw for two sandwiches and hush puppies.

The meat is already sauced – they call it dip – and there was none on the table to add, so they obviously believe they know how their pork is best. The slaw also has something red in it and I assume it’s also the dip. The pork can be ordered several ways, but we chose coarse chopped with extra brown (bark), based upon on-line recommendations. The meat had the right amount of dip for me and the red slaw was pretty good – I ended up mixing them together, but the star was the hush puppies which I really liked - I borrowed this picture from eatitnorthcarolina.com.

Since I first started barbecuing, I’d been wanting to go to Lexington for BBQ and I’m glad we took the opportunity to do it as Bev and I agreed we won’t need to hit any more western NC places – we prefer mine, both in taste and texture (mine’s pulled and theirs is chopped).

I brought home a couple of pounds of meat and made a sandwich for lunch the next day using some slaw we had on hand - same conclusion. SIL Pat tried it - same conclusion. Don't get me wrong, it was plenty good, we just prefer what I cook.

Having now been to two BBQ Mecca's - Lexington and Lockhart, Tx and preferring my own in both cases, I think I'll skip Memphis and Kansas City - however, there are three restaurants I'd like to try if I get the chance - Q Barbecue near Richmond, VA (Tuffy Stone, owner), 17th Street Bar & Grill in Murphysboro,IL (Mike Mills), and Pappy's Smokehouse in St. Louis (Mike Emerson).

Maybe I'll just open a restaurant called "Big Dude's Eggs and Que" and serve both items all day :-).

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Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Holiday Dinner Four - Fish Tacos On Christmas Eve

Two years ago: Christmas Dinner Sure Was Good

Larry

12/16/11 & 12/17/11

Christmas wonderland

2011-12-24T04:25:00.004-05:00

If I still had power, a good supply of wood for the fireplace, and no kids traveling, I believe this is the snow I'd like to wake up to on Christmas morning.

It's a shot from a house in Littleton, CO that I lifted from a Wunderground webcam on 12/22.

Bev and I wish your the Merriest of Christmas'.

Grilling Out At Bragg Times Two

2011-12-23T04:57:00.044-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

The girls all like seafood and we decided a grilled meal was in order. We stopped at Walmart on our way home from Southern Pines to pick up some salmon and romain lettuce and used other on-hand items. The menu was:

Salmon, Shrimp – little frozen ones on mini skewers – aka toothpicks – all we could find, Bacon wrapped red potatoes, Romain, one green onion – it was laying around.

It all turned out pretty good for what we had to work with except I grilled the romain just a little too long and it’s best to use just the hearts as the outside leaves can get tough.

The only tongs I could find was a pair of scissor tongs that mainly just pushed the food around in the grill.

I did Rhett a favor and threw them in the trash, but Bev retrieved them.

After supper we said we’d like to grill out again tomorrow and the girls said they wanted the same thing, and we were fine with that, but decided it had to be different – the salmon and shrimp left a lot to be desired. So we headed off to Harris-Teeter and bought four nice, fresh, wild caught salmon pieces, some nice wild caught shrimp (from Argentina - our first), and romain hearts. Then we decided to wait a day until their dad returned from Korea and could enjoy it with us. The shrimp shells looked very different.

Madison said she’d like less plain potatoes so we decided on a cheesy version cooked in a foil pouch on the grill. My mom always made these by just layering all of the ingredients but it doesn’t work for me, so I made a roux and melted the cheese in it to make a sauce to pour on the potatoes and onions. Then mixed it all up and sealed in foil.

The shrimp and scallops (a first for the girls) got a light dusting with Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning and were basted with butter as they cooked and the salmon got the mayo treatment. I cooked the shrimp over higher heat to make sure they flamed up for the char-grilled flavor.

We ate the scallops as an appetizer so the girls could try them and they all liked them – I thought they were as good as any I’ve eaten.

Here’s the finished product and my plate and I would happily serve this to any guests in our home.

Bev made up a creamy parmesan dill sauce for the salmon which also went well on the shrimp and the bacon wrapped potatoes – heat cream in a pan, add grated parmesan to taste, add (fresh or dried) dill to taste.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Steak And Gravy Ala Mary - Sorta

Two years ago: It’s BBQ Day Again – Ribs And Fattys

Larry

The Christmas Scramble

2011-12-22T04:25:00.102-05:00

Earlier, it was our understanding that we would be spending Christmas pretty much alone this year and therefore we decided to do very little decorating, then the plans changed. After our week of looking after the Walker girls at Ft. Bragg, we ended up bringing them home while their dad attended to some other requirements. He wasn’t sure when he’d come in to pick them up until I advised we’d be serving smoked prime rib and he immediately said the deal was sealed and they would all be here for Christmas.

Having kids at Christmas put us in a whole new ball game and when we got home, my buddy Joe came over and we prunned (needed it badly) and cut the last Norway Spruce we’d been saving for a kids Christmas. We'd planted several about 10 years ago for this use. Here's the before and after.

After cutting it, we trimmed up the top and tied the two stems together, not too bad for a couple of old guys.

After pruning, we still had a tree that was nearly 10' tall and over 7' wide, which we had to get through a 3' door and trees that big have branches that don't bend that easily. With me pulling and him pushing, we finally got it in the house and set on the stand and then Joe relaxed with his pup.

With some more prunning, it was ready to decorate. I took a little more off the bottom after this shot.

Then we had to drag out the decorations and trim the tree - except for the top part, Bev and the kids did the decorating. All of this for just one tree.

Considering the pine blob we started with, it turned out pretty good and now it looks more like Christmas around here. As you can see, Bev likes to have an ornament on nearly every branch - sometimes two.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them. Header photo info.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Peppermint Bark Christmas Candy

Two years ago: Christmas Tree Finally Up

Larry

Hodge-Podge From Bragg

2011-12-21T04:20:00.040-05:00

One of our duties while at Ft. Bragg was getting the kids off to school and I got the job of standing out in the cold with the other mom’s at the bus stop. It was required for the little kids even though it’s the driveway next door and even though they run all over the area by themselves after school – I suppose there are some bus stops where it is dangerous and the kids are young so it makes sense. Riley likes to be first in line so we went 10 minutes early even though she could wait in the house until the bus pulls up.

The other three parents didn’t want to be in the shot. After school, I went to check out the neighborhood fort up behind the house - is this cool or what.

.As at home, I frequently cook my own breakfast before Bev gets up and this day I looked in the fridge to see what was available. I found some sausage we’d brought from home, cheese, eggs, onion, and cilantro. I cooked the onion and sausage, removed them from the pan and set aside. I beat up 3 eggs with the cilantro, poured them in the skillet, and added some diced cheddar. When the eggs were set, I added back the sausage and got this.

Sided with a slice of rye toasts, it was delicious.

For his career, most of the on-post housing Rhett and family have lived in has been pretty crappy, but as a Lt. Colonel, he finally has a nice place, but you need to know for sure which house is yours.

I discovered once again that it pays to wear your colors. While wearing my WVU shirt at the bus stop I discovered the woman next door was also a WVU grad and later in the day I was stopped at the Harris-Teeter Supermarket by a young woman and asked if I was from West Virginia and turns out she was from my hometown - it's such a small world sometimes.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them. Header photo.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Fajita’s From London Broil

Two years ago: Funny But Likely All Too True

Larry

Open Faced Breakfast Sandwich

2011-12-20T04:52:00.009-05:00

I love snow and snow pictures and nearly every morning during the winter, I sign on to Wunderground, click on the webcams, and check out the snow shots. The header is one of those webcams from Moose, WY with the majestic Tetons in the background.

I’d thought about this sandwich for several days, but it had been to easy to reheat the corned beef hash and cook eggs, but when it was all gone, it was time for the sammy. To begin I diced up a half link of SouthsideMarket sausage, and finely diced two small rounds of hot sausage from Butcher Boys in Nacogdoches, Tx – this stuff is really hot. I sautéed it with some chopped onion and removed from the pan when the onion was soft.

After splitting the roll, heating, and adding mayo and pouring the eggs in the pan, I realized my plan would not work. No way could I put all of the stuff on the roll and eat it as a sandwich, so I spread the meat mixture all over the top of the eggs and had it open faced.

It wasn't especially pretty, but it was very tasty with just the right heat.

I lifted this from Fat Johnny's Front Porch the other day - it's not often I get to identify with a cartoon :-).

Header photo - Iron Mike

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Using Up The Pastrami

Two years ago: Rib Eyes For Dinner

Larry

December BBQ Day

2011-12-19T04:51:00.000-05:00

I love snow and snow pictures and nearly every morning during the winter, I sign on to Wunderground, click on the webcams, and check out the snow shots. The header is one of those webcams from Moose, WY with the majestic Tetons in the background.

I had a pretty light load for this BBQ day with most of it headed to Rhett’s, when we went over to tend his kids for a week. I cooked a small pork butt, a few chicken breasts and thighs, 3 slabs of baby backs, and about 10 # of wings. Here's the butt - some are black on the outside when finished, but I prefer the deep mahogany color.

The juice was all saved, defatted, and added back to the pulled meat along with some SOP and it needed no additional sauce for the SIL and me.

Two of the rib slabs got my usual treatment of Head Country Championship Seasoning and nothing else and the third slab, at Rhett’s request, was a repeat of the Asian ribs I’d done last month and over cooked. This time they turned out very good (maybe could have stood another 3-4*) - I had to cut one off for a sample.

I think it would have been even better had I basted it a couple of times with the marinade while cooking.

Prior to smoking, I just salted the wings and tossed them in canola oil.

The chicken breasts and thighs were rubbed with Wolfe Citrus Rub.

For my wing sauce, I’d been using Anchor Bar Wing Sauce (inventors of Buffalo wings) but I'd used it all and went on-line looking for a recipe and found this clone at Food.com.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons Louisiana hot sauce (Frank's)

1/4 cup margarine , not butter (Blue Bonnet squeeze bottle)

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1/8 teaspoon celery seed

1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I used 1/8)

1/8 teaspoon garlic salt

1 dash black pepper

1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 -2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (I used ½ tsp Sriracha)

Directions

The Sauce: This makes enough for about 30 "wingettes." Mix all the ingredients in a small sauce pan over low heat until the margarine is completely melted. Stir occasionally.

I made up one batch just as the recipe is written and after tasting thought it was too tart, so I added another round of everything but the vinegar and Srircha and thought it was about right for the medium heat level requestor. I smoked the wings at 250* to an internal temp of 170 then tossed his wings in it.

Then I added 1 tsp Srircha to what was left and tossed the remaining wings in it. A thigh tossed in it worked well for lunch.

I would use this recipe again, but omit the vinegar and then use Tabasco and add vinegar to taste. Interestingly, the customer advised they weren’t quite tangy enough for him. Also, the sauce needs to be quite a bit hotter to taste for it to be right when put on the wings – after tossing with the wings, the hotter sauce was just right for the medium hot request. My next step is to buy some of Anchor Bar and Hooters sauces, decide which I like best, then try to replicate at home starting with the recipes available on the internet. IF YOU HAVE A TRADITIONAL BUFFALO WING SAUCE RECIPE THAT"S SIMILAR TO ONE OF THESE, I"D APPRECIATE GETTING IT.

Final wing comment - My customers usually cook them again over high heat to crisp them up. After smoking, I like to give them a quick grilling or deep frying, for crust development, prior to tossing in the sauce.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Homemade Eggnog

Two years ago: Christmas Comes Early To "Almost Heaven South"

Larry

A Little Drive Thru The NC Pines

2011-12-18T04:25:00.063-05:00

During our visit to Ft. Bragg we found it was located in the pine forest area that runs up the eastern US coast and it’s pretty much the same in Georgia and the Carolinas, so it was no surprise that “pine” was included in several local names, such as Whispering Pines, Southern Pines, and Pinehurst.

I haven’t been a golfer for 25 years but still knew Pinehurst was noted for golf, but I had no idea how much. The 9500 person village, along with the towns of Southern Pines and Aberdeen make a triangular area that is home to 30 rated and 13 more golf courses and is known as the "Home Of American Golf." The Pinehurst Resort, alone, has eight courses and you can pay up to $450 for a round of golf – now I know why I gave it up.

Being the map person I am, I found a back country route that runs along the northern boundary of the post and we were blown away as it was a beautiful drive thru the pines on very good roads. As the crow flies, it’s located about 7 miles west of the post boundary, but since we had to exit on the eastern side and drive around, it took about an hour to get there.

And about 10 miles prior to reaching Southern Pines, we came upon beautiful horse farms – almost continuously and they all seemed to be into jumping. I didn’t know NC had a horse industry – add that to the muscadine wineries that were an equal surprise.

You know you’re serious when you have a long fence decorated for Christmas.

We went on thru Southern Pines to Pinehurst and found it pretty full of people, but I just wanted to drive around and see a few things. It looks like it was another one of those playgrounds for the wealthy in the early 1900’s and is now the home of the still pretty well off. This is the village main street.

The Pinehurst Resort Carolina Hotel is located at one end of the street and the golf courses are at the other end and the spa is next to the hotel.

You know you're elite when you don’t even have a sign at the entrance to your golf course and it's pretty unimpressive.

From there it was back to Southern Pines for lunch to a place that was recommended by the girls other grandparents. Sweet Basil is a small place owned by siblings John and Pepi– he does the baking and she does the cooking and they can both do their parts very well.

After hearing the ingredients, Bev jumped all over the daily special of chipotle chicken sandwich with a salad.

The sandwiches were halved and we swapped a half so I can say with certainty that it was delicious. This is the second salad we’ve had in the area serving leaf lettuce (just like I grow in the garden). I ordered a cup of roasted red pepper soup and a reuben and both were very good.

We asked the server some details about the chicken and she advised us to talk with the lady in the white apron for the details and she just happened to show up. As it turns out she was Pepi, the cook/ owner, and she freely told us how she made both the sandwich and the soup, which I wrote down and plan to try at home. As we left, there was a line waiting along the building and I can see why as they are serving delicious homemade meals, with fresh ingredients at a reasonable price – especially for a tourists area – and the service was every bit as good as the food. If you’re ever within 50 miles of Southern Pines, this is a must try place.

After lunch, I walked up to the railroad station and Bev disappeared into the first shop. The station is still served by Amtrak with one train per day in each direction - one end of the station is the Town's Welcome Center.

Here’s a shot of mainstreet from the depot and it is a nice little town converted to a tourist destination and nestled in the southern pines.

And of course no great day trip is complete until you’ve made the requisite stop.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Eggnog Crème Brulee

Two years ago: Butter Beans Ala Mary

Larry

Meatball Experiment

2011-12-16T04:55:00.048-05:00

I’d been wanting pasta and for some reason, and about 9pm, Bev decided to make up a batch of meatballs - our minds are obviously in sync. She didn’t get them finished and left the forming and cooking to me the next day while she was committed to something else. As is her usual for meatloaf, meatballs, etc, she doesn’t really use a recipe but rather combines the ingredients the way she thinks they should be, nukes a sample, tastes and adjusts and by the third tasting she‘s usually where she wants to be – I told her these were her best ever and maybe, the best I’ve eaten. This is her best guess at a recipe for 28 meatballs:

3# ground chuck
1# breakfast sausage (we were out of Italian)
1 medium onion, finley diced
1 medium green pepper, finely diced
1 medium red pepper, finely diced
1 - 1 1/2 cups fresh breads crumbs (more or less to get the right texture)
2 large eggs, beaten
6 cloves garlic, minced
Small can tomato paste
1/2 tube sundried tomato (paste)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (more or less to taste)
3/4 cup grated Romano cheese
2 tbsp dried Italian Seasoning (add 1 tbsp then add to taste)
2 tbsp fresh diced parsley
1 tsp roasted garlic hot sauce (Guavaberry)
S&P to taste

What she actually did was add all of the fresh ingredients in several small batches to the food processor and run to get the size she wanted. Then add everything to a large bowl and mix just enough to bring it together.

Sorry this is so long but scientific experiments require lots of words.

My mom always browned hers in a skillet in batches, then dropped them into the pasta sauce, so I have no idea how done they were coming out of the pan. We’ve done them this way and baked them in the oven until we reached some point, but I don’t know what it was either. Since I’ve become a more serious meat cook and try to cook everything to temperature, I did a little web research to find this guidance for meatballs:

Cook somewhere between 140* and 170* internal temp - Cook in a 350* oven for somewhere between 25 and 60 minutes - Cook in a 350* oven for 30 minutes or 160* internal.

As you can see, not exactly a real science so I decided to make up my own, realizing that some would go into the freezer and not immediately into sauce so I wanted them fully cooked, in case they only got warmed up later, but not over cooked – wherever that was. I like the idea of the reverse sear I use on other meats to create an even internal doneness so I decided to try it with these and I thought an internal temp of 150* would have them plenty done while leaving a lot of the fat and moisture in them – like a juicy hamburger.

I first formed one to the size I like and weighed it – 2 ¾ oz, so I weighed them all and formed at 2 ¾ - 2 7/8 oz – this added about 10 seconds per meatball. Since they had lots of pretty big ingredients and I wasn’t planning to cook them real done, I rolled them tightly - I believe re-cooling the mix overnight made them easier to shape. I put them on a Pam sprayed rack over a foil lined pan and preheated the oven to 225* (convection bake setting) with an internal probe thermometer in a center one and an outside one, for comparison. They wouldn’t all fit on the rack so I decided to cook the last 4 in a skillet for another comparison – can you believe the very last one weighed 2 7/8 oz.

They went into the oven at 11:31 and an internal temp of 56*, and I cooked the others in a pan over medium heat turning on 5 sides as they browned then over low heat with a lid on the sixth side, turning one more time to the least cooked side at about 150*. I’d planned to take them off at 155* but they cooked at different temps and they ended up 155*-160* and I ate one at 160* and thought it was perfect. Note that I got meat cubes rather than meatballs and they incurred some tool damage.

So my plan was to cook those in the oven to an internal temp of 140*, remove them and crank the oven up to 500*, put the meatballs back in and cook for 10 minutes, watching the internal temp. However, after tasting the pan fried one I wanted them to end at 160* so I revised my plan and pulled them at 145* - rotating the pan at 100* and the two probes stayed within one degree (hooray for the oven). They came out a 12:13 pm, nicely browned, still round but without a crust and my bet was they looked the same all the way through and they only went on up to 146*.

I turned the oven up to 500*, but when I noticed the meatballs had dropped to 123*, I decided to put them in at 450 fearing they would burn before the internal temp got up – back in at 12:25 - and set the timer for 10 minutes and the meatball probe alarm for 155* - there will be more carry over cooking from the 450* surface temp of the meat. Here they are out of the oven and as it turns, out the oven didn’t do as well at high temps and I ended up with 165* meatballs (after carry-over cooking) on one end and 175* on the other (but with more crust) - should have rotated the pan.

Here’s the inside of each one (more done one on the right) which I tasted, and like any professional, I threw away the un-tasted portion – yeah right.

Here are my conclusions which are recipe dependent, especially the meat ratio.

1. I couldn't tell much if any different between the samples and both were still moist and creamy, but dryer than the 160* pan fried one.

2. Pan cooking developed a better crust than the low then high temp oven – maybe should have stayed with 500*.

3. Due to the use of hamburger and the other fillers, oven reverse sear is likely a waste of time.

4. They need more high temp time in the oven to develop a great crust.

5. They are very forgiving and I now understand why such varying opinions from my web search.

6. Oven cooking makes a prettier, rounder, more evenly cooked product and it’s less time consuming.

7. For a complete oven cook, next time I’ll put them in a 350* oven and cook to 155* internal believing they will end up in the low 160’s with a good crust and if not I’ll crank it up in 25* increments until I get the crust I want - after I try #9 that is.

8. As best I can tell, I didn’t prove much of anything except this type of experiment needs to happen such that the sampling occurs at lunch time J.

9. Since we both prefer the more carmelized crust from the skillet, I think I'll try cooking them in the oven to about 145*, where they should hold their shape, then give them a quick skillet fry for the crust - more of a true reverse sear. I should end up with round, evenly cooked meatballs with a nice crust.

As for the final product, it was your basic spaghetti and jarred Barilla marinara, with some really great meatballs, and I tossed in a few links of Southside Market beef sausage - the meatballs and sausage both helped the sauce, but I prefer Italian sausuge here and the beef sausage other ways. I hope Bev can replicate these meatballs next time.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Just A Little Steak And Eggs For Breakfast

Two years ago: Fish Followed By Seafood

Larry

Ft. Bragg Visit - Winery Visit

2011-12-15T04:43:00.080-05:00

Once again, Rhett needed someone to look after the grandkids, while he made an army business trip to South Korea. Bev’s sister accompanied her the last time but she was unavailable this time and I got drafted, so after a week home from our RV trip we headed for Eastern NC. Fortunately I’d taken advantage of a few days of warm weather to winterize the RV and do a few other things to get ready for cold weather, so I was available.

Much of our traveling has been associated with visiting our kids in different parts of the country and the world, so I was looking forward to my first trip to Bragg and this area. Ft. Bragg is located adjacent to Fayetteville, NC, which is about 60 miles south of Raleigh and about halfway between Charlotte and the Atlantic coast. The fort is named for Confederate General Braxton Bragg and it covers over 251 square miles (650 km2) in four counties (it’s roughly 22 miles long by 11 miles wide). Like most military bases, it has many units housed here, but it is primarily known as the home of the US Army Airborne Forces, Special Forces (Green Berets), and Delta Force. The post has also taken over the adjacent Pope AFB and it’s now their army airfield. In his new job, Rhett had to become a jumper and said it’s just not natural to jump out of a perfectly good airplane – I could not agree more – but he’s made six jumps and is still walking upright so I guess he’s learning how.

This day the weather called for some rain, so we put off some of our other plans and went winery visiting instead – one of Bev’s favorite things to do. Surprisingly to me, there are several wineries in NC, with the ones in this area seemly committed to making wine from the native grape that grows well here – muscadine. After a little research we discovered the oldest and largest winery in NC to be only 1¾ hours from us and since we had limited time we decided to visit just it.

The Duplin Winery, is located in Rose Hill, NC which is near, well nothing actually, and it is owned by the 3^rd generation of the Fussell family – check here for more details on their story. Upon entering the winery tasting room, we were greeted by a very bubbly lady who explained things to us and then secured our tasting pourer – he was totally devoted to us.

I took a few shots around the winery and the tasting began. They offered a free tasting (unusual anymore) of 12 wines, all or mostly muscadine, then we tasted about 4 more.

We made our selections, 3 cases worth, and headed for the onsite Bistro restaurant, of course recommended by the bubbly greeter. This is the entrance to the Bistro and part of the seating.

The waiter took a shot of use at the table.

Our salads were made with some leaf and iceberg type lettuces and we both ordered the homemade muscadine, tomato, and basil dressing which was somewhat sweet but a nice vinaigrette.

We both ordered the special of chicken parmesan over penne pasta.

It was good and for a non-Italian restaurant, at a winery, in the middle of nowhere, it was probably outstanding. We got a slice of Mama Ann's Grape Hull Pie to go and ate it at home - good and unusual. Rather than just a stop-by-and-try-our-wines place, they've turned theirs into a tourist destination - brilliant business plan I thought.

We would like to have spent more time and taken some shots of the cotton tuffs along the road from the recent harvest and some of the scenery, but we were pressed for time.

Header Photo - From Wikipedia – “Iron Mike is the de facto name of various monuments commemorating servicemen of the United States military. The term "Iron Mike" is uniquely American slang used to refer to men who are especially tough, brave, and inspiring ...”

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Chicken And Dumplings

Two years ago: Crappie With Brown Butter Prosciutto Caper Sauce

Larry

Texas Rv Trip - Wrap-Up

2011-12-14T04:20:00.038-05:00

If you've been reading, you know it was a mixed bag of highs and lows on our first big RV trip. Surprisingly to me, the lows were all associated with the RV chasis rather than the coach. Other than the fridge door, everything on the coach performed fine and the major chasis issues were road condition related - no vehicle of mine will ever travel another Arkansas road and by far the best roads we traveled were in Tennessee.

The basic questions then became "do we want to be RVer's and if so is this the vehicle we want to do it it" - for sure it's no unless the slight play in the steering and drivers seat can be made right. The coach suits our needs, but I will also have to know the vehicle is reliable as I'm not interested in too big of a project. Lot's of research and discussion will need to take place before spring, but the immediate tasks were to unpack and winterize the water systems.

I've given our restaurant experiences some thought and while we had a some very good meals, several of them were disappointments and I think I know why. Our last trip to Texas was before I'd learned how to BBQ and before Bev and I decided to try to make really good food at home, so our standards were lower. It's not that the food wasn't good, it's that our definition of very good has raised considerably.

After the three RV road incidents, we had a very pleasant experience and liked being able to have the dogs along and have our house with us - on the way home, we even stopped at a rest stop, reheated some soup on the range, warmed up the coach with the furnace, and didn't even turn the engine off.

On the way home, and not wanting any more shaking and driving narrow lanes between concrete walls, we took a 30 mile detour on US-11 to avoid 10 miles of construction on I-59 that friend Joe had just traveled and warned us about. It was a beautiful drive up a farming valley and I was totally comfortable driving the two lane road - nothing like a couple thousand miles behind to wheel to help with that.

A major learning for me, which will require a serious attitude adjustment, is that RVing needs to be about the journey not the destination and getting off the interstate is the way to do that.

It's been a couple of weeks since I first wrote this and Bev has since said she wanted to take at least one more big trip in this RV before she's ready to answer the two questions, so I'll be about seeing if I can get some of my issues taken care of and I've got several potential trips planned - all heading west.

Thanks for tuning in and sharing the trip with us.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Snow Dogs

Two years ago: Red Beans And Rice

Larry

I Am So Spoiled

2011-12-13T04:14:00.037-05:00

The other morning after letting the dogs out, I was heading for the kitchen to fix me some breakfast, when a voice called out from the bed - "don't cook anything, I'm making you a special breakfast." Having heard these words before, I've learned not to ask any questions and just go sit in my chair, read the paper, drink my coffee, and smile with anticipation.

As it turns out she'd had the grocery store deli wack off about a 3/4" slab of corned beef which she chunked and ran thru the food processor to chop up. We still have a few potatoes, sweet peppers, garlic, and onions from our garden and some of them got diced and went into the hash.

She topped it with a couple of sunny side up eggs and it was delicious.

And since she made a alot, there was plenty leftover and the next day I added some cheddar to the hash and nuked, then topped with a couple of over easy's and some homemade pickled jalapenos - delicious again.

For the third day, I reheated the hash in a pan, made wells for the eggs and added a lid. I then topped with shredded cheddar and chopped green onion and parsley. I took the shot in the pan because I knew it wouldn't get to the plate looking the same - and it didn't (our non-stick skillet isn't any more but it has served me well and needs to be retired) it's a little blurry.

Feel good five of five.

An eye witness account from New York City , on a cold day in December, some years ago: A little boy, about 10-years-old, was standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold.

A lady approached the young boy and said, 'My, but you're in such deep thought staring in that window!'

'I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,' was the boy's reply.

The lady took him by the hand, went into the store, and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel.

He quickly brought them to her.

She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with the towel.

By this time, the clerk had returned with the socks.. Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes.

She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him.. She patted him on the head and said, 'No doubt, you will be more comfortable now.'

As she turned to go, the astonished kid caught her by the hand, and looking up into her face, with tears in his eyes, asked her:

"Are you God's wife?"

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Crock Beef Shanks – Part 2

Two years ago: None

Larry

Texas RV Trip - Heading Home

2011-12-12T04:14:00.073-05:00

After the calamities of our trip down to Texas, and fear of getting back on the road, we stayed at Pecan Park until Monday morning - you've probably figured out by now that these posts are many days behind. With our new found driving criteria of adding "stop before dark" to the existing 300- 350 miles per day, we didn't make any campground reservations for the trip home. Rather, I went to RVParking.com and listed about every campground along I-10 that could accomodate us with the intent of calling ahead, depending on where we were, and seeing if a spot was available.

We also have a map showing all of the Sam's and Walmarts in case we have to use their parking lot and dry camp. We only went about 300 miles per day coming down, but after extending our planned stay by 5 days, we decided to plan on three 350 mile days for the trip home if the RV and the driver could hold up.

I knew we had planned to stop in the Lafayette, La area on day one so I emailed area resident, Maguerite, from Cajun Delights for suggestions - she came back with both campground and dining recommendations. We stayed in the suggested Cajun Palms RV Resort just off of I-10 in Breaux Bridge, LA, but we decided to eat at the resort affiliated restaurant - Crawfish Town USA, so they would come get us on a multi-seat golf cart and we didn't have to deal with our car (they would also bring the food to your RV).

Can you believe neither Bev nor I had a camera at the restaurant to shoot our outstandly presented meals, but here is a description of her La Bam Breme - "Fried eggplant, fried catfish, crab cake, fried shrimp & fried oyster stacked high over our Louisana crawfish etouffee" - it was on a vertical skewer. Hers was delicious and I really liked the very crispy eggplant with the etouffee - I could really like etouffee if it all tasted like this. Here's a shot from their website.

And my Seafood Festival - "Stuffed crab, stuffed shrimp, crawfish boulette, frog leg, fried catfish, fried shrimp, fried oysters, seafood jambalaya, and a boiled crab" - everything fried but the crab. Again from their site and both of our plates looked even better than these shots - mine had a boiled crab on it.

I thought I'd ordered the Crawfish Festival, but I was very pleased with this, which also included a salad, fries and a dessert. It was alot and the fries, jambalaya, roll, and dessert didn't get eaten - I ate the dessert when we got home.

If I'm ever close to this place again, I'd definitely go back - unless Marguerite suggests an even better place. Judging from the number of locals eating there, it must have represented pretty good Cajun and our young waiter had the thickest French Cajun accent I could imagine - I kept asking him questions just to here him talk. Unfortunately we were unable to link up with Marguerite and I'm thinking she may have one of these accents as well.

The campground was obviously pretty new and very nice complete with fishing ponds, minature golf, pools, etc. - I'd highly recommend it - check their site for some shots of the pools.

The second (and last) night was at a rustic campground tucked back in the Southern Pines just east of Meridian, Ms, and was a very nice place in it's day, but RV's and Rver's tastes have passed it by - I really liked our site though and it was just right for an overnight stay.

The three day trip coming home was uneventful and we were glad to arrive - especially to a meal of country steak (cubed steak, breaded and fried, then baked in the oven with liquid to make the gravy) and mashed potatoes.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Sausage, Mushroom & Spinach Quiche

Two years ago: Visit To Cumberland Gap

Larry

Salmon & Margaritas

2011-12-11T04:39:00.054-05:00

Two or three times a month my buddy Joe comes over and we solve the earths problems, discuss the stock market, make any improvements to our computers (he's a guru), and indulge in a south-of-the-border libation or some. He's retired and his wife generally gets home late, so he often stays for supper and after Bev's steak request the other day, she wanted grilled salmon. While I sometimes brine salmon, I don't believe it needs much flavor enhancement, so tonight it got S&P and mayonaise on the meat and oil on the skin.

Then it went on the grill and as soon as the skin released, I flipped it and gave the meat the same treatment as the other side. Bev wanted some blackening seasoning on hers.

I cooked it to 135* internal and we served it up with baked sweet potato and caesar salad.

With three of my favorite things, is was a delicious meal.

Feel good four of five.

Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot in life, I stop and think about little Jamie Scott. Jamie was trying out for a part in the school play. His mother told me that he'd set his heart on being in it, though she feared he would not be chosen..

On the day the parts were awarded, I went with her to collect him after school. Jamie rushed up to her, eyes shining with pride and excitement.. 'Guess what, Mom,' he shouted, and then said those words that will remain a lesson to me....'I've been chosen to clap and cheer.'

Thanks for tuning in and sharing the trip with us.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Country Ham & Brown Sugar

Two years ago: None

Larry

Texas RV Trip - The Final Day

2011-12-09T04:52:00.021-05:00

On the 9th and final day of our planned 4 day stay (isn't retirement great) in San Marcos, we got ready to head home, even though we knew it was going to be pretty cold and maybe snowy - I planned a stay-to-the-south route with the option of spending a couple of extra days if the weather dictates.

Before leaving, Bev wanted to visit the little town of Wimberly about 20 miles away (more shopping) and I wanted to stop by Camping World and eat again at Mamacita's, so we made a loop. Wimberly is a small town of about 2500 located just northwest of San Marcos and it has transformed itself throuhout the 20th century from a mill town into a tourist destination - lots of stone used for building as it is very plentiful.

When we got back to the RV, we noticed a pretty bad dent in the car door which made it 3 for 5 for Bev. Something bad happened to a vehicle visiting the places she wanted to go (tires going to Hot Springs, oil pan going to Huntsville, Tx for BBQ, and now this). She said she wasn't picking any more places to visit, but both of her winery visits went fine.

We went to a different Mamacita's than our first time and once again I had no camera and Bev's phone camera let us down, but this may have been my best meal yet. It was a simple description for Sirena Del Mar-

"Filet of flounder along with two jumbo shrimp, breaded and fried, topped with cilantro cream sauce and cheese, served with ...."

The breading was nice and crispy, but it was the sauce that made it so delicious, and after two very good meals, I will definitely go back to Mamacita's if I'm in the area (you would have loved this place Lea Ann).

Feel good three of five.

On my way home one day, I stopped to watch a Little League base ball game that was being played in a park near my home. As I sat down behind the bench on the first-base line, I asked one of the boys what the score was 'We're behind 14 to nothing,' he answered with a smile.

'Really,' I said. 'I have to say you don't look very discouraged.'

'Discouraged?', the boy asked with a puzzled look on his face...

'Why should we be discouraged? We haven't Been up to bat yet.'

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Crock Pot Beef Shanks

Two years ago: None

Larry

Texas Sausage And Eggs For Breakfast

2011-12-08T04:16:00.029-05:00

I can tell the readers of my blog are nature lovers (as am I) because several commented on the loss of the poor tree, but no one mentioned the destroyed ramp and the poor me who has to fix it (LOL).

Due to it's German heritage, Texas Hill Country BBQ nearly always includes smoked sausage and, in some circles, the debates rage over who's is best. As I've read the discussions and ratings over the years, one name that is usually mentioned is Southside Market in Elgin, so imagine my pleasure when I discovered it in the meat case at the H-E-B supermarket in San Marcos, TX. Since we have many other places we want to visit and not knowing when we might be back in hill country, I grabbed up a 3# package each of regular and jalapeno cheddar, noticing it would keep unopened until Feb 12, 2012 without freezing.

I was shocked when I visited Southsides website and discovered the regular sausage is $6/lb (don't know about shipping) vs. the $3/lb I paid at H-E-B - now wish I'd bought more.

My second morning back home I was ready for some of my good ole scrambled eggs and decided to try a couple links of the regular sausage, which I just heated in the microwave. The grease on my plate suggest this may not be diet food - except perhaps the Atkins Diet.

I thought it was very good and would have to do a taste test to know if I prefer it to what I make using the Czech spices I buy from El Campo, Tx - it's definitely a lot easier. The casing is a little tough and I was glad to see Bev heated a piece using the skillet which crisped the casing some and I may have preferred it. Rest assured it will get used in many ways.

Second of five feel goods.

Teacher Debbie Moon's first graders were discussing a picture of a family. One little boy in the picture had a different hair color than the other members. One of her
students suggested that he was adopted.

A little girl said, 'I know all about Adoption, I was adopted..'

'What does it mean to be adopted?', asked another child.

'It means', said the girl, 'that you grew in your mommy's heart instead of her tummy!'

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: BBQ Brisket Hash

Two years ago: Liver & Onions - Everybody’s Favorite

Larry

Texas RV Trip - Mexican Breakfast & A Tree Problem

2011-12-07T04:14:00.059-05:00

I can't remember when I had this - maybe breakfast our last day in San Marcos, but it started with a flour tortilla, then leftover rice from our meal at Casa Maria, to which we'd added the remaining great salsa. Then it was topped with a couple of fried eggs, cheese, and salsa from a different meal.

It was outstanding and a great way to use the rice that's nearly always leftover from my plate.

AH, THE JOYS OF HOME OWNERSHIP

I've often posted shots of our great dock setting on Tellico Lake and commented on having woods on two sides of our lot, but occasionally they come together in unpleasant ways. This likely happened during the 10" (not a typo) rainfall while we were in Texas and it is the second time it's occurred.

Being on a steep hill this tree had to work hard to fall crossways to hit the ramp. Sweetie is helping survey the damage.

The silver lining is it missed the dock, the ramp support posts, and the power pole and we still have power and perhaps some firewood - looks like a job for the Stihl Farmboss with the newly sharpened chain. But there is obviously some wood work, likely some plastic piping, and maybe some additional wiring - it will give me something to do if we have any pretty winter days, as if I needed another job on the to-do list.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: BBQ Experiment Results

Two years ago: A White Christmas Wish

Larry

Tennessee Steak

2011-12-06T04:35:00.007-05:00

During our Texas trip, we were not only in BBQ, Tex-Mex, and German country, but also steak country, however we opted to eat the other things instead. The day we got home though, Bev advised she wanted steak the next day so I got some rib-eyes out of the freezer.

Since it was a pretty day and I needed to not be lazy (use the gasser), I fired up the Weber grill with good lump charcoal and we decided to side the steaks with a variation of the brussel sprouts we made as our Thanksgiving meal side dish in Texas.

If you recall, we used a recipe from Ashley over at Big Flavors From A Tiny Kitchen. We decided to stay with our bacon addition then used red kidney beans (for color and durability) and added a little lemon juice, which we like with sprouts, so the recipe this time, which was half of Ashley's except the beans and butter, was:

3 slices of crisp fried thick bacon, diced (Use your bacon of choice)
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed, cut in half lengthwise
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth
1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, drained
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice, more or less to taste
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

Fry the bacon and set aside.
Heat 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. When just about to smoke, add the brussels sprouts. Cook until brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet; increase heat to high, add garlic and sauté until brown, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Add broth and brussels sprouts. Cook until brussels sprouts are crisp-tender, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes. Add beans, lemon juice, and butter; stir until butter melts and broth is reduced to glaze. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in cheese and bacon.

I seasoned the steaks with salt and Montreal Steak Seasoning and cooked mine to 120*, Bev's to 125* and Pat's to 130*, and after resting they were just right for each of us.

Here's my plate.

Bev said this was the best steak I'd cooked for her in a long time (music to my ears).

First of five feel goods.

A four-year-old child, whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman, who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old
Gentleman's' yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy just said, 'Nothing, I just Helped him cry.'

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: You Know I Had To Try It

Two years ago: The Season’s First Fire

Larry

Texas RV Trip - Burgers With The Girls & Sarah

2011-12-05T04:54:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned in yesterdays post, we invited the girls up to the campground for a swim and burgers, believing the low 60* temps (cold front moved in) would be perfect for a cookout. I didn't anticipate the high, chilling winds, so the adults did their pre-supper visiting at the enclosed pool area while the kids swam.

Daughter, Kathy, had her hair up and it dawned on me how much she looks like Sarah Pallin - she asked if I'd just noticed and said people had actually stopped her on the street, especially when she has her makeup on - check these out:

While the girls finished their swim, Bev and I cooked cheese burgers, made slaw from packaged cabbage and H-E-B's Hill Country Coleslaw dressing (from a bottle - which we really liked), and Bush's grilling beans (good right out of the can). The sun was down when we ate, so it was then windy plus cold, so we ate in the RV.

It's good to know we can comforatably host a dinner party for six :-) - I was standing beside my chair. See the little brown beggar.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Turkey Pot Pie From The Leftovers (I've decided I missed the leftovers this year)

Two years ago: None

Larry

Texas RV Trip - Mexican Food In San Marcos

2011-12-03T04:15:00.067-05:00

There were a couple more restaurants we wanted to try out before heading home, but as it turned out they were all closed through the Thanksgiving weekend - good for them. One of them was Taco Taco Cafe, which we'd seen on DDD, and we planned to meet the family for a late breakfast down in San Antonio.

As it happens they love to swim and the campground has an indoor pool so we invited them up for a burger cookout. This necessitated a trip to the store which just happened to be a little ways past a Mexican restaurant Bev wanted to try out after reading Casa Maria had the best Chile Rellenos (her favorite) in the area along with excellent beans.

We'd found the back route there which included a one lane bridge across the San Marcos River - it's a little longer, but as quick, way less traffic, and more scenic.

They first brought the normal chips but not so normal sauces. There was a delicious green one and perhaps the best red salsa I've had, and it was spicy enough that we dipped rather than scooped it - far less tomatoes than we usually get.

When the main course showed up, it looked delicious.

The beans lived up to their reputation and while the relleno was very tasty, the coating was totally soggy, even where it hadn't touched the plate or sauce. Since it came so quickly, I believe they must fry them up ahead of time, then top with sauce and cheese and reheat in the oven - I wouldn't order them again and will start asking if they are fried to order before ordering in another restaurant.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Rich (Brown) Turkey Stock & Puppy Treats

Two years ago: White Bean & Ditalini Soup and Another Pizza Fatty

Larry