Apr 1, 2025 | Meat
Taste of the South Bourbon BBQ Ribs Ingredients 1 (12-oz.) bottle lager beer or ale½ cup apple cider vinegar1½ tsp. kosher salt½ cup bourbon, divided1 cup ketchup½ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce½ cup honey2 garlic cloves, crushed1½ Tbsp. barbecue spice rub½ tsp. freshly...
Jan 2, 2025 | Casseroles, Meat
Church Lady Love Sheila’s Sausage and Egg Casserole Our friend from St. Matthew’s, Shelia, shared this recipe with Sherry. She wrote it on a note card. Ingredients 1 lb. pork sausage 6 slices bread 1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese 5 eggs 1 tsp dry mustard 1...
Mar 19, 2021 | Food, Meat, Poultry
Turkey Sausage I made up some turkey sausage yesterday from 85/15 HEB chum ground turkey. I kept the salt at a minimum; but I upped the onion and garlic powders; added a lot of extra black pepper; and bumped the Cayenne. Having enjoyed some success with home-made pork...
Mar 18, 2021 | Food, Lagniappe, Meat
Deep South Dishes (And a link to the Southern Rubin) Sherry stumbled across a recipe for a southern alternative to the traditional Rubin. This is southern, as the name of the web site states. We’re going to try this Rubin; we’ll report on it later. In the...
Mar 11, 2021 | Food, Lagniappe, Meat
Home-made Breakfast Sausage We’re trying to come up with an alternative to high-sodium breakfast sausage; and we figure the best way to get that is to make it from scratch. So, W started with Alton Brown’s recipe. I cut his salt from 2 teaspoons to 1,...
Mar 9, 2021 | Food, Lagniappe, Meat
Low Sodium Breakfast Sausage Jimmy Dean’s Frozen Patties contain 560 mg of Sodium per serving. I found also, a home-made low-sodium sausage recipe here: https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1369504 It comes in at a whopping 36 mg as compared to 560...
Sep 22, 2019 | Food, Meat
Superb!! Ingredients 1 lb breakfast sausage1 lb mild Italian sausage2 eggsOatmeal (a handful or so)Allspice (Slight sprinkling)Garlic powder1 onion1 medium tomatoBottled BBQ saucePrepared mustard Directions Preheat oven to 400F. Dice onion and tomato; cook in a bit of...
Mar 19, 2019 | Food, Meat
I used rib end pork chops. They were about 1/2″ thick. Adjust cooking times if using thicker chops. These turned out delicious! Reminded me of my Grand Byrd’s cooking! Ingredients2 pork chops (I’ve used rib end, and center cut which were about...
Feb 9, 2019 | Casseroles, Food, Meat
Chili Pie I did a version of this for our Canterbury Students. Sherry loved the cornbread crust. I used mushrooms and spinach because I had them on hand and I wanted to “stretch” the results. For a more “Mexican” feel, you may omit these....
Dec 12, 2017 | Food, Lagniappe, Meat
(Instruction Booklet PDF – 2017) www.smokenator.com (Phone 888.205.1931) ________________________________________________________ LONG Cook Times – Set Up and Temperature Management A loaded Smokenator box will fuel a cook of about 6...
Feb 28, 2016 | Food, host, Meat
Country Style Ribs with Chinese Five Spice I heard this one on NPR. Today, I used 4.77 pounds country style ribs. Sprinkle with a generous amount of 5-spice. Place in the bottom of a cast iron dutch oven; cover with big jar of sour kraut. Then sprinkle with brown...
Aug 1, 2015 | Food, host, Meat
I originally tried this recipe from “Italian Food Forever.” It was very good just as she did it. But I with every bite, I kept thinking, this reminds me of pizza. So, I made some changes with the notion of making a topping for pizza….or perhaps a...
May 8, 2015 | Food, host, Meat
Tasso Making I started with a boneless pork loin. This one was 4.85 lbs. Then, I sliced it about 3/4 to 1″ thick; and placed them on a rack. I put a fan on them to dry them out. Note: I’ve done the same thing with a Boston Butt; I just had to bone it...
Apr 2, 2015 | Food, host, Meat
Souvlakia – a Different Take We’ve always loved to make up kabobs of pork, onions and peppers; seasoned with lemon juice, soy sauce, oregano, salt and pepper, and loads of garlic powder. Usually, I grill them up and then serve them with flour tortillas,...
Mar 25, 2015 | Food, host, Meat
Mushroom Roll-ups Thirty years or so ago, I wrote this recipe into a spiral bound book Sherry’s mom gave us when we got married. I served this once to then City Councilwoman Leffler; she loved them. Mrs. Leffler was our assistant principal at Frayser...
Feb 14, 2015 | Food, host, Meat
Italian Sausage and Spinach I made up some spaghetti sauce out of turkey Italian sausage. At the last minute, Sherry said it was okay with her if we decide not to serve it over pasta. So – I added a bag of pre-rinsed spinach right at the very end. Then I cooked...
Dec 3, 2014 | Food, host, Meat
Green Beans, Potatoes, and Sausage Casserole Ingredients 12 oz pack of frozen cut green beans 1 lb smoked pork sausage (Kielbasa, etc.); sliced 1 medium onion, peeled and diced 3 medium potatoes, diced 1/2 cup Parmesan or other similar cheese (I like Cotijo.), grated...
Dec 1, 2014 | Casseroles, Food, host, Meat
Spinach, Potato, and Italian Sausage Casserole I threw this together this evening, and it was pretty darned good.Ingredients12 oz. bag frozen spinach; thawed and excess water squeezed out1 lb Italian Sausage2 medium onions, diced4 medium potatoes, diced1 poblano...
Apr 9, 2014 | Food, host, Meat
Sausage Meat Balls I made some Italian sausage meat balls the other day and I felt like I needed to add a binder. I had no bread crumbs on hand, but I did have some oat meal. To my surprise a few raisins had somehow gotten into the box of oatmeal and then found their...
Mar 5, 2014 | Food, host, Meat
Wailted Kale and Spinach with Ham It’s so much fun cooking for Sherry; and it’s easy too. She loves fresh vegetables – especially fresh leafy greens. This is a winner, and the whole thing takes only a few minutes once the greens are cleaned....
Jan 8, 2014 | Food, host, Meat
Chorizo, Green Chile, and Mushrooms – On a Shingle When I was growing up my Aunt Marie introduced me to something she loving called “SOS.” I think it was an old Navy acronymn for something served on a “shingle.” Tonight, I had a couple of...
Jan 5, 2014 | Food, host, Meat
Smoked Sausage and Green Chile Frittata Sherry wanted a quick snack. This wasn’t so quick, but it was worth the time it took to put it together. Ingredients 6-8 eggs (I used 8 since they were on the small side.) 2 shallots, minced 1/2 pound smoked sausage,...
Aug 5, 2013 | Food, host, Meat
Pan Seared Steak We used to grill steaks just about every Friday back when we lived around the corner from Southern Meat Market in Memphis. They’d cut us rib-eyes to order, and we’d grill them on a hibachi out on our front porch. Ahhhh….those were...
Jun 21, 2013 | Food, host, Meat, Soup
Smoky Black Bean and Neck Bone Soup This one turned out very nicely; but then it took me two days to do it. You can do it in one day if you like. The reason it took me two days is I smoked the onions and peppers (rather than grilling over direct heat). I just got a...
Jun 10, 2013 | Food, host, Meat, Seafood
Peppers, Pasta, Onion and Clam Sherry asked me to get in the kitchen and whip up something, so I came up with this. I wish I could think of names for these dishes. Ingredients 1 red bell pepper 1 yellow bell pepper 1 poblano chile 1 Texas Sweet or Vidalia onion (Red...
Jun 2, 2013 | Food, host, Lagniappe, Meat, Poultry
BBQ is Not a Verb https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ubTQfr_tyY&feature=youtu.be Really fun video about southern...
Mar 16, 2013 | Food, host, Meat
Kale with Chaurice and Pasta We have this most delicious Chaurice sausage by a company called “Frenchy’s” here in Houston. I happened to have a bunch of Kale on hand, and decided to look around for possibilities. Thanks to the people at...
Mar 15, 2013 | Food, host, Meat
Souvlakia #2 I did a version of Souvlakia today, and we were quite pleased. Ingredients 2 pounds pork country ribs; cut into 1″ dice 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup Soy sauce 1/4 vinegar black pepper salt onion powder garlic powder thyme basil oregano 1 yellow bell...
Jan 16, 2013 | Food, Meat
Carnitas Found this interesting approach to Carnitas. Tried it on Jan. 24th with country style ribs rather than a roast. I put most in a 2 liter corningware, and the rest in a small cast iron skillet. I covered both with foil. After 3 hours in a 250 F oven, the ribs...
Oct 18, 2012 | Food, Meat
Crock Pot "BBQ" A work mate of Sherry’s gave her this recipe, and I thought it looked promising. Haven’t tried this yet, and I probably will not put beef in mine. Thanks to Hanh Nguyen for this. Ingredients 1 1/2 lbs beef cubed stew meat...
Jul 6, 2012 | Food, Meat, Poultry, Sauces & Dressings
BBQ Sauce ala Emeril Looking for a recipe for BBQ pizza, I ran across one used by Emeril Lagasse. This isn’t exactly the way Emeril did it, but it’s close. We did this up tonight with some slow smoked pulled pork I did on the grill on the Fourth, and it...
Dec 4, 2011 | Food, Meat
Pan Seared Pork Chops Found a family pack of pork chops on sale, and decided to pan fry them. Turned out pretty good. Ingredients Sirloin Pork Chops (about 1/2″ thick or so) Salt Pepper Garlic Powder Oil Directions Heat (medium high)a few tablespoons of oil in a...
Nov 23, 2011 | Food, Meat
Chinese Pork Ribs I picked up some “Chinese” pork ribs at the Foodarama with the intention of cooking them in the crockpot. Just about every recipe I’ve seen calls for pork ribs to cook for 8 hours or so. I cooked these on low, and they were done in...
Sep 6, 2011 | Food, Lagniappe, Meat, Poultry, Soup, Veggies
One Pot Pressure Cooker Meal My mother gave me her old pressure cooker that must be at least 30 or 40 years old. I used it last night to stew some onions and peppers; and then added some shrimp and mussels. Turned out pretty darned good. Clean 3 or 4 mixed sweet...
Jul 25, 2011 | Food, Meat, ribs, Seafood
Chef Joel St. John Our across the street neighbor, Chef Joel St. John, is a real deal, award winning culinary professional. At first I was a bit daunted by the prospect of cooking for a real chef. The first meal I ever served him was my Kung Pao Shrimp, and I won him...
May 19, 2011 | Food, Meat, Veggies
Baked Kraut and Sausage Ingredients 2 lbs. Kielbasa; cut into 2″ pieces 8-10 sm. potatoes; cut into quarters or eighths 6 carrots; sliced 1 lg. can sauerkraut 1 onion; quartered and thinly sliced 2 tsp. granulated brown sugar 1 c. apple juice Directions Place...
Apr 10, 2011 | Casseroles, Food, Meat, Poultry
Huevos Rancheros There are probably a million ways to do this simple dish. You can make it as complicated as you like. Simple is easy and tasty. I like to “poach” the eggs on top of the salsa. If you wish to do this, use a pan with a lid. Ingredients 1...
Dec 20, 2010 | Food, Meat
Souvlakia – Marinated Pork, Peppers and Onions We used to do this a lot when we lived in Arkansas. For some reason, I think maybe I’ve not done this in the 12 years since we moved to Houston. Today, that changes. Ingredients 1.5 pounds pork stew meat; cut...
Dec 17, 2010 | Food, Meat, Soup
Taco Stew My friend, Kathy Jackson, served this at Vestry, and it was a hit. She kindly sent the recipe to a few of us who requested it. Thank you, Kathy! Ingredients 1 lb ground beef 1 medium onion, chopped 1 (15 1/4 oz) can whole-kernel corn, undrained 1 (10 oz) can...
Sep 23, 2010 | Food, Meat, Soup
Oxtail Stew Ingredients 4 pounds oxtails cut into 1″ pieces 3 T peanut oil 4 carrots; chopped 2 turnips; peeled and diced 4 stalks celery; diced 2 yellow onions; peeled and diced 3 cups stock 1 cup red wine 2 bay leaves 1 tsp thyme (dried) 1/2 cup par, parsley 1...
Sep 17, 2010 | Casseroles, Food, Meat
Dwayne’s Fettuccine with Bolognese Sauce My brother, Dwayne, prepared this meal for a family gathering at my Mom’s house tonight. It was a big hit. The “girls” loved it. (The “girls” are our cousins Vicky from St. Louis, and Betty...
Sep 5, 2010 | Food, Meat, Poultry, Soup
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo Ingredients 1 pound Andouille sausage ; diced 3 pounds Chicken ; leg quarters, skinned 1/2 teaspoon White pepper ; ground 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne 1/2 teaspoon Black pepper 1 teaspoon Salt 1 pound Frozen sliced okra (or fresh if you prefer) 4...
Jul 5, 2010 | Food, Meat
Dwayne’s Pork Ribs Dwayne does almost as good a job on ribs as Daddy used to do. I’ve found another recipe that is very similar to Dwayne’s. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Ingredients 2 racks Pork ribs2 cups Pineapple juiceDry Rub for RibsApple...
May 14, 2010 | Food, Meat, Soup
Black Beans with Pork Neck Bone Black Beans with Pork Neck Bone My mother gave us her old pressure cooker, and that’s how I cook these. I’m sure they’d be just as good slow cooked too, so don’t worry if you don’t have a pressure cooker....
Feb 11, 2010 | Casseroles, Food, Meat, Veggies
Rice, Sausage, and Mushroom Casserole Okay, I made this one up and had no idea where I was going with it, but I’m pleased with how it turned out. I was making stuffed mushrooms, and wound up wth more mushrooms than I needed. And I also happened to have some left...
Jan 31, 2010 | Food, Meat
Bacon Explosion Sounds weird, eh? My little brother turned me on to this, and I’m thinking about trying it. The New York Times featured this recipe recently, as did Good Morning America Update (February 1, 2009 – Super Bowl Sunday): I did it, and it...
Jan 27, 2010 | Food, Meat, Soup
Not So Irish Stew My mother recently gave us her old Mirror-matic pressure cooker, and we’ve had fun seeing what it will do. She still had the old 1970’s instruction and recipe booklet, and that’s where we got the idea for this recipe. We adapted it...
Dec 18, 2009 | Food, Meat
Grill Medley I fired up the Weber tonight and added some hickory chunks. I banked the fire on two sides, placed an aluminum drip pan in the center, and prepared a vegetable medley for the grill. Ingredients purple onion, peeled and sliced 3/8 inch thick 1/2 pound...
Oct 23, 2009 | Food, Meat, Poultry, Soup
Margaret’s Turkey Chili My friend, Margaret Wallace, served this “chili” to our vestry. I saw several people going back for seconds. Thank you, Margaret, for sharing this recipe. Ingredients 2 # ground turkey (Originally called for beef. Margaret...
Aug 5, 2009 | Food, Meat, Veggies
Boudin Stuffed Bell-Peppers Okay, I know that we usually see it spelled “Boudin,” but for some reason, Zummo’s spells it “Boudain.” I got this recipe off a package of their smoked “Boudain,” and it’s a real winner. Well,...
Jun 21, 2009 | Food, Meat
Memphis Style Pulled Pork When I moved away from Memphis, finding real BBQ became a challenge. I stopped in a little roadside BBQ and ordered a chopped smoked pork shoulder sandwich, and they didn’t have a clue what I was talking about. “You ain’t...
Jun 18, 2009 | Casseroles, Food, Meat, Salad
Nikki’s Ravioli & Tortellini Salad My good friend, Nikki Merritt, served this at one of our vestry meetings. It was a hit! Thank you, Nikki. Ingredients 1 (19 oz) pkg frozen cheese tortellini 1 (19 oz) pkg frozen cheese ravioli 1 ½ cups canola or olive oil ½...
May 26, 2009 | Food, Meat
Pork Roast (Continued) The roast turned out great. I put it on at 6:45 am, and didn’t look at it again until around 12:30 pm. In the meantime I decided to pick up two chickens for beer-can-chicken since I had a fire going. So about 2:00pm, I checked the roast...
May 25, 2009 | Food, grill, Meat, pork, posts, smoker, Southern
Memorial Day Pork Roast Just started a fire — 6:13 am. For a 4 pound shoulder, bone-in butt roast. I banked the fire on the opposite side away from the top vent. For more on slow-smoking on a Weber Kettle, go here. [To see how this turned out, go...
Mar 25, 2008 | Food, Meat, Seafood
Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya Back in Memphis, we had a cooking team called “Boogie-T-Roux & the Mempho Crew.” We cooked gumbo along side teams from Louisiana, Mississippi, and even some self-proclaimed Gar enthusiasts from Arkansas. The best we ever...
Mar 19, 2008 | Food, Meat, Poultry
Enchiladas Rancheros Ingredients 3 pounds chicken leg quarters ; skinned 1 pound Poblano Chile 1 pound tomatillo 1 onion ; diced 1 teaspoon salt 1 bay leaf 3 cups chicken broth 3 cloves garlic ; minced 1 or 2 cups cheddar cheese ; grated 1 or 2 cups of Swiss cheese;...
Mar 17, 2008 | Food, Meat, Poultry, Seafood, Soup
Joel’s Jambalaya Our neighbor, Joel St. John, is a chef by profession. Now and then he delights us by bringing something he’s just whipped up or by inviting us to his house to dine. This is not Joel’s recipe, but is my version of how to copy the...
Mar 15, 2008 | Food, Meat, Poultry
Mediterranean Meatloaf Ingredients 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes 10 ounces frozen spinach ; thawed and drained1/2 cup onion ; chopped1/4 cup feta cheese ; crumbled1 1/2 pounds Ground turkey 1 cup oatmeal 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon oregano 1/2 teaspoon...
Mar 7, 2008 | Casseroles, Food, Meat
Ingredients 12 ounces ground round burger1 onion ; chopped1 1/4 cups salsa1/2 cup black olive ; sliced1 cup frozen corn ; whole kernel, thawed1/2 teaspoon cumin4 cups cornbread ; crumbled1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese ; grated1/2 cup Light sour cream Instructions Heat oven...
Mar 5, 2008 | Food, Meat
Maple Glazed Ham Ingredients 7 pounds ham 1 1/2 cups maple flavored syrup 1 teaspoon Ginger ; powdered1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon allspice 16 cloves 10 ounces pineapple ; chunked8 ounces maraschino cherries ; bottled Instructions Remove thick skin if a strong...
Mar 4, 2008 | Food, Meat, Veggies
Flanagan Sauerkraut And Ribs Very tasty! Ingredients 32 ounces sauerkraut2 pounds pork rib1/4 cup brown sugar10 ounces Canned French Onion Soup Instructions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place meat on bottom of a 9 by 13 casserole dish. Cover with the drained...
Mar 3, 2008 | Food, Meat
Dwayne’s Ribs Dwayne does almost as good a job on ribs as Daddy did. Ingredients 2 racks Pork ribs 2 cups Pineapple juice Dry Rub for Ribs Apple cider Cooking Oil Instructions Rub ribs down with spicy BBQ rub and refrigerate over night. When fire is ready mist...
Mar 2, 2008 | Food, Meat
Indonesian Style Satay Pork Ingredients 2 pounds Pork1 tablespoon peanut oil3 tablespoon curry powder1/2 teaspoon red chili2 garlic ; minced2 onion1 tablespoon salt4 tablespoon lemon juice1 tablespoon honey Instructions Slice the meat into thin strips about 1/4 inch...
Mar 1, 2008 | Food, Meat, Soup
Mexican Style Pork Stew Delicious and easy!Ingredients2 pounds pork stew meat ; cubed1 large onion ; chopped4 cloves of garlic ; minced2 cups dried lentils or split green peas 14 ounces canned tomatoes ; pureed1 cup of raisins 3 tablespoons oil for pan frying 1...
Feb 28, 2008 | Food, Meat
Italian Sausage and Spinach Meatballs I adapted this recipe from The Frugal Gourmet cookbook by Jeff Smith. It really is easier to do on the smoker/grill than on the stove top. I’m sure they’d do just fine in a hot oven too. We have fun with them every...
Feb 27, 2008 | Food, Meat, Sauces & Dressings
Italian Sausage Spaghetti Sauce My son frequently asks for this one. Not your typical “church spaghetti.” Ingredients 1 pound Italian sausage 1 yellow onion; chopped 2 cloves of garlic; minced 1 or 2 14 ounce cans of diced tomatoes 1 8-ounce can of tomato sauce 1/2...
Feb 26, 2008 | Food, Meat, Soup
Lamb and Artichoke Stew Ingredients4 tablespoon butter 2 pounds lamb 3 yellow onion ; chopped2 garlic ; minced1/2 cup parsley salt and pepper 1 can tomato paste 1 cup dry white wine 2 cans artichoke 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed 3 tablespoon lemon juice...
May 28, 2007 | Food, Meat
Southern Pulled-Pork Sandwiches (Oven) Pork shoulder, a well-marbled cut available at most supermarkets, turns tender after long, slow cooking. Spice rub and vinegar give it that “southern” touch. Ingredients 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar1/2 to 1...
