Deviled Eggs
April 15, 2008 - Written by Buff
Ingredients 12 eggs 1 cup of mayonnaise 1/2 cup Webber’s horseradish mustard [any other pedestrian brand will be ok] 1 TBSP dill weed
Paprika for color and a little bit extra flavor.
Method:
- Hard boil the eggs – for perfect hard-boiled eggs, place all of the eggs in a pan, cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil. Remove from heat and cover. Let sit for 20 minutes. Drain and cool eggs.
- Peel the eggs and cut the eggs in half lengthwise, place whites on a platter to serve, yolks go in to a mixing bowl.
- Add mayo, mustard and dill week to the egg yolks. Mix well.
- Transfer mix to your favorite pastry press. Press mixture into stars into the circle part of the white. If you don’t care to get that fancy, just spoon the mixture out.
- 2 pounds salmon filets
- 1 quart water
- 8 oz soy sauce
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup honey
- …
What I’m digging…my Big Green Egg
March 25, 2008 - Written by Buff
“What? You’ve never heard of the Big Green Egg? Holy Jeebus. WAYSA?” This is what I want to say to people. This is by far the best outside cooking device known to mankind. When we moved to Florida I purchased a nice sized regular grill and thought that it would suffice. Then I was looking through some old files on the computer and …well to make a long story even longer…I bought one. And then I got the bug…the BGE bug.
My poor grill. It’s only used now as a workhorse for bulk or pedestrian items such as hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken wings.
My lovely ceramic piece of art cookware takes on the rest of my grilling and roasting work. I’ve made beef jerky, smoked fish, roasted pork and grilled chicken. All of these meats come out extremely tasty, with a nice natural smoke flavor and very succulent. From the published material, I understand you can do breads and pizza in it, but I haven’t gotten there yet.
There is one down side. It’s very expensive. My medium sized BGE was about $800.
Mine is a medium sized, but I am going to keep my eye out for an extra large.
Pork Loins
March 22, 2008 - Written by Buff
I guess I could combine this recipe with two what I’m digging…because I sure do dig my Big Green Egg and I sure dig the alligator juniper wood smokiness. I’ll just post this recipe and in another blog entry will
fawn all overpost more information about my BGE and the alligator juniper. I like making pork loins on the BGE because they come out so moist and tender and smokey.The Rub
6 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons hershey’s cocoa
2 tablespoons chipotle
2 tablespoons black pepper
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon garlic powder
What I’m Digging…Cholula Seasoning
March 22, 2008 - Written by Buff
Oh my goodness … if you know me then you know how much I love my spicy food. I am digging on the Cholula Original Seasoning because it’s hot sauce in a powdered format. If you like your hot sauce, then this is for you.
According to the web site, http://cholula.com/, it’s big on flavor and not on salt!
Premium coarse ground ingredients lets you see, taste and smell the generous bits of signature spices without the overwhelming saltiness or heat found in other seasonings.
Captures the Flavorful Fire of Cholula Hot Sauce with an exclusive blend of coarse ground peppers, garlic, onion and spices. It’s a wonderful flavor enhancement to steak, burgers, chicken, seafood, pizza, french fries, eggs and omelets. As an ingredient it gives soups, sauces and marinades a zesty delicious flavor distinction.
And it sure is all that. I made breakfast this morning and used it liberally in my scrambled eggs. It was dee-lish.
Red Beans
February 16, 2008 - Written by Buff
This is one of my favorite recipes and it generally goes over pretty well, especially when the weather is not so great. Since it’s one of those foods that cooks all day, it permeates the house and makes you hungry for it all day — not IT — the food, you knucklehead. This is the food that forever converted my good friend, Renee, to eating spicy food. She loves it and that’s a great endorsement. I’m canning the bulk of this for her and for me sometime later!
If you want to serve this as a vegetarian meal, just don’t put in the sausage and remove a cup of the broth.
Black Beans
February 9, 2008 - Written by Buff
Black Beans
This is a variation of my red beans and rice recipe. It’s thick and hearty and my good friend Renee tells me that this is perfect hangover food. Since she’s a veteran of many a hangover, I believe her. Reminder: you should soak the beans over night!
Ingredients:
1 pound dry black beans
4 cups vegetable broth [can substitute chicken, if you’re not a vegan]
6 cups of water
3 14 ounce cans of petite diced tomatoes
1 jalapeño – minced [if you don’t like spicy, don’t add]
1 Vidalia onion – chopped
½ pound of sliced mushrooms
1 green pepper – chopped
1 TBLS ground chipotle
1 TSP dry mustard
4 or 5 stalks of cilantro
1 can sweet yellow corn
Salt and pepper to taste
Corned Beef Dinner
January 25, 2008 - Written by Buff
This is one of my favorite meals and I get to cook it only once or twice a year – once on St. Patrick’s Day [March 17th for those not in the know] and again when either the mood strikes me or I have special guests. Well, the other day we had special guests in and not only did I make this special dinner, we actually sat at the Dining Room table!
Applesauce
January 20, 2008 - Written by Buff
It’s easy and it’s healthy and it’s tasty. My mother showed me how to do this years ago and I prefer it over any brand name sauce. I make a batch especially for roasted pork or turkey as an alternative to the jelled cranberry crap that everyone serves. An added bonus? It sure makes the house smell nice.
…
What I am Digging: Old Bay Seasoning
April 15, 2008 - Written by Buff
If you’ve been to Maryland, you will know this spice. You may not know it by name, but it is the spice of choice if you’ve had Maryland Steamed Crabs, Maryland Crab Soup and Crab Cakes. All other seafood seasonings pale in comparison. I really dig this spicy mix a lot.
I use it in my tuna macaroni salad to give it extra zip. Add about a tablespoon to a pound of pasta.
I use it on French Fries – And I am not talking about typical fast food type of French Fries – I’m talking about the big thick fries that you make at home. Before sprinkling Old Bay on them, I add a dash of malt vinegar.
I use it on Sweet Potato Fries and breakfast potatoes.
I use it on chicken wings. In place of Buffalo wing sauce, I make a mixture of butter and Old Bay and enjoy my home town treat a little differently.
Smoked Salmon
April 5, 2008 - Written by BuffWe get quite a bit of seafood here in Florida and I have used this brine on Grouper and Mahi Mahi. However, there is nothing quite like the flavor of smoked salmon. I smoke it in my Big Green Egg using charcoal and two chunks of Alligator Juniper [props to my friend, Eddie in Arizona]. Brining will take from six to twelve hours, depending on the thickness of the salmon. Salmon over one inch thick should brine for eight to twelve hours. For thinner salmon, six to eight hours is fine.
Ingredients:
