Corned Beef Brisket with Sauerkraut and Potatoes

1 Corned beef brisket, 2.5 to 3 lbs
1 medium onion, sliced
32 oz. sauerkraut (bag of refridgerated kraut if you can get it)
2 lbs. small red potatoes (smallest you can find)
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
12oz. beer (not light beer - regular Budweiser works fine)
1 bay leaf
ground black pepper to taste
spicy brown mustard or horseradish (optional)

Place the corned beef, fat side down, in a 3qt. or larger slow cooker. If the brisket comes with spices, seal them in a fabric spice bag and place on top of the brisket. Add the onions, sauerkraut, and potatoes. Season with pepper and allspice. Pour in the beer, and nestle a bay leaf in the center. Cover and cook for 4-5 hrs. on high or 8-10 hrs. on low. Discard the bay leaf. Discard the onions if you don't want them.

Lift the potatoes with a slotted spoon and arrange them around the perimenter of a serving platter. Mound the sauerkraut in the center. Transfer the beef to a cutting board and cut into thick slices. Arrange on top of the sauerkraut, and spoon some of the cooking liquid over the meat. Serve with spicy brown mustard or horseradish if desired.

Chicken Salad

There are a lot of bad chicken salad recipes out there. This, however, is NOT one of them. And don't let the curry powder drive you away; a good friend of mine who doesn't like curry liked this recipe. My favorite store-bought curry powder is McCormick Gourmet Collection Curry Powder.

This recipe comes from my maternal grandmother, Mary Helen Turpin of Bastrop, LA.

Servings: 6 to 8

5 c. cooked chicken chopped fine
(about 1.75 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast)
2 tsp. grated onion (I grate it with a cheese grater)
1 c. minced celery
1/4 c. capers
1/4 c. heavy cream (or half & half)
2/3 c. mayonnaise (light mayo optional)
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. curry powder (yellow, not red)
1 Tbsp. tarragon vinegar
1/2 c. toasted silvered almonds
(Optional) 4 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Instructions: Mix it good.

If you're not serving this immediately, you can combine all except almonds and eggs in a large bowl and refrigerate overnight. Then add almonds and eggs right before serving.

Ham Casserole

2 lbs lean ham cut into cubes (3 cups)
2 Tbs. butter
2 (8oz) cans tomato sauce
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 T. sugar
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper

Mix all above in sauce pan and simmer and stir about 15 min.

1 (8 oz) package wide egg noodles
8 oz. block cream cheese (not low fat)
1 c. (8oz) sour cream
1 small bunch green onions chopped
1 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese

Cook noodles till barely tender and drain. Mix cream cheese, sour cream, onions. Spoon noodles into an 11x7 glass baking dish. Mound cream cheese mixture over it spreding top with tomato sauce mixture. Sprinkle cheddar over the top. Bake at 350 for 30 min.

Mamaw Thomas' Cornbread Dressing

Same as before. You can't improve on perfection.
Both of these recipes are from my paternal grandmother, Verdell LaForge Thomas of Bastrop Louisiana.


1 cornbread
2 stalks of celery (chopped)
1 onion (white or yellow)
1 can cream of chicken soup

Crumble cornbread in a large mixing bowl. After crumbling, it should look something like a big bowl of couscous. Saute celery and onion in skillet. Mix celery and onion with crumbled cornbread in the mixing bowl. Warm a can of Cream of Chicken soup with 1 can of water in skillet then mix into dressing. Pour into buttered 9x13 aluminum pan – cut slits into dressing with knife before baking.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 min.

Mamaw Thomas' Cornbread

You don't tug on Superman's cape. You don't spit into the wind. You don't pull the mask off the ole Lone Ranger. And you don't mess around with Mamaw Thomas' Cornbread. This one is straight from the source - no tweaking is done here because none is needed. And yes, I prefer cornbread plain. No jalapenos, no onions, no whole or creamed corn. No excuses.


1 1/2 c. Martha White’s self-rising corn meal
1 Tbs. oil (corn, canola, vegetable, etc)
2 eggs
1 1/4 c. buttermilk
1/2 tsp. baking powder (newer is better)

Preheat oven at 400 deg.
Beat eggs before adding them to the rest of the ingrediants in a medium sized bowl, mixing well. Grease and flour skillet and pour mixture into it.

Bake 20-30 min.

Chocolate Chip Cake

I'm not sure who came up with this recipe. I think I've seen it or something close to it on a box of yellow cake mix. It's a good recipe for "we'll bring dessert" times like church small groups. This was also the groom's cake at our wedding.


1 box yellow cake mix
1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix
1 (8 oz) carton sour cream
3/4 C. oil
3/4 C. water
3 eggs
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Place cake mix and pudding mix into a large mixing bowl. Mix with fork to break up clumps. In another medium bowl, mix water, oil and eggs using an electric mixer. Pour on top of dry ingredients and blend with mixer. And sour cream and continue mixing. When smooth, fold in chocolate chips with a spatula. Pour batter into a greased an floured bundt pan (we use Pam for baking) and bake at 350 deg. for 50-60 minutes.

Steph's Recipes

Steph has a few of our favorite recipes on her blog, and rather than redoing them, I'll just link to them. We made the peach glazed spare ribs for July 4th.

Steph's Recipes

French Bread Pizza

This is not a traditional pizza by any means, but it is a very good and very easy dish. It is an original creation (with minimal tweaking by Steph and me) of my mother, Fay Thomas of Bastrop, LA


1 loaf bakery French Bread, sliced as if making a giant po-boy

Topping:
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 stick melted butter
1/2 c. mayonnaise (low-fat optional)
6 green onions chopped
1 small can sliced black olives
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Mix topping ingredients in a bowl and spread on cut faces of bread. Place both slices on aluminum foil, topping side up, and bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes at 350.

Note: This is also tasty with traditional pizza toppings and sauce in place of the olives, green onion, mayo and butter.

North Louisiana Etouffee

The purists will say that a real etouffee doesn't use cream of mushroom or chicken. They'd call it a stew or something. Whatever. I call it delicious. And don't let the name fool you; this dish has received praise from true Baton Rouge natives!

1 green bell pepper
1 bunch green onions
2 stalks celery
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cans Ro-Tel tomatoes
2 15oz. cans tomato sauce
1.5 tsp. Zatarain's liquid crab boil
3 lbs peeled boiled shrimp
cooked rice

Saute vegetables in butter. Over medium heat, mix in the other ingredients except the shrimp. When everything is thoroughly mixed, add the shrimp.

Serve over rice with garlic French bread and Italian green salad.

Triple 'S' Chili

This is a recipe of my own making. Let's see how it does at the chili cook-off tomorrow. **UPDATE** It won the Hottest Chili Recipe award




Serves: 6

1st: Sweet – the ketchup gives a mildly sweet taste right off the spoon
2nd: Savory – the andouille and chorizo add bold savory flavors
3rd: Spicy – the chorizo spices and the Creole seasoning give a spicy kick

1 lb. andouille, sliced
15 oz. La Preferida hot chorizo
1 lb. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
¼ cup chili powder
2 Tbs. Creole seasoning (see below)
2 10 oz. cans Rotel Original (not drained)
2 8 oz. cans Hunt's tomato sauce
¼ cup Hunt's ketchup

Brown the andouille with the chorizo and ground beef in a large stock pot till it's all fully cooked. Drain the fat.

Add the chopped onion and continue cooking till the onion starts to become translucent, stirring frequently. Stir in the chili powder and Creole seasoning and cook another two minutes. Add the Rotel, tomato sauce, and ketchup and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium/low and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Serve over crushed chips with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and green onions.



Creole Seasoning Blend
from: http://www.gumbopages.com/food/creole.html

• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano leaves
• 2 tablespoons dried sweet basil
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon white pepper
• 1 tablespoon (or less) cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon celery seed
• 5 tablespoons sweet paprika

Southern Style Sweet Tea

6 individual sized bags of Community Tea
3 quarts of water
1 cup sugar

Bring water to a rolling boil. Turn off heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Put in tea bags and let steep for 7 minutes. Remove tea bags. Add sugar and stir.


Version 2
2009-07-05

I think this one is much better.

1 quart water
5 individual sized bags of community Tea
1/2 cup sugar

(same directions as above)

Pork Chops with Mushrooms

This is a recipe Steph invented that is quite easy and quite good. I imagine that we'll add to it and develop it some more.

about 5 pork chops
1 medium onion chopped big
8 oz. fresh mushrooms (sliced)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
about 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Arrange pork chops in a single layer in an oven safe pan (e.g. a 9x13). Drizzle Worcestershire sauce over each chop.

Saute onion and mushrooms in olive oil. Add salt and pepper. When it is through sauteing, turn off heat and stir in cream of mushroom soup. Let cool for a few minutes.

Pour onion/mushroom mixture over pork chops. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes.

Chicken Broccoli Curry

This is not a "real" curry, but it's still very good. It's one of my favorite casseroles and it reheats well.

Fay and James Thomas
Servings: 8

6 chicken breasts or 2 whole chickens
2 bunches fresh broccoli chopped or 2 packages frozen broccoli (14 oz each)
2 cans Campbells Healthy Request cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp. curry powder (McCormic Gourmet Collection recommended)
4 oz (1/2 can) cornbread stuffing mix (not herbed)
1/2 stick butter (not softened)

Boil the chicken in a large stock pot until fully cooked and remove with a slotted spoon. Chop the meat into medium to small pieces. Heat up the broccoli in the leftover chicken stock till it's no longer crunchy. Drain and set the cooked broccoli aside.

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, soups, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and curry powder, mixing well after each addition.

Put the broccoli into a 9x13 baking dish and top with chicken sauce mixture. Sprinkle the cornbread stuffing on top. Slice the butter into about 6 pieces, and place these on top of the cornbread stuffing.

Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes.

French Onion Soup

This is a recipe that I originally got from copykat.com. I added more flour to thicken it up.

Serves 6 to 8

3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. spreadable butter (e.g. country crock)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 lbs. medium yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp. sugar
salt to taste
1 tbsp. flour + (1/4) cup
8 C. beef stock (or 7 cans Campbells beef consomme)
2 C. dry white wine (e.g. Chardonnay)
1 tsp. beef bouillon
Freshly ground black pepper
4 hamburger buns
8 slices of provolone cheese

Over medium heat melt the regular butter and the olive oil in a large stock pot. Add onions, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent. Uncover and increase heat to high. Add sugar and salt. Saute, stirring often, until onions are a deep golden brown. Reduce heat to medium and mix in 1 tbsp. flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add about 2 cups of stock and stir to blend, then add the remaining stock and wine. With a fork, mix together the remaining 1/4 cup flour with 2 cups of the soup in a small bowl until smooth. Add this to the soup. Add the bouillon. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush hamburger buns with the spreadable butter and brown in the oven. In small oven proof bowls, put in one bun half, and then fill bowl with soup. Add one slice of provolone to the top, and place bowls in a baking dish, and place into oven. Remove and serve when the cheese has toasted.

Broccoli Soup

This is a fine recipe from my mom that I edited a bit.

1 bunch fresh broccoli
3 stalks celery chopped
1 medium onion chopped
3 carrots chopped fine
8 oz. fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cans chicken broth
1 qt. milk 2%
1/2 lb. velveeta cheese sliced
1/2 lb. cheddar cheese sliced

Chop broccoli into small pieces. In a large stock pot, melt butter and sauté onion, celery, carrots, & mushrooms over high heat. When onion starts to become clear, add broccoli and sauté for 5 minutes. Add flour and stir, lowering the heat. Add chicken broth, milk, & cheese. Cook over very low heat, stirring frequently since this burns very easily. Serve when the cheese has melted.

Alternatively, after stirring in the flour, transfer everything to a slow cooker (3 qt. or larger). Then add broth, milk and cheese and cook covered on high until the cheese has melted (about an hour).

Brownies

This is the very first thing I learned to cook on my own, and I still make it from time to time. If I remember correctly, this recipe is from Margaret Chevallier of Monroe, LA.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter (softened)
1/4 cup cocoa
2 cup sugar
1+(1/3) cup flour
2 tsp. vanillia
1 cup nuts (optional)
4 eggs

Mix all ingrediants in bowl and pour in a 9x13 greased and floured pan. Bake at 400 for 20-30 min. (Bake at 350 if you use margarine instead of butter)

Boiled Shrimp

In response to Ray's comment, I'm planning to post more recipies and cooking related things to this blog. Last night Steph and I had a shrimp boil.

The most important thing is to not overcook the shrimp. They cook very quickly and are not very good if overdone. Five minutes is enough if you drop room temperature shrimp into boiling water. Icing them down allows the shrimp to soak up more spice without overcooking and may make them easier to peel. If you use more or less water, adjust the spices accordingly. To cook veggies like corn or potatoes, boil them first since they will take much longer, then just use the same spicy water for the shrimp.

If you have leftover shrimp, it can be refrigerated for a few days and is still quite tasty when cold.

Serves 2 to 3

4 lbs fresh gulf shrimp, head on (if you can't get head on shrimp, use 3 lbs head off)
2 qt water
1/2 cup Zatarains Crab & Shrimp Boil (dry)
2 Tbsp. Zatarains Concentrated Shrimp & Crab Boil (liquid)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
8 cups ice

Put the water in a large stock pot and add the seasonings and lemon juice. (This will have a very strong "sinus clearing" type smell, so I suggest using a vent hood if you're cooking this indoors.) Bring to a boil and put in the shrimp for 3 to 5 minutes. If you're worried about undercooking, take out a single large shrimp and inspect for doneness. Drain about half of the water out and then ice it down. Let the shrimp soak about 10 minutes or until they are spicy enough. Drain with a collender and serve.

Garlic butter:
Melt 1 stick of butter melted with 1 tsp. garlic powder.

Tartar sauce:
Mix 1/2 cup mayonnaise with 2 Tbsp. sweet pickle relish, 1 tsp. onion powder, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.


This goes great with texas garlic toast and cold beer.

Thai Crispy Chili Fish

1 can (14 oz) Thai Kitchen coconut milk
1/2 tsp. Thai Kitchen red curry paste (more for spicer sauce)
1 small carrot sliced
1 bell pepper chopped large
1/4 cucumber sliced thin
1 tbsp. Thai Kitchen fish sauce
1 cup rice (uncooked)
2 catfish fillets

With a fork, mix together 2 tbsp. of the coconut milk with the curry paste in a small bowl until smooth. Add this to the rest of the coconut milk in a small sauce pan. Add veggies and fish sauce and warm over low heat, stirring often. Continue warming until just boiling.

Fry fish however you like to fry fish. Cook rice however you like to cook rice.

Layer: rice then fish then sauce.

Pad Thai Sauce

Servings: This is enough sauce for about 2 batches of my Pad Thai recipe. Unused sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days.


Version 1
15 oz. Hunts tomato sauce
1 Tbs Tamarind Sauce (I use Neera's Asian Tamarind Sauce)
1/2 cup sugar
6 Tbs (=3/8 cup) fish sauce (I use Thai Kitchen Premium Fish Sauce)
2 Tbs Soy Sauce (the ratio of soy and fish sauce can be adjusted)

Heat up tomato sauce in a small sauce pan. Add sugar and stir. Continue heating till sugar is completely dissolved. Add tamarind, fish, and soy sauces, and stir. Heat till just boiling, and remove from heat. Let cool.

Pad Thai

Servings: 4 large portions



Version 1
1 carrot
4 green onions
1 cup fresh bean sprouts (or 15 oz. canned)
1/4 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts
1 egg
~ 1/4 cup light tasting olive oil (or margarine or butter)
1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast or thigh
salt
pepper
8 oz. Thai rice noodles
1/3 cup Pad Thai sauce

Beforehand:
Peal carrot and grate. Chop green onions into small pieces. If using canned bean sprouts, drain. Combine the carrot, green onions, and bean sprouts in a medium bowl (you don't have to mix). Chop peanuts fine using a spice mill or coffee bean grinder.

Boil chicken in a medium pan, seasoning with salt and pepper. While chicken is cooking, scramble egg in 1 tbsp. oil in large wok or pan. Remove cooked egg and combine with carrot etc. When chicken is fully cooked, remove chicken from broth and let cool. Put noodles in hot broth (turn off the burner) and let it slowly cook.

Once chicken is cool enough to handle, cut into small strips or bite-size pieces. Put 3 tbsp. oil into the same wok or pan as used with the egg and heat. Once oil is medium hot, saute chicken for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Check noodles for Al Dente tenderness. If the noodles are still too firm, turn on burner and cook lightly. Drain noodles and put them and the pad thai sauce into wok with chicken and stir.

Cook for 5 to 10 minutes on medium heat, stirring often. If noodles stick to the bottom of the wok, add more oil. Add carrot, green onion, bean sprouts, and scrambled egg. Cook another 5 minutes. Add a dash of chopped peanut to each serving.

Parmigiano Reggiano

This is a collection of Italian advertisements (SFW of course) for Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. This is the cheese that American cheesemakers try to copy in the familar "parmesan" cheese. If you ever taste the real Italian cheese, you will lose all respect for the American knock-offs.

Warning: the commercials have a very catchy tune




My favorite frame is this one:

How to have a successful crawfish boil

We just hosted our first crawfish boil and I'm happy to say it was a great success.

I didn't know much about boiling crawfish two months ago, but after helping out at a boil and being very inquisitive, I was able to learn a lot. I present to you, the reader, my observations.

How to boil a 30 to 40 lb bag of crawfish (aka, boiled crawfish recipe)

Prep time: 30 min.; Cook Time: 1 hour; Servings: 8 - 10



This is slightly modified from a recipe I got from Janet Simmons of Baton Rouge, LA.

Ingredients:
30 to 40 lb. bag of live crawfish
1 to 2 lb sausage
6 ears of corn
1 medium bag of new red potatoes
½ lb fresh mushrooms
4.5 lbs Zatarain’s dry crab boil (1 large jar)
2 containers salt, 1 lb. 10 oz. each (plus 1 cup for purging)
¼ cup cayenne pepper (for more spicy crawfish, use ½ cup)
½ cup garlic powder
1 cup minced garlic (not dry)
2 cup lemon juice
2 whole bunches celery
½ gallon Zatarain’s liquid crab boil concentrate (in South Louisiana, you can get this in gallon jugs)
5 lemons

Other stuff you’ll need:
80 quart or larger stock pot and basket with burner and propane tank (I have the Bayou Classic 80 Quart Aluminum Stock Pot.)
Large ice chest or plastic bin for purging
Wooden paddle or 1x4 for stirring
Large scoop for serving
Beer trays for serving


Preparation (can be done a few hours before cooking):
Cut up the sausage up however you desire. Cut each ear of corn in half with a sharp knife. Wash mushrooms and cut off ends. Quarter lemons. Cut ends off of celery bunches. Mix together dry ingredients (dry crab boil, salt, cayenne, and garlic powder) in very large bowl. Put sausage, corn, potatoes, and mushrooms in another large bowl. Alternatively, the vegetables (minus the celery) can be tied up and boiled in pantyhose to keep them together.

Fill stock pot a little more than half full with water and heat to boiling on propane burner. This should take about 20 minutes.

While the water’s heating up, purge the crawfish. To purge, open the bag and dump live crawfish into ice chest or large plastic bin and fill with water until most crawfish are under water. Be careful when handling live crawfish – they will use their pinchers if they’re given the chance! Put about 1 cup salt (not quite half of a 1 lb. 10 oz. salt container) over the crawfish and stir gently. Leave the crawfish in the salt water for now.

When the water in the stock pot comes to a rolling boil, put dry ingrediants in. Squeeze lemon quarters over pot and drop into the water (be careful for hot water splashback). Add minced garlic, lemon juice, celery, and liquid crab boil concentrate. Return to a rolling boil.

While the spicy water is reheating, carefully put purged crawfish into stock pot basket and wash crawfish well.

Once the spicy water is again boiling, carefully put the stock pot basket into the stock pot. Put vegetables into the pot and cover. Stir occassionally. Once water is again boiling (in about 3 minutes), boil for about 7 minutes. Crawfish should be floating to the top. Turn off burner and uncover halfway (or put half a bag of ice in the pot and uncover completely - see below). Let stand for about 20 5 minutes for crawfish and vegetables to soak in spices. Individual crawfish can be removed and tasted for spiciness and texture. The longer the crawfish soak, the less chewy and slightly more spicy they will be. If they soak too long, they will get all crumbly and will be hard to peel. Remove stock pot basket from water and serve.

One of our guests made a suggestion and I've also heard this from Mrs. Simmons - put half a bag of ice in the pot immediately after boiling, and let the crawfish soak in the cooler water. This is supposed to contract the meat and make it firmer and easier to peel. Plus, you can let the crawfish soak longer. I think I'll try this next time.