Boudin Empanadas with a Creole Aioli Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:
1 link of your favorite boudin
1 package of premade frozen empanada dough
Oil for frying

For the sauce:
Mix all of the following in a bowl
1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup Creole mustard
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon jalapeno juice from pickled jalapenos
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 large clove of garlic

Make the sauce a few hours in advance so it has time to season.

1. Let the empanada dough come to room temperature before handling, they are much easier to handle the warmer the dough becomes.

2. Split open the boudin from the casing, then take about 2-3 ounces and squeeze into a ball. Then put it in the middle of an empanda dough round. Then fold it over and crimp the ends with a fork. Repeat the process until you're out of empanda dough. I was able to use an entire link of boudin for all 10 empanda dough rounds. I also added some small blocks of gouda cheese in them!

3. Fill up you preferred frying vessel with about an inch of oil and heat up to 350 degrees.

4. Once the oil is heated add 2 of the empandas to the oil at a time, cook about 1-2 minutes per side. It all depends on how crunchy or chewy you like them to be. Once done cooking set on a rack to drain the oil.

5. Once all done serve with creole ailoi and enjoy!

Venison Ragu

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs venison back strap, sliced 1/4” thick

1 medium sweet onion chopped

1 red bell pepper sliced

1 Tbsp minced garlic

16 oz baby bella mushrooms sliced

Fresh basil

3/4 cup red wine (only use wine that you’re willing to drink)

3/4 cup oil (I used coconut oil as I like the clean taste it produces)

1/2 cup flour

2 Tbsp butter

48 oz. Marinara sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

1/2 tsp salt

Shaved parmesan cheese for topping

Rigatoni Pasta

Instructions:

Mix the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a bowl. Then using a meat mallet thin out the venison by hitting each side a few times. Heat up the oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once the oil heats up then lightly dredge the meat in the flour and fry on each side about 2-3 minutes. Do not over crowd the pot as it will take the temp of the oil down to low. Once the meat is done cooking set on a cooling rack and set aside.

Discard any leftover oil in the pot but don’t pour out those little tidbits from when frying the venison. Add in the butter and 1/4 of the wine to deglaze the pot over medium heat. Then add in the onion, sauté until they start to sweat, then add the bell peppers. Once the onions become translucent add in the garlic and cook for 3 minutes.

Add in the mushrooms, three sliced basil leaves and all of the sauce. I had two jars of sauce and using a 1/4 cup of wine in each jar, close the lid, shake to get all of the rest of the sauce out and pour into the pot. Bring everything to a simmer and add the meat back into to pot. Stir, cover, and simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom. I like to cook the venison until it’s for tender, not falling apart but to where it takes little effort to cut the meat. I like to be able to use tongs to grab the meat and it not fall apart.

Cook pasta per the instructions, put the pasta on a plate, add some of the shaved parmesan on top of the pasta, top with a few pieces of the venison, add sauce to the top of it, top with more parmesan if you want, and garnish with more sliced basil. Pour a glass of the leftover wine and enjoy.

Chile Verde Pork Stew

Ingredients: 

 2 lbs tomatillos, paper skin removed and sliced in half
1 large sweet onion, diced
8 cloves peeled garlic
3 jalapenos sliced in half, seeded and ribs removed
2 poblano peppers
4 lbs of boston butt, cut into 2" cubes
1 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Instructions: 

1. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Place the tomatillos, onion, and garlic on a baking sheet. Roast until softened and golden-brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. When done put vegetables in a food processor and set aside.

2. Turn the broiler to high, place the jalapenos and poblanos on a baking sheet. Broil until charred and blistered, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the peppers to a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let the peppers sit for about 10 minutes until cool enough to handle. Then rover the skin from the jalapenos, the seeds, stem and seeds from the poblano peppers. Then add the peppers and cilantro to the food processor, then blend the sauce until smooth.

3. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Season the pork with salt and pepper to your liking and brown each side of the meat in small batches. Only 2 to 3 minutes per side and then put the meat in a croc pot.

4. Once the meat is all done then pour the sauce over the meat and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours/high 4 to 5 hours.

5. Serve with corn tortillas, cheese, cilantro, sliced onion and sliced avocado. Or replace the corn tortillas with cooked rice.

Mexico Chiquito Punch

A buddy of mine sent me this recipe and it's a great punch for any party as it makes over a gallon per recipe. You can make it for all ages or add some rum to make it feel you're down on the beach somewhere. It is a very sugary drink, so have some club soda on hand to dilute it a little bit. However, I'd suggest tasting it first to see how much you would want to add.

Ingredients:

1 can (46 ounce) pineapple juice
1 liter grenadine syrup
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
5 quarts of fresh made tea

After brewing the tea add in the sugar so that it will properly dissolve. Once the sugar dissolves in the tea then add the rest of the ingredients in a container that holds at least 2 gallons. Serve over ice and enjoy feeling like you're on the beach somewhere.

Grilled Chicken Wings with Alabama White Sauce

Chicken Wings:
3 lbs Chicken Wings
2 tsp. olive or vegetable oil
2 Tsp Fiesta brand Chicken Rub

Pour oil and seasoning over wings and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Alabama White Sauce:
1/3 cup of mayonnaise
3 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 Tbsp prepared horseradish
4 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp Creole Mustard
1 tsp coarsely ground pepper
1/4 tsp sugar
1 finely grated garlic clove

Whisk all ingredients together and refrigerate for one hour.

1. Light 1 side of the grill, heating to 350 to 400 degrees, leave other side unlit.
2. Place chicken on unlit side, cook for 15 minutes covered, flip and then cook for 15 minutes. Then move wings to lit side and cook until skin is crispy to your liking.
3. Toss wings immediately in sauce and serve.

Pesto Alfredo Pasta with Jumbo Lump Crab

Ingredients:
7 oz Pesto of your choice
1 package Pasta of your choice
1 can Miller's Select Jumbo Lump Crab Meat (or whatever brand your local store carries)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
9 oz fresh baby spinach leaves
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese as garnish

Steps:
1. Boil pasta in salted water.
2. In large deep skillet heat cream, crab, and pesto over medium heat, season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Once pasta is finishing boiling, drain and add into skillet with pesto cream sauce and cook until mixed thoroughly. Toss with fresh spinach leaves and garnish with parmesan cheese.
4. I took mine to the next level and added a lobster tail only because they were on sale. 

French Fry Dipping Sauce

This is a recipe I created on my own, this is a more creamy and zingy dipping sauce for your fries. It doesn't take long to make and actually could be used as a spread for a hamburger.

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons A.1. Steak Sauce
1 tablespoon of minced sweet onion
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

In a small pan saute the onions on low hear until the are translucent. In a small bowl mix all the ingredients well and then refrigerate at least for an hour. The longer it has a chance to season the better it will taste. This will make about one cups worth of dipping sauce. 

Extremely Cheesy Sour Cream Chicken Enchilada's

I got the original recipe from a friend of mine but I added in some changes to make it for the better. This is a rib sticking enchilada recipe that will make you want to take a nap after eating a couple of these.

Ingredients:

1 lb. cubed chicken breast
1 sliced orange bell pepper
1 sliced green bell pepper
1 poblano pepper sliced 
1/2 medium sized sweet onion sliced
2 clove garlic chopped
2 blocks cream cheese
4 cups shredded Monterrey jack cheese
8 ounces sour cream
2 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
3 tablespoon Fiesta Brand Southwest Fajita Seasoning
1 dozen 6"-8" flour tortillas - I can get a flour/corn tortilla at my local grocery store which work great
Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a medium sized pot over medium heat add in chicken, seasonings and all the vegetables, cook until chicken is cooked. By the time the chicken is cooked through all the vegetables will be sauteed to perfection. Next take the heat down to low and add in both blocks of cream cheese, two cups of cheese, and sour cream. You will need to stir until all the cheese has melted thoroughly, this should take about 10 minutes. At this point the mix will be a real thick sludge, so you will want to slowly add in the chicken broth, a few ounces at a time. You will want to get the consistency to a nice thick gravy, if it's too thin it won't hold together once you have baked it. Next grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish and get ready to start rolling. On a small plate lay a tortilla and add in about a 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of the mixture, then roll it and begin your row in the casserole dish. Some of the mixture will fall out, it's will be fine. You will not be able to make two rows of enchiladas that are parallel to each other, to fill the void you will have to lay the last few enchiladas perpendicular  to the others. Once you have completed rolling the enchiladas, use the remains of the mixture and pour it on top of the enchiladas, be sure to cover any exposed tortilla so it wont burn in the oven. With the remaining 2 cups of cheese, sprinkle it on top and put it in the oven for 15 minutes. Once the time has finished you should see the mixture bubbling around the edges, then turn your oven onto the broil setting. I like to get the cheese on top nice and brown. But if you do this be sure to be standing by and watch it, it only takes a few minutes to get the cheese brown. Let it cool for about 10 minutes, serve with fresh sliced avocado!

Not Your Grandma's Pasta Salad

We have had all out share of pasta salad's at various different social gatherings, so I decided that I needed to take one to the next level. This is a great recipe for any gathering, parties, showers, and pot luck dinners.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs chicken breast cooked and cubed - I seasoned mine with Fiesta Brand Southwest Fajita Seasoning
4 slices of thick cut bacon cooked and chopped
1 orange bell pepper chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 cucumber chopped
5 cups of cooked pasta of your choice
2 cups homemade ranch dressing
6 ounces uncooked baby spinach
3 stalks celery chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large mixing bowl mix all ingredients except the ranch dressing. You can add all of the dressing if you would like or just as little as you please. There are some who like it swimming in ranch and others like it just be lightly covered in dressing. I also added in salt and pepper to taste. Serve chilled!

Homemade Garden Box for $50!

This blog is usually about posting recipes but I decided that this year I wanted to have a small garden.

I made mine 4' x 8', this is my first garden and I don't want to make one too big that I can't keep it maintained properly. But you can build one as small or as large as you would like. There is no right or wrong way to build it, it's whatever you prefer.

Materials needed:
3 - 2x8x8 - cut one of them in half
3 - 2x6x8 - cut one of them in half
1 - 2x4x8 - cut 4 13" pieces
Box of 2" wood screws
Bottle of wood glue

I started putting the short ends together, don't forget to glue before you screw. This will help keep it together longer.

Then next comes the tricky part of securing the long sides to the short one, it helps to have a friend help you. But once you get one done then it comes together pretty quickly.

Once I got one long board attached I stood it up on its side to make it easier to attached the rest of the boards.

Then I moved the box to the location in the yard where it would get the most ample amount of sun. I also put in landscaping cloth to help keep those pesky weeds out.

Now to fill it you will spend more than $50, but it will cost you $75-$100 to fill it with dirt and plants. Again it all depends on what type of plants you choose to fill it with.

I waited until my local hardware store had their spring garden sale so I saved a lot of money on dirt. I don't like to buy the expensive Miracle-Gro brand because you're paying for name in my opinion. I was lucky enough to get dirt that has pretty much the same stuff in it as a $7.00 bag. I also mixed in a bag of cow manure which cost me $1.50, in my opinion the original fertilizer is the best. But again it's up to how much money you want to spend on the dirt and fertilizer.

My plants cost me a little more because I bought tomato and bell pepper plants already growing. I hope next year I will be ahead of the curve when it comes to getting seeds in the ground earlier. I also planted potatoes, squash, zucchini, carrots and cucumbers. Below is what my garden looks after 10 days of being planted, everything but the tomatoes and bell peppers where planted as seeds.

Roasted Vegetable Soup

I looked at multiple different roasted vegetable soups, but I couldn't find one that I really liked. This is one that I came up with on my own taking ideas from other recipes.

Ingredients:

2 lbs tomatoes sliced into wedges
2 red bell peppers sliced
4 carrots pealed and quartered
1 medium onion quartered 
1 butternut squash quartered
1 T butter
Garlic
16 oz sour cream
1-2 cups of chicken broth, this will depend on how thick you want your soup
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Heat oven to 400 degrees

Place cut vegetables in a backing pan, add salt and pepper to taste, then drizzle with olive oil. Then mix the vegetables around to be sure they are well covered. With the amount of vegetables it actually took me 3 separate pans to put everything on it. If you are comfortable of trying to fit everything onto one sheet then be sure to stir about every 20 minutes or so. It will take about 1 hour for everything to roast properly in the oven.

Then once the vegetables are done roasting you then will want to put them all into a pot and then emulsify them. 

Once that is completed add in the sour cream and the chicken broth. Again the amount of chicken broth will determine how thick or thin you like your soup. Then let it simmer for at least 30 minutes on low, tonight I served mine with a grilled cheese sandwich.

Bacon weave pork backstrap

Who doesn't like pork on pork......heck I don't know. This is a pretty easy recipe that will make your guests think you're fancy chef.

Ingredients:
1 lb bacon thick cut bacon
1 lb pork loin - I used back strap from a wild hog
Cheesy spread of your choice - cream cheese works great, this time I used pimento cheese

Lay out the bacon in a weave, don't be scared it's not as hard as you think!

Then spread your creamy cheese of choice.

Then add your pork loin seasoned to your likings.

Roll it up tight, I used the skewers because I cooked it over a mesquite fire. So when flipping it I didn't want it to fall apart. You can cook it in the oven which is easier since you won't need to worry about flipping it. Cook it in the oven at 400 degrees for about an hour, it also depends how done you like your pork and how crispy you like your bacon.

When it's done be sure to let it rest for at least 10 minutes to let the cheese cool down.

Smoked Croc Pot Pulled Pork

This is a great simple recipe that only take a few hours of your time opposed to multiple.

Ingredients:

6lb Pork shoulder/butt
1 large sliced sweet onion
2 cups chicken broth
Your favorite pork rub

Rub the pork down with your favorite rub.

Smoke the pork at 200 degrees for 2 hours.

Once the pork is done smoking cut into cubes and put it into the croc pot.

Add the sliced onions and chicken broth, cook on high for about 3.5 hours. Once it was done I drained as much liquid out as I could so that it just wouldn't be floating around in liquid fat. I then pulled the meat apart so that it wouldn't be in large in chunks.

Serve over your favorite bread, tortilla, eggs, or even make nachos! The possibilities are endless with this meat dish.

Smoked Croc Pot Turkey breast

I decided to try making a turkey breast in the croc pot after many many years of having to gravy soak the bird on Thanksgiving Day. I enjoy the fried turkey but I try not to eat too much fried foods, especially around the holiday time of the year when only unhealthy food is made.

So I purchased a bone in 6lb turkey breast, then seasoned it with salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder.

Then I smoked the breast at 175 degrees for about 2 hours.

Please do not try to eat any meat off, the short smoke period was just get a good flavor throughout the meat.

Next I put the bird in breast down to be sure it would be tender. I also sliced an onion and stuffed that along with garlic in the cavity. I then poured about 24 ounces of chicken broth into the croc pot to add moisture so that the meat will just fall off the bone. Then I set it on low for 6 hours.

It had smelled like I opened up a bbq restaurant inside the house.

Be careful when removing the bird from the croc pot, it may fall apart on you.

Let it cool for about 15 minutes then it will just fall apart, serve and enjoy.

Bacon wrapped Venison backstrap

This appetizer is always a pleaser and it's really easy to make.

Ingredients:
Meat of your choice, the amount is dependent upon how many you want to make, I used venison back strap seasoned with Fiesta brand fajita seasoning and seasoned salt
Sliced orange bell pepper
Sliced cheddar cheese, some of it will melt off in the cooking process but the majority will stay intact
Sliced jalapenos, I quartered mine, didn't want it to be too spicy
Thin cut bacon, I don't like to use the thick cut when I wrap food because it the thick cut takes too long to cook

Then begin to wrap up the ingredients inside the bacon and I like to use at least 2 toothpicks to keep it together.

Once you are done you can immediately put them on the fire and begin to cook or soak them in Italian dressing for a few hours.

When you are cooking over an open flame be careful of flare ups, it will happen, when they are done cooking to your liking serve and enjoy!

Fish Taco's

Fish Taco's made with grilled Mahi Mahi, sauteed yellow bell pepper, sweet onions and shitaki mushrooms, fresh sliced avocado, cheese and my homemade cilantro jalapeno ranch dressing (you can find that on my blog in the recipe section), on a HEB cook at home flour tortilla.

Ground Turkey Parmesan

This is something I tried on the fly, it turned out to be pretty good. This is a variation of the chicken parmesan and it's pretty easy to make.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey patties, seasoned to your liking, I used one egg, bread crumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, basil, and oregano.
1 red bell pepper sauteed
1 package mushrooms sauteed
1 jar marinara sauce heated
1 tub Pillsbury Italian bread cooked, the toasted on both sides
1 package mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Cook all of the above and then being to build: bread, patty, vegetables, half the cheese, all the sauce, then top with the rest of the cheese

 Then put in the oven on convect until the cheese has melted and browned.