Dance and Cook Off

Looking for a good time?  Enter yourself in a gumbo cook-off, invite all your friends, and then eat what you've prepared.  This was my first entry into this type of activity.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope to enter more soon.

The recipe I decided to cook was a "Run Around Gumbo" with Chicken, Rabbit, and Sausage.  I used a pretty dark rough, the holy trinity, and some special seasonings.  It came out good, but next time, I promise it will be better.  Here are some pictures:

dats da rabbit

It was a perfect day out at Big Woodrow's.  Special thanks to the guy who walked around and took pictures.  If you're looking for more pictures of the event, you can go here.  And let me know if you're interested in joining us next year!

Happy Plates!

Want to GET HUNGRY?

     Sometimes I forget to eat meals.  Maybe it's because I'm not actually hungry whenever the typical meal times come around, or maybe I'm too busy.  Either way, looking at pictures of this food will definitely help me, or anyone, GET HUNGRY. 

     Over the weekend, some friends and I got together to cook some food that we would seem suitable for a food truck.  Big shout out to my friend Angie for letting us crash her house while she was out of town.  First I cooked some BBQ Pork Nachos.

grill some veggies (onions and bell peppers)

Then add the seasoned pork

Put it on the chips

Throw them cheese on that!

Douse on a little red pepper and honey bbq sauce!

(Please Note:  I realize BBQ Pork Nachos is a misleading term.  If I had more time, I would have Barbie Q-ed the Pork SHOULDER then pulled the pork for the nachos.  AND the result would have been ever better....next time, when I have more time/am more prepared)

     Next I cooked some double stuffed potatoes: 

Cook potatoes then scoop out the meat

mix in some stuff (be creative, i'm not telling you how to cook it)

stuff the stuff back into the skins

cover with cheese and green onions then stick them under the broiler for a few minutes

     We also cooked some pork kabobs I call Tiger Bait (marinated pork sirloin  with red (purple) onions and gold bell peppers) but Angie doesn't have a grill yet (pushing for a grill purchase soon?  I think yes.).  I broiled them but the result was less than blog worthy even though they tasted good.  We're all looking forward to getting together soon!

And finally, we have officially begun a new ministry at our parish:  Epiphany Young Adult Ministry.  Check out our link if you're interested in joining.  We're fun people.  Promise.  

Happy Plates!

p.s. the guys dominated at Scene it

When things don't go your way...

     It's never easy watching your favorite team lose a big game.  It doesn't help when they don't even show up on the field.  Fortunately, for some of us, we realize at the end of the day it's only a game (right?).  Who am I kidding?  I was lucky enough to take pictures of the food before I cooked it.  

Beer Butt Chicken injected with some Tony's Roasted Garlic.

Bacon Explosion with rabbit sausage (from Don's Specialty Meats in Scott, LA)

Pictured: Beer Butt Chicken, Rabbit Sausage, Boneless-Stuffed Chicken breast (with Jambalaya) and the Bacon Explosion

Final score in the kitchen:  Joey-0  Meat-57.  We had some really good company join us for the food.  It was SO good, we didn't even remember the final score to the "game".  I'm still waiting for OUR rematch....ROLL TIDE ROLL! AROUND THE BOWL AND DOWN THE HOLE!!  ROLL TIDE ROLL!!

     In other news, our Confirmation Retreat was this past weekend and talk about a success!  300 people on retreat is quite the sight!  Thanks to everyone who made it possible.  I owe you dinner!  If you're interested in learning more about it.  Check out our Ministry Facebook Page >>> Epiphany Youth Ministry!

Jolly Good Food and a Merry Christmas to You

     Merry Christmas Blog world!  Jesus is born!!

     If your day was anywhere near as successful as mine, you should be exhausted.  But it was all worth it, wasn't it?
   
     I've been waiting to cook this meal since Thanksgiving!
 
     Patiently I've game planned what I'm going to cook and how I'm going to cook it.  It was an easy decision really.  I received a Weber smoker about a month ago from Home Depot.  One of my friends, Ryan P., works there and told me about this stellar deal they had one day.  I decided to tell my parents about it.. (a $350 grill for $40..I tweeted it. and sent text messages about it...)  Anyways, they decided they would surprise me with it as "an early Christmas gift".  What a present!  I would repay them with some smoked meats.

  One 12 lb turkey (spatchcocked)  and a city ham smoked for roughly 3.5 to 4 hours (As you can see in the photo on the right, the turkey is on the bottom grate, closer to the coal).
     Spatchcocked turkey means cutting out the backbone so the bird will lay flat.  I used some pepper, salt, cayenne, paprika, brown sugar and butter as a marinade.  The ham is diamond cut and smoked for 3-4 hours at 250 then I put some stuff on it. The ham's final step is to put it into an oven at 350degrees for 30-40 minutes.  (All the details of this city ham recipe can be attributed here to Alton Brown.  However, I spice things up a bit with SPICY brown mustard and my bourbon of choice is Jim Beam.).   This is what it looks like after a little smokin'!

     If you're looking for something to do while the meat is on the grill, walk around your neighborhood and look for birds.  Although this probably sounds extremely lame to most people, you would be surprised at the amount of birds you will see and what they do.  A HUGE thanks to my parents for hooking me up with a 55-300mm lens for Christmas!  Here are some birds I saw while waiting for the Christmas bird to finish cooking:

Mourning Dove

Male Cardinal

Great Blue Heron

     I also saw a hawk tearing apart food, some Mexican Squealers, and some kid shooting his new BB gun into a tree at moss.  Other things might include:  Enjoying a home brew (if you're old enough), watching Season One of Big Bang Theory, or bake a dessert.  [Special shout-out to Jeff for giving me a delicious BBP Bourbon Barrel Porter to enjoy for Christmas!  It went great with the meal!]

     After 4 hours in the smoker, or when the turkey has reached 170 degrees, it should look something like this: 

it looks like a GIANT frog

     Wrap this in foil and let it rest for at least 30 minutes before carving.  While you are waiting for that, let's get the pork ready for its final destination.  Less typing, more pictures.  

Baste it with the mustard

Sprinkle on dark brown sugar, then spray on the bourbon.

then sprinkle on the broken ginger snap cookies.  I think it looks like an ant mound.  This mound of joy goes in the oven at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.  

Ok, so now that the turkey has been resting for 30 minutes, CARVE IT UP!

Does anyone else see a face? 

After you're finished carving the turkey, move onto the HAM!

Time to dish up the plate!

     It was quite the feast!  We missed all the extended family from BR, PR and Nevada, but know y'all were on our minds the whole day.  After a long day of cooking, present exchanges and enjoying family time, I have some "quiet time" (we're watching Rise of Planet of the Apes) to reflect once again on how blessed I am with family and friends.  Thank you to everyone for reading my posts!  May God bless you with everlasting joy, peace and love!

Happy Plates!  (even though the puppy ate a dead squirrel during dinner and it brought up some entertaining conversations...)

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

     Every once in a while we experience moments in life that will leave an everlasting impression and memories we are not soon to forget.  These moments are everywhere; patiently waiting for us to notice them.

      I was at Sam's Club two weeks ago shopping for matches of all things when I noticed a "RETURNS" section of ridiculously marked down electronics.  On the table was my Christmas present, a Nikon D60.  It was marked down $250 so I decided to buy it- if I liked it, I finally had the DSLR camera I had been waiting for, or I could easily sell it on ebay.  Anyways, I liked it.  I've created a facebook album with some of the pictures if you're interested in checking them out.

     Cooking has been put on the back burner recently with the business of the Holiday Season. 

     
     Advent is a time for waiting; a time to refocus our lens and take some new pictures on what matters most.  
   
     I'm looking forward to Christmas- and cooking up some good grub. 

 
   
     A neighborhood park in Katy stocks rainbow trout every winter.  With fishing rods in hand, we (my brother, sister-in-law, and sister, Clare) set out on our adventure.  Without too many of the details, the fish weren't biting our lures and bait.  Fortunately for us, they were biting though.  One of the older gentlemen around us was kind enough to give us the fish he caught.  He said he wasn't interested in keeping them and would be glad to give them to someone who would "cook them up right." 

     Pan Friend Rainbow Trout

soaking in milk, hot sauce, and some tony's

pan fried in an electric skillet at 375 degrees

served with corn and green beans

the table's busy...it is Christmas after all!

Thank you for reading my blog.  Now, go outside and try something fun.  You never know what awaits just around the corner....

Happy Plates!!

THE PROCESS

Warning:  These pictures may be disturbing to some viewers.  

     Ever have those moments in life where you challenge yourself to do something that some people view as outrageous?  I'm not talking about jumping out of airplanes or bungee jumping off bridges.  I'm thinking of feats in the kitchen (or backyard) that few will conquer.  After much research and contemplation, I decided I was going to roast a pig back in 2007.  5 years and 4 pigs later, I think we have THE PROCESS down.  

     Below are some pictures from this past weekend's pig roast.  My hope is these will challenge you to think outside the box and try something new this week.  Whether it be another culture's cuisine or your neighbor's nachos, get out there and eat something you might usually pass up!       

the tools

43 pound pig.  note: you have to cut the backbone in order for the pigs to lay flat

cutting the backbone.  Place the knife on the vertebrae and gently hit it with the hammer.  Follow this all the way down the spine. 

For this pig, I used a mango/habañero injection 

Be sure to inject this stuff all up inside the pig

post injection, I used a garlic/oregano/cumin/salt/pepper rub to seal in the juices

      After your pig has been injected and rubbed down, give it some time to soak up all the flavors.  My pig sat in an ice-chest on top of some freezer packs for approximately 18 hours.  The freezer packs work really well because- unlike ice- when they melt, they do not get the pig wet and soggy.

     Our family celebrated Thanksgiving in Baton Rouge this year.  So we packed up the family van (pig and all) and made our way east.  My cousin Margaret cooked the food and it was good; just wish we had more!  It was a blessing to spend time with the relatives!

stuff...but no stuffing :(

       Once the family meal was over, my next set of business was upon me; ROAST THE PIG!  Pictures continue the story...

using the leftover rub, I created a basting sauce with mostly butter and some other secrets...

sorry for the dark pic, but here is our cinder block pit.  It has been adjusted over the years, but this seemed to work the best

Barton made me this cage to hold the pig while it cooked.  it eliminated the need for a grate and worked really well as a double sided grill top/holder

Coals underneath and coals on top.  we transferred the coals from the top to bottom while flipping the pig; every 2 hours on average.

this is the pig after 9 hours of roasting. We tried to get it out to the tailgate in one piece, but it completely fell apart.  Exactly what we set out to accomplish.

good job razorbacks...it was a true pig hunt!

Andrew, Barton and Me.  Pig head on a stick- Lord of the Flies style...this created quite a buzz!

      Overall, the pig was by far the best one we've cooked.  Weekend in a nut shell:  Thanksgiving celebration, successful pig roast, LSU dominated after a 14-0 start, celebrated Biscuit's birthday, watched a lot of football, and enjoyed the small things in life.

the weekend tired him out!

Happy Plates!