A Gritty Concoction!

Hey yall!! Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. Been a little busy down here on the Island. I think this post should make up for it nicely. A couple weekends ago I found a cute little restaurant for breakfast that had Creole grits on the menu and let me tell you, they were SO good!! I couldn't wait to get home and try them out for myself. They turned out even better than the ones that I had at the restaurant. They are so creamy and just down right GOOD!! Hope you like it.

To start, you will need to prepare 1 1/2 cups of grits. Quick or regular is fine. Follow package directions. You will need to end up with 4-5 cups when cooked.





Dice about a pound of sausage. the lady at the restaurant used breakfast sausage, but I chose to use Conecuh this time. Any kind of sausage or meat in general would be good.

 Chop up an onion and some garlic.

Saute the sausage until it's done

Add the onion and garlic and saute for a few minutes until tender. Remove from heat and place in a bowl.

In the same pan, melt 6 tablespoons of butter.

Add 4 heaping tablespoons of flour and combine.



Slowly add about 2 cups of milk and whisk until creamy.



Grate an 8 oz block of sharp cheddar cheese

Stir the cheese into the sauce.

Drain 2 cans of Rotel. I prefer one regular and one hot.

Add the sausage and onions to the sauce.

Add the Rotel.

Add the grits.

Stir to combine and serve.

These will make you hurt yourself!! I have completely outdone myself this time. The best thing about them is that they are even better the next day. I'm already thinking about how to make them even better! When I figure it out, I'll let you know. Anyway, yall try it out.

Sorry for the picture quality! I left my big camera at my office and had to use my iPhone.

Head Case

Ok so for Mother's Day I bought my mom some new cookbooks, but they have since made their way to my house. I found a couple recipes for hog's head cheese in one and I decided to try it out. I'm not really a huge fan of the stuff, but I figured if I made it, I would like it and low and behold, I did. Kinda feel like Sam I  Am. Anyway, this recipe doesn't use a hog's head, thank goodness, but it does use pig's feet. I will go ahead and tell you that I didn't pick off any of the meat from them. Sorry. Not my cup of tea. They did make great treats for the dogs though. Now, enough of this....Lets get started!

First, mix 3 packs of unflavored gelatin with 2 cups of boiling water and let sit.

Cut a 6lb pork shoulder into cubes and place in a big ol' pot

Lay the pig's feet on top

Cover with water (This is when I figured out that I need a bigger freaking pot! LOL)

Chop 3 cups of green onions

Cut 2 onions in to pieces

Mince some garlic

Add half the green onions, all of the onion and garlic to the water

3 Bay leaves

Salt, pepper, cayenne and Tony's

Add to water

Bring to a boil and let simmer for 2 hours

Chop up a cup of carrots

Cup of red bell pepper

After 2 hours, remove feet and meat.

Strain and reserve the liquid

Chop up the meat into small pieces, or do like I did and jsut break it up with the tongs.

Bring the remaining liquid to a boil and add the rest of the green onions, carrots and red bell pepper.

Add the gelatin (which looked like I was dumping a jellyfish into the pot) and adjust the seasonings. Let boil for 10 mins.

Ladel into loaf pans and place in fridge to set overnight

Unmold. I think it looks pretty!

Slice into pieces or place on a plate to serve with crackers.

However you decide to serve it, I can tell you that it is GOOD stuff!! Already know what I want to do with it next time to make it better, but for a first go round, I didn't think it was bad at all. Mitch took some back to Louisiana and it didn't last too long. Guess that's good! Mom, Dad, Nanny, Grampa and even JW liked it! Hope yall try it out!

Sorry for the delay :(

Don't want you to think that I forgot all about you, but a nasty virus killed my computer and wiped out ALL of my pictures. As soon as I get up and going I'll start postingagain. I have so catching up to do!! Hope you all have a fantastic week!!

Love to all,
Sjon

Deep Fried Goodness!!

Hey yall!! Hope all is well. Sorry it's been a little while since I have posted. Been a little busy lately at work, keeping the roads hot from here to Louisiana and trying to soak up some rays. Lord knows my white legs need all the sun they can get! I have been cooking though. Just have to make some time to catch up on my posts!

So, Mitch and I were talking the other day about his family in Texas and the kinds of foods they eat over that way. He was telling me about a place that has stuffed, deep fried avacados and how good they are, so, of course I had to try it out myself. In Texas, they take a whole avacado, remove the seed, hollow it out, stuff it with meat, batter and deep fry it. I chose to do mine a little differently.

Lets get started!

First you will need to make some pico de gallo

Chop some onion

Remove seeds and chop some tomato

Remove seeds and membrane from a jalapeno and mince

Mince some garlic

Chop some cilantro

Add salt and pepper

 Mix together, cover and refrigerate (This stuff smells SO good!!!!)

Chop up a few artichoke hearts and set aside

Peel, devein and chop some shrimp

Shred a block of white cheese

Prepping the Avacados:

Cut avacados in half

Remove seed and the skin. Remove some of the avacado, making the seed hole bigger.

Dust each half with flour, place in plastic bag and freeze

Making the Batter:

3/4 cup of room temperature beer

3/4 cup of flour

2 egg yolks

2 Tbs oil

1 1/2 tsp salt

Mix together, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours

Stuffing:

Saute the pico de gallo. Reserve just a little bit for the sauce.

Add the artichoke hearts

Add chopped shrimp, salt and pepper

Remove and place in a seperate dish

Saute a little of the pico de gallo

Add white wine and cream. Bring to a boil and reduce heat.

Add cheese. Adjust with salt and pepper. Cook until thick.

Remove avacados from the freezer

Stir the batter and dip the avacados

Fry until golden

Remove from oil and stuff with the shrimp mixture

Top with the wine/cheese sauce and garnish with some cilantro

OK, I was so freaking full that I could barely move!! They were SO good!! Mitch had 3 halves. I did good to finish 2. You can stuff these things with anything you can think of and make it your own. I will definately be making these agian!! Maybe with something a little spicer and more Texas like.