Thanks for joining me!
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
This is a site where I have tried and approved recipes and a few articles that I have written.
Thanks for joining me!
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
Let me first say that I hardly ever buy pre-ground burger meat or
prepackaged Italian or fresh Kielbasa sausage. If you have ever ground your own meats then you will know exactly what I’m talking about and if you have never had fresh kielbasa (not smoked) put it on your bucket list.
About The Beef:
If you think that the ground chuck from your grocery store originated from the scraps of chuck in the butcher shop you’re probably wrong. Most often they get a tube of meat from a meat supplier, regrind and package. So in reality no one in your meat department can certify that all of the meat in your package is all chuck and that’s not a good thing.
After I started grinding my own chuck I found a worthwhile difference in both quality and price. When I say quality I mean taste and tenderness.
It is pretty simple, just buy a chuck roast and grind it, season it with salt and pepper and package it into freezer bags. I find that packaging in 8 oz quantities a good start unless you know ahead of time that you’re going to need a greater quantity for a particular recipe.
Related link for pics: My Burgers
About the Sausage:
It has been said that if you knew what was inside that hot dog then you’d probably never eat it. Well I don’t know if that is true but realistically, no part of a hog goes unused and that includes all sausages. But you can make sausages from prime parts and not entrails for a fraction of the price.
For about $1.25 per pound, I make my own bulk Italian and Kielbasa that I can adjust for flavor and without preservatives, etc. Note: Although I have the capability to make links I haven’t felt the need.
What I do is find some cheap pork chops on sale, these will be kinda fatty and that is exactly what you need. Cut out the bone, grind, add in the spices, mix well and then eat or freeze.
Or, if you are not interested in grinding your own meat, buy pre-ground pork at your grocery store and add in the spices.
Related link for Fresh Kielbasa and Creamy Scrambled Sandwich
Related link for Italian sausage Infused Pasta Sauce
About the Spices:
For my burgers I use Cooper’s Old Time seasoning from Llano, Texas. I only incorporate the these spices (probably just salt and pepper) into the meat.
For my Italian sausage I use Legg Zesty Italian. For one pound of meat I use 2 Tbsp and add a tsp of Fennel.
For the fresh Kielbasa I use Legg Fresh Kielbasa. 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp per pound.
Note: The Legg spices are for 25 pounds of meat so they are a great value. Also, I mix the pork and spices in a stand mixer for 2 minutes.
About the Grinder:
I have been using the Maverick Meat Grinder for 7 years and I’m very happy with it. It’s really simple, all you have to do is cut the meat in long strips, semi-freeze and run through the grinder. Grinding time for 1 lbs of meat is about 3 minutes.
So here it is.
2 Cups apple cider vinegar
3 Cups water
2 Cups sugar
1 Cup honey
1/4 Cup mustard such as French’s
2 Tsp black pepper
2 Lemons (juice of) or 6 Tbsp bottled lemon juice
4 Clove garlic minced
1/4 Cup freeze-dried or 1 1/2 cups diced onion
1/2 Stick butter
1/4 Tsp cayenne
1/4 Cup chili powder
2 Tbsp table salt
1 Tbsp cumin
1/2 Tbsp Paprika
5 Cups (40 ounces) of store brand ketchup
3 Tbsp worchestire sauce
1/4 Cup liquid smoke
Combine all of the ingredients in the first group of ingredients a large pot and stir to combine at medium heat to dissolve the sugar and until the onions are tender. About 20 minutes.
Add 5 cups (40 ounces) store brand ketchup, 3 Tbsp Worchestire sauce and 1/4 cup of liquid smoke.
Stir well and bring to a boil and then back off and simmer for about 45 minutes stirring frequently. Let stand to cool.
For best results once at room temp put the pot in the fridge overnight.
If my memory serves me right, this recipe makes about a gallon of sauce and it freezes very well.
Who said that good Gumbo has to be made with a homemade roux. Well I’m here to tell y’all that it isn’t necessary and this alternative actually has zero fat and zero cholesterol with only 30 calories per serving.
So why put yourself through all the fuss and mess when you can have great tasting Gumbo with little work in minutes vs. hours.
1 Lbs Cooked Chicken
1 Packet Louisiana Fish Fry Cajun GUMBO Base
1 Lbs. Andouille Sausage
1 cup diced Onions
1 cup diced Green Bell Pepper
2 Celery stalks diced
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Quarts Chicken Broth
Cajun/Creole Seasoning
Cut the chicken into 1 inch pieces and the sausage into 1/3 inch thick rounds. Fry the sausage to get some nice color.
Place the diced onions, bell peppers and celery and butter into a pot and saute until the veggies are tender and then add 1 1/2 quart of chicken broth and the packet of the Gumbo base and stir to combine.
Add the sausage, bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Adjust for flavor and thickness and then add the chicken and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
Add in more seasoning if needed based on personal preference.
If you really want the best, let the pot of Gumbo cool and then refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight but if you do this do not add the chicken until after reheating with 10 minutes to go otherwise the chicken will over cook.
Serve over rice in bowls with a ratio of gumbo to rice 2:1
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This is a really tasty, fast and easy blackened chicken or fish recipe.
2 Chicken Breasts
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp Olive oil (not Virgin)
Spices (see Note below)
Spice Blend: All amounts are in Teaspoon amounts. (Note: 3 tsps = 1 Tbsp)
2 Salt
3 Oregano
3 Thyme
1 Black Pepper
1 White Pepper
1 Granulated Onion
1 Paprika
1 Cayenne
1 Granulated Garlic
Pound the chicken breasts until 1/2 inches thick. But if nothing else, make sure that both breasts have the same from thickness from stem to stern otherwise one will be finished before the other or one end of the chicken will be done long before the other end.
Pat the chicken dry and on a plate, sprinkle the spice mix on all sides of the chicken and don’t be skimpy. Place in the refrigerator for a few hours.
Melt 1 Tbsp of the butter.
Remove breasts from the fridge and brush 1 Tbsp of melted butter on the top side.
Add the remaining butter and oil to a metal skillet on your stovetop set at medium high. Flick a little bit of water from your fingers into the pan and when it sizzles add the chicken buttered side up.
One of the things that I found is cooking the meat too quickly which results in a blackened exterior and a raw interior. Adjust the heat accordingly.
Check the bottom the the breasts for that blackened look and when you got it, flip the breasts. If you think that the pan needs more oil remember that you have the melted butter on the other side so no more is needed. If you think that more is needed add more oil or butter but it’s a good indication that the heat is too high.
The chicken is done when it’s internal temp is 160 degrees and the best way to determine that is with a digital temperature probe. Just make sure you insert the tip of the probe in the middle of the meat and not through to the pan.
When done plate and add your side dishes.
Note as Promised: I opine that using a prepared Taco seasoning such as Tones and adding a bit of salt and cayenne based on your preferences is a really good deal and tastes pretty much the same. BUT I haven’t tried it yet but I will and report later.
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I love white rice but quite frankly I sometimes get bored with it.
Scouring the internet I came upon an “improvement” that I thought I’d try which was simply adding butter and soy sauce to the rice.
I tried it and I simply loved it. In the pic above I could have done a better job of stirring but it tasted really good.
Beside it are grilled chicken parts that I seasoned with Jakes Boss BBQ Rub over some Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce. Better than Sweet Baby Rays you might want to try my Texas BBQ sauce recipe.
Stop drowning your chicken in BBQ sauce. Just add some to the plate and then put your chicken on top. This way you can actually taste the spices and enjoy crispy chicken but with some sauce to add another dimension without being overpowering.