From Denny: How many times have we all wished for a wonderful meal in just minutes from ingredients already in the house? I've made this same recipe many times and loved it both for its simplicity, ease of making and speed to the table.
Note from Jeanne Besser: Crystal Ellis of Marietta writes, "Here's a great-tasting easy main dish created from my refrigerator. Kids love it!" This is truly a meal most of us can cull from our reserves, but that still makes a substantial dinner. I added the step of crisping the bacon under the broiler, but if you like softer bacon, you could skip this.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with foil. Sprinkle chicken breasts with pepper to taste. Place 2 bacon strip halves horizontally to cover chicken breasts. Top with barbecue sauce and fold foil over to make a packet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until chicken is just done. Increase heat to broil. Open foil and broil until bacon crisps, 1 to 2 minutes. Top with cheese. Put back in oven and cook 1 to 2 minutes, or until cheese melts.
Nutrition:
Per serving: 420 calories (percent of calories from fat, 34), 43 grams protein, 26 grams carbohydrates, no fiber, 16 grams fat, 128 milligrams cholesterol, 952 milligrams sodium.
From Denny: Who doesn't want easy? Who doesn't like ribs? This recipe was put out by a local charity in their cookbook and published in our local newspaper back in 2006. It's still an easy recipe! :) This is one of those recipes you could marinate and cook the first three hours on Sunday afternoon while you snooze for your nap and bake the last half hour on Monday when you get home from work. Or better yet, marinate on Saturday, cook extra on Sunday, warm it up in the oven on Monday and an extra day of the work week. Yeah, now we're talking!
1. Using a brush, coat the meaty sides of the ribs with Worcestershire and Kitchen Bouquet. After coating, liberally sprinkle with meat tenderizer, garlic powder, Tony's Seasoning and black pepper.
2. Cover tightly and store in refrigerator until ready to cook. This can be done a day or two in advance of cooking.
3. To make sauce, saute onion and celery in melted butter until soft. Add brown sugar and stir until blended. Add ketchup, Lea & Perrins, garlic and Tabasco and stir well.
4. Cook on medium heat until bubbly, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low, cover pot and cook for 2 hours stirring frequently. Sauce will thicken and turn darker. It may be stored in airtight container in refrigerator for a couple of weeks.
5. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a pan/pans with a rack, cook marinated ribs, covered for 2 hours. After 2 hours, remove from oven, drain juice and remove rack/racks.
6. Liberally brush on barbecue sauce, cover and lower heat to 300 degrees F. Cook for 1 more hour. Turn oven off, uncover ribs and allow to sit in the warm oven for 30 minutes before serving. Serve with warm barbecue sauce to spoon over the ribs if desired.
From Denny: How many times have we all wished for a wonderful meal in just minutes from ingredients already in the house? I've made this same recipe many times and loved it both for its simplicity, ease of making and speed to the table.
Note from Jeanne Besser: Crystal Ellis of Marietta writes, "Here's a great-tasting easy main dish created from my refrigerator. Kids love it!" This is truly a meal most of us can cull from our reserves, but that still makes a substantial dinner. I added the step of crisping the bacon under the broiler, but if you like softer bacon, you could skip this.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with foil. Sprinkle chicken breasts with pepper to taste. Place 2 bacon strip halves horizontally to cover chicken breasts. Top with barbecue sauce and fold foil over to make a packet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until chicken is just done. Increase heat to broil. Open foil and broil until bacon crisps, 1 to 2 minutes. Top with cheese. Put back in oven and cook 1 to 2 minutes, or until cheese melts.
Nutrition:
Per serving: 420 calories (percent of calories from fat, 34), 43 grams protein, 26 grams carbohydrates, no fiber, 16 grams fat, 128 milligrams cholesterol, 952 milligrams sodium.
From Denny: Texas is right next door to Louisiana and the culture could not be more different! Both states borrow from each other when it comes to good food and Texas barbecue and the love of a good brisket is no exception. They love our seafood and Cajun seasonings; we love their barbecue! Brisket is very popular here during football season as most of the country knows that LSU fans are, well, a bit rabid about their fervor for the team! :)
Try this wonderful recipe one weekend when you have a little time, are expecting to feed a larger number of people than usual but would like to do it on a budget - brisket is perfect for that. One reason I like brisket is that it is much lower in fat than most meats. True, because of the lower fat content you must cook it far longer to make it tender. The resulting taste is sure worth it.
There are arguments all over the country as to dry rub (like in Kansas) vs. wet for barbecue, grilling vs. smoking, direct heat vs. indirect heat and gas vs. charcoal. Did you know that the first commercial barbecue sauce showed up in St. Louis in 1926? It was called Maull's Barbecue Sauce. By the 1970's the sauce went beyond it's local word of mouth and gained national recognition.
But do you know what most barbecue sauces contain? Some of the ingredients will surprise you! Of course, the majority are tomato-based. Then they start adding a variety of spices and other goodies: honey, molasses, mustard, brown sugar, hot sauce like Tobasco, ginger, soybean oil and yes, anchovies. Bet you didn't expect the anchovies! When used in small amounts they add a lot to many foods.
1. Soak wood chips or chunks in cold water or beer for 1 hour. Drain and discard liquid.
2. Rinse the brisket under cold running water and blot dry with paper towels. Combine all the ingredients for the rub in a small bowl and stir to mix. Rub this mixture onto the brisket on all sides. If you have time, let the brisket stand in the refrigerator, covered, for 4 to 6 hours, but you certainly can cook it right away.
3. Combine all ingredients for the mop sauce in a nonreactive bowl and stir until the salt and brown sugar are dissolved.
4. Set up grill for indirect grilling and preheat to low. If using a gas grill, put all wood chips in the smoker box or in a smoker pouch and preheat on high until you see smoke, then reduce the heat to low.
5. When ready to cook, if using a charcoal grill, toss 1 cup of wood chips on the coals.
6. Place the brisket, fat-side up, in an aluminum foil pan and place in the center of the hot grate, away from the heat. Cover the grill. Grill the brisket until tender, about 6 hours (the cooking time will depend on the size of the brisket and the heat of the grill). (See note.)
7. Baste or mop the brisket with the mop sauce once an hour for the first 4 hours. If using a charcoal grill, you’ll need to add 12 fresh coals and 1/2 cup wood chips per side every hour. To test for doneness, use an instant-read thermometer. The internal temperature should be about 190 degrees.
8. Transfer the brisket to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. Thinly slice across the grain, using an electric knife or sharp carving knife. Transfer sliced meat to plates or platter and pour the pan juices on top.
Note: If the brisket starts to dry out before the meat is fully cooked and tender, wrap it in aluminum foil to finish cooking.
How to Grill cayenne pepper chili powder grilling cooking Steven Raichlen Texas barbecued brisket recipe barbecueHome and Garden Outdoors Home Cooking Barbecue and Grilling
From Denny: While researching for an article concerning women's issues I ran across this site called BellaOnline and they also had a wonderful food section.
From: Sandie Jarrett, Cajun and Creole Editor @ BellaOnline.com
I'm not much of a meatloaf fan but most of the males I know sure are. I adapted this recipe from one I came upon in an old Cajun cookbook. Although somewhat different, (less hot pepper, more garlic, olive oil instead of butter, stock instead of canned milk, no ketchup), the flavors are all there – fresh meat, a little heat, and of course a classic Trinity.
Remember to season to taste. If you enjoy a hot and spicy dish, then you will probably want to double up on the cayenne pepper or even add your favorite Cajun seasoning blend.
Serve with garlic mashed potatoes or my Cajun Roasted Potatoes for a new twist on a Classic American Dish. Serve with gravy or a thin, tangy BBQ sauce.
Makes 6 – 8 servings
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
3 tablespoons finely chopped Italian Parsley
3 cloves minced garlic (about 4 teaspoons) or to taste
Stir in the stock and tomato paste. Continue cooking for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow mixture to return to room temperature.
Place the ground beef in a large bowl and add the eggs, the cooked vegetable mixture (don't forget to remove the bay leaves) and the bread crumbs. Mix by hand until thoroughly combined. If the mixture is too moist, add a few additional tablespoons of bread crumbs (too many bread crumbs and the meatloaf will be too dry).
Turn out the meatloaf mixture into the center of a 13X9X2 baking pan and shape into a loaf that is about 2" high, 6" wide and 10 -12" long.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, then raise the heat to 400 degrees and continue cooking until done, about 20 - 25 minutes longer or until the internal temperature of the meatloaf is 180 degrees F. Check internal temperature with an instant read meat thermometer at 40 minutes and again at 50 minutes, etc. until it reaches the desired internal temperature.
Remove the cooked meatloaf from the oven and allow to rest for about 5 minutes before slicing into 1/2 inch slices.
Tangy Meatloaf Sauce
Although not Cajun, I make a tangy sauce:
1 cup balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon Creole mustard a little tomato paste a drizzle of honey a squeeze of lemon juice 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and a pinch of cayenne pepper
I whisk it all together in a saucepan and simmer over medium heat until the sauce has been reduced by 1/3. Everything is added to taste – so adjust as necessary.
Cook's Notes
*** Sandy likes the meat finely ground – so she uses her food processor to blend in the ingredients. Work in batches because if the processor bowl is too full, the meat won't grind evenly.
Add about 1/4 of the meat, breadcrumbs, cooked vegetables, and eggs to the bowl of a standard size food processor that has been fitted with the chopping blade. Pulse a few times to distribute ingredients evenly and to grind the meat a bit more. Avoid over processing (mixture will turn to paste!).
Transfer processed mixture to a bowl and continue processing the remaining 3 batches. When all of the mixture has been processed, combine the batches together (hands work great for this), turn out into a 13X9X3 baking pan and continue as directed above.
*** Sandy uses tomato paste but ketchup can be used.
From Denny: Here are a couple of other good recipes! The following meatloaf is made with ground turkey, basil and mozzarella cheese.
Another version of bacon wrapped shrimp appetizer Image by mhaithaca via Flickr
From Denny: OK, this is quite typical of what you can find in Louisiana restaurants for a shrimp dish! Yum! It's horseradish-stuffed and bacon-wrapped oven-baked black Tiger shrimp served with Cajun tangy mustardbarbeque sauce.
The name Thibodeaux is pronounced as Tibb-oh-doe, not as difficult as it looks. Very common name in south Louisiana too! People even affectionately name their dogs and cats Tibodeaux. There are also Cajun Thibodeaux jokes, thought the majority are Boudreaux jokes.
16 large shrimp (16-20 per pound), peeled down to first segment, deveined and cut halfway through
1/4 cup prepared horseradish
8 bacon slices, cut in half
1 teaspoon chopped green onion, garnish (optional)
1 teaspoon chopped Italian parsley, garnish (optional)
Instructions:
In a saucepan, combine water, sugar, mustard, apple cider vinegar, corn syrup, garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric and cayenne pepper. Simmer, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in 1 tablespoon water and add to mixture, stirring well to combine.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Fill shrimp with horseradish, wrap a half slice of bacon around the shrimp to hold the filling and secure with a toothpick. Bake 25 minutes. Pour sauce on a plate. Place shrimp around the sauce and garnish with green onions and chopped parsley.
Nutrition:
Per serving: 183 calories (percent of calories from fat, 22), 14 grams protein, 22 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 5 grams fat, 92 milligrams cholesterol, 359 milligrams sodium.
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