* Pea Salad

·        1    package frozen baby peas

·        3    eggs, hard boiled

·        1    cup chicken juice

·        ½    each cup finely chopped onion, red bell pepper and celery

·        1    cup Mayonnaise, or as much as needed for your taste

·        2    Tbl. Dijon mustard

·        a few dashes of Tabasco

·        salt and pepper to taste

While the eggs are boiling, dump the frozen baby peas into a saucepan and add enough chicken juice to lightly cook. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover pan and slow simmer a few minutes. Peas should be fully cooked but still firm. When peas are cooked, drain any stock that has not been absorbed by the peas and set aside to cool. Add the chopped boiled eggs and veggies. Mix in the mayo, mustard and dash or two of Tabasco. Chill before serving.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Choose sweet potatoes that will be most easy to peal and slice. Long pointy ones tend to be the hardest. With a sharp paring knife, peal and then using a knife large enough, cut the sweets lengthwise. Now slice them into approximately ¼ in. slices. Place slices in a mixing bowl and douse liberally with EVVO. Sprinkle all over with ground Cumin and ground allspice. Use 2 parts cumin and 1 part allspice. Use your judgment here, a little bit is better than nada and both of the spices are rather strong, but we do want the sweets to be spicy, right? Toss to evenly coat and dump into a storage bag for later.

When you are ready to roast, pre-heat oven to 350F. and dump sweets onto a cookie sheet. Use two if they look too crowded. Roast, turning them every 15 minutes or so until they are starting to brown and are tender. This should take about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and place in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with plenty of brown sugar and toss. Serve hot.

*Frijoles Borrachos or Austin Baked Beans

Frijoles Borrachos is Texican for Drunken Beans. The great thing about this dish is that it is guilt free. There is no fat in this pot of beans. No, it is not some Vegan nightmare receipt and contains no tofu.

• 1          Lb. Pinto beans
• 1          large onion, chopped
• 2          cloves garlic, chopped
• 1          can beer (optional, it will, however add flavor)
• 2          cans beef juice
• ½          cup Jalapeno slices, more or less to taste
• ½          Tsp. Mexican Oregano
• Salt and pepper and Tabasco to taste.

Wash and count the beans. Soak in branch water over night. Drain beans, place in a heavy Dutch oven or large pot and add onion, garlic, beef stock and beer. Cover pot and adjust to slow simmer. Add water as needed to slow cook until tender. Add the remaining ingredients and season to taste and cook for another 30 minutes. Add more fire, maybe?

I wish I was in TEXAS Feast continued . . .

*Basic Barbecue Dry Rub
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• ¼ cup Kosher salt
• 4 Tbl. Cracked black pepper
• 4 Tbl. Hungarian Paprika
• 2 Tbl. Onion powder
• 2 Tbl. Garlic powder
• 1 Tbl. Cayenne powder

If you wish you can personalize this rub by adding your favorites; Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, etc.


*The Sauce, Texas Style.
• 1. Bottle of chili sauce
• 1. Can Tomatoes with chilies, (Rotel)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• ½ cup Spanish onion, finely chopped
• ½ stick butter (okay, olive oil)
• 3 Tbl. Lemon juice
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1 Tbl. Soy sauce
• 1 cup of the strained pan drippings
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. Kosher salt
• ¼ tsp. Chili flakes
• 1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
• tsp. Chiptole chili powder

In a heavy saucepan, melt butter and sauté onions until they begin to caramelize, add garlic and sauté a few more minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until reduce to the desired consistency. The sauce will be chunky and should be served heated. Refrigerate if not using immediately. Will keep one week in the frig.


*Cornbread Salad

This is one fantastic salad. I discovered it at Up In Smoke, a great roadside barbecue joint just North of Hillsborough, TX. When I made this salad to take to a back yard cook out and placed it on the table with the rest of the carry-in dishes, someone asked, “What is that?”. I replied that it was dressing and I mistakenly thought the host was serving roast turkey, not hot dogs. As always, the salad was a big hit and there was nothing left to take home.

• 3 or 4 slices bacon, cut into ¼ in pieces
• 1 box Jiffy Cornbread mix
• ½ cup each; finely chopped red onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper and celery.
• Mayo, enough to moisten and bind the salad together.

Texture should crumbly and not too mushy. (Okay to use fake mayonnaise if you must) While the oven is heating, brown bacon bits in the pan you will use to bake the cornbread. When browned, drain, leaving a little bacon drippings in the pan. Mix cornbread batter and pour into the hot pan and bake according to the directions on the box. Pouring the batter into a hot pan will help a brown crust to form on the bottom. Remove from oven and scrape into a large mixing bowl. Using a couple of spoons, crumble the cornbread and allow to cool and dry out for several hours. We want the cornbread to be dry and finely crumbled when the salad is assembled.

(Note: This can be done days in advance. The dry cornbread can be sealed in a storage bag.) The evening before the feast, dump all the chopped veggies and bacon bits into the cornbread. Add enough Mayonnaise to bind the salad. Salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate for several hours. This salad is best after the flavors have had a chance to meld.


* Cucumber and Granny Smith Apple with Ginger Salad

• 1/2-pound cucumbers
• 1 medium onion, Vidalia if you can get it.
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 or 2 Fuji or Granny Smith apple
 • 1 ½ cups water
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 1 Tbs. very thin matchsticks of peeled ginger, a piece the size of your thumb, grated.
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Add minced Habanero or Serrano for a little heat (optional)

Thinly slice cucumbers crosswise, no more than 1/8 inch thick and toss with salt. Let stand 30 minutes, then rinse well and squeeze out excess liquid with your hands. Halve apple half lengthwise and cut out core. Thinly slice crosswise, no more than 1/8 inch thick. Ditto on the onion. Toss apple and onion with cucumbers and remaining ingredients and marinate, chilled, turning occasionally, at least 1 day. Makes about a quart.

This receipt comes from Bro. Phil.

To be continued . . . .