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Wednesday, December 10, 2014

White Chicken Enchiladas

This White Chicken Enchiladas recipe was handed down to me by a friend who lives a few miles from me. It is sooo good that you'd better plan on making a couple batches of these if you have two or more people in your family or group, or they won't forgive you for not making more. It is easy to make as you will see.

Ingredients


  1. 10 soft taco shells
  2. 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
  3. 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I prefer Kraft Tex-Mex)
  4. 2 Tbsp. butter
  5. 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
  6. 2 cups chicken broth
  7. 1 cup sour cream
  8. 1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilis

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Grease a 9" x 13" pan
  • Mix chicken and 1 cup shredded cheese
  • Roll up in tortillas and place in pan
  • In a saucepan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute
  • Add broth and whisk until smooth
  • Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly
  • Stir in sour cream and chillis Note: Do not bring to boil or the sour cream will curdle.
  • Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.
  • Bake 22 minutes and then under high broil for 3 minutes to brown the cheese.
Enjoy! Let me know how you like 'em.

KT
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Tuesday, December 09, 2014

Garlic-Loaf Shrimp Po-Boy

    Garlic-Loaf Shrimp Po-Boy
  • 2 dozen large shrimp, deveined and fried
  • 1 fresh loaf (garlic) French bread, large
  • 1 cup lettuce, shredded
  • sliced tomatoes
  • tartar sauce
  • salt and pepper to taste

Begin by frying a couple dozens large shrimp using the Gaspard's Spicy Catfish Nuggets recipe (just substitute shrimp). Deep fry until they float to the top.

Prepare a dozen at the time and don't over-cook. When a light golden-brown color is reached (about 3 minutes at 375 degrees F.) remove the shrimp from the hot oil with a slotted spoon and place them onto some paper towels to cool and to absorb any excess oil. Repeat the process until all the shrimp are done.

Purchase the garlic French bread already sliced in half (lengthwise). Use your oven broiler to lightly toast the garlic loaf (spread side up) and set aside. Later, when you are done, you can slice the loaf in half to make two equally proportioned po-boys.

On the bottom-half of the loaf, evenly distribute the shredded lettuce. Then on top of the lettuce arrange the tomato slices along the entire length of the sandwich.

On the top-half of the loaf spread a generous amount of tartar sauce. Complete your sandwich by arranging the fried shrimp on the bottom-half of the loaf, season to taste, put the bread-cap back on, perform your final cut ... and Voila!--two Shrimp Po-Boys...Cajun style! (if you end-up with a few left-over shrimp just eat them as a snack and enjoy) Ahheee!! C'est Bon!

KT
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Shrimp Cocktail

  • 12 Colossal wild shrimp, cleaned and deveined (leave tails on)
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 Tbs Zatarain's Shrimp & Crab Boil
  • ice
  • cocktail sauce
  • 1/2 lemon, cut into 4 equal wedges


Add 1 Tbs. Zatarain's Concentrated Shrimp & Crab boil to 2 cups water. Bring to boil. Add shrimp and cook for 3 minutes. Immediately put them on ice to stop the cooking process. Make a cocktail sauce by mixing 2 parts catchup; 1 part prepared-horseradish, a few drops of lemon juice and a couple shakes of Tabasco sauce. Mix well and serve in dipping bowl.

You can make your own shrimp boil by using red or cayenne pepper, bay leaves, cloves, powdered garlic and celery salt. (In the old days we used only cayenne pepper, quartered lemons and salt.)

Arrange the lemon wedges equal distant around the dip bowl with 3 large shrimp between each. Place bowl on a bed of ice on top of fresh lettuce. Serves 2 - 4.

This specialty dish can be prepared faster than a cat can lick its ... uh ... tail.

It don't get no better than this.

Mes amis--Enjoy!




Wild Gulf of Mexico White Colossal Shrimp
Whew! That was a mouth full--and so were the U/15 count shrimp, (meaning under 15 per pound), which I used in this easy to prepare shrimp cocktail recipe.

Shrimp are decapod crustaceans (ten legs). Like lobsters, crabs, and crayfish, shrimp are fascinating and busy underwater workers and a delightful addition to the culinary desires and tastes of diners throughout the world.

Out of the nearly 5 million tons of shrimp harvested annually, the largest importer is none other than the United States. Americans, no-doubt, love to eat shrimp.

Worldwide there are about 300 known species of shrimp ... but the world's best eating variety (the Wild Gulf of Mexico White Shrimp), is highly coveted for its firm texture; its uniquely delicate taste, and ease of preparation.

Today's chefs purchase shrimp and other seafood in an IQF state (Individually Quick Frozen), with convenience and preservation being the main consideration. By stocking an inventory of IQF shrimp, restaurant cooks (and home cooks, too) can remove as much as needed from the freezer, individually. They are not all stuck together.

Large shrimp boats are able to venture farther out in the waters these days to discover shrimp because they utilize spacious on-board arctic blast freezers. These blast freezers can render the entire catch into a sub-zero rock-hard state within moments after hitting the deck.

In this highly frozen state, the shrimp are less likely to attract harmful bacteria. Some boats stay out on the waters for weeks and months at the time before returning to dock with the knowledge that their seafood are as fresh as the moment they were harvested. The quality and freshness have been cryogenically frozen in time.

In the past decade or so, discussions on health-safety issues and the consumption of imported farm-raised shrimp (especially the popular Asian Black Tiger variety often seen in U.S. supermarkets and restaurants) have been swimming around in a sea of controversy.

The main issue seems to be the negative environmental impact created when foreign shrimp ponds are abandoned or misused versus harvesting the shrimp (in the wild) from the world's oceans, gulfs and bays.

Since the U.S. is the world's largest importer, any embargo or strict import regulations would present serious problems to the consumer by driving the prices up sky-high. To cover the present demand, should the foreign farm-raised shrimp become unavailable for any reason, would be practically impossible. The void could not be filled solely with "wild" shrimp. The oceans could become depleted in record-time.

The other concern has to do with the quality and safety of consuming overseas products which are not under the direct auspices of our own federal regulatory agencies. We are all privy to some of the tainted Chinese products (like animal foods, baby formulas and toys) that have been recently discovered and subsequently banned from the U.S. market place.

In other words, it's tough to keep a close-eye on foreign shrimp growers and suppliers. The U.S. cannot impose regulations on foreign growers with respect to using safe protocols as it does with its own shrimp farmers, nor can it filter-out any potentially harmful substances which may have been passed-on through the food chain into the mouths of the consumers. Most of the time, unfortunately, the discovery of unsafe products is usually made after-the-fact.

This is not the case with Wild White Gulf of Mexico Shrimp (or the pink and brown varieties for that matter) because all three American varieties are safe and good to eat.

In conclusion, if you are intent on buying farm-raised shrimp, you might consider purchasing the ones grown in America. The shrimp farmers there offer a safe product.


Bon jour!
Update: Toxic Seafood Warning!  (video)
Please follow this link to download a government published document about seafood fraud:
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09258.pdf?source=ra
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Sunday, December 07, 2014

Coca-Cola Cowboy Slow Cooked Smoked Deer Roast Recipe | A Smoking Hot New Way to Cook Venison

Cowboy Deer Roast
It’s that time of the year again. ‘Tis the season for bagging deer. Not reindeer, but White-tailed deer. We cannot put ol' red-nosed Rudolf in harms way until after the Christmas holidays, now can we?

The annual ritual of processing the White-tailed quarry into venison roasts, steaks and sausages has evolved into a near art-form, especially for many of the old timers I personally know who have been at this wild game for a long time. 

New ways of preparing and cooking deer meat is always a welcomed delight, too--especially if the end result is truly outstanding. It's got to be like a number 1 hit country song in my humble opinion--like this recipe.

Speaking of number one hit songs, perhaps you have already heard the country classic “Coca~Cola Cowboy” recorded by Mel Tillis [Released 1979; Label MCA ] who sings about his love interest--a woman who refers to him as a Coca-Cola cowboy with “an Eastwood smile and Robert Redford hair”. (If you haven’t heard the song you may listen to it by visiting the link provided below.)

So, what does this song have to do with cooking a dear roast you may be asking?

Well, not much quite frankly, except I was hoping the title might be catchy and a nice attention-grabber since I do use Coca-Cola Classic, and a couple of other secret ingredients, which gives the slow-cooked deer roast a nice smoked taste and helps to bring out the other wonderful and natural flavors of wild game. And, we can do it all without using an outdoor smoker or BBQ pit.

Let me show you how easily it is done.


Ingredients

  • 4-6 lb. deer roast, tenderized
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 small bottle Colgin Liquid Smoke
  • 1 pkt. Lipton’s Beefy Onion Soup mix
  • 1 cup Coca-Cola Classic
  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 1 medium onion, sliced into slivers
  • 1/2 garlic pod (about 6 cloves) cut into slivers
  • 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp. black pepper


Instructions

  1. tenderize the deer roast or ham on all sides (I use the Jaccard Supertendermatic to tenderize mine.)
  2. add 1/2 bottle of Colgin liquid smoke, making sure all the meat absorbs some of the liquid
  3. in a bowl mix the brown sugar, Coca-Cola Classic, salt and the remaining liquid smoke
  4. pour the brine-sugar-liquid smoke mixture on all sides of the roast and rub in firmly
  5. use the tenderizer again so that the mixture may absorb deeply into the cut of meat
  6. turn the meat over every few hours and reapply the syrupy brine mixture on top
  7. marinade for 12 hours as you repeat step 6
  8. gently wash the marinade off the venison using cold running water (do not over do it)
  9. using a sharp knife create enough pockets or 'slits' throughout the roast for stuffing
  10. combine the onion, garlic, ground cayenne pepper and half the Lipton Soup Mix and mix well
  11. stuff the slits (pockets) of the roast with this mixture until all of the stuffing is used up
  12. sprinkle a generous amount of garlic and onion powder, ground black pepper and remaining soup mix on all sides of the roast
  13. tightly wrap the entire roast onto a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil
  14. position the roast in a large enough roasting pan so the sides of the roast does not touch the sides of the roasting pan
  15. begin roasting in the oven at 275º F. for 3 hours, then at 300º for 2 hours
  16. let the roast cool down before carving (slice against the grain)
  17. make gravy with the drippings

    How to Make Venison Roast Gravy?

    Cooking deer meat slow and low, while it is wrapped tightly in aluminum foil, will produce a liquid which is filled with all of the seasonings which were added to the roast in the first place. This is where our gravy will come from. 

    Keep in mind that the liquid will also tend to be a little salty from our brine-sugar marinade, some of which is embedded an inch or more inside the muscles, and the Lipton Beefy Onion Soup mix. That shouldn't be much of a problem if you dilute the liquid in a medium sauce pan with more liquid and a thickening agent.

    We can do this by dissolving a couple tablespoons of all-purpose flour, or cornstarch, in about a half-cup, or more, of cold water. Bring the original liquid up to a slow-boil then slowly add the thickening liquid to the sauce pan while stirring at the same time. In a minute or two the gravy will begin to thicken. Turn off the heat and it's ready to serve. 

    I like to use this gravy on homemade creamed-cheese mashed potatoes. Talk about good! 

    Ahheee!! C'est bon!... Enjoy! 

    "Coca~Cola Cowboy"... song by Mel Tillis



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