Sunday BUrgers

 I know it's February, and we're certain to get some more cold weather, but today it's mid-70s and partly cloudy.  I decided to crank up the griddle and make burgers for the crew.

I cooked them early and dropped them in a crock pot filled with beef broth.  That's a trick I learned when I was helping the chuck wagon at the local rodeo.  But, a burger is no good without bacon, so I dropped a couple of packs of good hog=meat on the griddle.

Then I prepped some lettuce, tomato, onion, and cheese.  When the crew gets here, all we have to do is say grace.  

Y'all have a blessed Sunday.

Chicken-Fried Steak

 Belle got hungry for chicken-fried steak, so we set up our assembly line.  She seasons them, flours them, then rolls them into an egg wash.  I take them our of the egg wash, roll them in cracker crumbs, then into the hot oil

We put them in a warm crock pot to keep warm till the crew shows up.

With mashed 'taters, cream gravy, corn, and yeast rolls.  It was a pretty good way to do Sunday dinner.  Now, it's time for a nap.

Lunch

 Belle and I do a big Sunday lunch, and we literally never know who will show up.  Today was fairly standard.  We cooked chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, white gravy, with Lima beans.  We planned for about 10 people, but only six showed up at the meal  Eventually, we ed another six folks.  With two eighteen-year-old boys in the house we don't worry about leftovers.  Very little gets thrown out.

Today we spent a great deal of time talking about concealed carry.  Termite brought his wife and we sat around the table after lunch and talked about handguns and holsters and other accessories.  It sounds like a cop-out, but I told her what I tell everyone.  Find something that works for you.  No husband should pick his wife's handgun.  That decision is as personal as the type underwear you choose.If it works for you, use it.  It may not work for anyone else.  Same thing with holsters and the way you carry your gun.  Inside waist band, outside waist band, appendix carry, strong side, whatever works for you and your individual body type.

The choice of revolver or pistol is, again, another individual choice.  I know ladies who absolutely disdain semi-autos in favor of revolvers.  I know other ladies who like semis.  It's an individual choice, and it should be left to the individual.   "Nuff said about that.

It was a great lunch, with good people, and now we're back i the house.

Louisiana Covid Update

It's Sunday afternoon and we turn to the Louisiana Dept of Health for the daily numbers.
We have 23,928 reported cases today.  349 more than yesterday.
Fatalities are recorded at 1296. Only 29 more than yesterday
Hospital census is 1748, a decline of 13 since yesterday.  Of those,  349 are on ventilators.

My home parish of Rapides is reporting 210 cases, up 9 since yesterday.

Belle and I cooked for a small family gathering today.  She made her signature chicken and dumplings.  And while she was rolling dumplings, I made an apple pie for dessert.

Grandson Lucas tells me that I need to figure out a chocolate creme pie.  We might have to work on that.

Sunday Cooking

We decided to cook big today, so Belle set the menu.  Pork chops ad rice, purple hull peas cooked withh tasso, Cole slaw, okra and tomatoes, and cornbread.  We figured we'd be feeding a dozen people, ad wound up feeding thirteen, so there was plenty.

Belle working her magic on the pork chops.

Around here, we feed from youngest to oldest, and the grandkids are first in line. 

That's grandson, Lucas, building his plate with assistance from Dad.

Now, early in the afternoon, all the dishes are washed and the leftovers are put away.  We're getting ready for Moday.  It's going to be a big week, with lots to do.  Wed best get at it.

Ribs

Belle decided to cook ribs today, thinking that we'd have a small crew.  We cooked seven racks of baby-back ribs, with beans, tater salad, garlic bread and lemon cake for dessert.  Of course, we wound hp feeding fifteen people, 10 adults and five kids.

It's over now, everyone is home and the leftovers are put away.

We're inside, taking advantage of air conditioning, and getting ready for tomorrow.

Chicken Spaghetti

We made chicken spaghetti today for lunch.  Quick, easy, filling, alwas a hit.

We started by de-boning a rotissserated chicken.  Then put some seasoning blend veggies (onion, bell pepper ad celery) into a large dutch oven with a big dab of chopped garlic..  Sauteed that for a while.  Then added two cans of cream of chicken soup, two cans of rotel, cut up a pound of velveeta, and 16 oz (2 cups) of half-and-half.  Added the chicken, and it looked like this.

I could drink this stuff with a straw.

Boiled a couple of pounds of spaghetti then put it into two casserole dishes, poured the sauce over it, ad covered it with shredded cheese.  Ran it into a 350 oven until the cheese melted.

Serve with garlic bread.    We fed an even dozen people for lunch, and we barely have leftovers.

Cold, Wet, Sunday

It was a cold, wet Sunday in central Louisiana.  Belle ad I cooked in the shop as we do every Sunday, but this today all the kids were elsewhere, so it was just Bell and I, ad an old friend, Jerome.  Belle cooked a chicken pot pie, homemade, from scratch, ad we enjoyed it for lunch

Afterwards, sitting around the coffee table, I poured a dram of Monkey Shoulder to try.  This is my first go-around with Scotch, and I have to say I found it quite entertaining.  I got hints of vanilla and butterscotch, along with a fruity sensation that reminded me of cooked pie filling.  Very interesting indeed.

That glass is not a proper Glencairn, but a nice tulip shaped glass I found at Dollar Tree.  It works well for nosing whiskey, and at a buck apiece, if it gets broken I don't cry.

We're inside now, prepping or the workaday Monday that will soon be uponn us.

Sunday Cooking

Younger so was visiting this weekend ad Belle decided to cook his favorite, Chicken Fried Steak with mashed potatoes, green peas, and white gravy.  We started cooking, and I suddenly recognized that Belle had bought enough meat to feed a regiment, which is about what we feed on a normal Sunday for lunch.

Of course, he had to go over ad see what was going, on, so he was pressed into service.  Chicken fried steak is a labor of love, ad with the three coatings, (flour, egg wash, and panko crumbs) Belle needed more than two hands.  So, we set up an assembly line.

Before long, we had them rolling through the coatings, the into the oil.

When they were done we put them into a slow cooker to keep them warm while the guests assembled ad the rest of the meal was prepared.

We fed sixteen family members for lunch today, and there is a little left over in case one of us gets peckish toward evening.

The Sunday Dawg

Belle and I had some pulled pork left over from the shoot yesterday, so we warmed that in a slow cooker, and I decided that we had some taco fixin's that we needed to sue, so we put it all out and gave the kids a choice.  They could do "street tacos", or have a normal pulled pork sandwich.

We heated a bunch of corn tortillas on the griddle, and started the line through.

Elder son opted for the tacos.  Warmed corn tortilla, with shredded pork, sour cream guacamole, ad shredded cheese.  I opted for those too, and we probably didn't eat a dozen of those between us.

Grandson Quin opted to combine the two.  A taco is a bun.  He said it was quite tasty, but came back later for more tortillas.

The dawg, of course, got his ration.  Afterwards he decided to nap on the couch beside Belle, in his classic uncomfortable pose.

Later, he opted for a more conventional napping position.

We're back in the house now, getting ready for the week.

Sunday Lunch - Tacos

Belle decided that we should cook tacos today, so I went to the grocer early and got all the fixings.  

The basic spread

Elder son decided to get creative, so he cranked up the griddle to make a few taco shells out of nothing but shredded cheese.  It seems that as cheese melts, it releases oils that keep if from sticking to the griddle.Let it toast until it's a solid mass, then use that as a soft-shell for a taco.

Two shredded cheese taco shells on the griddle.  A standard flout tortilla for scale.

Grandson Zach give it  thumbs-i[

Daughte-in-law seems to be enjoying it too.

After lunch, Belle decided to make cookies from all that cookie dough we buy for fund-raisers.

So, tacos and cookies on the belly, it's time to take a little nap and get ready for Monday.

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Meatloaf

Meatloaf is one of those recipes that is either loved or reviled.  For ourselves, we've played with the recipe and it is still under advisement.  But, we're still playing with it.

For today, we made a bacon wrapped stuffed meatloaf.  Five (5) pounds of 80/20 chuck, we added onions, bell peppers, bread crumbs, egg and milk.  Salt and pepper, o course, Then we laid parchment paper on a cookie sheet, laid macon on the paper, then covered the sheet in a layer of our meat concoction.  Then , covered it in cheese.  You could use mushrooms, sausage, or other yummies.  We only used cheese.  Then, roll the whole thing into a loaf

It went in the smoker an hour ago  I'm running the smoker a little hot, at about 300F and it will be ready in a couple of hours, in time for lunch.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go out to the barn and boil some potatoes for Ouida potatoes.

Sunday Lunch

Yesterday, Belle said that she was craving red beans and rice, so when we ran e errands, we picked up two pounds of good Camellia red beans ad three pounds of Conecu sausage.  Last night we put it all i the crock pot, covered it with water, and let them bubble all night.

Today, we made a pot of rice.

Before we gathered for lunch, Belle made a big cornbread, and the dog took a nap on the shop floor.

After lunch, grandson Lucas said that he'd really like a root beer float for dessert.

That's how we spend Sundays at PawPaw's house.  Cooking, eating, and hanging out.  Now, it's late Sunday afternoon.  Belle is doing laundry and I'm enjoying a vodka tonic.

Steak and Gravy

Grandson Lucas told Belle that he wanted steak and gravy for lunch today, and as that was the only request, Belle honored it.

Round steak, seasoned with salt and pepper then cooked overnight in brown gravy mix.  It was fork-tender, served over rice, with creamed corn and yeast rolls on the side.  Belle also made a peach cobbler for dessert served with or without ice cream as you please.

During the peach cobbler phase of the operation, I introduced Lucas to a beverage called a root beer  float.  He considered that an interesting combination of two of his perennial favorites.

The kids have gone home now, the dishes are washed, and we're settling in for the remainder of Sunday afternoon.  I hear thunnder off to the northeast.

Sunday, Blessed Sunday

Cool ad wet this morning, it's a glorious, rainy Sunday.  Temps are in the low 80s  I'll take that over temps approaching 100. 

Yesterday afternoon Belle and I were talking about what to cook for Sunday lunch and I mentioned that I was hankering or white beans.  We soaked a couple of pounds of great northern beans and found the ham-bone from Easter still in the freezer.  A little salt, and the crock-pot ad they cooked all night.

In another hour, we'll make a pot of rice and some cornbread.  Belle wanted a slice of ham to go with her beans so I'll put some ham steaks on the griddle just before she's ready to eat.

Sunday Cooking

We're doing "big cooking" out in the shop now.  It's set up really well for big meals, with plenty of room for everyone.

Yesterday evening, we made Philly cheese steaks on the grill.  I planned the  ribeye  requirements pretty close, and after it was over, Zach decided he was still hungry, so he made a Philly cheese burger.  What's that, you ask?  A big cheeseburger, with provolone and grilled onions and peppers.

The Philly Cheese Burger.  Looks pretty good, doesn't it.

This morning, we started the day with a huge breakfast.  Biscuits, sausage gravy, has browed potatoes, bacon, and eggs-to-order.

Bacon and has browns.  When the eggs were cooking I was busy.

Then for lunch, grandson Lucas asked for chicken and dumplings.  Belle made her signature, start-from-scratch, hand-rolled dumplings.

Belle, dropping dumplings into chicken stock

She even let me take a picture to show how much flour she get s on her hands and lothing while she's working her magic over the dumpling board.

Oh, yeah, it's a mess when she's through, but it's worth it.  My wife makes the very best dumplings I have ever eaten.  It's one o the many benefits of being harnessed in tandem with her. 

We fed the crew and we've cleaned up.  The house is full of grandkids spending the night,a nd Belle is happy as a clam.    Today was a very good day.

Brisket

It's been a couple of years since I cooked a brisket, and I had a hankering for some good, fatty, smoked meat.  Belle didn't object, because she can relax while the smoker does the work.  The rub, you ask?  Nothing but salt and pepper.  That is all that brisket needs.

Brisket is a meat that is best cooked low and slow.  225F for ten or twelve hours, then trim it and put it in a pan on a low, smokey fire until the guests arrive.

So, last night I pt it on a low fire and went to bed.  My fire is propane, so once the temperature is st, I don't have to tend it.  This morning, I took it off, let it cool, trimmed and sliced it, then put it back over the fire.

Brisket on top, beans below.  It will sit there till we're ready to eat and then we'll get the 'tater salad out of the fridge.  Today is Sunday and we're kicking back on the patio.

Sunday - Grill Day

After nearly two solid weeks of rain ad hateful weather, the sun is out, everything is drying up, and PawPaw is hungry for a hamburger.  The grill is clean, the cook table is back in place, and when the kids get here in an hour or so, I'll light the charcoal.

We'll do hamburgers, and some sausage that made its way home form the grocers.

I noticed, in passing, that Belle's hydrangea is blooming.  We were hoping for blue, but it appears that we got "a hint of rose".

Tomorrow, of course, is Labor Day, and I plan to labor.  Belle is working and I'm going to try and get caught up on the lawn.  It's in serious need of trimming.  We need to get packed up and ready to roll Wednesday morning.  We're going to Hartford, KY, for the Showdown In The Bluegrrass, the Kentucky State Championship of Cowboy Fast Draw.

She and I haven't taken a road trip since May, and it's time to go look at something else.

Sunday Cooking in the Yard

Burgers on the grill.

Cooked about 20 burgers today, fed the crowd.  Just burgers with all the rimmings and a bag of chips.  Of course, the cook drank a beer while he was sanding over the fire.

A great way to spend a Sunday after church.

Chickens on the Smoker

My first father-in-law, Boonie, used to cook chickens at every opportunity.  He had what we called a Hamilton pit, here in central Louisiana.  Don't bother googling it.  Back in the day, oil drums were ubiquitous in Louisiana, and an enterprising metal fab guy found a market for used oil drums.  He made barbeque pits out of those oil drums and sold them locally.  Sold thousands of them.  It looked kind of like this:

Boonie's method was to cook them "low and slow", meaning that he would get the pit to a low temperature and put the chickens down on the other end, away from the fire.  He'd put them on the pit just after breakfast and they'd be ready for lunch.  He never used a thermometer, so I have no idea of the temps, but think 275-300F for three and a half or four hours.

We lost Boonie several years ago, but his memory and his recipe live on.  This morning, I took four chickens out the fridge, cleaned them good, and butterflied them by cutting down the spine.  That's not necessary, but it saves room in my smoker.  No seasoning really, just salt and pepper and some good pecan hulls in the smoker for flavor.  I put them on about 8:00.

That's four birds, just old dead chickens,  That tin-foil tray below them has some livers, with salt and pepper, and a little butter.  Milady likes them, so I'll take them off in a couple of hours as an hors d'oeuvres   

Yep, checked them at 10:00 and they look fine.  Good color, plenty of aroma, and I took the livers off.  Milady will be enjoying them soon.    Adjusted the smoker racks to that I can slide a pan of beans over the chickens to get a little smoke and yum-yum.

I meant to get a picture when I took them off, but I forgot to bring the camera.  They were a pretty pecan-brown color, the juices running clear, and the bones were falling out of the drumsticks.The beans were smoked for he last hour, and Milady made potato salad and yeast rolls.  I fed twelve people, and folks took home leftovers.Even the dawg got his ration of perfectly smoked chicken.  All I had to do was wash dishes.

Just another Sunday at PawPaw's House.