Alligator Stew!

You may remember several months ago, my daughter-in-law brought me two packages of Alligator meat that her brother got from a hunt they went on last year. I took one package and fried it. It turned out tougher than I hoped because it was chunk meat and not cutlets from the tail. So, I decided to cook it like a beef stew or roast. I cooked it long enough for the tissues to break down and render tender pieces of meat! You can also do this with pork. You'll basically get the same taste. Alligator has much of the same taste and texture as pork loin.

2 pounds Alligator Meat, cut into chunks **
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 soup can of water
2 teaspoons minced, dried onion
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 1/2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the meat in a casserole dish. Mix the other ingredients together and pour over the meat. Cook in the oven 2-3 hours or until the meat falls apart when pressed with a fork.

**You can substitute pork loin cut into chunks for the alligator meat.**

Donut Holes... Two ways!

3 tbsp milk
3 tbsp boiling water
1 tsp dry active yeast

1 tsp sugar

Combine these ingredients in a small bowl and set aside in a warm place.

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp butter, room temperature
dash of salt

1 egg, slightly beaten

Oil for frying

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt. Add butter and using a fork or a whisk, cut the butter into the flour mixture. Add the egg and yeast mixture to the flour. Stir until well combined and a dough ball forms. (Add a dusting of flour if the dough is still stick and mix until smooth.) Knead on a floured surface for 5 minutes. Return it to the bowl, and cover. Let it rest in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled. Once risen, place the dough on the counter and cut it into 4 pieces. Stretch each piece into a long rope about an inch to an inch and a half wide. Cut into strips about an inch long. Roll each one into a ball with your hands, and place them on a baking tray. Cover the donut holes with a cloth to rise.

Pour about 1 inch of oil in a frying pan. Heat the oil to 375 degrees. Carefully place the donut holes into the oil and fry until golden brown on each side, about 2 minutes. Drain on a wire rack, before glazing them.

GLAZE:

1/3 cup butter, melted
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
3- 4 tbsp water

Combine ingredients for glaze. Dunk donut holes in glaze and place on wire rack to dry.

Cinnamon and Sugar Coating: 

Combine 2 tablespoons of Cinnamon to 1/2 cup of Sugar in a small bowl and roll donut holes in the mixture for a second flavor.

Memphis Style BBQ Sauce for Chicken

1 Chicken, cut up
Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle chicken pieces with seasonings. Place in a casserole dish and bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown and juices run clear.

Sauce:

1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp butter
1 cup ketsup
1/4 cup brown sugar, light or dark
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup Texas Pete hot sauce
2 tbsp worchestershire sauce

Saute onion and garlic in butter in a large pan. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer about 10 minutes. Spoon the sauce heavily over the chicken pieces. Return to the oven for 20 minutes or until the sauce thickens and sets. (Be careful not to let the sauce burn!)

Winter Storm #2

The winter storm came in full swing

Wednesday morning. By Wednesday night,

we were getting reports that the worst was over. 

Soon after that report, our lights went out. I had just pulled the fried chicken out of the pan and put it in the hot oven. I wasn't even sure if it was done yet. Believe it or not, I don't fry chicken often! I had hot grease pop in my eye when I was very young, and I have to push myself to fry it.

Fried Chicken

Luckily, the chicken turned out great!

After eating, the hubby went outside to take some pictures. 

Grass...

 Crape Myrtles...

Grass and weeds covered in ice!

 When he came in, we gathered around the rocket stove

that he made and played Canasta until 2am.

Elliott took his beanie back

so the hubby put the ski mask on backwards. LOL

 The next morning,

Elliott made coffee on top of the rocket stove.

I grilled Greek Pork Chops!

Here are some things that I learned during this ordeal...

Ranch Sunflower seeds boiled in beef broth

actually taste good! Elliott's concoction...

A ski mask worn backwards provides

a perfect ponytail hole!

The Hubby is a sore looser in cards!  

But he's pretty darn good at decorating a cake when the room is 45 degrees without any power appliances! :-)

Wurstsalat... German Bologna Salad

A looooong time ago, I used to visit with a friend of the family. She was born in Germany and moved to the states with her father. Her brother stayed in Germany with her mother. Her brother would come to visit in the summer. I adored those visits, listening to them talk to each other, even though I couldn't understand much. One time, her brother brought along his (then) fiance. She made a salad that I loved! I asked her for a recipe, but she couldn't speak English well enough to translate it. So, we gave up. Well, through the help of a few friends, I found a few recipes, combined a few things that I remembered and here you have it! Finally, after all this time! I have a little tweeking to do, but this is IT!!! YAY!

4 oz German Bologna
1/4 cup Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup German style Dill Pickles 

1/4 cup Bell peppers
1/4 cup Cucumber
1/4 cup Tomato

2 Boiled Eggs (Whites Only)

1 Tablespoon Vinaigrette Dressing
1 tablespoon juice from the pickle jar
2 tablespoons Mayonnaise

2 tablespoons Sour cream

Chop the bologna, cheese, pickles and vegetables into small cubes and add to a medium size bowl. Add the pickle juice and vinaigrette in a small bowl. Whisk in the mayo and sour cream. Add to the bologna and veggie mixture and toss. Let the mixture sit for a little bit or store in the frig. The longer it sits, the more the flavors will marry.

Many of the recipes call for onion. I wanted the flavor but not the bite of raw onion. So, I substituted some onion powder... just a sprinkle. Make it your own. Leave out what you don't want and add your favorites!

Pork Schnitzel with Jaeger Sauce

Basically, this is the same as my scallopini recipe that I rave about...
One big difference is the sauce or gravy that is poured over the top when served. Jäger (German pronunciation: Yeager) is the German word for "hunter". One source that I found said that it is called hunter's sauce because of the vegetable used were found by hunters searching for food. Another said that it was created to make tough game birds and meats more appealing. Either way, it is very tasty and a complimentary sauce.

BTW... ***Do you know the difference between sauce and gravy???
The answer is at the bottom of the post. :-)

Scallopini is called Schnitzel in Germany. It is a boneless meat, thinned with a meat mallet or tenderizer, coated with flour, beaten eggs and bread crumbs, and then fried. In German-speaking countries, the term Schnitzel means escalopes (cutlets), not just bread crumbed, fried escalopes such as Wiener Schnitzel. A popular food in many countries, it is made from veal, chicken, beef, turkey, or pork. There are worldwide names for this process... cutlets, scallop, escalope and paillard. All of which refer to a piece of meat that has been pounded thin.

Pork Schnitzel

4 boneless pork chops
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup beef broth


Flatten cutlets to 1/8-in. thickness.

In a flat dish, combine the flour, bread crumbs, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add chops one at a time and coat evenly. In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter and oil. Add chops; cook over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Place chops in a 13x9 casserole dish. Add enough broth to come to the sides of the chops. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes or until all the broth is absorbed.

Jaeger Sauce

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 pkg fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 tsp German Maggi Seasoning Sauce
Salt & Pepper to taste

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 Cup of beef broth

1/2 Cup sour cream

Saute onion, mushrooms and garlic until tender, being sure not to let the garlic burn. Add seasonings. Remove from pan. Add 2 more tablespoons of butter. Melt and add flour. Whisk until golden brown. Gradually add the wine and broth. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk in sour cream. 


*** The answer... $20 a plate!

Trish's Caramel Apple Dip

My cousin, my best friend Trish and I finally got a chance to spend some time together yesterday. As teenagers, we spent as much time together as possible. She lived about 1 1/2 hours away. My Mama used to drive me down to spend some time and usually bring Trish back with us for the weekend. At least once or twice a year, her entire family would come to our house for a big whole hog BBQ/Pig Pickin. 

When I got my driver's license, I used to drive down and pick her up. When she and her twin brother graduated high school, I attended the ceremony, and took her back to her house for the celebration. As a present for graduating, her Dad gave her a bottle of Slow Gin and her brother a bottle of Jack Daniels. That sounds odd, but her father was a very unique man to say the least. She spilled Slow Gin all over her dress in my car, and we had to stop at a gas station for her to change her clothes. I brought her home with me, and we had an awesome party with friends that weekend! I caught her and my ex (Bud) kissing. I started to throw my drink at her, but she held her hand up and screamed, "NO Lynn! I'm wearing your blazer!" Bwahahahahaha!!! We both busted out laughing! Good times! 

Well, she came up yesterday and brought her grands... three month old baby, Karah and three and a half year old Brantley! The hubby was having a blast! He played ball with Brantley and even got rocker time with Karah.

Trish made us a dessert dip that was so good. The hubby said that it is dangerous! Every time I turned around he was in it! LOL

Trish's Caramel Apple Dip

2 - 8oz pkgs of Cream Cheese, softened
12oz container Caramel Ice Cream Topping
12oz bag Milk Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts (she used pecans)
3 lb bag Granny Smith Apples

In an 8X8 dish, spread cream cheese. If needed, heat the caramel in the microwave just until pour-able. Pour over the cream cheese layer. Sprinkle on chocolate chips and nuts. Core the apples and cut into wedges. Use the apples to scoop up the dip. Dip, eat and repeat! 

Me and Trish... and my photo bombing horse, Tilly!