207 replies to this topic

[HungryC]

That out-of-print Prudhomme family cookbook is a treasure. It contains a bunch of serious Cajun home cooking; "sticky" chicken, smothered potatoes, etc. I scored one at a used bookstore, and I can't understand why someone would have ever let it go. Alibris has a few cheap copies listed right now.

Rhonda, your fig tree's production sounds about like mine. I planted it (the "LSU Purple" variety) the winter after Katrina, and last year I harvested no more than a dozen figs. Bah.

Also funny you should mention Swamp People--I was in Bayou Sorrel this weekend, home of Willie (from the show). Saw a gas station advertising "Willie t-shirts are here". Guess the locals are proud of him.

[PopsicleToze]

Quick breakfast of frog in the hole. We never had this growing up. The first time I saw it was during the movie Moonstruck. They had a fantastic scene when the mother was cooking this while lecturing Cher. I thought, "Wow! That really looks good." She had some pancetta cooked and put on the top of it.

I don't put bacon on it or anything -- just eggs, bread and butter.





And no picture -- but apple juice. Unless I have enough oranges for fresh squeezed orange juice, I usually opt for apple juice.

[PopsicleToze]

And now a quick tour of one of the produce markets I visited. This one is in Denham Springs, and it is the one I mostly frequent just because it's the closest one to me.



Many of the markets have wooden rocking chairs made out of cypress. When they are stained, the beauty of the natural wood really stands out.





Here is the tasteless watermelon we ate yesterday.



Here are the tangerines. Louisiana Satsumas are better, but this is what was available.







The okra was huge and tough. If it would have been good, we could have had smothered okra and tomatoes. Yum! But it wasn't, so we passed.







The new potatoes looked awesome, and we just happen to need a few!



Crawfish season is upon us, and there are standard things needed when boiling them. I've seen this display in many of the markets. The produce and seasonings needed for the crawfish boil are arranged in a pirogue (old Cajun boat). Cute.



Here is what we purchased.

[PopsicleToze]

Celeste,

Thanks for the info. That cookbook is great. The thing is -- I don't cook much from it, but it is the real deal and I love reading it.

I'll bet you have this one, too! I found it in a used book store, and it is fabulous.





I guess what amazes me most about this cookbook is how well people were eating in New Orleans in 1901. It is amazing! They even had truffles! It makes sense with New Orleans being a very major port city that they were able to get things shipped in that were unavailable to many places, and they just knew how to cook. There's also menus, little notes to the housewife with advice like what she should do if she's making turtle soup and the turtle possesses no eggs.

I'm going to post their suggested Menu for Easter Sunday, because it's almost that time, and here we can see how the people of New Orleans were eating in 1901:

BREAKFAST
Strawberries and Cream.
Small Hominy, Milk.
Boiled Tenderloin Trout, Sauce a la Creme.
Potatoes a la Parisiene.
Cress. Radishes. Olives.
Breakfast Bacon. Scrambled Eggs.
Broiled Woodcock on Toast.
Flannel Cakes. Louisiana Syrup.
Cafe au Lait.
The Daily Picayune. (Note: The Picayune is the City's newspaper, and they wrote this book.)

DINNER
Caviars sur Canapes.
Oyster Soup. Crackers.
Mangoes. Olives. Salted Almonds.
Broiled Pompano. Sauce a la Maitre d'Hotel.
New Potatoes aux Beurre a la Maitre d'Hotel.
Pigeons Sautes aux Champignona.
Ponche a la Cardinale.
Roast Lamb, Mint Sauce. Green Peas.
Cauliflower au Beurre.
Asparagus.
Salade aux Laitues et aux Cerfeuils.
Teal Duck sur Canapes.
Angel Cake. Brandied Peaches. Lemon Ice.
Bouchees Glacees.
Fruit. Nuts. Raisins. Roquefort.
Cafe Noir.

SUPPER
Warmed-Over Lamb. Currant Jelly.
Celery Salad.
Waffles. Louisiana Syrup. Fruit.
Tea.

---------------

Whew! I'm exhausted just reading the menu. I believe it's safe to say that the ladies who served this menu had cooks in the house preparing it for them.

Rhonda

Edited by PopsicleToze, 23 March 2011 - 05:25 AM.

[PopsicleToze]

I am also going to post their description of

An Easter Decoration

On Easter Sunday the dinner table should always be decked with flowers, or at least some bit of green indicative not only of the resurrection of all nature, but also of the most glorious festival of the year. A beautiful decoration for those who can afford it is to arrange a cut-glass bowl on a mirror and fill it with Maiden-hair Fern and Calla Lilies. Fill the center of the Caila Lilies with sprays of Maiden-hair Fern; garnish the edges of the mirror with bits of fern and smilax, and the effect of all will be a miniature pond, with the lilies reflected within and the banks overrun with smilax.

If this decoration is beyond your means, the home gardens are filled at this season with hyacinths, and violets, and narcissus. Smailax runs wild in our Louisiana woods, especially around New Orleans, and is to be had for the gathering. A bowl of hyacinths or violets, or sprays of roses, mingled with Maiden-hair Fern, or even a simple bowl of smilax, young mint and rose leaf greenery, will make the table beautiful, and whisper the Easter message to the heart. It is really wonderful how a bit of green brightens up an apartment.

One of the most beautiful and effective Easter decorations ever seen in New Orleans was at the home of the gentle poet, "Pearl Rivers" (Mrs. E. J. Nicholson), who so long directed the management of the Picayune. It consisted entirely of smilax. There were miles and miles of it around the rooms. Graceful sprays ran hither and thither in delicate tracery about the table, over the center of which there hung from the chandeliers beautiful clusters and sprays of smilax, which lit up with a wondrous glow, brightening the minds of guests with springtime freshness, and suggesting the green fields, the wooded forests and the beautiful spring of the year and of the heart. And all this beautiful decoration cost nothing but the gathering of the graceful smilax from the woods around New Orleans.

Smilax on Fence


Isn't that beautiful?

Rhonda

[PopsicleToze]

A BIG MESS OF GREENS

Mustard greens are my favorite. Many people mix mustards, turnips, collards, etc. for a mixed greens special. Growing up we had a garden and grew our own vegetables. Mustard greens were Mom's favorite, so that's what we had. We don't have a garden now, but friends and family will often drop by with a big box of greens to give you. Country neighbors are some of the best!

I had an errand to do in Baton Rouge with about half an hour to kill, so I went to Fresh Pickins and took a little looksie around to see if they had fresh mustard greens. Here are all of the syrups, jellies, jams, etc. I thought you might want to see it.



And here is fresh corn meal



They also have frozen chopped trinity, but definitely don't buy that.



Here's what we are in the market for today



I usually get three or four bunches. Today I purchased three. You need to always buy a lot more greens than you think you need, because they cook down to practically nothing. You'll start with too many greens to fit in the pot, and before long you'll only have half a pot of cooked greens. Also, don't let these things fool you. They are very, very dirty, and there's nothing so bad as grit cooked in your greens. This is the underside of a leaf. Yuck! And they come with a few bugs, too!



“Can I get the grit out of greens I have already cooked,” you ask. Nope. Just give up, and be sure to wash them better the next time you make them.

They can be purchased these days in cellophane bags pre-washed, pre-cut, and ready to go, but I never buy them like that because I like the stems removed, and they just cut the greens right across the stems and everything.

Here are my greens ready to be washed (stems discarded).



Now, you have to wash them in the sink – not sitting in a colander or anything – just floating in the sink. Wash well and let the grit fall to the bottom of the sink. Remove the greens so you can clean out the sink and repeat the process several times. Look at the sink after soaking the first cleaning. Pretty nasty. Three times is usually sufficient, but these were particularly dirty, and I had the wash them four times. Also, since I noticed a few bugs, I did add some vinegar to the first washing to make sure they were gone.



Now, after your greens have washed, you need to cook some seasoning meat. We use bacon ends and pieces.



I like the taste of bacon with the mustard greens, but I don't like the flaccid pieces fat floating around it. The white fat turns a little greenish and I just don't like to look at it. Therefore, I buy Wright's bacon ends and pieces. I use the large chunks for seasoning meat, and I render the bacon fat. Then, you can brown the bacon in its own fat. Sounds like a lot of work, but I usually do all of that on a prep and stock-making day so that the bacon meat is in the freezer ready to go and my bacon renderings are cooked and stored in a mason jar in the refrigerator. So, on cooking day, it's a breeze. Here we have the bacon in the pot, which has browned enough to my satisfaction, so I've added some rough-chopped garlic. I should have minced it. I was being lazy. Garlic is great in greens! Most people saute an onion, too, and sometimes I add an onion, but I always add garlic.



Add the greens that will fit in the pot. Cover the pot and let them steam a little bit. Now, when they have gone down a little, you can add the other ones. I use chicken stock; Mom adds water. Assertively salt and pepper the dish. Eat with Crystal hot sauce or pepper vinegar.



Oh -- and don't forget the cornbread. That is on our list of things to make. We'll get to it.

Also, one more thing, a lot of people around here will tell you to wash the mustard greens in a pillow case thrown in the washing machine. I only did that one time maybe around 1990 or so. My Uncle Carroll told me to wash them in the washing machine. He has a HUGE garden, so I figured he knew what he was talking about. Well, he is also a trickster, and he did NOT tell me about the pillowcase. So, I did it and then spent forever picking out the little green bits stuck inside the washing machine. This method MAY work, I don't know, but I'm not doing it again!

Rhonda

[Shelby]

SWAMP PEOPLE

Now, we need to go back and finish our field trip from yesterday. We left off after I left the strawberry farm. We were in Ponchatoula -- and that is right next door to Hammond.

Are you familiar with Swamp People? It's a series on the History Channel and it documents several families of alligator hunters in South Louisiana. Click here for more info.

When it first came out, I thought, "Wow. We need that like we need a hole in the head. Just more stereotypical profiles about Louisiana." However, then I started watching it. What makes this show so special is that they're not stereotyping these people. It's the real deal; this is what these people do, and I love the series. Now, not all of us hunt alligators, and not all of us have extreme accents, but these people do, and they do it well. If you haven't watched it, the new series begins March 31st.

Why did I tell you all of that? Because one of the families lives in Hammond, Louisiana, and that's right next door. I didn't know where it was or even remember the name of it, but Hammond is a small place and I figured that I would find it. It's an alligator and turtle farm, and I wanted some turtle meat to make you some soup. It's my favorite ever!



The place is called Kliebert's, and it's just off I-55. When I arrived, I met T-Mike; he's on the show. He's the son of one of the hunters. (T-Mike is short for Little Mike or Mike, Jr. In Cajun culture, they just put a T in front of the name.) Anyway, he was very nice, but I found out they don't sell turtle meat. The turtles they have are alligator snapping turtles, and they are on the endangered list. Most of the turtle soup today uses the common snapping turtle. You can tell the difference between the turtles by their shell. The common snapping turtle has a smooth shell, and the alligator snapping turtle has jagged points on it.





I was a little disappointed and but he was kind enough to take me on a little tour. The largest alligator on the farm is 19-feet. The large alligators were hatched from eggs by his grandfather. They are 54 years old this year.

















The place has a funky smell, and I asked him what they fed the alligators. T-Mike drives to Henderson (that's in Cajun Country) weekly and buys fish heads and parts for feed. So, you can just imagine fish heads and guts rotting in the ponds not far from where we were walking!

I asked T-Mike if he was familiar with Lloyd's Smokehouse. He wasn't and said that he buys his andouille at Jacob's in LaPlace (sound familiar? Lol). He asked me if it was good, and I told him that I hadn't eaten it yet, but it sure smelled good. Then I remembered that it was in the car, so I told him that I would get him a piece and be right back. I forgot the stuff was frozen, so I just broke off a link and wrapped it in a napkin and brought it to him. He was so thankful that he insisted on giving me a package of their alligator sausage! (I haven't tried it yet; I'll let you know.)

Anyway, enjoy the pictures, and T-Mike told me to tell you hello. We won't be having turtle soup this week, however, but he was a very nice guy and I'm glad I stopped by.

We love Swamp People!!!! My mom and step dad watch it, too.

[Shelby]

And now onto today's dessert. I tried to think of what would be a typical dessert for us when we were growing up. We didn't have dessert much; it was more of a special occasion when desserts were served. I don't eat too much dessert even now. Most of the time after dinner, a cup of coffee is served.

However, one of my favorite desserts is watermelon! I don't know if you know it or not, but it gets hot down here. Watermelon is just the thing to cool you down. It's always eaten outside sprinkled with just a little bit of salt.



Does anyone remember Nathalie Dupree? She used to have a cooking show years ago. She messed up all of the time. Seriously -- every single episode. It was so funny. Every time she would mess up, she would say, "Well, if we lived in a perfect world," or "In a perfect world, this wouldn't happen," etc.

Well, in a perfect world, if we wanted to eat watermelon, this would be July and that watermelon would be from Washington parish. They have *the* best watermelons in the world.

This little watermelon? Ahhh -- it's alright. It's from Mexico, and it doesn't have a lot of flavor. I knew not to buy it, but I thought it would be alright. It would be an example of a traditional dessert we had, PLUS I wanted to make you watermelon rind pickles. Then, I just opened it this afternoon, and the rind is so small that it's not worth fooling with. (Scratch that off the list.)



I do like canning, and both of my grandmothers canned. Mom? Not so much. Bread and Butter pickles are one of our favorites, and the one time she canned them, she peeled the cucumbers. Anyway, I learned how to do it from my grandmother. Here is a batch of last year's bread and butter pickles.



Also, fig preserves are big around these parts. It's not fig season right now, but I kept some pictures of some I made last season. The thing about picking figs is that you have to get up early in the morning and get to them before the bluebirds get them!

I love that she peeled the cukes! Heck, maybe she started a new trend!

I've been on a life long mission to eat a fresh fig. You just can not find them here. I've even tried to find a place that will mail them to me. You aren't that far away.....I may just have to take my own field trip lol.

[PopsicleToze]

Shelby,

Come on down! The figs don't ship well, and won't even sit around for very long without going bad. I've seen fresh figs at Whole Foods, however, and they were pretty good. Figs are so much better fresh eaten just after they have been picked. I like fig preserves okay (on biscuits for breakfast in the morning), but fresh ones are divine.

Rhonda

[Shelby]

Shelby,

Come on down! The figs don't ship well, and won't even sit around for very long without going bad. I've seen fresh figs at Whole Foods, however, and they were pretty good. Figs are so much better fresh eaten just after they have been picked. I like fig preserves okay (on biscuits for breakfast in the morning), but fresh ones are divine.

Rhonda

I've always wanted to make a salad with figs and bleu cheese...it sounds so good.

I love your fleur de lis drain!

[Jenni]

Mustard greens!!!

Didn't know they were cooked much in America!

[PopsicleToze]

I've always wanted to make a salad with figs and bleu cheese...it sounds so good.

I love your fleur de lis drain!

That salad sounds really good. I love fruit in salads, too. Here is a salad I made a few weeks ago with blueberries, goat cheese, onions & candied pecans. Pecans are very big around here.



Thanks for liking the fleur de lis drain. It was a Christmas present.

[PopsicleToze]

Mustard greens!!!

Didn't know they were cooked much in America!

Oh, yes -- especially in the deep south. They're typically served with corn bread and a big deal is made about the "pot likker" in the greens. Every drop is consumed.

I didn't know they were cooked much in India. How do you cook yours?

[trinket]

Hi Rhonda! What a great blog. I'm enjoying it so much.

Gail

[PopsicleToze]

Hi Rhonda! What a great blog. I'm enjoying it so much.

Gail

Gail!

Thank you! It's so great to see you and to know you're here. Miss you, woman! Wish you were dropping by today in person... we could have a cup of coffee.

Rhonda

[Jenni]

^^^
They are a much loved green in the North, especially the Punjab. Sarson ka saag (or sarson da saag in punjabi) is a delicious dish of mustard greens (and often spinach and/or other greens) cooked for a long time till lovely and tender, then mashed with what I like to call a swizzle-stick, thickened a little with corn flour (not the white corn starch we mean when we say cornflour in the UK, but a cornmeal like flour). It is seasoned with spices that often include ginger, garlic, onion cumin seeds, chillies and garam masala. Best served with makki di roti, which is a flat bread made from corn flour (think a bit like corn tortillas), plenty of butter and a tall glass of lassi or buttermilk….

Btw, just to clear any confusion, I live in the UK. I am part Indo-Trinidadian though, and that little bit of ancestry has given me a huge passion for India and Indian food.

Edited by Jenni, 23 March 2011 - 07:52 AM.

[PopsicleToze]

^^^
They are a much loved green in the North, especially the Punjab. Sarson ka saag (or sarson da saag in punjabi) is a delicious dish of mustard greens (and often spinach and/or other greens) cooked for a long time till lovely and tender, then mashed with what I like to call a swizzle-stick, thickened a little with corn flour (not the white corn starch we mean when we say cornflour in the UK, but a cornmeal like flour). It is seasoned with spices that often include ginger, garlic, onion cumin seeds, chillies and garam masala. Best served with makki di roti, which is a flat bread made from corn flour (think a bit like corn tortillas), plenty of butter and a tall glass of lassi or buttermilk….

Btw, just to clear any confusion, I live in the UK. I am part Indo-Trinidadian though, and that little bit of ancestry has given me a huge passion for India and Indian food.

Jenni, that sounds fantastic, and thanks for clearing up the confusion. I thought you lived in India, but now I get it. Oh, and we must some common denominator in our food culture, because buttermilk is very much beloved here, too. Well, not by me, but by a lot of people!

Rhonda

[PopsicleToze]

AMITE OYSTER FESTIVAL

The Amite oyster festival took place just this past weekend. Amite is about 10 or 15 miles north of Hammond, but that's still not far. On the way, I passed Independence, and I remembered about the Italian Festival. Dang! We missed that one by a week! Oh, well. There's always next year!

Many people do not realize the Italian influence in Louisiana and think it's all about France and Spain, etc. Well, the Italians have been here since New Orleans' founding in 1718. Chef John Folse notes in his book The Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cuisine that, "By 1850, New Orleans' Italian population numbered 915, which was larger than that of any city in the United States, even New York, which was home to just 833 Italians." Ever heard of the famous muffuletta? (Hi, Kirk!) Well, we owe that to the Italians, too.

Anyway, back to Amite and the Oyster Festival. When I first arrived I noticed a little girl having a snowball. She was so cute! One of the newest things is to have colorless flavors. For instance, I always have spearmint, and they are delicious! However, it's embarrassing walking around with a green tongue and teeth after I eat it, so I probably would have just passed it up. Now, with the colorless spearmint, yes, I think I'll have one. It's warm today, maybe 80 deg F or so, not too hot for now, but definitely hot enough for a snowball.

































You will see beer stands at just about all of the festivals; they are a big sponsor. Evidently, Budweiser sponsored this festival because Bud and Bud Lite were the only beers there. Wine? Daiquiri? Forget about it! It's in their contract.







There was a lady in a back booth selling grating plates. She looked lonely so I started a conversation with her. I asked her how business was, and it wasn't great. She's in the wrong place to be selling this, but I didn't say anything. She said she sells them at home and garden shows all of the time for $22 (because that would be her audience), and she said that she was selling them for $10 at the festival and they still weren't selling. Yes, I bought one.



And now we come to the most unfortunate booth of all -- Chocolate Covered Desserts. Did I mention it was 80 degrees outside, and this lady was selling cold food without any refrigeration. The chocolate was melted, of course, and it was one hot big mess. I didn't ask her how business was doing, because I knew.











The band was just starting to set up when I had to leave. I would have loved to hang around for y'all, but it was Saturday and I had plans for that evening.

Hope you enjoyed the tour!
Rhonda

Edited by PopsicleToze, 23 March 2011 - 08:56 AM.

[tim]

Rhonda,

Those are great pictures that bring your adventures alive. Why don't you include your beautiful smiling face in a picture or two?

Tim

[PopsicleToze]

Tim, that was toooo kind!!! My picture is not here because yours truly is the photographer, and I would really hate to mess up an otherwise okay picture!

Oh, I talked to Ben, and he said, "Tim? The banker?" Anyway, he had some Zaya last night and said to tell you hello!

Rhonda

Edited by PopsicleToze, 23 March 2011 - 08:59 AM.

[gfweb]

Love those greens. I like mustard and kale better than tough old collards.

[PopsicleToze]

Love those greens. I like mustard and kale better than tough old collards.

You are so right about that! Collards are tough. I hardly ever eat them.

[Pam R]

Rhonda, I'm lovin' this ! Those red beans and rice are right in my wheelhouse ("Pops" too !).

Those red beans and rice looked amazing. If I wanted to make a non-pork version could I just smoke a turkey and use stock from the bones, then add the meat at the end? I've never had red beans and rice but it looks so good I want to try (a kosher) version.

[PopsicleToze]

Those red beans and rice looked amazing. If I wanted to make a non-pork version could I just smoke a turkey and use stock from the bones, then add the meat at the end? I've never had red beans and rice but it looks so good I want to try (a kosher) version.

The one time I made it with smoked turkey necks, it was very good. I think the key is to use a heavily smoked turkey neck and that's what gives it the pork taste. I had the butcher cut the necks (they were already smoked) into 2-inch pieces. Then, I added the meat to the pot the same time I added the beans; they cooked together. They developed the stock as they cooked. Then, remove the meat at the end of cooking from the bones and add the meat back to the pot. What I did not with this dish, but usually do, is add a handful of chopped parsley and green onions to the pot just at the very end of the cooking stage. This really perks up the flavor.

Rhonda

ETA
I don't think smoking a whole turkey would work too well. If you smoke just the necks, those pieces can withstand a lot of cooking, add a lot of flavor and still be great. Not the same can be said for other pieces from the turkey. I bought the necks at Scallan's Meat Market in Baton Rouge. I'll try to get by there and take a picture for you. They're very dark -- almost as dark as the andouille sausage I posted earlier -- and they have an intense smoky flavor.

Edited by PopsicleToze, 23 March 2011 - 11:18 AM.

[auds]

"Quick breakfast of frog in the hole. We never had this growing up. The first time I saw it was during the movie Moonstruck. They had a fantastic scene when the mother was cooking this while lecturing Cher. I thought, "Wow! That really looks good." She had some pancetta cooked and put on the top of it. "

Oh that's so funny! My mom used to call toad in the hole "Moonstruck eggs" for just that reason. Great blog so far!

Edited by auds, 23 March 2011 - 11:42 AM.

[Toliver]

That out-of-print Prudhomme family cookbook is a treasure. It contains a bunch of serious Cajun home cooking; "sticky" chicken, smothered potatoes, etc. I scored one at a used bookstore, and I can't understand why someone would have ever let it go. Alibris has a few cheap copies listed right now.

Abe Books has a lot more copies available (some cheaper, too).

Once at our office Christmas dinner/party, we had appetizers of deep fried alligator (along with rattlesnake, ostrich, and turkey "oysters" ). From what I recall, the alligator was quite good. But then you could probably deep fry a hockey puck and I'm sure it would be palatable.

Thanks, Rhonda, for the pictures and the tours! I am thoroughly enjoying your blog.

[heidih]

Another huge fan of mustard greens here. I grow them because they "grow like weeds" and the bugs seem not to favor them compared to other greens.

The markets here that sell piles of collard,mustard and turnip greens for the Southern greens lovers also carry smoked turkey necks and wings alongside the smoked hocks.

I have never seen a "grating bowl" before. Does it work well besides being pretty?

[HungryC]

Rhonda, I'm lovin' this ! Those red beans and rice are right in my wheelhouse ("Pops" too !).

Those red beans and rice looked amazing. If I wanted to make a non-pork version could I just smoke a turkey and use stock from the bones, then add the meat at the end? I've never had red beans and rice but it looks so good I want to try (a kosher) version.

Lots of people who avoid pork make RB&R using smoked turkey. Like Rhonda suggests, commercially smoked turkey parts work well...necks are common, but I really like the smoked turkey wings. After all, you need a little fat to infuse the smoky flavor throughout the dish. Smoked necks & wings are very common ingredients in soul food cooking; if your usual grocery store doesn't carry 'em, find a browner neighborhood & shop those stores. Around here, you can also find turkey tasso(a heavily spiced, smoked, boneless hunk of turkey thigh), which is also good.

Best beans I ever tasted were made with "pickle tips"....a/k/a pickled rib tips, a pork cut packed in a vinegary brine. Pickled & salted pork are pretty common "seasoning meats" for beans. I prefer salted pork in my field peas.

[PopsicleToze]

"Quick breakfast of frog in the hole. We never had this growing up. The first time I saw it was during the movie Moonstruck. They had a fantastic scene when the mother was cooking this while lecturing Cher. I thought, "Wow! That really looks good." She had some pancetta cooked and put on the top of it. "

Oh that's so funny! My mom used to call toad in the hole "Moonstruck eggs" for just that reason. Great blog so far!

Thanks! Moonstruck Eggs
I like that. From now on, that's what I'm going to call them.
Glad you're liking the blog.
Fixing to have to run out for awhile.
Will be back later.

[Pierogi]

Rhonda, I'm lovin' this ! Those red beans and rice are right in my wheelhouse ("Pops" too !).

Those red beans and rice looked amazing. If I wanted to make a non-pork version could I just smoke a turkey and use stock from the bones, then add the meat at the end? I've never had red beans and rice but it looks so good I want to try (a kosher) version.

Pam, (and Rhonda), I've used smoked turkey legs in RB&R before when I couldn't find ham hocks. It worked very well, maybe a little less smoky that with the hocks, but pretty good. They may be easier to find than the necks.