PopsicleToze

Why, Peter, thank you!!! I really enjoy your posts and topics -- especially the seafood one (or it could be the foods of your area that just happen to contain a lot of seafood -- I haven't seen it lately), but I definitely remember how impressive it is. That's some amazing stuff you got there! And thank you, too, for the song! Au revoir,

(((Kay))) Wish I could email you a batch! Thanks for being so kind and supportive!

Janeer, thank you! Glad you were a part of the blog.

Call me when you get here, and that's for being such a nice part of the blog!

We don't dig them out of the ground or anything. They're not underground all of the time; they come out in spring, and that's when we catch them eat them! Also, when it gets to hot, the little creatures will bo back underground. Therefore, we have a very short window of time when it's crawfish season. Click here for interesting article on crawfish farming. Thanks again, and I will see you in the eG forums!

You're welcome! I'm go glad that you liked it!

ROFL! Yeah, and they even wash those old pots too because they're too heavy for us to deal with. Thanks for everything!

Thanks, Heidi! I've never asked about the pot covers. However, one of the guys owns a fabrication shop, so it's a pretty good bet that he made them.

Yours truly,

AND THAT CONCLUDES OUR LITTLE BLOG HAPPY COOKING!

Thank you, everyone, for allowing me into your homes. I thoroughly enjoyed the blog experience. I didn't make it to everything on my list, but that's always the case. It was great seeing old friends drop by and meeting new friends. Celeste, thanks for the help!

You would definitely fit in around here! Thank you soooo much; you definitely brought smiles to my face all week!!

You were an absolute pleasure to have visit! Anytime...

It's been a pleasure visiting with you! Call me anytime you are in the area!

Thank you, Miss Kim! You are welcome here any time!

The community benefit center is just a small organization with about 25 or 30 members comprised mostly of people who have known one another their entire lives. The old-timers cook the jambalaya. You can watch, and you can stir (under their direction), but you can *not* cook the jambalaya! When I drive up, I go straight to the back, and the first person I saw was PeeWee (yeah, I know... but it sounds too awkward to say "Mr. PeeWee). He gave me a hug and then saw my camera and said, "So, you're cooking for your blog this week? Well, did you tell them that I cook the best jambalaya around these parts?" Yes, sir, I sure did! In this picture, he's teaching a "youngster" how to make jambalaya. Here they are stirring the meat. Each pot has 20 pounds of Mahatma long grain rice, 40 pounds of chicken (Aunt Bernice increased the chicken to 50 pounds because she said there was a lot of waste, but she used whole chickens that she cut and cleaned; we buy chicken already cut and cleaned), 10 pounds of boston butt (cubed), 10 pounds of Manda pork sausage (cut into 1-inch rounds), 16 pounds of yellow onions, 16 large green bell peppers... And here is Mr. Doel; he is a character! Here are the white beans that will be served with the jambalaya. For a home meal, we would have baked beans (takes too long to be efficient at the benefits) and cole slaw (doesn't hold up well sitting around in the heat after the plates are made). I thought you might want to take a look at the paddles used to stir the pots. They are about 4-feet long. Here is a picture of an old iron stove that's in the serving building because it does get a little chilly in the fall. I told you earlier that the benefits stop for the season in September, but that was incorrect. They stop in October, and, yes, we do use this old iron stove. Wood is heated in it to keep us warm. Here are some cupcakes that will be used for today's meal. The desserts vary for each benefit. The family that's sponsoring the benefit is in charge of the desserts. Note that there is no frosting. That's because the frosting gets too hot sitting around, and it's messy to serve, too. Here is an old-timey cash register that houses the money. The cash register itself doesn't work, but it still opens and closes and has the components inside to properly house the money into denominations so that it's easy to make change. The serving room's ceiling is lined with ceiling fans. In the summertime, the heat would be unbearable without them. And that's how we make jambalaya!

Now, let's go to the jambalaya benefit we had today. First, however, remember that picture that I posted initially? That's my late (great) Uncle Jesse making jambalaya. When I put together our family cookbook, Aunt Bernice submitted their recipe for jambalaya. This was her comment for the book: This jambalaya recipe is the one we use. We always used a wood fire in the past, but they now use gas burners—and just follow the same pattern. Jessie did not even learn to use the gas, which is the best and coolest (literally) way to go. Both boys (Tommy and Bo) use gas. We broke the recipe down so anyone can use “as desired.” (Bo uses more seasonings than the rest of us.) We also started off with 50 pounds of chicken, because there is a lot of waste when you clean them. Now, off we go to the benefit...

Great question. There are people who swear by pickled pork and are the first to say that RB&R ain't RB&R without it! Celeste mentioned earlier that one of the best pots of beans she ever had was make with pickled pork. So for Q1, no, it's not my thing, and I don't use it. Q2, yes, you can absolutely buy this product commercially at just about any grocery store. Here are pictures from a local market: If you want to try it, it's not something that would be hard to make. Click here for a sample recipe from Alton Brown.

Well, that just about concludes our blog. We do have one (1) more event. We have a little community benefit center that's a non-profit organization comprised of volunteers. Huge big black pots of jambalaya are made (each one serves between 85 and 100 people) and plates are sold for donations to a family in need. The circumstances range from homes destroyed by fire, bad automobile accidents with extensive hospital stays, funeral expenses, etc. The events are held every other Saturday beginning in March and ending in September (hunting season). Families come to the organization by word of mouth and request a benefit date, and they are typically doing it for another family. The families sell tickets to the event, and on the day of the jambalaya benefit, plates are picked up at the benefit center. The volunteers all donate their time (and pots!) to the event. It's a lot of fun with the men competing to see who makes the best jambalaya. Even though there is an agreed-upon recipe, the jambalaya does vary from pot to pot, and PeeWee arguably makes the best jambalaya there (just ask him, and he'll tell you)! When I scheduled the blog for the week of March 20th, that was right behind our first benefit that was to take place on March 12th. However, at the 11th hour, the family canceled. Therefore, the first one takes place in the morning from daybreak until 1:00pm. I can't tell you how many pots will be served yet -- anywhere from 5 to the largest one at 21 pots! So, while our little tours and food part of the blog is over, when I get home tomorrow I will post just the photos from the benefit. It has been great fun, and I will see you tomorrow afternoon!

I'm almost embarrassed to post a picture of the final dish. It tastes incredible but it sure doesn't photograph well. I guess all it really is *is* steak and gravy. Nothing to impress anyone, but when I was putting together my notes for this blog, it sounded perfect and all about home. Funny -- when I was reviewiewing my notes, I had jotted down, "Maybe take a food photography class." Guess the proof is in the pudding that that didn't happen! Now, the turtle soup was what I had planned to cook to impress, but... guess what? We now see that didn't happen either! I just made some mashed potatoes, because I already made you rice this week.

Awww... that's why I love this group and its members from all over the world! It's so fantastic to hear common denominators and that everyone is closer than we think! I would love to hear more about the paprika gravy! Rhonda

Great point on the cattle industry!

UPDATE Here's our gravy simmering away. The onions are where I want them. Now, add a little water. Time to add the meat to the skillet. Cover the skillet again and let meat simmer. And here is the progress so far. Note that I changed to a cast iron skillet just for a little more authenticity. It's looking a little better now, huh?

Yeah, I know... it looks a little ugly right now, but it's just fine. In a little while, it will look much better! We have to give it a little time to do its stuff.

First, trim your round steak and season with salt and pepper. Save your beef trimmings for a future stock. There's no sense in throwing them away. Now, roughly chop several onions. I used three today. Go ahead and save the onion trimmings for a future stock, too. I just added them to the baggie I already had in the freezer. Cut the meat approx 4" squares, and brown in a skillet. Yeah, a cast iron skillet is traditionally used, but I like the way this skillet browns better. (Don't tell anyone or I might get kicked out of this state!) Also, the meat is typically dusted in flour before it is browned, but I don't do it that way. Then, the flour would be what's being browned, and I want the meat to brown. Now, usually you would brown a second batch of meat, but the fond is really exactly where I want it, and it would burn if I did the rest of the meat now. Therefore, we're going to deglaze with onions. The moisture from the onions will take care of deglazing the pot. Repeat process, add a little oil to the skillet to brown the rest of the meat -- not too much, just enough to cover the bottom. Now, this is the fond from the 2nd batch of meat. Can you just imagine what it would have looked like if I wouldn't have stopped the process? Now, all of our meat has been browned. Add the onions back to the skillet and deglaze the skillet a second time. Add a couple of tablespoons of flour, because there is more than one way to make a roux! Add a couple cups of stock. This was in my freezer. "VBR" means that it is a veal and beef stock that has been reduced by half. Correct seasonings and add a little cayenne pepper. Here is our onion gravy simmering away. I want the onions to cook down a little before we add the round steak. Now, just cover the skillet and leave it alone for a little while. to be continued