Fry Bread

Ingredients:

- ¼ cup sugar

- 3 teaspoons baking powder

- 2 cups of flour 

- 1 teaspoon of salt

- 1 cup of water (just enough to make a soft dough)

- oil for frying

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Add water, mixing carefully. Divide the dough into four pieces and pat each into a round, flat shape. Add 1-2 inches of oil to a large skillet and heat to 350°F. Fry each round until crisp and brown on both sides.

Crockpot Gumbo

From daughter Deanna....

CROCKPOT GUMBO

15-20 mins prep   3-6 hr cook

Yields 12-13 cups
6g net carbs/cup   265 cals/cup

 Ingredients:

• 2 Pounds Chicken Thighs
• 12 Ounces Cajun Style Andouille Sausage
• 2 Tablespoons Butter, Cubed
• 1 Medium Onion, Diced
• 1 Large Bell Pepper, Diced
• 2 Large Celery, Diced
• 2 Teaspoons Minced Garlic
• 1 1⁄2 Cup Okra, Sliced Frozen
• 28 Ounces Crushed Tomatoes
• 2 Cups Beef Broth
• 2 Teaspoons Cajun Seasoning
• 1⁄2 Teaspoon Cayenne
• 1⁄2 Teaspoon Thyme, Dried
• 1⁄2 Teaspoon Oregano, Dried
• 1 Pound Shrimp

 

Instructions:

1.      Line the bottom of the crockpot with your chicken thighs.

2.      Slice the Andouille into thin coins and add to the crockpot. Drop in your butter.

3.      Add the diced onion, bell pepper, and celery to the crockpot.

4.      Add the remaining gumbo ingredients EXCEPT the shrimp to the slow cooker. 

5.      Stir to mix well.

6.      Cook on HIGH 2-3 hours or LOW 4–6.

7.      Once the cooking time has passed, shred your chicken with forks.

8.      Stir in the shrimp. Cook an additional 5-10 minutes or until shrimp are pink.

NOTES:

• You can always add more of any particular ingredient. These are more set for my keto diet purposes.
• For extra seasoning, feel free to add in a tablespoon of filé powder.

Taeji kalbi - pork ribs

this is my daughter's actual recipe (which I couldn't locate earlier). BEST by far to follow HER recipe...

1 rack (5 lbs.) spareribs
1 bunch green onions, chopped (large pieces)
2 medium onions, sliced (large pieces)
1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic
¼ cup red pepper paste
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons sesame oil
¼ cup brown sugar
1 ½ cups soy sauce
1 tablespoon black pepper

Mix all ingredients together well. You should be able to smell the sesame oil, see garlic, and the ribs should be reddened from the red pepper paste. Add additional portions of the ingredients as you see fit (a lot of times I have to add more soy sauce to get it to mix right). Marinate (preferably overnight, but can be shorter time). Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large glass baking dish with aluminum foil. Place ribs in dish so that they are snuggled in close together. Pour the marinade and vegetables on top. Cook for 45 minutes until browned on top. Turn the ribs. Cook an additional 30 minutes until browned on top. This should serve 4 people for sure.

All I can say is that, properly done, you will be in hog heaven. My dad LOVED these even when I cooked them. He would eat them until he couldn't move from his chair. Margaret has her mother's and great-grandmother Parslow's touch and her ribs are actually better than anybody's. This is what I get for a Christmas present. It is WORTH THE WAIT.

Apples - get the right one for the job

Good cookies - Chocolate Jumbles

I like good cookies. They can be eaten singly for a quick snack, gobbled in bunches in lieu of cakes or pies and combined with ice cream. I lean towards chocolate chip, molasses and the sugar varieties. My grandma P was an all-around great cook and she had some cookies that I had to make. The recipe was fortunately saved and I'm going to share it with you. Try it, if you can get the ingredients, and I think you'll like them. We called them Chocolate Jumbles.

1 cup sugar
1 cup shortening
2 egg yolks
2 cup molasses
2 squares chocolate
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
2 teaspoon soda
7 to 8 cup flour
½ cup hot water

Cream sugar and shortening. Stir in egg yolks, molasses, and chocolate, melted. Sift the cinnamon, cloves, and soda with the first few cups of flour and add alternately with the water. Continue adding flour up to the 7 or 8 cups to make a dough stiff enough to roll. Roll and cut with doughnut cutter. Bake on greased cookie sheet for 15 minutes at 375°. When cool, glaze with mixture of confectioners sugar and water.

Mapo Dofu

With white rice this is the best meal...

Mapo Doufu / Mapo Tofu
Adapted from Land of Plenty by Fuchsia Dunlop

Serves 4 to 5 as part of a multi-course meal, or 2 to 3 as the main entree

1 block soft tofu (about 1 pound), drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons peanut oil
6 ounces ground pork
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 leeks, thinly sliced at an angle (or a handful of scallions can be substituted)
2 1/2 tablespoons chili bean paste
1 tablespoon fermented black beans
2 teaspoons ground Sichuan pepper
1 cup chicken stock
2 teaspoons white sugar
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
Salt to taste
4 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 6 tablespoons cold water

Optional garnish: 1 tablespoon thinly sliced scallions, or 1/2 teaspoon crushed roasted Sichuan peppercorn

Heat peanut oil in a wok over high heat. Add pork and stir-fry until crispy and starting to brown but not yet dry. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and leeks and stir-fry until fragrant. Add chili bean paste, black beans, and ground Sichuan pepper, and stir-fry for about 1 minute, until the oil is a rich red color.

Pour in the stock and stir well. Mix in the drained tofu gently by pushing the back of your ladle or wok scoop gently from the edges to the center of the wok or pan; don't stir or the tofu may break up. Season with the sugar, soy sauce, and salt to taste. Simmer for about 5 minutes, allowing the tofu has absorb the flavors of the sauce. Then add the cornstarch mixture in 2 or 3 stages, mixing well, until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. (Don't add more than you need). Serve while still hot in a deep plate or wide bowl. Garnish with optional scallions or crushed Sichuan peppercorn.

---

I almost always have this at my favorite Chinese restaurant which is run by ethnic Chinese from Vietnam using a Mexican cook... Yeah, lots of those out there by the way. I like the chopped scallions on mine and put it on a plate over steamed rice. I have to admit to a gluttonous urge here as I can often eat all of this!