Our Family's Low Country Boil

A few years ago, my friend Judy made what she called "Dump Dinner"... I was in HEAVEN! I had NEVER (can you believe it?) had this wonderful concoction. Of course, when I made it, I twisted it and tweaked it,and made it my own. I truly like this better than any of the ones I had in S. Carolina. Make it yours. If you want something left out, do it. If you like to add other things, do... we make it with the same seasonings every time and we mix up the food... nothing better. Thanks, Judy, for introducing me to what is now my favorite meal!
The thing with this recipe is that YOU determine the amount of the ingredients. I will give you my approximate measurements, but know that the appetite determines the expense of this meal.
1 Boil In Bag, by Old Bay
Old Bay Seasoning, about 1/4 cup
3 Lemons, cut in half
Whole New Red Potatoes (two to three per person)
Corn ( we use Milk and Honey= 1 ear per person)
Andouille or Cajun Flavored Smoked Sausage, cut into 3" to 4" pieces (we prefer a Cajun flavored smoked sausage we can only find at Food City.. the name escapes me at the moment, but it is packaged like Polish Sausage, in one whole length)
Shrimp, unpeeled (about a half pound per person, the larger the better)
Crawfish (I usually buy a pound, but if you like them a lot, adjust the amount)This is the New Orleans Version. If you don't like them, leave them out. I don't like them but my husband does. It doesn't affect the taste of the other foods if you use them.
Crab Legs ( I allot 1 cluster per person, since they are usually expensive)

I use my Turkey Fryer and cook this outdoors, but I have used a huge stockpot (NOT a Dutch Oven-TOO small) on the stove. Half fill with water, add the boiling bag and squeeze the lemons, then add the pieces. Bring to a boil, then add the Old Bay. The more food I am cooking, the more Old Bay I use.
Step 1 Cook the potatoes about ten minutes.
Step 2. Add the sausage and corn, bring back to a boil and boil for about five minutes, less if the corn was bought in the freezer section of the grocery store. I put my corn up in the summer time, blanched, so that it stays "crunchier"... I don't like the mushy frozen half ears from the store, but lots of people use them and swear by them. Go with YOUR taste buds, but don't overcook the corn.
Step 3. Add the crab, bring back to a boil, then add the shrimp and the crawfish, cooking only until the shrimp is done and the crawfish are warm

Now, the reason Judy called this Dump Dinner is this... If you eat it in S. Carolina, it comes on big round server trays, and is served at tables with holes in the center and trash cans under those holes.
Judy must have found out about them from someone who ate this in Louisiana. In New Orleans and that area, once this is cooked and ready to serve, there are clean trash bags or newspapers spread down the center of a big table and once the liquid is drained, the food is literally DUMPED onto the bags or newspaper and people sit on either side, serving themselves with their hands.
I like to do this on my deck, by my pool, and each person gets a ramekin of butter, one of Old Bay, and for those die hards who think you HAVE to use salt on everything, I put salt and pepper out.
I use the butter to dip my potatoes in, then I barely dip them in the Old Bay and oh, my... how tasty!
Clean up is so easy... you just roll up the newspapers and put shells, etc in the paper, throw it all away and wipe up the table...
This dinner usually takes only 10 to 15 minutes to cook on a turkey fryer. I like to buy shrimp and crab, etc on sale and put it in the freezer. Then, when a Saturday just feels perfect and I have a hankerin' for a party, I call up some friends or family and take out the stuff I've had in the freezer, crank up the Propane and in less than a half hour, it's a beachy night around the pool!
Key Lime Pie or Watermelon make the perfect ending to this meal!

Abby's Steak Marinade

My youngest daughter likes to cook, like her mom. I usually give her pointers, but this past Mother's Day, she presented me with the very best meal I have EVER, EVER had... BAR NONE! I had some of the best New Potatoes, Grilled Corn on the Cob (In the Shucks, something I hadn't done!), and Grilled Orange Slices (HEAVENLY!), but oh, my the very best thing of all was this beautiful Sirloin Steak, cooked to Medium Rare, just the way I love it, not to rare, not to well, just absolutely perfect, and I mean... oh, so tasty! I am not a person who likes a marinade, but Abby totally changed my mind, I kid you not. This is her recipe. She got some pointers off the internet and took it and did just what her Momma always told her to do.. she gave it her own twist, but she won't tell me what she did. So, I give you her recipe. One or more of the ingredients is her own addition. I now refuse to eat anything that isn't marinated...proof that you never are too old to learn and to change!

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Mix and pour over steaks. Abby and I use gallon sized bags to marinade our steaks. No reason to dirty up a dish. I may get all misty eyed, but this gal makes a Momma proud. I mean, I am NOT a dish washer and I just adore that she thought of putting it into a baggie!

Marinade for at least 30 minutes. I have left the steaks in this marinade for as long as 4 hours and they were good, too!

For your steaks, cook them over hot coals or on a gas grill with wood chips. I think it is sinful to cook with just propane, since you might as well cook it in a skillet for all the flavor that adds, lol.

If you don't know how to check for doneness, here's a good guide...

Rare---open your hand, but just naturally.. not stretched taut... now, feel the flesh on that thick pad between your thumb and wrist? That is what it feels like to touch a rare steak...

Medium--- close your fist and tuck your thumb under your index finger... touch the pad... voila! Medium.

(for med. rare, just go in between these two. I usually do 7 minutes on one side, rotating halfway through to create hash marks. Then, flip them and do 5 minutes, rotating halfway through. I do this on steaks from 1-1/2" to 1-/4")

Well done... untuck that thumb! Now, feel the webbing between the thumb and forefinger?

 WELL DONE...

My Newest (and Favorite!) Pot Roast with Gravy and Onions

1-3lb Chuck Roast
2 Medium Sweet Onions, cut in half, root to top and thickly sliced
3T Minced Garlic, or 4 cloves, sliced or pressed
1/2 Cup Self Rising Flour
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
1 1/2 Cups Beef Broth
Veg. or Olive Oil to coat bottom and up to 1/2" of either a Dutch Oven or a Cast Iron Skillet

1. Mix Flour, salt and pepper and garlic in large, flat bowl, and coat roast in this mixture on both sides and up the sides.
2. Heat oil in Skillet or Dutch Oven, and add Roast, cooking until browned on each side.
3. Transfer roast to a Slow Cooker and set on High.
4. Prepare onion and on medium low heat,  stirring with a wooden spoon, to get the "bits" of brown off the bottom of the pan, and saute onions until translucent. Add garlic and saute for about a minute. Pour this mixture over Roast, oil and all, unless there is a great amount of oil left. If you have too much oil left, put about a half cup of it in with the meat and onion/garlic mixture.
5. Pour Beef Broth over this and cover.I know this sounds like it isn't enough liquid, but it will be, since the meat will give off it's juices and they will meld together to form this incredible thick broth, which you will use to make a gravy to put over the meat and maybe some mashed potatoes.

 Cook on High for about 4 hours and turn down to low, or cook on low the whole time, if you aren't going to be around.
6. When you are ready to make gravy, scoop out about 1 1/2 cups of the liquid,transfer to a pot and allow some of the caramelized onions to remain in it. This is NOT a smooth brown gravy. Instead, it resembles the gravy at Cracker Barrel that comes if you order their brown gravy or pot roast...

7. Take about a third of the liquid and whisk in 3 Tablespoons Self Rising flour, until it becomes a paste, and slowly mix that into the liquid in the pan. Constantly stir this until it becomes thick and either light brown or dark beige... this will NOT be the color of the gravy you make using those instant packages.

If it is too thick, add more meat juices or some water. If too thin, whisk more flour in, making sure to incorporate it well. Nothing tastes worse than mashed potatoes topped with flour!


The roast, if cooked thoroughly, will be falling apart, so use a large spatula to remove it from the slow cooker. Let it stand for about ten minutes. I usually take it out and let it stand while I make the gravy. It should pull apart to serve.
Goes beautifully with Mashed Potatoes!

Fajitas

One boneless, skinless chicken breast per person, OR  skirt steak, sliced into thin strips.
The rule is 4 ounces per person, more or less, depending on the appetites.

Sliced bell peppers, either green or a mixture of colors
Onion, cut into strips, to taste (I usually use three peppers to one onion)
Shredded cheese.. If you want to go strictly authentic, use queso blanco. I like shredded Monterrey Jack/Cheddar blend
Sour Cream
Homemade or bottled salsa
Pico de Gallo
Guacamole
Anything you put on them in a restaurant can be put on 'em at home.. I hate guacamole, but my family loves it, so... in it goes. You are going to put these out in jars, or in Ramekins, so get what your family likes...

Flour tortillas, wrapped in foil.
I put my cast iron fajita skillets into a 300 degree oven while I make the fajitas, so I wrap the tortillas in foil and put them in the oven as soon as I start cooking the chicken.


Marinade
1/4 cup lime juice
1/3 cup water

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Mix all these ingredients... the lime juice does NOT taste right if you use concentrated juice. It takes 1 to 1 1/2 limes to make that amount of juice, and is well worth it.

Slice one breast per person into strips, place in a gallon bag, pour marinade over this, and place in refrigerator for at least one hour, no more than four... overnight tends to turn this marinade into pure lime juice, and the chicken gets bitter.

Drain the marinade off the chicken, and saute the strips in a cast iron skillet. This just takes a few minutes. Take the chicken out of the pan and pour in the onions and peppers, stirring them until they get hot. Remember, your skillet is hot and will cook the peppers as you present the food, so don't get this part over done.

Once the pepper/onion medley is cooked, lightly salt it, put the chicken or steak on top, and serve on the heated fajita pans, OR serve family style right in the skillet you used to cook the food in.

If you do prep work ahead of time, this meal is less than 15 minutes from fridge to table..

Use any leftovers to make Fajita Chimichangas. The recipe for them, Pico de Gallo, and Homemade Salsa with chips are all on this blog.

This meal is filling, tasty, and everyone can make their fajitas the way THEY like them, with their favorite fillings.

If you wanna go all out, throw some re fried beans, lettuce, etc on a plate, add some Mexican or Spanish rice, and you may never eat Mexican anywhere but home after this.

Pork Chops

6 Large Pork Chops
1 cup Self Rising Flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 Onion, very thinly sliced ( I mean VERY thinly sliced, here folks)
1 small can of mushroom slices, drained well
2 envelopes Brown Gravy mix (any brand that makes a cup per packet, or 1 2-cup envelope)
2 cups water
1/2 to 1 cup oil

Mix flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a shallow bowl and dredge pork chops through it. Cook chops in  skillet, until breading has browned. While the pork chops are cooking, mix the gravy mix and the water, line a roasting pan with foil, and scatter half the onions and half the gravy over the bottom of the foil lined pan. Put chops on top, put the rest of the onions on top. Bake for twenty to thirty minutes at 350.

I know, I know, you've had this recipe with variations before... but this is simple, doesn't use cream of mushroom soup or lots of other incidentals... the only think I change is NO MUSHROOMS in mine.. but its just easy, and tastes like you slaved away all day.. it only takes about 45 minutes from walking into the kitchen until you are eating,and most of that time is spent in the oven, so you can help the kids with homework, walk the dog, start the laundry, or just chill out for a few.... you'll get some much deserved praise and you won't feel guilty about the frozen lasagna you gave 'em last night...

Chicken Fajita Chimichanga

You can see the peppers, chicken and onions inside,and the Cheese Sauce and Pico on top!

Spoon about a tablespoon refried bean into a very thin layer in a burrito sized flour tortilla, and scoop left-over Chicken fajitas (left overs from a restaurant, your own recipe, or try mine on here) on top. Fold the sides in and the longer sides up and over each other, secure with toothpicks, and deep fry in oil heated to 350 degrees, until browned.

Top this with guacamole, salsa, pico de gallo, or white cheese sauce. Mine, pictured above, has white cheese sauce, heated with homemade pico de gallo, and poured over the fried chimichanga.

Some people put tomatoes in their fajitas... I don't like cooked tomatoes, never have, so I don't use them. In addition, the juice in a tomato may cause spattering in the process of deep frying the chimi, so try to drain the veggies as much as possible before deep frying. I do love a white cheese sauce with pico de gallo, so I microwave the sauce, put in some pico, and pour it over the chimi... yummy, yummy, for the tummy!

Chicken Fajitas

1/4 cup lime juice
1/3 cup water
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (I use EVOO)
4 Teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (mesquite is wonderful with this!)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients for marinade.
Heat oven to 300 degrees and heat fajita pans or a large cast iron skillet, to serve sizzling fajitas.

Thinly slice 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, put into a zippered gallon sized bag, and pour marinade over it. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, overnight is even better.

Thinly slice a large onion and bell pepper. If you use red and yellow, it is really a pretty presentation.

Take chicken out of the bag, and stir-fry it in a skillet, until done. Put some olive oil in the pan you cooked the chicken in and saute' the veggies until they are tender-crisp.

Arrange onions on the bottom of the fajita pans or the skillet. Bring them to the table, sizzling. Serve with warm flour tortillas, shredded cheese, sour cream, and Pico De Gallo or salsa, guacamole, rice and beans... whatever you like...

This recipe makes 3 heaping fajita pans, enough for six people... enjoy!

Simple Homemade Calzone or Pizza Sandwiches

Frozen Pizza dough, thawed ( I found mine pre made in the freezer section at Walmart for less than $1.50 - enough for three small or two regular sized calzones)

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Parmesan Cheese

Pepperoni Slices

Additional Ideas :
Pre Packaged Italian Sausage Sprinkles, onions, real bacon bits, or fried bacon pieces, olives, mushrooms, bell peppers,diced.. whatever you like in a pizza

Homemade Marinara Sauce (or a jar of pizza sauce works fine)

Olive oil

Thaw the dough, divide into 2, 3 or 4 smaller balls, roll out into desired size.
Put cheese, filling ingredients on one side, leaving about 1/4 -1/2" for sealing...
Fold the other side onto the filled side, crimp the edges, Sprinkle very lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese,and bake at 400 degrees for 10 -12 minutes, or until desired shade of browning is reached.
Remove from oven, let cool for 3-5 minutes, serve with warmed Marinara or Pizza Sauce for dipping...

Fruit Pie Chimichangas

Flour tortillas, (medium or small size) one for each diner
Fruit pie filling ( use home canned or store bought for this,to make it simple), such as Cherry, Peach, Apple ( I dont see why you couldn't use blueberry or blackberry, but I just think the 3 flavors mentioned seem more like a fried pie)
Veg Oil
Powdered Sugar
Cinnamon

Take fajita or taco sized tortillas and lay them out on a cookie sheet or wax paper
Put 1/4 cup (more or less depending on the size of the tortilla) of the pie filling into the center of the tortilla.
Fold sides inward, roll the tortilla, secure with toothpicks, and drop into enough oil to allow the chimis to float, or place in a deep fryer at 375 degrees...
Fry until chimis float and are just slightly less brown than you want the finished product..they continue to brown as the heat leaves.

Roll in cinnamon/sugar mix (apple or peach), or sprinkle with powdered sugar (cherry/blueberry/blackberry) and let sit for about 5 minutes, to allow filling to cool a bit, and serve... good with ice cream or whipped cream, or just as you made 'em...


VARIATIONS:

Apple fajita chimi:

For an amazing and impressive presentation, or, if you just want something fancy... heat a fajita skillet in the oven, place an APPLE chimi in the center, top with a scoop of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream, and top with the following mixture

Melt some real butter (unsalted) in a pan over med heat, and mix in 1 tsp brandy, cooking until the alcohol fumes are gone... pour over the pie/ice cream, and serve it sizzling... take your compliments and smile, humbly... your family will think of you as a pastry chef!

If you just refuse to use alcohol in cooking, a warm caramel ice cream topping, poured over the ice cream and chimi, allowed to sizzle as you serve it to your guests, is about as impressive, although the smells will be a bit different, of course... but every bit as yummy!

Cherry pie, a la mode: (works with blueberry or blackberry, as well)

Top the cherry chimi with Ice cream or whipped cream, instead of the powdered sugar.

Easy Homemade Salsa

1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeds taken out, finely diced (or use a few jarred jalapeno slices)
1/2 lime
pinch of salt
1/4 to 1/3 bunch cilantro, minced

Mix all ingredients except lime, and stir. Squeeze lime over the mixture and stir into it, discarding pulp and hull.
Refrigerate. Taste it after an hour to see if it needs heat or toning down.
If you need heat, pour a bit of the juice from the jalapenos (if you used a jar or can of jalapenos). If you used fresh, either add more jalapeno or a few of the seeds, since that is where the heat is... but be careful... heat increases as the flavors meld. What seems very mild after an hour will be a medium heat in four hours, etc.
If you get it too hot for your taste, add more tomatoes or, if you don't have tomatoes, add a pinch of sugar..

Serve this with store bought or homemade corn tortilla chips.

Homemade corn tortilla chips are so easy.. just buy corn tortillas, cut them into 6 or 8 triangles and drop into hot oil until they rise to the top, drain, salt and enjoy!

Pico De Gallo

1 large onion, chopped (Red Onion is good in this)
4-5 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 med. Jalapeno pepper, finely diced
1/4-1/3 Bunch of cilantro, minced or chopped, depending on your desired size
Vinegar or 1/8 cup of juice from pickled jalapenos
1/2 fresh lime

I don't use jarred jalapenos for this recipe, simply because I want all the colors to be vibrant and all ingredients to be fresh.. if you don't want to bother with fresh jalapeno, by all means, use the jar...I do NOT use seeds, so that most everyone can enjoy the flavors, but you can if you want it hot... use your taste buds as you go, but remember... the heat increases, sometimes doubles, overnight... use heat sparingly.. you can ALWAYS add, but you can NEVER take away the heat.. taste it, add, let it sit, taste it, etc...

Mix all ingredients together, pour vinegar or juice over the mixture. Squeeze the lime over the mixture, stir and refrigerate 4 hours to overnight. Be sure and taste this before you serve it, so you can warn your guests, if it turns out a little hotter than you meant... I have used sugar to tone down heat in chili, etc, but I think it would ruin pico... try it if you get it too hot, or just add some more tomatoes and onions to decrease the ratio if you feel it is entirely too hot.

This is fantastic served on a grilled chicken breast, in fajitas, on top of pintos or white beans, and if you put it in some ranch dressing, top the chicken breast with some cheddar-jack cheese, and melt it, you have a great mexi  ranch chicken breast!

"To- Die- For" Hot Wings

First of all, I buy FRESH whole wings. There is very little effort used to cut them, you get them cheaper by the pound, and you use the whole thing. Use the drummies and the flappers for the wings, use the wasted piece to make stock... voila... look at you, using ALL the pieces, saving money and looking like a pro, by creating your own chicken stock!

Now, wash and pat dry the wing pieces you are going to fry... YES, fry...
Sprinkle liberally with black pepper, and a bit of kosher salt, just a little, to draw out the excess moisture. Pour some garlic powder, paprika and cayenne powder over this(your taste buds will determine the amount of cayenne. Start with about 1/2 teaspoon for 3 lbs, and use more if you like) and toss the wings to cover them well. I add some Tiger Seasoning, formerly known as Praise Allah Seasoning to this, but you dont' have to use it.
Pour about half of a bottle of Great Value Louisiana Hot Sauce over the pieces, add a dash of vinegar and about two Tablespoons vegetable oil. Mix and coat the wings well, then put in the fridge, to marinate for at least 30 minutes but preferably about 90 minutes. The liquid should have some pinkish red tint to it, but look kind of milky...
Now, when you take them out of the fridge, put them in a very large, clean bag... trash bag, gallon sized zipper bag, whatever will allow ALL the wings to be in the bag at once.
Put flour in the bag. I use Self Rising, but All Purpose will work, too. Add some salt for seasoning, some pepper, if you want, but nothing else... take the wings out of the sauce, but don't drain them dry... just shake off any excess. (if you do not like your wings with breading or battering, you can fry them after draining them well at this point... I like the coating, myself. It is reminiscent of the Hooters wing)
Now, seal that bag and either shake it, or roll the wings until they are all coated well. If they don't separate easily, you need more flour, but add it a little at a time, if you must add... usually about a cup of flour does the trick for three pounds of wings... shake it, toss it, whatever you want Just coat those wings... now, drain the bowl you marinated them in, pour the wings back in and let them marinate another 30 minutes to overnight...
Pour enough oil in a deep fryer or deep pot to cover a batch of the wings about an inch., and heat it over med high heat.
The wings that were dry when you put them in the fridge should now have an pinkish to orange-ish glue like coating on them... dont' worry, this is what gives them their crunch. Drop them in one at a time, leaving enough room for the oil to get all around them. In a typical dutch oven, this will be 10 to 15 sections, depending on the size of the wing pieces.
Cook for at least ten minutes, until the wings are well browned, but not burned, and transfer to paper towels. repeat this until all the wings are cooked. If your oil gets too hot, set it off the heat for a minute or so and begin again...
Now, for the sauce... Melt a stick of REAL BUTTER , salted or unsalted, and use the rest of that hot sauce in the bottle you opened to marinate the wings. Just pour it in with the butter, sprinkle in a few crushed red pepper flakes (careful, this makes it HOT if you use too much), a dash of vinegar (THIS IS IMPORTANT, KIDDOS... I KNOW THE HOT SAUCE HAS VINEGAR, BUT HUMOR ME)...
Bring to a low boil over medium heat, taste and if you want it hotter, add more pepper flakes... if it's too hot.. add some more butter!

Pour this sauce into a very deep bowl with a lid, unless you can toss wings without making a mess... add ALL the wings at once, and toss ONLY until your wings are coated a BIT! Drain off the sauce, quickly, or they will get soggy... serve with ranch or blue cheese , celery, and enjoy!
There is an interesting video on the Internet on "How To Eat A Chicken Wing"... it tells how you can remove the bones and cartilage from a "flapper" section and have a whole piece of meat... google it, because I don't have permission to link and I don't want to violate the new Piracy Law... it works!

These are the best wings I've ever made,because you seasoned the MEAT, NOT the flour... it makes ALL the difference. Let me know how you like 'em!

Pound Cake

Preheat oven to 350
Spray tube or bundt pan with nonstick spray, and flour pan

Cream together in a large mixing bowl, until fluffy:
2 sticks butter, not margarine, brought to room temperature
add 1/2 cup shortening, NOT OIL
Mix well and add
3 cups white sugar. Mix again until fluffy

Add:
5 eggs, beating after each egg is added

In another bowl, sift together
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
Add 1/3 of this mixture to butter, sugar, shortening and mix well on low to medium speed

1 cup milk, divided in half
Put half of the milk in after the first 1/3 of the flour mixture is added, and mix well

Add the next 1/3 of the flour, mix, add the other half of the milk, mix, then the last of the flour.
Mix well on low or medium. BATTER WILL BE VERY THICK!

Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, and mix

Spoon into tube pan and tap pan to settle batter well, and release air bubbles.
Bake on CENTER Rack of oven for at least an hour.

Cool in pan, loosen and invert onto cake plate. This cake has this heavenly crust like topping that I just pick off and eat... the cake is going to be inverted, it is going to become moist, eat at least a bite of it now, so you can say you did...
This cake tastes FABULOUS with Strawberries and whipped cream, particularly if warmed... freezes well, stores well...

Quite possibly the best pound cake I've ever had!

This cake is dense and heavy, but oh, so luscious. Enjoy!