Pork and Winter Greens Chowder

2 slices of bacon chopped

2lbs of bone in Pork (I use Country Style Ribs or steaks)

2 Large bunches of greens- cleaned and tuff stems removed and chopped

2 potatoes- chopped into 1/2” cubes

1 tablespoon butter

1 small onion chopped

1 bell pepper chopped

1 stalk celery chopped

2 cloves garlic peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon flour

32 ounces of stock (as needed)

Bouquet garni of fresh basil, sage, bay leaf and rosemary

1 pint heavy cream

Salt and pepper

Crushed red pepper (optional)

Season the pork well on both sides with salt and pepper. In a medium stock pot, render the bacon down on medium heat. After rendering remove the bacon and add the pork and sear on both sides and remove from pot as well. Place all the chopped veggies into the pot, including the potatoes and cook on medium for about 5 minutes stirring to prevent sticking. At this point, add the butter and flour and stir well until flour has time to cook out the raw taste, about 2 minutes. Add half the stock, stir well until flour has started to thicken, add the greens and enough stock to cover them about half way. Then place the pork on top, cover with a lid and cook on medium low about 30 minutes. Remove the pork to cool add more stock if needed and add the Bouquet garni, cover and lower the heat to low. Once the pork has cooled enough, remove from bone and tear or chop into bite size pieces. Add the pork and the bacon back to the pot and cover for 20-30 minutes. Add the cream stir well and taste for seasoning. Add any additional seasonings you prefer at this time, Crushed pepper, seasoning mix, etc. Cover for 10-15 more minutes stirring once or twice and now it’s ready to serve with your favorite breads or crackers.

Shrimp Pilau

4 thick cut slices bacon

1 cup uncooked rice

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup chopped celery

2 cups small shrimp, cleaned and deveined

1/4 cup chopped bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped sweet onion

1/4 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon Worcestershire

1 tablespoon flour

In a heavy skillet fry the bacon until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain then crumble and set aside. Cook rice according to package directions, adding some bacon drippings to the cooking water. In the heavy skillet, melt the butter in the remaining drippings and add the celery, onions and bell pepper. Cook a few minutes, until tender. Drizzle shrimp with Worcestershire sauce, then toss with the flour and add to skillet mixture. Stir and simmer for about 5 minutes, add cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add cooked rice and mix until mixture is well blended and taste to check seasoning. Add more butter, if desired, and stir in the crumbled bacon.

Creamed Spinach with Bacon

1 pound fresh spinach soaked several times in salt water to remove grit, well-rinsed and dried in a salad spinner

4 ounces bacon (about 4 strips)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup Parmesan

Salt and pepper

Freshly ground black pepper

Cook bacon until crispy in a sauté pan and remove to paper towel to drain and cool. Pour most of the fat out of the pan and add the cream to the same pan over low heat, reducing by about one-third.

While the cream is reducing, tear or chop the spun spinach, and cut the bacon strips into 1/4-inch pieces.

Whisk the Parmesan into the reduced cream, and season with pepper. Since the cheese will add saltiness, add salt only if needed. Fold the well-drained spinach and bacon into the sauce and simmer until spinach is just tender. Transfer to a serving dish.

Justin Wilsons Hush Puppies

Justin Wilson said, "Hush puppy is an old Southern term that originated after the Civil War. People didn't have enough for themselves to eat let alone feed their dogs, so when the old hounds started barking from hunger, they would throw pieces of fried corn bread to them, yelling, Shut up dogs!, Hush Puppies!!"

2 cups cornmeal

1 cup plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped

ground cayenne pepper

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup green onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons hot bacon drippings or oil

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (to taste)

Deep fat or veggie oil for frying

Combine all dry ingredients. Add eggs, buttermilk, onion, and oil or bacon drippings. Mix well. Drop in deep hot fat by spoonsful and brown on all sides.

Collard Jambalaya

• 2 bunches collards
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 onion,1 bell pepper and two stalks celerychopped (Trinity)
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds andouille sausage, cut into discs
• 1 pound baconshopping list
• 5 cups water
• 2 cups brown rice
• ground red pepper

• Saute andouille in a frying pan until lightly browned. Remove from pan. Fry bacon until almost crisp remove from pan, drain and course chop. Pour half the drippings in a 4 1/2 cup sauce pan along with the sausage and bacon
• Thoroughly wash Collards, remove thick stems then chop coarsely. In the 4 1/2-quart saucepan, combine Collards with stock, Trinity and garlic. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook about 25 minutes, until collards are tender. Remove from heat. Do not drain.
• Combine water and rice in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for about 30 minutes, until rice is tender.
• Add rice to the collards stir well and taste for seasoning. You should not need salt, but ground red pepper I'm sure

Seafood Courtboullion

1 Lb. Redfish or Catfish cut into two inch cubes

1/2 cup raw bacon, chopped

1 cup yellow onion, diced

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

3/4 cup red bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced

3 cups okra, chopped

6 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped

1 lemon, zest and juiced

3/4 cup white wine

1 cup fish stock

1 cup Shock Top beer

1/2 pound crabmeat

1/2 pound fresh shrimp,cleaned and deveined.

1 cup peanuts

3 cups + 3 tablespoons flour

1 1\2 tablespoons Creole seasoning

2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

salt and black pepper, to taste

1. Render the bacon. Add butter and 3 tablespoons flour and make a light brown roux. Stir in and saute the onions and garlic until tender. Add and saute the bell peppers. Stir in the okra and season with salt and black pepper. Add tomatoes and Creole seasoning and bring to a simmer. Stir in wine, lemon, and fish stock, and then bring to a boil.

2. Chop peanuts in food processor and blend with flour. Dust shrimp and Red fish with peanut flour. In a separate saute pan, saute redfish and shrimp in butter, in batches until lightly browned. Add fish and shrimp to the courtboullion and cover for 10 minutes. Add the crab Simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, Tabasco, and Creole seasoning to taste.

3. Serve over long grain rice or Toast points.

My favorite burger

2 pounds lean ground beef

1/2 pound lean ground pork

1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives

Salt and black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 to 6 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese

1 ripe avocado sliced into 8 slices

8 slices bacon

4 slices of tomato

Lettuce

Sliced onion for sautéing (about 1/2 medium onion)

Cilantro mayo:
3⁄4 cup  mayo
3⁄4 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 or 2 small cloves of garlic minced

4 Burger buns

Combine all the ingredients for mayo and set in the fridge.

Combine the beef, pork, chives, salt, pepper, soy sauce and olive oil in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Shape the mixture into 4 patties. Then, make a pocket in the center of each patty and fill each with a tablespoon of the blue cheese. Close the pocket by pinching the meat together. Grill each Patty about 5 minutes on each side, Do not press them flat . This can be done in a skillet also.

While the burgers are cooking in a skillet or grill, cook bacon to desired texture, pour off some of the drippings and add onions and sauté until lightly brown. Place buns on the grill or in the oven, lightly toast.

To complete burger, spread some of the mayo on each side of the bun. Place a patty with some sautéed onions on the bottom bun, top with two slices of Bacon, 2 slices of avocado, tomato and lettuce. Slap on the lid and enjoy.

Chicken Pot Pie

1 (3 1/2-pound) whole chicken

5 cups water

3 carrots, diced

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

4 slices of Bacon

3 green onions, sliced

2 large celery ribs, chopped, tops and leaves reserved

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

1 (8.5-ounce) can sweet green peas, drained

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon sage

refrigerated pie crust

Cranberry sauce

Bring first 5 ingredients plus celery tops to a boil in a large Dutch oven; reduce heat, and simmer mixture 1 1/2 hours or until chicken is done.

Remove chicken and carrots, reserving 3 1/2 cups broth in Dutch oven; discard celery tops. Let chicken cool; skin, bone, and cut into bite-size pieces.

Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 3 tablespoons drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon, and set aside.

Sauté green onions and chopped celery in hot drippings in skillet over medium heat 5 minutes or until tender. Gradually whisk in flour until blended. Gradually add reserved broth; cook, whisking constantly, 3 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Stir in chicken, bacon, eggs, carrots and next 5 ingredients. Simmer on low 5 minutes and taste for seasoning.

For a richer pie, replace 1/2 cup of the chicken broth with 1/2 cup Half and Half.

Spoon mixture into a 3-quart baking dish, and top with refrigerated pie crust.


Bake at 450° for 25 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Serve with cranberry sauce or rep pepper jelly.

Kentucky Hot Brown

1/4 cup Whole Butter

1/4 cup All Purpose Flour

1 Qt. Heavy Cream

1/2 Cup Pecorino Romano Cheese, Plus 1 Tablespoon for Garnish

Salt & Pepper to Taste

16 oz. Sliced Turkey Breast

2 Slices of Texas Toast (Crust removed)

4 slices of Crispy Bacon

2 slices of Tomato

Paprika, Parsley

In a large saucepan, melt butter and slowly whisk in flour until combined and forms a thick paste (roux). Continue to cook roux for two minutes over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Whisk whipping cream into the roux and cook over medium heat until the cream begins to simmer, about 2-3 minutes. Remove sauce from heat and slowly whisk in Pecorino Romano cheese until the Mornay sauce is smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

For each Hot Brown, place one slice of toast in an oven safe dish and cover with 8 ounces of turkey. Take a slice of tomato and place on top of the turkey. Next, pour one half of the Mornay sauce to completely cover the dish. Sprinkle with additional Pecorino Romano cheese. Place entire dish under a broiler until cheese begins to brown and bubble. Remove from broiler, cross two pieces of crispy bacon on top, sprinkle with paprika and parsley, and serve immediately.

Candied Bacon

1/2 cup firmly-packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon honey mustard

1 tablespoon red pepper jelly

1 pound thick-cut apple smoked bacon

In a small bowl mix together the mustard and jelly. Slowly stir in sugar.

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, slowly cook bacon until bacon is lightly browned on edges but still flexible, turning over once, approximately 5 to 6 minutes total per batch (you'll probably have to do this in batches); drain the fat each time.

I save all the bacon drippings for later use, Remove cooked bacon from the frying pan and place onto paper towels to soak up excess fat.

After draining fat from the frying pan, reduce heat to low and place all the cooked bacon back into frying pan. Drizzle brown sugar mixture over bacon, tossing with tongs or a fork to coat.

Sugar melts very slowly and burns easily; remove and return to heat if necessary after sugar begins to caramelize. I like to cook slowly for at least three minutes to make sure bacon is cooked to a better firmness Remove from heat and transfer onto a wire rack or a serving platter.

Be sure not to leave any two touching together while cooling or they become one.

Seafood Dirty Rice

1/2 cup bacon, chopped

1/2 cup chicken livers

1/2 cup shrimp, chopped

3 1/2 cups fish stock

1 cup Shock Top beer

1/4 cup onions, minced

1 tablespoon garlic

3 cups rice

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

salt and black pepper, to taste ( some crushed red Pepper if you want to hot it up)

Cook off bacon. Add chicken livers and cook through. Remove, chop, and return to pan. Add shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Add onions and garlic and sauté. Stir in rice, butter, and fish stock. Then pour the beer into the fish stock. Bring to a simmer. Cover and finish in 400º oven for 20 minutes. Season with parsley, salt, and pepper.

Slow Roasted Onion Soup

6 medium Vidalia onions, outer layers removed

1/4 cup bacon drippings or olive oil

2 leeks, white part only, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

2 quarts chicken stock or canned broth, low sodium

1 cup sweet sherry or sweet wine

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme

salt and white pepper to taste

1 bunch fresh chives for garnish

Wrap each onion separately in aluminum foil and place in a 300° F oven (or in the coals of a fire or grill pit) until onions feel tender all the way through, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours

Heat drippings in a large pot. Add leek and celery; cook until softened but not browned. Remove onions from foil, quarter and add to pot. Add chicken stock and sherry. Simmer about 45 minutes. Stir in cream and thyme. Remove from heat.

In batches, puree mixture in a blender until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish each serving with chives. Serve immediately. Makes 12 servings.