Compound “Everything” Butter

In the winter months, I am always ready to do my “snow dance”. Unlike most folks who live in the northeast area of the USA, I was thrilled with the amount of snowfall we received last winter! I am hoping for a repeat this year. If the winter weather keeps us home, we avoid cabin fever by making all of our favorite comfort foods. When fellow 37 Cooks member Donna Currie published her new cookbook, Make Ahead Bread: 100 Recipes for Melt-In-Your-Mouth Fresh Bread Every Day, I was immediately drawn to her compound butter recipe. Everyone knows I am not one to bake, but as we all know, everything is better with butter! I loved the idea of using apple in the compound butter, so I honor Donna by keeping apple as the star ingredient. Then I went into high gear figuring out how I would put my personal spin on her recipe. Apples led to brown sugar, then cinnamon, and then everything else you would want melting over hot fluffy pancakes! Thank you, Donna, for the inspiration!! Wishing you much success with this amazing, beautifully written and photographed work of taste/art!!

Compound “Everything” Butter

by Susan R-H
Adapted from Apple and Sage Compound Butter in Make Ahead Bread: 100 Recipes for Melt-In-Your-Mouth Fresh Bread Every Day by Donna Currie

Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter, plus 1 Tablespoon, divided
1 Tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon mascarpone
1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans
1 apple, peeled, cored and cut into small dice (I selected honey crisp)
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of kosher salt
1 Tablespoon orange zest
2 Tablespoons chopped dried cranberries or Craisins
Real maple syrup

Method:
In a medium-sized covered bowl, allow the butter to soften, about 6-8 hours. Bring the mascarpone to room temperature at this point. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the pecans on a small baking sheet in a single layer and roast for about 10-12 minutes. Time will vary depending on your oven. Set aside. Heat 1Tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the apple, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Sauté until the apples just start to become tender and very fragrant, approximately 7-9 minutes. Transfer the apples to a plate and allow them to cool. Using a large whisk, combine the orange zest, dried cranberries/Craisins, apples and pecans with the softened butter and mascarpone. Take a large piece of plastic wrap and scrape the compound in the middle. Fold all ends and roll the compound butter into a log. My personal favorite method is to fold the sides over and “spin” the butter with the ends to create a log of butter. I tie the ends and refrigerate until it sets. Most folks have a go-to recipe for pancakes. I like to take the butter out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before making pancakes. Allow the butter to melt over the hot pancakes and drizzle with a good quality maple syrup. I am serving my pancakes with a locally sourced sage sausage. Sage. Another nod to Donna. I am so very proud of her new cookbook!

Liquid Gold, My First Christmas Gift to Myself

Every year we are bombarded with magazine articles, television segments and blog posts about how to consume Thanksgiving leftovers in the days following Thanksgiving. I love those recipes! Look forward to them every year! This is not one of those recipes. This is a recipe of what to do with Thanksgiving leftovers on Thanksgiving Day itself! Too full? Can't imagine it?

How many times have you read about the wonders of homemade stock? Have you ever made it? I do and regularly. I save chicken carcasses and put them in ziplocs in the freezer and I also do the same with my veggie scraps. Until this year, it never occurred to me to use my turkey carcass. And even if you've never saved a veggie scrap in your life, on the days leading up to Thanksgiving the perfect ones are in abundance. Celery, carrots, parsley, and onions are just what you need for good stock.

Even though I normally save my carcasses and scraps and freeze them, why wait? Why bag? Why not just put my turkey carcass directly in my Hamilton BeachSet & Forget® 6 Qt. Programmable Slow Cooker and let the stock cook overnight? The carcass is just sitting there on Thanksgiving! My friend, Matt Baird, says the best stock comes from bones that have never been frozen, so there ya go! Wisdom right from the mouth of my favorite butcher.

Post-Thanksgiving Dinner Overnight Turkey Stock
by Sandra

1 turkey carcass, in pieces, including leftover skin, meat scraps, pan drippings
Veggie scraps including celery, onion, carrots or other non-starchy scraps
A few springs of parsley
1 Tablespoon peppercorns
1-2 bay leaves
Water

Place all ingredients, besides the water, in the slow cooker.  Add as much water as you can. Set the slow cooker on low. Sleep off the L-tryptophan! You can cook the stock for as little as 10 hours and I've cooked it as long as nearly 24, so cook it for as long as fits in your schedule and until it is a rich, golden color and tastes delicious. Cool the broth down in an ice bath in your kitchen sink (another tip from Matt the Butcher) and then strain the solids and freeze in ziplocs with 2 cups of stock per bag. Lay the bags flat in the freezer to maximize space. Remember to label the bags with the date. If you want to make fat-free broth, after straining away the solids, put the broth in the refrigerator to cool completely. The fat becomes a solid layer on the top. Simply break it up and discard it.

P.S. Are you going away for Thanksgiving dinner this year? You might check in advance with your host, but I know if I had a guest who offered to set up my slow cooker for overnight stock, I'd invite that guest back every year!

Slow-Cooker Braised (Caramelized) Onions

What I love about slow cookers is their convenience. My Hamilton Beach Set & Forget 6 Quart Programmable Slow Cooker is like a magical device that turns raw ingredients into luscious food with almost no work. Let me explain with simple braised (caramelized) onions.

Have you ever caramelized onions on the stovetop? First, you melt butter in a big heavy pan, then you add a bunch of onions, and stand there, stirring and cooking, for an hour or more. Stand there. Stir. Monitor the heat. Check for any signs of burning. Stand there. Stir more.

There's a better way! How about this: Stick of butter, onions, and herbs in your slow cooker. Cook for a couple of hours, stir once, then cook more for hours and hours, blissfully unattended with no worries about burning. This is a better way!

Slow-Cooker Braised (Caramelized) Onions
by Maurita 

Will make 6 cups caramelized onions

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
About 6 pounds large Spanish onions
2-4 Tablespoons fresh thyme

Peel and cut onions in half. Slice the onions about 1/4" thick from "pole to pole" - they'll hold their shape a little better cut this way. Cut the butter into eight pieces and scatter pieces over the bottom of the slow cooker insert. Layer the sliced onions and fresh thyme leaves into the slow cooker. Don't be afraid to completely fill the pot - they will cook down and not spill over.

Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. Stir the onions well, then replace the cover and cook on high at least 6 hours more, until the onions are tender. When the onions are tender, if there is a lot of liquid in the pot, remove the lid and continue to cook on high another hour or so, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Turn off the slow cooker and let the onions sit, uncovered, for an hour to cool.

Transfer to pint jars and store in the refrigerator.

Note: These freeze very well. They have a zillion uses from onion soup to caramelized onion pizza to perfect accompaniments to meatloaf sandwiches to...well, you get the idea. Make a big batch, freeze them in pints, and thaw them as you need them. You won't regret it.

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Apple Butter

This is such a great, easy recipe, especially for the fall/winter seasons! I use it on biscuits, English muffins, toast, etc. I even use it as a replacement for jelly in PB&J sandwiches. This is perfect to can in jars and decorate, and make into holiday gifts. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Apple Butter
by Rachael

15 ounce can 100% pure pumpkin
1 large apple, peeled, cored and cut into small chunks (I use Gala, since they are great cooking apples) OR 1 cup natural apple sauce
1/4 cup apple juice
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ginger

In a Hamilton Beach Set & Forget 6 Qt. Programmable Slow Cooker, stir all ingredients together until well-combined.

Cook on low for 6 hours. If using apple sauce instead of an apple, you may cook for 4 hours instead.

Cool for 1 hour, or refrigerate overnight.

If using the apple instead of apple sauce, pour the cooled mixture into a blender and lightly blend for a few seconds.

Keep refrigerated.

Slow-Cooked Spiced Bacon Jam

The slow cooker is the perfect kitchen device to render this savory and sweet condiment into a deliciously decadent spread for your breakfast bagel, English muffin, or toast point appetizer tray at your next holiday soiree. Add a dab to your favorite potato salad, deviled egg, or green bean casserole recipe for a surprising “what’s that?” factor. Yes, bacon makes everything better!

Slow-Cooked Spiced Bacon Jam
by Gary
Adapted from Slow Cooker Bacon Jam by Martha Stewart

Makes about 3 cups

1 1/2 pounds sliced bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 medium yellow onions, cut into small dice
4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch Aleppo pepper
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3/4 cup brewed coffee
1 Tablespoon bourbon

Special equipment: 6-quart slow cooker, such as this unit from Hamilton Beach

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is slightly browned, about 20 minutes. With a slotted utensil, transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Pour off all but 1 Tablespoon fat from skillet (save for another use); add onions, garlic, and ginger, and cook until onions are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add cloves, Aleppo, vinegar, brown sugar, maple syrup, coffee, and bourbon and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up browned bits from skillet with a wooden spoon, about 3 minutes. Add reserved bacon and stir to combine.

Transfer mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker and cook on high, uncovered, until liquid is syrupy, 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Transfer to a food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped. Let cool, then refrigerate in airtight containers, up to 4 weeks.

To serve, garnish with crisp, crumbled bacon, and slivered green onion if desired.

Cheese Ravioli with Pesto Sauce

My friend, Stacie, holds cooking classes at her home on Ford Island, Hawaii. From her home you can see the Arizona Memorial and I feel like I have stepped back in time, as her home is one of the original military quarters that survived the attack on December 7, 1941. It was fun to learn how to make pasta with Stacie and when we received flour as our challenge, I thought it was time to try out my new pasta machine and put my lessons to good use. The picture of the ravioli certainly do not do this recipe justice, as they were delicious. My husband loved it, even though I did not add any meat.

Cheese Ravioli with Pesto Sauce
by Nancy
Adapted from Stacie Husmann, owner of Cooking Thyme with Stacie (fresh pasta)

3 large eggs
1 teaspoons salt
2 -3 Tablespoons water
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 1/2 level cups Bob's Red Mill Organic Unbleached White Flour

Combine eggs, salt, water and olive oil in a bowl. In a food processor add the flour and pour the egg mixture, pulse a few times. Combine the mixture until it resembles small crumbs. Test a small portion by squeezing it between your forefinger and thumb. If it sticks together it is good, otherwise add an additional Tablespoon of water and pulse the mixture. (I needed 2 1/2 Tablespoons of water using the Bob's Red Mill flour.)

Turn out the dough onto a floured surface.  Knead the dough about 10 minutes, folding it over itself. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough into thin sheets, either by hand or with a machine. If using a machine, set the pasta machine on the widest setting, which is usually setting the number to "1" on the dial (please read the instructions on your machine as this could be reversed.) Divide the dough into quarters and work with one section at a time. Flatten out the first piece of dough into a rectangle. Feed it through the machine, then fold it over and feed it through again. You need to do this about 12 times. It will make the dough smooth and elastic. Without folding the dough between settings, keep reducing the settings until the dough is rolled as thinly as you like it. If the sheet of pasta gets too long, cut it into sections to make it easier to work with.

Place one sheet of dough on a floured ravioli pan. Spoon 1 level teaspoon of the cheese ravioli filling (recipe below) into each section. Cover with another sheet of pasta. With a rolling pin, roll until the pieces are cut, then turn out onto surface.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a few Tablespoons of salt. Add the ravioli and cook 2-3 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and toss into the pesto sauce (recipe below), garnish and serve.

Cheese Ravioli Filling 

by Nancy

Adapted from Stacie Husmann

1 1/2 cups (15 ounces) whole milk ricotta
3/4 cup (3 ounces) coarsely grated mozzarella, at room temperature
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, at room temperature
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients. Ingredients for approximately 100 raviolis.

Pesto Sauce

by Nancy

1/4 cup butter
6 Dorot garlic cubes
2 Dorot basil cubes

Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and heat thoroughly. Serves 2.

Whole Wheat Pan Gravy

I wanted to make a gravy that was nutty in flavor and had a smooth consistency. Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour did the trick. I was told that whole wheat flour wouldn't thicken like regular flour. I didn't understand that, so I did a little digging like anyone would do. I came across a discussion on the website Tammy's Recipes, where the people were about 50/50 on using whole wheat flour for gravy. I decided to give it a try. I actually made it twice and both times it came out wonderfully. Gravy is such a personal thing. This is a base for gravy. You can add salt, pepper, garlic, etc. to make it your own. 

Whole Wheat Pan Gravy
by Traci
Adapted from Tammy's Recipes

In a medium skillet on medium heat, add 3 Tablespoons butter. Using a whisk so it won't scorch, stir until melted. Add 1/4 cup of Bob's Red Mill Organic Whole Wheat Flour. Continue wisking. Cook for about 3-4 minutes to just get the gluey flour taste out. It will be smooth and lovely when you have it going. Slowly add whatever stock you have. I used 2 cups of beef stock. Continue wisking. This will make about 1 3/4 cups of gravy (and a wonderful gravy I might add.)

Spicy Polenta Basil Biscuits with Honey Butter and Strawberry Jam

The Surprise Food Exchange Challenge has been fun. Holly, my fellow 37 Cook from the great state of Colorado, choose the ingredients for me to work with. The first thing I saw in her box was instant polenta. I have never cooked with polenta. Down South and in Texas we use grits or ground yellow cornmeal. Polenta is very close to those favorites. I would say that it has been ground a little finer than the cornmeal I am accustomed to using. The next thing I pulled out of the box was pure honey from Colorado's western slope. Donna, who is also a 37 Cook from Colorado, said it was great because it's made from "mountain wildflowers"! Then there was homemade strawberry jam, one of my husband's favorites. Last, there was Modenacrem balsamic glaze. I have

used everything but the balsamic glaze in my recipe today and look forward to making something with it at a later time.

Holly was very generous and she gave me a product (polenta) that I had never worked with. My research began! I wanted to do something different and ran across Chef Ripert's cornmeal biscuits recipe on the Kitchen Joy Blog, that I could easily transform to polenta biscuits. It was even more perfect when I saw that he paired them with honey butter! I decided to add fresh basil and red chili pepper flakes to mine. It is summer and I have an abundance of fresh basil in my herb garden. The spicy red pepper flakes would give them a nice, spicy kick that would pair well with the sweet honey butter and strawberry jam. I can definitely see myself making these again and again. I hope you enjoy them and thank you, Holly, for the wonderful surprises!

Spicy Polenta Basil Biscuits with Honey Butter and Strawberry Jam
by Linda
Inspired by Cornmeal Biscuits with Honey Butter by Eric Ripert and Kitchen Joy Blog

For the biscuits:
3/4 cups instant polenta
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
8 Tablespoons very cold unsalted butter, sliced into small cubes
1/2 Tablespoon red chili pepper flakes
1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
3/4 cup cold buttermilk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1) Preheat oven to 425°F.

2) Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

3) Place polenta in large mixing bowl.

4) Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into mixing bowl with polenta.

5) Using a pastry cutter or two forks, combine cold, cubed butter to dry ingredients. Make sure all the dry ingredients are evenly combined with butter. You will have some small crumbs of butter throughout that look like little pebbles. That is okay, don't try and smooth it out.

6) Add red chili pepper flakes and basil to mixture.

7) Slowly add the buttermilk, stirring gently until the dough comes together.

8) Roll dough out on a well-floured surface. I use a pastry mat.

9) Pat the dough into a rectangle about 1/2 inches thick.

10) Take a floured rolling pin and gently smooth the top out. Don't press down.

11) Using a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut your biscuits out. You should be able to get 12 biscuits. Do not twist the cutter or press the dough down.

12) Place cut biscuits on cookie sheet. Place them close together (almost touching) for a nice soft biscuit.

13) Brush the top of the biscuits with melted butter.

14) Bake 10-12 minutes, until lightly brown.

For the honey butter:
2 sticks soft unsalted butter, cut into cubes
3 Tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1. Make the honey butter while your biscuits are in the oven, so it will spread easily.

2. Place butter, honey and sea salt into a small food processor.

3. Pulse until well mixed.

Serve the honey butter and your favorite strawberry jam with the biscuits, when they come right out of oven. Enjoy!

Notes from a novice biscuit maker:

1) Make sure your polenta, flour and baking powder is fresh! I don't bake a lot, so I wasn't surprised to find that my flour and baking powder were past their expiration dates.

2) When making the biscuits, keep the butter and buttermilk in the refrigerator until you are ready to add them to dry ingredients! My friends who are bakers have drilled this into me.

3) Use real butter, no margarine, no diet. You have to have the real stuff.

4) Decide what changes you might want to make to the original recipe. Chef Ripert and Kitchen Joy rolled their dough out to 1/2 inch thick and used a 3-inch biscuit cutter. My preference was to have a little thicker and smaller biscuit. I did some research on the internet to see how this would affect my finished product and the one important note I found was that my cooking time would vary, depending on the size and thickness.

5) Be organized! Take your time and practice. I tested one batch, tweaked them and then made a second batch before writing my recipe up. I had to ask my friends why my biscuits weren't browning on the tops and what could I do about it. They helped me and the consensus was to brush the tops lightly with butter, to assist in the browning.

6) Last, but not least, enjoy the experience AND, of course, the biscuits!

Albondigas with Hot Chimichurri Dipping Sauce

Albondigas is Spanish for meatballs. I used ground pork for mine, but you can certainly use beef or chicken. I find that I get juicier meatballs when I use ground pork. I was very happy with the ingredients that Traci mailed to me. From her package I used Goya Sazon with Cilantro and Tomato, Knorr MiniCube Cilantro, and the Gaucho Ranch Chimichurri Hot Sauce.

Albondigas with Hot Chimichurri Dipping Sauce
by Carlos

1 pound ground meat of choice
1 egg
4 slices white bread, crust removed, soaked in milk
4 Tablespoons plain bread crumbs
1 1/2 Tablespoons of Goya Adobo
1 packet Goya Sazon with Cilantro and Tomato
1 crumbled cube Knorr MiniCube Cilantro
Hefty handful flat parsley (Italian), finely chopped
Goya extra virgin olive oil to cover the bottom of a fry pan
Gaucho Ranch Chimichurri Hot for dipping

Mix meat, egg, bread, bread crumbs, Goya Adobo, Goya Sazon, Knorr Minicube Cilantro, and parsley in a bowl. Form the meat into little balls. This recipe yields about 12 -14 meatballs. Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add about half of the meatballs to the pan, do not over-crowd. Brown evenly on all sides. Remove the meatballs from pan, and fry the remainder. When they are all fried, place the meatballs in a pan and finish cooking in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes. Place the meatballs on your serving plate with a bowl of Chimichurri sauce in the center for dipping.

Cajun Kroketten with Garlic-Chive Mayo

My husband I were stationed in Ansbach, Germany for four years while we were in the Army.  We loved the friendly and welcoming people, the culture and the amazing food and drinks we experienced during our tour!  Big fans of the local German fare, we frequented a restaurant called the Wolfschlucht, a family owned eatery where you would come to expect nothing less than a great meal and an excellent, locally brewed Hefeweizen beer. Their menu included something I had never heard of before called kroketten.  These potato based gems are the elegant and more sophisticated cousins of the tater tot - more delicate and delicious, they became one of my favorites on their menu! This version includes some gumbo spiciness from Slap Ya Mama and gives them personality and sass. 

Baked Stuffed Sole with Slap Ya Mama Gumbo Sauce

Baked Stuffed Sole with Slap Ya Mama Gumbo Sauce
by Carlos

4 sole filets
7 cups water
Slap Ya Mama Cajun Gumbo Dinner Mix
1 cup Slap Ya Mama Cajun Fish Fry
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup bottled clam juice
Slap Ya Mama Original Seasoning
4 Tablespoons butter
Chopped cilantro to garnish

Combine water with gumbo seasoning in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, and then lower heat to a simmer for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine Slap Ya Mama Fish Fry, olive oil and clam juice in a bowl. Place a quarter cup of mixture in the middle of a fish filet and then fold over both ends into a roll. Season with Slap Ya Mama Original Seasoning. Do the same with the remaining fish filets. Place fish rolls in a buttered baking dish. Put dabs of butter on each fish roll. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until fish is fully cooked. Place fish roll on plate and cover with Gumbo Sauce and chopped cilantro. Serve with white rice.

Cajun Egg Rolls

Cajun Egg Rolls
by Rebbekkah

1 box Slap Ya Mama Cajun Red Beans & Rice Dinner Mix
3 1/4 cups water
1 pound sausage links (I chose Andouille)
1 package egg roll wraps
Oil for pan frying the egg rolls and the sausage

Rémoulade Sauce:
1 1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup mustard
1 Tablespoon Slap Ya Mama Cajun Pepper Sauce
1/4 teaspoon Slap Ya Mama Original Blend Cajun Seasoning
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Stuffed Mahi Mahi with Red Bean Sauce and Pineapples

I enjoyed the Slap Ya Mama products, although being from Canada I found them to be a bit spicy. Blending the Red Beans & Rice with the sour cream and pineapple gave it a nice balance.

Stuffed and Slapped Beef Heart

The fine folks at Slap Ya Mama have issued all of us at 37 Cooks an unusual challenge! They provided up with some of their products, and asked us to devise recipes, but we had to improvise, as we weren't allowed to use the recipe that the product was intended for! For instance, they sent me a box of Red Beans and Rice, which obviously, were meant to be served as Red Beans and Rice, but I had to come up with something different. I love using unusual ingredients in my cooking so I decided to use some of the beef heart that I had in the freezer, and make some kind of stuffing with the Red Beans and Rice! I doubt that there's too many people with a nice beef heart in their freezer, so you could substitute a boneless boston butt, which would work great. The fattiness of the pork would put this dish over the top. IF you decide to use the pork, you don't need to make any other changes to this recipe. I served this with whiskey glazed carrots, broccoli, gravy, and a little onion garlic 'jam' on the side. Here we go!

Slap Ya Mama Cajun Meatball Sandwiches

Just as gumbo is a dish that can be made with many meats -- or combinations of meats -- these meatballs could be created with almost any ground meat you desire. Rather than beef and pork, perhaps throw in veal, bison, chicken or even shrimp! The resulting meatball is as warm, sloppy and delicious as a meatball sub from your favorite deli or concession stand, but the unconventional use of the Slap Ya Mama Cajun Gumbo Dinner Mix gives them a LOT of flavor with little effort. (Shh! Don't tell.)

I particularly enjoyed the tomato sauce/unpickled giardiniera, though. Sweet and hot, cooked into a thick and chunky paste, it could be an ideal condiment for almost any hot sandwich.

Note: Instead of in sandwiches, the meatballs and vegetables can also be served alone or over another starch, such as rice or orzo pasta.

Slap Ya Mama Cajun Red Beans & Rice Pork Sliders

A few years back my husband and I decided to “go vegetarian” for a few months to see what affect, if any, it would have on our health. As a result, we learned to incorporate substitutes for meat in quite a few of our favorite dishes. The experiment, although quite successful, ended by Christmas that year. The decision was made to end the vegetarian experiment (also referred to in my house as The Dark Ages) at the upcoming Christmas dinner following a Thanksgiving feast of tofu turkey. But the experiment taught me to incorporate more vegetables and grains into some of my dishes, which we still do today.

Slap Ya Mama Jambalaya Arancini

I have a thing for arancini. It hasn't quite reached obsession yet...it is a dish I want to perfect & dream about creating versions of it. Perhaps I am obsessed. When we were tasked with creating a recipe 'out of the box' for the folks at Slap Ya Mama, arancini were my first thought. Enjoy!

Slap Ya Mama Cocktail Sauce

When I was testing out glazes for my "Slap Ya Mama Cajun Meatloaf in a Box", I accidentally made some delicious cocktail sauce. If you’re out of horseradish when you want to make some cocktail sauce, or even if you have it, use some Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seafood Boil instead. This is as good as any cocktail sauce I've ever had!

Slap Ya Mama Cocktail Sauce
by Willie

1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seafood Boil

Mix the ingredients together and chill. Serve with cold boiled shrimp.

Cajun Shrimp Burgers with Spicy Sauce

The spectrum of seasonings and flavors found in Slap Ya Mama Cajun Gumbo Dinner Mix lends itself to a multitude of applications, but I thought it was best suited for seafood, particularly shrimp. What better way to celebrate the bonanza of gumbo than in a shrimp burger? The flavors are perfect here - just the right amount of Cajun spice to grab your attention; the purity of the ingredients lets every bit of shrimpy goodness shine through. If you have time, chop your shrimp by hand; it makes for a much more interesting burger!

Dill Feta Garlic Salad Dressing

For months and months I've been seeing feta dip all over Pinterest. And seeing as how I have a daughter who is obsessed with feta, I've made several attempts to make the dip. She's liked all of them, but I haven't. Too feta-y for me! Today, I set out to make another dip, but when I tasted the results of this one I knew it had just become my new favorite salad dressing. The Dorot dill and garlic cubes were just what I needed all along! I'm so glad I've been introduced to the Dorot cubes! I love them! They are addictive to use! One of our cooks pointed out they are addictive in the way that popping bubble wrap is! Yes, that's exactly it! But much tastier!