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Recipes, 7/29/09

Zach’s Barbecue Pork:

Zach takes a Boston Butt pork shoulder — the cheaper cut of meat the better. He marinates the pork overnight in a salt water and molasses mix. The next morning he removes the pork from the marinate and applies a rub of salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, a little cayenne, garlic powder and onion powder. Zach cannot tell the exact amounts of the spices as he just adds them to taste. He smokes the pork over a charcoal and soaked hickory wood fire (keeping it at about 225 degrees) for about 10 hours in a domed smoker. Throughout the 10-hour process, he moistens the pork with an apple cider vinegar based (eastern Carolina style) sauce — if this is vague, so is Zach concerning his secret ingredients. When the pork is done, he removes the shoulder from the smoker and the pork is pulled apart with forks. More of the sauce can be added to taste.

 

Bourbon Baked Beans

6 strips of thick cut bacon

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped

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1 jalapeno, more or less to your taste, coarsely chopped

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed with cold water

1 can (15 ounces) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed with cold water

1 can (16 ounces) Bush’s Original Baked Beans

1/2 cup of barbecue sauce

1/2 cup of catsup

? cup bourbon

4 tablespoons molasses

2 teaspoons dry mustard

? teaspoon salt

1 bay leaf

Cook bacon strips. Remove from heat and slice into small pieces. Using the leftover bacon grease, saute the onion and peppers until wilted. Add the bacon pieces, onions, and peppers to the rest of the other ingredients in a baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. You can taste the bourbon in this dish!

 

Grilled Vegetables

I like to use a variety of fresh vegetables: yellow and green squash, green, yellow and red bell peppers, onions, asparagus, sliced beets, eggplant. After slicing the vegetables, I cover them with a thin layer of olive oil and Italian salad dressing. I also sprinkle some Italian seasoning over the vegetables as they cook over medium coals. This does not take very long—just long enough to make nice grill marks and produce tender vegetables. You want them a little crunchy.

 

My Favorite Slaw

Mix 1/2 cup oil (I like canola), 1/2 cup malt vinegar and 2/3 cup white sugar. I mix this in a jar and shake frequently.

Brown 1 package Ramen noodles (do not use the seasoning mix), 2/3 cup sunflouwer seeds, ? cup broken pecans with ? stick of butter over medium high heat for about 5-7 minutes. Butter burns easily so keep stirring.

Mix the browned noodle mixture with a large bag of coleslaw mix and 5 chopped green onions. Add the dressing and stir to toss. This is easy and delicious.

 

Peace Cake

1 cup of butter, softened

? cup shortening

3 cups sugar

5 eggs

3 cups of unsifted plain flour

? teaspoon baking powder

? teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract.

Beat the butter and shortening at medium speed of electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar, beat well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt; add alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Add extracts. Grease and flour a 13 X 9-inch sheet pan.. Bake for 1 hour. Let cool and frost with white icing.

 

Seven-Minute White Icing

1 ? cups of sugar

2 egg whites

5 tablespoons cold water

? teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In top of double boiler, place sugar, egg whites, water, and cream of tartar. Beat until thoroughly blended. Place over rapidly boiling water; beat with electric hand mixer for seven minutes. Remove from heat,; add vanilla. Continue beating until icing is of spreading consistency. Frost cake and decorate with fruit. For the 4th of July, strawberries and blueberries can be used to design a peace sign, an American flag—well, you get the idea!