Tomato Gravy

 Tomato Gravy is one of those southern recipes that was handed down from generation to generation in my family.  I don’t make it often, but somehow I still remember it. It’s weird how that works lol. I’ve come to learn that there are a lot of people that have never heard it or have never had it.  Do yourself a flavor, make it. It’s super quick, simple, and SO yummy.  

Tomato Gravy-

3 TBSP of bacon grease (butter or oil also work, but the bacon grease gives it a bit more flavor)

3 TBSP of flour

1 to 1.5 c of stock (chicken, beef, or vegetable all work, just whatever you have on hand)

1- 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, undrained (I prefer the petite diced, but regular is fine, too)

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional- in place of salt/pepper, you can also use Everglades Heat or Tony Chachere’s for a little kick. 

In a large skillet, over medium heat, combine the bacon grease and flour to make a roux. Once well mixed,  add in the can of tomatoes. Cook for a minute or so while stirring constantly, it helps get rid of the floury taste.  Slowly add in stock until gravy is just at the desired consistency. Season gravy to taste and serve over fresh hot biscuits, grits, rice, or even mashed potatoes. Enjoy, y’all!

Life Hack- Tomato Gravy is essentially the base for Swiss steak. Fry up some well season stew beef and make a slightly thinner gravy. Toss the beef in the gravy and simmer until the gravy is at your desired consistency and the beef is tender.  Serve over rice or mashed potatoes. 

French Onion Grilled Cheese and Soup- measure with your heart for this one

 My version of French Onion Grilled Cheese and Soup

 

3lbs of onions, halved and sliced *I used sweet onions*

½-1 stick of butter

Salt and pepper to taste

3/4 c + 3ish cups of beef broth *I use reduced sodium Better Than Bullion, so adjust the saltiness as needed*

Italian seasoning to taste

1-2 bay leaves

Flour (amount depends on how thick you want the soup)

 

Sandwiches-

Onion mixture

Cheese (provolone, gouda, Havarti, etc)

Sourdough or other crusty bread

Margarine/butter

 

1.       Melt butter in big pot/dutch oven. Add in onion slices and salt/pepper.  Cook over medium heat until caramelized…about 30mins

2.       Add in 3/4 c of beef broth and a little bit of Italian seasoning. Cook on medium high to reduce liquid.

3.       Remove 1/3ish of the onion mixture. Set aside.

4.       To the pot/dutch oven, add in 3ish cups of beef broth, a little more Italian seasoning, and a couple bay leaves. Bring to a low boil/simmer.

5.       Make a slurry of beef broth and flour. Honestly I just pulled some broth out of the pot and added maybe 2 heaping tablespoons of flour. Whisked it together so it wasn’t lumpy. Dumped it all in the pot and mixed together.  If you want it thicker, add more slurry. If it’s too thick, add more beef broth.

6.       While that’s cooking, make some grilled cheese sandwiches. Use at least two pieces of cheese so that you can put some of the onion mixture in between. It’ll sorta make a little pocket of flavored deliciousness lol

When I made it this way, I made 4 grilled cheeses and two bowls of soup. However, I still had some onion mixture left over to make a couple more sandwiches, or I could have added it back into the soup and added more broth to make a bigger pot of soup.  We like ours pretty chunky with onions, so certainly you can make this with much more broth to have more to share.

Corn Casserole- Hancock Style

 I’m surprised with as many times as I have made this and shared the recipe, that I haven’t added it to this blog yet.  It’s a recipe I learned from my Mom and is SO easy to make. I think we have made for just about every cookout/family event. It’s rare that there are any leftovers.

Ingredients

10oz bag of yellow rice (Mahatma or Vigo make the best in my opinion, but any brand should work)

1 (10oz) can of Cream of Celery Soup

2 (15oz) cans of whole kernel corn, drained (I normally use regular whole kernel, summer crisp, or white corn. My mom used to make it with Mexi-corn. Any variety will work just make sure it is NOT creamed corn)

1lb- 1.5lbs of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (use the thick cut shredded or grate the cheese yourself, it will make a huge difference.)

1 stick of butter, salted or unsalted…doesn’t make a big difference. 

Instructions

-Get a casserole dish and throw the stick of butter in it. Set aside. 

-Cook the yellow rice according to the package. Once it’s done, throw it over the butter in the casserole dish. 

-Find something to do for a few minutes to entertain yourself as the butter melts under the heat of the rice. 

-Once the butter is melted, mix in the cream of celery and drained corn. 

-When that’s pretty well mix, add in half of your cheese. Mix it all up again. 

-Now even out the mixture in the dish and top with remaining cheese.  

-Bake, uncovered, at 350* for 25-30mins. Enjoy the yumminess you just made. You’re welcome. You will be required to make this for every event you go to from now on. Haha.

Basic Brisket Rub for smoking

 1/4c kosher salt coarse ground

1T ground black pepper

1T smoked paprika

2t oregano

1t cumin

1T garlic powder

1T onion powder

-Dijon for a binder

Rub brisket down with Dijon and sprinkle rub generously on the brisket. Make sure to coat all sides. Let sit overnight before smoking it. 

Beef Kabob Marinade

 1/2c Olive oil

1/3c Soy Sauce

1/4c fresh squeezed lemon

1/4c A-1 Sauce

1T garlic powder

1T onion powder

1T Italian Seasoning

1t ground pepper

Mix all together. This should make enough marinade for 5lbs of beef kabob meat.. Marinade at least overnight. Enjoy!

Smoked Elk Burgers

                                     

I made this for a 10lb mixture of meat. Obviously, divide measurements as needed for correct portion sizes. 

5lb ground elk

5lbs ground chuck

6 eggs

1/4c breadcrumbs

1/4c ground black pepper

6T garlic powder

6T onion powder

1/4c smoked paprika

6T celery salt 

Mix it all together and make into patties. Throw them on the smoker at 225* for 2 to 2.5hrs. Hubby uses a Pit Boss electric (pellet) smoker. We made these with cherry wood pellets and it was amazing!

Prime Rib Roast Rub

 2T Kosher Salt

1/2T ground thyme

1/2T fresh ground pepper

1T Onion Powder

1T Garlic Powder

Dijon

Mix all together dry ingredients together. Rub Dijon all over the roast to act as a binder. Coat the roast with the spice mixture. Let set over night. It's SO good!

Refrigerator Pickles

Refrigerator Pickles

The measurements are general and should be enough to do 2 to 3 half gallon jars. The brine and spice mix can also be used with eggs for pickled eggs. The brine alone is also used for pickled purple onions which is great on tacos, just chop up 2 to 3 large purple onions. 

Procure a large amount of cucumbers and cut them in your desired fashion. I've used English and snacking varieties. For this type of pickle, it doesn't have to be specifically "pickling" cucumbers since it is not "canned" or stored for very long. Honestly, it doesn't even make it a week in my house.  

Brine:

1.25C White Vinegar

1.25C Apple Cider Vinegar

2.5C Water

6T pickling salt

3T sugar

*measurements are general. If you like it less acidic, add less vinegar and more water. If you don't care for apple cider vinegar, use all white and vice versa. If you use straight apple cider vinegar, it will be a bit on the tart/pucker side.  If you like it sweeter, add more sugar. This is just the combination we like. 

Pickling spices:

4T whole peppercorns

4T dill seed

4T whole mustard seed

3-4 bay leaves crumbles up

*you can also add juniper berries, cloves, anise, etc, It just isn't our preferred mix*

-minced Garlic- measure with your heart

Wash and prep your jars, and cucumbers. If using a half gallon jar, use about 3 to 4 tablespoons of pickling spices, and a good amount of garlic, Put your cucumbers in the jar. 

On the stove, bring the brine ingredients to a boil. Pour brine over cucumbers, and seal with lids. Leave on counter to come to room temperature (you'll hear them "pop"} and then throw in the fridge.  Wait at least 24 hrs before eating the pickles.  

Easy Beef Tacos

 I made this using an Instant Pot, but I'm sure it could be adapted for a slow cooker. Just sear the the meat and saute the onion mixture, then throw it all in the slow cooker on low. 

Easy Beef Tacos (6pts per serving but can very depending how much meat you use)

Ingredients

1.5lbs stew beef
1T butter
1 small onion
minced garlic (measure with your heart)
4oz can of green chilis
1T ground cumin
2T garlic powder
2t smoked paprika
2t chili powder
1t sea salt
1t onion powder
1/2t black pepper
1/2t cayenne pepper
3/4c to 1c reduced sodium beef stock (I use Better Than Bullion Organic Reduced Sodium.)
1 can low fat, refried black beans
1 can whole kernel corn
low carb flour tortilla wraps 

Optional (not included in the point count)
Shredded cheddar cheese ( 5pts per 1/4c of regular, 1pt per 1/4c of fat free)
Lime Juice (0pts per 1t)
Herdez Taqueria Street Sauce- Roja (0pts per 1T)
Sour Cream-  (1pt per 2T Fat Free, 2pts per 2T Reduced-fat, 3pts per 2T full fat)

-Turn Instant Pot to sauté. Sear the beef, remove from pot, and set aside.

- Add butter, onions, and garlic to pot and cook until aromatic and/or slightly sweating.  

-Add beef stock to deglaze pot. 

-Now about half to 3/4 the amount of seasoning you made and chilis. Mix well.

-Add beef back to pot and mix to cover beef in "sauce". 

-Cook the beef using the pressure option for 10 mins. Let pressure naturally release for an additional 10 mins, then "quick" release. 

-While all that is cooking, get two small pots. Cook the corn on in one. In the other, combine the refried beans and some of the seasoning mixture (to taste). I also added a little lime juice to mine

When it's all done, make yourself some yummy tacos and call it a day!