Jasper Indiana Strassenfest Auto Schau

Some of the pictures we took at the auto show at the 2010 Jasper Strassenfest. Some awesome cars and trucks!



1917 Model T Ford. Great truck. The owner was really friendly. He bought this truck over 60 years ago, and has kept it as authentic as he could. Great work.


1971 Chevy. One of my favorites. I had a 1972 Ford F-150 that I really loved. The guy that bought it from me restored it and won a bunch of awards for it in Virginia. I'd be happy to just have the stereo out of it.

One of the best paint jobs. Sweet.

1950 Chevy pickup. Just gorgeous! Look at the lines!

1950 Bel Air. I really thought it was an Impala. Shows how much I know about cars.

1966 Impala. Love the interior. We could do some serious cruising in this car!


Anita's favorite. Orange. Corvette. Her two favorite things. Well, besides me, of course!


'74 Nova hatchback.


Well, it's a Ford. That's all I remember! Love the interior!


I think this was the best shot I took. This car is fantastic. Looks like it just came out of the showroom.


Absolutely beautiful Mach 1. I can remember riding in one of these in high school. We might have exceeded the speed limit by a bit.

I took a picture of this Z28 because, well, it's in great condition, and I really don't remember this color. Nice.


Anita's old Mustang. Ok, not really. And that's not her standing next to it. Or in it.

Not original, but nice anyway. We could cruise in this.

1952 Ford.

I can't remember what year this Volkswagen is. 1955, I believe.

1957.

Only thing missing is a root beer float.

Meatballs with Italian Sauce

We love these meatballs. We cook them in the accompanying sauce, or smoke them and serve them with the sauce over spaghetti or on rolls as sandwiches.

Here they are with sauce and provolone on a roll:


Wrapped in bacon and cooking on the smoker (along with a fattie):


Bacon-wrapped smoked meatballs over pasta, with parmesan:


And smoked on a roll:


This is a combination of a few different recipes I've found on the internet.

The important part is to let the meatballs set overnight in the refrigerator before cooking.

For the meatballs:

Makes: About 15 large meatballs
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 12 hours, plus (see text)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1/2 lbs ground pork
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 2 T garlic, minced
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 t fresh ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 t dried oregano
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped

Note: You can use more pork if the beef you are using has a higher fat content (80-20 or more).

1. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well, using your hands.

2. Shape into meatballs and place on a wax paper-lined pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

3. To cook, place in the sauce (see below) and simmer for 40 minutes. Or, place on a 225 F smoker and smoke 2-3 hours. You can also bake the meatballs at 325 F for 25 minutes.

For the sauce:

Makes: 10 servings
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 6 hours

Ingredients:

• 2 T olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 T dried oregano
• 1 T dried basil
• 2 t red pepper flakes
• 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste (can sub sauce)
• 1/3 cup red wine
• 2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
• 2 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.

2. Add the onions, oregano, basil, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste and cook until the onions are softened.

3. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.

4. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine.

5. Add the wine and stir to combine.

6. Add all of the tomatoes. Do not drain first. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and continue cooking for up to 6 hours, stirring occasionally.

Grilled Asparagus Potatoes

At first glance, these seem a little odd, but the flavors really work out.


Be careful to not overcook the asparagus on the grill or they won't be rigid enough to stand up in the potatoes.

Makes: 4 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 russet potatoes, cleaned
• 4 slices bacon
• 1 small bunch asparagus
• 3 T BBQ sauce
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used Tillamook)
• Sour cream
• 4 Toothpicks, soaked in water for 30 minutes

1. Boil potatoes until just fork tender. Peel and cut ends off, then cut in half across the center. Scoop out the potato, leaving 1/2" around the edges. You'll be left with what look like potato cups, that can stand up on their ends.

2. Preheat grill to medium-high.

3. Wrap each potato with a slice of bacon and secure with toothpicks.

4. Grill potatoes, opening side up, until the bacon is cooked. Flip over (so the opening side is down), cover with foil, and reduce heat to medium.

5. Place asparagus on grill and coat with BBQ sauce. Grill until done but still crunchy.

6. Flip potatoes back to opening-side up and place 1/4 cup of the cheese in each and let melt. Remove potatoes and asparagus from grill.

7. Trim the asparagus so that the top 1/3rd of the spears remain (save the stems for another use. I like to put them over a garden salad).

8. Remove the toothpicks from the potatoes. Fill with asparagus tips, standing upright.

9. Serve with sour cream.

Indiana Railway Museum

We made a quick stop at the Indiana Railway Museum in French Lick on our way to Jasper for the Strassenfest. Here are some of the cars/locomotives they have on display there.

The locomotive that is currently used to haul passengers on various trips.




Steam train's engineer's seat. I bet that was hot work!




View inside an old caboose. Small sink, bunks, and even a wood-fired stove.

Honky Tonk Sweet and Spicy Salad Dressing

This awesome, kicked-up salad dressing recipe came from Honky Tonk BBQ in Chicago. To match it, we had to make a kicked-up salad. I sliced a leftover chicken breast from some sandwiches we made the other day and placed that upon a bed of greens. Added par-cooked carrots and snap peas, sliced avocado, shredded sharp Tillamook cheddar, and chopped tomatoes and red onion.


If you're shy of heat, use slightly less Sriracha (aka Rooster Sauce) sauce. We went all-in. It's good!

Makes: 6 servings
Prep time: 5 minutes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/8 cup water
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/8 cup Sriracha sauce
• 1/2 T salt
• 1/2 t ground dried ginger
• 1/2 t celery seed
• 1/4 t fresh ground black pepper

1. Place all ingredients into a blender and blend well.

Happy 10th Anniversary

The happy couple!

Mango-Glazed Bacon

Oh, my. I will be making this again very soon.


The flavor is outstanding. You could also use this glaze on other things, such as smoked meatballs or grilled pork. You could also try this with peaches or papaya, and other fruits.

The original recipe came from Bobby Flay. I found out about it from a great food blog site, My Year On The Grill.

Makes: 1 pound
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20-30 minutes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 ripe mango, pealed, pitted and chopped
• 1 T honey
• 1 pound thick bacon (I used Wright's)

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Stir sugar and vinegar together in a sauce pan. Cook over high heat until the sugar is dissolved.

3. Add the mango and cook for 5-10 minutes until the mango is softened and the sauce has reduced by half.

4. Let mixture cool slightly then place into a food processor. Puree until smooth.

5. Strain mixture into a small bowl and add honey and salt and pepper to taste.

6. Place bacon a wire rack above a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Brush with the glaze and bake until crisp. Add additional glaze every 5-10 minutes until it is used up.

Veggie-Stuffed Grilled Onions

These were mighty good. It's unfortunate that Vidalia onions are no longer in season because they would've cranked these up another notch.


The original recipe calls for using frozen mixed veggies. Well, with everything in season right now, I skipped that and used some fresh carrots and snap peas. You can substitute any veggies you like. You may have to par-cook them first.

Makes: 4 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 large sweet onions, peeled
• 2 cups fresh veggies (I used carrots and snap peas, which I par-cooked first)
• 2 T seasoning (I used Todd's Dirt. You can use any general seasoning, like herb or Creole)
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (I used Tillamook)
• 4 T butter, cut into 4 pieces

1. Preheat grill to medium.

2. Slice top third off of each onion and save. Using a spoon or melon baller, scoop out the inside of each onion. Dice the removed onion and reserve.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the vegetables, diced onion, seasoning, and cheese. Divide evenly into each onion. Top with a pat of the butter.

4. Cover onion with top and wrap in foil. Place on grill and grill 20-25 minutes until tender.

Huevos Oaxaca (Oaxacan eggs)

These eggs are outstanding! And pretty to boot! Say goodbye to those same-ole, same-ole breakfasts!


The original recipe came from here. I made some very minor changes to it.

Makes: 4 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• Corn oil for frying + 2 T for cooking the eggs
• 6 corn tortillas, cut in half
• 12 eggs
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 2 jalapeños, sliced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnish
• 1 1/2 t ground cumin
• 4 oz feta cheese (I used queso blanco)

1. Heat out in large saucepan to 375 F. Add tortilla halves and fry until brown and crisp, turning often, about 2 minutes. Remove to paper towels to drain.

2. Beat eggs, green onions, jalapeños, bell pepper, cilantro and cumin and half of the cheese in a large bowl. Crumble in 4 of the fried tortilla halves. Season with salt and pepper and let stand for 5 minutes.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet on medium heat and add eggs. Cook until just set, stirring often, about 3 minutes.

4. Divide the eggs into 3 servings and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Garnish with remaining fried tortilla halves and cilantro, if desired.

Grilled Mangoes

We decided to give this recipe a shot. Super easy, just grill some mango and throw on a few toppings.


Anita's not a big fan of grilled fruits or veggies. I think I'm slowly changing her mind about that since she really liked these mangoes.

Makes: 6 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 mangoes, peeled and cut into large slices
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 lime, juiced
• 6 T sour cream
• 2 jalapeños, chopped
• Small bunch of cilantro, chopped
• Olive oil

1. Preheat grill to medium.

2. Sprinkle both sides of the mango with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper, to taste. Drizzle with oil.

3. Grill for 1-3 minutes per side.

4. Drizzle sour cream over mango and garnish with jalapeño and cilantro. Serve.

Cakes from Shug's

Here are some more awesome cakes made by our niece.




She started up Shug's Cakes here in Indianapolis. She makes some awesome cakes and cupcakes!

Pimento Cheese Fattie (or sandwiches)

This is Anita's mom's recipe for pimento cheese. Anita makes it for almost every family get-together. People love it heaped up on bread as a sandwich. There's never any leftovers.

Leave it to me to trash a family tradition and shove the pimento cheese spread inside a fattie! But hey, it's really, really good! I did stay true to Anita's mom's recipe by not making any substitutions. Some things you just don't mess with.


The best way to make the cheese mixture is with a meat grinder. You can also do it by hand, but it'll take a lot of work. A food processor might also work, but I've never tried that. You'd want to be careful to not over-process the mixture.

Makes: 8 sandwiches, or 1 fattie and a few sandwiches
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes (for fattie cook time, see our fattie page)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 24 slices Kraft American cheese
• 1 small jar diced pimentos, drained
  
• 3 boiled eggs, peeled
• Salt and sugar, to taste
• 3/4 cup Miracle Whip dressing, plus more as needed
  
• 5 sweet pickles

1. Feed ingredients except Miracle Whip into a meat grinder. Combine mixture by hand.

2. Stir in Miracle Whip. Add more as needed. You don't want an overly wet mixture, but something that is firm and can hold up in a sandwich.

3. Serve cold for sandwiches or use as a fattie filling.

Black Pepper Shrimp

Whenever we get a chance, we load up on wild-caught Louisiana shrimps. Usually, 16-20 count, in the shell. Just like husking corn, I consider shelling and de-veining shrimp to be therapy. Well, depending on how many you have to do, that is. For this recipe, de-vein the shrimp, but keep them in the shells.


These shrimp are mighty peppery (the original recipe is here), but that's the whole idea. Don't be shy with the pepper and always use fresh-ground.

We had this with our homemade cocktail sauce.

Makes: 6 servings
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Printable Recipe

• 3 pounds fresh shrimp
• 8 T butter
• 3 T garlic, chopped
• 4 T freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450 F.

2. Rinse, drain and de-vein the shrimp. Place in a shallow baking dish.

3. In a saucepan, melt the better. Add the garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes. Pour over the shrimp and toss to coat.

4. Pepper shrimp until very well covered. Do not be shy with the pepper! Use a heavy hand!

5. Bake until pink, approximately 5 minutes, then turn and bake a few minutes longer. Remove from oven and pepper again.

Garlic New Potatoes with Herbed Sour Cream

These potatoes are fantastic! The garlic flavor is super, while the herbed sour cream gives a nice, cool contrast.


Be careful making the slits in the potatoes. You don't want to cut so far as to cut the potato into pieces. I found the original recipe here.

Makes: 4 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 pound red new potatoes
• 5 garlic cloves, sliced thin
• 4 T butter, melted
• 2 T olive oil
• Herbed sour cream (see below)

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Carefully cut parallel vertical slits in each potato, approximately 1/4" apart.

3. Place garlic slices between each of the middle 3 slits of each potato.

4. Toss potatoes in a bowl with butter and olive oil.

5. Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until potatoes are crispy and cooked through, about 1 hour. Start checking the potatoes after 40 minutes.

6. Serve topped with herbed sour cream.

Herbed Sour Cream

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 t garlic powder
• 1 t fresh parsley leaves, chopped

1. Combine ingredients a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Jamaican Jerked Chicken

Looking at this picture brings back good memories to us both. This chicken was fantastic. The BBQ sauce is also very good.



The original recipe calls for using various chicken pieces. We decided to use just thighs.

Makes: 4-6 servings
Prep time: 24 hours 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 5 pounds chicken pieces
• 2 cups distilled white vinegar,
• 1 t distilled white vinegar
• 2 cups green onions, chopped fine
• 2 Scotch bonnets, seeded and minced (you substitute jalapeños)
• 2 T soy sauce
• 4 T fresh lime juice
• 5 t ground allspice
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T salt
• 2 t sugar
• 1 1/2 t dried thyme, crumbled
• 1 t cinnamon
• Jamaican BBQ sauce (see below)

1. In a food processor or blender, combine all except the chicken and BBQ sauce.

2. Rinse chicken well in 2 cups of vinegar and drain. Rinse with cold water and pat dry. Place in large resealable bags.

3. Reserve 2 T of the marinade. Divided the remaining marinade between the bags of chicken. Toss well to coat and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

4. Preheat grill to high and grill chicken until done. Serve with BBQ sauce.

Jamaican BBQ Sauce:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups ketchup
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 2 T hot pepper sauce
• 2 T reserved jerk marinade (from above)
• 3 green onions, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 T fresh ginger, minced
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
• 3 T dark rum

1. In a non-reactive saucepan, combine all ingredients except for the rum and bring to a boil. Stir and continue heating until the sugar is dissolved.

2. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce is thick, about 10-15 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and stir in rum. Let cool before serving.

Anita's Salsa

A co-worker of Anita's left out some awesome home-grown tomatoes and peppers for people to grab up at her office the other day. I told her to back up the truck on them and make some salsa. Never pass up on the fresh stuff, I always say.


You can pretty much throw whatever you want into a salsa. Just keep it fresh, and add as much kick as you want.

Makes: 6 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 2 avocados, diced (we add the avocados after we serve, since they don't like being left over)
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 T fresh lime juice
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 2 serano peppers (or other hot peppers), diced (seed them if you want less heat)
• Hot sauce, to taste

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.

Old-Bay Grilled Steak Fries

I'm a big fan of Old Bay seasoning. If you don't have any on hand, fear not, because I've included a copycat recipe for making it yourself.


There's just something about grilled potatoes. Idaho, fingerlings, new .... doesn't matter to us, we love them off the grill. This recipe came from Bobby Flay.

Makes: 6 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 6 Idaho potatoes, scrubbed
• 1 T salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 T Old Bay seasoning (see below if you don't have access to the pre-made seasoning)

1. Place potatoes in cold water in a large pot. Add salt and cook until potatoes are tender but still fork-tender, about 10-15 minutes. Drain, let cool, and cut each potato into 8 slices lengthwise.

2. Heat grill to high.

3. Brush potatoes with oil and season with the Old Bay seasoning. Grill until golden brown and cooked through, 3-5 minutes.

Old-Bay Seasoning

Ingredients:

• 1 T ground bay leaves
• 2 1/2 t celery salt
• 1 1/2 t dry mustard
• 1 t ground black pepper
• 1/2 t ground white pepper
• 1/2 t ground nutmeg
• 1/2 t ground cloves
• 1/4 t ground allspice
• 1/2 t ground ginger
• 1 t paprika
• 1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 t ground mace
• 1/4 t ground cardamom

1. Mix all ingredients.

Fresh Blackberries and Ice Cream

We picked up some absolutely fantastic, fresh-picked blackberries at the farmer's market last Saturday. We made a blackberry sauce and had it over double-vanilla ice cream.


The sauce is easy to make! Summer at its best!

It's up to you whether you want to strain out the seeds from the sauce. The seeds in the berries we bought were not tough, so we kept them in.

Makes: 4 servings
Cook time: 10 minutes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 pint fresh blackberries, rinsed
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Ice cream

1. Place berries (reserving a few for garnish) in a sauce pan with the sugar. Heat over medium heat until the berries boil and soften. Using a fork, squish the berries against the bottom of the pan to release their juices. Continue cooking until a thick sauce is produced. Remove from heat.

2. Optionally, strain the sauce at this point to remove the seeds.

3. Serve over ice cream and garnish with remaining berries.

Roast Beef Sandwiches with Black-Eyed Pea Salad

We went up to the Black Pine Animal Sanctuary a while back. We decided to pack a lunch for the trip. We sat at a picnic table and enjoyed our lunch, surrounded by wildlife.


The roast beef sandwiches were outstanding. I packed the spread in a separate container that I kept in a cooler, along with everything else but the bread. Anita enjoyed the black-eyed pea salad, a recipe from Emeril. I thought it was pretty good, but I like our other version a little better.

Makes: 4 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 lb medium-rare deli roast beef, sliced thin
• 1 loaf ciabatta, cut in half lengthwise
• 4 cups fresh spinach, washed
• 1 cup thinly sliced cucumber
• Green goddess spread (see recipe below)

1. Spread green goddess spread on bottom slice of bread. Layer with spinach, roast beef, cucumber. Top with other slice of bread.

Green Goddess Spread:

• 1/4 cup mayo
• 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
• 2 T sour cream
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 T white wine vinegar
• 1/2 t Dijon mustard
• 1 T fresh taragon, chopped
  
• 1/4 t anchovy paste

1. Puree all ingredients in a food processor. Season with salt and pepper.

Black-Eyed Pea Salad

Makes: 8 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes (not counting pea cook time)
Cook time: 4 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 5 cups cooked and drained black-eyed peas (I used 1 pound dry, cooked)
• 4 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled, fat reserved
• 1/2 cup plus 2 T red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup red onion, chopped fine
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped fine
• 3 T green onion, chopped fine
• 2 T jalapeño, chopped fine
• 2 T fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• 1 1/2 t garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 t Creole seasoning
• 3/4 t salt
• 1/2 t fresh ground black pepper

1. Combine the peas, bacon, and 3 tablespoons of the reserved bacon grease. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

2. Allow to come to room temperature (approximately 30 minutes) and toss well before serving.

Twice-Grilled Peppers with Caper-Basil Vinaigrette

These are an excellent side. Anita loves capers, so she was particularly fond of the vinaigrette.


This is the first time I've come across a recipe that requires that you grill the peppers twice. I was a little skeptical that the second grilling would make a difference, but it did really make the peppers taste even better. Since it was just the two of us for dinner, I cut the recipe back to use just a single yellow and orange pepper.

Makes: 8 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 medium red bell peppers
• 3 medium yellow bell peppers
• 3 medium orange bell peppers
• 3 T olive oil
• 3/4 t salt
• 3/4 t fresh ground pepper
• Italian bread, sliced thin and grilled
• 1 pound fresh buffalo cheese, cut into thin slices
• Fresh basil, for garnish
• Caper-basil vinaigrette (recipe below)

1. Heat grill to high. Brush peppers with 2 tablespoons of the oil and season with half of the salt and peppers. Place on grill and grill until well charred. Remove from grill and place in a baggie. Seal and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Remove skins, brush with remaining oil and season with remaining salt and pepper. Return to grill and grill until just slightly charred. Remove.

2. Slice peppers into wide strips large enough to cover the bread. Place peppers and mozzarella on top of bread slices then drizzle with the vinaigrette. Garnish with basil and serve at room temperature.

Caper-Basil Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• 3 T red wine vinegar
• 1 t Dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic, chopped fine
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 T capers, drained
• 2 T fresh basil leaves, chopped

1. Whisk vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper until well mixed. While still whisking, slowly add the oil. Continue whisking until emulsified. Stir in the capers and basil.

Grilled Fingerlings with Tarragon Vinaigrette

I haven't cooked much with tarragon, if ever, so I was a little skeptical about using a tarragon vinaigrette on some grilled fingerling potatoes.


They turned out great. The tarragon was not overpowering at all. Definitely a keeper. The original recipe is here.

Makes: 2-4 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 T shallot, chopped
• 1 T prepared mustard
• 1 T mayonnaise
• 2 T fresh tarragon leaves, chopped (plus more for garnish, if desired)
• 12 fingerling potatoes
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus more

1. Heat a pan of water to boiling and add the potatoes. Cook until par-boiled. Remove, drain, let cool slightly and cut in halves.

2. Place the vinegar, a teaspoon of water, shallot, mustard, mayonnaise and tarragon in a blender and puree until smooth. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil and continue blending until emulsified. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

3. Heat grill to medium high. Brush both sides of the potatoes with vegetable oil and place on grill cut side down. Grill until lightly golden, then flip over and continue grilling until just cooked through.

4. Transfer potatoes to a platter and serve with the vinaigrette. Garnish with tarragon leaves if desired.

Eeeeek! Run for your life!

Where's John Goodman ala Arachnophobia when you need him?

We have a composter out back by the shed. There's always a lot of activity in it, including a garden spider the size of a '74 Gremlin. No, seriously. It's huge. And it has been taking care of a rather large brood... or about-to-be brood.


Well, the other day, as I was walking by, they all hatched. At once. This picture was about 10 minutes after it started because I had to run in the house and get the camera. There were actually thousands of these little fellows! It was crazy cool! I only wish I had my camera with me when it started, because it was amazing!

Pulled Pork Egg Rolls

Oh, me. We could've had so many of these that it would be embarrassing to admit to the actual number.


The peach dipping sauce was fantastic. This is a great way to use up leftover pulled pork.

Makes: 10 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 pound leftover smoked pulled pork
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 T water
• 10 egg roll wrappers
• 1 pint homemade coleslaw (or store-bought)
• Peach dipping sauce (see below)
• BBQ sauce (we used Grandma Foster's smooth and spicy)
• Oil, for frying

1. Add oil to a deep fryer and heat to 350 F.

2. Beat the egg and water together in a bowl.

3. Brush edges of egg roll wrappers with the egg wash. With a triangle edge pointed towards you, place some pork and coleslaw on the wrapper. Fold and roll and set seam side down.

4. Deep fry rolls, in batches, until crispy browned, about 2 minutes. Remove and drain. Serve with BBQ sauce, peach dipping sauce, and remaining coleslaw.

Peach Dipping Sauce:

• 3/4 cup peach preserves
• 3 T rice wine vinegar
• 2 T Djion mustard
• 1 T ginger, grated
• 1 t dried red pepper flakes

1. Mix all ingredients and refrigerate until needed.

Yogurt Grilled Chicken Breast with Pineapple Roasted Red Pepper Salsa

This chicken comes out very tender and tasty. The salsa is delightful, and really goes well with the chicken.


I saw this recipe on the Food Network's show, Party Line with the Hearty Boys, which often had great recipes.

Makes: 4 servings
Prep time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup yogurt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 t dried basil
• 1 t dried oregano
• 1 lemon, zested
• 2 t salt
• 1 t hot sauce
• 4 (8 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Pineapple roasted red pepper salsa (see below)

1. Mix the yogurt, oil, garlic, basil, oregano, lemon zest, salt and hot sauce together. Add the chicken and coat well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2. Heat grill to high and cook chicken about 5 minutes per side or until done.

3. Serve with salsa, and optionally, lemon slices for garnish.

Pineapple Roasted Red Pepper Salsa

• 1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 jar roasted red peppers, diced, or roast 2 large red peppers on the grill
  
• 2 T fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 t hot sauce
• Salt

1. Mix all ingredients and serve.

Deep Fried Asparagus with Creole Mustard Dipping Sauce

We love asparagus. We usually prepare it roasted in the oven, or grilled. This time, we tried something different. Deep fried!



These are super tasty and crunchy. Not so good leftover, since they get soggy, so make what you plan on having. The original recipe came from Paula Deen.

Makes: 6 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1 T hot sauce
• 1 1 /2 cups cornmeal mix
• 1 T Cajun seasoning (I used a Cajun mix from Cajun Power)
• Oil, for frying
• Creole Mustard Sauce (see below)

1. Heat 2 inches of oil in a Dutch oven to 360 F.

2. Place rinsed asparagus in a baggie with flour and shake to cover.

3. In a pie pan, whisk the buttermilk, egg, and hot sauce. In another pie pan (or shallow bowl), mix cornmeal and Cajun seasoning.

4. Dip asparagus in buttermilk mix, then the dry mix. Fry in oil, in batches, 4-5 minutes, until golden brown. Drain. Serve with Creole Mustard sauce.

Creole Mustard Sauce:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 t Creole seasoning (I used a Cajun mix from Cajun Power)
• 1/4 t garlic powder
• 1/4 t onion powder
• 3 T Creole mustard (I used Zatarain's)
• 2 t dry ranch dressing mix
• 1 t fresh lemon juice
• 3 t hot sauce
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• Salt, to taste

1. Mix all ingredients. Chill until needed.