Homesick Texan's Dr.Pepper Pulled Brisket

Hey y'all! Hope everyone is having a terrific Tuesday!

There's two things Texans love... Dr.Pepper and Brisket. When I came across this recipe from Homesick Texan I was in absolute heaven because it's easy-to-follow and probably the best combination on the planet! Definitely a must try if you're a homegrown Texan like me! :)

There are numerous ways you can serve this dish. However, Homesick Texan suggests shredding the brisket and putting it in tacos for a little Tex-Mex flare!

P.S. check out The Young Austinian and Homesick Texan for classic recipes from the Lone Star State.

Dr.Pepper Pulled Brisket

Photo By: The Young Austinian

Ingredients:

1 (4 pound) brisket, first cut
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1/2 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1/2 cup Dr Pepper, not diet, preferably made with cane sugar
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon Worcestershire
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
Pinch of ground cloves


Directions:
1. Sprinkle the brisket on both sides with salt and pepper, place in a roasting pan fat side up, and allow to come to room temperature.

2. To make the sauce, place in a blender or food processor the onion, garlic, chipotle chiles, 1/4 cup of the Dr Pepper, ketchup, mustard, molasses, Worcestershire, smoked paprika, and ground cloves. Puree until smooth, and add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Preheat the oven to 250°F.

4. Lift up the brisket and pour half the sauce into the bottom of the pan. Place the brisket, fat side up, on top of the sauce, pour in the remaining 1/4 cup of Dr Pepper, then pour the rest of the sauce over the brisket.

5. Cover the pan tightly with foil. Place the pan in the oven and cook 5 hours or one hour and fifteen minutes per pound. At this point, you’ll want to test it to see if it’s fork tender. To do this, remove the pan from the oven and carefully pull back the foil as a lot of steam will escape. If you can easily stick a fork into then it’s done. If not, continue to cook it covered until it is fork tender, checking it every 20 minutes.

6. Once done, remove the pan from the oven, peel back the foil, and gently lift the brisket out of the pan into a large mixing bowl or baking dish, so when you shred it you won’t lose any juices. Allow the brisket to rest for 30 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, pour the pan juices from the roasting pan into a pot, turn the heat up to high and reduce in half, about 20 to 30 minutes. (If you have a splatter guard, I recommend using it. Also, I don’t strain the fat, but feel free to do this if you prefer.)

8. Once the pan juices have reduced and the brisket has rested, shred the brisket in the large bowl with two forks. Pour the sauce over the brisket and toss well to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. I also usually add another teaspoon or so of smoked paprika for an additional smoky burst.

Serve the pulled brisket with warm tortillas and salsa for tacos. You can also put it on buns, use it for nachos, or throw some into a bowl of queso.
y'all enjoy!

Shrimp and Grits

Hey y'all! Happy Sunday!

Today, I want to share one of my favorite shrimp and grits recipes. Shrimp and grits is a traditional breakfast meal that has been served throughout the south for years. If you love this iconic southern dish you will enjoy this fantastic recipe I adopted from Southern Living.

Shrimp and Grits
Photo By: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Buffy Hargett 

Step 1

Cheese Grits

Ingredients:

1 (14-oz.) can low-sodium fat-free chicken broth 

1 cup fat-free milk 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits

3/4 cup (3 oz.) shredded 2% reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese 

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce 

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

Directions: 

1. Bring first 3 ingredients and 1 1/3 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; gradually whisk in grits. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until thickened. Stir in Cheddar cheese and next 3 ingredients.

Step 2

Ingredients: 

2 bacon slices

1 pound unpeeled, medium-size raw shrimp 

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup all-purpose flour 

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

2 teaspoons canola oil 

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth 

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce 

Directions:

1. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat 10 minutes or until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 tsp. drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon.

2. Peel shrimp; devein, if desired. Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper; dredge in flour.

3. Sauté mushrooms in hot drippings with oil in skillet 5 minutes or until tender. Add green onions, and sauté 2 minutes. Add shrimp and garlic, and sauté 2 minutes or until shrimp are lightly browned. Stir in chicken broth, lemon juice, and hot sauce, and cook 2 more minutes, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Spoon shrimp mixture over hot Cheese Grits; sprinkle with crumbled bacon.

y'all enjoy!

Biscuits and Green Chile Gravy

Hey y'all! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone is enjoying their work week!

I recently traveled back home and had the pleasure of dining at this awesome restaurant in my hometown called Eats on 8th located in historic downtown Georgetown. I ordered the biscuits and green chile gravy. It was the most wonderful spin off of the traditional biscuits and gravy dish we all know and love! So, of course when I got home I had to find a recipe to try and recreate this fantastic breakfast meal. I ended up coming across this easy to follow biscuits and green chile gravy recipe from Jones Dairy Farm. I used my own biscuit recipe, but y'all can use whatever biscuit recipe you please or the one I have provided below.

Biscuits and Green Chile Gravy
Photo By: Jones Dairy Farm 

Ingredients:

Biscuits:

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• melted butter, for brushing on the biscuits

Green Chile Sausage Gravy:

• 1 (12 oz) Jones Dairy Farm All Natural Pork Sausage Roll
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups milk
• 1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles

Directions: 

Biscuits:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Grease baking sheet.

2. In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. 

3. Using pastry cutter or fork, cut in butter until mixture appears crumbly. 

4. Add in buttermilk and stir just until combined.

5. Flour work surface. Turn dough out and knead 3 or 4 times, adding enough flour so it doesn’t stick. 6. Press dough into rectangle about 3/4-inch thick. Fold over each side to center, as if folding a letter.(Repeat X2)

7. Pat dough out until it is about 1/2-inch thick. 

8. Cut into circles using floured biscuit cutter. 

9. Place biscuits on prepared baking sheet.

10. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly browned. 

11. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter.

Gravy:

1. While biscuits are baking, brown sausage in medium skillet, breaking it up as it cooks. 

2. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. 

3. Slowly pour in milk, whisking to avoid lumps. 

4. Stir in green chiles. 

5. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until gravy is thickened.

Serve the gravy over the hot biscuits.

Y'all Enjoy! 

BEIGNETS!

Hey y'all! Happy Friday! Hope everyone is enjoying this gorgeous spring weather!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have fresh French Quarter beignets fried up in the comfort of your own home?! Well now it's possible with this yummy recipe I adopted from Sugar and Charm. This savory treat will make you feel like you're in the heart of NOLA enjoying a hot cup of coffee and a delightful beignet at the famous Café Du Monde.

Beignet Heaven
Photo By: Sugar and Charm 

Ingredients 

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

1/2 cup white sugar1 teaspoon salt2 eggs1 cup evaporated milk6 1/2 cups bread flour1/4 cup shortening1 quart vegetable oil for frying (or try Café Du Monde’s recommended cottonseed oil if you can find it!)1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the warm water, sugar and yeast and stir. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a standalone mixer, combine the eggs, evaporated milk and salt and beat until combined.

3. With the mixer on low, add in the yeast mixture to the egg mixture.

4. Then add in cups of bread flour and mix on low.

5. Add the shortening in and continue to mix before adding the remaining 3 1/2 cups bread flour. DON’T over mix!

6. Knead the dough until smooth (it shouldn’t be stiff). Then place back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

7. Set the bowl in a warm area and let it rise for 2 hours.

8. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4″ thick. Then slice into 2″ squares with a pizza cutter.

9. Heat vegetable oil in a Dutch oven until the temperature reaches 350 degrees. Or you can be like me and just wait until it’s pretty hot ; )

10. Then place a few dough squares in the hot oil and watch the magic happen! Turn them so they don’t burn on one side.

11. When you remove them, dust with a light layer of powdered sugar, until all of them are done, then pile powdered sugar on top! 

Y'all enjoy!

KOLACHES! A TEXAS FAVORITE!

Hey y'all! Happy Monday!

I'm currently having withdrawals from Texas delicacies after spending the past week back home. This morning I woke up craving my favorite breakfast food in the whole entire world...kolaches! Most people outside of Texas don't know what kolaches are but they're simply yeast rolls stuffed with sausage and cheese. They're basically amazing!

Anyways, I began searching for a recipe I could easily whip up to get a little taste of home while back up in Utah and I ended up stumbling upon this simple recipe from The Coers Family Blog. Amanda is a proud Texan that knows her stuff when it comes to fixin' up Texas staples, so be sure to check her out by clicking on the link above!

Kolaches
Picture By: Confections of a Foodie Bride

Here's what you'll need:

10 Rhodes frozen dinner rolls, thawed but still cool
10 fully-cooked breakfast sausages (jalapeno cheese if you enjoy a little kick like I do) :)
5 slices American cheese, cut into quarters
1/2 stick butter, melted

Directions: 

1. Set out 10 frozen Rhodes bread rolls in a pan to thaw. 
2. Spray with nonstick cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap to keep moist. 
3. Allow rolls to thaw for 2-3 hours before assembling kolache. 
4. Prepare a 9x13 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. 
5. Heat oven to 375 degrees. 
6. Flatten each thawed bread roll in the palm of your hand, like a tiny tortilla.
7. Place cheese and then sausage onto flattened bread roll.
8. Fold the ends of the bread roll over the sausage and begin to roll the dough over the filling to cover completely.
9. Be sure to pinch the ends of the bread roll to seal. (This keeps the cheese from oozing out too much during baking)
10. Place kolache seam-side down into prepared pan. Repeat until all ten kolache are completed. 
11. Next, brush kolache with melted butter and don't be shy about it. 
12. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Y'all Enjoy! 

CRAWFISH BOIL!

Hey y'all it's time for some relaxation! It's March and in the south that means the start of crawfish season and spring break! Two things we can all be excited about!

Crawfish are definitely one of my all-time favorite foods on the planet! Add crawfish to anything and you got yourself a serious meal, pie, jambalaya, gumbo, etouffee...the possibilities are endless and everything tastes delicious! 

Today I want to share with y'all a simple crawfish boil recipe. Super easy and a total crowd pleaser so it's perfect for parties, family reunions and get-togethers!

Crawfish Boil
Photo by: Jason Kindig

Now y'all don't forget to purge your crawfish... they're mudbugs for crying out loud so you want to make sure they release all of that gunk before ya eat 'em! It's a simple process here's how you do it..

PURGE

1. Empty crawfish in cooler.

2. Pour 1 pound of salt on crawfish.

3. Fill cooler with water just enough to cover the crawfish. 

4. Gently stir. 

5. Once they have purged, dump the nasty water and rinse them.

6. Sift through the crawfish and throw away the dead ones, you absolutely DO NOT want to add dead crawfish to the stockpot. **I REPEAT DO NOT BOIL DEAD CRAWFISH**

7. Repeat this process one more time before boiling, just to make sure they're nice and clean. 

BOIL

Ingredients

35 lbs. Crawfish

Water

3 lbs. Louisiana Seafood Boil

Tony Chachere's

Red potatoes (halved)

10-15 ears of corn (halved)

Directions

1. Boil water in large outdoor stockpot with basket strainer.

2. When water begins to boil add 1 lb. seafood boil. (For every 10 lbs add 1 lb of seafood boil)

3. Add potatoes and corn to the stockpot until potatoes are tender.

4. Add crawfish and stir let boil for about 10-15 minutes.

5. Remove the strainer from stock pot and allow crawfish to drain.

6. Toss crawfish in a generous helping of Tony Chachere's and repeat!

Enjoy because we only get until June to appreciate this southern delicacy!

Sweetie Pie's Mac & Cheese

Hey y'all! Happy Sunday! I hope everyone is staying warm on this chilly winter day! 

I woke up this morning almost frostbitten from this crazy snow storm that blew through over night! It was nuts! I've never seen so much snow in my life! Y'all may not know but I am currently attending school in Utah, I accepted a scholarship to play volleyball at Southern Utah University so this has been home for the past few years. Weather like this definitely makes me miss all the mild winters in Texas!

Anyways, I realized the town became a winter wonderland overnight so I was trying to think of a delicious comfort recipe that would warm us up from shoveling the driveway all morning! When I suddenly thought of Sweetie Pie's Mac & Cheese. I got this recipe from watching Diners, Drive In's and Dives the other night and it's said to be one of the best mac and cheese recipes. So, of course I had to to try it!

Now let me tell y'all beware this recipe is extremely addicting and truly lives up to all the hype!
It's so easy that you will never want to make it from a box ever again!

Sweetie Pie's Mac & Cheese
Photo By: Food.com 

Here's a clip of the episode for a little inspiration! If this doesn't motivate you to make this mac and cheese... well then there's no hope for you!

Sweetie Pie's Mac and Cheese on Diners Drive-In's and Dives 

Ingredients 
1 lb cooked elbow macaroni

1 cup whole milk

24 ounces evaporated milk

3 eggs

2 tablespoons

1 Cup butter, cut into small pieces

1⁄2 lb colby cheese
1⁄2 lb monterey jack cheese, shredded
1⁄2 lb sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 lb Velveeta cheese, cut in chunks
salt
1 tablespoon whiter pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup shredded American cheese or 1 cup mild cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°C.

2. Put pasta in 9 by 13 dish and set aside.

3. Mix milks and eggs well.

4. Add the butter and colby, montery jack, sharp cheddar and velveeta cheeses to the pasta.

5. Pour milk and egg mixture over the pasta.

6. Mix in sour cream. 

7. Season with salt , pepper, sugar and toss.

8. Sprinkle with remaining cups of American or Cheddar cheese.

9. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until top is lightly browned.