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Fried Oyster Tacos
One of my favorite things about tacos is their versatility. Just about anything can be turned into a taco if you have the imagination. This recipe is a prime example.
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Vanilla Ice Cream Bread Pudding
Bread seems to be one of those things I always have leftover. Whether it's homemade or store-bought, I just don't seem to be able to get through it all before it starts to lose some of its luster. And let's face it, life's too damn short to eat stale or staling bread. But, I HATE wasting food. So my day-old bread goes in the freezer for breadcrumbs, dressing, or bread pudding.
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Fried Pork Belly
Of the many delicious cuts from our good friend, the pig, perhaps none are as famous as bacon. The belly of the pig is cured, smoked, then usually served alongside some eggs or in between two pieces of bread with lettuce and tomato. As yummy as bacon is, when you skip the steps of curing and smoking you're left with a different treat all its own.
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Vietnamese Iced Coffee
Coffee is one of those things I have a tough time imagining my life without. In any form, you name it, I love it. I never tire trying new types of coffee. Several years ago I had an opportunity to try a new type of coffee: Vietnamese Iced Coffee.
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Pulled Pork
Easily one of the most recognizable forms of BBQ is pulled pork. Which, by definition, is a piece of pork that has been cooked to a temperature that allows itself to be pulled off the bone. Many cuts can be used but the most common is the shoulder, aka Boston Butt. A staple at every decent BBQ restaurant and competition. For first time smokers, pulled pork is an excellent option mainly because the shoulder is a very forgiving cut of meat.
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Cornbread Brisket Benedict
I guess Eggs Benedict aficionados can argue a little bit as to whether or not this is, by definition, actually Eggs Benedict in the traditional sense. But, I don't care. It was super yummy and has already jumped to the top of my favorite recipes. It turned out so stick to your ribs rich that I had to sit really, really still for a good half hour after eating.
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Buttermilk Biscuits
There are only a few things that can send even the most seasoned home cook into a wall punching temper tantrum. Number one on the list has to be biscuits. You can do everything right. Preheat oven, measure ingredients, and still, the friggin things won’t rise. It’s one of the great mysteries of the universe. One that will most likely never be explained. It probably has something to do with interplanetary alignment. Two things are gonna happen next time all the little rocks in our solar system line up. The Monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey is going to appear and my damn biscuits will rise.
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Pear Pepper Jelly
One of my small pleasures in life is finding some odd things that pair well with other odd things. Not even necessarily odd things, just really two things you wouldn't always juxtapose. This recipe is a perfect example. One year I was gifted a large amount of Anjou pears from a relative's tree. Although I will eat them raw, pears are not at the top of my list of favorite hand fruits. So, that left me with cooking a bunch.
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Chocolate Chip Cookies
I've read that of all the five senses, smell is the one most tied to memory. It's hard to argue that when the smell of chocolate chip cookies comes wafting up out of the oven. The moment it hits me I'm instantly transported back to childhood. Where cookies, and potential acquisition of more cookies, were my primary interest. Even though my sweet tooth has faded over the years (I still love dessert, it's just not my primary culinary interest anymore) I still never can turn away from a good cookie... or cheesecake... or regular cake... ok, I'm getting distracted. The perfect cookies are really tough to get just right. To…
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BLT
There is something I love about life's simple pleasures: Sunsets, road trips, beer, etc. The perfect sandwich for simplicity? The BLT. Sure, one could argue PB and J is easier to make. While that may be true, one thing stands out. It doesn't have bacon on it. Although it's unclear when and where we started using the term BLT, the first recipe for this type of sandwich appeared in a 1903 cookbook entitled Good Housekeeping Everyday Cookbook. Only thing different from how we know it today is that the recipe called for a slice of turkey which really made it more of a club. But who cares? The BLT was…
