Traditionally this would be served with a creamy macaroni salad and sticky rice.

Ingredients

1 can SPAM or 1.5lbs boneless pork chops

1/2  head of large cabbage, green or red

1 small onion, sliced

1 cup whole macadamia nuts, or 1/2 cup pre-chopped macadamia nuts

2 tbs sesame seed oil or coconut oil

1 inch of orange peel or 1 tsp of dried, crushed orange peel

2 tsp white pepper

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tbl sriacha

1 tbl honey

1/2 cup dark soy sauce

2 tbl rice wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

Fresh ginger to taste, thinly sliced

Equipment

1 chef’s knife

2 cutting boards

1 container for marinating or one large resealable freezer bag

1 medium mixing bowl

1 Large Wok or non-stick Skillet

1 Wooden spoon

1 small bowl for holding spices

1 liquid measuring cup capable of measuring at least 1 cup

1 set of measuring spoons

1 food processor / coffee grinder / spice grinder (for whole nuts)

Directions

Begin by getting your chef’s knife an clean cutting board ready. Get your meat of choice and begin slicing into strips. If using SPAM slice along the length, so you have long, thin pieces. Once sliced thinly then stack them back up and cut in half or thirds, depending on the size of the loaf. We want them to be easy to pick up with chopsticks. (even if you won’t be using chopsticks it helps everything to cook evenly when they are the same sizes.) Set pork chops or SPAM aside in a bowl or large zip bag for marinating.

Mix together soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sriacha. Add enough to the porkchops or SPAM to cover and refrigerate while we prepare the rest of the dish.

Clean your chef’s knife.

Combine your spices, except fresh orange peel if using.  Set aside.

Place macadamia nuts in food processor and pulse until chopped. Set aside.

Switch to a clean cutting board. Peel your onion. I find it easiest to chop off the root and tip, then grip the onion firmly and gently (and carefuly!) use your chef’s knife to slice along the outer skin and ring, from top to bottom. Set your blade aside and start peeling both the skin and first ring away from the onion and discard. Set your onion back on the cutting board and slice into thin rings.  Set aside in your mixing bowl.

Wipe down your cutting board and set the head of cabbage on it. Rinse your cabbage in cold water, we will rinse again after cutting. Position the cabbage and cut it in half so that the you have one half with the stem and one half with the top. Width-wise instead of length-wise.  Place a damp paper towel in a large freezer bag and put the half of the cabbage with the stem in there. (It is important that the paper towel is damp and not wet. This will help keep the cabbage fresher, longer.) Take the other half of the cabbage and begin cutting across the cabbage width-wise. We want our strips to be evenly sized, the goal is to be the same width as the meat strips. Place the cabbage strips in the mixing bowl with the onion.

Set your skillet or wok to medium-high heat. When pan is to temperature add your oil. If using pork chops add now and sprinkle a few pinches your seasonings on it. Reserver your marinade. Pork chops should sizzle when placed on skillet. Do not add SPAM now if using SPAM, it is already cooked so we will add it later. Brown pork chops on one side, turn pork chops over, sprinkle again with more seasoning. Add vegetable mix.

Cabbage has a lot of water in it so we want to cook it down before we add the sauce.  Sprinkle some more seasoning on the cabbage. Keep on medium high heat for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. At 5 minutes check the cabbage and make sure the leaves on the top get stirred to the bottom of the skillet so they can start cooking. Add the rest of your seasoning now. By 10 minutes the cabbage should be smaller in volume. There may be quite a bit of water on the bottom of the skillet from the cabbage, carefully drain this water off without spilling the food from the skillet.

Add the chopped nuts now and stir frequently. We want the nuts to get a pleasant toasted flavor but not burn them. It should take only one or two minutes.

Add the SPAM now if using. Add all the marinade now, and orange peel if using. Stir the contents of the skillet so that everything is well mixed. Once marinade is bubbling, lower heat to low. Add the honey now and stir until dissolved. Let sit uncovered for approximately 8 minutes. Stir the skillet contents and then cover. Usually at this stage my rice has 20 minutes left to cook and steam. If your rice will be done sooner, or if you are not using rice, do not cover. Stir frequently and monitor the SPAM and cabbage to make sure they don’t get over cooked.

At this stage we are reducing the sauce to make it thicker, the cooking process is otherwise finished. If you don’t have time to wait for the sauce to reduce and the sauce is too thin for you at this stage then make notes to yourself to use less sauce when you add the marinade to the dish.

Serve over rice or noodles.

Substitutions

Meat: I usually substitute low sodium SPAM for regular SPAM as I find it too salty otherwise. There are also many SPAM flavors you can try as well. SPAM is the main brand but there are other “luncheon meats” out there, and store brands and so on that work just fine. You can also substitute 1.5lbs of boneless pork chops instead of SPAM. The steps are slightly different.

Onion: This dish would be traditionally cooked with Maui sweet onions, but those are very expensive and difficult to get on the mainland. Texas sweet onions, also called 1040s, may be easier to get. The easiest to get substitution though would be shallots. I usually use whatever onions I have handy, which are small yellow onions. If you get big or jumbo sized onions just half or less is all you need. If you are using Maui onions or Texas Sweet Onions or shallots you can use more as it won’t over power the other flavors.

Cabbage: Red or green cabbage are both fine and are prepared and cooked the same. The difference is in the flavor. I prefer the flavor of Red cabbage but it isn’t always available.

You can also substitute Bok Choy, you would need about four bok choys. The estimate is rough since they vary in size, if very small more may be needed or if very large perhaps only two. You should use all the bok choy. Depending on the size you may be able to just pick the leaves off and wash them. If too large for that the slice them length-wise.

You could also substitute kim chi, which is a Korean style sauerkraut. Washing isn’t needed. It is usually sold sliced up, not whole.  If whole, cut as bock choy directions. I wouldn’t use any vinegar or wine in the sauce with this substitution. Instead use 2 tbl of the pickling juice.

Brussels sprouts could also be substituted. If frozen, thaw. Slice them in thirds. Wash if fresh.

Macadamia Nuts: If you can’t get or don’t like macadamia nuts you can substitute 1/2 cup chopped nuts of your choice. If you have a nut allergy you can substitute pepitas or other squash seeds. If they are already toasted add them after the dish is cooked.

You can also substitute a tablespoon of white sunflower seeds.

Oil: Depending on the flavor I want I use either coconut oil or sesame seed oil. If you can’t find coconut oil or sesame seed oil then vegetable oil is OK.

Sauce: Dark soy sauce has a deeper flavor than Chinese style soy sauce, which is what is sold as “soy sauce” in the States. You can substitute low sodium soy sauce, or whole-bean soy sauce. I don’t recommend substituting Worsteshire sauce, but any soy sauce should be ok.  You can also try teriyaki sauce. I would taste first before adding honey.

For the vinegar I usually use rice wine vinegar. You could substitute sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar or white wine.

If you don’t like spicy food you can leave out the sriacha. If you prefer spicy food add more, to taste.

You can substitute “turbinado” raw cane sugar for the honey, or brown sugar. I’ve found that agave syrup also works well.

Spices: If you don’t have fresh ginger you can substitute crystallized ginger if you would like. You will need a separate small dish or bowl, put 1stp of the crystallized ginger in the dish and cover with some sauce. If doing this method then you should mix the sauce first and set the crystallized ginger to marinate before cutting the pork. We want it to be well hydrated when we start cooking it. When using crystallized ginger you may not need to add honey, taste sauce before adding something sweet.

Servers 4 to 6 as a side dish.

Ingredients

1 (16 oz) package shell pasta

Water, amount varies per pasta used, read package directions

Salt for the water

1 can evaporated milk

2 cups shredded Colby cheese

splash of hot sauce, to taste

1/4 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp white pepper

1 pinch celery seeds

Equipment

1 pot, big enough to cook the pasta in without boiling over

1 wooden spoon, good for stirring something thick

1 colander

measuring spoons and cups

Directions

We start by setting out the cheese so it is close to room temperature when we need it. If shredding your own cheese do so now. Be sure to use the measuring cups to measure two cups. Liquid measuring cups (like the Pyrex with handles and spouts) are based on fluid ounces and therefore measure a different amount than the cups for solids (like you use for flour) be sure to use the right cup.

Now we read the directions on the pasta package and fill our pot with the correct amount of water.  Add salt to help bring the water to a boil faster. Put pot on medium high heat and wait for water to boil. When water is boiling (Determined by a cooking thermometer or estimated by seeing bubbles rising to the surface.) add the pasta.

We subtract two minutes from the cook time listed on the pasta package. We remove it from the heat early to prevent it from getting overcooked while we mix in the cheese.  If your package has no directions, fill with 1 quart of water for 16oz of shells. If your pasta is larger sized than regular shells, such as bow-ties and penne, then try 1 1/2 to 2 quarts. When we take the pasta off the heat strain in the colander right away. Do not run water over the pasta after it has been strained.

Turn the heat to low. Return the pasta to the empty pot. Add the can of evaporated milk. Return the pot to the cook-top.

Begin adding the cheese. We don’t want the cheese to clump up so we do this slowly. Add a handful of cheese to the milk and shells in the pot and use your wooden spoon to stir until cheese is no longer  stringy. It should melt entirely before adding another handful. Repeat this process until there is no more cheese to add. When adding the final handful remove the pot from the heat (remember to turn off the burner) and continue to stir until texture is creamy and strings of cheese are no longer visible. You may get cheese clumping on your spoon, especially if using cheddar as it doesn’t like melting. Just scrape the cheese off the spoon on the edge of the pot and knock it back in the pot for more stirring.

Once your shells and cheese is creamy enough for you, add your spices and stir until well mixed.

Your shells and cheese are ready to eat!

Substitution

Water: I use plain old tap water. If for some reason you do not want to use your tap water (for example, your tap water is not potable) you can substitute bottled spring water or similar. You do not need distilled water as it contains no minerals, many minerals in water are necessary for a healthy diet. Bottled water is referring to the gallon or more jugs of water, using drinking bottle sized containers would be wasteful.

Pasta: Like I said earlier, I enjoy shells with my cheese. You can try many different pastas and cheese combinations. Bow-tie is easy to find and works well. Macaroni is the standard, of course. Penne can be used. Seasonal shapes also hold cheese well, though they may break apart a bit when mixing in the cheese. Also fun are letter shaped pasta.

Milk: Fresh milk has a tendency to curdle when hot, and that affects the texture and flavor of the cheese. Substitute fat-free evaporated milk if wanted. DO NOT substitute condensed milk, as that has been sweetened and is much thicker.

Cheese: When in a hurry you can use the packaged pre-shredded cheeses, they are usually about two cups.

If you like thicker cheese sauce use 1 cup of cheddar and 1 cup of Colby or Colby-jack or jack cheese. I like using the pepper jack cheeses with cheddar.

There are many combinations of cheeses you can try.  Smoked cheeses add a nice depth of flavor. You can also do that with chipotle peppers. Which brings us to…

Spices: There are so many ways to flavor your shells and cheese, here are some of the combinations I have tried and liked. I also prefer kosher salt for its powerful flavor compared to table salt. You can also try sea salt instead of kosher salt where applicable.

Spicy: 1/4 tsp cumin; 1 tsp cayenne pepper; 1 tsp crushed jalapeño flakes; hot sauce to taste

German: 2 tsp fresh ground mustard seed; pinch kosher salt; 1/4 tsp fennel seeds, ground in a mortar and pestle; splash of sherry vinegar (We add the vinegar to set the heat level of the mustard, if you don’t want it spicy then mix all in together. The longer you wait to put the vinegar in the spicier the mustard will get.)

Variant One: 1 tbl Sriacha hot sauce; splash of dark soy sauce to taste; (Sriacha can be found in most grocery stores.  It comes in  a clear plastic bottle, usually with a rooster on it. It is topped with a green twist and squirt topper, like on yellow mustard containers. The contents should be bright red-orange, if they are rusty or dark red colored then it has usually sat too long and will be milder than the bright red-orange. Sriacha can also be found in Asian Markets.) (Dark soy sauce may not be available in your grocery store. It has a more powerful flavor than standard American soy sauces, and is a bit saltier. Low sodium soy sauce can be substituted if needed.)

Variant Two: 1/4 tsp nutmeg; 1/4 tsp white pepper powder or fresh ground; 1/4 tsp black pepper powder or fresh ground; 1/4 tsp allspice; splash of dark soy sauce to taste

Variant Three: 1/4 tsp fresh ground coriander, 1 (6oz) can diced chipotle peppers, or 2 dried chipotle pepper, stems removed, ground on a mortar and pestle, or chipotle hot sauce to taste; 1 tbs

• 1 Large Stew Pot or Crock Pot (able to hold 6 quarts)
• Long Handled Stirring Spoon
• Measuring Spoon Set
• Cutting Board
• Chef’s Knife
• Onion Dicer (optional)
• Non-Stick Cooking Spray or 1 teaspoon butter
• Sautee Pan

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds of ground bison, beef, elk or turkey
• 2 Tomatoes or 1 16 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 3 Bell Peppers or Anaheim peppers or Poblano Peppers
• 2 Chayote Squash
• 1 Large Onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 3 6oz. Cans of Tomato Paste
• 16 ounces of beer or 3 cans or two bottles
• 1 tablespoon of chili powder
• 1 teaspoon of ground red pepper
• 1/8 cup chili sauce or chili paste

Don’t let the amount peppers in this recipe scare you away, since we are using tomato paste and beer this will mellow out the heat and sweeten the chili. If you are worried about alcohol content, all alcohol is cooked away during the cooking process.

A note on selecting your beer. The type of beer you use is important as it will affect the flavor of the chili. Try to stay away from hoppy beers, like IPAs as they will make the chili bitter. The wheat beers or hefeweizen beers will make the chili less sweet, but not bitter, and more amber beers or pilsner beers will make it the sweetest. Stay away from extremely malty beers, like stouts, as they will throw the flavor off. If you are using cans or bottles make sure you use the same beers for this recipe and don’t mix the types up. If you skip adding beer the chili will be much hotter than the recipe has planned for.

A note on chili sauce versus chili paste. Chili paste will usually be hotter than the chili sauces. Sauces are usually mixed with vinegar or other ingredients for flavor, this has the side effect of cutting the heat. Make sure you read the ingredient list because the more oils in the sauce then the easier the capsaicin will stick to your tongue and throat. This will feel hotter and be more difficult to drink  or eat away. The type of chili pepper used also makes a significant difference. Here is a link to the Scoville scale, the method we use to rate how hot a pepper feels.

A note on the onion. The onion type you choose is up to you, since this is sweet AND tangy either sweet onions or harsher onions are appropriate. There are two ways we can prepare the onions for this dish, introduce them to the stock raw or sauté them before adding to the stock. Choose your method before we continue.

Preparation

Step 1: Empty your three cans of tomato paste into your stew or crock pot. Fill each can with water and scrape out as much tomato paste as you can into the pot. Fill up each can three to four times, each time emptying the can into the stew pot. Add the ground peppers and chili sauce or paste now.

Step 2: Ground Beef. Spray your frying pan with your non-stick cooking spray so that the surface is evenly coated and place over a medium heat. Alternatively you could use one teaspoon of unsalted butter to sauté in. If using butter wait until it has fully melted and take care not to burn the butter while sauteeing. Once the meat is browned, empty the meat into the cooking pot containing the tomato paste mixture. If sauteeing the onions then return the pan to the burner.

Step 3: Tomatoes. Turn the heat on the cooking pot to low or warm. Make sure the meat is mixed thoroughly in. Dice your fresh tomatoes and add to the pot. If  unable to get fresh tomatoes then add the canned, diced tomatoes, if they are no salt added then add the liquid, if salt was added then add to taste or discard liquid.

Step 4:  Onion. Peel the “paper” off the onion. I usually cut the tip and root ends then pull the first layer off as well as the “paper”.

• If putting the onion directly into the stock then we will dice the onion and put into the pot containing the tomato mixture.
• If cooking the onion first then I recommend slicing the onion thinly instead of dicing. Thin slices usually cook faster than diced chunks. Since we are reusing the pan we browned the meat in check to see if it needs more butter or spray. It probably won’t but if it does need more add 1/2 teaspoon of butter, or a light spray. Make sure the pan is over low heat. Add the onions. Cook until the aromatics are released, usually about two to three minutes (2-3 minutes). Once the onions are cooked add to the cooking pot containing the tomato mixture.

Step 5: Peppers. Take your peppers of choice and remove the stems and discard. Remove the seeds from the peppers. Bell peppers have the seeds attatched in a cluster under the stem, Anaheim and Poblano peppers have their seeds spread out a little.  If using a Bell pepper I recommend removing the seeds with the stem by getting a small knife and cutting the stem out. If using Anaheim or Poblano then I recommend de-steming and then slicing your pepper in half. Scoop out the seeds. If you want a hotter chili add the seeds to your cooking pot containing the tomato mixture. If you want a milder chili then discard (or save for planting if you garden). Now that the peppers are de-seeded we can cut them up. Since this is a chunky chili, we are going to dice them into good sized pieces, about 1/2 inch square or so. Add them to the pot. Make sure it is still set to low.

Step 6: Chayote. This squash does not taste like yellow or summer squash, don’t be afraid of it! Its flavor is mild and it is important to make this a chunky chili. The seed is soft and edible and the rind is also edible. Wash this thoroughly to remove dirt and other things we don’t want in our chili. Dice the chayote into 1/2 inch cubes. When finished add to the chili base.

Step 7:  Beer. Add the beer and stir chili until thoroughly mixed. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 2 hours. Check about every 15 to 30 minutes and stir to keep the food from sticking to the bottom. If using a crock pot you can cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours.

Supplies

• 1 small pot
• 1 medium pot
• 1 large fork, Serving sized
• 1 slotted spoon
• 1 Chef’s knife
• 1 cutting board
• 1 egg timer

Ingredients

• Turkey giblets from one turkey (the neck, heart, liver and gizzard)
• Water, enough for both your pots
• 1 quart of low sodium turkey or chicken broth
• 1 can low sodium cream of mushroom soup, condensed
• 2 or 3 hard boiled eggs, diced
• 3 shallots or 1/2 of one large onion, diced
• All Purpose Flour (amount varies on thickness desired)
• 1 tablespoon summer savory
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• Tumeric; Flavor to taste, I use half (1/2) a teaspoon
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)

A note on pots. I usually use a four quart pot to make the gravy, but a three quart pot works fine too.

A note on the eggs. Usually we prepare deviled eggs the night before Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, and cook a few more eggs than we need to devil. The first step, if you do not have hard-boiled eggs on hand is the eggs.

A note on the onions. I usually use the white onions as they are not as powerful as the yellow onions and lend a sweeter flavor when cooked.

Preparation

(Note: You can fill and set the pots at about the same time, if you have the range space freed for two pots.)

Step 1: Fill your small pot with water, add salt, set to high. Have your eggs sitting on the counter. Once pot is boiling add eggs and set your timer. I have found that with three eggs and my range top, it takes about eight minutes to hard boil. The time will depend on how well your range and pot keep the heat. Once the eggs are cooked, drain the pot. If we are ready to dice the eggs see step 3. If we are not ready, set them in a bowl of cold water.

Step 2: Fill your pot with water, enough to cover the giblets when we add them. Set pot to high and add celery salt now. Once the water is boiling, add the turkey giblets. Set pot to medium. Usually this is being prepared at the same time as Thanksgiving dinner, and is left cooking while we prepare the side dishes. The giblets are finished when the meat falls of the neck bone when gently prodded with a fork.

Step 3:  We need to dice the onions and the eggs, and we might as well multi task. While we wait for the water to boil, go ahead and get your shallots or onion and get ready to cut them up. Get out your cutting board and chef’s knife.

• If using shallots. Cut the roots off the shallots. Slice lengthwise then cut off the shoot and peel the skin off. Alternately you can blanch them in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, cut the root off and “pop” them out by squeezing the shoot. Dice the shallots. Place in small bowl to keep out of the way.
• If using onion. Cut the onion in half, save the half of the onion you aren’t using for other recipes. I usually work with the shoot half of the onion and save the root half for later. Cut the shoot off the onion and peel the outer layer and skin off. This should be simple as the onion is cut in half. Dice the onion. Place in small bowl to keep out of the way.

Once we are done dicing the onion we wait for the eggs to finish hard boiling. When they are done we need to peel them. The easiest way is to run cold water from your tap and hold the eggs under it while you peel them. Once peeled, we need to get ready to dice them. You may have an egg slicer, if so, use it now to slice the eggs. If not, we will begin dicing. I prefer to start by slicing all the eggs length wise. I then get the slices in a little pile so that they are all aligned the same way. I take my knife and cut across the pile. The eggs are ready for the gravy, place them in a small bowl to keep them out of the way.

Step 4: Once the meat is falling off the neck bone, get your slotted spoon. Carefully remove the giblets from the pot and place on your cutting board. Let them cool. If you used just enough water it should be broth-like and flavorful, get a taster spoon and make sure. If too much water was used then it will be bland or even tasteless. You may have noticed the volume is less than when you started, that is ok, we lost some water to cooking.

We want to keep the broth, pour it in a container and set aside. Return the pot to the heat and add our diced shallot or onion to it. We want to sweat the shallot or onion, not saute. Once it is translucent and fragrant add the diced eggs and the broth we made when we cooked the giblets. We want the broth to get even more flavorful while we finish our preparations. Set pot on low.

Step 5: Now we need to start on the giblets. When they are cooled enough for you to handle we need to pull as much meat off the neck as we can. Once you have a little pile of neck meat, go through it and make sure there are no bits of bone in it. Toss it in the pot with the onions, eggs, and broth. Now we move on to the true giblets. We want them to be chopped very fine. They should all be quite firm and easy to handle. What I prefer to do is slice all of them lengthwise and set the slices in a pile. In this case we don’t need to align the slices. I then chop the pile, a method sometimes used in barbecue. You cut across the pile multiple times, when you have cut the pile as much as you can, you rearrange the pile to show any larger pieces and cut again. In barbecue we can have nice sized chunks, but here we need the giblets to be very fine. We will do this processes until when going though the pile we can no longer find chunks. This takes much longer than chopping beef for a sandwich, don’t get discouraged! Once we have our nice pile of fine chopped giblets, we will add it to the pot while stirring. You may find we have covered all the broth, that is ok.

Step 6: Now that we have all our meat in the pot, we will need to add chicken or turkey broth. Add the entire quart while stirring the pot. We should have a relatively thin soup consistency now. We are going to season before we thicken. Now is the time to add in all our spices! Be sure to keep stirring the pot while adding spices. Let the pot sit on low while we move on.

Step 7: Rinse the lid on the can of low sodium condensed cream of mushroom soup. Open the can of condensed soup. Once our pot is aromatic with the spices we added, we are ready to add the condensed soup. It will come out can shaped and is extremely thick, I recommend a big fork instead of a whisk. We want to add a little bit at a time so we can blend it in the broth. Using your big fork take a scoop out of the can and stir it in the broth until it is blended. Stir carefully, we don’t want to spill anything over the sides or on ourselves! Repeat until the can is as empty as you can make it. Once you can scrap no more out of the can, add some water in the can and swirl it around a bit to pick up what is left, add it to the broth.

Step 8: Taste the gravy and check the thickness. If you are not on a sodium restricted diet you may want to add salt to taste. If you didn’t use low sodium soup taste the gravy first before you add any salt. Any other spices you think it may be lacking, we add now. We also check the thickness. The soup should have thickened it up quite nicely, I do not add any flour as my family and I like this thickness. It should be thinner than breakfast style white gravy. If you find though that your gravy is too thin for you and your guests, get out your all purpose flour. Begin stirring the gravy and add the flour slowly. Add one tablespoon at a time and stir in thoroughly before adding any more. If adding flour, once done, you should lower the pot to simmer and let sit for ten minutes. Check the thickness again and it should be much thicker. If you find the gravy is too thick carefully add half a cup of water, while stirring the gravy. Add water slowly and check the thickness in between the half cups.

Congratulations you have made Central Texas style giblet gravy!

Ingredients

• 2 cornish game hens
• 1 package of blackberries
• 1 jar of peaches
• summer savory
• celery salt
• pulped celery (optional)

Preperations and Cooking

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.
2. (optional step) Take (1/2) celery stalk and turn it into a pulp, either grate it or put it through a food processor.
3. Wash thoroughly your Cornish game hens and check inside their body cavity for any gizzards, hearts, etc. Remove everything from the body cavity and rinse it out very thoroughly. Your hens may or may not have come already “tied up”, usually the twine is wrapped around the chest and easy to release the tension from without cutting. If no twine has been provided don’t worry, cornish game hens are much smaller than turkey and will keep moist untied with only a little bit more attention.
4. Once hens are rinsed, prepare to season them by placing them over a bowl or cutting board. One hen at a time. Sprinkle over the top enough summer savory to give it a fine dusting. Sprinkle just a few dashes of celery salt and cover with half the celery pulp (optional).
5. Rub the seasonings into the cornish game hen, using your hands. You want to massage the hen to get the the seasonings deep, past the skin and into the muscle. You should do this for about five minutes to ten minutes. When you’re done, both the top (back) and bottom (chest) of the hen should be evenly coated and of a nearly uniform color. Check the wings and legs and joints to make sure they don’t have too much seasoning on them. If you used the celery pulp and have an excess of seasonings, remove the excess from the first hen and place it on the second hen. Repeat the seasoning and rubbing process on the second hen, making sure that seasoning is evenly distributed.
6. Place the Cornish game hen so that the body cavity opening is facing upward, pour in two tablespoons of peach syrup and ensure the spine is coated with it by placing it on its back and rubbing the inside of the body cavity thoroughly (if you can’t rub the inside of the body cavity place it on its back and let sit for 5 minutes). This helps prevent the meat from drying out during cooking. Repeat for the second Cornish game hen.
7. Again taking the Cornish game hen and placing the body cavity opening upwards, stuff a handful of blackberries inside. Repeat for the second cornish game hen. If any peaches are left from the stuffing, add them now.
8. Place in a basting dish and place in oven to cook. Keep unused syrup to the side, or in the refrigerator.

Cooking directions: Cook 1  hour 15 minutes for every 1 pound of hen.

1. [If hens are not tied, or very moist hens are desired] Check every 30minutes and baste fresh syrup on top of the hens until syrup is gone.

1. If hens are tied, or if less moist hens are desired Check every 30 minutes, basting as needed. At least adding syrup during basting two to three times, then using existing syrup.

1. Remove from oven and let cool. Serve over wild rice stuffing, garnish with reserved fruits.

Ingredients

1. 1 (1/4) cups extra virgin olive oil
2. (1/2) cup baslamic vinegar
3. (1/4) cup frozen blackberries
4. 1 tablespoon peach syrup

Preperation

1. Combine all ingredients in a tightly sealed jar. Shake very vigorously, until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
2. Sample dressing and if not sweet enough add 1 teaspoon peach syrup, shake again, and taste. Repeat until dressing has desired sweetness.
3. Once dressing is at desired sweetness, refrigerate until cold.
4. Serve chilled. If desired sprinkle salad with pine nuts and a few blackberries or peach slices for garnish.

Ingredients

• 2 packages of wild rice (any brand is fine)
• 1 jar of peaches (or two cans or three fresh peaches)
• 1 large bag of frozen blackberries (or 3 containers fresh blackberries)
• pine nuts to taste

Preperation and Cooking

1. Set out frozen blackberries to thaw.
2. Cook all wild rice according to instructions (if cooking for a turkey, don’t overflow your pan! Cook exactly enough for your pan size and allow time for all of the rice to cook).
3. Once wild rice is done add 3/4 jar of peaches (or two fresh peaches, or 1 and (1/2) canned peaches) and 2 cups blackberries (frozen or fresh) to the rice. Pour out 1/4 cups of the thawed blackberry juice from the bag (If not enough juice, or using fresh blackberries, then press a handful of blackberries into a mush like consistency and mix with the juice) and add 1 tablespoon of peach syrup (if using canned peaches taste juice and see if it is too salty. If it is too salty, or if using fresh peaches, then mix 1 tablespoon honey instead).
4. Mix thoroughly (preferably with your hands, if you or whoever your fixing this for has issues with germs, then use plastic gloves to mix. Don’t use naturally derived latex, as it is an allergen. Click here for more information). When done the stuffing should have a homogenous mix of peaches, berries, and rice.
5. Add pine nuts to taste and mix in.

• Frying or Sautee Pan of medium size
• Spatula
• Plastic Resealable Sandwich Bag

Ingredients

• 4 pork chops from the store, or two thick chops from a butcher’s shop
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon Sage (substitute 1/4 teaspoon ground sage)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground Tumeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground White Pepper

Preperation

• The pork chops need time to marinate, at least two hours. This isn’t a traditional marinade as there are no acids to help break down the meat and help it absorb the herbs. So don’t cut back below two hours marinade time!
• If you found thick pork chops, don’t cut them in half until after you cook them.

Take pork chops and tenderize. If chops come from a butcher’s shop this step is most likely not needed.

Pork chops can be tenderized two ways, seasoning or pounding. I personally recommend staying away from prepared tenderizer seasonings. Those are almost pure salt, generally taste awful, and are a huge waste of money. I never tenderize meat with seasonings because of the sheer amount of salt needed to soften the meat. If a cut of meat is tough, then the best way to soften it is with pounding.

How to tenderize: Take one pork chop (depending on your work area you may use as many as you can fit side by side) and place between two piece of cellophane. There is a tool for this called a tenderizer, if you don’t have one you can use any tool or utensil with a broad flat heavy head. Like a broad headed hammer. Do not use a conventional hammer, the head is too small for what you are attempting.

As always, make sure your tools are clean, clean, clean! Make sure there is enough plastic wrap that in case the pork slides a little bit it won’t get on your counter tops.

After placing the pork chop(s) between the sheets of cellophane begin pounding on them with your tenderizer (or applicable tool). Use a good amount of force for this, but not enough to break your counter top!

There is no set time to tenderize any meat. It all depends on the age of the animal, the cut of meat, if its been previously frozen or not, and most grocery store meats are going to be tough. Tender meat is also a personal preference, so pound out the meat until it feels just tender enough for your taste, or to the taste of those you’re cooking for.

Marinade: Combine all the ingredients into your sandwich bag, close bag, shake thoroughly, so that the herbs mix evenly through the oil. (If you want to marinate the pork chops seperately, divide the ingredients in the appropriate amount. Half for two bags, a quarter for four bags.) Place the now tenderized pork chops in the bag with the marinade. Carefully (making sure not to poke or squeeze holes into the bag) shake the bag with the pork chops. Check after a few good shakes to see if the chops are well coated in the marinade. Keep shaking until all the chops are coated evenly.

Place the pork chops, in the marinade, in the refridgerator for two hours. The longer the chops sit, the more flavor the ground herbs will impart. The whole herbs are to give flavor during the cooking process.
Cooking Instructions

There are many ways pork can be served. These chops are ready to be pan seared. I don’t recommend cooking them any other way, since there is again no acid (vinegar, wine, lemon or lime juice, etc.) in the marinade.

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1/8 cup mango

1/8 cup papaya

4 slices of starfruit (substitute1 whole kiwi, peeled)

1/4 pineapple

1 sugar cane skewer (substitute 4 teaspoons brown sugar)

• 2 Medium Bowls
• 1 Small Bowl (optional)
• Medium cooking pot or rice cooker
• Sautee Pan with Cover or Covered Skillet
• Long Handled Stirring Spoon, Slotted or Wooden

Ingredients

• a dash (~ 1mg) of salt
• 1 tablespoon (15mL) olive oil
• 2 cups (474mg) of rice (Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima)

• 4 sausage links, or equivalent
• 12 ounces (360g) of tomato paste
• 1 onion (Allium cepa)
• 2 cloves of garlic (Allium sativum L.)
• 1 teaspoon (5mg) White Pepper (Piper nigrum)
• 1 teaspoon (5mg) Black Pepper (Piper nigrum)
  
• 1 teaspoon (5mg) Basil (Ocimum basilicum)

Preperations

Sausage: The type of sausage to be used are thick link sausage, like bratwurst, or one long link sausage. One foot (1ft) long link for two to three servings or one and one half feet (1.5ft or 1’6”) for three to four servings. Do not substitute ground sausage or ground meat for sausage links. Substitution: If you prefer hot dog “sausage” then use a whole package of hot dogs. I don’t especially recomend this substitution, but it is faster and possibly cheaper than using sausage links.

Take your sausage links and slice them into quarter inch (1/4in) sections. Place in a bowl until ready to cook.

Onion: Take the onion and peel off the outer layers. Slice off both ends of the onion, and if your onion has started to sprout then remove the bulb and discard. Cut the onion in half then dice. Place in a bowl until ready to cook.

Garlic: Take the garlic cloves, peel them and slice off the tip and the end. Dice or crush the garlic cloves. Place in a small bowl, or in the same bowl as the onions until ready to cook.

Cooking Instructions

Rice: Fill your medium cooking pot with four cups of water, a dash of salt and a tablespoon of olive oil. Place over high heat. When the water comes to a boil add two cups of rice and reduce heat to medium. While waiting for the water to boil begin cooking the sausage as follows.

Entree: Put your skillet over a medium heat and place two tablespoons butter in it. When the butter is melted add the garlic and onions. Sautee for five minutes.

When the five minutes have passed put the sausage in the skillet with the onions and garlic. Sautee together for ten minutes.

Once the sausage has been sauteed with the onions and garlic for ten minutes, add the twelve ounces (12 oz.) of tomato paste. Stir thoroughly so that the skillet is an even mixture of sausage and tomato paste. Add the 1 teaspoon (1 tsp.) white pepper, one teaspoon (1 tsp.) black pepper and one teaspoon (1 tsp.) basil to the mixture. Stir in the seasonings thoroughly.

Make sure you are watching your water and put the two cups of rice in when it comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium or low and simmer for 20 minutes

Cover the skillet, reduce heat to medium or low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Substitutions

Tomato Paste:

1. If you enjoy whole tomatoes, you can dice fresh tomatoes and add them to the tomato paste after it has been added to the sausage. You could also purchase canned whole or diced tomatoes.
2. An easy substitution to make, if you don’t like chopping onions or are pressed for time, is to use a precooked tomato based spagetti sauce. I recommend using a sauce that doesn’t have any meat in it, since it usually doesn’t go well with the sausage. A good sauce style that I use sometimes is the “onion and mushroom”. Check your local grocery store for variety and don’t be afraid to try something new, it will probably be good.
3. Spicy: To give this recipe a bit more heat, add one or two fresh jalepeño peppers. If you don’t like a milder heat, try two or three pickled jalepeño peppers. Pickling removes most of the heat from the jalapeño and makes it much milder than when fresh. Make sure that you remove the seeds, as that is where most of the heat is held.
4. South West Style: To give your meal a bit of a south western flare, dice up one or two bell peppers. Bell peppers are extremely mild and should add an enjoyable sweet and tangy flavor to your meal. Also try adding some cilantro for some extra zest.

Serving Suggestions

When presenting this meal I place the rice in a deep dish and then cover with the sausage in tomato sauce. This saves table space if you also cooked vegetable dishes to go with this meal.

If you wish to present this meal on a plate, I recommend placing a bed of rice on a platter and forming a depression in the center of the bed of rice. Place the sausage and tomato sauce so that it fills the depression. Try not to get any sauce on the edges of the plate. while this meal is simple it is good practice if you make other sauce dishes for large gatherings where you would want the presentation to be great.