Category: Recipes

Home made Hot Link Sausages

Louisiana Hot Links are some of my favorite sausages. I love how spicy they are. I searched all over the internet to find a recipe that I liked. Finally, I came across a Canadian blogger called The Old Fat Guy (https://oldfatguy.ca). I tried his recipe and really liked it, but since he was Canadian his hot link wasn’t really hot. I knew what I had to do…I had to create my own version based on The Old Fat Guy’s recipe. I have created a variation on the hot link sausage that I call the Low Country Hot Link. I will show you how to make these using your smoker or using a Ninja Foodie Grill if you don’t have a smoker.

Ingredients:
3 lbs of pork
3/4 cup beer
1 Tbs black pepper
2 Tbs crushed pepper flakes
2 Tbs cayenne pepper
3 Tbs paprika
2 tsp mustard seed
1 1/2 Tbs minced garlic
3/4 tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbs skim milk powder
1/2 tsp pink curing salt #1

Directions:

  1. Dice up your meat into cubes and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. It is necessary to chill the meat to enable it to grind properly.
  2. Mix all ingredients except the pork in a large bowl to create a slurry.
  3. Grind you meat in a meat grinder. I like to use a 5 cutting plate. If you use a kitchenaid meat grinder you will need to purchase a cutting plate that is larger than what comes with the kitchenaid. The cutting plates that come with the kitchenaid make your meat come out very small and the consistency of your sausage will be like a hot dog and we want it to be more like a brat.
  4. Mix you ground meat with the slurry.
  5. Rinse your casings out prior to use and then insert your casings onto your sausage stuffer and then stuff your sausages.
  6. Once the casing is full with meat you will want to twist the sausages. I made mine about the size of hot dog buns. Once twisted set in the refrigerator overnight to allow all the seasoning to mix into the meat.
  7. To cook in a Ninja Foodie Grill turn on your Ninja Foodie Grill and set on the dehydrator setting at 180 degrees. This is necessary to be able to cook on a low heat. Cook the sausages for 1 hour at 180 degrees then increase the temperature to 195 degrees and cook for an additional 2 hours. They are finished when the internal temperature of the meat reaches 160 degrees.
  8. To cook in a smoker preheat your smoker to 180 degrees. Place the meat in the smoker and cook the sausages for 1 hour at 180 degrees then increase the temperature to 195 degrees and cook for an additional 2 hours. They are finished when the internal temperature of the meat reaches 160 degrees.
  9. After the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees you want to let them rest for 1 hours. Then you can place them in the refrigerator or freezer until you are ready to eat. To eat just reheat them on your grill, a pan, or the microwave.
Home made Hot Link Sausages

Smoked Pulled Pork

Smoking a pork roast to make pulled pork is simple. Follow along with me and I will show you how.

Ingredients:

Pork Roast – Either a pork shoulder or Pork Butt roast

Yellow mustard

Dry Rub

Directions:

  1. Coast entire pork roast with yellow mustard on all sides.
  2. Generously apply dry rub to all sides of the pork roast, cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.
  3. Remove from refrigerator and put onto your smoker for 10-12 hours at 250 degrees. You want to smoke for 1.5 hours per pound of roast.
  4. After you remove from smoke and the internal temperature is at 200 degrees then wrap in tin foil and then wrap a towel around tin foil and place in a cooler for one hour to allow the meat to cool slowly.
  5. Remove meat from cooler and unwrap. The bone should slip right out of the meat. Using 2 forks you can pull the meat apart.
  6. Serve with your favorite BBQ sauce and ENJOY!
Smoked Pulled Pork

Dry Rub for BBQ or smoking meats

When you BBQ or smoke meats flavoring the meat before cooking is key. The best way to flavor meat is by using a dry rub. Here is a fantastic recipe to create a dry rub that you can use for BBQ or smoking your own meats at home.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup paprika
2 TBS brown sugar
2 TBS kosher salt
2 TBS garlic powder
1 TBS black pepper
1 TBS chili powder
1 TBS cayenne pepper
1 TBS onion powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp mustard powder

Directions:

  1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until well mixed together.
  2. Store in an airtight container up to six months.
  3. Apply to meats one hour to 24 hours prior to cooking. The dry rub can be applied directly to a meat, or a binding agent such as mustard or honey can be applied to the meat before the dry rub.
Dry rub for BBQ and smoking meats

Homemade Ranch powder mix for making Ranch Salad Dressing and Ranch Dip

My family loves anything that is ranch flavored. From ranch flavoring on chicken, to chips, roasted chick peas, ranch dressing and ranch dips. We always keep basic ranch powder on hand to mix into recipes and to make our own ranch salad dressing and ranch dips. Today, I am going to share our recipe with you so that you can have ranch flavored powder, ranch salad dressing and ranch dip anytime you want.

Ranch mix ingredients:
1/2 cup dry buttermilk powder
2 tbsp. dried parsley
1 tbsp. onion powder
2 tsp chopped onions
2 tsp dried chives
1 tsp dried celery flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Ranch mix directions:

  1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. When mixed put into an airtight container and refrigerate.
  2. Use as a flavoring for various dishes, to make salad dressing, or to make dip.

Ranch Salad Dressing ingredients:

Ranch Salad Dressing
Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup milk
3 tbsp. ranch seasoning mix

Ranch Salad Dressing directions:

  1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. When mixed put into a salad dressing carafe and refrigerate.

Ranch Dip Ingredients
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp. ranch mix

Ranch Dip directions:

  1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
  2. Eat with chips or vegetables.
Ranch powder mix for seasoning, ranch salad dressing, and ranch dip

Olive Garden Breadsticks copycat recipe

Ingredients: 

¼ cup white sugar

1 package active dry yeast (2 ¼ tsp of yeast from the bottle)

1 cup of warm water (divided)

3 cups all purpose flour

3 tbsp olive oil

1 egg

½ tsp salt

½ cup melted butter

½ garlic salt

¼ parmesan cheese

Directions: 

1.In a bowl mix ½ cup warm water (95 degrees) with yeast and 1 ½ tsp sugar.  Let dissolve and sit and proof for 5-10 minutes.

2.Add in flour, remaining sugar, oil, egg, remaining water.

3.Mix in a mixer and then kneed for 3-5 minutes until the dough is smooth and stretchy.

4.Place the dough in a bowl with olive oil.  Cover all the outside of dough all over the dough to prevent the dough from drying out while rising.  Cover with a damp kitchen cloth and let sit for 40 minutes to double in size.

5.Pound the air out of the dough and place on a floured work area, flatten and cut into approximately 12 pieces.

6.Roll the pieces into long sticks, place on a pan lined with parchment paper and then cover back up to sit and rise for 25 mins.

7.Remove towel and place in oven at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

8.While breadsticks cook add garlic salt to the melted butter and set aside.

9.After breadsticks are done cooking add the garlic butter to the tops of the breadsticks and then sprinkle on the parmesan cheese.

10.Serve and Enjoy!

Zuppa Toscana Soup Olive Garden Copycat Recipe

Whenever I go to the Olive Garden my favorite meal there is the unlimited soup and bread sticks. The very best soup they have is Zuppa Toscana. This Tuscan style soup is delicious and easy to make. Join us as we show you how.

Ingredients: 

6 slices of thick bacon chopped up

1 pound Italian sausage (preferably hot sausage)

6 cloves of garlic

1 medium onion

8 cups of chicken broth

4 russet potatoes

1 cup of kale

1 cup of whipping cream (or heavy cream)

Directions: 

1.Dice up the onion, set diced onions aside in a bowl.

2. Chop up the garlic cloves and add to the onions.

3. Dice up the bacon and add to the onions.

4. Sauté the onion and bacon mixture in a pot over low heat until the bacon is cooked and the onions are translucent.  Once done removed from pot and set aside.

5. Using the same pot, add your Italian sausage and chop up into small spoonful size pieces and cook until brown.

6. While sausage cooks, wash potatoes and cut in half long ways, then slice into half circles, leaving the skin on the potatoes. 

7. Add the onions and bacon mixture to the cooked sausage, add the chicken broth and potatoes.  Simmer for 30 minutes, then remove from heat to cool for 5 minutes.

8. Add the heavy cream and kale. 

9. Serve and Enjoy!

How to make roasted chick peas

In my household we love anything that is ranch flavored, and one of my go to snacks is homemade roasted chick peas that are ranch flavored. This is one of the easiest recipes ever. You literally need only 3 indredients!

Ingredients:

1 can of chick peas (15 ounces) – drained

1 tbsp olive oil

ranch seasoning mix

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 370 degrees. You can use a conventional oven, or a Ninja Foodi Grill in the bake mode.
  2. Open you can of chick peas and drain them.
  3. Place chick peas in your oven, or Foodi grill and cook for 30 minutes. Check after 15 minutes to stir to make sure they are heated evenly and don’t burn on one side.
  4. After the 15 minute mark check your chick peas approximately every 5 minutes to see if they have reached your desired crispiness. My chick peas cooked for 27 minutes in my Ninja Foodi Grill.
  5. Remove baked chick peas and coat with olive oil.
  6. Add tbsp of ranch powder mix. You can use store bought mix or a homemade mix.
  7. Enjoy!

Super Simple and Super Good Home Made Guacamole

Guacamole is a favorite as an appetizer for Taco Tuesday, picnics, snacks, watching a big game, or for a get together with friends and family. This side dish is super simple in just a matter of minutes and only has 6 ingredients.

Ingredients:

1. Avocado

2. Chopped Onions

3. Crushed Chili Pepper flakes

4. Salt

5. Garlic

6. Juice from a lime

Directions:

  1. Cut Avocado in half and scoop each half into a bowl.
  2. Mash up your avocado.
  3. Add your chopped onion, crushed chili pepper flakes, salt, garlic, and lime juice.
  4. Mix together
  5. Enjoy!

How to make sizzling steak fajitas.

Whether its for Taco Tuesday or any day of the week it is hard to beat sizzling steak fajitas for a meal. Join us as we make fresh hot sizzling steak fajitas with fresh peppers and onions.

Indredients:

12 ounce steak

1 green pepper

1 red pepper

1 red onion

2 cloves garlic

juice from one lime

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbs chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

Directions:

  1. Slice onions into long slices and place in a bowl.
  2. Slice green and red peppers into long slices and place in a bowl.
  3. Mince the garlic and place in bowl with vegetables and set aside.
  4. Pour 1 tbs olive oil into a cast iron pan and pour vegetables into pan, saute until soft and caramelized.
  5. While the vegetables cook, slice the steak into long strips.
  6. When the vegetables are done cooking remove and place in a bowl.
  7. Pour steak into the cast iron pan, season with the chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and the lime juice. Cook until meat is done and sizzling.
  8. Serve the vegetables and steak on tortillas and enjoy!

Optional: Mix up some margaritas to drink with the fajitas. Check out my margarita recipe. https://mylowcountryliving.net/happy-cinco-de-mayo/

How To Make Amazing Sizzling Steak Fajitas

Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Flank Steak Rolls

Recently, it was my daughters birthday and she wanted stuffed flank steak. I couldn’t turn down a birthday dinner request so I went to my local butcher and asked for the largest flank steak that he had. He sold me a 3 pounder! It is the largest flank steak I have ever seen, but it was perfect for a birthday dinner that had to feed 6 adults.

These tender flank steak rolls are to die for! Don’t miss the amazing flavor of flank steak rolled with a rosemary garlic butter, spinach, sun dried tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. It is so quick and simple to make and your family will absolutely love it.

Ingredients:

3 pounds of flank steak

2 sticks butter, softened

4 twigs of fresh rosemary

4 cloves of garlic

4 cups of fresh spinach

1 cup of sliced mushrooms

9 slices of mozzarella cheese

8.5 oz jar of sun dried tomatoes

salt and pepper

Note: Most flank steaks that you buy will be between 1 and 1 1/2 pounds, so when following this recipe you may want to cut your ingredients in half.

Directions:

  1. The first step to making these steak rolls is that you will need to butterfly cut your flank steak so that it isn’t so thick. Once you butterfly cut your steak we will make a garlic butter that can be spread on the steak.
  2. Remove the leaves from the 4 rosemary twigs and add them to your softened butter sticks. Add your four chopped garlic cloves and mix together. Once mixed together spread evenly over your butterflied flank steak.
  3. Spread your mushrooms evenly over the butterflied flank steak.
  4. Spread your spinach evenly over the butterflied flank steak.
  5. Add your cheese slices across the flank steak, over your spinach.
  6. Add your sun dried tomatoes.
  7. Roll up your flank steak from one end to the other, like a large burrito and tie butchers twine around your flank steak to keep it together, then transfer to a baking dish.
  8. Broil in the oven for 10-15 minutes depending on how rare you like your flank steak. Make sure to flip the steak over halfway through to evenly cook it on all sides.
  9. Remove from oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting.
  10. Cut the flank steak into 1 inch rolls, place on plates and serve.
  11. ENJOY!
Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Flank Steak