I consider holiday season appetizer season. And that’s really my favorite season of all. So as the holidays come upon us, it’s time for reaching into our appetizer memory books to find delicious things to bring with us on our visits to family and friends. This is a little something I whipped up recently as a…
Green Tomato Pie
Here in Arkansas, the growing season runs long, very long, right up to winter. My tomato plants had stopped growing in the heat of the summer, but came back with a vigor come fall. I was looking forward to salads and sauces with nice ripe, red tomatoes. But then the cold snap came. When I…
Payne’s Bar-B-Que in Memphis, TN
Payne’s Bar-B-Que in Memphis, Tennessee is a family owned and family run place, and has been for at least the last 40 years. It’s the kind of place where you come to enjoy the easy chat with the owners, but where you return for the fabulous $5.50 jumbo chopped pork barbecue sandwich. You can toss in a soda…
How to Smoke Your Own Chipotle Peppers
Chipotle peppers are smoked jalapeño peppers. I love them for their smoky and gentle-but-sweet heat. I use them in adobo sauce when cooking Mexican food and I use them ground up in my Standard BBQ Rub, which I use on ribs, pork and chicken. Chipotle pepper powder is great in flavoring homemade salsa, too. I take a…
Hickory Smoked Tofu with Sautéed Baby Spinach
Mrs. WooPigFoodie is a vegetarian, so that means I am “mostly” vegetarian. But I love my smoker and my grill for my non-vegetarian meals (like making real barbecue ribs). Over time, I have learned how to make really tasty and flavorful vegetarian meals on my grill, including my Grilled Veggies and my Oaxacan Grilled Corn….
David’s Burgers in Little Rock, AR
Pleased to Meet You and Meat to Please You! From the hand-packed burgers ground from fresh steaks, to the abundant hot fresh fries served while you wait, David’s Burgers just might be the very best burger place in Little Rock. Maybe even the whole state. Maybe even the Universe.
Southern Shrimp Boil
It’s summer, and we are finally on vacation. We’ve turned off the cell phones, closed out of the email, turned up the beach music, and are raising some cold beverages. The stress is melting away, as each wave crashes upon the shore. We are on the Gulf of Mexico, in one of our favorite places—Orange…
Roasted Smashed Potatoes
I love going to the farmers market because I always learn new ways to cook with fresh produce. This weekend I learned how to make these roasted smashed potatoes. They are so easy, and are really delicious. They combine the tastes and textures of crispy roasted potatoes, with creamy, buttery mashed potatoes. They’re simple to…
How to Make Croutons
When good bread goes bad (or at least, goes stale) make croutons! Homemade croutons taste better than anything you can get at the store: good crunch, savory seasonings, and a nice salt in the background. And because you are making them, you can control the flavors you use so they will taste exactly the way you…
Number 1 Chili
I call this my Number 1 Chili because there’s nothing second rate about this. It is really fabulous. Rich and meaty, with a nice deep heat that doesn’t overpower it, and with plenty of beans, onions, celery and green pepper. It’s a one pot meal, and is quick. It takes about 45 minutes to make,…
Homemade Tortilla Soup with Fried Tortilla Strips
We made vegetarian enchiladas this week and had a lot of chopped vegetables left over, so I decided to make this vegetarian tortilla soup for Mrs. WPF. This delicious Mexican soup is sweet from the corn and has heat from the chili powder and is savory from the cumin. It is full of black beans, and…
Bottling Your Own Barbecue Sauce
Before you jump into the below great recipe, if you’re looking for my Competition Barbecue Sauce, click this link! It’s thick, rich and sweet, with just a little heat on the back end. That recipe also describes how to bottle it, just like the below recipe. Check it out! Now back to our Barbecue Story:…