Ride On – Spicy Roasted Sweet Potatoes No Paula Deen Here

Roasted sweet potatoes have their flavor enhanced with the addition of cinnamon, sugar, and red pepper.  Sweets are plentiful in the South now – pickup trucks along the highway sell them, even Walmart carries locally grown sweet potatoes.  Paula Deen should try them without a stick of butter; there’s no need for more than a teaspoon/serving.  SPs have a low glycemic index which is helpful to diabetics.   And leave the marshmallows to hot chocolate.  Let the sweets stand on their own.  This recipe is a variation of a Woman’s Day recipe (see photo).  The recipe choice is yours. My version doesn’t look as shiny as the magazine’s.  I think some food styling was going on with the mag – spraying the SPs with oil.  Hey next week- the annual Chili Cook-off by Christian Motorcyclists in Paul B J park nearby – photos and recipes!!

Scroungelady at chili cookoff Jan 09

Scroungelady at chili cookoff Jan 09 w Bonneville

 

Sweet and Spicy Roasted Sweet Potatoes  (Serves 4)

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 Tablespoon olive oil

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch cayenne (chipotle is recommended

Kosher salt

½ teaspoon black pepper (coarse grind recommended)

¼ cup grated parmesan (optional)

2 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾ inch wedges

Heat oven to 375⁰F.  In a large bowl (straight sided works well), combine the sugar, oil, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper.

Add the sweet potatoes to the spice mixture, toss to coat.  If desired, add parmesan cheese and mix well.  Spread potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet sprayed with food release.  Bake until golden brown and tender, stirring once.  Baking time is 50-60 minutes.

From Woman’s Day November 2011

Yeah, a langiappe for ya – carrot recipe.

Buried – Two Cabbage Braised Pork Chops & Happy New Ride Year

Cabbage and pork chops – two of the “good fortune” foods to eat on New Years Day.  We did have our blackeye peas w/bacon, cornbread, ham and other fixins.  Now lookin at a ham is boring so I’m sharing what I scrounged together earlier in the week but it still fits the holiday theme. The gentleman selling veggies on the former Beverly theater lot had lush heads of cabbage – perfect because they keep well in the refrigerator; just hack off a wedge when the scrounge mood strikes.  I have various cuts of salvage grocery pork in the freezer so it has become the meat of choice lately.  Did you know why people in the deep south ate more chicken and pork than beef?  Before refrigeration was available, it was best to eat what you killed very soon.  Small critters like chickens and hogs could be eaten in a day or two, before they could spoil.

Two Cabbage Braised Pork Chops  (serves 2)

Seasoned pork chops

Seasoned pork chops

Sprinkle two pork chops (boneless loin here, but other types are OK) with black pepper and “pork chop seasoning” (I use Penzeys).  You can create your own with salt, garlic powder, white pepper, onion powder, and ground ginger.  Yes, I know “seasoning” in culinaryspeak is salt and pepper but lets go with the common usage for sake of brevity.  Heat a skillet to medium; spray with food release.

Brown the chops for 2-3 minutes per side.

Pork chops browning

Cabbage mixture over pork

Cabbage mixture over pork

Plated pork chop with cabbage

Slice green cabbage into 1/2 inch ribbons and break up slightly.  If you’re in a hurry, precook the cabbage in the microwave for 3 minutes before adding to the pan.  Put the cabbage and 1/2 cup drained red cabbage (the sweet/sour kind) over the pork chops, mix together gently with a fork.  Be sure to bury the chops!  Turn the heat to low/simmer.

Now take a cheap bottle of sherry and mix 1/2 cup with 1/2 tsp Kitchen Bouquet (my Mama’s anti-white cabbage trick).  Pour it over the cabbage mixture.  If you don’t have a cooking wine or don’t want it, substitute with chicken stock, water, or cider. Cover the pan and cook until the cabbage it tender, about 20 minutes. Serve with a green veggie for plate appeal.  French bread or cornbread, pour some wine and you be done!  My cornbread recipe will be in a future post.  Toast the New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR RIDE!

Hey Mr. Mike

Hey Mr. Mike

Actually two Mr. Mikes taking a ride on my rig.  First ride of the New Year!

Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Good Ride!!

Back from the bar Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Chili

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Chili

Black bean and sweet potato chili – I made this after we returned home from the new country bar just up the road. Not as in country music, but out in the country.  We live about 9 miles from the closest town, so my scrounging is honed to a fine point.  It’s a nice backroad ride to town, but still one must plan ahead cuz nothing is open 24/7 in these parts.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

1 15 oz can  of refried black beans

1 sweet potato (6-8 oz)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ancho chili powder

1/2 tsp chili powder (your choice of heat level)

1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder (or cayenne)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbsp (scant) olive oil

Water, stock, beer or combination

In a 2 qt saucepan saute the onions in olive oil until they soften and begin to color.  Add the garlic and continue cooking over medium heat until the garlic softens.  Garlic burns easily; stir frequently and adjust heat as necessary.  While the onion cooks, pierce the sweet potato skin on all sides.  Microwave on high for 2 minutes, turn the potato over and microwave on high another 2 minutes.  All microwaves cook differently; just cook until it feels soft, but not mushy when touched.  Let the potato cool while the onion/garlic mixture gets nice and soft and golden.

Add the beans to the onion/garlic mixture.  Add one cup of your liquid of choice and stir the mess well.  Add all spices and seasonings, stir to combine while adjusting the heat to medium.  Peel the skin from the sweet potato.  Your hands work fine for this task.  Then dice the potato (or your preferred size) and add to the chili.  Add liquid to your desired consistency; most likely another cup will be needed if not more.  Let the mixture simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with your choice of topppings.  Suggest using sour cream, shredded cheddar, cilantro, and LOUISIANA HOT SAUCE!

Tossed salad and BEER and you’re good to go.

We like our food on the spicy side; you may adjust spices to your taste; measuring with your fingers is OK.

It's a long ride to town

It's a long ride to town

The next 10 years

November 15th was our 10th anniversary of wedded bliss.  It was a long time in coming – we got married in a farm & feed store in Choudrant, LA by a JP.  He is the store owner and part-time JP.  He took off  his feed hat and slipped his judge robe over his jeans and cowboy boots to do the honors.  We took our honeymoon on our motorcycles.  The plumbing in our house had been acting up a week before the big day – nasty black goop bubbling up through all the drains and toilets.  Turns out the old lady we bought the house from had a broken sewer pipe and didn’t know it.  So for about six months all the stuff you flush down the drain was going into the ground in front of the house until it backed up to you know where…  The plumbers were working on the problem as we were getting married.  I can still picture them as we rode out of the driveway on our honeymoon standing next to a hole in the front yard filled with black goop, watching and waving goodbye. 

It was a great honeymoon in NOLA and a great ten years.  Today I have leftover Greek Skillet Chicken from Monday to work with.  Not enough for two servings, so it’ll be converted to enchiladas, my go to entree.  Greek Skillet Chicken has squash, oninon, pepper, boneless chicken breasts or thighs, and tomato soup.  It was supposed to be topped with Feta cheese but I didn’t have any so scrounge solution was cream cheese chunks.   The recipe is from Believe It!  from Reiman Publications, part of the Cooking Club of America series.

Today I’ll use the rest of the yellow summer squash, shredded, add some bulgar, seasonings, canned enchilada sauce (Hatch is best), flour tortillas and cheese.  Salad with whatever fresh veggies are in the fridge will accompany.  Of course beer will be there.  We’ve been drinking lots of PBR lately because we’re on a scrounge diet.  The inside scrounge cats hate enchiladas, so more for us with no pathetic scrounge cat eyes at dinner.  Note the above photo.  Scrounge cats one and two have matters in mouth.

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