The basis for this recipe is from Martha Stewart. I modified the ingredients slightly, and cleaned up the instructions. The original instructions were too wordy.

Chicken Crepes

• Simple Crepes (recipe below)
• Gruyere Béchamel (recipe below)
• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed
• 11 oz frozen spinach, thawed, drained
• 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or sliced
• 1 cup Gruyere, shredded
• Chopped fresh parsley, for serving

Preheat oven to 400 F with rack in center.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add garlic and cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add spinach and stir until heated through and combined with garlic. Let cool. Transfer to a work surface, chop, and set aside.

Mix 1-1/2 cups béchamel with chicken. Working with one at a time, place crepe on a work surface. Arrange 1/4 cup chicken mixture and 1 heaping Tbsp spinach down center of crepe; roll into a cylinder. Transfer, seam-side down, to a 9×13″ baking dish; assemble and arrange more crepes, leaving 1/2″ in between each. Spoon more béchamel on top and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until bubbly, about 15 minutes. Switch oven to broiler setting and cook until browning in spots, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Sprinkle with parsley.

This recipe makes enough filling for 12 crepes.

Simple Crepes

• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1-1/2 cups whole milk, room temperature
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted, plus more for brushing

For the above chicken filling, make a triple batch of crepes shells.

In a stand mixer, blend flour, sugar, salt, milk, eggs, and butter until smooth, about 30 seconds. Refrigerate for at 30 minutes, or up to 1 day.

Stir for a few seconds before using. Heat an 8″ nonstick skillet over medium. Quickly pour 1/3 cup batter into center of skillet, tilting and swirling pan until batter evenly coats bottom.

Cook until crepe is golden in places on bottom and edges begin to lift from pan, 1 to 1-1/2 minutes. Use an offset spatula to lift one edge of crepe, then use your fingers to gently flip crepe.

Cook crepe on second side until just set and golden in places on bottom, about 30 to 60 seconds. Slide crepe onto a paper towel-lined plate.

Repeat with remaining batter, coating pan with more butter as needed, and stacking crepes directly on top of one another. Let cool to room temperature before using.

Gruyere Béchamel

• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 4 cups whole milk
• Pinch grated nutmeg
• 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (about 4 oz)
• Coarse salt & ground black pepper

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foamy. Add flour and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is pale golden and has a slightly nutty aroma, about 5 minutes. Stir in mustard.

Whisking constantly, pour in milk and whisk until smooth. Cook over medium-high, whisking often along the bottom of pan, until boiling, about 7 minutes.

Reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Add nutmeg and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens to the consistency of thin yogurt, about 10 minutes. Stir in Gruyere. Season with salt and pepper.

I was looking for a new wheat bread recipe and found one I liked. I made a few adjustments, including adding baking cocoa to the bread.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

• 3/4 cup milk, warmed to 90 to 95 F
• 3 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp butter, cut in pieces
• 1 Tbsp baking cocoa
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tsp salt
• 1-1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp bread machine yeast

Put the ingredients in a bread machine in the order listed. Set the machine cycle for “Dough” and press Start.

After the cycle completes, grease a 9×5″ bread pan. Form the dough into a lozenge and place in the pan. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Bake the bread in the middle of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until it sounds hollow when thumped. Cool on a baking rack.

This recipe, originally titled Maple Deer Sausage, is originally for venison, but it works great for just pork.

Breakfast Sausage 2

• 5 lbs pork shoulder, cut in strips to fit in a grinder
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried marjoram
• 2 Tbsp kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp rubbed sage
• 1 Tbsp fine ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup real maple syrup
• 1/2 cup ice water

Grind the meat through a medium or coarse plate. The stuffer on my grinder requires a plate be installed, so I will do medium/coarse or coarse/coarse.

Combine the spices in a small container and mix with the 1/2 cup of ice water and the 1/2 cup real maple syrup.

Pour the spice mixture into the ground meat and mix thoroughly for at least 2 minutes. Use your hands for mixing to assure even distribution.

Once the sausage is fully mixed, stuff it immediately into casings and cool it down. I use smaller casings (22 to 24 mm).

Alternately, this works well as patties — I use 1/4 lb meat in a hamburger press for form the patties.

Note: The original recipe called for 3 lbs venison plus 2 lbs fatty pork shoulder or 1 lb lean pork + 1 lb pork fat.

I’ve wanted to make smoked kielbasa for a while, but I’ve had mixed results with keeping an even temperature in my charcoal smoker, so I didn’t make it. However, the recent purchase of an electric smoker spurred me to make kielbasa, and this one is very successful.

Smoked Kielbasa

This recipe is an amalgamation of several recipes I read. One called for nutmeg, others called for marjoram, and some called for Accent (MSG). I didn’t use nutmeg or Accent, and substituted for the marjoram as I didn’t have any.

I expect to make adjustments to this recipe, so this will definitely change.

• 10 lbs coarsely ground pork
• 2 Tbsp ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 3 tsp granulated garlic (yes, 2 garlics!)
• 3 tsp Kosher salt
• 3 tsp Prague Powder #1
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp tarragon

I used peppercorns and put everything in my spice grinder, e.g., a Mr. Coffee rotary coffee grinder. This did NOT work well, as the result is a paste and the garlic did not chop up. I moved the mixture to Oskar (chopper) and it worked out ok. Next time I’ll grind the peppercorns first, and will press the garlic, then use Oskar to mix it.

Note: The recipe I cobbled together calls for 3 tsp marjoram, which I didn’t have as I didn’t put it on my shopping list. I substituted 1 tsp tarragon, using a lesser amount. For the next batch I will have marjoram on hand.

After grinding a pork shoulder, I had 9 lbs of meat, and went ahead with the full amount of seasoning. I used the medium grinding plate — next time I may use the coarse, as the meat goes through the unit twice.

I put 1/4 of the meat into a large bowl and spread 1/3 of the seasoning mix across it. This was repeated twice more, with the remaining meat on top. The idea is to distribute the seasoning as much as possible before mixing. Then I mixed the meat by hand for a couple of minutes. Any time I spotted a clump of seasoning, I mixed it in.

My stuffing attachment on the grinder requires a plate, so I used the coarse plate. It took about 20 minutes to stuff natural hog casings. Collagen casings are far easier to use, but I don’t like the texture as much.

The sausage went into the electric smoker on 225 F for 3 hours. The target temperature is 160 F, and all sausages were in the 165 to 168 F range. I save the oak cubes I use in winemaking, drying them out. These work very nicely for smoking.

Next Time

Next time I’ll grind the peppercorns and press the garlic prior to making the seasoning mix.

IMO the black pepper is a good amount, but I’ll see what my wife thinks.

I will definitely have marjoram next time. I may add nutmeg.

Since one or both of my sons will probably be involved, we’ll probably make at least 20 lbs of sausage.

9 lbs of sausage may sound like a lot, but I have a feeling it will go VERY quickly.

Lorraine likes Shawarma seasoning, which we purchase as Neomonde and Sassool, both Mediterranean restaurant/deli’s in Raleigh and Cary, respectively. We use it in a variety of meats, including pressured cooked stew beef, tacos, meatloaf, hamburgs, etc.

We ran out a few weeks ago, so I decided to try making it. I started by researching recipes, narrowing the search to two that I liked best. I’m using these as a starting point, and will adjust the blend over successive batches.

Shawarma Seasoning

This is an ongoing experiment. Recipes #1 and #2 are the recipes I liked best. Batch #1 is the first batch I made, and Batch #2 is what I’ll make when we run out of #1.

The amounts are in teaspoons.

This page will be updated with each successive batch.

Batch #1: The cloves was a bit too prominent for my taste. It’s one of those spices that goes from “needs more” to “too much” very quickly.

Batch #2: I decided to bump up the cayenne cinnamon a bit I don’t want it hot, but a bit of cayenne accents the other flavors. I’m considering adding 1/2 tsp cardamom.

It’s been 4 years since I did any real experimentation with brisket. I make brisket 4 or 5 times a year, based upon the first 4 recorded experiments, but haven’t kept written notes. After reviewing the first 4 brisket recipes and thinking about other results, I came to a few conclusions:

• vinegar is absolutely essential
• brown sugar is essential
• some type of heat, either powder or sauce, is essential
• Hoisin sauce gives it a nice tang, so it’s essential
• Use of a rub is inconclusive, regardless of what I said in Take #4

This one has a thick sauce, which I coated the meat with. It takes an hour for the crockpot to fully heat up, so my guess is the sauce will act as a rub. Time will tell.

06/15/2025: I made some final tweaks to the recipe, which are reflected below.

Crockpot Brisket in BBQ Sauce, take #5

BRISKET:

• 3.25 lb brisket, weight after fat removed

BBQ SAUCE:

• 1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/4 cup prepared yellow mustard
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp paprika
• 1 Tbsp baking cocoa
• 2 Tbsp dehydrated onion (heaping)
• 1 tsp dried mustard
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp granulated garlic
• 1 tsp seasoned salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp Indian chili powder (or cayenne or other spice)
• 8 squirts pepper sauce (Texas Pete, Tabasco, etc.)

Per usual, I removed all visible fat pockets, which reduced a larger roast down to 3.25 lbs.

Poured all sauce ingredient into a crockpot, stirring well. Place the brisket on top, then rolled to ensure it was coated. The brisket is a bit wide so I squished it to fit.

Set the crock pot temperature on High for 2 hours, then on low for 6 hours.

I thicken the sauce on the stove over low heat for 20 minutes.

Notes:

Any vinegar will work. I like the flavor Balsamic adds, and I have rice wine vinegar handy. Cider vinegar is fine.

Any red wine is fine. White is ok as well.

Hoisin sauce is essential, as it adds a tang to the flavor. Alternately oyster sauce (not oyster flavored sauce) will work.

I may bump up the baking cocoa next time. Last time I used 1 tsp, this time 1 Tbsp. Next time? Maybe 2 Tbsp.

More hot spice and/or sauce can be added, depending on the audience. I use Indian chili powder as it’s handy. Chipotle chili powder will add a smoky flavor.

I decided I want to make a flat bread to go with a version of Gyros … looking for something new, I found several recipes, and decided I liked this one best. Yeah, I tweaked a couple of things.

It’s very easy to make. Since the bread dry-fries in a skillet, the oven is not used, which makes it a summer bread recipe.

Flat Bread

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp coarse salt
• 3 cups flour
• 2 tsp bread yeast

I make the dough in the bread machine: Add water, sugar, and salt to the pan. Add flour, then yeast on top. Set for Dough cycle.

After the Dough cycle finishes, remove the dough from the pan. Shape it into log and cut into 4 equal pieces.

Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat until hot.

Roll the first piece of dough into a ball, then roll into a large circle on a lightly floured surface. The bread will puff up when cooked, so roll it to no more than 1/4″ thick.

Dry-fry (no oil) in the hot skillet for 1 to 2 minutes until puffy and browned on the bottom. Flip and dry-fry another 1 to 2 minutes until lightly browned on the bottom. Because stoves and pans vary, some experimentation with heat level and time is required.

Remove the bread to a rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining 3 pieces of dough.

Notes:

The first time I made this, I used bread flour and the bread is chewy.

The second time I used half bread flour, half all-purpose flour as I can out of bread flour. We’ll see how that comes out. If I like the texture better, the third time will be with all-purpose flour.

My changes to this recipe include tweaking the sugar and salt, and adapting to make the dough with the bread machine. This recipe can be hand-kneaded if desired.

I saw this recipe months ago and keep thinking about it. It’s credited to Julia Child and the pictures look great.

Having an extra bag of fresh cherries, I decided today is the day.

I’m posting this early, as I haven’t tasted it yet. I think I put in too much cherries, so it’s not setting the way it should. Since I have another bag of cherries, I’ll just have to try again in a few days …

Cherry Clafoutis

• 1-1/4 cups milk
• 2/3 cup sugar, divided
• 3 eggs
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 cups cherries, pitted
• powdered sugar, for garnish4 to 8 Tbsp unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Using a blender, combine the milk, 1/3 cup sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour, and blend.

Lightly butter an 8-cup baking dish, and pour a 1/4″ layer of the blended mixture over the bottom. Set remaining batter aside.

Place dish into the oven for about 7 to 10 minutes, until a film of batter sets in the pan but the mixture is not baked through. Remove from oven (but don’t turn the oven off, yet).

Distribute the pitted cherries over the set batter in the pan, then sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Pour the remaining batter over the cherries and sugar.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 60 minutes, until the clafouti is puffed and brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve warm.

Servings: 6-8 for dessert, 4 for breakfast.

Notes:

Way too late I discovered we only had 1 egg left, so I substituted buttermilk for the last 2 eggs. This will make it tangier, but I don’t know for sure what it will do to the structure.

I think I added too many cherries. My result shows a LOT more cherries than the pictures I’ve seen … NOT that pictures of food are anything remotely authentic.

It baked for 72 minutes and still wasn’t fully set in the center. I’m letting it cool, and if it’s not quite right? Well, I’ll eat it anyway.

I have plenty of cherries to try again in a couple of days, and intend to do so.

Patrick & Grace were in town at Christmas, so Eric & I discussed making a special dinner. Individual Beef Wellingtons was top of the list.

Why individual? Because there are differences in likes, and we want everyone happy. Differences include:

• Duxelles — some like mushrooms and some don’t.
• Cheese — some like bleu cheese or Gorgonzola, and some don’t.
• Doneness — some like medium-rare, and some don’t.

We took the recipes the KLO did for a dinner 25+ years ago and the one Eric, Patrick, and I did a few years ago, and made a new one. The result was amazing, possibly the best thing we have ever made. We said that about the last time we made this type of dish, but this one was better.

Beef Wellington with Two Duxelles

CHESTNUT DUXELLES:

• 4 to 8 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 lb chestnuts
• 2 medium shallots, finely sliced (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 tsp finely minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 cup cognac, brandy, or bourbon
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tsp soy sauce

MUSHROOM DUXELLES:

• 8 oz mushrooms
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped shallot
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic

BEEF:

• 4 to 6 Beef filet, 8 to 12 oz each
• Salt, ground black pepper, oil
• spicy mustard
• 1/2 to 3/4 lb prosciutto
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 oz bleu cheese, crumbled (other cheeses can be used)

ASSEMBLY:

• puff pastry – each sheet can be used for 2 or 3 filet, depending on size of the filet
• 3 large egg yolks, well beaten

SAUCE:

• 1 cup veal or beef demiglace
• 2 Tbsp Madeira, Marsala, or Port

Chestnut Duxelles:

We used a jar of prepared chestnuts, which saved effort. If using fresh chestnuts, search regarding how to cook them. Chop chestnut meats finely.

Melt 4 Tbsp butter in a large skillet and saute the chestnuts until lightly browned. Note: The chestnuts will absorb butter so add more as needed.

Add shallots and thyme and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 2 minutes.

Add brandy. Scrape bottom of skillet with a spatula or wooden spoon to release browned bits. Continue to cook until brandy is nearly dry, about 4 minutes. Add heavy cream and soy sauce and continue to cook, stirring frequently until mixture is thick and collects in one large mass when you shake the skillet. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and place in the refrigerator.

Mushroom Duxelles:

Thinly slice mushrooms and in a heavy skillet cook in butter with shallot, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste over moderate heat, stirring, until mushrooms are lightly browned. Transfer mushroom mixture to a bowl to cool completely.

Beef:

Pat filets dry and season with salt and pepper. The beef is partially cooked, then finished in the oven, using one of the following methods, keeping in mind that if you overcook the beef, it’s not fixable:

Griddler: Preheat a griddler on high, using the waffle plates. Cook the filets for 1 minute for medium-rare, 2 minutes for medium, and 3 minutes for well-done. Adjust time for the thickness of the filets.

Skillet: Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a skillet over high heat until smoking. Add filets and cook without moving until well browned on the first side, about 2 minutes. Rotate filets until browned on all sides, up to 10 minutes.

Oven: Preheat oven to 425 F. In a shallow roasting pan roast filets in the middle of the oven until a meat thermometer reads 110 F for rare.

Regardless of cooking method, remove filets to a plate.

As soon as the filet are cool enough to handle, coat with a thin layer of spicy mustard. This should be done while hot so the beef soaks up the flavor.

Lay prosciutto overlapping on a sheet of plastic wrap. Next put a spoonful of the desired duxelles in the middle of the prosciutto. Using both duxelles is a good choice.

Lay a filet on top of the duxelles and top with garlic and cheese. Wrap the prosciutto around the beef, and tightly seal in plastic wrap. Put in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to allow the filet to set and keep their shape.

Assembly:

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Roll the puff pastry so it’s thin. Note that it will stretch to cover the package, but it’s better to have the pastry too large than too small.

For the first package, brush the top of the pastry with egg yolk. Unwrap a filet and place in the middle of the pastry. Fold the pastry around the package, sealing all seams well.

Put the pastry, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the top and sides of the pastry with remaining egg yolk.

Note: We had different duxelles, cheeses, and doneness, so excess pastry was formed into initials and placed on top of each packet to mark each person’s filet.

Repeat for all filet. When done, put the baking sheet in the freezer for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 22 minutes, or until the pastry is well browned. Serve with sauce:

Sauce:

Make sauce while beef Wellingtons are baking: In a saucepan boil demiglace and Madeira 1 minute and keep sauce warm. Serve beef Wellingtons with sauce.

I was reading taco seasoning recipes a few weeks ago. The one(s) I’ve been using are good, but the chili powder doesn’t always agree with our stomachs, so I was looking for ideas.

One caught my eye — a seasoning that had paprika as the primary ingredient, not chili powder. I found a few more like it, played around with amounts, and came up with this recipe.

Taco Seasoning

Seasoning:

• 1 Tbsp paprika
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1 Tbsp dried onion
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp granulated garlic
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp seasoned salt
• 1/4 tsp red pepper

Cooking:

• 1-1/4 lbs ground beef or turkey
• 2 Tbsp cooking oil
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup dry wine (red or white)

Blend the seasoning ingredients together.

Brown the ground meat in oil over medium high heat. Add the seasoning mix, stock, and wine. Stir to blend. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring every 5 minutes, until thick.