Classic Macaroni Salad ala ~DKBB~

Classic Macaroni Salad ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe by Dorothy Bayes found on TasteOfHome.com)

Makes 8 servings.

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni 

1 cup mayonnaise

2 to 3 Tbsp. sweet pickle relish

2 tsp. sugar

3 tsp. red wine vinegar

¾ tsp. ground mustard

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

¼ cup chopped celery

⅓ cup chopped carrot

½ cup chopped onion (red preferred, or you can use 4 to 6 green onions)

2 to 3 whole roasted red peppers, chopped

• Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and rinse with cold water; cool completely.
• For dressing: in a small bowl, combine the mayo, relish, sugar, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper; mix well.
• In a large bowl, combine cooled macaroni, celery, carrot, onion, and roasted red pepper; add dressing a bit at a time (you might not use it all, depending on how creamy you want your salad to be) and toss gently to coat.
• Refrigerate until serving; you may wish to garish with paprika before serving.

Low Country Grill ala ~DKBB~

Low Country Grill ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe by Alaina Showalter on TasteOfHome.com)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1½ tsp. salt, divided

1½ tsp. garlic powder, divided

1½ tsp. seafood seasoning, divided

8 to 12 small red potatoes, quartered

½ green, red, yellow, and/or orange peppers (mixture thereof), cut into smallish chunks

½ cup butter, melted

1 lb. (or 1 large) polkas kielbasa, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 medium ears corn, but in half

1 to 1½ pounds uncooked shrimp (8 to 12 large), peeled and deveined

• In a large bowl, combine the olive oil with ½ tsp. each of salt, garlic powder, seafood seasoning; add potatoes and peppers; toss to coat; spoon into double-thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square); fold foil around potatoes and seal tightly.
• Grill, covered, over medium heat for 30-35 minutes or until tender, turning once; set aside and keep warm.
• In a small bowl, combined melted butter with remaining salt, garlic powder, and seafood seasoning; grill kielbasa and corn in grill pan, over medium heat for 10-12 minutes, turning occasionally and basting constantly, using half of the butter mixture; keep warm.
• Thread shrimp onto metal or wood-soaked skewers (4 per skewer); grill, covered, over medium heat for 3-4 minutes per side or until shrimp are pink, basting with remaining butter mixture.
• Depending on how many servings you have prepared, put a portion of the potato/pepper mixture, corn/kielbasa mixture, and shrimp on each plate. Enjoy!

Blackened Roast Chicken ala ~DKBB~

Blackened Roast Chicken ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe by Sam Talbot)

Photo from People magazine

1 (2½ to 3 lb.) whole chicken

1 Tbsp. smoked and/or spicy paprika

1 Tbsp. onion powder

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. kosher salt

1 Tbsp. lemon zest (from 2 lemons)

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

½ bunch fresh thyme sprigs, tied together with kitchen string

¼ cup olive oil

1 small shallot, finely chopped

• Preheat oven to 375° F, or preheat Traeger or grill.
• Remove chicken giblets (save for another use or discard -your choice); rinse chicken off and pat dry with paper towel; place chicken in small roasting pan.
• Stir together paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, lemon zest, and cayenne pepper in medium bowl; cut lemons in fourths and add them and the thyme bundle to the mixture; toss to coat well.
• Heat olive oil in small skillet over medium heat; add shallot and cook, stirring often until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add cooked shallot and oil to seasoning mixture; stir/toss well to combine.
• Remove lemons and thyme bundle and place them in cavity of chicken; rub remaining mixture over chicken and under skin on the breasts.
• Roast chicken until thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh registers 165° F, about 50 to 55 minutes.
• Remove chicken from heat; remove thyme and lemons from cavity; if desired, squeeze lemon over chicken and garnish with untied thyme; let chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Grandmother's Toad in the Hole ala ~DKBB~

Grandmother’s Toad in the Hole ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe by Susan Kieboam on www.tasteofhome.com)

3 large eggs

1 cup milk

½ tsp. salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 12oz pkg. uncooked maple breakfast sausage links

3 Tbsp. olive oil

Butter and maple syrup for serving (optional)

• Preheat oven to 400° F.
• In a small bowl, whisk eggs, milk, and salt together; add flour to mixture and whisk until well blended. Let stand while you prepare the sausage.
• Cook sausage over medium heat until done, turning often for even cooking; remove cooked sausages from pan and cut each link into 4 or 5 pieces.
• Place oil in 12-inch cast iron skillet; place in oven for 3 to 4 minutes to heat.
• Stir batter and pour into heated skillet; top with sausage pieces.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and puffed.
• Cut into wedges to serve; if desired, serve with butter and maple syrup.*

 * You may find that you don’t really need to butter, but do give the maple syrup a try!

Bacon-Wrapped Pesto Pork Tenderloin ala ~DKBB~

Bacon-Wrapped Pesto Pork Tenderloin ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe by Holly Sander in Feb/Mar 2017 edition of Simple & Delicious)

4-6 bacon strips

½ pork tenderloin (½ lb.)

¼ tsp. cracked pepper

¼ cup prepared pesto

½ cup shredded Italian cheese blend

½ cup fresh baby spinach

• Preheat oven to 425° F.
• Place bacon strips width-wise, overlapping a bit, in foil-lined 15x10x1 pan (or just use a foil pan that size and skip the lining-with-foil part).
• Using ½ of a pre-package pork tenderloin (freeze the other half), cover the meat with plastic wrap and pound it with a meat mallet to ½-inch thickness; remove plastic wrap; place flattened tenderloin centered perpendicularly on the bacon strips.
• Sprinkle pepper over pork, spread on pesto, then add cheese then spinach.
• Close (roll up) tenderloin, wrapping the outside with the bacon strips; tie all with kitchen string (a wrapping method with the string works well…you want to be sure all the bacon is tied around the tenderloin); secure ends with toothpicks if necessary.
• Using a 12-inch skillet, brown the bacon-wrapped tenderloin on all sides (about 8 minutes).
• Return the now-browned bacon-wrapped tenderloin to the roasting pan; roast in the oven until a meat thermometer inserted into the pork reads 145° (17-20 minutes).
• Remove string and toothpicks, let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Sausage & Chicken Gumbo ala ~DKBB~

Sausage & Chicken Gumbo ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe by Kael Harvey in Feb/Mar 2017 Simple & Delicious)

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup canola oil

3 cups chicken broth

1 small pkg. popcorn shrimp, thawed (if desired)*

1 pkg. (14 oz.) polska kielbasa, cut into ½-inch slices

1 cup frozen okra

1 small green pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

½ tsp. white pepper

¼ tsp. salt

¼ to ½ tsp. cayenne pepper (depending on how hot you want it)

2 cups coarsely shredded cooked chicken (I use chicken breast packed in water,

    1 large can and 1 small – add it all, including water, when directed)

Hot cooked rice (if desired)

• In a heavy saucepan, mix flour and oil until smooth; cook and stir over medium heat until light brown in color, about 4 minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and cook and stir until dark reddish brown, about 15 minutes (do not burn).
• Gradually stir in chicken broth, stirring constantly; transfer to slow-cooker.
• Stir in sausage, vegetables, garlic, and seasonings; cook, covered, in slow-cooker on low for 6 hours.
• Stir in chicken and continue cooking for another hour.
• You can add thawed shrimp when you add in the chicken, if desired.*
• Can be served as a soup or over rice.

Butterfinger Cookies ala ~DKBB~

Butterfinger Cookies ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe from 101 Things To Do With A Cake Mix by Stephanie Ashcraft)

1 chocolate cake mix (Devil's Food is my favorite)

2 eggs

⅓ cup vegetable oil

½ package Butterfinger Bits (or 1 large Butterfinger bar, crushed)

• Preheat oven to 350° F.
• Mix together cake mix, eggs, and oil under powder is completely dissolved into dough.
• Mix Butterfinger Bits (or crushed candy bar) into the dough thoroughly.
• Drop dough in small balls onto parchment-covered cookie sheet.
• Bake 10 to 12 minutes; do not overbake.
• Remove from cookie sheet and cool.