Recipe: Pickled Sausages

2 cups of Water
4 cups of Distilled White Vinegar
2 tablespoons of Kosher Salt
1/2 tablespoon of Black Pepper
10 drops of Red Food Coloring
1/2 tablespoon of Pickling Spices
1 tablespoon of Crushed Red Pepper (optional)
1/2 tablespoon of All Spice (optional)
10 links of Smoked Sausage (any type)

In a large stainless steel pot, add all the ingredients, except for the sausage links, and bring to a boil, while stirring occasionally to ensure salt dissolves.

AVOID using cast-iron, aluminum, iron, copper, and teflon! The vinegar will damage the pots.

Take the sausage links and place into a sterile glass jar, either whole or cut up. Pour the pickling solution into the jar and seal with the top. Let stand for at least 3-4 days, before serving.

Recipe: Chicken-Pumpkin Fall Meatloaf

1 Pumpkin, medium-sized (about 5-6 lbs.)
1 1/2 lbs. of ground Chicken
1 Vidalia Onion, medium-sized (chopped)
3 large Yellow Potatoes (or 6 small ones; chopped)
2 cloves of Elephant Garlic (minced)
4 cloves of Garlic (minced)
1/2 cup of dried Cranberries, chopped
1 stalk of Celery (chopped thinly)
4 Apples, medium-sized (can be any kind; thinly-chopped)
1 Apple Pear, medium-sized (thinly-chopped)
8 ounces roasted Pine Nuts (crushed)
2 tablespoons of Salt
2 tablespoons of ground Black Pepper
1 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon of ground All Spice
2 tablespoons of dried Oregano
1 teaspoon of dried Sage
1 teaspoon of Onion Powder
1 teaspoon of ground Nutmeg
1 teaspoon of ground Cinnamon
1/4 cup of Mustard
1/4 cup of Ketchup
1/2 cup of Panko Breadcrumbs
1/4 cup of Apple Cider
1/4 cup of Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons of Vegetable Oil
1 large Egg

To start, pre-heat the oven to 325-degrees. You're going to cut the top of the pumpkin off, so you can access the insides. Remove the seeds and guts with a spoon. Try to keep as much flesh as possible. When finished, rinse with cold water and towel dry. Take your virgin olive oil and coat the insides of the pumpkin, as well as the top. Cover the bottom to middle of the pumpkin with one large sheet of aluminum foil - it shouldn't have cracks for the next step. Place the pumpkin, with the top back on, into a deep dish metal pan and put into the oven, and fill the pan to about an inch from the top with water. The aluminum foil is to prevent the pumpkin from being water-logged as it cooks, while the water is used to help regulate the temperature of the pan and keep the pumpkin from drying out. Cook the pumpkin for about 20-30 minutes. When the flesh is tender, you can take the pumpkin out of the oven carefully (hot water!) and let it rest. Empty the pan of the water, but keep the aluminum foil on the pumpkin.

While the pumpkin is cooking chop your onion and put into a large skillet (over low heat) with 2 tablespoons of oil, add the salt. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Also chop potatoes, apples, celery, and pear, as well as mincing the garlics. When the onions are translucent, add the potatoes and celery to the skillet. After another five minutes add the chopped apples and pears, along with pepper powders, onion powder, and dried herbs. Continue cooking and stirring occasionally for ten minutes. Add the apple cider, nutmeg, all spice, and cinnamon, and cover. Continue to cook for another ten minutes over medium heat, then turn off heat and transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl to cool down. If you have an ice bath, that'd be even better (the mixing bowl can fit into a larger bowl with some ice and cold water). Stir the mixture to release steam.

After the mixture has cooled down some, you can lightly scrape the insides of the pumpkin interior to pull some flesh, but you still want to leave a solid wall inside. Take the scrape pumpkin and add to the mixing bowl, along with the ground chicken, ketchup, panko breadcrumbs, dried cranberries, egg, and crushed pine nuts. Mix all the ingredients well with your hands for a few minutes, making sure everything is well mixed. Cover with plastic wrap and place into fridge for 20-30 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Take the mustard - I like using cranberry or horseradish mustards, if I can find them! - and coat the inside of the pumpkin.

After the meatloaf mixture has cooled for a bit, take it out of the fridge and stuff the pumpkin with it. Once done, place the top back on as much as you can, and return the now-stuffed pumpkin to the pan and place into a 350-degree pre-heated oven, and add water back to the pan, until it's about 2 inches from the top. Cook the pumpkin meatloaf for about 90 minutes to two hours. Once it's cooked, check the temperature with a meat thermometer placed through the top to the middle. You're looking for a reading of at least 165-degrees, if lower return to the oven for at least another ten minutes, before checking the temperature again after washing the thermometer in hot water. Once it's done, remove from the oven carefully (hot water!), place the pumpkin on a large dish, and let sit for about ten minutes. Then cut up and serve.

Recipe: Candied Bacon

12 slices of thick-cut Bacon
1/4 cup of chopped walnuts
1/3 cup of Light Brown Sugar
1/2 teaspoon of ground Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper

Add bacon slices and walnuts to a bowl with both peppers and rub well. Add the brown sugar and continue rubbing the bacon until they are all covered. Lay down a sheet of aluminum foil to a large baking tray and lay out the bacon slices in a single layer. The walnuts can be scattered about. Add any remaining brown sugar from the bowl on top of the slices. Cover with another sheet of aluminum foil and place into a 350-degree preheated oven for thirty minutes. The slices can be cooked longer depending on the texture desired. When the slices are ready, remove and place on top of dish lined with paper towels to drain any excess fat for a few minutes.

Recipe: Lemon-Thyme Roasted Potatoes

1 tablespoon of unsalted Butter
1 lbs. small Red Potatoes (halved)
3 thin slices of Lemon (seeded)
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon of Kosher Salt
1/8 teaspoon of crushed Black Pepper
1/8 teaspoon of crumbled dried Thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon of fresh Thyme)

Take the butter and coat the bottom and sides of a baking pan large enough to hold the potatoes in a single layer. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, except the thyme. Add potatoes and lemon slices to the pan, in a single layer. Place into a 425-degree pre-heated oven, and roast for 15 minutes. Remove lemon slices and turn potatoes over, and let cook for another 6-10 minutes, until tender and browned. Take the lemon slices and mince. When the potatoes are done, add the minced lemon and crumbled thyme.

Recipe: Korean BBQ Marinade

Thought I'd share this since I'm cooking up some thinly-sliced beef tonight when I get home from work, which has been marinating overnight.

---Korean BBQ Marinade---
1/2 cup of Soy Sauce
4 tablespoons of Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon of Honey
2 tablespoons of Sesame Oil
1/3 cup of Red Wine Vinegar
1 Green Onion (chopped)
1 Garlic Clove (minced)
1 tablespoon of Flour
1 teaspoon of Black Pepper
1 teaspoon of Paprika
1 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon of Cumin
1/2 teaspoon of Crushed Red Pepper

Mix in bowl together, add meat(s) and soak for an hour to overnight.

Recipe: Watermelon Vodka-Chipotle Buffalo Wings

12 whole Chicken Wings
1 Chipotle Pepper, diced
1 clove Elephant Garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of Tabasco Sauce
2 tablespoons of Sriracha Sauce
4 ounces of Tomato Paste
1/4 cup of Watermelon Vodka
5 tablepoons of Honey
1 tablespoon of Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon of Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
1/2 teaspoon of Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon of Black Pepper
1/4 teaspoon of Crushed Red Pepper

Brine
4 cups of Cold Water
2 cups of Hot Water
1 cup of Kosher Salt
1 cup of Sugar



Add hot water to a pot or container to start the brine. Mix in sugar and salt, stir until dissolved. Then add in cold water.

Separate the drumettes, wingettes,and wing tips. The wing tips can be discarded or saved for future use in a chicken stock. Add the drumettes and wingettes to the brine, and place into the refrigerator for a half-hour to an hour.

Remove wings from brine and place onto a cooking pan large enough to have the wings side-by-side and deep enough to hold some liquids (about 2-3 inches deep), lined with paper towels and let dry for a few minutes. Remove paper towels and throw out. Add oil, non-stick spray, or butter to the wings, thoroughly coating them all and the bottom of the pan. Then place into a pre-heated 375-degree oven for 25 minutes.

Add watermelon vodka, sriracha sauce, Tabasco sauce, chipotle pepper, elephant garlic, crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and tomato paste to a medium to large pot over medium heat. Bring to simmer and reduce heat to low. Stirring often. When you're about to remove the wings (around 20 minutes), add the honey to the sauce mixture, and continue stirring.

Remove the wings and add them to the sauce mixture in the pot and fold the wings into the sauce and let them cook together for about five minutes. Raise the oven temperature to 400-425 degrees.

Afterwards, pour the wings and sauce mixture back into the pan used to cook the wings and place into the oven. Let bake for another 5-15 minutes, using tongs to turn the wings around. This time period is for glazing the sauce and creating a nice crust, so it depends on your preference for textures.

Recipe: Brown Betty

3 slices of Bread
3 Apples
2 cups of Brown Sugar (separated into three batches)
1 tablespoon of Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon of freshly-ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of freshly-ground Nutmeg
1/4 cup of Apple Cider
1/4 cup of Banana Liqueur
1 1/2 sticks of Butter

Take the 1/2 stick of butter and generously rub it around the dish casserole dish the brown betty will be baked in. You want some nice coverage of the base and walls.

Take the slices of bread and chop or rip them up into small pieces. You want fluffy crumbs, not compressed pieces of bread. Then separate the bread crumbs into three batches. Peel and core the apples, then slice into thin slices. Mix in a bowl with the apple cider, nutmeg & cinnamon. Divide into three batches.

Take the first batch of brown sugar and add to the dish, smoothing it out evenly. Top the brown sugar with one layer of bread crumbs, followed by the apples, smoothing out each layer evenly. Repeat two more times. Take the butter and cut into slices and top the brown betty, followed by the extra tablespoon of brown sugar. Then add banana liqueur to the dish, evenly pouring it around.

Place into a 350-degree preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes to an hour. Let rest for 5 minutes, before serving. Goes great with ice cream and/or whipped cream.

Notes: You can substitute other fruits or mix in other fruits in place of an apple, such as pears, persimmons, peaches and etc.. The brown sugar can also be replaced with regular sugar, but you won't get the consistancy you'd get with the brown sugar due to the lack of molasses.

Recipe: Tzatziki Sauce

32 ounces of Yogurt
8 ounces of Sour Cream
4 Cucumbers
2 tablespoons of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
4 tablespoons of fresh Dill
3 cloves of Garlic
1 Lemon
1/2 teaspoon of Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon of Black Pepper

Take yogurt and sour cream and add to a colander lined with a cheese cloth or paper towel placed over a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap and leave in fridge overnight to strain out excess moisture.

Peel cucumbers, seed, and dice into small chunks and add salt. Place into a small colander atop a bowl, and also leave in fridge to drain moisture overnight.

The next day, remove both bowls of yogurt/sour cream and cucumbers from the refridgerator. Zest the lemon, then juice. Combine all ingredients in food processor, including the lemon juice and zest, and let sit in fridge for an hour, covered with plastic wrap. Remove from fridge thirty minutes, entire bowl or small batches, prior to usage.

Recipe: Mayonnaise Dill White Sauce

1/2 cup of Yogurt
1/2 cup of Mayonnaise
Juice of one Lime
1 Jalapeno Pepper (minced)
1 teaspoon of Capers (minced)
1/2 teaspoon of dried Oregano
1/2 teaspoon of ground Cumin
1/2 teaspoon of dried Dill
1 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl thoroughly. Let sit in room temperature, covered with plastic wrap, for 30 minutes before serving.

Recipe: Guacamole

3 Haas Avocados
Juice of one Lime
1/2 teaspoon of Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground Cumin
1/2 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
1/2 medium White Onion
2 Roma Tomatoes
1 tablespoon of fresh Cilantro
1 clove of Garlic (minced)

Cut avocados into chunks and mix in bowl with lime juice, thoroughly coating all pieces. Drain lime juice, and save, when done. Dice onions. Peel, seed, and dice the tomatoes. Add salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper to avocados to avocados. Mash with potato masher until smooth, then add onions, garlic, cilantro, and tomatoes to the mixture. Fold ingredients in with a spatula or wooden spoon. Add one tablespoon of the reserved lime juice back in. Let sit at room temperature for one hour, before serving.

Recipe: Mulled Apple Cider

1 gallon of Apple Cider
2 tablespoons of whole All Spice
2 tablespoons of whole Cloves
5-6 whole Cinnamon Sticks
4-5 slices of an Orange

Add all ingredients to a pot (except the orange slices) and bring to a boil, then lower flame to a simmer for 5-10 minutes. Be careful, as it can bubble over, so you may want to occasionally lift the lid to release pressure, or at least crack the top by angling the pot's lid.

Note: If you have a small cheese cloth, you can add the cloves and all spice by wrapping them up and tying the top. This will make it easier to remove later on.

Turn off heat, let sit for a few minutes and add the orange slices. Strain out all spice and cloves, before serving (see above note).

Recipe: Falafal

2 cups of dried Chick Peas (Garbanzo Beans)
2 medium White Onions
8 Garlic Cloves (minced)
1 cup of fresh Parsley
1/2 cup of fresh Cilantro
2 teaspoons of Kosher Salt
3 teaspoons of ground Cumin
3 teaspoons of ground Coriander
1 teaspoon of crushed Red Pepper
2 teaspoon of Sesame Seeds
2 teaspoon of Black Pepper
2 teaspoons of Baking Powder
3 teaspoons of Corn Starch

Rehydrate chick peas in cold water overnight (minimum 12 hours). Drain water afterwards and then add to a boiling pot of salted water and boil for 30 minutes. Drain and let cool.

Note: You can skip the boiling if you want, but I've noticed the chick peas tend to be much firmer and rougher, whereas I prefer a smoother texture to my falafals.

Add chick peas to food processor along with onions, fresh parsley and cilantro. If there's too much for the food processor, then mix all three in a bowl and make in small batches. Process until smooth, then add to a cheese cloth-lined colander (strainer), over bowl, to drain out excess liquids. Don't squeeze out the liquids, you just want the excess liquids to drain out over the next hour naturally.

Add mixture back to food processor and add remaining ingredients (except baking soda and corn starch). Let sit for another hour after everything has been thoroughly blended.

When you're ready to fry up some falafals, you'll want to add the corn starch and baking soda to the mixture, about 10-15 minutes before cooking. Again, the food processor comes into play.

FRYING

Prepare falafals into whatever desired shapes and set onto a tray or plate.

Add about 2 inches of oil (vegetable, olive, &/or sesame) to frying pan and one tablespoon of margarine (or butter) and turn heat onto medium-high, let oil get very hot (about 2-3 minutes). Add falafals, in small batches, to the oil and fry until golden brown.

Once done, you can remove and place onto a plate with paper towels, to let drain for a few minutes and then serve.

Goes great with:
- Tzatziki Sauce

Recipe: Coconut Rice

3 cups of Coconut Milk
2 cups of Rice (Jasmine or Basmati)
1 teaspoon of Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon of Coconut Oil
2 tablespoons of dry, shredded Coconut

Add coconut oil to the pot used to prepare the rice, and cover bottom and lower half. Add rice, shredded coconut, milk and salt to pot and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent rice on bottom from burning or sticking.

Once the coconut milk boils, lower heat to lowest sitting to simmer, while covered, in the pot for 15-20 minutes. Looking for all the liquid to have been evaporated and/or absorbed by the rice at the bottom. When ready, turn off the heat and let sit for 5-10 more minutes, until ready to serve.

Recipe: TRON Shots

1 quart of Blue Raspberry or Fruit Punch
15 B-12 Vitamin capsules
1/2 quart of Lemonade
1 quart of Vodka

Boil the blue raspberry or fruit punch drinks in a pot, with the lemonade and add the vitamin capsules' contents (open capsules for their powder - don't just drop in!) and stir well, until dissolved. Let cool to room temperature, then add vodka and chill.

When ready to serve, serve under black lights for the glowing effect!

Note: You can substitute fruit-flavored vodkas for the regular vodka for better flavors and scents.

Recipe: Watermelon-Chipotle Vodka BBQ Sauce

2 1/2 cups of Ketchup
1/2 cup of Vidalia Onion (diced)
1/4 cup of Watermelon juice
1/4 cup of Watermelon Vodka
2 cans of chopped Chipotle Chilies
1/4 cup of Brown Sugar
1/2 cup of Hoisin Sauce
2 tablespoons of Canola Oil
2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce
2 cloves of Garlic (minced)
1/2 teaspoon of Celery Salt
1/2 teaspoon of Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
1 tablespoon of Honey

Heat oil in a sauce pan, and add onions and garlic, sauteing until soft and onions are translucent. Stir in brown sugar, celery salt and black pepper. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until the sauce thickens. Cool to room temp and use as desired.

Recipe: Apple Pie Shots

1 gallon of Apple Juice
1 gallon of Apple Cider
7 whole Cinnamon Sticks
1 tablespoon of freshly-ground Nutmeg (optional)
1 tablespoon of All Spice
1/2 tablespoon of Cloves
4 cups of Brown Sugar
1 liter of Everclear 190

Combine all ingredients, except Everclear, in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Let cool, strain out cloves and the all spice (the cinnamon sticks can remain), add Everclear 190, and chill. Before serving, add Whipped Cream to the top and enjoy!

Another option is to create a spice bag from some string and a small cheesecloth or empty tea bag (in which case, break the cinnamon sticks into smaller pieces), in which case you can leave the spices in - it's annoying to fish out the cloves and all spice later on.

You can substitute Spiced Rum or Vodka for Everclear, but in doing so you add more water, so you may want to add half a can of apple juice concentrate to the boiled batch.

Recipe: Fish Tacos

1 filet of White Fish (Tilapia, Mahi Mahi or Orata)
1/4 cup of Canola Oil
1/2 teaspoon of Cumin
Juice of one Lime
Zest of one Lime
1 tablespoon of Ancho Chili Powder
1 chopped Jalapeno Pepper
1/4 cup of fresh Cilantro
8 Flour Tortillas

Combine canola oil, lime juice & zest, cumin, chili powder, jalapeno pepper, and cilantro in a bowl and add fish filet. Let marinate for 15-30 minutes. Remove from marinade and add fish filet to a hot grill (over medium flame), flesh-side down, and let sit for four minutes. Flip to other side for 30-45 seconds. Remove and place on a plate, letting the filet rest for 5 minutes. Afterwards flake the filet with fork.

Warm tortillas on a hot grill for 30 seconds. You can actually use the grill used for the filet, if you want the tortilla to mop up some of the juices. Afterwards scoop up fish and add your own desired toppings (e.g. white cabbage, radicchio, freshly-cut tomatoes, tomato salsa, avocado, guacamole, and etc.).

Disclaimer - Most know I don't eat seafood, due to allergies, but I used to cook them for my ex's and they loved them. They're also still alive ;)

Goes great with both:
- Guacamole
- Mayonnaise-Dill White Sauce