A Slice of Texas> DR. PEPPER CAKE

One of the greatest gifts to the world from Texas is DR.PEPPER the Coke-a-Cola  of The Lone Star state. Often imitated but never equaled. It has some very complex flavors that are a highly guarded secret. I feel sorry for all those non Texans who may never taste the real deal "Top Shelf" that comes from Dublin Tx. brewed from the original recipe using Imperial Cane Sugar, instead of high fructose corn syrup. You really don't know what you are missing. If you come to Tx. and you are a "Pepper" it is mandatory to have a Pony of Dublin's Finest.
Cooking with soda pop is a southern thing, and used in any number of recipes.for all kinds of foods. You give a Texas cook some Dr. Pepper and you had  better pull you hat down tight it can tend to be a wild ride down the flavor trail. This recipe is strait out of the Texas Hill Country an produces a luscious, deep, dark, super moist, velvety chocolate cake, with a complex depth of flavor from a hint of Dr.Pepper. To say that I love this cake is an understatement. It is on my list of last meals food. Just in case. One bite and you will completely understand, it is that good. Enjoy!

Prep time: 20min                                              Cook Time: 30-35 min


Ingredients:

Cake:

2 cups All Purpose Flour + 2 tbl cornstarch
1cup White Sugar
1cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Cocoa
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup Dr. Pepper
2 lrg Eggs
1cup Buttermilk
1 cup Oil
11/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 c Semi Sweet Chocolate chips or 2 /12 pieces Bakes Chocolate

Frosting:

1/2 cup Shortening +3/4 cup(1 1/2 sticks) Unsalted Butter softened
4 cups Powered Sugar
1/4 cup Cocoa
1/4cup Dr. Pepper
1 /12 tsp Vanilla Extract


Tools: Mixer, Bowls, Measuring cups and Spoons, Rubber Spatula, Flower sifter or a  Hand strainer. 2 9" Cake pans, Sauce pan


Directions: Cake

Preheat oven to 350 º F and prepare cake pans with a light coat of Butter and a dusting of sugar and set aside.

Double sift together flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking soda, salt and cocoa.
In the bowl of your mixer combine the oil, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla, Beat on med 2 min.
In a sauce pan over med heat warm the Dr. Pepper and add the Chocolate chips, stirring constantly to melt and combine chocolate and prevent scorching. The Dr. Pepper only needs to be warm enough to melt the chocolate keep the temp as low as possible.
With the mixer on low speed slowly stream in the DR. Pepper & chocolate mixture to the oil, egg and buttermilk beat 1 min.
With the mixer running on the slowest speed add the dry ingredients about 1/3 at a time allow time between additions to eliminate dry spots. after the last addition stop the mixer scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat on med 2 min.
Transfer the Batter to the prepared pans and bake on the center rack of the oven 30- 35 min until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool on a rack in the pans 1 hr.


Directions: Frosting

Place the softened( room temp) butter and shortening in the bowl of the mixer, beat on med 3 min .Stop mixer add Dr.Pepper and vanilla, beat 1 min on med. Stop mixer and add 1 cup of the powdered sugar restart the mixer on the lowest setting to combine repeat with the remainder of the powdered sugar and cocoa, increase the mixer speed to high and beat 5 min

 Assembly:
Turn out 1 of the cakes onto a plate or a cake stand by inverting the plate over the cake pan then turn the whole thing over. You want the top of the cake on the plate. Apply 1 cup of frosting the center of the cake. and with your spatula work it to the outer edge.

Turn out the second cake onto a plate and transfer it to the top of the frosted section, this time you want the top facing up. This will give you strait sides making the remainder of the frosting application much easier.
Place the remainder of the frosting on the top in the center of your cake.Working from the center to the outside and over the sides, apply an even coat of the frosting.

* This cake is too good not to be enjoyed by everyone So here is away to reduce the calories remove the raw sugars and cut the Fat.

In the cake recipe: Substitute Splenda for the sugar and use diet Dr. Pepper. Use 3 Large Egg whites in place of the 2 lrg eggs. and 1cup of applesauce for the oil.

In the Frosting: Substitute 1 cup white Splenda for  the 4 cups of powdered sugar and diet  Dr. Pepper.

Chicken By The Book >The Spachcocked Clucker

I guess the fondness for Roast Chicken came from my Granny, that was her favorite meal and I came to love it as well. Moist, sweet and succulent and able to take on the complexities of a multitude of flavors. It can be a fancy dinner or served cold at a picnic. Yet this simple to prepare dish  can scare the "bejeebers" out of  some cooks.Whether fear of over cooking to end up with a tough  and dry bird or one that is under cooked on the inside and burnt on the outside can make some avoid it altogether. I am going to attempt to solve these problems with a few simple techniques.
Most problems have to do with the density of the different parts of the bird, some parts get more heat than others and cook faster. The result is some parts and done and some are under cooked. If we can increase the surface area exposed to the heat and get the chicken into a "user friendly" package it will cook more evenly.
The easiest way to do this is to "Spatchcock" the bird ; remove the back bone and open it up like a book so it lays flat.
This is especially useful if you want to grill,smoke, or BBQ your bird. Seasoned with "Bludawgs Poultry Powder" this particular bird was destined for the smoker until the thunder started to boom and the rain began to fall as I was heading out to build the fire. So a trip to the oven was in order. As referenced by the thermometer in the above picture this only took 1 hour util it was completely cooked. .  Enjoy!

Prep Time: 20 min                         Cook Time:1 hr apox. plus 15 min rest

Ingredients:
1 4-5 lb chicken
Worcestershire sauce
*Bludawgs Poultry Powder (recipe follows)


Tools: Cutting Board, Kitchen Shears, Knives, **Sanitizing solution for counters Broiler pan, Aluminum Foil, Meat thermometer, Wax paper, Paper Towels


Directions:

Peheat oven to 375 º F. Line the bottom of the broiler pan with aluminum foil for ease of cleanup, set aside.
Prepare your work area, remove everything that can be splashed with blood and lay down some wax paper and place your cutting board on it.

Remove the giblets from the cavity and rinse your bird under cold running water inside and out. Pat dry with paper towels and transfer to cutting board, breast side down.
This next step I will assume no liability for for any self injury!!! IF you are confident in your "Knife Skills" and you have a sharp knife feel free to use it, If your Knives are dull or you have poor "Knife Skills" I recommend using the kitchen or poultry shears!!

                                   

 Starting at the neck make an incision down each side of the spine along the entire body .Then cut through the ribs where they join the spine.
Remove the spine and save for some homemade stock. Trim away any excess fat from the from the carcass and discard.



 Turn your bird over (breast up) with the heal of your hand placed at the top of breast press down hard to break the breast bone. Lay the wing tip on the breast and with a paring knife or kitchen shears  make a small incision through the skin of the breast at the point where the wing tip joint falls on the breast and insert the wing tip into the incision repeat for the other wing.  

Blot the skin side dry with some paper towels and place skin side down on the broiler pan grate blot the inside dry as well. Wet down the inside with the Worcestershire an season VERY GENEROUSLY with BluDawgs Poultry Powder, Turn the bird over and repeat for the skin side, first the Worcestershire and the Poultry Powder.

Cook on the center rack in the oven for 1 hr or the internal temp on the meaty part of the thigh reaches 185 º F. Remove from oven and tent loosely with Aluminum foil for at least 15 min and allow to rest prior to carving.


* BluDawg's Poultry Powder

3 tbl season salt (Fiesta brand)
1tsp black pepper
1tsp dry sage
1tsp white sugar
optional 1/4tsp ancho chili powder or cayenne

mix all ingredients together  and apply liberally to chicken prior to grilling or roasting.



** Sanitation solution for disinfecting counters and sinks
1tb Chlorine bleach mixed in 32 oz water

 Pour into a spray bottle and spry all counters and sinks to sterilize and disinfect after working with any raw meat.

A square Meal For a Countryboy > Beans

Growing up on a Texas ranch, Beans and Corn bread were a staple and it seemed as though there was a pot warming on the stove daily. On a cold day their creamy goodness warm the soul like a mothers love. They are at home along side of the Potato salad at a BBQ, or as the main dish served with cornbread and garnished with a Jalapeno and a slice a Texas Sweet onion.
 On a recent trip home to visit her sweet Dad, my daughter called with her flight information and and a request for one of her favorites; Pinto beans and Cornbread for dinner the first night. You can take the Girl out of the country but I don't think you will ever get the country out of the girl. Gentlemen you have been warned.
I have eaten Beans all my life all over this land and in several different countries. Though the ways to prepare them do not vary greatly there are little things that are added in different cultures that give their beans a special twist.
The things that have changed in my recipe over the years are a direct result of these are; the inclusion of Mexican oregano, that I had in a bowl of beans in Tuscon AZ., Whole cloves that perked up some Black beans in a Cuban restaurant in Miami. A little ketchup for a bit of a spark, from Beans and Franks at a roadside dinner in OH.
My cooking methods have changed as well. Instead of the stove top in dutch oven I have switched to the Crock Pot with great success, from "Bean Town" ( Boston) and their long baked beans prepared in earthen ware crocks.
The result is some of the tastiest Pinto beans to ever grace a plate. Enjoy!

 Prep time: 8 hrs          Cook time: 6 hrs.           Serves: 8


Ingredients:

1 lb dry pinto beans, picked and sorted to remove debris
2 oz aprox. by weight  Salt Pork sliced into lardones
1 qt low sodium Beef Stock (home made if you have it) the  best you can find
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp Granulated Garlic or 2 cloves chopped fine
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp Black pepper ( the stuff from the box)
1/2 tsp onion powder or 1/4  finely cup grated Spanish onion
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp Corriender
2 Bay leaves
1 tsp Whole Cloves
1Tbl Mexican oregano
2 tbl Ketchup
* optional 2 Jalapenos with slits cut into the sides

Tools: Measuring spoons, Crock pot or dutch oven, Box Grater, Paring Knife.

Directions:

Sort the beans to remove any debris( twigs, pebbles)  rinse well and soak in 2 qrts of water over night.
The next morning and rinse again. place beans in the crock pot, add all the spices, salt pork, beef stock, and ketchup. Give a quick stir place the lid on  and set to high. Cook 6 hrs.
If using a dutch oven cook on med/low.
Serve with corn bread and sliced sweet onion, Jalapeneos or long grain rice. or serve as a side.