Texas Barbecue

Captain is from Texas where barbecue is synonymous with brisket. Living in the pulled pork region of the country, we throw a Texas barbecue each year to introduce our friends to the Texas style. Our souls are largely fed with meeting new people and making new friends, so our guest lists tends to increase each year. This year we served barbecue brisket, macaroni and cheese, Jean’s beans, watermelon and pecan pie to 55 people on our patio and carport. And, of course, there was an ample supply of Shiner Bock beer and Educated Guess wine.

Captain makes a special Shiner Bock barbecue sauce which he pours over precooked brisket (from Sam’s); ABN makes the macaroni and cheese as well as Jean’s beans. Traditionally we serve a variety of Blue Bell ice cream which most Texans will swear is the only real ice cream. Sadly Blue Bell was not an option this year due to the listeria invasion. (Good news, Texans, Blue Bell has resumed production at its Sylacauga, Alabama plant!)

At this year’s barbecue we celebrated Captains retirement as of August 1! Let the travel begin!!!

Recipes for Captain’s Shiner Bock Barbecue sauce and Jean’s Beans can be found here. 


Here is ABN’s recipe for Mac & Cheese, from a cooking class at Kitchen on the Square in Savannah, Georgia.

Luscious Mac & Cheese

Serves 8

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium Vidalia onion, diced small

3 cloves garlic minced

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups yellow cheddar cheese, shredded

2 cups white cheddar cheese, shredded

1 lb. elbow macaroni, cooked al dente

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

2 teaspoons paprika (optional)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

 Preheat oven to 400° F. In a large saucepan, sauté onions in butter and olive oil for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes.  Add flour to pan and stir until mixture is thick. Do not let it stick to bottom of pan. Slowly add cream, stirring to avoid lumps. Allow the mixture to come to a simmer.

3.    Continue simmering, stirring often to keep the bottom from burning, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and add all of the yellow cheddar and one cup of the white cheddar. Stir to combine.  

4.    Fold in the cooked macaroni, coating each noodle. Season with salt and pepper, then transfer to a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Spread remaining cup of white cheddar over top of macaroni. Toss together the bread crumbs, paprika, a bit more salt and pepper (if desired) and drizzle of olive oil. Spread over the top layer of cheddar.

5.    Bake until top layer of cheese is bubbly and bread crumbs are golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

So, what exactly is Tipsy Tuesday?

During the summer, folks driving past our house on a Tuesday will most likely see this flag (or they
may see a photo of it on Facebook.) Here's the scoop.

A few years ago a friend and I were lamenting that we never got together anymore. We were both busy, she with golf, Captain and I with bicycling. The only evening of the week neither of us had a regular commitment was Tuesday, so we decided to have a glass of wine on our patio after work on Tuesday evenings. Mutual friends began to join us, then some neighbors, then friends of friends and Tipsy Tuesday became a tradition. No invitations are issued; if one sees the flag and knows what it means they are invited. No one is expected to bring anything but sometimes a bottle of wine or hors d'oeuvres will appear. Sometimes we have one or two folks other times we may have a dozen or so. We have regulars and some that pop in from time to time. This is the third season for Tipsy Tuesday, two or three times it has been just Captain and I (and that's okay.)

Our lives are greatly enriched with friends, old and new. Nothing gives us more pleasure than seeing new friendships form on our patio and porch. Well, except when we make new friends with friends of friends.

How does one prepare for an unknown number of guests each week? We sweep the patio, dust the furniture, open a bottle of wine, set out a simple snack and put the flag out. We keep it very simple. If the flag is not out, folks know we are not having Tipsy Tuesday.

It is Tuesday and the flag is out!

Sweet Corn Festival

Last weekend we wandered into south east Missouri to attend the Sweet Corn Festival in East Prairie.

Saw a pig race.

Parked The Wanderer at Boomland. 

Not many amenities but did have full hook-ups. And what about that rate!

We rode 52 miles on the tandem in the Tour de Corn. We have found this to be one of the best

supported rides that we have done.

Lots of food at rest stops, including homemade cookies, watermelon and sweet corn.

The roads were very well marked and plenty of support vehicles ready to assist if needed.

Since we felt we burned a significant amount of calories, we stopped in at Lambert's. Was it  worth the 1 1/2 hour wait? Maybe not so much for us, maybe because our palates have changed over the years. The food is good but not really any better than at Cracker Barrel. It used to be an experience with rolls being thrown constantly and frequent pass arounds (servers bringing extras sides to the table.) On this visit, we had one roll tossed to each of us (okay, that is really all we needed!) and only one pass around (fried okra) brought to the table. ABN was greatly disappointed the fried potatoes didn't appear. Of course since we could sit in comfort in our coach, the wait didn't seem to be too much of an inconvenience.