You're planning on cooking what, how ?

Cook (kook) verb
     1. to prepare (food, a dish or a meal) by combining and heating the ingredients in various ways.




You've probably heard someone say "oh, I cook, I don't bake" or vice versa... Well, as you know, it's all cooking but the methods and preferences vary greatly.




I've always told people that I don't really grill and that I'm way more comfortable in the kitchen but the fact is I do grill, just not a lot. Whatever I cook on the grill seems to always turn out and be edible but its still not my passion. I give the marinades all the credit... the rest is just a heat source. Now I do get the fact that food cooked over charcoal taste great and that adds tons of flavor. I totally understand that. I myself, have both a charcoal grill and a gas grill (as well as a smoker) and my go to is the gas. Its quick, convenient and its gets us to the table quicker.

The above pic is a couple of grilled venison tenderloin slices. I grilled them on a screaming hot grill for 3 minutes a side then placed them in a 400 degree oven for 3 minutes (then allowed them to rest under tented foil for at least 10min). There's a couple of things that I give most of the credit to. First, when I'm fortunate enough to harvest a deer, I have the tenderloins sliced 2 inches thick. That seems to help keep them moist and second, the marinade. I marinade 99% of the wild game that I cook in the following;


1 cup ginger ale
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup orange juice
2 T brown sugar
fresh ground pepper
garlic


The sugar will allow your meat to get that great tasting 'char' pretty quick. The soy has plenty of sodium so salt isn't really necessary. The green beans are home canned, the potatoes are out of a pack, 'Idahoan' instant. They are absolutely FANTASTIC and cost less that $1 per pack. I'll usually take the pan drippings and make a gravy for them.


Another great marinade for ANYTHING grilled and please try this, you won't regret it...


1 bottle zesty Italian salad dressing
1 bottle A-1 steak sauce
(equal parts)
mix together and marinade, brush, baste or dip anything grilled into this mixture. Really, its good on wild game, chicken, beef, pork and vegetables.


Like I said before, I'm more comfortable in the kitchen and with that said, I do very little baking. For those that know me well, that might come as a bit of a shock. I'm very OCD, with some things. Everything in my garage has its place. The lines in the grass, when I mow, have to run a certain way... you get the point. In the kitchen, I'm not that way with the food. Now I want all my utensils, knives and gadgets where they are supposed to go but that's about it. See, the way I view baking is that it has to be perfect exact measurements. The amount of soda you use works perfectly with the amount of flour that the recipe calls for. The egg count is perfect as well as the vanilla. (HINT), I have taken some cooking classes and its been told that room temperature eggs work better in your baking recipes, than cold ones do. I like to cook and just add a little of this and a little of that. You'll see that when I write about chili... I'll put almost anything in a pot of chili but I believe I've got a winner recipe and its only took 2 decades to get it just right.


About the only thing I really enjoy baking is a certain cheesecake. To be honest, I don't know if I enjoy baking it or decorating it more. I truly think its simply because everyone that gets to try it raves over it. It taste really good and the presentation is stunning. Below is a pic of a Banana Pudding Cheesecake that I baked a while back...

You can get this recipe online. Just google 'Banana Pudding Cheesecake Southern Living'.


I really enjoy cooking period, no matter the heat source. I've even 'cooked' ceviche. A method of cooking fish and small diced vegetables in lime or lemon juice. The acid in the citrus fruit actually cooks the fish. No heat source required. You're really just marinating it.


The next picture is one of my favorite meals. Not just because of the preparation or flavors but the fact that I home canned the pinto beans and sweet potatoes. The potatoes I canned in a sweet syrup and the beans I cooked down with some bacon fat and a couple pieces of smoked sausage (from Louisiana). The collards were cooked down for about 30/45 minutes, until tender, then I added some brown sugar, a splash of bourbon, red pepper flake and just before serving, a splash of cider vinegar. The vinegar will take away that small bitterness that collards sometimes have. The cornbread is one of my beautiful daughters (Shelby) responsibility. She knocks it out of the park... This particular day, she poured half the batter into a cast iron skillet that was passed down to me form my grandmother. She then added about 1/2 pound of browned breakfast sausage and a hand full of mild cheddar cheese then topped of with the remaining batter. When its golden brown, you have sausage stuffed cornbread. The mac and cheese is on the edge of gourmet. Its Publix store brand and my baby girl (Rebekah) absolutely loves it and wants it with every meal. Now my wife (Nicole) adds a little extra flavor to it by adding a couple slices of American cheese and from time to time she'll add a little cream cheese.

Before I shut it down for this week I'll tell you about our 'Go To' dessert. Ready ??? Its Marie Callender's  'Razzleberry'  pie served with Vanilla Ice Cream... That's it. Easy and delicious !!!

Now, do some reading and get you some recipes to try. It don't matter if you fry, bake, broil, boil, smoke or grill, just cook something....