freySite
the life and times of J T Frey
The spring of 2023 I finally went to the effort of netting the two small blueberry bushes in our yard. By late June I harvested about 2 pounds of berries. I also had on-hand the last of the sour cherries we picked at a local orchard. I went searching for a recipe for sour cherries and blueberries and found one on yayforfood.com. This is an adaptation of that recipe.
Grown-up grilled cheese: honey turkey, muenster cheese, and this bacon jam on buttered sourdough. No, the bacon jam is not optional.
On our annual trip to the Outer Banks we pitch-in one night by making dinner: local fish and shrimp (usually grilled) are front and center on the menu. I was planning to do a bbq-ish theme this year, and since I can count on finding excellent salmon at the local seafood markets I planned for a bourbon barbecue glazed salmon. Which just meant I needed a bourbon barbecue sauce; this one is adapted from several recipes I found online. Redemption is a higher-quality bourbon with a very smooth taste, so I used a bit more of it than recipes that advocated for cheaper brands. And I always like to add the liquid smoke late in the cooking process. Adding the black pepper at the end keeps a bit more of the sharp bite from that ingredient, too.
The first time I went to Famous Dave's BBQ I tasted with some skepticism the small, flat cornbread muffin that came with my dinner. What a surprise: the muffin was very moist and just sweet enough while still retaining that fundamental taste of cornbread. So I decided that I'd try my hand at a tasty cornbread muffin that I could serve with any meal.
Yields 10 muffins.
This recipe is based on a recipe I found online; I held back a bit on the garlic and anchovy paste to meet my tastes. This recipe yields enough to dress a large bowl of caesar salad (for ~ 6 adults).
One thing I dislike about commercial seasoning blends is the amount of salt they include; not only am I paying a premium for something which is usually mainly salt, but it's impossible to balance the spice-to-salt ratio just as I like it. This recipe leaves the salt out; the Old Bay and oregano make the biggest difference. If you don't believe me, try making the recipe without them then add them.