The Heart Of Texas

Through the years I have created many different dry rubs combining many different ingredients.  Last week I put together a very basic dry rub hitting my favorite flavors.  Some of the things I have learned is the fact powderized salt goes a real long way.  Any salt pulverized in a spice mill will work.  In this rub I used pink Himalayan sea salt.  The ingredients are as follows: Tellicherry black pepper (1/8th cup) Pink Himalayan sea salt (1/16th cup) Organic sweet Spanish paprika (1/2 cup) Onion powder and granules (1/2 cup total) Granulated garlic (1/4th cup) Sucanat (which stands for sugar cane natural) (1/2 cup) 8 Fresno peppers I pulverized to a powder the black pepper, sea salt and Fresno peppers.  Then I mixed in the ingredients.  The rub has a nice flavor and just a hint of heat.  You could double the peppers if you want it hot.  I bought fresh Fresno peppers and dried them out in the oven at 200 degrees for 5 or 6 hours.  The outcome was excellent.

The nutritional benefits of milling your own grains Preparing the most nutritional meals possible for my family has been my focus for many years. For years I have read about the many empty calories we consume on a daily basis. The vitamin and supplement business is a mega-billion dollar industry. I have known for years highly processed foods were bad nutrition. Processed foods are easy and pretty but do not translate to nutritious food. Any foods that have been processed and designed to have a shelf life are at the best poor nutrition. Canned and pre-packaged foods have added ingredients that are poison to our bodies. Doctors have been telling us for years to lower our consumption of saturated fats, sodium and sugar. If everyone just cut their consumption of bad stuff by 50% we would be in far better condition. If we consumed the foods God gave us we would be in splendid condition. In my research I have read many things that are just good common

3 cups almost hot water 1/8th cup honey 2 T yeast 1/4th cup olive oil 2 t sea salt 1 T ground oregano 1 T ground basil 1 T onion powder 1 T minced garlic 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup gluten flour 6 to 7 cups whole wheat flour 1/2 cup corn meal Mix water, yeast, honey, salt and olive oil and let rest for a couple minutes and then add the rest of the ingredients except the corn meal. Knead for about 10 minutes. Let dough rest for a few minutes and then divide into 3 large pizza crusts. Put some of the corn meal on a flat dry surface. Sprinkle the dough with some corn meal. Roll out your crusts and sprinkle with corn meal. Form your 3 crusts. Pre- cook the crusts for about 3 to 5 minutes per side at 450 degrees. After the crust has pre-cooked on both sides simply top with your favorite toppings and bake in the oven at 400 degrees until the cheese is melted. These crusts can be frozen and used at a later date. Enjoy!

I want to feed my family the most nutritious food possible, without sacrificing anything! So, in my research of the most basic of foods. Bread and flours are the foundation. After reading many statistics on the nutritional value of breads, I could not believe it. All grains lose a significant percentage of their vitamins and minerals just hours after the milling process. I then began to research the best wheat berry for the most nutritional value. Organic hard winter wheat berries are the best in southeast Texas. Every one of the grains is a work of art. It is very easy to recognize they are packed with vitamins and minerals. I now buy organic hard winter wheat berries and mill the wheat berries and immediately begin to turn them into bread. This bread is as down to earth as it gets. It does not get any fresher. My family has greatly benefited from the super-nutritional value of the ultra-fresh flour and all wholesome ingredients! The final outcome is delicious!

Texas Chili from scratch! Through the years many well meaning folks have tried their level best to define Texas Chili. During the heyday of chili cooking competitions, CASI (Chili Appreciation Society International) required contestants to create a stew of meat and gravy only. Fillers would disqualify you. Some so called purist would be outright mean about the whole bean and chili debate. Those same folks would be the first to open a can of tomato paste or tear into a pre-packaged commercial chili powder. I mean if you are going to claim to know Texas chili then you should know about chili peppers! Right? To this Texan, chili is a stew with a hearty meat and gravy. If you actually read the labels of some of the most popular brands of commercial chili powder they do not even mention the type of chili peppers in the pre-packaged mix. Most of the pre-packaged chili powders have loads of salt and most have MSG and anti-caking agents like sodium aluminosilic

Beef Stock 4 grass fed beef shanks about 3” thick (beautiful) 2 large yellow onions 6 medium carrots 6 stalks celery 6 large fresh shallots ½ bunch fresh cilantro 8 chipotle peppers 1 tbs sea salt 2 tbs fresh cracked peppercorns 2 tbs coriander 2 whole bulbs fresh garlic Put 2 gallons of water in a pot add ingredients (I rough chop everything) bring to a boil then immediately shut fire down to a very slow simmer for 22 hours. Stir every couple hours, then shut off heat let cool for a short while, strain (I strain 2 times), let cool all the way, then I render the fat.