Sorry I have been away, but I've been visiting my Army son and his family for the last couple of weeks. I did surprise the grandchildren with my trip. They had no idea that I was coming until I walked into their house. They were ecstatic...I love surprises!
While I was there, I was able to go to their school Christmas Concerts, and the girls dance recitals. They did a great job!
Now, we are all back in Louisiana for the holidays. My Navy son and husband are here too. It's not every holiday that we all get to be together, so we enjoy family time when we can. I cherish these memories that we are making!
It has been a flurry of activity around here with cooking, baking and wrapping presents. My daughter-in-law and I were looking at the tree with all of the presents under it and decided we had overdone it again..... (sound familiar?) Which brings me to this point- Christmas presents have gotten out of hand! Does each grandchild REALLY need 15-20 presents (from mom and dad, grandparents and Santa????) I think not!
I have come to a decision....next year they get 1 nice gift from me. I am not trying to be a scrooge, but this has to be put in perspective. They get so overwhelmed by all of the gifts, that they pick their favorite ones and the others get pushed aside. Their toy boxes are full already...where's the new stuff going to go? Anyone else in this situation? Let's see if I can stick to my decision.....
For me, Christmas is about spending time with the people you love. Not the gifts you get. Just being with my sons, daughter-in-law, grandchildren and husband is the best Christmas present I could ask for!
I hope you also get to spend time with the people you care about...
Merry Christmas from Cajun Country!!!
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Monday, December 2, 2013
Wild Hog Boudin
This is our first attempt at making boudin....it actually turned out pretty good! It's not hard to do, just a little time consuming. We will do this again, but with a real sausage maker and not a meat grinder.
I got the original recipe from the Louisiana Sportsman October Magazine. We tweaked it a little and came up with this easier version.
Wild Hog Boudin
10 lbs. ground wild hog pork (regular will do too)
2 lbs. liver (I used beef liver)
2 24 oz. bags seasoning blend
1 cup minced garlic
8 cups chicken broth
1 T. cayenne pepper
3 T. salt
1 T. black pepper
4 bunches chopped green onion
1 bunch chopped parsley
2 T. Tobasco hot sauce
2 packages sausage casings
3 lbs. uncooked rice
In very large pot add ground pork, liver, seasoning blend, salt and pepper. Add enough chicken broth to cover meat completely. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook until pork is done. Give it approximately one hour. Stir often to break down meat into small pieces.
Remove meat and vegetables with slotted spoon- reserve one gallon of broth. Bring the liquid to a boil and add rice, reduce heat and cook until rice is done.
In a large bowl, add meat mixture, green onions, parsley, hot sauce and cooked rice. Blend well. Taste and add more seasoning if necessary.
Rinse sausage casings with warm water. Place over sausage stuffer, tie knot on one end. Put boudin mixture in top of stuffer and start pushing the stuffing through the casing. Don't overfill or it will explode. Twist as you go. We made about four links at a time and then cut it to start another one. Repeat until all stuffing is gone.
This recipe made about 15 lbs. boudin. At this stage, the boudin is cooked and can be eaten immediately. It can be frozen in Ziploc bags (a few links in each), grilled, smoked, or reheated by simmering in water or steaming.
Boudin can be eaten alone, or on French bread (like a sandwich). Drizzle Steen's Syrup over the boudin...it is DELICIOUS!
What can I say, we Cajuns LOVE our boudin!!!
This is our meat grinder. It has a sausage attachment. Sorry, didn't get a pic of that.
After mixing all ingredients - ready to stuff the casings. Looks like rice dressing!
You can find the original recipe at www.louisianasportsman.com.
I got the original recipe from the Louisiana Sportsman October Magazine. We tweaked it a little and came up with this easier version.
Wild Hog Boudin
10 lbs. ground wild hog pork (regular will do too)
2 lbs. liver (I used beef liver)
2 24 oz. bags seasoning blend
1 cup minced garlic
8 cups chicken broth
1 T. cayenne pepper
3 T. salt
1 T. black pepper
4 bunches chopped green onion
1 bunch chopped parsley
2 T. Tobasco hot sauce
2 packages sausage casings
3 lbs. uncooked rice
In very large pot add ground pork, liver, seasoning blend, salt and pepper. Add enough chicken broth to cover meat completely. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook until pork is done. Give it approximately one hour. Stir often to break down meat into small pieces.
Remove meat and vegetables with slotted spoon- reserve one gallon of broth. Bring the liquid to a boil and add rice, reduce heat and cook until rice is done.
In a large bowl, add meat mixture, green onions, parsley, hot sauce and cooked rice. Blend well. Taste and add more seasoning if necessary.
Rinse sausage casings with warm water. Place over sausage stuffer, tie knot on one end. Put boudin mixture in top of stuffer and start pushing the stuffing through the casing. Don't overfill or it will explode. Twist as you go. We made about four links at a time and then cut it to start another one. Repeat until all stuffing is gone.
This recipe made about 15 lbs. boudin. At this stage, the boudin is cooked and can be eaten immediately. It can be frozen in Ziploc bags (a few links in each), grilled, smoked, or reheated by simmering in water or steaming.
Boudin can be eaten alone, or on French bread (like a sandwich). Drizzle Steen's Syrup over the boudin...it is DELICIOUS!
What can I say, we Cajuns LOVE our boudin!!!
This is our meat grinder. It has a sausage attachment. Sorry, didn't get a pic of that.
You can find the original recipe at www.louisianasportsman.com.
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