Cuisine: Brown Bread

This recipe was created for The S. Kitchen presents...A Very Mary Queer Year. Fruitcake is definitely a New Year's tradition. Depending on the recipe it is "enjoyable" to varying degrees. Instead of making a "traditional" fruitcake, I decided to tweak a recipe for Brown Bread also known as Boston Bread. This is moist, dense, and filled with dried cherries and golden raisings. Mmm...mouth watering

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Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup rum
1/2 cup dark molasses
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup dried cherries

Directions:In a small jar add raisins and cherries and fill with enough rum to cover. Let soak overnight.

In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients until incorporated. The batter will be really wet.

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease bread pan and pour batter into it. Let set for about 5 minutes. Put bread into oven and bake for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Cuisine: Collard Greens

This recipe was created for The S. Kitchen presents...A Very Mary Queer Year. No New Year's is complete without collard greens in my opinion. I make some of the meanest, tastiest vegan greens you will anywhere. So you better come check em out.

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Ingredients:
3 bunches collard greens
3 bunches leeks
1 large sweet onion
1 head of garlic
butter
olive oil
1 can vegetable broth
salt
Jason's Zesty Spice Rub

Directions:
De-stem and clean all the collard greens. Slice the leeks down the middle and clean.

Layer the collard greens on top of each other and roll up length-wise. Cut the collards into thirds. Set aside.

Cut the leeks into 1/2 inch pieces. Mix leeks and collard greens together.

In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of oil. Add about 1/2 the collard greens and leeks. Fry stirring occasionally for about 5 to 7 minutes (until all the collard greens and leeks have wilted). Remove from pot. Add about 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of oil to the pot. Fry the other 1/2 of the collard greens and leeks. Fry for 5 to 7 minutes (until all the collard greens and leeks have wilted). Remove from pot.

While the collard greens and leeks are frying, dice onion and mince garlic. After all the collard greens and leeks have been fried and removed from the pot, add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil. Fry onions and garlic for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add fried collard greens, leeks, 1 cup of vegetable broth, 1 cup of water and Jason's Zest Spice Rub (about 2 tablespoons depending on how spicy you like your greens.) Simmer for about 25 minutes. Taste and add salt to achieve desired saltiness. Cook for 5 more minutes.

Cuisine: Country-Fried Pork Chops

This recipe was created for The S. Kitchen presents...A Very Mary Queer Year. Pork is considered a very lucky food in cultures around the world. Normally it is a ham or pork shoulder or some other large piece of meat. This is my reinterpretation of traditional pork chops pounded, battered, and fried.

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Ingredients:
4 lbs boneless pork chops about 1/2 inch thick
Jason's Zesty Spice Rub
corn starch
2 cups buttermilk
4 egg yolks
saltines or water crackers, crushed fine
lard
butter
1 onion, diced
2 - 4 TBSP flour
milk
pepper
salt

Directions:
Sprinkle Jason's Zesty Spice Rub over both sides of each pork chop. Place in refrigerator over night.

Take pork chops out of refrigerator and pound with a meat tenderizer until 1/4 inch thick. Cut pork chops in half.

Set up a dredging station: one container with cornstarch, one container with buttermilk whisked with egg yolks, one container with crushed crackers. Dip the pork chop in the cornstarch making sure to coat both sides fully. Then dip in buttermilk mixture. Finally dredge in crushed crackers. Set on wire rack and let rest for about 5 minutes.

Heat lard and butter (in equal measures) in a cast iron skillet until melted. Liquid lard and butter should be about 1/4 inch deep. Place pork chop in hot fat and fry for four minutes per side. Place in a 200 degree oven to keep warm until all pork chops are fried.

Add about 2 to 4 tablespoons of flour to the drippings and fat. Fry the flour for about 3 to 5 minutes (Flour should be completely incorporated into the oil and not yet brown.) Add the diced onion and fry for about 5 minutes. Add a pinch or two of Jason's Zesty Spice Rub. Add all of the buttermilk used in the dredging and bring to a simmer. Add milk until slightly runnier than the gravy thickness you prefer. Bring to a simmer and add salt and pepper to taste. Turn off heat.

Serve pork chops smothered in gravy and enjoy!

Cuisine: Jason's Zesty Spice Rub

I pulled this blend together inspired by Emeril Lagasse's Emeril's New New Orleans Cooking. I blended the Southwest and Cajun seasonings together and added my special secret ingredient and VIOLA! a special spicy spice rub.

Enjoy it rubbed on pork chops, steaks, chicken breasts, catfish, etc. It is also great in rice and beans, soups, chili, and any other recipe that calls for either Southwest or Cajun seasoning.

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Ingredients:
1 TBSP and 1/2 tsp spicy paprika
2 tsp bittersweet paprika
2 tsp smoked chipotle powder
2 tsp red pepper powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
2 TBSP salt

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in an air tight container and shake until all ingredients are mixed together.