A Cowboy’s Southern Style Crab Dip

Dip is a popular party food and football games demand great party food. This dip is delicious, easy to prepare and fit into both low calorie and low carbohydrate lifestyles. Hearty and excellent served warm, this southern delight is also decadent.

Portion control is a necessary partner to any successful diet. Yet eating enjoyable and delicious food is essential to mental and physical well being. Eating anything is fine, just keep the amount you eat in check and don't overdue.

A Cowboy’s Southern Style Crab Dip

1½ tablespoons flour or almond flour (low carb option)
1½ tablespoons melted butter
½ cup milk
1/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese
4 scallions, diced
3 garlic cloves, diced
¼ cup butter
1 pound fresh crab meat, picked over
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Frank's Red Hot Sauce
Salt and white pepper to taste
½ cup heavy cream
1 ½ teaspoons sherry
1 ½ teaspoons brandy

Combine flour and melted butter in sauce pan. Stir in milk and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in cheese until blended. Sauté scallions and garlic in butter until softened. Add crab meat, lemon juice, Frank's Red Hot Sauce, salt and pepper to taste and heat until warmed through. Remove from heat and stir in cheese sauce, cream, sherry and brandy. Serve warm with vegetable crudités, or over fresh baked bread, biscuits or crackers.

Recipe courtesy of 'A Cowboy Cookin' Every Night Southern Style' by Carol Bardelli.

Sea Changes, Health Challenges and Foodie Fun

I haven't worked out regularly. Family illnesses, another new writing job, a change in venue in my Examiner column, and time consuming personal challenges got in the way of my doing so.

Beyond testing and writing reviews for exercise videos, I'm just doing resistance training now and then. I'm not posting reviews on all the fitness DVDs I get. Because, frankly some of the workouts, well, frankly suck. Frank should pay me for the press.

The reasons are simple for not reviewing some exercise DVDs. The host is a bore or too cheerful, or a drone. The setting is not inspirational, or doesn't apply to the workout venue. Or the exercises / workout is a rip off from other routines. Think chatting Cathy in her too neat and tidy pink and purple exercise room, or in a cheap film studio. If you're doing one more version of Taebo, kick boxing, or whatever the latest trend is at the moment, I don't need another wannabe.

By the way, Kettlebells have a flaw. It's easy to skip negative reps. This equals a lack of muscle stimulation and growth. I think Jon Benson said so in a newsletter. Read up, kiddos. I digress.

Maybe I should warn you all off these mediocre or bad exercise videos. But the titles are new and often obscure. I'm not that worried you'll end up blowing a few dollars on a so so fitness DVD and not financially survive. If your budget margin is that tight, go here, or here.

I digress. I like to.

Things are settling down somewhat now. Summer is coming and hopefully that will mean more time to devote to non essentials - like blogging!

Yes, blogging is no longer a priority. It's not that I don't want to, I really do miss it. But when writing time should be devoted to better paying projects, I have to put my freelance writing first. My Examiner column, which started with my being assigned as a "Fitness Examiner" and later the "Nutrition Examiner" is now a completely different ball of wax. I'm now the "Healthy Recipes Examiner" and I love it!

I started at Suite 101 covering diet and nutrition, but quickly moved to the Food Section. Yes, a dream has come true, I am a Food Writer! Like old times, when my son was little and I was immersed in writing cookbooks, I'm hip deep in recipes and food experiments. Yum!

(I did gain ten pounds due to lack of exercise. As a family we've been sick with allergies, colds, and other crappy conditions most of this year. But I plan to workout more and eat less carbs soon.)

God willing and the sea don't rise, I'm back to blogging as often as my schedule will allow. For now, check out my recipes at the Examiner Food Section and my recipes at Suite 101.

A Cowboy Fourth For Me

Photos copyright protected by iStockPhoto. I purchased rights to use them for my next soon-to-be released cookbook from my cowboy cookery series 'A Cowboy Cookin Every Night - Southern Style' by Carol Bardelli.

Note: I cleaned up my sidebar in hopes of getting the page to load faster.

Here's a few recipes from my cookbook 'Authentic Cowboy Cookery Then and Now' by Carol Bardelli and F.E. “Lizzie” Hill. Lizzie Hill was my maternal grandmother. She died in 1979 but I used many of her recipes when writing this cookbook and I thought it fitting to include her as an author. These are not diet or low carb, they’re authentic cowboy dishes and we all know working cowhands - much like athletes and bodybuilders – do not skimp on beans, grains, or starches.

Cold Cucumber Pickles

7 cup sliced, unpeeled cucumbers
1 cup onion
1 cup green pepper
1 cup vinegar
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. celery salt
2 cups sugar

Mix all together cold and store in covered container in refrigerator. Pickles will keep for months.

Texas Style Corn Chowder

6 slices bacon, diced
1/2 c. onion, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
2 cups potatoes, diced
1\2 c. water
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 c. cream style corn
1\2 tbsp. butter, melted
2 tbsp. flour
3 c. milk
parsley
red pepper flakes

Fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon. Sauté onion and jalapenos in bacon drippings until soft. Cook potatoes in the water with salt, onion and bacon until tender. Add pepper and corn. Blend butter and flour, stir in milk and cook until slightly thickened. Add to corn mixture. Sprinkle with parsley and red pepper flakes. Serve hot.

















Texas Rattlesnake Chili

Rattlesnakes were, and still are, common critters in the ranch lands of the American west. They were often killed as varmints. Cowboys followed a rule of frugality and rarely wasted any food available including the lowly rattler.

In 5 qt. saucepan or Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons oil or lard and cook 2 chopped onions, 1 chopped green bell pepper, 2 diced jalapeño peppers and 3 cloves minced garlic until tender but not brown. Add 1 pound of beef cut in chunks and meat from one rattlesnake cut in chunks, cook until done. Stir in 2 tablespoons chili powder, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Add 6 or 8 chopped tomatoes and 2/3 cups tomato paste. Bring to a boil, cover, then reduce heat and simmer about 2 hours, add water as needed.

“The secret to happiness is good boots and cream gravy.” Willie Nelson

Willie’s Red Eye Cream Gravy

2-3 tablespoons ham or bacon grease
2-3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 to 1 cup brewed coffee or broth
1/3 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

To make the gravy heat bacon grease in a pan on low to medium heat. Add flour slowly, stirring to remove lumps and blend with grease. Cook, stirring constantly, for 4-5 minutes. Gradually whisk in chicken broth until thickened. Stir in 1/3 cup cream until well blended and heated. Salt and pepper to taste. Gravy making is an acquired skill that takes practice. The "art" of gravy hinges on various elements; Blending flour to fat smoothly to prevent lumps, avoiding uncooked and burnt flour during the cooking period, adding enough flour and later, cream, but not too much. Remember, well prepared gravy is a reward in itself. Try the coffee version. Yum, Yum.

Success without honor is an unseasoned dish. – Joe Paterno

Hotter 'N' Hell Chili

2 pounds beef chuck, cut in 1-inch cubes
2 large onions, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
4 jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Habanero pepper mustard
or 1 teaspoon Habanero chilies, diced
(Take care not to get any juice in your eyes!)
1/2 cup dry red wine
4 cups fresh tomatoes chopped,
or 2-16 ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
2 cups cooked kidney beans
0r 1-16 ounce can kidney beans, drained
1 cup sour cream
1 cup Shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup pickled jalapeño peppers.

Sauté the first 6 ingredients in olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stock pot until meat is browned. Stir in next 9 ingredients, bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 1/2 hours.

Serve with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and pickled jalapeño peppers.

Argue for your limitations and sure enough they’re yours. – Richard Bach

Happy Fourth Everyone!