OctoBEARfest, Magnolia, Texas

Bears Etc.’s second annual OctoBEARfest is ready to roar!

Join them on October 12 from 10am-4pm in Montgomery’s historic district located off of Texas 105 and Liberty Street to help raise funds for a bear sanctuary in Montgomery County. The children’s area, crafter’s market, and bake sale will be back again this year, along with several new attractions.

Last year’s inaugural event raised over $4,000. The goal is to raise $200,000 to support the vision for a new Bear and Exotic Animal Rescue Sanctuary  in Montgomery. Bears Etc. was founded as a nonprofit organization in 2017 to provide permanent, community-based, self-sustainable refuge as a home for displaced exotic and wild animals and to educate others about the natural world.

As with last year, there will be a BBQ cook-off. Buy your taster’s ticket early and enjoy some premier Texas BBQ – and get to vote on which is the best!

 

This year will also see a lawnmower race, and a wide assortment of information and crafts booths to browse and learn from. The cottage industry was well represented with tons of tasty items available for sampling and sale.

 

Last year’s information booths included Bear’s Etc., Safe Haven – a large animal rescue service, and a raptor rehabilitation team.

 

Hope to see you there!

— Ann Cathey

Red, White and BBQ,

Being a member of MyMagazine™ Sharing Network has gotten me to try a lot of products that I might otherwise have let slip by. These products are normaly in the form of free samples and coupons for free products and discounts. This time around, the mission was all about “Red, White, and BBQ”.

The package of free goodies for this mission included:

• McCormick® Grill Mates® Bottle Blend Seasoning
  – What I’m going to carry on about.
  -We have purchased the Smokehouse Maple, Mesquite, and Brown Sugar Bourbon.
• Keebler® Chips Deluxe® Cookies
  – Have to have a dessert!
  – Fun recipe to try out.
• Lays® Original or Jalapeño Chips
  – Jalapeno is not my favorite flavor, but there were other chips involved.
  – More on Lay’s chips.
• Kleenex® Wet Wipes 
  – Terribly handy in a lot of places!
• Pass-along Coupons
  – I shared the wealth with several folks at my local Kroger.

 

There. I’m done pimping out the products for the mission. I do recommend trying them all, as they are wonderful in the opinion of my household.

 

The mission suggested a backyard BBQ bash, but it’s been too hot to do much outside recently. Instead we had the party inside and enjoyed every bite.

There were ships and cookies and other assorted goodies on each plate served up, though the burgers and sliders simply stole the show.bite

 

 

 

 

We gave the McCormick Grill Mates Smokehouse Maple a try. Instead of sprinkling onto a meat to be grilled, we mixed it into the hamburger meat with a couple of eggs and a bunch of shredded cheese. May not look like much in a bowl, but it came out better than we expected.

 

 

 

Talk about outstanding flavor! The added smoky aroma and the subtle maple flavor wound all through the burger for a delicious surprise. We made burgers and sliders out of that one batch, with all the fixings, and can’t wait to try some of the other flavors.

— Ann Cathey

Smokey Mo’s – Austin, TX

On a recent trip to Austin, Texas, we rediscovered a BBQ joint that we first tried in Conroe: Smokey Mo’s. While I may have been enjoying them for a while and somehow never managed to blog about them, they are still producing very appetising and satisfying meals in multiple locations around Texas.

The run of side dishes is pretty standard, and everything is complimentary to BBQ meats, of course. Fries, potato salad, beans, fried okra, corn on the cob, right down to the self-serve bread, onions, pickles and jalapenos.

Trust me, I helped myself to the pickles.

Two trays of pickles, just like this!

 

My partner helped himself to not one, but two chop sandwiches. The chop is loaded with sauce and chopped bits and pieces of meat. It’s mostly beef with the occasional turkey or sausage bits mixed in.

Chop Sandwich before any fixin’s were added.

 

The three meat plate is an indulgent sampler of meats and sides. There’s plenty to choose from, too. I picked the turkey-sausage-sliced brisket combination with a double side of slaw. The second slaw was really for Christopher, but it sure makes the plate look as full as my belly got after eating all this.

Three meat combo plate with two sides.

 

It’s always pleasant to find a bit of the familiar when travelling that’s not your run of the mill fast food. Visiting Smokey Mo’s was definitely a fit of comfort food in a weekend full of exploration.

Enjoy!

— Ann Cathey

 

Slow Cooker Recipes from Crock-Pot #1

I like to use slow cooker liners. Whenever I buy a box of them, there is invariably a little handout inside that includes a few recipes. Some of these I have tried variations on, some I have not. In any case, they are great for folks starting out with slow cookers!

Here’s one that is sure to please sammich eaters.

Barbecue Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Cook time on Low: 10-14 hours
Cook time on High: 4-6 hours
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients:
2-1/2 pounds pork roast
14 oz. BBQ sauce, whatever you prefer
1tsp brown sugar
1Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 medium onion, chopped
8 hamburger buns or hard rolls

Directions:
1. Place pork roast into the slow-cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on Low or High, as preferred.
3. Remove the pork roast form the stoneware, and pull the meat into shreds.
4. Remove any liquid from the stoneware, retaining for later use if desired.
5. Combine the pork with remaining ingredients in the slow-cooker, Cook on High for 2 hours.
6. Serve the barbecue pork on hamburger buns or hard rolls.

Notes:
I prefer to drop the diced onions into the bottom of the pot and laying the pork roast on top before cooking. This cooks the onions pretty much to death, but allows the flavor more action in the meat. It can also help tenderize the meat.

When removing the pork for shredding, reserve those onions to toss back into the final mix. I will also reserve the fluid for making tamales, soups, and even to use a couple of tablespoons here and there as a treat for my dog.

This recipe also works well with beef or venison.

— Ann Cathey

BBQ Flavored Gifting Idea

I recently noted that BBQ is a very popular flavoring not only in meat dishes where the savory and sweet sauces are used to enliven smoked meats, but in potato chip and chocolate flavorings. These days, BBQ is a gourmet flavoring for all kinds of treats. Oh, and let’s not forget the glorious sides for BBQ – pickles and onions!

Photo from Peanut Roaster website shows Bacon Ranch, Sweet Maui Onion, and Dill Pickle flavors in a gift pack.

On a recent trip to our local Sam’s Club, we found gift sets of gourmet peanuts by the Carolina Nut Company. There is another company online that’s using the same label art, and offering the same flavors, The Peanut Roaster. Both companies have BBQ, Sweet Onion and Dill Pickle flavor gift packs.

 

 

 

 

Carolina BBQ Peanuts from Carolina Nut Company found at Sam’s Club.

Carolina Barbecue Peanuts
From the Website:
Carolina Barbecue Peanuts are slow-cooked and packed with zesty heat and mesquite flavor! Our extra jumbo Virginia peanuts are hand-roasted in all-natural peanut oil and slathered in smoky Carolina barbecue seasoning. Our recipe was created to give you a mouth-watering backyard barbecue experience. Laced with the famous flavor of smoky-hot and tangy North Carolina barbecue, our Carolina Barbecue Peanuts are the perfect spicy food gift.

 

 

 

Sweet Maui Onion Peanuts from Carolina Nut Company found at Sam’s Club.

Sweet Maui Onion Peanuts
From the website:
Seasoned with the island flavor of sweet Maui Onion for an authentic Hawaiian snack. Extra large Virginia peanuts are coated in the perfect balance of seasoning to create the most delectable roasted nuts around. Our Maui Onion flavored peanuts are bold on flavor and intense on crunch!

 

 

 

 

 

Dill Pickle Peanuts from Carolina Nut Company found at Sam’s Club.

Dill Pickle Flavored Peanuts
From the website:
Seasoned with delicious dill these flavored peanuts pack a salt and vinegar punch with a hint of garlic. Extra large Virginia peanuts are coated in the perfect balance of seasoning to create the most delectable roasted nuts around. Our Dill Pickle flavored peanuts are bold on flavor and intense on crunch!

 

 

 

 

 

A number of flavors and nut varieties are available from both companies. Look for them locally, as we found at Sam’s Club, or order them  online.Keep these delectable taste treats in mind when looking for something new to try or even as gifts for the holidays. They are sure to please the adventurous foodies in you life!

— Ann Cathey