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Earl Campbell’s Hotlinks (!Chicken, Pork, & Beef!)

Monday, March 4th, 2013
Earl Campbell's Hot Links

Earl Campbell's Hot Links

Our Uncle is friends with Earl Campbell and was sent a bunch of Earl Campbell’s HOT LINKS in the mail, which we were lucky enough to enjoy.  When they had us over to try them, we loved them and even passed on a pack to our Texas friends and they loved them too (they are a bit spicy so you have to enjoy that).  So we set out to order a bunch more but this time with cheese: Hot-n-Cheddar Links!  The packs are quite large so we split a shipment with friends.  The links are pretty great to have in the freezer and pop out to make these tasty and easy dishes below.

You can eat these sausages grilled or cooked on the stove top with some sides but we also found three other recipes that worked really well with these links. One is an easy stew from Bon Appetit and the other is an easy Jambalaya Recipe.

UPDATE: The shipping costs are pretty high for these sausages but from our research it says that the Fremont, CA Walmart carries them!

Earl Campbell’s Sausages in these easy recipes:

  • Easy Jambalaya Recipe
  • This is a great weeknight dinner, super easy, fast and it will impress the weeknight crowd for sure, this is not a complex flavored true jambalaya – it is the weeknight, fast version. Serve with a salad.
  • 1 Tablespoon butter (or olive oil)
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 3 celery stalks, finely chopped (optional)
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 red or green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
  • 1 pound sausage (use links above), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 Tablespoon Cajun Spices
  • 2 Tablespoons Tabasco
  • 1 can (14 ounces) crushed tomatoes with juice
  • 1 cup long-grain rice
Directions:
  1. Heat butter in larger saucepan.
  2. Add vegetables to pot.
  3. Cook, stirring, 5 minutes.
  4. Add sausage; cook 3 minutes.
  5. Add garlic; cook 1 minute.
  6. Stir in stock, Cajun Seasonings, tomatoes, and 1/2 cup water; bring to a boil.
  7. Add Rice. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook 20 to 25 minutes or until rice is tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Posted in Foodie Gifts, Grilling, Home Cookin', Store Bought | 1 Response »
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Spoon, could you give me a hand?

Saturday, December 31st, 2011

We are addicted to Pinterest and have found it possible to find the coolest Culinary Utensils around.

$16.50 on Amazon

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Last Minute Gifts in Santa Cruz made in Santa Cruz?

Friday, December 23rd, 2011

    1. Verve Coffee – for someone who LOVES coffee, get them the exceptional – Kenya Karatu $23.40 OR a 3-6 month subscription.
    2. el Salchichero Charcuterie Butcher for fixings for a Cheese & Charcuterie Platter - in Santa Cruz on Swift Street. Persimmon Mostarda - Emperor Norton Canning Company (savory-tangy-sweet flavor) OR other canned goodies for a Charcuterie Meat & Cheese Tray with all the trimmings. House Made Curry Raisins – made at el Salchichero Chacuterie Butcher
    3. Friend in Cheeses Jam Company - “Chow Chow”, “Pinot Cherries,” “Carrot Marmalade,” “Forbidden Fruit Marmalade,” “Fig Fennel Jam,” and “Spring Onion Jam” that you can buy in Santa Cruz at New Leaf, Shopper’s Corner, Staff of Life, Hay Market (Willow Glen) … or order online for $8 a jar.              For suggested pairings from owner Tabitha, – see here.
    4. Sones Cellars-Refillable Bottle - Hedgehog Red, a petite sirah-zinfandel blend classified as a red table wine that is tapped from a tasting room barrel and sold in refillable bottles. $5 for the bottle $12 for refills ($10 for wine club members).  We tasted it yesterday and it was, yes, very tasty!
    5. Santa Cruz Food Tour Tickets! ($52.50 ea. – lasts 3.5 hours, all food included)

    Posted in Foodie Gifts, Santa Cruz | 2 Comments »
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    5 Foodie Stocking Stuffers • 2011

    Wednesday, December 21st, 2011

    StirSticks for Cooking that look like Paint Stir Sticks

    5 Stocking Stuffer List for Foodies:

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    My Valentine’s Day Present Pick: Rose Pearl Green Tea ($144 lb.!)

    Thursday, February 3rd, 2011

    Alrighty, this is my Valentine’s Day Gift Pick for your special lady:

    • Rose Pearl Green Tea ($144 lb.) from Ten Ren Tea in Cupertino (SF, Milpitas, Richmond, Newark, & LA locations too)

    After a Chinese New Year’s occasion of Dim Sum at Joy Luck Palace with a friend we ventured around the Cupertino Village Asian strip mall of stores and restaurants all there together, to buy more of, one of my all-time favorites, Jasmin Pearl Tea.  Jasmin Pearl Tea is quite expensive at about $100 lb and reminds me of my childhood (not sure why at all, but it does).  At Ten Ren Tea, sitting on the shelf next to the Jasmin Pearl Tea, was another lovely looking blend called Rose Pearl Green Tea that had a combination of Jasmin Pearl Tea and dried Rose Buds for $144 lb.  I knew it would be good and thought, this is the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for your girlfriend (s), mother, grandmother, and wife.  You don’t want to buy a pound because that would be a LOT of tea.  A $15-20 sachet worth of tea is the perfect amount.  With the tea, you could include a beautiful tea pot set, mug, candies, chocolates or … !

    Posted in Foodie Gifts, South Bay - Silicon Valley | No Comments »
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    Still need a Homemade Holiday Gift? Tijuana Tidbits

    Tuesday, December 21st, 2010

    Chex Mix or Tijuana Tidbits?  You either love em’ or your hate em’ or you start munching on em’ and can’t stop.  Either way, party mix gets consumed and that seems to be what the holidays are all about!  AND, the lucky recipient of your TT’s won’t forget you because love and hate are strong emotions.  But really, this recipe is a little bit different.  My mom claims that Tijuana Tidbits are a snack mix that even men like.  I think she is onto something here.  Who knew that men liked em’ hot and sweet?

    Tijuana Tidbits Recipe

    Makes 18 cups

    Ingredients:

    • 4 cups tortilla chips, broken into 1 1/2” pieces
    • 3 cups Crispix cereal
    • 1 bag microwave popcorn popped (8-9cups)
    • 1, 12 ounce can of mixed cocktail nuts
    • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
    • 1/2 cup butter
    • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
    • 1 TBSP chili powder
    • 1/8 tsp Cinnamon
    • 1/8-1/4 tsp ground red pepper

    Preparation:

    Heat oven to 250F.

    Combine chips, cereal, popcorn, and nuts in large roasting pan. Combine other ingredients in small saucepan, heat to boiling.   Pour over cereal mixture in pan, stirring to coat. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Remove from oven and turn onto sheet of wax paper to cool.

    Store in airtight container up to 2 weeks.

    Posted in Appetizers, Family Favorites, Foodie Gifts, Home Cookin' | No Comments »
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    A Unique Xmas Gift for the Carnivore: Mom Wilson’s Candy-Cane shaped “Cracker Sausage”

    Saturday, December 18th, 2010

    A few years ago my cousin’s wife, originally from Ohio who now lives in Florida, told us about Mom Wilson’s Country Sausage that is actually located in my childhood hometown.  She told us that each time she drives through our hometown in Ohio on her way to Northern Ohio that she stops at Mom Wilson’s Country Sausages to pick up a Smoked Ham. It was weird to me because I had lived near Ma Wilson’s for twenty some years before moving to California and had no idea Mom Wilson’s was that good. I finally figured out that it is a local gem and on todays visit we spotted something too good and too kitschy to pass up, a Candy-Cane shaped spicy “Cracker Sausage.”

    Inside Mom Wilson’s they have lots of tastes to figure out what you may want to buy from hot pickles to spicy sausage, braunschwaiger, caramel corn, and other country sausages and cheese. I asked them what their biggest seller was and they told me it was the Cracker Sausage. After tasting it and finding out it was delicious, I looked in the refrigerator and saw a Candy-Cane shaped Cracker Sausage for $5.60. John and I both said, “That is awesome!”

    You can’t order it online, yes, that is how local they are, but you can call them and they will ship it out to you. Then pair it with a box of crackers or their horseradish cheese and it’s a unique gift for friends or your holiday party.

    Mom Wilson’s Country Sausage
    7720 U.S. Route 23 North
    Delaware, Ohio 43015

    Phone (740) 726-2636

    Posted in Foodie Gifts, Ohio, Out of Town, Store Bought | No Comments »
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    2010 Cheapskate Foodie Gifts • 20 Under $30

    Friday, December 3rd, 2010

    For the Photo-Foodie:

    • The Camera Lens Mug (for Canon or Nikon lovers) $24-30 + Shipping – For the Photo & Coffee Geek by Photo JoJo OR Give the foodie photographer or blogger a Studio Photo-Tent Dome for their plated foods too (OK, just a bit more than $30, range from $35-100)!

    For the Mess-in-the-Kitchen:

    - Hand screen printed using color-fast ink in red. Washing machine/dryer safe. Absorbent flour sack is 28″ x 29″. Colors: Dark Blue , Arctic Blue (light) , Sweet Pea Green , Clementine , Red Raspberry , Chocolate Pudding Brown

    For the OCD-Kitchen Cook:

    -Slice your veggies or any food item precisely and more quickly than pulling out your big-old $200 Mandolin.

    For the Wine-Lover:

    - James Beard Foundation Book Award Beverage Winner 2010 – Written by visionary California winemaker and founder of Bonny Doon Vineyard (from Santa Cruz!)

    - 12 Zodiac Animal Head Choices

    For the Sweet Tooth:

    For the Fashionable Foodie’s Stocking:

    For the Herb Lover:

    For the Bacon Lover: Are we still loving Bacon Stuff? YES!

    - This is a savory jam cooked down with onions and spices. – Serve it on sandwiches and such

    • Bacon Explosion - 1/2 Bacon Explosion – $17.99 Full Bacon Explosion – $29.99 + shipping

    - Quilted Bacon (retains all of the fat, so watch out) with sausage, BBQ sauce, BBQ rub and it is then smoked – Put it on toothpicks to serve because it has a pretty intense, rich flavor

    Posted in Foodie Gifts, Store Bought | 2 Comments »
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