Maple Whiskey Beef Jerky

My father LOVED beef jerky.  I didn't mind it, but of course my father would make it so that it was the consistency of shoe leather.

Ingredients 

2 pounds eye of round, or any lean cut of beef

1/3 cup maple syrup

2 shots of your favorite whiskey

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 Tbsp sesame oil 

1 Tbsp chili flakes 

1 Tbsp smoked paprika 

1 Tbsp garlic powder 

A few slices of ginger

A little bit of thyme 

You favorite BBQ Seasoning 

Stuff you will need 

Smoker

Smoker wire rack

Cutting board 

Sharp knife 

Canning jar with lid

Directions

Cut off any fat or silver skin off the meat.

Chill the meat for 30 minutes in the freezer.  This will make it easier to cut.

Cut the meat into thin strips.  Against the grain.

Make sure the canning jar is big enough to hold the marinade and beef.  If not, put everything into a zip lock bag.  Remove as much of the air as you can and put in the fridge for 24 hours.  Make sure to rotate the canning jar or zip lock bag every few hours.

Transfer the beef strips to the wire rack and hit it with your favorite BBQ Seasoning. 

Get the smoker to 200 F.  Smoke the beef for 90 minutes and continue to cook for 5 hours.  Depending on how thick you cut the beef strips.

Jerky should be leathery to the touch, and bendable.

Comments and suggestions are ALWAYS welcome. 

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Dip

Ok, this one struck me as weird...  but then I thought it through.

Ingredients 

8 oz cream cheese 

1/2 cup softened butter

3/4 cup powdered sugar 

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

Pinch of salt 

1 cup mini chocolate chips 

Stuff you will need 

Mixing bowl

Spatula

Stand mixer

Serving bowl

Directions 

To the stand mixer, add everything but the chocolate chips.

Mix everything together.

Mix mix mix 

Transfer to a mixing bowl and fold in the chocolate chips with your spatula.

Transfer to your serving bowl.

In the picture, you can see several items that you can dip.

Comments and suggestions are ALWAYS welcome. 

New England Clam Chowder

I asked ChatGPT: Do you have a recipe for new England clam chowder?

Absolutely! Here’s a classic New England Clam Chowder recipe — creamy, rich, and loaded with clams and potatoes, just like the kind you’d get on the East Coast 🍲

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🦪 New England Clam Chowder

Ingredients

For about 4–6 servings:

• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced (Yukon Gold or russet work best)
• 1 cup bottled clam juice (or reserved from canned clams)
• 1 ½ cups water (or seafood stock)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp thyme (fresh or ½ tsp dried)
• 2 (6.5 oz / 184 g) cans chopped clams, undrained
• 2 cups half-and-half or heavy cream
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Optional: chopped parsley or chives for garnish
• Optional: Oyster crackers or crusty bread, for serving

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Instructions

1. Cook the bacon:
   In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, cook diced bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. Leave about 2 tbsp of bacon fat in the pot.

2. Sauté vegetables:
   Add butter, onions, and celery. Cook for 5 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.

3. Add potatoes and seasonings:
   Stir in diced potatoes, bay leaf, and thyme. Pour in clam juice and water (or seafood stock). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender — about 10–12 minutes.

4. Thicken the base:
   In a small bowl, whisk flour into the cream or half-and-half until smooth. Slowly pour this into the chowder, stirring constantly. Simmer another 5 minutes until thickened slightly.

5. Add clams:
   Stir in the clams with their juice. Heat through gently for about 3–5 minutes — don’t boil, or the clams can get tough.

6. Season and serve:
   Remove bay leaf. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Top with crispy bacon and sprinkle with parsley or chives.

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🫕 Tips & Variations

• Thicker chowder: Mash a few potatoes right in the pot or add a touch more flour.
• Lighter version: Use milk instead of cream and skip the bacon.
• Fresh clams: Use about 2 lbs fresh clams in the shell, steamed and chopped. Use their strained cooking liquid instead of bottled clam juice.

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Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Deluxe

This recipe looks pretty good!  Can you imagine bringing this to a house party?  Everyone would be asking for the recipe!

Ingredients 

Crust

2 boxes Lemon Cake Mix, reserve 1 cup

1/2 cup melted butter

2 beaten eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract 

Cheesecake center

1 cup of the reserved lemon cake mix

2 blocks, 16 oz, cream cheese

3 beaten eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract 

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 cup milk

Topping

1 can Blueberry Pie Filling

Stuff you will need 

Mixing bowl

Spatula

Greased 9x13 Pyrex pan 

Stand mixer

Can opener

Spoon

Directions 

In you mixing bowl, add all the ingredients. Using the spatula, mix all the ingredients. 

This will create a dry dough.

Transfer to the greased 9x13 Pyrex pan and spread it out.  Pressing down as you go to create the bottom crust.

Using your stand mixer, add all the cheesecake filler.  

Once it is mixed, add this to you 9x13 Pyrex pan.

Bake at 325 F for about 1 hour, or until you see cracks starting to form on the cheesecake filler.

Allow to fully cool and come to room temperature. 

Empty the can of Blueberry Pie Filling over the cheesecake and spread it out as evenly as possible. 

Chill the cheesecake in the fridge for at least 4 hours.

Cut into squares and enjoy.

Original video:  

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1JtUd559tQ/

No Fail Dumplings

I am not sure if I have ever met someone that doesn't like dumplings.

I know Mum would make an entire pot of dumplings for my middle brother as he didn't really like chicken soup.

Ingredients 

1 egg lightly beaten

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour 

1/2 cup milk 

Stuff you will need 

Mixing bowl 

Mixing spoon

Stew or soup

Directions 

Mix all your ingredients together. 

Using a spoon, grab dumpling sized portions and gently drop into your boiling soup or stew.

Cook for 20 minutes.