Carol’s Pineapple Carrot Cake
A sixty-year-old recipe that bakes at 360°F, sifted through a tin Androck nobody is allowed to wash. Carol’s cake, heavy with carrot, pineapple and pecan, and better on day two.
A sixty-year-old recipe that bakes at 360°F, sifted through a tin Androck nobody is allowed to wash. Carol’s cake, heavy with carrot, pineapple and pecan, and better on day two.
Sun tea is the easiest iced tea you’ll ever make: tea bags, water, and a few hours of sun. Get my Meemaw’s Texas method plus a simple syrup for sweetening.
Let me be upfront about what this is: it is hot dogs, in their buns, buried under chili and cheese and baked in a casserole dish until the whole thing goes bubbly and the bun edges crisp. It is not healthy. It is not fancy. I have never once promised y’all that everything on this…
A spicier, garlicky zucchini gratin adapted from Ina Garten, baked in individual ramekins until heaped and bubbling. More garlic, less butter, big flavor.
Crispy Kamado drumsticks, a dozen at a time on a hanging rack: a two-zone Divide and Conquer fire, a good rub, and dark meat pulled at just the right temp.
Homemade chili crisp adapted from Ian Fujimoto: a big-batch chili oil loaded with crispy garlic and shallot. Cheaper than the jar, and better on eggs.
Bo Ssam on the Kamado: A take on Momofuku’s bo ssam, remade on the Joe. Ginger and gochujang cured pork butt, smoked over applewood, pulled and wrapped in crisp lettuce leaves.
A crunchy, make-ahead cucumber salad with a soy, rice vinegar, and chili crunch dressing. It stays crisp for a full week and beats potato salad at any cookout.
A creamy balsamic tortellini and broccoli salad with bacon and red onion. Make it ahead for cookouts or busy weeknights; it’s even better the next day.
Carol’s deviled eggs: my mother’s classic recipe, made with Dijon and finely minced capers instead of yellow mustard and relish, dusted with smoked paprika.
Every Sunday morning, Zach makes Meemaw’s biscuits. Light, flaky, rich with butter, tender, and just about perfect. We eat them with scrambled eggs and thick-cut bacon, sometimes with sausage gravy when we’re feeling indulgent, sometimes with nothing but butter and strawberry jelly when we want simple. Every once in a while he makes them for…
The flat iron is a shoulder cut nobody writes poems about, and I’ll take a good one over a filet most nights. Dry-brine it, sear it hot and fast (550–600°, 2–3 minutes a side), rest it, then pile it on a crunchy blue cheese salad. Full method plus the leftover steak sandwich on the blog (link in bio). The amount of blue cheese is between you and your conscience. More is better.