Papa and I have built many of our most cherished relationships, not just around the table, but around the stove, chopping blocks and kitchen counters. We're on a first name basis with our neighborhood green grocers, fishmongers and butchers. Cooking delicious and healthful food really is like building a great relationship: it takes time and attention to detail. That's how we developed the recipes we've included here. Over time, we'll be adding lots more, and we invite you to share your favorites with us so we can post them here. Just remember, try to keep it HOT!

All the best,

Mama and Papa

HOT BEAN DIP ROYALE
Serves about 20 (if you're lucky)

Prep time 30 -40 minutes

This dip is so rich and creamy, so dense, cheesy and delicious that it could be served with a main course, as mashed potatoes are. But we usually serve it as a dip. Be sure to have loads of sturdy chips nearby!

Ingredients
Half a pound of bacon, fried, dried and crumbled (You can use the fat if you want to. It adds loads of flavor but it's not very good for you!)
Two cans of refried beans
One medium onion, chopped
One red pepper, chopped
One green pepper, chopped
Two cloves of garlic, minced
One cup of coarsely grated natural cheddar cheese

Preparation
If you are using the bacon fat, add the choped vegetables to the fat after removing the baconfrom the pan. If not, pour off the fat and use olive oil to sauté the vegetables. Do not brown them, just cook them until they are very soft and transluscent. When they are very soft, add the beans and, if necessary, thin them with a little water, beer or white wine, if you have them handy. Stir in the fried bacon and, lastly, the cheese. Sprinkle with a little more cheese. Place the mixture in a baking dish and bake in a 300 degree oven just long enough for it to bubble around the edges. Serve hot with chips.

HEAVENLY CAJUN' WINGS
Serves 6 - 8
Prep time:  Twenty minutes

Ingredients
30 chicken wings, 1/2 - 4oz. package Char Crust Amazin' Cajun, 1 cup blue cheese dressing or dipping sauce of your choice, celery stalks, 1 Tbsp. of Louisiana-style hot sauce, cooking oil & 1 clean brown paper bag.

Preparation
Preheat broiler with broiler pan on the top rack (as close to heat as possible). Note: you can deep-fry the wings instead of broiling, if you prefer.  Baste wings with oil.  Place the Char Crust Amazin' Cajun Rub in the brown paper bag and drop in about six of the wings.  Close bag tightly and shake.  Remove the wings to a clean plate and repeat the dredging process with another half dozen of the wings and continue until you've dredged all of them.  Spritz wings with a little more cooking oil.  Broil or grill wings, as you prefer.  Serve with hot sauce, blue cheese dressing or BBQ/dipping sauce of your choice.

TERIYAKI CHICKEN SALAD
Serves 4 - 8
Prep Time:  Twenty minutes

Ingredients
Four  8 oz. boneless/skinless chicken breasts, 4 Tbsp. Char Crust Ginger Teriyaki, 1 can mandarin orange segments, 1 can sliced water chestnuts, 4 large handfuls favorite mixed lettuce, 1 clove minced fresh clove of garlic, 1 - 3 teaspoons of minced fresh ginger, 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, 1 cup crisp chow mein noodles, cooking oil (as needed).

Salad Dressing
2 Tbsp. of toasted sesame oil, 4 Tbsp. orange juice, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder, salt & pepper to taste.

Preparation
Preheat broiler with broiler pan on the top rack (as close to heat as possible).
Whisk together dressing ingredients and salt & pepper to taste. Set aside.
Dredge chicken in Char Crust so all surfaces are lightly coated. Spritz or drizzle a little cooking oil on the seasoned breasts and broil approximately 4 minutes on each side. (Use thermometer to ensure safe cooking temperature is reached.) While chicken is cooking, toss salad ingredients with dressing and divide among 4 bowls or plates. When chicken is finished, allow to rest for about five or six minutes to assure reabsorption of juices into the meat.  Slice it or chop into bite-size pieces. Place chicken slices/pieces on top of salads.  Serve with pride!

GARLIC PEPPERCORN SALMON WITH WHITE DILL SAUCE AND GRILLED VEGGIES
Serves 4
Prep time:  15 minutes

This melt-in-your-mouth sauce is simply the best we've ever had with salmon.

Ingredients  2 lbs. wild-caught salmon fillet, cut in portion size and patted dry
4 Tbsp. Char Crust Roasted Garlic Peppercorn,
1 stick of unsalted butter
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill
a little vegetable oil

Melt butter in sauce pan, then add mayonnaise.  It will separate so don't panic.  Stir with a wire whisk and slowly pour in heavy cream and stir constantly until sauce thickens.  Remove from heat and stir in chopped dill—or other herb of your choice.

Clean and chop 1 bunch fresh asparagus, one red bell pepper, one green bell pepper and one very large onion, diced into 3/4 inch rings.  Dry veggies on a couple of paper towels and then toss them with a teaspoon or two of Char Crust - Roasted Garlic Peppercorn Dry Rub Seasoning.  Baste the salmon with a little vegetable oil and sprinkle lavishly with Char Crust - Roasted Garlic Peppercorn Dry Rub Seasoning and drizzle on a little more cooking oil.

Broil 4 - 5 minutes per side.  Do not overcook! Salmon should be very moist and opaque (not dry and flaky.  We like our veggies crisp, but you should calculate your cooking time so that your veggies are cooked to suit you.

Transfer salmon and veggies to a warmed platter and serve immediately with the salmon dill sauce on the side.

SUNNY SOUTHWEST MEATLOAF
Serves 4 - 6
Prep time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons olive oil
medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped red and green bell pepper
2 cloves of minced garlic
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. Char Crust Smoky Spicy Southwest
2 lbs. ground meatloaf mix (1/3 ground beef, 1/3 ground veal, 1/3 ground pork)
Enough plain bread crumbs to give body to the meatloaf, about 1/2-3/4 cup
1/4 cup of Hoboken Eddie's Homemade Rich, Thick, Spicy and Smoky BBQ Sauce, or other thick sauce of your choice

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute onion, bell pepper and garlic in the olive oil just until softened. Add the Char Crust seasoning and saute for another minute or two. Place sauteed vegetables in a bowl with the ground meat. Mix in all of the other meatloaf ingredients with your hands. Mixture should be very moist. If it's too wet, add a little more bread crumbs. If too dry, add a tad of milk. Form a loaf and bake uncovered in a metal roasting pan for 40 minutes. Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees and pour the following sauce over the meatloaf and bake another 10 to 15 minutes.

Sauce
2 cups of tomato sauce
1/2 - 3/4 cup BBQ sauce of your choice

Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

GUNSLINGER SLOPPY JOE
Serves 6

Prep time: less than thirty minutes

1 lb. combined ground beef and pork
medium onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
3-4 tablespoons of  Cackalacky Spiced Ketchup
3 tablespoons of John Henry's East Texas Honey Barbecue Sauce
2 tablespoons of Arizona Gunslinger Chipotle Habañero Pepper Sauce
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershir sauce
6 hamburger buns

Brown meat, onions and garlic in skillet until meat is no longer pink. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve on warmed or toasted buns. Great with cold beer.

CARIBBEAN BANANAS DIVINE

If you like bananas, you'l love Caribbean Bananas Divine! They are especially wonderful served with vanilla ice cream. It's a very rich dessert so I always use small bananas.

Allow one small banana per person.

Ingredients
1 Tablespoon of unsalted butter per banana
2 Teaspoons of brown sugar per banana
1 Teaspoon of Georgia Peach & Vidalia Onion Hot Sauce per banana*
Cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
Rum, whiskey or congnac, whichever you prefer.

Preparation
Melt the butter in a heavy, oven-proof skillet. Stir in the brown sugar, hot sauce and spices over a low flame, being careful not to burn the butter.  Slice bananas in half length-wise, place them in the pan and baste them with the hot sauce. Slowly cook them for about 2-3 minutes on each side, carefully turning them once using two forks. When they are just about done, pour the liquor over the bananas and carefully flambé. Have a lid handy, just in case. If you would rather not flambé, place the bananas under the broiler for just long enough for a little crust to form, watching carefully because butter and sugar burn quickly. If you like, you can top the bananas with crushed nuts for added crunch. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream.

*Check out our FRUIT SAUCES section for other sensational sauces that are great in this recipe!