Thanks, Cloudy! I knew I could count on you to come up with a good marinade recipe, along with some history on the advent of beef jerky....now if I could only find an explanation for OSTRICH jerky...LOL Player

Playermom: Why are there are no jerky recipes? Well, there are many reasons why there aren't any recipes for jerky. First, it may be necessary to know a little history, on what we call today, jerky. The word "jerky" comes from the spanish word "charqui," dried beef. It was designed as a journey food, after drying it, it became lighter, and was much more resistant to spoilage. Notice I said, "much more." It will still spoil, but not as fast as raw meat, which made it usable back in the days before refridgeration. Lewis and Clark used a LOT of jerky on their trek to the Pacific Ocean, but didn't really look at it as a delicasy, just a necessity. They didn't waste a lot of imagination on preparing it, as we do today. They simply strapped out long strips of meat on rocks, or hung them on bushes, to dry in the sun. Now, skip to today.... Today's jerky is usually a combination of jerking (drying out) and smoking. Smoking is using the heat from a slow burning fire, and the hot smoke from those fires to prepare, as well as flavor, the meat. There are many types of smokers you can use... wood barrels steel drums cardboard boxes an old icebox old refridgerator Actually, the list is rather long, limited only by your imagination. Basically, something to contain the fire separate from the meat, to channalize and contain the heat and smoke from the fire. I've used several layers of parachute canopy, to make a tent, with wire racks to hold the meat. This was taught during one of the survival courses I attended while in the army. Today, I like to use my smoker/grill. It has an attached firebox, which channels heat and smoke to the grill. A simple recipe follows... 5 lbs rump roast (or any roast) sliced into 1/4" x the length of the roast salt and pepper to taste garlic powder to taste crushed red pepper to taste (NOTE1: thinner pieces of meat cure faster, but will be tougher to chew, but this makes them ideal for flavoring soups and stews on the trail) (NOTE2: be careful of seasoning the meat too heavily, some prefer to use only salt and pepper, as many seasonings will inhibit the curing process. Trial and error will help you understand this.) enough dry, cured wood to last several hours WITHOUT a high flame. Having some of the same wood soaking in water to add to the fire will produce more smoke, but will effect the heat m your fire. Some good types to use are: hickory, oak, mesquite, any fruit wood (pecan or apple are my favorites,) here in Texas, mesquite is an old favorite. The secret to preparing jerky is not to over-cook it, leave no traces of fat on the strips of meat as this can cuase spoilage since the juice from the fat cooks into the meat. To jerk 5 lbs of meat for that one lb of jerky will take approximately 5 hours, if done juuust right. ;-) There are many devices on the market that can reduce this time quite a bit. But, I like to do things the old-fashioned way. Maybe this explains why you don't see many recipes for jerky. But, since you asked...hehehe Bon Apetit!! :-)

Well, 4 years and 18 pages of recipes later... After looking through them I realized a few things... I still miss Kota! Cloudy has a dang funny Texas Chili judging story Why are there are no jerky recipes? Does anyone have a good beef or turky jerky recipe? Thanks! Player

Spicy Crackers....Great snack food.. Turn ordinary crackers into yummy spicy crackers. 1 lb of any brand soda crackers.. 1 1/2 cups of canola oil 2 TBLS of crushed red pepper flakes(more if you like it hot) 1 or 2 packs of hidden valley salad dressing(dry mix) Combine oil,pepper flakes,the packets of hidden vally seasoning...into a large bowl,add crackers,and gently roll(tumble) with your hands,until all the seasoning is onto the crackers..Let stand for about an hour,tumble afew more times to make sure all seasoning is on the crackers...(don't worry they will not get soggy) Best if they stand in the open pan or other container for acouple more hours..Just don't eat em all before you share...great at parties,or around the house..

Beef Tips on Rice 3 Tbsp. flour 1 tsp pepper 1 tsp paprika 2 lbs. boneless sirloin tip roast, cut into 1" chuncks (I use 2 lb pkg tenderized, stew meat) 3 Tbsp EVOO olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 3/4 cp boiling water hot cooked rice Combine 1st three ingreients in a large plastic bag, shake to mix well. Add meat, shake vigourously to coat well. Heat oil in a 10 inch skillet, add meat, brown, then add onion, cook until carmelized. Add hot water, stir, then simmer for one hour, stir occasionally. Serve over rice. I use the pre-cooked rice, which comes in micro-wavable packages. Tastes great over wild-brown rice. Bon Apetit!!

Good Mornin'--Since I am a baker I thought I would send you a recipe from my favorite website I check when I need a recipe that I don't already have. . .sounds good, hope it is! http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Favorite-Old-Fashioned-Gingerbread/Detail.aspx I do have a great recipe for gingerbread cowboy and cowgirl cut-out cookies, if you are interested. Happy Holidays!!

Holiday Candy A friend gave me this recipe, she said she only had it because it was so easy! It makes a bunch so be sure to share it all, don't keep any at home, it won't last. I speak from experience! Kathy Crock Pot Candy 1 - 16 oz jar unsalted dry roasted peanuts 1 - 16 oz jar (salted) dry roasted peanuts 1 - 4 oz bar Bakers German chocolate block 24 oz milk chocolate morsels 3 lbs almond bark coating (also called vanilla coating) comes in 24 oz blocks - buy 2 Place all ingredients in a (large) crock pot, cook on low for three hours. Blend with spoon every hour. Dip out and drop (spoon size) on wax paper (I place newspaper under wax paper). Let cool and harden.

Tequila Chicken Marinate skinless Chix breasts in lime margaretta mix w/ tequila for two days in frig. BBQ chix(do not over cook, just til pink is gone) cut corn tortillas in strips with scissors and fry in 1/2 in of oil (turn w/ tongs). Set a side on paper towel. Salt lightly. Plate - handful of tortilla chips chix breast ranch dressing w/ jalapenos shredded cheese microwave til cheese melts top with Pico de Gallo got this from AppleBee's and I made it better

LOL Thanks Irlanda!! I'm not a baker, but I found this in an ooold cajun cookbook, I use for other ideas. Try it, if it doesn't work for you, let me know, I have more cookbooks. ;) Gingerbread 1 c. molasses 1 c. butter 1 c. boiling water 2 1/2 c. flour 2 eggs 1 tsp. soda 1 c. sugar 1 tsp. each of: cinnamon cloves allspice Cream butter and sugar together; add 1 egg at a time, and beat. add flour which has been sifted with soda and spices. add syrup and boiling water the very last thing. put in deep greased pan and cook in moderate oven for about 45 minutes. Hope this helps you out.

Salisbury Steak(healthy) 1 lb raw lean ground beef 1 envelope onion soup, dry mix 3/4 Cup water 10 3/4 oz fat free Cream of Mushroom Soup 1 Cup fat free beef broth Mix the ground beef, onion soup mix and water together. It will be mushy! Form into 4 patties. Preheat a large nonstick skillet. Place patties in skillet, and cook on med-high heat, turning so that both sides brown. Mix beef broth and cream of mushroom soup together. Pour over patties, lower heat to med-low, cover and cook for 30-40 minutes. Check occasionally.