....is a Burger with Pickles

There are only a few things more 'summery' than burgers off the grill. These tasty patties are lightly seasoned with salt & pepper, and packed with thin slices of green onion & minced garlic to add a little bite. I served them on homemade dutch oven herb bread rolls with white cheddar, slices of pearl tomatoes and bread & butter pickles.

Oh these wonderful pickles, Cuchon Butcher Bread & Butter Pickles (recipe below). They are delicious, sweet & crunchy, perfection. CPB & I brought back a jar from ouir trip to New Orleans last year. We devoured them quickly and then set out to make out own. I tried a few other recipes before I found the Cuchon recipe and this is definielty the best, but then again I have a food crush on Don Link.

....is Grilled Pork Tendeloin

This Grilled Pork Tenderloin became a fast favorite in my house, the recipe comes from Down South, the new Donald Link cookbook CPB gave me for my birthday. I gifted CPB with his first cookbook, Real Cajun, last year and we absolutely love everything we've tried to make. From that first book we've made (multiple times) Braised Sausages & Chiles, Cajun Pizza and a Fried Chicken & Biscuit Sandwich. The first recipe I made from this book was the Braised Chicken with Salami & Olives but I forgot to take pictures (the same goes for the first two times we made the pork tenderloin, luckily we keep on making it). It was also the main dish for our Fourth of July celebration. The meat can marinade for anywhere from two to eight hours and I'm sure you could get away with alittle more or a little less if needed. It's paired with the arugula and parmesan salad, which is light and summery in contrast with the savory and lightly charred meat.

....is Braised Sausages & Chiles, Revisited

Last weekend I was in Big Bear for an amazing friend's Bachelorette weekend (stay tuned for a tutu tutorial tomorrow). It was a great weekend of delicious food, friends & tutu bowling! When I came home CPB planned an amazing meal of Braised Sausages & Chiles over rice. I think it's his favorite Donald Link recipe from the book Real Cajun. We made it for the first time a few months ago but it's become a regular.

....is Braised Sausage with Chiles

As promised yesterday! Another wonderful meal care of Donald Link, I'll try to spread out his recipes from here forward. This recipe is a spin on a traditional Sausage and Peppers. The whole grain Mustard & Rosemary add a freshness to this otherwise savory meal. It's a little unusual the Onions and Peppers aren't sautéed first to soften. The sausage is browned and a bottle of beer gets poured in before all the other ingredients  are tossed in and the magic of braising begins. Served over rice this recipe can be scaled to feed a few or many. Enjoy!

....is Zucchini Gratin with Andouille

Real Cajun is possibly the best cookbook and gift I've ever given. Zucchini Gratin with Andouille is yet another amazing dish from this book (by Donald Link). It's like Potatoes Gratin with a southern twist. 

CPB & I have made his Cajun Pizza, Sunday Fried Chicken and Braised Sausage & Peppers (Recipe to follow tomorrow). Each one is better than the last, it didn't hurt this recipe was completely focused on Zucchini (<3) and covered in cheese. This dish was originally intended as a side but I added a little Andouille Sausage to make a full meal. I hope you give this a try and enjoy! (Or the Fried Chicken.... no the pizza, start with the Cajun Pizza, I can't decide.)

....is a Fried Chicken & Biscuit Sandwich

This Sandwich is a Frakenstein of deliciousness. The concept is from Sunset Magazine June 2013 'Ask a Local.'  From a restaurant called Napa Valley Biscuits, they call it the Mr. Pickles. We used the Real Cajun Sunday-Night Fried Chicken (same book as the Cajun Pizza!) & my favorite biscuit recipe. Fried chicken takes some time prep and cook time, so I wouldn't recommend this as an everyday meal, but it does make a tasty treat.

....is a Cajun Pizza

I recently purchased Real Cajun: Rustic Home Cooking from Donald Link's Louisiana as a gift for CPB, he's been eying it for some time now. Even before we went to Donald Link's new restaurant Peche. We were in New Orleans, and sat at the Oyster Bar & met him without even knowing it!

I'm so very glad I got this book though, CPB's used it to make four things in about three weeks (Donnies Spice Mix, Braised Sausage with Chiles & Sunday-Night Fried Chicken and he made the Fried Chicken into a wonderful Sandwich). And I have been the lucky benefactor of all the deliciousness. The pie crust intimidated him, so I helped out a little more with this recipe. The Pie-Crust-Crust on this  Pizza has a nice crunch to it and it held up well even with the wetter layers of Tomato & Cheese filling. But can you really go wrong with any Bacon topped Pizza?