2/9/2026 – This recipe is a cabbage+bacon+sausage dish with the Cajun Trinity and was very good. It was inspired by the one at Southern Living here. Italized paragraphs are from that article.
Swamp cabbage is traditionally not made from cabbage at all. It’s a dish that is instead made from hearts of palm, and its roots trace back to Native Americans. Over time, Floridians have adapted the original dish to one that’s just as flavorful but a bit more humble, and stretches hearts of palm with cabbage. Swamp cabbage is smoky thanks to sausage and bacon. The hearts of palm have a meaty texture and briny artichoke-like flavor.
Swamp cabbage is a plant that’s also known as a sabal palm or cabbage palm tree. It just also happens to be Florida’s state tree, and you will find it in nearly every part of the state, as it grows throughout the Southeast and parts of Mexico. Tall in the sabal palm, just below the leaves, is a heart, the heart of the palm, and it has been eaten for generations in all sorts of dishes, such as salads and the eponymous swamp cabbage, of course. Eaten alone, it’s a simple dinner that’s bolstered by the bacon and sausage or other meats used to build up flavor. But it’s often served as a side dish, too, alongside fried fish, boiled shrimp, or any number of Florida favorites.
Ingredients
- 8+ oz. hickory-smoked bacon, chopped
- 1 link hickory-smoked sausage, sliced into 1/2-in.-thick pieces (such as Conecuh)
- 1 green bell pepper, roughly chopped
- 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 3 large celery stalks, roughly chopped
- 8 cups chopped cabbage (from 1 [2-lb.] head cabbage)
- 1 (14-oz.) can hearts of palm, drained and sliced. Next time, try artichokes for more flavor.
- 2 (14 1/2-oz.) can diced tomatoes
- Chicken stock
- Kit’s Creole seasoning
Directions
- Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is slightly crisp on edges.
- Add sausage, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and bacon is crisp.
- Add bell pepper, onion, and celery; cook, stirring often, until slightly softened.
- Stir in cabbage, hearts of palm, tomatoes, chicken stock, and seasoning; bring to a simmer over medium-high.
- Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is cooked through and tender.
2/6/2026 – This tomato-based soup with chickpeas, farro, and spinach was very good and filling. It was inspired by the recipe at Two Peas and Their Pod. Servings: 6. Thawed a 1 qt container mostly in the microwave and warmed it on 5/14/2026. It was very good and did not have any freezing aftertaste or appearance. See notes about “next time”.
Continue readingBy Suzy Karadsheh.
Mediterranean Three Bean Salad by Suzy Karadsheh. Published: Jan 23, 2025
Easy three bean salad recipe packed with Mediterranean flavors from fresh herbs, capers, and a zesty Dijon garlic vinaigrette. Instead of mushy canned green beans, use fresh steamed ones, or swap them out for another type of bean. I chose to use cannellini beans! After dressing the bean salad, allow it to chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving, so that the beans can absorb the zippy dressing.
Ingredients
For the Garlic Dijon Vinaigrette
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 cup Early Harvest extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the Salad
- 1 15-ounce can kidney beans
- 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas
- 1 green bell pepper, cored and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped
- 1/2 English cucumber, diced
- 1 cup chopped red onions
- 1 1/2 tablespoons drained capers
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 10-15 fresh mint leaves, torn or gently chopped
- 10-15 fresh basil leaves, torn or gently chopped
Instructions
- Make the Garlic Dijon Vinaigrette. In a serving bowl large enough for the salad, add garlic, mustard, lemon juice, sugar, extra virgin olive oil, and a big pinch each of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk vigorously to combine.
- Prepare the beans. Drain and rinse the canned beans. Add to the bowl with the vinaigrette.
- Prepare the vegetables. To the bowl with the beans, add green bell pepper, red bell pepper, cucumber, red onion, capers, parsley, mint, and basil. Toss to coat in the vinaigrette.
- Chill. For best results, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving so that beans soak up the vinaigrette flavors. Give the salad another quick toss before serving.
1/18/2026 – We had two links of boudin from Bertrans that were frozen. Thawed them, then warmed them using the process below that came from here. Their form and consistency were like they had never been frozen.
Continue readingThis post is a chronology of the recipes since 2021, as we have tweaked them. The 2026 recipe is the most authentic, using whole dried chili peppers.
1/17/2026 – Mary made a great chili using the ingredients from 2/18/2019 below, except that she roasted three whole dried Ancho and three dried Quajillo peppers in a hot cast-iron skillet. Added water to cover and simmered for about 30 minutes, then drained. Then blended the peppers with all the other spices. That blend was then added to the browned ground meat with the onions, garlic, and beef stock. Chef Billy used those peppers prepared that way in his Chicken Pozole recipe.
Continue reading1/8/2026 – The simple, thin pork chops were very good and made a great meal served with Billy’s sauteed green beans. Need to make more of the herb butter to try with other meats.
This cook generally followed Billy’s Pan-Fried Pork Chop recipe but relied on the herbs and seasoning in his Herb Butter Sauce to provide the flavoring that his pork chop recipe added individually. She did not add the simple syrup he called for.
Mary quickly fried 1/2-inch thick bone-in pork chops that had been dry-brined for maybe 3 hours. Before frying she seasoned them generously with fresh ground black pepper. Once they were rare she pulled them and generously slathered on Billy’s Herb Butter Sauce left over from the NY Strip roast on 12/28/2025. The recipe for the butter is:
- 1 stick softened unsalted butter
- ~¼ cup finely minced fresh rosemary
- ~¼ cup finely minced fresh thyme
- ¼ Cup dry chives
- 1 zested medium garlic clove
- zest from and juice of ½ lemon
- 1 tablespoon dry
sherryred wine
This is a great versatile dressing/marinate by Suzy Karadsheh here. Mary began making it in 2025.
You’ll love this versatile Greek lemon and olive oil dressing. You can use it as a Greek salad dressing on your favorite salad, as a marinade for chicken or fish, or as a bright finishing sauce to drizzle on things from grilled vegetables to kabobs and more!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, juice of 2 large lemons
- 1 to 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Put the lemon juice, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Whisk to combine.
- While you are whisking vigorously, slowly drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil.
Notes
- Storage: Store your ladolemono Greek dressing in a tight-lid glass jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks (I try to use mine within 1 week). The oil will separate from the lemon as it sits in the fridge, give it a gentle shake before using on your salads, grilled meats, fish etc.
- Visit her online shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including extra virgin olive oils and spices.