Therefore, obviously, I had to give both versions to you.
Now…both Ryn and Boone suggest you eat their lasagnas with Ryn’s mother’s homemade Caesar salad. And just to say, if you haven’t tried homemade, you…are…missing…OUT!
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Ryn’s Momma’s Homemade Caesar Salad
2 stalks romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup Butter Croutons (Click here for recipe.)
Caesar Dressing (Click here for recipe.)
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and top with Caesar Dressing. Toss to coat.
*This recipe calls for the entire serving of dressing. If you prefer less dressing, add and toss to coat until your desired coverage.
Caesar Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Juice of 1 lemon (at least 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend for 2 minutes. Store in a Mason jar for up to 2 weeks.
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Smoked Boston Butt
1 5-6 pound Boston butt
1/2 cup Auggie’s BBQ Seasoning (Click here for recipe.)
Coat the pork butt with the BBQ seasoning. Place the pork, fat side up, in a preheated 250 degree smoker for 10 hours, or until internal temperature reaches 190-200 degrees. During the smoking process, leave the smoker closed for the first 2 hours, then spray the butt each hour thereafter with apple cider vinegar. After the 10 hours, double wrap the butt in tin foil and place on smoker for an additional 2 hours. Remove from smoker, unwrap from foil and place on a large cutting board. Remove the pork bone and shred pork with 2 large forks.
Note: If you don’t have a smoker, here’s a crockpot version.
Boston Butt (for Pulled Pork)
1/4 cup apple juice
1 5-6 pound Boston butt
1/2 cup Auggie’s BBQ Seasoning (Click here for recipe.)
In a crockpot, place 1/4 cup apple juice in the bottom of the pot. Rub the Boston butt with BBQ seasoning and place in crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 9 hours. Remove the Boston butt from the crockpot and discard all excess liquid. Remove the bone and shred meat while discarding any excess fat.
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Filet with Blue Cheese Sauce
4 (1 1/2-inch thick) filet mignons
Mag’s Steak Seasoning (Click here for recipe.)
4 tablespoons butter, softened
Blue Cheese Sauce (Click here for recipe.)
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Rub the 4 filets generously with Mag’s Steak Seasoning. Spread 1/2 tablespoon of softened butter on each side of the four filets. Allow to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. In a large iron skillet over high heat, sear the 4 filets for 2 minutes on each side. Place in the oven for 8-10 minutes for medium rare. Remove from oven and top with 1 tablespoon of Blue Cheese Sauce.
Blue Cheese Sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. Remove from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before topping on filet.
KA Note: Okay, this is another recipe I checked out in the RCL, and the steak seasoning is fab. But it’s all about that blue cheese sauce. I think my eyes rolled back in my head the instant it hit my tongue. It’s utterly superb.
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Boone’s Desserts
Bacon Cinnamon Rolls
1 stick butter, softened
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 package pizza dough
14 slices cooked bacon
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
In a small bowl, mix together butter, brown sugar and cinnamon for filling. Roll out dough to 1/2-inch thickness to be about 9x13 in size. Spread filling evenly across dough. Cut into 7 even strips. Place 2 pieces of bacon on each strip and roll. Place all seven rolls in a greased 9-inch round pan. Bake on 350 for 35 minutes and remove from oven. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then top with glaze. To make glaze, combine maple syrup, powdered sugar and milk until smooth.
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Boone
Two weeks and six days before…
Boone moved into Ryn’s living room with two loaded plates.
He did this announcing, “I get battle pay for cooking in that shitty-ass kitchen.”
She burst out laughing.
Though, she wasn’t so hysterical she couldn’t take the food he offered.
Once he sat opposite her on her couch, he juggled his plate while extending napkin-wrapped utensils her way.
She reached across and took them, murmuring, “Thank you, baby.” She then sat back saying, “You have no outdoor area at your pad, Boone. You can’t smoke a pork butt for ten hours at your place.”
“Your deck is only a half step up from your shitty-ass kitchen,” he told her something she already knew. And he didn’t quit bitching. “It’s the size of a postage stamp and I gotta move that fucking cart you put in front of the back door out of the way just to access it.”
“Poor pookie,” she teased, shoveling shredded pork mixed with peach salsa in her mouth.
He tipped his head to her plate. “And the rest of that I made in your shitty-ass kitchen.”
She caught his eyes, chewed, swallowed, and replied quietly, “I best get on designing your dream kitchen and making it a reality then.”
Suddenly, he didn’t give that first shit about cooking in her crappy kitchen.
“Yeah, sweetheart. You best get on that,” he replied.
Her phone on the coffee table chimed and her eyes went to it.
“Speaking of,” she said, leaning forward from where she was tucked up in the corner of the sofa with her food.
She grabbed her phone and sat back.
Using her thumb and face recognition, she read the text.
Then her gaze came back to him.
“Our counter to their counter was accepted,” she announced. “They’re going to send the paperwork. We have until tomorrow at five to sign.”
Goddamn…
Brilliant.
Boone said nothing.
Ryn said nothing more.
They just looked at each other.
Eventually, she tossed her phone on the cushion between them and shared, “Axl’s salsa is everything, but nothing beats your pulled pork, and as always, your Cobb is da bomb.”