Smoked Bacon, Garlic, Scallion, Pepperjack Pull Bread (again)

I should make this at least once a week. It's easy and so tasty!!
I start by frying several pieces of bacon. The more the merrier.

 Set the bacon aside, add butter to the bacon drippings...

Sautee scallions and garlic in the butter, bacon drippings....

Score a loaf of bread. Dense bread works best for this. It holds up to the drizzle of butter and bacon drippings...

I used pepperjack and mozarella cheese this time...

Stuff the cheese into the crooks and crannies....

Then spoon the sauteed onions and garlic in too...
Make sure to spoon the butter and bacon dripping into the cracks and pour any extra over the top of the bread.

Into the smoker with a kiss of hickory...

I cover the bread first, until the bread is heated through and the cheese is melty...

Then uncover the bread and let it crisp up a bit...

Top with the crisp, cooked bacon...and a few chopped scallions.

Ready to dig in!

I grabbed a piece while it was hot and gooey...

I love the way the butter and bacon drippings soak into the bread.... :)

Poured a glass of wine...

and called er good.

I can make a meal out of this. A few "pulls" of bread and a glass of wine. Pretty much all I need.

Things are going great here! The garden was slow going for awhile but the tomato plants are doing better and I see a few blooms. The new baby chicks (replacement hens) are feathering out and growing fast. New ducklings will be here this week.
I haven't had the time to go camping, which goes against my grain. lol Should have been out there months ago. I'll figure out a way...
Hope everyone is doing well and having a good spring. Keep safe and thanks for stopping by!

More of That Summertime Catfish With Crawfish Etouffee

 I cannot deny...this is one of my favorite meals. It's a real comfort meal for me. The catfish was some from one of my fishing trips last summer. I went with a cornmeal fish fry coating on some of the fish and blackening seasoning on the rest.  The crawfish etouffee doesn't take long to make.

I make the blackened seasoning first. I use a variation of Paul Prudhomme's recipe.

His recipe..
1 TBS sweet paprika (I used smoked)
2 1/2 tsp salt ( I used about half)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper (I used 3/4 tsp)
3/4 tsp white pepper
 3/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
and 1/2 tsp oregano

Next I saute onions, garlic, peppers and celery in butter...

Make a blonde roux using butter and flour...

Added shrimp stock, the sauteed veggies and some of the blackened seasoning... (to taste)

Then the crawfish tails...

and fresh parsley...

I let the etouffee simmer on low while preparing the catfish. 

Seasoned half with a cornmeal catfish coating, and the other half with blackened seasoning...

Heated a skillet with about an inch of oil to fry the cornmeal fish first...

I had to set up the little cooker out of the wind. It was one of those "better have rocks in your pockets days or you will blow away"!

Fried til golden...

Cleaned the skillet and fried the blackened fish in butter...

I added way too much butter for some reason. lol Made it hard to keep the seasoning on the fish!

More wild turkeys walking around the farm...they pretty much live here now. :)

Made some blackened shrimp too...

Topped one blackened and one fried catfish with the etouffee...

A big bite of the fried catfish...

...and a bite of the blackened...

I don't have a favorite, I love both of them!!  I know I've made this before but it's just something I need to make every few months to remember how good it is. lol

Everything's going great around here. Still cleaning up and repairing the ice storm damage. Not sure when I'll catch up but that's ok.

 I have new baby replacement chicks, Baby ducks will be here next week. New batch of barn kittens. Lots of activity going on around the farm. :)

Hope everyone is doing well, thanks for stopping by!