As many of you know, The O-A News decided that it no longer wanted to publish my column after 18 of service to the paper. April ended my association there. The paper has “gone in a new direction” and felt my writing didn’t fit in. We are on good terms. I offered to help them in any way I can.

Good news is that I have begun a newsletter to continue writing for the Auburn – Opelika community. The brief first issue was in May 2023. It is still available on this site. I told you about visits to Wild Flour Cafe and Bakery in Waverly and Stephanie’s in Lafayette. Both of these places deserve a visit from you. I’ve heard good reports.

In June I talked about more restaurants along with Parkway Farmers Market plus my favorite Grill Rescue Brush. My recipe for Shrimp Etouffée was given in detail. I also talked about new products and wines we tried recently. I can’t leave out my nod to Tony Chachere. When I had Jimmy’s in Opelika, one of the family members visited me one day. It’s hard not to use a seasoning that says, “Great on Everything.”

Ground Beef and Pork Blend at Kroger

There’s a versatile product available at Kroger. It’s a ground beef and ground pork blend. It has 80%/20% lean to fat. Ready for a fine meatloaf base. Mix in cooked onions not raw. Seasonings of your choice. Ranch is a good option. Plus an egg to bind. Then breadcrumbs. Makes a fine loaf. Top with bacon if you like. Ketchup too.

This mix also makes a fine burger. 3 to 4 minutes a side for a 5-ounce patty and you are in business. A fine juicy cheeseburger is the reward.

Check out this blend of beef and pork packed in a 2-pound container. No special order needed. I’ve used it several times with easy success.

All I Do Is BBQ

Auburn-Opelika sits in sort of a Barbecue Belt. That broad stroke through the deep South from as far north as Kentucky and stretching from the Carolinas to Texas and Missouri.

There are a number of well-known styles of BBQ plus all sorts of regional and local variations. All you have to do is watch some food television. BBQ reality TV is popular. Myron Mixon, Aaron Franklin and others talk about what makes a particular region’s BBQ what it is. Common characteristics bind things together. The differences will fill a book. The best thing is – it’s all good.

There’s a relatively new place in town. It’s called “All I Do is BBQ.” What a great name. A mighty good job to have too. Could be the coolest business card ever. If you are looking for some ‘cue, wouldn’t you stop and see a guy who says all he does is cook some most every day? Absolutely.

The Chef/Owner/Entrepreneur is Kenzie Rogers. His place is located at 1625 University Drive in Auburn. That’s across from Duck Samford stadium and near McAlister’s. Where D Square Donuts was.

This is a full-blown family operation. Kenzie is the number one guy with lots of his family in there with him. His mother-in-law, Sharon Dowdell, is the kitchen kingpin. His wife, Kim, and sons, Migell and Dewrell are there some. Kenzie’s sister, Tiffany, also plays a part in making sure that the BBQ gets to you.

The menu at All I Do is BBQ is really simple. Yet there are lots of choices when you build a plate. There’s chopped pork, pork ribs and beef ribs. They’ve also got grilled and baked chicken plus fried fish. Some of these are served as sandwiches if that’s what you prefer.

The ribs pork ribs are tender but still have a little bite. The beef ribs have good meat on the bone. All the ribs have a pleasant rub and are served that way. Add sauce if you wish. The pork is chopped and not pulled.

Kenzie is the creator of two flavorful sauces – Heat and Hello Hunny. Not too hot with just a touch sweet. Excellent when you need a little extra.

There’s a variety of sides – collards, slow-cooked beans, mac & cheese, potato salad, corn on the cob, coleslaw, corn bread and seasoned fries. The fries are perfect with BBQ.  The mac & cheese is baked. Collards and beans simmer for hours. Sharon’s coleslaw is really interesting. Then there’re squash casserole and sweet potatoes.

When it comes to desserts, there are tasty treasures like red velvet, strawberry, and caramel cake. Then there’s key lime cake plus sweet potato pie.

Beverages are Coke products. Sweet tea plus the unsweet stuff too.

If you want dishes to take home, Kenzie has you covered. Slabs of ribs are ready to go. Chopped pork plus grilled and baked chicken. All the sides are available in larger sizes. Let them know in advance and Sharon will make dessert just for you. Sauces are available by the bottle.

If you need to feed a bunch of folks, Kenzie can do it. He’ll have everything ready for you. Delivery services like FetchMe can bring it to you.

Prices are as fine as the food. A pork sandwich is $6. Sides are $3. Desserts for $4. For $10 a sandwich plate is yours. Includes a side and beverage. Regular plates are from $12 to $16. Slabs of ribs are $27.

All I Do is BBQ is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11:00 until 6:00 with counter service. There is seating for dine-in guests, but no true table service is provided. Foods are packaged for takeout. Delivery is available through FetchMe. There’s a website and Facebook presence. You can call in orders at 334 209-0900. There’s plenty of parking right in front. 

By the way – if you see some smoke coming from out behind the store, it’s likely Kenzie doing his magic to some tasty meats. Step around and see him. He does say, “All I Do is BBQ.”

Bloody Mary Mixes and More

There are lots of Bloody Mary mixes available these days. Some very special ones with hefty prices tags. Fortunately many are under $10. Names like Tabasco and V8 are common. There’s even one from Ocean Spray. Mr. & Mrs. T is popular with restaurant bars. So is Zing Zang.

Now Old Bay has a mix plus a hot sauce. You can find a ready to drink version from Frank’s Red Hot. Taste of Florida is very interesting but not as easy to find. The Fever Tree folks are making one now.

Some of these mixes are very flavorful while others pack a solid punch. Really hot and spicy.

One I want to recommend to you is Charleston. It used to be available in limited distribution but is widely available now. It comes in a Fresh and Veggie version plus one called Bold and Spicy. Both of these have great flavor and are even good by themselves.

As to spirits the choice is wide open. Vodka is popular but give others a try. Gin and Tequila work very well. Try Aquavit. What a great flavor. Dark Rum is very interesting as is Bourbon.

If you are looking for a different flavor booster, give horseradish a try. Bam!

Rosés – Treats is a Bottle

Rosé wines for the most part are not sweet and plain pink. Many of us think of a wine of this color as being sweet. Not so. Popular white zinfandel leads us to believe that’s the case.

The website Wine Folly has this to say about the subject: “Pink wine happily spans the colorspace between red and white wine; in a way, rosé is more like a state of mind.”

In wine making the color comes from the skins. Grapes are light green on the inside. Rosé happens when the skins of red grapes touch the wine for just a short time. Maybe just a few hours or less. They stain the wine and impart a touch of color.

Rosés vary in color and flavor tremendously. Let’s stop here or we’ll get way too detailed for many of us. If white zinfandel brought you to wine, outstanding. Nothing wrong with that at all.

This summer we have had the chance to have several different rosés. Some from France but not the majority. They are made worldwide. When not called rosé, there’s often a “ros” in the name – like rosato from Italy. Here’s a little report of what we found.

First, we need to mention sparkling rosé. Fine rosé Champagne is richly flavored and can be rather expensive. Sparklings from other areas are much more affordable.

We had a sparkling from California called Supernova. Lots of color and flavor. Plenty of nose and bubbles too. There was a Spanish cava that was labeled as Stars – Touch of Rosé. The other was from the Burgundy region of France, Deligeroy Rosé. That was our favorite.

One of the French rosés was Villa des Anges made using the Cinsault grape. It was an example of an “old vines” wine. It had a light color with peach and strawberry. Easy to drink this one.

There was an Italian example – Bertarose from Bertani. It was dry with a medium weight and color. There was a rosé from Washington with a great name, Mr. Pink. It had lots of fruit and flowers.

Another southern French wine was Chateau d’Aqueria. This is a Tavel rosé. Plenty of power and color. Raspberries in this one.

Our candidate from Provence was Domaine Saint Mitre. This one is made with a typical southern French grape blend for red wines. But as a rosé. It had a light color with plenty of sweet, ripe fruit in a delicate style.

We sure had lots of fun with these and other rosé wine in the spring and summer. We enjoy them all year long. You should too. Christmas is a perfect time to uncork summer joy.

Meat Artistry in Shorter, Alabama

What’s Shana’s Place? Here’s her motto – “Deer Processing and Meat Artistry in Shorter, Alabama.” Not sure what image that brings to mind? Let’s have a look.

Not long ago I had a visit from Shana Howard. Our planned 30-minute fact – finding interview had barely slowed down when her phone rang. It was 2 hours later. We went on and on sharing stories and experiences. So refreshing and informative.

In 2005 Shana built a tiny house. Many of us had not heard of one at that time. It’s 384 square feet of fun and restfulness. You likely won’t be driving by. She says her friends really love her little retreat. Especially the outdoor bathroom with a shower and dog cleaning area. She tells me a new porch and deck coming soon. Its name? The “Love Shack.” Seems just right.

Shana is known for deer processing. Several thousand each year. And that’s Fall through February. Do the math. Wow. In fact you need to be a member to reserve a “hook” for each deer you plan to harvest and bring to her.

Not too long ago, Shana formed a non-profit company called Venison Provisions. Through this venture, she is able to process excess and deprivation deer and give the meat to food banks and churches throughout the state.

Feeding the needy. How wonderful. Recently she has been allowed to add feral hogs to the list. Shana wants to expand this operation to the max.

Do you know anybody with a pet turkey? I do. He’s the Lone Ranger at Shana’s Place. His 9^th birthday was in March. He loves company and is usually friends to all. Or as Shana says, “Unless he’s being a butt.”

In 2017 Shana added a retail market to her operation. She’s obviously a butcher and a good one. She gets high quality primals and breaks them down for her market. Friends, this is some fine meat. She also handles prime beef and Waygu cuts.

Shana will get you what you want. Other meats and poultry are fine. Bison, elk, and venison, along with veal and lamb. She has pheasant and local quail from the Montgomery area.

She makes her own brats. Also some very good sausage meats. Mine was called mild pork patty sausage. Full of flavor without the hot red pepper. You’ll also find Shana’s hog logs. Those are special pork tenderloins.

With all of this going on, Shana and her team produce prepared foods ready to finish at home. In her own right, Shana is a chef. Real food from solid recipes. Developed with the customers in mind. She’s working on more, too.

I have had 2 of her burritos – beef & bean and one called breakfast. Both are very tasty. Shana’s cordon bleu dinosaur egg is powerful plus it’s bacon wrapped. Speaking of bacon, the brisket and bacon patties deserve your attention. Cook to medium and get ready for some goodness.

Bloody Mary mix made in house. Clean with a nice spice. There’s “pimp cheese.” Mine had pickled jalapenos in it. Crawfish cheese ball sound good? Give Shana’s a try. Good balanced flavor.

Shana refers to all these things she makes or cuts as eccentric items. I think that meat artistry is more like it.

Good thing is, Shana will make you want – your way. Give her some time and she’ll have your special batch ready. Of course, certain minimums apply.

Shana comes to the Auburn and other farmer’s market in the summer. She’s very popular. Let her know and she’ll make sure to have what you need.

Plan a visit to Shana’s Place in Shorter this season Take the Shorter exit off I-85. Go left. You see it in about 4 miles. 

Deep Indian Kitchen

Recently we sampled some Indian main courses available locally. Publix, Kroger and Wal Mart have them from Deep Indian Kitchen. Publix has the most variety at this point. We focused on 4 different chicken dishes.

All of these frozen main courses are flavorful. Only one is actually hot. Each dish has chicken prepared with different traditional spices. A rice dish and not just rice. Each of these is set up for microwave preparation. 5 to 8 minutes and you are ready to serve.

One more thing – these are not what we think of as curries. None of them are bright yellow and taste of the curry powder on your spice shelf.

We found that each of these was enough for two. When paired with chutney or fruit preserves and salad or fruit, the portion was quite generous. We had them at dinner time. We also found that extending the cooking time worked better for us. 4 minutes covered and another 3 to 4 uncovered.

We tried hard-to-beat Butter Chicken first. Veggies are simmered in a butter cream sauce touched with ginger. Marinated chicken is roasted and mixed in the sauce. This luscious dish is served with cumin basmati rice.

Next time we had Chicken Biryani. This is really a rice dish with chicken. Some of the features of the Biryani sauce are onion, mint, yogurt, turmeric, tomatoes and fenugreek, plus saffron. Lots of flavor in a mild dish.

It wasn’t possible to miss the Chicken Korma. Coconut is a big part of this one as is cardamom. Roasted chicken is stewed in a creamy coconut sauce and served with cumin basmati rice. This is Indian food of the English.

One of my favorite Indian dishes is a vindaloo – usually with lamb and potatoes. Deep Kitchen uses chicken and serves it with turmeric rice. This one is hot. There are chili peppers with coconut, tomato, and onions in a yogurt sauce. The marinated chicken is simmered in sauce until very tender. This is an excellent example of this tasty dish.

Here’s what these folks say about themselves. “In India ‘Deep’ means lamp and enlightenment, and our mission is to share the best of India’s culture with everyone. That’s why we care so much about our food and every purchase benefits our Deepkiran (Ray of Light) Foundation, which helps children in rural India access education. We support each year 22,000+.”

We certainly enjoyed our dishes and look forward to trying others from Deep Indian Kitchen. Knowing about and supporting the Foundation is a lovely bonus.

August Classes

Next month we begin a new series of classes at In the Kitchen with Chef Jim. They will be slated as “Refinement and Detail.” In these sessions we will be more “hands on.” Classes will be limited to 6 participants. We’ll gather close to the inland and be a part of the preparation.

Our first session will focus on dessert. These have been requested by lots of folks. You better bet there will be a fine chocolate example on board. Citrus too. A custard type. Also a special lime cake.

You need to claim your spot right away. There will be 6 scheduled sessions plus others added as you request. Here’s the lineup.

Sunday 8/13, Monday 8/14, Thursday 8/17, Sunday 8/20, Monday 8/21 and Thursday 8/24. Message me at jimsikes1@gmail.com. That gets to me directly. I’ll be back to you and secure your spot. These classes will be great fun and mighty tasty too.

Until Next Time

I hope you have enjoyed the second full edition of my online newsletter – What’s Happening. As you have seen, I can talk about lots more than is possible in a newspaper. I’ve included some of my personal feelings and experiences. I’m happy to say that Kenzie and Shana have become friends.

Next month we’ll explore more local restaurants. I’m tasting already.

There’s a special recipe I’m going to share with you. Plus some more local food finds.

I’ll give you a full report on our “Handhelds” classes. They’ve just started as I am writing to you.

I encourage you to let me know about anything you want me to explore. Also please share this newsletter with others.

They can go to inthekitchenwithchefjim.com and register there.

Thank you. “Keep Cooking – Keep Exploring.”