SYM Boiled Peanuts

SYM Boiled Peanuts
by Chiffonade

In a small crock pot (2.5 quarts), place 6 cups of RAW peanuts in the shell. Add water to cover. Stir in 3 Tablespoons Alderwood Smoked Salt, 1 teaspoon Slap Ya Mama original seasoned salt and 1 clove of garlic smashed to a paste. Combine well.

Cook on HIGH 24 hours, adding water as it becomes absorbed by the peanuts.

Test 4-5 nuts after 24 hours and continue cooking if nuts are still firm. This will take less time in a saucepan on the stove top but I find the even/hands-off cooking with a crock pot to be worth the extra time.

You can purchase Alderwood Smoked Salt here.

The End and The Beginning

We can't believe we're going to say this.

The Slap Ya Mama Challenge has come to a close! Seventy-seven blog posts later, some with multiple recipes! Thatsa lotta slappin!

WE HAD A BLAST! And we thank you for following our journey!

And while this is the end of the Slap Ya Mama Challenge, it's the beginning of 37 Cooks and new cooking challenges ahead! Continue to follow us here on our blog! Carrie's Pie Challenge starts tomorrow! 

We will all be forever grateful to Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning for inspiring us to start this group! 

We will leave you with some of our favorite tips, quotes, stories, and uses of Slap Ya Mama seasoning.

Sarah Gillespy: "Mike especially loved it in grilled pork chops. We also like it sprinkled on grilled & buttered corn, in eggs, some added to mashed taters, rubbed on chicken breast to roast (did this tonight for chicken salads the rest of the week). I agree about mixing the regular with the hot & use on almost anything!"

Matt Baird: "I put the hot SYM on some popcorn! When we first started this,I was so excited to get my SYM in the mail,,I opened my package as soon as I got outta the Post Office,and,as I love hot stuff,I took a big sniff,and sneezed all the way home...hahaha!"

Sandra Simmons: "I don't have any tips for uses but I definitely have a tip. If you decide to buy a gallon size of any of the SYM seasonings, be sure to have a scarf or bandanna or medical mask over your mouth and nose before you open it up! Either that or be prepared to sneeze your head off! It's some potent stuff! I should've video'd myself when I was ladling portions of the Original and Hot SYM into Ziplocs to mail to the challengers! And there were many reports of them receiving their spice in the mail and sneezing their heads off!

Judy Dawson: "I tried SYM on my burger, it was good, also on the fries."

Mary Polovinuk: "The first recipe I made w/the hot SYM was Ed's mom's rice & sausage. I make enough for him to get several meals out of it. I overdid the seasoning...3T! He was trying to be polite when I talked to him that night on the phone (he was at w

ork)...when he told me he drank about 2 qts of water that night to try to take away the burn...and was considering changing the name to 'slap Meghan's mama seasoning'! He did eat the leftovers though...he just prepared himself better for the burn! lol ♥"

• I threw a little SYM on figs w/mascarpone & honey....it was different! Don't be afraid to experiment...that's what I would pass along! :)

Chiffonade: 

• on my egg whites
• on corn on the cob
• on chicken before roasting or grilling
• mix with olive oil, rice vinegar and oregano for a nice baste for grilled vegetables

Gary Gee: "I opened the innocuous-looking bag marked "Hot!", took a whiff and sneezed so hard I shook the bag and a bunch of it went flying everywhere! I don't know how long that sneezing fit lasted!

I've used it in rib rubs, on pork chops, chicken, and in sauteed greens. Best "hm-wonder-what-SYM-would-do-to-this?" moment was in a Hatch green chile and SPAM omelette."

Susan Whempner: "Adding SYM to my prim and proper grandma's applesauce...I wonder what she would have thought about that. LOL"

Susan Ritchie: "I wet my finger and applied the "hot" SYM seasoning to check it out. That is a tip on what NOT to do!!"

Linda Mire: "Steve likes putting it on everything. He was really ticked when I used ol' bay instead of SYM of chicken the other night."

Bon Appétit from all 37 cooks!

The Crispiest Chicken Fingers and Spicy Collard Greens

The Crispiest Chicken Fingers and Spicy Collard Greens
by Shannon T

I slappified my favorite Sunday dinner: fried chicken and collard greens.  For the chicken, I used the Slap Ya Mama regular blend and for the collards, I broke out the hot.  It was a perfect addition for the collards because I would normally use seasoned salt. This was the first time I didn't have to break out my trusty old bottle of Frank's Red Hot.  The base and recipe for the chicken is from Saveur and has taken over as my default recipe for all wonderful fried chickeny things.

FOR THE CHICKEN FINGERS:
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3"-long-by-1"-wide strips
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 Tablespoons Slap Ya Mama Original Cajun Seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic

1 teaspoon mustard
1 cup flour
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups panko breadcrumbs
Canola oil, for frying

• In a medium bowl, toss together chicken, sugar, SYM, garlic and mustard; set aside. 
• Place flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs in 3 separate shallow dishes; set aside. Pour oil to a depth of 2″ into a 6-qt. Dutch oven or other deep, large sauce pan.  Heat oil over medium-high heat until deep-fry/candy thermometer reads 325°. 
• Working in batches, coat chicken in flour, shaking off excess, and dip in eggs; coat in breadcrumbs. Fry chicken until golden brown and crisp, about 3 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Repeat with remaining chicken.

FOR THE COLLARD GREENS
1 large bunch collard greens, rinsed
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, peeled and sliced
2 Tablespoons Slap Ya Mama Hot Cajun Seasoning
1 good sized hunk of smoked pork (either pork butt or one hock) left whole

• Remove collards from stalks and roughly chop; set aside.
• In a large stock pot, heat oil over medium heat; add onion and saute until just translucent. Add SYM blend and saute for 2 more minutes.
• Add reserved collards to pan and top with enough water to cover greens. 
• Add pork, cover pot and reduce heat. 
• Cook over medium-low, stirring occasionally, for approximately 5-6 hours. The longer, the better.

Slap Ya Mama Roasted Chicken and Slappy Happy Sweet Potato Fries

Slap Ya Mama Roasted Chicken and Slappy Happy Sweet Potato Fries

by Christine Adams

The name makes my nephew giggle!

Slap Ya Mama Roasted Chicken

1 chicken or your favorite pieces, rinsed, I used a 7 pounds so I would have leftovers
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, halved, no need to peel
1 teaspoon Slap Ya Mama Hot Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon Slap Ya Mama Original Cajun seasoning
a few grinds of pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Heat oven at 350.  Squeeze lemon over whole chicken and place inside along with the halved garlic.  If using chicken pieces, slice the lemon into smaller pieces and arrange around the pan, along with the garlic. Mix the spices together and sprinkle over the chicken.  Bake 20 minutes per pound, leg should wiggle easily when done.  Let rest for at least 20 minutes, loosely tented with foil.

Slappy Happy Sweet Potato Fries

2 large sweet potatoes, rinsed, unpeeled, ugly spots removed
1/3 cup olive oil
1/8 teaspoon Slap Ya Mama Hot Cajun seasoning
1/2-1 Tablespoon Slap Ya Mama Original Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Slice sweet potatoes into fries.  In a large Ziploc, mix seasonings with the oil and taste, add a little salt if needed.  Throw in the potatoes and toss well.  Spread in a shallow pan, making a single layer.  Bake for 20 minutes and flip, baking for another 20-30 minutes. 

Slap Ya Mama Fried Calamari with Hot Pepper Rings & Sour Cream

Slap Ya Mama Fried Calamari with Hot Pepper Rings and Sour Cream

by Christine Adams

1 pound squid rings, rinsed
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons Slap Ya Mama Original Cajun Seasoning
1 can of your favorite beer
flour for dredging
canola oil

Fill a heavy sauce pan with a few inches of oil. While the oil is heating, mix your dry ingredients, take a sip of your beer, and mix the rest into the dry ingredients until thick and frothy.  When it sticks to the spoon and just the excess drips off, you're ready to go.

Dredge the rings in the flour, shake off any excess and drop into the batter. Let any extra drip off and put into the hot oil. Fry for a minute or so, until golden brown.  If it gets brown to fast, just turn the heat down a little. Drain on paper towels or in a paper bag.  Keep warm in the oven, uncovered, this will keep them crispy, while you finish the rest.

Hot Peppers in Oil

by Christine Adams

6 jalapeno peppers rinsed and sliced with seeds

handful of black olives sliced

1 cup olive oil

1 clove garlic minced fine

Warm oil and add peppers, olives and garlic for 10 minutes; take off heat and let sit for 30 minutes to cool and for flavors to blend. Serve in a small bowl with the fried calamari.  Also great on sandwiches.

SYM Tangerine Dream Scallops and Shrimp

SYM Tangerine Dream Scallops and Shrimp

by Diana Horst

1/2 pound scallops, muscle removed
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 Tablespoon Slap Ya Mama Original Cajun Seasoning
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger root, minced or microplaned
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
3 tangerines, zested and juiced
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon aleppo chile or red pepper flakes
2 Tablespoons cider or rice vinegar
1 Tablespoon cold butter
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 200F. Dust scallops and shrimp with the SYM seasoning. Heat the olive oil in a sautee pan until almost smoking. Sear scallops on both sides to develop a nice golden crust. Reduce heat and add shrimp cooking until almost cooked through. Remove scallops and shrimp from pan and keep warm in the 200F degree oven. Sautee garlic and ginger in the now empty pan until golden, adding additional oil if needed. Deglaze with white wine. Add chicken stock and reduce the wine and stock by about a third. Add tangerine juice, honey, brown sugar, chile flakes and vinegar. Reduce again by about a third. Remove from heat and add tangerine zest and swirl in the cold butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the scallops and shrimp and any juices from them to the sautee pan and toss to coat in the sauce. Serve over rice pilaf or with crusty bread.

As always, these measurements are approximations. I'm the kind of cook who is always adusting as I go, by smelling and tasting along the way.

My Friend Kristen's Slapped Cheesy Chicken Bites

My Friend Kristen's Slapped Cheesy Chicken Bites

by Matt Baird

About 6 months ago, at work, my friend, Kristen H., gave me this recipe. All I did was Slap it! This is so easy to make, and everyone love it!

3 boneless chicken breasts

1/4 cup olive oil

1 whole head of garlic (not one skimpy clove,but the whole darn head) we're talkin' serious garlic here  :)

1 cup Italian bread crumbs

1 cup parmesan cheese

1 1/2 teaspoon Slap Ya Mama Hot Cajun Seasoning

Cut up the chicken into 1" cubes and set aside. Peel garlic and put through a garlic press into a bowl. Add olive oil and chicken and let marinate for about an hour. Mix the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and SYM seasoning in another bowl. Preheat oven to 425. Take chicken outta the olive oil and roll in bread  crumb mixture. Place breaded chicken onto a foil or parchment lined baking pan, and bake at 425 for 15 minutes.

SYM Parmesan Tilapia & SYM Roasted Veggies

SYM Parmesan Tilapia
Adapted from: Mama's Supper Club
by Rebbekkah Fisher

Ingredients:
2 pounds tilapia fillets (orange roughy, cod or red snapper can be substituted)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons finely chopped green onions
1/4 teaspoon Slap Ya Mama Hot Cajun Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon fresh basil
a pinch of sea salt & black pepper (I use Ocean’s Flavor)
1 dash hot pepper sauce

Directions:
Preheat to 350F.
Butter a 13 x 9 balking dish with butter.
Lay fillets in a single layer without stacking them.
Brush the fillets with lemon juice.
Bake for 20 minutes or just until fish flakes.

In a small bowl mix cheese, butter, mayo, onions, and seasonings together. Once fish is finished, add cheese topping to the fillets and bake an additional 5 - 10 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.
SYM Roasted Veggies
by Rebbekkah Fisher

Ingredients:
You can use any veggies- potatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchini, squash, bell peppers, carrots, eggplant, onions etc.
Slap Ya Mama Hot Cajun Seasoning
Olive oil
Parchment Paper
Your favorite spices & herbs: rosemary, salt & pepper, paprika, cumin, cayenne, crushed red peppers, thyme, sage etc.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425* Wash & cut all veggies into thin strips of the same size. This will ensure they will all be done at the same time. Add your SYM Seasoning, olive oil and other herbs and seasonings into a large bowl. Add veggies and coat very well.

Put parchment paper on a baking sheet (easier clean up) and spread about your veggies. Don’t crowd them, this will cause them to steam- we wanted roasted veggies. Use two baking sheets if needed. Roast for about 20 minutes or until the veggies look golden brown at the edges.

Ultimate Dry-Rub Barbecued Spareribs

Ultimate Dry-Rub Barbecued Spareribs
by Gary Gee

2 Tablespoons smoked paprika
1 Tablespoon hot paprika
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons dried thyme, crumbled
2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Slap Ya Mama Hot Cajun Seasoning
4 to 6 pounds pork spareribs, cut into smaller racks if necessary

Preheat oven to 325°.

In a small bowl, combine all rub ingredients (everything but the ribs). Rub the mixture thoroughly all over the ribs, pressing to adhere. Position the ribs in a large, shallow roasting pan and cook, uncovered, until tender, about 2 hours. Baste occasionally with pan drippings.

If desired, prepare charcoal grill during the last hour of cooking. Finish ribs over medium coals to brown, taking care not to burn.

Cut into individual ribs to serve.

Smack Ya Mama Crock Pot Baked Beans

Smack Ya Mama Crock Pot Baked Beans
by Chiffonade

1 pound small white beans such as Navy or Great Northern, soaked overnight or “speed soaked”
1 ham hock, meat removed and reserved (cut meat into bite sized pieces)
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, smashed and chopped
1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup molasses
1 teaspoon Ancho chile powder
1 Tablespoon Cumin
6 cups water
1 Tablespoon Slap Ya Mama Hot Cajun Seasoning

Speed soaking = Bring beans and water to a boil. Turn off heat and soak one hour. Beans are now ready to use.

Place (drained) beans, ham hock bone, onion, garlic, brown sugar, molasses, ancho chile powder, and cumin into crock pot with 6 cups water. Stir to combine ingredients. Cover crock pot and cook on high heat 3 hours. Add reserved meat and SYM seasoning salt. Cook another 3 hours, or until beans are tender. Stir occasionally throughout cooking time.

SYM Bacon & Corn Hash

SYM Bacon & Corn Hash 

by Ben Ellis

The recipe is almost embarrassing my mom taught it to me when I first started cooking.

1 pound red potatoes
4-6 ears of corn
1 pkg of thick cut bacon
Egg (optional)
Scallions to garnish

Cut up the bacon and throw into a cast iron pan, let render out until bacon is crisp. Take out the bacon and reserve the fat.

Cube the potatoes and throw in the pan with the bacon fat and add some salt and black pepper cook until golden. (About 10-15 min)

Drain the fat and add in the corn let roast for about 5 minutes so the corn still has some bite to it. Add in the bacon. Take off the heat and add scallions so that they wilt a bit.

If you're like me a fried or poached egg is wonderful on anything so in a separate skillet I fry up an egg and put it on top of the hash!

Slap Ya Mama and Brown Sugar Crusted Pork Roast with Savory Slap Ya Mama Applesauce

Slap Ya Mama and Brown Sugar Crusted Pork Roast with Savory Slap Ya Mama Applesauce
by Susan Whempner

For the Pork Roast:

3 lb. boneless pork loin roast
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. Slap Ya Mama regular seasoning

Combine brown sugar and Slap Ya Mama seasoning in a small bowl. Coat a rack and roasting pan with non-stick cooking spray. Cover every inch of the pork roast with brown sugar mixture. Place roast on rack, fat side up. Cover with foil and put in refrigerator for 1 hour. Take roast out of refrigerator and preheat oven to 375. Roast pork until internal temperature reaches 150 and the outside has a lovely crust. Take out of oven, cover with foil and let rest for 20 minutes (the internal temperature will continue to rise a bit). Slice and serve with Savory Slap Ya Mama Applesauce (recipe below). 

For the Applesauce:

1 1/2 cups of your favorite homemade applesauce (my grandmother's recipe is below)
1/4 plus 1/8 tsp. Slap Ya Mama regular seasoning

Mix applesauce and seasoning together and let it hang out in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Warm up for a few seconds in microwave or serve cold with pork roast. Enjoy!

Homemade Applesauce

3 1/2 to 4 lbs. Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and sliced

Unsweetened, unfiltered apple juice

Place the sliced apples in a pot and pour in enough juice to cover about halfway up the apples (you can always add more if needed). Bring the apples and the juice to a boil and then simmer covered for about half an hour (stir once in a while). Use a ladle to remove some of the liquid if there seems to be too much (it's all in your preference). Take the lid off the pot, turn up the heat some and cook it down for about 15 more minutes, stirring often. The apples should break down nicely. Add a teaspoon of cinnamon after pulling sauce off the heat. Cool and store in refrigerator. Enjoy!

Cheddar Bayou Biscuits

Cheddar Bayou Biscuits

by Donna Currie

1 1/2 cups (6 3/4 ounces) self-rising flour
2 Tablespoons cheddar cheese powder
2 Tablespoons romano cheese powder
1 Tablespoon chives
4 Tablespoons cold butter
2/3 cup cold milk
Additional butter for brushing the biscuit tops
Slap Ya Mama Original Cajun Seasoning 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees with a rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine the self-rising flour, cheese powders, and chives. Whisk to combine.

Cut the butter into chunks and drop it into the bowl with the flour. Cut the butter in with two knives or a pastry cutter until the largest bits are no bigger than a pea. Add the milk and fold gently to moisten all the flour. The dough should be a little bit wet. If it's dry and thick, add a bit more milk. If it seems too wet, don't fret. You can make up for that when you roll the biscuits.

Flour your work surface and turn out the dough. Dust the top with flour. With a rolling pin, roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle the dough and your work surface as needed to keep the dough from sticking. You'll need more at the beginning and not much later.

Fold the dough in thirds, like a letter. Roll the dough again, this time to 1/2 thick. Fold in thirds again, like a letter. Roll it to 3/4 inch thick. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, dip the cutter in flour, then cut as many rounds as you can from the dough. Try to keep from twisting the cutter as you cut.

Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet leaving space bewteen them.

Gather the scraps, piling them on top of each other, trying not to turn them sideways - you created nice layers with the folding, you want to keep them running horizontally. Roll the dough again to 3/4 inch thick and cut as many more biscuits as you can.

You can re-roll a third time, if you need to, or just gather the scraps and make one last hand-formed biscuit.

Bake the biscuits at 400 degrees until nicely browned, about 18 minutes.

Move the biscuits to a rack. Brush the tops with butter, then sprinkle with as much of the Slap Ya Mama seasoning as you like.

Serve.

Spicy Spatchcocked Roasted Chicken

Spicy Spatchcocked Roasted Chicken

by Gary Gee

1 whole chicken (4 pound size), spatchcocked*, rinsed, and patted dry

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon Slap Ya Mama Hot Cajun Seasoning

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare broiling rack by lining pan with foil, replacing rack, then spraying with non-stick cooking spray.

Place chicken in large, shallow dish or pan. Combine all remaining ingredients and rub well all over chicken, front and back. Tuck wing tips under.

Place chicken, skin side up, on prepared broiler rack and roast, uncovered for 45 minutes. Rotate pan and continue roasting for another 45 minutes, or until done (clear juices from the thigh area, skin pulling away from the leg end).

Rest chicken for about 20 minutes before carving.

*Get your minds out of the gutter; "spatchcocking" a bird simply means cutting it in half down the back (removing the backbone and sternum, if desired) and slightly flattening it. This allows for faster, more even browning and cooking.