Around Lolly's Sideboard: Mardi Gras 2025

 

It's the season!  Mardi Gras Season!  Time to let the good times roll.  I love cooking and eating Cajun and Creole food and thought it fitting to showcase some of my most favorite Cajun and Creole cookbooks.

This book is a treasure!  My mama passed in 2023 and while going through her extensive book collection, I spied this one and thought I really needed to keep that one.

Look what I discovered when I opened the cover.

You can understand why it's a treasure!

These vintage salt and pepper shakers were hers as well.

I purchased this set of dinner plates and bowls in New Orleans in a Tabasco themed store.  You cannot look at these and not feel happy!

The fleur de lis embossed glasses were made in France.  There's two sizes:  8 oz. and 16 oz.

The New Orleans shot glass is a nice little extra touch.  

I love the everything all at once linen dish towel!

The purple and yellow Fiestaware disc pitcher represent two of the main colors of Mardi Gras celebrations.  

Happy Mardi Gras everyone!

Dining Out Southeast: The Rocket, Jacksonville, AL

Last Friday, we tried the BBQ at The Rocket in Jacksonville, AL.  After posting my review here and on FB, I received dozens of encouraging posts to return and try their burgers.  So....today was our burger day at the Rocket.

There are many versions of burgers on the menu.  Plain burgers, large burgers, deluxe burgers, Rocket burgers, what-a-burger, twin burgers, you get the idea.

The owners' granddaughter provided this helpful guide to ordering!

"The what-a-burger is a pound of meat that comes with everything on it and no sides. The ground beef hamburger vs. the rocket burger is just that the RB comes with fries. The RB has no cheese, but comes with mustard, lettuce, onion, pickles, and the signature rocket sauce. The CB comes with cheese, mayo, lettuce, onion, pickles, and the rocket sauce. The twin is 2 sandwiches with fries. A lot of people get this and split it!"

We decided we'd both get the Deluxe Hamburger Plate which comes with your choice of two sides.  I chose those yummy onion rings and the addictive corn nuggets.  Sweet Harold HAD to have those baked beans and fries again.

But first we ordered that Nectar of the Gods a/k/a Sweet Tea.  Wow...it's amazing.

We'll start with Sweet Harold's meal first.

Here's his deluxe burger with the Rocket Sauce on the side.

This is a LARGE beef patty with mayonnaise, mustard, lettuce, pickles, and tomato.

He's taking his first bite!

Yes, he was impressed from the first bite.  The burger was well seasoned and cooked perfectly with a nice crust.  They are not stingy with the toppings either.  Two large slices of tomatoes on each burger.  The generous layer of pickles certainly made me happy.  

I never realized I wrinkle my nose when taking a bite from a huge hamburger, but here's the proof that I do.

Sweet Harold's baked beans were once again full of all the things:  onions, pepper, crumbled hamburger meat, and sliced hot dogs!

The fries are delicious as well.  Yes, I snuck a few.  Or maybe a little more than a few.

Now to my sides.  Yes, they're the same ones I chose last week to enjoy with my BBQ. 

These onion rings were the beer battered version though.  A little chewy and not as light and fluffy as the homemade version of last week, they were still yummy.  I prefer the homemade ones though.  Your mileage may vary.

I'm still in awe of these little corn nuggets.  They're so GOOD!

Now to the Rocket Sauce.  We ordered on the side so we could dip our fries and onion rings.  I was expecting little take out cups like you get sauce or salad dressing in to take home.  Uh, no.  When you order Rocket Sauce on the side....well, the picture will show that you'll get plenty of sauce to use for dipping!

A friend did a little online research and found this description of the sauce:  "A ketchup based concoction with a hint of hot sauce, some salt and pepper, and a little brown sugar."  Whether that's the true ingredients or not, I'm not sure, but it was a unique condiment that I'd like to try to duplicate!  Next time I'll get it added to the burger and ask for some on the side for dipping as well!

Our verdict on The Rocket's burgers?  They lived up to the hype and recommendations I received.  Will we be back?  Of course!

By the way, between the two of us, we used used 13 paper towels!  

Braised Pork Cube Steak with Rotel Tomatoes

Tonight was the night for another recipe experiment!  I had picked up a package of pork cubed steak and instead of simply frying it up with some mashed potatoes, I wanted to try something completely different.  

As you can tell from that picture, I went a Mexican route.  First, let's mix up the breading for the cube steak.

2/3 cup self rising flour

1 T. fajita seasoning

1 t. ground cumin

1 t. chili powder

1/2 t. salt

In a shallow dish or plate, mix the flour and seasonings together with a fork.  Press each piece of cube steak down into the flour to get into all the nooks and crannies.  Place on a plate as you bread the individual pieces.

Heat a couple of T. of vegetable oil in a skillet or a braiser over medium high heat.  Place a few pieces of cube steak into the hot oil and let each side lightly brown.  Don't crowd the pan.  Cook in batches adding a little more oil as needed.

I placed the browned pieces on the overturned lid of the braiser as I browned the remaining pieces simply to keep from dirtying another plate. 

While the cube steaks were browning I sliced a medium yellow onion and a green bell pepper.  I added a little more oil to the braiser and then tossed in the onion, pepper, and 3 cloves of chopped garlic.

I let the vegetables cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Then I stirred in one can of Rotel tomatoes.  You can choose whichever flavor or heat level you'd like.

Next pour in one cup of beef or vegetable stock.

Now add the pieces of browned cube steak back into the braiser and nestle the pieces down into the liquid.

Reduce heat to low and cover.  Let the meat and vegetables braise for 25-30 minutes.  

The meat should be fork tender.  The vegetables should be soft, but not mushy.  Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley or cilantro and serve immediately.

I served the cube steak and veggies over taco flavored rice.  You could certainly use yellow rice if you prefer.  A side of seasoned black beans completed the meal.

2025 Alabama BBQ Tour: Calhoun County - The Rocket BBQ, Jacksonville, AL

 

Last week, we took a drive over to Calhoun County to continue our fun Alabama BBQ Tour.  The Rocket BBQ is a long time institution in Calhoun County.

Calhoun County is named for John C. Calhoun, a Senator from South Carolina.  The county seat was originally in Jacksonville in 1833, but was changed to Anniston in 1899.  Jacksonville State University is located here and was founded in 1883.

 

From their website:  Gary Marbut’s family started The Rocket in Jacksonville, Alabama in 1958. The Rocket initially operated as a drive-in like Sonic today. This Mom-and-Pop barbecue-and-burger joint has a loyal following and old-timers fondly view the restaurant as something straight out of “Happy Days.” Besides barbeque sandwiches and salads, The Rocket also serves other all-American food such as chicken fingers, French fries, cheeseburgers, and onion rings. The Rocket is a throw-back to times gone by where the staff calls most customers by their first name and delivers excellent food with even better customer service. The barbeque joint has been a staple to the people of Calhoun County since 1958. The Marbut family is now serving the fourth generation of the same families that have traded with them for years.

Being a college town, I would wager a bet that 99.99% of the students of JSU have dined at The Rocket.

As we drove around the back of the restaurant in search of a parking space, I spied the proof that this is a definite certified BBQ joint.

Be prepared if you visit.  The dining room is small.  The tables are packed together.  But it is so worth the closeness of your fellow dining companions.

You'll need to come early or at off times if you want a window seat.  Here's a look at the menu.  It's nice to go ahead and check it out, because you'll be ordering at the counter and those people in line behind you?  They're hungry!  If you're going to need a bit to decide what you want, be a nice person and let them order ahead of you.

Sweet Harold ordered while I grabbed a table.  If you're craving sweet tea, this is the place.  This is how I used to make it before I realized that sugar was considered evil.  This is how your grandmama made sweet tea.  It's worth every single calorie.  

While we waited on our meal, and while sipping that heavenly nectar a/k/a sweet tea out of the styrofoam cup, we enjoyed some of "Yesterday's Country Music" being broadcast over the local radio station.  

At last!  Here are our meals.  I'll share Sweet Harold's selections first.

He decided on the smoked chicken plate with fries, and baked beans.

The smoked chicken was sublime according to my dining companion.  Large chunks of smoked chicken with a distinct smoked flavor, extremely tender and juicy was his description.  He loved the sauce which wasn't too thick nor too thin, and had a great balance of flavors that didn't overpower the chicken.

These are his favorite type of fries:  the handcut version with some of the peel on each fry.  These were nice and crispy with just the right amount of salt.

Now to the beans.  Y'all know we've been having some issues with the beans on prior visits of our BBQ tour.  He's been served some that were so overcooked and dry they were sticky.  Then there's been some that have barely been emptied from a can and warmed through.

But as of now, these are the #1 bean of the tour.  Look at all the extras in these beans!  There's onions, bell peppers, hamburger meat, and even slices of grilled hot dogs!  Talk about a hearty baked bean!  He was so happy.  In his words, "The Rocket could give lessons on how to make baked beans."  

I'm staying true with trying the pulled pork plate to get a good baseline on that item.  I had the pulled pork plate with onion rings and corn nuggets.

Before I begin with my food descriptions...I suppose you've noticed the generous serving of pickles on each plate.  Note to yourself:  If you don't care for pickles, you need to tell them when you order.

Now, moving forward.  My pulled pork was a mixture of lightly chopped and pulled pieces.  There was a nice amount of bark mixed throughout my serving.  I enjoyed the sauce as well.  Bottles of extra sauce were provided if you'd like to add more.

The corn nuggets were an immediate favorite.  Fried like corn fritters in a light crispy batter with creamy corn inside.  There were 24 on my plate!

Onion rings are offered two ways:  beer battered or homemade.  I chose the homemade variety.  Again, a very generous serving and I had some left to bring home, which I never do.  These were nicely fried (which means they weren't cooked too long and the oil was fresh).

The toasted bread was nice and buttery and had a good crunch!

I also did something I've never done before:  I took pictures of how much food we had left to bring home!

You'll definitely get your money's worth here!   

Standouts:  Sweet tea is some of the best I've ever enjoyed either at home or dining out; baked beans were phenomenal; onion rings were worth making a drive back to Calhoun County; both smoked meats were superb.  

Overall score 0 - 100:  93

So many people have raved to me about their burgers.....guess I'll be going back to try those!