Duck Dynasty

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 300°F. In a large bowl, cover frog legs with buttermilk. Marinate 1 hour, then drain. Return the frog legs to the bowl. Mix together the eggs, beer, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, spicy mustard, and salt and pepper to taste, and pour the mixture over the frog legs. Make sure they are coated completely. One at a time, take out the legs and roll each leg in the flour. In a large cast-iron skillet, melt the butter in 4 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Cook the frog legs, turning once, until golden brown on both sides (2 to 3 minutes per side). Remove the skillet and drain lightly. Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil into the bottom of the Dutch oven, then add the frog legs. Cover them with the green onions, parsley, and garlic and sprinkle with Cajun seasoning to taste. Cover with a lid and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the frog legs are tender.

A Note from Miss Kay

Eating frog legs might sound pretty redneck to most of you readers, but truly, they are delicious. Don't think about the little frog hopping by your back door. The frogs my boys catch have legs as big as chicken legs. And do they taste like chicken? Well, to me, they taste like frog legs.

DIRECTIONS

Make the broth and squirrel: In the soup pot, bring 10 cups of water to a boil. Add the squirrel and season generously with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer until tender enough to be pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Remove the squirrel from the broth and set aside. Add the milk and butter to the broth. Leave the broth to simmer while you make the dumplings. Make the dumplings: In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. With a pastry blender or 2 knives scissor-fashion, cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the buttermilk a little at a time, stirring until a soft dough forms, about like the consistency of biscuit dough. Divide the dough into 4 balls. Sprinkle the counter with flour. Roll each ball of dough to 1/8-to-1/4-inch thick, adding more flour as needed to prevent it from sticking. Cut into large squares. Return the broth to a boil. Make sure there is enough in the pot to fill at least half the pot. If not, add more water. Drop the dumplings into the boiling broth a handful at a time. When they are all in, turn the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Put the meat back in the pot and let it sit until hot again.

A Note from Miss Kay

You might not like squirrel or have access to squirrel, but you can use this dumpling recipe with chicken just as well. Boil your chicken or buy a precooked rotisserie chicken. Either way, it's a dish your family will love.

DIRECTIONS

Place the ducks in the soup pot filled with water. Add the salt and pepper to taste, and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, and cook until the ducks are tender, but not falling apart, about 2 hours. Remove the ducks from the broth and set aside. Reserve the broth (discard the bay leaves). When the ducks are cool enough to handle, skin them and remove the meat from the bones; discard the skin and bones. While your ducks are cooking, in the large cooking pot, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring frequently, until the roux is a dark chocolate color, 35 to 40 minutes. Add the white and green onions, celery, garlic, and parsley to the roux. Add enough of the reserved broth to fill it just over half full, and bring it to a boil. Skim off any oil that rises to the surface. Add the Cajun seasoning along with the hot pork sausage, andouille, and duck meat. Simmer 2 hours, then add the okra and simmer 1 hour longer or until all the meat is tender and the gumbo has thickened.

A Note from Phil

I would say the Duck Commander not having a duck gumbo recipe would be as strange as a cell phone in a duck blind. Duck gumbo does take a little work, but it's worth it. Just follow it step by step, and you'll do just fine.

DIRECTIONS

Prepare the deer steaks by beating them one lick on each side with a meat mallet. In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs. In another bowl, season the flour with salt and pepper. Dip the steaks in the milk mixture, then in the seasoned flour. Fill the skillet halfway with oil and heat to 350°F over medium-high heat. Add the steaks and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Drain the steaks on paper towels. Sprinkle with green onions to serve.

A Note from Phil

If the deer is a young deer, you can eat is as soon as you fry it. But if the deer is old, fry it and then layer it in a Dutch oven with a layer of onions and a layer of mushrooms. Cover the pan and bake in the oven at 350°F for an hour.

DIRECTIONS

If you're using a grill, heat it to medium. If not, heat the oven to 400°F. Fill each jalapeno half with cream cheese. Mold sausage around each jalapeno half, making sure to cover the entire jalapeno. Wrap each "armadillo egg" with a slice of bacon. Cook the eggs on an open grill until the sausage is cooked through and the bacon is crispy. If you don't have an outdoor grill, bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, then broil until the bacon is crispy. Remove the eggs from the grill or oven and cover with melted butter.

A Note from Miss Kay

I know these aren't real armadillo eggs; I just love the name! Willie uses this recipe a lot. In fact, it's in his book, The Duck Commander Family, along with other things he likes to cook. I love to talk recipes with Willie. I am so proud that he loves to cook and eat – just like I do.

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 400°F. Mix together the beans, onions, sugar, mustard, BBQ sauce, and syrup and pour into the casserole. Cook the bacon for 2 minutes in the microwave. Put on top of the beans. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until bubbly and slightly thickened.

A Note from Miss Kay

This recipe makes repeated appearances in our family; it's a great one to serve with hamburgers.

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 350°F. To get 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes, boil about 2 1/4 pounds whole sweet potatoes with the skin on for about 40 minutes, until they are soft. Drain, let cool until you can handle them, and remove the skin, Mash the potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Let them mostly cool. Beat in the sugar, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, butter, milk, and vanilla. Pour into the unbaked piecrusts. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven heat to 300°F. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes more, until the filling is set and no longer wobbly in the center.

A Note from Miss Kay

At our house, this is one of Jase's favorites, so if you're not right by the oven when the pie comes out, watch out! It might disappear before you get a bite!

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, mix together the Cajun seasoning, pepper, salt, chili powder, and Old Bay. Roll the chicken pieces in the seasoning mixture. If you need more seasoning, mix more. In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Mix the buttermilk and Tabasco. Add the chicken pieces and make sure they are all coated. Fill the skillet about 1/2 full with oil. Turn on to medium-to-high heat. One at a time, take the chicken pieces out of the bowl and roll them in the flour. Set aside. When the oil is hot (350°F), carefully add the chicken pieces. Brown them on all sides. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes more, turning as necessary, until cooked through. The chicken should turn a golden brown. Use a fork to test. (The juices should be clear.) Drain on paper towels and serve.

A Note from Miss Kay

I know it's easier to pick up chicken on the way home, but it's never as good as homemade fried chicken, or at least that's what Willie says. He loves homemade fried chicken, and really, if you're in the kitchen anyway, it's not that hard!

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, mix together (with your hands) the meat, celery, onion, garlic, bell pepper, eggs, Cajun seasoning, black pepper, tomato paste, milk, and 2 cups of the crushed crackers. Divide between 2 loaf pans. Spread tomato sauce on the top of each loaf. Sprinkle the remaining crushed crackers on top of the sauce. Top the loaves with the bacon. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until set and the juices run clear when the meatloaf is poked with a fork. Let cool a little before slicing.

A Note from Miss Kay

Meatloaf was a standard meal when we were growing up because it's economical yet still a great choice for dinner. Jep has always been my "meatloaf lover" and can't wait for me to make it. You can serve it with potatoes of any kind and a simple salad.

DIRECTIONS

Make the pie filling. In the top of a double boiler over simmering water, melt the butter. Beat in the sugar, flour, and salt. Add the milks and stir continuously until the mixture thickens. This may take up to 30 minutes. Once it's thickened, stir a little into the egg yolks. This will temper the yolks and keep them from cooking too fast. Stir the tempered egg yolks into the mixture in the double boiler and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove the top from the double boiler. Stir the vanilla and all but 1 cup of the coconut into the filling. Pour the filling into the piecrusts. Make the meringue: Heat the broiler. With the mixture, beat the egg whites on high speed for 3 to 4 minutes, until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the sugar, then beat in the vanilla. (By now, the peaks should be able to stand and bend over as you remove the beaters.) Spread the meringue over the pie filling. Put the pies under the broiler to brown the meringue. (Watch carefully, as this will only take about 30 seconds.) Sprinkle the reserved 1 cup of coconut on top. Chill the pies thoroughly before serving.

A Note from Alan

I have to admit that I have a sweet tooth, which means I'm constantly on a diet. But I can't resist Mom's coconut cream pie. It's so creamy and delicious. I know you'll love it, too.

*For recipes from Kay for banana pudding, biscuits, and Swiss steak, visit our Recipes By Kay page. And for Willie's recipes for duck wraps and more, check out this excerpt from The Duck Commander Family.