By Gawd and Can Do Trotter

By Gawd's Shrimp/Seafood Cocktail Sauce at the end of this.

Now when this child was born, By Gawd's first grandbaby, they tried to tell him he couldn't go in and hold her. I reckon he did. Cowboy up!

Now I have had Lil Guts and Doc plus my friends over the last twenty odd years trying to get me to publish this crazy cookbook I started in 1987. I have messed around with this thing until I met Can Do. He was the one that finally convinced me to do something with it besides it being a hobby. He felt it was that good. Now Can Do is a cat in the hat. Get 'er done, Can Do!

Since 1987 when this thing got started I have given away so many copies, added to it from various experiences I have had finding recipes on several ranches as a ranch broker, scouting for hunters, traveling around and so on. I just let it lay around and didn’t do anything with it. Well, not quite true. I did try to publish it right after I wrote it but I kept running into these lady editors that didn’t like the “tone”, so to speak.

So I’m still getting recipes and continuing to up-date this puppy as time goes on. And I was fat, dumb and happy with that.

Then I run into this cat from Los Angeles, California down in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico.

Where?

In Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. And neither one of us were running from the law.

Name is Kelly, “Can Do” Trotter. Cool guy and would have made a great cowboy had he had the opportunity. Cowboys are the most hard headed/can fix it/do it/will figure it out cats in the world and that fits his personality.

Anyway, back to my story, “Can Do” and I were consuming some good old Mexican beer in the hotel bar one night and I mentioned I had written this cook book of really good, really easy cooking for some boys that were single, divorced, whatever but not of the kitchen persuasion, cooking challenged and he wanted to talk to me about marketing this thing on the internet.

Well, here we are.

There are some complicated recipes in there but 95% of what you will find are really simple and they are good. Plus, I am telling you what to steal when you are hitting the door with a really mad soon-to-be-ex-wife on your back, whatever, or what to buy if you are off on your own for the first time away from momma and you have to learn how to eat something besides fast food.

Not to mention how to get a date. “Darlin’, come over to my place and let me fix you some chicken fried steak, cream gravy, mashed potatoes and home made biscuits.”

Get back, Cat! You gonna get run plum over! You gonna make that dude saying, “Let’s go to ‘Chez le McDonalds’“ look pretty weak.

I have included several things in here besides just recipes. Things like what you need to have to get started cooking, some measurements you really need to keep handy and some suggested cooking times.

I’ll be up-dating this thing as time goes on, will keep growing the book but will continue to keep the cooking challenged in mind. Just remember to try it my way first then you can mess around with it and see if you can get it to your particular taste. However, always try to keep it fun and enjoy yourself.

So, here we are. I suggest you pop a top, kick back and start readin’ this and start dreaming of the good times coming. There are honestly some great recipes I have somehow managed to get my hands on over the last 50 odd years and I have cooked everyone of them or they would not be here.

David W. (By Gawd) Andrews’ Shrimp/Seafood Cocktail Sauce

I fixed this one Sunday afternoon in my Xalapa house for Precious, her brother, his family, and one of our best friends from Puebla, Puebla, Mexico and they said it was a knock down good! Precious' brother asked me why I didn't bottle it.

The Shadow and ole By Gawd were doing Bourbon Street in New Orleans one night, fell into a seafood joint that had no sauce but all the fixin’s on the table. Do your own kinda deal. Welp, being a ole time cowboy I figured that one out pretty quick. They had Tabasco Sauce, Horseradish, Worcestershire Sauce and catsup on the tables. I jumped right in there like I thought I knew what I was doing to keep the Shadow impressed. Tasted it, surprised myself and then the Shadow tasted it. She sat there still as a tree for about 30 seconds. Then she snapped out of it and told me she must have fainted. I asked her if it was too hot and she just jumped into that sauce like she was going to swim in it! Fixed it one day at my house in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico when “Can Do” Trotter and I were working and “Can Do”, who doesn’t like Horseradish, really liked it. We ate some shrimp that day, Bubba.

1/3 cup catsup
2 tsp. of Tabasco Sauce
2 tsp. Prepared Horseradish
1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

Mix and stir it up really well. Put in refrigerador for a couple of hours before you serve it. Cat, I don’t know how to tell you this but it is better than what you can buy!

Learn more about By Gawd, Precious, Lil Guts and Doc, buy the download version of the book, over 115 great tasting and easy recipes from breatkfast to supper and see the ranch at http://www.abrokecowboyscookbook.com/ and http://www.rancholavalentina.com/.