Bay City Tribune

When we entered the home of Judge Aaron Green, justice of the peace pct. 4 incumbent, we had no idea what culinary treasures were in store for us.

Aaron and his wife Annette invited us into their home in Markham to share lunch in the fun and super friendly spirit that their family is accustomed to.

Aaron told us about his brothers, who happen to excel in the art of cooking, and how their skills inspired him to achieve heights of his own.

"I had to learn how to cook something, cause I was tired of them messin' with me," he said.

Annette said that Aaron only cooks two dishes, but everyone in the family will admit that the recipes are spot on.

As we listened to his tales of family rivalry in the kitchen, we started to gain a glimpse into how the dishes came to be.

We were enchanted by the give and take dance that the couple shared across the cutting board in their kitchen.

Stories, laughter and motions flowed easily between the two as they sliced lemon pound cake and passed ingredients for stuffed chicken.

Like a well-practiced team, every motion was anticipated. When he was ready for the next step, she was handing over the knife; when he was finished with something, she was cleaning it and putting it away.

Annette laughed and told us they like to emulate the Neelys on The Food Network, which they both enjoy watching.

"I'm gonna do some 'BAM' in here today," Aaron said, as they stuffed sausage and veggies into the chicken.

They flirted across the kitchen island as they told us about their adventures as avid motorcyclists.

Aaron rides a Harley-Davidson and Annette rides a Spyder in the Matagorda and Brazoria County Highway Hitters.

They said their granddaughters were excited that stuffed chicken was on the menu for the evening.

After the loss of Aaron's daughter, his granddaughters came to live with him and Annette.

They attend Tidehaven High School and are always excited to come home when Aaron cooks his specialties.

"When the girls come in, they're hungry and they're not playin'," Aaron said. "When the kids love what I cook, that's a plus."

The family gathers around the table after church on Sundays where the conversation is open to anything and everything.

Aaron and Annette said that they feel it's important to show the girls what it means to have a positive relationship and they are doing their best to serve as a positive example.

The Greens have traveled extensively through their riding and on vacations with friends during the few occasions when his schedule has allowed them to travel.

Aaron has held his position as JP 4 for 20 years and over the past several years has volunteered what spare time he has to manage the Eastview Cemetery.

Annette laughed as she told us that he has been called out to the cemetery on their anniversary for two years in a row. She smiles and takes it in stride.

Watching the chicken go into the oven, and watching our clocks, sadness crept in as we realized that we wouldnt be there to taste the delectable creation when it came out of the oven.

Then Aaron told us that he knew we weren't going to be able to eat the chicken, so he prepared some of his secret recipe ribs to share with us for lunch, and he had been slow smoking them outside since 9 a.m.

It was as if a chorus of Handel's Messiah burst forth in the kitchen when Aaron returned carrying a plate of ribs that cannot be described in wordsonly by a series of embarrassing guttural noises and facial expressions.

As we drifted into a place where ribs had never taken us, the couple told us that barbecue held a special place in their relationship - it was the meal they shared on their first date.

"We ate barbecue on our first date," Aaron said. "And we've been eatin' it ever since."

We left agreeing we'd just eaten our fill of the best barbecued pork ribs that either of us had ever tasted and spent the afternoon getting to know a great couple who had shared with us much more than a plate of food.

In his own words:

Tribune: What three things can we always find in your refrigerator or pantry?

Green: "Now you know you're in a black man's house, right? You're gonna find some Kool-Aid. Some ice cream. We love butter pecan ice cream. The kids hate it but we love it and that's just fine so they won't eat ours. They have home made vanilla and when they can't find it they eat ours. So we fight in this house over ice cream. And now, lately, since they found out how delicious (frozen lemon pound cake) is, we've been having to endure that. And that's about it because we try to watch our eating habits now. And you can tell in the past I didn't used to watch my eating habits but now my wife is saying, 'Well, you're getting older and you don't drop the weight as much.' So we've been trying to watch it because we're avid motorcyclists now and we like to go on our motorcycles and we want to look good when we ride now."

Tribune: If you could share a meal with everyone in Matagorda County, what would you serve and what would the atmosphere be like?

Green: "If it were a large variety of people, I would definitely cook them some ribs. Because that's something that can easily serve a lot of people. We would have them here at our home because I like people. I like catering and serving people."

Tribune: What is your comfort meal?

Green: "Something that I cannot get at home because my wife will not cook it and that is soul food. I love ham hocks and I love pig feet and my wife will not cook that."

Green's Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients:

Whole chicken

Season Salt

Lemon Pepper

Potatoes, peeled and sliced

1 link of beef and pork sausage, sliced

1 bag of frozen broccoli and cauliflower mixed vegetables

Italian dressing (optional)

Directions:

Rinse the chicken and sprinkle season salt and lemon pepper over the skin.

You can also pour a little Italian dressing over it, cover it and put it in the refrigerator overnight.

When you are ready to cook it, preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Stuff the chickens with a mixture of sausage, potatoes and mixed vegetables.

Place the chicken in a roasting pan and pour the extra potatoes and veggies around it.

Cover with foil and bake for 2 hours.

Serve with fresh green beans and cornbread for a fantastic meal.

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