New Year's Menu

Well, it's that time of year that you have to shop ahead for your ingredients as not to be rushed for your holiday meal~

 

Menu

 

Pork Roast

Dirty/Rice Dressing

Cabbage rolls

Candied/Baked  Sweet Potatoes

Peach Pie

Dinner Rolls or make biscuits

 

Bon Appetit!

 

These recipes are in Roux, Simple Cajun Recipes.

 

Shopping List

 

Pork Roast of your choice 

1 lb of ground pork

2 lbs of ground meat

long grain rice

1 large loose leafy cabbage

2 large cans of sweet potatoes

Brown sugar

Mini Marshmallows

4 pie crusts

3 large cans of peaches

 

You should already have these items

in your kitchen pantry:

All purpose flower

Corn oil

Corn Starch

Garlic

Onions

Cinnamon

Salt

Pepper

Paprika

 

Simple ingredients...just a good Southern meal.

 

 

Old Fashion Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
water
salt and pepper
1 large chicken broth
4 ribs of celery diagonally sliced with leafy ends
6 carrots diagonally sliced
1 large onion cut in half and then slivered
1 package of egg noodles

Preparations:
In a large soup pot place whole cleaned chicken; cover with cold water, add celery, carrots, onion and chicken broth
Add 2 Tablespoons of Kosher Salt
Add 1 Tablespoon of coarsely ground black pepper
Bring to a roaring boil for about 30 minutes

Remove chicken and debone
Place meat back into soup
Bring back to a boil

Add egg noodles

Turn off heat and cover.

The noodles will be cooked in 8 minutes.

Serve with Crusty bread.
Bon Appetit!


 

Sweet Potatoes Spicy

Ingredients:
4 large sweet potatoes rinsed; cut into diced chunks
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons of Old Bay Seasoning
1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
1 TB of granulated white sugar
3 TB of olive oil

Place sweet potatoes that have been diced chunky in a bowl of water for 10 minutes.
Combine in a small bowl the red pepper flakes, Old Bay Seasoning, Kosher salt and granulated white sugar.

Drain sweet potatoes and pat dry.

Place in a large mixing bowl; drizzleolive oil on the potatoes, sprinkle the seasonings you have mixed and toss.

Place in a baking pan uncovered in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes, turning once.

Bon Appetit!

Aunt Annie's Shrimp Gumbo

3/4 cup of corn oil
3/4 cup of all purpose flour
3 lbs of cleaned shrimp
1 large yellow onion chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
1 celery rib diced
1 bunch green onions chopped
File (ground sassafras leaves)
2 quarts of water
salt and pepper

Make a very dark roux with the oil and flour. (see Basic Roux recipe in Roux, Simple Cajun Recipes Cookbook); add onions, bell pepper, garlic, celery and 1/2 green onions. Saute until clear.
Spoon this mixture into a gumbo pot and slowly add 2 quarts of water stirring to mix thoroughly ; add 2 Tablespoons of File and simmer about 1/2 hour.  Add more water if gumbo is too thick. 
Add salt and pepper to your taste, remembering that when you add the shrimp 15 minutes before serving, that they will absorb the seasoning.
Ladle gumbo over steamed white rice in a large soup bowl.  Add onion tops and dust with File.

Carrots for the winter months!

I just purchased some organic carrots and didn't want any of them to spoil so I froze some of them...
1. Wash and peel carrots, cut into chunks and/or slices
2. Blanche in boiling water for four minutes
3. Drain and place in an ice cold water bath
4. Package and freeze

The blanching helps the carrots keep their color and taste.  They can be frozen up to 6 months...right through the winter soup and stew months.

Bon Appetit.

Louisiana Crawfish Bake

Louisiana Crawfish Bake

1 to 2  lbs crawfish tail
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can French onion soup
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup ...
1 (10 ounce) can Rotel tomatoes & chilies
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup chopped celery
salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated monterey jack cheese
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Directions:
Mix all ingredients except cheeses and pour into a large greased casserole.
Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Uncover and sprinkle cheeses over casserole.
Return to oven and bake for 15 minutes more.

Bon Appetit!

Holiday Menu

So here is our menu for Thanksgiving dinner. 

I have already started purchasing ingredients for the meal so we don't have a large grocery bill at the peak of the holiday season.

Thanksgiving Menu

 

Turkey Breast

Pork Loin Roast

Spiral Ham

White Rice and Gravy

Green Bean Casserole

Yummy Yam Casserole

Dinner Rolls

Pumpkin Pie

 

 

Christmas Menu coming up soon!

Holiday Shopping Lists...Shopping for...GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

Green Bean Casserole Ingredients - Page 14 of Roux, Simple Cajun Recipes

Everyone prepares and serves Green Bean Casserole for the holidays.

The recipe is on page 14 of Roux, Simple Cajun Recipes and of course, everywhere else in the world, but it's nice to have all of your holiday recipes in one little book!

Now, we are not cooking yet, we are stocking our pantry for the holidays.

You are buying staple ingredients for each recipe ahead of time, little by little, so you don't have a large bill for groceries during the holiday season.

You can double (I usually double this recipe) and triple your purchase of the ingredients for a larger dish.

1 can of Cream of Mushroom soup

2 cans of cut Green Beans

Soy sauce

Black pepper

1 large can of French's Fried Onion Rings

Listed are the things you buy ahead of time and put away (they're perishables in this recipe that you have to purchase during the holidays).

I have a decorated Holiday box that I put everything in so I won't use the staple ingredients for anything else before the holidays. Bon Appetit!

Shopping lists for the holidays...

I am getting ready to post the lists for your shopping for the dishes you would like to prepare for the holidays...if you start buying a few things now on your shopping lists it is easier on your pocket book and your feast will be awesome!

I will post lists for small get togethers that are easy to prepare. Also shopping lists to prepare Christmas and New Years Day traditional dishes in South Louisiana.

Check back soon!  Bon Appetit!

Catfish Stew

Ingredients

1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 small can of tomato sauce
1 jar of picante sauce
1/2 cup of corn oil
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup Roux, Simple Cajun Recipes
Dried Seasoning Mix
2 tablespoons of sugar
2 pounds of cleaned fileted catfish

Steamed rice

Instructions

Soak dried seasoning mix in 1 cup of water, set aside
First you make a roux with the flour and oil until golden brown
Add tomato sauce
Add crushed tomatoes
Add seasoning mix with water
Add two tablespoons of sugar
Simmer for 10 minutes.
Add catfish and simmer for 15 minutes.

Served over fresh steamed rice with a side salad and garlic bread.

How to make a roux and the dried seasoning mix are found in my little Cajun book, Roux, Simple Cajun Recipes!
Bon Appetit!

Easy Dried Lima Beans...

When you haven't had time to soak your lima beans here is pretty quick way to cook them just in time for dinner.

Ingredients

1/2 to 1 pound of small baby lima beans
1 TB salt
2 slices of chopped bacon
1/4 chopped onions
2 TB of vegetable oil
4 TB of ketchup
1 teaspoon of sugar

Cooking Instructions

Wash 1/2 to 1 pound of Baby Lima Beans,
In a large pot filled with water, add 2 TB vegetable oil, 1 TB salt and beans.
Bring the Lima beans to a roaring boil,
Drain in a colander.

Return the beans to the pot, add cold water and bring to another boil.

Drain again, return the beans to the pot again, add salt, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1/4 cup of chopped onions, 5 TB of ketchup and two slices of cut bacon.

Cook on medium heat about 15 minutes, continue to simmer until the beans are soft.

Bon Appetit!

PESTO SPAGHETTI

 

 

 This is so easy that you will fix it often.

 Mix 3/4 cup of virgin olive oil with 4 tablespoons of Pesto, set aside.

 Boil one package of spaghetti and drain. 

Place in a large serving bowl.
Stir the oil and pesto mixture into the spaghetti. 

 

Garnish with fresh grated parmesan cheese.
 

With a side salad you have a scrumptious meal

that took only the time to boil spaghetti.

How to Boil Spaghetti

 

Bring 2 quarts of water to a fast boil,

drop in spaghetti and stir, bring back to a fast boil,

cover and turn off heat.

Let sit 12 minutes.

Taste test and if it is to your satisfaction, drain.

Optional: Add cut up black olives or olive mix and/or cherry tomatoes.
Bon Appetit!

Homemade Corn Bread

1 Cup of Cornmeal

1 Cup of All Purpose Flour

4 to 6 TB of Sugar

4 teaspoons of Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon of Salt

1 Cup of Milk

1 Egg

1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil

 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2. In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt

3. Add milk, egg and oil. Beat until smooth, about a minute.

Bake in a greased 8 inch square pan 20 to 23 minutes

or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.

Bon Appetit!

Old Fashion Strawberry Preserves

A vintage recipe for strawberry preserves with or without added pectin.

Ingredients:
· 1 1/2 quarts red, ripe strawberries
· 5 cups sugar
· 1/3 cup lemon juice
Preparation:

Wash and hull strawberries. Combine berries with sugar in a large stainless steel pan; let stand for 3 to 4 hours.

Bring strawberries to a boil slowly, stirring occasionally. Add lemon juice and (optional) 2 TB of pectin. Cook rapidly until strawberry mixture is clear and syrup is thick, about 15 minutes.

Pour mixture into a shallow pan and let stand, uncovered, while you prepare the jars.

Ladle strawberry mixture into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Process for 20 minutes in a boiling water bath.
Makes four 8-ounce jars.

Recipe can be doubled/tripled.

A vintage recipe for strawberry preserves with no added pectin. Bon Appetit!

Pork Neck

So, I decided to cook something that I had never prepared before...I found this very cheap piece of pork...three bucks for a pile of pork neck bones...mmm what can I do with this...

First of all I prepared the meat by rinsing and then lightly drizzling olive oil on the meat, I dusted them with all purpose flour then seasoned with cracked ground pepper, coarse salt and a drizzle of barbecue sauce...I placed the prepared meat in a Le Creuset dutch oven with pearl onions and added a cup of water. 

Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours.

Unbelievable taste!  I served the dish with green beans and garlic mashed potatoes. 

When you look at this meat packaged at your grocer try to purchase more meat than bones...It was an unbelievable rich taste for a mere "3 buck package" of pork neck bones!  Bon Appetit!

My Italian Ricotta Cheesecake

I am not Italian but sometimes I get this feeling that somewhere, sometime, and maybe in another life, I was Italian.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Lightly grease a springform pan

Ingredients:
1 lb of Ricotta cheese
1 lb of Philadelphia cream cheese
1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
6 eggs
6 TB all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 TB freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 pint of sour cream
3/4 cup of white raisins

Mix Ricotta and Philadelphia cream cheese together at room temperature
Stir in sugar, eggs, flour, lemon juice and vanilla
Fold in sour cream and then white raisins

Pour into springform pan and

Bake in preheated oven for one hour, turn oven off and leave in oven for 1 hour.

Cool completely in refrigerator before serving.

Bon Appetit!

Lemon Curd

Ingredients

Zest of six lemons
Cut six lemons in half and squeeze to 1 cup of lemon juice, set aside
1/2 cup of softened butter
2 cups of sugar
4 eggs
 

Preparation
 

With mixer on low, cream butter and sugar, add one egg at a time to mixture
then add lemon juice slowly to the mixture (it will look curdled)

Pour this mixture into a large microwave safe mixing bowl, microwave 5 minutes on high setting, stirring every minute

Then at least 2 more minutes, stirring after each minute, until it becomes creamy and makes small peaks.

Cover the top of the warm lemon curd with plastic wrap so it doesn't form a film,

Cover tightly and refrigerate for four hours before use.

This can be kept in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

This curd can be ladled on anything such as broken up angel food cake and then topped with whipped cream, lady fingers in short glasses and spooned into the middle topped with rasberries.

Bon Appetite!

Enchilada Taco Chip Casserole

Ingredients:
1 large bag of Tostido taco chips
1 can of cream of chicken soup
2 lbs of ground meat
1 medium onion, diced
1 pound of grated sharp cheddar cheese
6 slices of mozzarella cheese
1 can of enchilada sauce
1 small can of green chilis

Instructions:
Spread tacos in a 9x13 glass pan
Brown ground meat with diced onions
Add cream of chicken soup, enchilada sauce and green chilis (undrained)
Simmer about three minutes
Add grated cheese and stir until cheese is melted
Pour over taco chips, cover with the slices of mozzarella
Bake in a 350 degree oven until bubbly.
Bon Appetit!