Cheese Straws

This recipe comes from a friend at a LSU tailgating party.  They were served and I asked for the recipe. They are light and crispy.

Ingredients:

• 2 C. flour, sifted
• 2 C. Rice Krispies
• 2 C. Sharp Cheddar cheese, finely shredded
• 2 sticks of butter, softened
• ¼ t. cayenne pepper
• 1 t. salt
• 1 t. garlic powder
• 1 t. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. In a large bowl, mix the softened butter with the cayenne, salt, garlic powder, and Tony’s
3. Add the flour, then the Rice Krispies and the cheese
4. Kneed the mixture together
5. Roll into balls about an inch in diameter
6. Place on cookie sheets and bake for 10 minutes
7. Remove from the oven and press each ball with a fork
8. Return to the oven for 5 minutes
9. Remove from oven and move each to a cooling rack

 Tips and Tricks:

• These are a great light appetizer when serving cocktails.
• These store well for several days in a plastic container.

Banana Pudding

This is another recipe from my mother-in-law Dotty.  She is the BEST.  This is a totally homemade from scratch dessert.  It's a "Make it for someone you love" kind of dessert.

Ingredients:

Custard:

• 3 egg yolks
• 2 C. milk
• ½ C. sugar
• 1/3 C. flour
• ½ t. vanilla

Meringue:

• 3 egg whites
• ¼ t. salt
• ¼ C. sugar
• ½  t. corn starch

• 4 – 5 ripe bananas, sliced
• 48 Nilla wafers

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Separate room temperature eggs and put the whites in a stainless steel or glass bowl
3. Place the whites on the side for later
4. Boil water in a double boiler, then add flour and sugar
5. Beat the egg yolks with the milk and add to the double boiler
6. Stir constantly for 12 minutes
7. Remove from heat and add vanilla
8. In a 2 quart Pyrex dish, put about ½ C. of custard then a layer of about 24 Nilla wafers and a layer of bananas
9. Next layer about 1 C. of custard, then another layer of 24 Nilla wafers and bananas
10. Last layer of 1 C. of custard
11. Let the pudding set and make the meringue
12. Combine the salt, sugar and corn starch in a separate bowl
13. Using a mixer, beat the egg whites
14. Add the mixture gradually to the egg whites and beat until peaks are formed
15. Spread the meringue over the pudding making sure to seal the edges
16. Bake for 15 minutes
17. Pudding can be served warm or chilled

Tips and Tricks:

• Beating egg whites are tricky.  You need a really clean bowl.  Stainless steel is great, but glass works well also.  NO PLASTIC.  Don’t try to make a meringue on a rainy day.  If there is too much humidity, it doesn’t work.
• I don’t have a double boiler.  I use a pot and put a stainless steel bowl over the pot.  This works fine.

Smothered String Beans

A one pot meal, what cook doesn't like that?  This has all the food groups: the veggies, the starch, the meats, and very little fat.  My Mom and I love these, Donald not so much.  Hope you do!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. of fresh string beans, snapped into bite-size pieces
• 2 lbs. of new potatoes, peeled and cut in half
• ½ lb. of ham, cubed
• ½ lb. of smoked sausage, cut into semi-circles
• ¼ C. of vegetable oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 4 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 can of Rotel tomatoes
• 1 C. chicken broth
• ½ T. kosher salt
• ½ T. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning

Directions:

1. In a Dutch oven, add onions with oil and cook until limp over a medium-low heat, about 10 minutes  
2. Add garlic for an additional minute
3. Add sausage and ham and fry for about 10 minutes
4. Add tomatoes, salt, Tony’s, beans and chicken broth
5. Cook over medium heat, covered for 15 minutes
6. Add potatoes and cook for an additional 20 minutes, covered
7. Serve steaming hot

Tips and Tricks:

• I use Bryan Cajun Smoked Sausage.
• The times are tricky.  It really depends on the firmness of the string beans.  It usually takes about 15 minutes for them to start to wilt.  If they aren’t wilted at 15 minutes wait until they are to add the potatoes.
• We usually make these when we have ham leftover from a holiday or gathering.  If not you can just buy a ham steak and cut it into chunks.

Everything Jambalaya

Everything, but the kitchen sink.  Yeah, that's about it.  Bacon, pork sausage, smoked sausage, chicken, and shrimp are all in there.  This makes a big gumbo pot full, so invite the family and friends over.

Ingredients:

• 2 C. of chopped onions
• 1 C. of chopped bell pepper
• 1 C. of chopped celery
• 6 cloves of mined garlic
• ½ lb. of bacon
• 1 lb. of fresh pork sausage, squeezed out of the casing
• 3 lbs. of shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 5 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 lb. of smoked sausage cut into semi circles
• 1 can of Rotel
• 1 large can of crushed tomatoes (3 ½ C.)
• 6 C. shrimp stock or chicken stock
• ½ C. of Louisiana or Crystal Hot Sauce
• 1 T. of salt
• ½  C. flour
• 5 C. parboiled rice

Directions:

1. Cut bacon into thin small strips
2. In cast iron pot, fry the bacon until crisp and remove
3. Add the pork sausage in crumbles and cook about 5 minutes and remove
4. Make a roux with the bacon and sausage drippings and flour over medium high heat until the color of dark peanut butter
5. Add onions, bell peppers, and celery and cook until soft, about 10 minutes
6. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute
7. Add Rotel and crushed tomatoes then transfer to a gumbo pot
8. Add chicken or shrimp stock, smoked sausage, bacon, pork sausage, salt, and hot sauce
9. Bring to a boil and cook for 45 minutes
10. While cooking cut chicken into 1 inch chunks
11. Add chicken and cook for 15 minutes
12. Add rice and cook for 15 minutes on low heat
13. Add shrimp and make sure they are all covered by the rice
14. Cook for an additional 15 minutes
15. Serve hot!

Tips and Tricks:

·     You can make shrimp or chicken stock.  It is easy!  Follow my link to find out how I make mine.

·      If you don’t have a cast iron pot you can make a roux in a heavy bottomed pot instead.  The trick is to stir constantly.  You can NOT multi-task during this step.  This is where the base of flavor for your jambalaya comes.  Be diligent, it takes about 15 minutes to make a roux the color you need.

·        I use Bryan Cajun Smoke Sausage. 

·        ½ C. of hot sauce might have you scared.  Don’t be!  The sausage, chicken, shrimp, and rice all absorb the hot sauce and give this jambalaya a great flavor.  It is spicy, but not tongue numbing.

·        This freezes well.

Shrimp Scampi with Linguine

Shrimp with garlic and lemon, Yum!  This is another Barefoot Contessa recipe that I have slightly tweaked.  It is so flavorful and makes a nice presentation.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. of linguine
• 3 lbs. of medium to large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 4 T. butter
• 3 T. olive oil
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• ½ C. freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 – 4 lemons)
• 1 t. grated lemon zest
• ¼ t. red pepper flakes
• 2 t. kosher salt
• 1 t. black pepper
• 1 t. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• ½ C. grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Boil pasta as directed on package and strain
2. In a heavy bottomed skillet, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat
3. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute
4. Add the shrimp with the salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and Tony’s
5. Cook for 5 minutes
6. Remove from heat, then add the lemon juice and lemon zest to the pan
7. Add the pasta and toss
8. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese then serve

Tips and Tricks:

• I use Angel Hair pasta for this as well.
• I sprinkle some fresh chives over the top when I serve this dish.  It is not necessary.

Shrimp Stack

This is the appetizer that we have at just about every family function.  It is a recipe from my cookbook that Darlene made for me.  If I had a dollar for every time I've made this recipe, I'd be rich.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. of small boiled shrimp
• 2 (8 oz.) cream cheese
• ½ C. green onions, finely chopped
• ¼ t. grated lemon peel
• 2 T. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 T. lemon juice
• 1 t. Crystal hot sauce
• 1 bottle of Cocktail sauce
• Crackers

Directions:

1. Let cream cheese soften, before starting to make this appetizer.
2. Combine the softened cream cheese with all the following ingredients (except the Cocktail sauce)
3. Spread the cream cheese mixture into a serving dish
4. Refrigerate until ready to serve
5. When it’s time to serve, pour the Cocktail sauce over the cream cheese mixture
6. Place the boiled shrimp on top of the Cocktail sauce and serve

Tips and Tricks:

• I use 1/3 less fat cream cheese.
• I serve this dip with Butter Thins from Pepperidge Farms.

Boiled Shrimp

This is my Dad's tried and true recipe for boiling shrimp.  They are always yummy when prepared this way.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. of Fresh Shrimp
• 1 orange (cut in fourths)
• 1 lemon (cut in half)
• 1 onion (cut in half)
• 1 head of garlic (cut in half)
• 2 T. concentrated Liquid Shrimp and Crab boil
• 2 T. salt

Directions:

1. In a large pot, put water, lemon, orange, onion, garlic, and crab boil (NO SALT)
2. Bring to a boil, then add shrimp
3. Bring to a boil again and cook for 2 minutes
4. Turn off the heat
5. Add salt and let the shrimp bathe in the salt water for 5 minutes
6. Strain and eat

Tips and Tricks:

• My Dad swears that the reason his shrimp would always peel easily is because he put the salt in AFTER the boiling.  It works.
• This recipe can be altered for more or less pounds of shrimp, but be careful with the crab boil.  I like my seafood spicy and use a tablespoon for each pound.  This is NOT what the label recommends.
• If you want potatoes and corn, just fish the shrimp out of the water and use the same water for a quick one pot meal.

Asian Crunchy Slaw

I have about three different recipes from three different people and they are all similar, but each one changes a few things.  This is a combination of those recipes.  This a great dish for a picnic or pool party.  It tastes best cold, but it can be left out because it has no mayo.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. of coleslaw mix (green and purple cabbage and carrots)
• 1 bunch of green onions, finely chopped
• 2 packs of chicken flavored ramen noodles
• ½ C. of sliced almonds
• 1 C. of sunflower seed kernels
• 2 T. soy sauce
• 2 T. sesame oil
• 1/3 C. rice vinegar
• ¼ C. vegetable oil
• ½ C. dark brown sugar
• 1 t. black pepper

Directions:

1. Place coleslaw mix, green onions, and sunflower seed kernels in a large bowl
2. Heat a skillet on medium heat and toast the sliced almonds until lightly brown, then add to the bowl
3. Add the crushed ramen noodles to the bowl (see tips and tricks for my hint)
4. Whisk all the other ingredients together in a separate bowl, including the flavor packets from the ramen noodles
5. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well

Tips and Tricks:

• To crush the ramen noodles, place in a Ziploc bag and roll a rolling pin over the noodles until they are in bite size pieces.  If you don’t have a rolling pin, use a mallet or even a coffee mug to crush the noodles.
• Don’t be tempted to add SALT.  The flavor packets from the ramen noodles are full of salt and extra salt is NOT necessary.
• Sesame oil can be found on the international aisle of the grocery store.  It spoils quickly and you won’t be using much, so keep in the refrigerator to extend the life of the oil.

Shrimp Creole

This was my favorite dish growing up.  My Mom is a great cook and this is her recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 C. of chopped onions
• ½ C. of chopped bell pepper
• ½ C. of chopped celery
• 4 cloves of mined garlic
• 5 lbs. of shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 cans of tomato paste
• 4 cans of tomato sauce
• 4 C. water or shrimp stock
• ¼ C. of Crystal Hot Sauce
• 2 T. sugar
• 1 T. of salt
• ½ T. of black pepper
• ¼ t. cayenne pepper
• ½ C flour
• ½ C vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Add oil and flour to a cast iron pot to make a blonde roux over medium high heat until the color of a walnut (about 7 – 8 minutes)
2. Add onions, bell peppers, and celery and cook until limp
3. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute
4. Add paste and cook for about  3 minutes
5. Add sauce, stock, hot sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, and cayenne
6. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes (stirring often)
7. Add shrimp and cook another 20 minutes
8. Serve with hot rice

Tips and Tricks:

•        You can make shrimp stock to use instead of the water.  It is easy!  After you peel your shrimp, place everything that is left in a big pot with 12 C. of water, 2 onions cut in half, 4 stalks of celery, 1 head of garlic cut in half, 1 T. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning.  Boil for 1 hour then strain stock. 
•        This Creole is very smooth.  If you like a chunkier sauce, you can use crushed tomatoes instead of the sauce.  Rotel tomatoes are good for this also, but cut out the cayenne and hot sauce or it may get too spicy.

Broccoli Italiano

Easy, yummy!  The broccoli becomes almost nutty tasting after roasting it.  The other ingredients don't hurt the flavor either.

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of broccoli
• 2 T. olive oil
• ¼ C. parmesan cheese        
• ¼ C. bread crumbs
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 t. salt
• ½ t. black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Steam broccoli for 5 minutes, then place in a baking dish in a single layer
3. Pour oil then sprinkle cheese, bread crumbs, garlic, salt, and pepper over broccoli
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is browned

Tips and Tricks:

• Steaming the broccoli is not necessary, but I have baked it and it has remained very crunchy.  I like broccoli more on the soft side.  If you like crunchy broccoli, don’t steam it.