Tamale Bites

These are little bites of heaven!  The recipe comes from my friend, Jeannien's cousin, Marlene.  It makes about 200, so make them for a big party or clear out some room in the freezer.

Ingredients:

Tamales:

• 4 lbs. of ground chuck
• 1 pack of chili seasoning or ¼ C.
• 1 pack of taco seasoning or ¼ C.
• 2 T. garlic powder
• 2 (10 oz.) cans of Enchilada sauce 
• 1 lb. of Mexican cheese, shredded
• 1 corn bread

Corn bread:

• 2 C. corn meal mix
• 2 C. milk
• 2 eggs
• ½ C. vegetable oil

Sauce:

• 3 (10oz.) cans of enchilada sauce
• 1 can of Mexican Rotel

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Prepare the corn bread and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown
3. Reduce the heat of the oven to 350 degrees
4. Allow the corn bread to cool, then crush the bread into crumbs
5. Mix all ingredients for the tamale mixture in a large bowl
6. Use a 1 inch scoop leveled, then roll into balls
7. Place tamale bites on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray
8. Bake for 30 minutes
9. At this point you can freeze the tamale bites until you are ready to serve them, or
10. Heat the sauce, add the tamale bites and enjoy!

 Tips and Tricks:

• This is a great Mexican Fiesta dish.  Everyone loves these.
• These freeze well without the sauce.  If you have leftovers that you want to freeze with the sauce, they become mushed up after they are reheated.  They still taste great, but they don't hold their consistency of balls.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

When Gabby had her jaw surgery, we ate a lot of soup.  This is a combination of a few recipes I found thanks to Food Network.  I tweaked it a few times, but it is really yummy.

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, chopped fine
• 4 stalks of celery, chopped fine
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• ½ stick of butter
• 1 t. of fresh thyme, chopped fine
• 1 t. kosher salt
• ½ t. white pepper
• A pinch of fresh nutmeg
• ¼ t. cayenne pepper
• 1/3 C. flour
• 6 C. chicken stock
• 2 (16 oz.) chopped broccoli
• 1 pint of half and half
• 2 C. sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded
• 1 lb. of Velveeta, cubed

Directions:

1. In a Dutch oven, sauté onions and celery in butter, until limp
2. Add garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper and cook for 1 minute
3. Add flour and cook for 3 minutes
4. Slowly add the chicken stock while whisking constantly
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the stock thickens, about 5 minutes
6. Add broccoli and cook for 10 minutes
7. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until it is the consistency you like
8. Add the half and half, then the cheese
9. Heat until all the cheese is melted and serve

Tips and Tricks:

• Making your own chicken stock for this recipe is cheaper and tastes better.  Follow my link to find out how I make mine.
• You can use heavy cream in the place of the half and half if you want a thicker soup.
• The fresh thyme really makes a big difference in this soup.

Shepherd's Pie

This is the one dish that all the kids (and teachers) would run to the cafeteria to get on a day when it was served.  It's got it all: meat, starch, veggies, and cheese!  I got this recipe from Alton Brown on the Food Network.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Potatoes:

• 2 lbs. of Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
• ½ stick of butter
• ½ C. half and half
• 2 t. kosher salt (1 t. in the boiling water, 1 t. in the mashed potatoes)
• ¼ t. ground black pepper
• 1 t. garlic powder
• 1 egg

Meat Filling:

• 1 lb. of ground chuck
• 1 lb. of ground pork
• 2 T. vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 C. baby carrots, chopped
• 1 t. kosher salt
• ½ t. black pepper
• 1 t. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• ¼ C. all-purpose flour
• 2 T. tomato paste
• 1 can beef broth
• 1 T. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 t. rosemary
• 1 t. thyme
• 1 C. frozen corn
• 1 C. frozen peas

• ½ lb. of sharp cheddar cheese, sliced thick 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Boil the potatoes for about 15 minutes or until they are soft
3. In a skillet, brown the ground meat and pork with the salt, pepper, and Tony’s on medium heat, about 5 -7 minutes
4. Strain the meat and reserve
5. Strain the potatoes, add the butter, return the potatoes to the pot
6. Whip the potatoes with a mixer, adding the half and half, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and finally the egg
7. Reserve the potatoes
8. In the same skillet, heat the oil on medium-high heat and sauté the onions and carrots until limp, about 10 minutes
9. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute
10. Add the meat and coat with the flour
11. Cook for 2 minutes
12. Add the tomato paste and coat the meat
13. Add the beef broth, Worcestershire, rosemary, and thyme
14. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 15 minutes
15. Add the peas and corn and stir thoroughly
16. Spread the meat mixture into a 13” x 9” x 2” baking dish
17. Using a spatula, spread the mashed potatoes over the meat mixture, carefully sealing the edges of the pan with the potatoes
18. Add the sliced cheese on top of the potatoes
19. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, until the cheese melts and starts to slightly brown
20. Allow the pie to rest for 15 minutes before serving

Tips and Tricks:

• You should be able to cut this casserole into squares to serve.  Getting the first square out is the hardest, like with lasagna, but after that it isn’t bad.
• I think this actually tastes better the next day after it sits in the refrigerator overnight.  You can make this the day before you want to serve it, put in the refrigerator, and bake it the day it is to be served.

Smothered Cabbage with Pickled Meat

This is another one pot meal.  My Mom and Dad liked making meals that could be made in one pot.  If you don't like cabbage, you might still like this dish.  The cabbage becomes sweet when it is cooked down.  The way we make this there is a bite of meat with every bite of cabbage. YUM!

Ingredients:

• 2 large heads of cabbage
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 lb. smoked sausage, cut into semi-circles
• 1 lb. pickled pork
• ½ C. vegetable oil
• 1 T. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• ½ T. kosher salt
• 1 t. black pepper

Directions:

1. In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil on medium heat and add the onions and sauté until limp
2. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute
3. Add the sausage and pickled meat and fry off
4. Cut the cabbage in half and then into bite-size pieces
5. Rinse the cabbage in a strainer
6. Add the cabbage and the salt, pepper, and Tony’s
7. Cook covered until the cabbage starts to wilt, about 1 hour
8. Remove the cover and cook for an additional hour, or until the cabbage begins to brown

Tips and Tricks:

• You don’t need to add water.  The water from rinsing the cabbage will be enough.
• The amount of time you cook the cabbage depends on how you like cabbage.  We like to cook it until it is very soft and starts to caramelize.  You can adjust to make yours the way you like.

Peach and Raspberry Crisp

I just made this dessert with some fresh Ruston Peaches. Yummy!  It's another Barefoot Contessa recipe. I think I could become this lady's sous chef.

Ingredients:

• 10 ripe peaches
• ½ pint of raspberries
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 ¼ C. granulated sugar
• 1 C. light brown sugar
• 1 ½ C. all-purpose flour plus 2 T.
• 1 C. quick-cooking oatmeal
• ¼ t. salt
• 2 sticks of butter, cold, cut into cubes

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Butter a 13 x 9 x 2 Pyrex baking dish
3. Boil water in a large pot, place a few peaches at a time in the boiling water for 30 seconds
4. Remove the peaches and place them in a bowl with ice water
5. NOW, the peaches will peel easy
6. Peel the peaches and cut into thick chunks, and place in a large bowl
7. Add the lemon zest, ¼ C. granulated sugar, ½ C. brown sugar, and 2 T. flour
8. Toss well, then gently mix the raspberries in
9. Let the fruit sit while making the crumb topping
10. Combine the flour, oatmeal, 1 C. granulated sugar, ½ C. brown sugar, salt, and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment
11. Mix on low speed until the butter is pea-sized and the mixture is crumbly
12. Pour the fruit into the  baking dish
13. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the fruit
14. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the top is brown and the juices are bubbly
15. Let the dessert rest for 15 minutes before serving

Tips and Tricks:

• This is excellent with vanilla ice cream.
• I don’t have Kitchen-aid mixer, that’s what this recipe is calling for to make this crumb topping.  I used my traditional hand mixer and it worked OK.
• You can make this the day before, put it in the refrigerator overnight and just bake it again for about 20 minutes when you are ready to serve it.

Corn Macque Choux

This is my Mom and Dad's recipe for Macque Choux.  My Dad liked corn.  He made Macque Choux different ways, but this was a favorite because it is a one pot meal.  It serves like a soup.

Ingredients:

• 2 C. of finely chopped onions
• 1 C. of finely chopped bell pepper
• 1 C. of finely chopped celery
• 6 cloves of mined garlic
• ¾ C. vegetable oil
• 6 ears of fresh corn, cut off the cob and scraped
• ½ lb. of pickle meat or ham seasoning
• 3 lbs. of shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 lb. of smoked sausage cut into semi circles
• 2 cans of Rotel
• 2 cans of Cajun stewed tomatoes
• 2 cans of yellow corn
• 2 cans of white corn
• 2 cans of cream corn
• 10 C. shrimp stock or chicken stock
• 2 T. of salt
• 1 T. of black pepper
• ½ t. of cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. In a gumbo pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat and sauté the onions, bell peppers, and celery and cook until limp
2. Add garlic for 1 minute
3. Run the Rotel and stewed tomatoes through a food processer
4. Add both to the pot and cook for 10 minutes
5. Add the fresh corn, including the cobs, to the pot
6. Add the chicken or shrimp stock, sausage, ham, salt, pepper, and cayenne
7. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes
8. Add the can corn and cook for an additional 15 minutes
9. Stir then add the shrimp and cook for an additional 15 minutes

Tips and Tricks:

·        My Dad insists that the KEY to Macque Choux is scraping the corn cob to get the “milk” from the corn.  After you cut the kernels off the cob, you need to scrape the knife down the side of the cob and add the “milk to the bowl of corn. 

·        I use Bryan Cajun Smoke Sausage. 

·        I use Green Giant corn.

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

Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are SOOOO good.  They are rich and gooey, if you bake them the correct amount of time.  This is the traditional Nestle Tollhouse recipe.  I LOVED getting a chocolate chip cookie sandwich on Main Street in Disney World.  These make excellent CCC sandwiches, but they are good out of the oven with a glass of milk, too.

Ingredients:

• 2 ¼ C. all-purpose flour
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 t. salt
• 1 C. (2 sticks) butter, softened
• ¾ C. granulated sugar
• ¾ C. packed brown sugar
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 C. (12 oz. pkg) Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
• 1 C. chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. In a small bowl, combine the sifted flour, baking soda, and salt
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla with a hand mixer
4. Add the eggs, one at a time and continue to beat
5. Add the flour mixture about ½ C. at a time
6. Stir in the morsels and nuts
7. Scoop the cookie dough on a cookie sheet
8. Bake for 9 minutes
9. Remove the cookies from the cookie sheet and allow to cool on a baking rack for 2 minutes before serving

Tips and Tricks:

• I use a 1 ½ inch scoop to make a 3 inch cookie.
• I use parchment paper on my cookie sheets.
• If you want your cookies gooey, you need to remove them before they start to brown.  If you like them more on the crispy side, let them brown before removing them.

Artichoke Dip

This is easy to make and everyone likes it.  The garlic and lemon juice make this dip great.  It is a recipe that I got off of the back of the can of artichoke hearts.

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of artichoke hearts
• 2/3 C. mayonnaise
• 2/3 C. grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 T. lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Drain artichoke hearts well and chop fine
3. Combine all ingredients and mix well
4. Pour into a baking dish
5. Bake for 45 minutes

Tips and Tricks:

• I serve this dip with Wheat Thins.
• When preparing the artichoke hearts, it is important to pick out any leaves that are hard.  They are usually on the outside of the artichoke heart and are darker in color.
• Don’t use light or fat-free mayonnaise for this recipe.  They both have too much water in them and it makes the dip watery.

Dirty Rice

This is Donald's aunt's recipe.  Aunt Jeannette is from Cottonport, LA (not far from where my dad is from) and she makes Dirty Rice when we have family gatherings.  It is easy to make and it is delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• ½ bell pepper, chopped
• 3 ribs of celery, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 lb. ground pork
• 2 lbs. of Savoie or Richard’s Dressing Mix
• 1 can of French onion soup
• 2 cans of chicken broth
• 2 T. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• 4 T. Crystal hot sauce
• ½ C. chopped fresh parsley
• 6 C. cooked rice

Directions:

1. In a Dutch oven, heat the butter over medium-high heat and sauté onions, bell peppers, and celery until limp
2. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute
3. Brown the ground pork, then add the dressing mix and cook for 10 minutes
4. Add chicken broth, French onion soup, Tony’s and hot sauce cook for 1 hour
5. Add parsley and rice and simmer for 20 – 30 minutes
6. Serve hot!

Tips and Tricks:

• Cooking the rice the day before helps.  It dries out a bit and that’s how you want it.  If you do cook it the day you make the dirty rice be sure it is cooled before you use it.
• When you add the rice to the liquid mixture, it looks like it will never dry out enough to eat, but just be patient.  It usually takes 20 minutes, but sometimes you need to let it simmer longer.
• Sometimes I use the Creole Seasoning in the produce section at the grocery.  It has onions, bell peppers, celery, parsley, and garlic all in one container.  I use a large container, or about 3 C.
• You can freeze any leftovers for use at a later date. 

Brussels sprouts with bacon

I love Brussels sprouts.  This is a Emeril's recipe.  It's easy to make and it serves about 4 people.  It is also easy to double.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. of Brussels sprouts
• 6 oz. of bacon, cut crosswise into thin strips
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 1 t. kosher salt
• ½ t. black pepper

Directions:

1. Boil the Brussels spouts for 8 minutes and drain
2. Cut in half and place on the side
3. Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven until crispy
4. Remove the bacon and cook the onions in the drippings until limp
5. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes
6. Add the Brussels sprouts and the salt and pepper
7. Cook until sprouts start to brown

Tips and Tricks:

• The recipe calls for fresh Brussels sprouts, but I haven’t had much luck with the fresh.  I buy the frozen in the bag.  It is not quite a pound, but that’s what I use.
• If you boil your veggies with salt as I do, you will need to reduce the 1 t. of salt to about ½ t. of salt.  The recipe does not call for salt while boiling.