Kiss the Cajun Cooks

Cajun Pasta With a KICK

2012-01-22T18:11:00.004+01:00

And no..."with a kick" does not just mean SPICER!

First --decide if this will be Cajun CHICKEN Pasta or Cajun SHRIMP pasta.

If you choose chicken, you will need to season (with SYM, of course!) and saute your chicken (that you have chopped into bite sized pieces) in a little butter until it is cooked through. Set aside.

If you choose shrimp, peel and season (you know the drill!) your shrimp and then set aside.

Chop 1 large yellow onion (more julienne than diced). Do the same with 1 large red bell pepper. Saute them in 1 stick of butter, giving them a few shakes Slap Ya Mama (or your favorite Cajun seasoning). Just before the veggies are softened, add 2 minced cloves of garlic and 1 tsp of Red Pepper flakes and continue sauteing for about 3 minutes longer.

Dice 4 fresh & ripe Roma tomatoes. Add to the sauteed veggies.

Pour in 2 cups of chicken broth and 1/2 cup white wine.

Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and use a bit of corn starch to thicken the mix.

Stir in 1 cup of heavy cream.

Let it simmer for about 10 minutes.... At this point, you also should go ahead and boil whichever pasta you have chosen to use tonight PLUS grate your fresh Parmesan cheese to put on top! :-)

After about 10 minutes, add your meat and raise the heat JUST A BIT (just above simmer heat). Cook until the shrimp are pink or until the chicken has soaked up all that good juice (about 10 min).

Serve over freshly cooked pasta and top with fresh grated Parmesan.

YUM!

Kelli's Pecan Pie

2011-12-05T14:38:00.004+01:00

There are SO many versions of Pecan Pie out there, so it would only make sense that mine has its own special kick! And since I can't put Slap Ya Mama in a pecan pie, I chose another "KICK"! Trust me...this is one of the easiest pecan pie recipes you will ever make!

Preheat oven to 350 and prepare your pie crust (homemade or the refrigerated roll-out ones from the grocery store----either works just fine!)

Note: A 9" pie pan never seems to be big enough for my occasions, so keep in mind that this recipe is for a larger pie pan-- closer to 12".

In a large box mix together 1 + 1/4 cup of white sugar and 4 TBSP melted butter.

Add 3/4 cup of light corn syrup and 4 large egss (beaten). Mix until everything is well-blended. Now for the dessert-version of SYM-- add 3 TBSP of Bourbon (I actually buy the cheap stuff, so I am sure whatever you have on hand will be GREAT!)

Add 2 cups of Pecan Halves.

Pour into the unbaked pie crust.

Set on a cookie sheet (I use my Pampered Chef Pizza Stone and it works great!) and place in your 350 degree oven.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Reduce heat to 300 and continue to bake until your middle is set... there is not a magical time for this. It depends on several things--like your altitude, the quality of your corn syrup, your oven... just watch it closely. Mine usually take about 20 more minutes on the lower temp to fully set....but keep your eye on it!

Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack until you are ready to serve.

Cornbread Dressing

2011-11-23T11:04:00.004+01:00

We Southerners eat CORNBREAD DRESSING with our Turkey on Thanksgiving and Christmas because in our world "STUFFING" is that cottony stuff inside of a throw pillow!

I was so excited because last night Jess asked me HOW to make Cornbread Dressing... because she and Jeff are making their first Thanksgiving dinner together tomorrow! So here is the recipe I sent her and that I will share with all of you. It has evolved from my grandma's way of making dressing into the way my mom makes it, and of course, the way that I have tweaked it over the years!

Here is what I sent to Jess.... starting at the shopping all the way to the serving! Enjoy!

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Here is your shopping list:

Cornbread mix (2)-- I use Jiffy (the one in the box that costs like 35cents) because it has just enough sweetness to be wonderful!

(+2 eggs and 2/3 cup of milk to make the cornbread)

1 egg extra

2 cans of chicken broth

Green onions (one bunch)

1 yellow onion

1 red bell pepper

1 bunch of celery

White bread (you will need 2 pieces to make toast so if you have a loaf already, that is fine)

The bag of Giblets (from the turkey) ...the turkey that is THAWED OUT!

Foil

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To do on Wednesday night:

-Bake the cornbread (as directed on the packet). You will need to bake both boxes so you have enough to make your dressing...

-Toast 2 slices of bread.

-Boil 1 egg and set in the fridge.

Get the bag of giblets from the turkey.

Chop the yellow onion, the bell pepper and 1 cup of celery.

In a saucepan: Add 1 can of chicken broth and 2 cans of water, 1 TBSP of butter, the bag of giblets plus the onion, bell pepper and celery.

Season it with Slap ya mama while boiling! Season it like I would! :-)

Boil until the meat is tender (falling off the neck bone) and the veggies are soft.

When it is cool, take all the "giblets" out and chop them up (throwing out the bones, of course) into small pieces. Add back to the liquid. Cover and set this in the fridge until Thursday.

In a large bowl, crumble the cornbread (until it has no lumps and is pretty fine) and tear up the 2 slices of toast into as small of pieces as possible. Cover and leave out until Thursday.

____________________________________________

To do on Thursday :

You need to do this about an HOUR and 15 min before you plan to eat.....

Take out the saucepan with the giblets/juice and reheat on the stove. Add the other can of chicken broth if it looks like you might need more liquid....

While it is reheating, chop your bunch of green onions and your egg (that you set in the fridge last night). Add both to the crumbled cornbread mix and mix with your hands.

Add ONE CUP of the giblet mix (be sure you get some of the meat pieces in there!) to your cornbread mix and mix until it is all "wet". The key is that it should not be TOO WET or TOO DRY. You want ALL of the cornbread to be moistened, but not soggy. If you need more liquid, add more from the giblet saucepan, but add it about 1/4 cup at a time...because you can always add more but you cannot "unadd" it....

Mix all of this together.

Butter/grease your baking pan....and then pour your cornbread dressing into it.

COVER WITH FOIL and bake at 375 for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake about 10-15 minutes longer so your top browns a bit.....

Don't overbake or it will dry out. :-)

And then VOILA! You are ready to serve "MoMo/Granny/Mom's Cornbread Dressing". ENJOY!!!!!

(Then you can give Jeff the rest of the Giblet Sauce so he can make the Giblet Gravy!)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Brunch Quiche

2011-10-23T09:18:00.003+02:00

Always a winner and you can change it up each time so your guests always think it is a new recipe!

Preheat oven to 350.

Version WITH MEAT:

Fry 1 pkg of bacon (or sausage or ham) in a skillet.

While it's frying, chop 1 yellow onion. When you remove the bacon from the pan, add 1 TBSP of oil to the bacon grease plus 2 shakes of your favorite seasoning (I use Slap Ya Mama, of course). Saute the onions until they are soft.

Version WITHOUT MEAT (which I actually make most often)

Chop 1 large yellow onion and 1 red bell pepper. Saute in butter plus 2 shakes of your favorite seasoning (I use Slap Ya Mama, of course) until they are soft.

In the meantime, grease a baking dish (I use a large round one) and place 1/2 cup of shredded cheese (you pick the flavor) on the bottom of the pan (spread it out).

Place the bacon/onion/pepper combo on top of the cheese in the baking pan.

In a mixing bowl- combine 1/cup of milk, 1 cup of sour cream, 4 eggs, 1/2 cup (I use a BIT more!)jm, of shredded cheese, 1/2 cup of flour and 1 tsp of baking powder. Mix these together and then add another shake of your favorite seasoning.

Pour this mixture on top of the bacon/onions/peppers and then bake.

Bake for about 40 minutes until the middle of the quiche is set. Do not overcook.

Slice like a pie to serve.

Fruit Pizza

2011-10-22T22:45:00.007+02:00

This one is an oldie, but a goodie! In fact, I have not made it since I moved to Denmark, but my daughter called me about it because she planned to serve it at a baby shower she was hosting. When I sent her the directions, I remembered how yummy it is! So whether you need something to serve at a shower or a brunch, or just a YUMMY treat for yourself, this dish is perfect!

When I lived in the US, I cheated on this recipe and used the "Pillsbury Refrigerated Sugar Cookie" dough as my crust, but my life in Denmark has forced me to make just about everything from scratch... but honestly, if we ever move back to the US, I am certain that I will keep doing things this way! They just taste better!

Step 1--Make your pizza "crust". (My suggestion is that you do this the night before you plan to serve the pizza so that it has plenty of time to cool before you complete steps 2 and 3.)

Step 2--Make your pizza "sauce".

Step 3--Add your pizza "toppings".

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The Pizza "Crust" Instructions:

Melt 2 sticks of butter. Add 1 cup of sugar, 1 TBSP of milk, and 1 egg. Mix until well-blended. Add 1 tsp of baking powder, 1/4 tsp of salt, and 3 cups of flour. Beat this mixture until it begins to pull away from the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap each half in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Remove from the fridge when you are ready to bake. Sprinkle the area where you plan to roll out the dough with POWDERED SUGAR (NOT flour!) Also, coat your rolling pin with powdered sugar. Roll out the dough to fit your baking pan (I use a round pizza stone.), adding a bit more powdered sugar as needed. The goal is that your crust is about 1/4 inch thick. Grease your pan slightly. Don't forget this step or else your beautiful pizza will stick when you are trying to cut it the next day!

Bake 14-18 minutes at 375...or until the crust is golden.

Cool and then cover until the next day.

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The Pizza "Sauce" Instructions:

Soften 2 packages of Philadelphia Cream Cheese.

Mix with one package of powdered sugar (16 oz). Add 1 tsp of vanilla and mix until smooth.

Spread evenly on your cooled sugar cookie crust.

For an extra flair, sprinkle your "sauce" with poppy seeds just before you go on to step 3.

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The Pizza "Toppings" Instructions:

Choose your favorite COLORFUL fruits. I like to use strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, and mandarin oranges (1 can, drained). Slice your strawberries as well as your kiwi. Now you are ready to place your toppings on your pizza. Be creative and arrange the fruits so that the pizza looks as colorful as possible.

Set in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes before you serve.

Slice with a Pizza Cutter and serve!

Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

2011-10-20T21:11:00.004+02:00

I have several different biscuit recipes, but I admit that most are a bit "heavy"....which is not a bad thing! However if you want biscuits that are 1) QUICK and EASY to make and 2) light enough to use to make Sausage Biscuits, this is the recipe for you! (And yes, using a whole stick of butter can still make LIGHT biscuits!)

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 TBSP sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick + 2 tbsp. butter
1 cup buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 425.
Melt the stick of butter and let it cool.
Mix together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
Add the buttermilk to the melted butter and stir until clumps form.
Stir the buttermilk/butter mixture into the dry ingredients, just enough until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
LIGHTLY grease a baking pan--I use my Pampered Chef Pizza stone and it works GREAT!
Drop balls of dough onto the baking sheet with a large spoon. (grease the spoon before and it keeps the dough from sticking)
Bake until the tops are golden brown, 12- 14 minutes.
While they are cooling on a wire rack, melt the remaining 2 TBSP of butter and brush the tops of the biscuits with the butter just before serving.
Use these in the normal way with yummy jam or jelly...
or after you put on a layer of jelly, add some breakfast sausage for a sausage biscuit that puts McD's to shame!

MY version of Jimmy Dean Sausage

2011-10-19T22:48:00.004+02:00

I live in the land of pork, but for 3.5 years I have suffered in silence about the LACK of REAL BREAKFAST SAUSAGE here. Danes don't eat hot meats for breakfast, so I am sure they don't realize they are LACKING in this department!

However after visiting my friend Lisa in Prague last weekend, I found out that I no longer have to suffer.... it IS possible to make your own "Jimmy Dean" pan sausage! And so this morning I did!

The best part is that EVERY SINGLE ingredient can be found in Denmark!

Ingredients:

2 lbs of ground pork (which in DK is available at ALLLL grocery stores every day of the week!)
2 TBSP dried sage (salvie på dansk)
2 TBSP brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cloves (nellike på dansk)
2 tsp salt
2-3 TBSP of Slap Ya Mama (Here is where you can use your favorite cooking spice -- some recipes call for a tsp of black pepper plus a tsp of red pepper flakes, etc...you decide) But you need a little "kick" in your recipe so that is why I use SYM.

First step is to blend all the spices together in a small bowl so that they can be more evenly distributed throughout the pork. Set aside.

Use your hands to really mix the pork...break up any lumps and try to get it as smooshy as possible. Then sprinkle about 1/3 of your dry mix into the pork and keep smooshing... sprinkle another 1/3....and repeat. This will ensure that each bite of sausage has the same yummy flavors.

Form the meat into balls and flatten before putting in your skillet to fry. You do not need any oil or grease to fry them...they make their own which is just enough to keep them from sticking to the pan. Cook them on a low heat because you don't want the outside to cook faster than the inside. Flip, continue cooking, and most likely flip again.

This morning I served them with buttermilk pancakes and when I dipped them in that maple syrup, I thought I had died and gone to heaven...

Tomorrow's breakfast will be sausage biscuits for the road because we are going to Århus and then I have plenty in a freezer bag to save for the next time I want biscuits and gravy!

Bon Appetite!

Shrimp Cocktail

2011-10-08T09:22:00.002+02:00

Buy the shrimp that are already peeled but still have the tails on them. Boil.... Chill....and serve in a bowl of ice.

Cocktail Sauce-- Make the night before.

1 large jar of salsa (make sure it's GOOD Salsa....NOT something that has a BBQ flavor!)

1 large bottle of ketchup

1 bottle of Tabasco sauce

Mix the first two together until well-blended.

Start shaking in the Tabasco....3 or 4 shakes at a time. Blend well.

Taste... not hot enough?

Shake in 3 or 4 more. Blend again.

Taste.... you decide! Keep shaking??

I say YES!

Once it is to your HOTNESS specifications, put in the fridge and chill overnight. Serve in a cute bowl in the middle of your iced down shrimp!

So easy but SO good!

Crawfish Bread

2011-10-08T01:16:00.001+02:00

a YUMMY appetizer!

Another item from Mads' Cajun Birthday Blowout!

Ingredients:

1 loaf of French bread (sliced in half, horizontally)

2 cups crawfish tails

1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped red bell peppers
1 TBSP minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese

Slice the French bread in half lengthwise and scoop out the inside of the loaf (but not all the way to the bottom. Leave about half of it there.) Butter the bread and set aside.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over a medium heat. Sauté crawfish, and the Holy Trinity (onions, celery, bell peppers) and garlic until the veggies are soft. Remove from the heat and blend in the mustard and mayonnaise. Add cheeses and blend until the cheese begin to melt a bit.

Spread this crawfish mixture inside each of the bread halves. Wrap each half in foil and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Cut bread into slices and serve hot.

Your guests will love you and will most likely be too full to eat dinner if this is your appetizer!

Bourbon Street Praline Cake

2011-10-05T12:57:00.004+02:00

I wanted to do something really yummy and really unique for Mads' birthday cake this year! Especially since I am throwing him a "Mardi Gras" themed Cajun Birthday party.... so I poked around the websites of some of my favorite cooks, and used some of their ideas to create my own version of what I am calling the "Bourbon St. Praline Cake".

I made a trial run of this cake a couple of weeks ago for Mads to try..he LOVED it. In fact, he took some of it to the office and 2 of the ladies said it was (and I quote), "the best cake I have ever eaten"! It's not the kind of cake you can eat once a week... but it is definitely something you want to experience at least once!

Ingredients:

2 sticks of butter
2 cups of sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup baker's cocoa
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of bourbon
1/2 cup of buttermilk
2 eggs
2 cups of flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Grease a Bundt pan and preheat the oven to 350. In a small saucepan heat the butter, cocoa and water, stirring constantly until the butter melts and the cocoa is well-blended. Remove from heat and while it is cooling, add the following ingredients to a large bowl: buttermilk, bourbon, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Add the cooled butter/cocoa mixture and mix until well-blended. Add the sugar and mix well. Then gradually add the rest of the dry ingredients, mixing as you go.

Pour into the greased Bundt pan and bake 25 minutes (or until an inserted toothpick is clean). Cool completely on a wire wrack and then remove from pan.

Once the cake is cooled, you are ready to make your Praline Frosting.

Ingredients:

1/2 stick of butter
1 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of cream
1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups of chopped pecans

Place the first three items in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring often. Remove from heat and add the vanilla and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth. Stir in pecans and stir for about 2 minutes--be careful that it does not harden too quickly. As soon as your pecans are blended in, you are ready to frost the cake.

Pot Roast

2011-08-22T18:03:00.002+02:00

I have made roast in SO many different ways, but last night I used an old tried and true Cajun recipe, straight from the cookbook of Judice's Cajun Kitchen in Port Arthur, Texas.... except as usual, I changed it up a bit just to make it my own!

And it was a HIT!

Mads deemed it MELT IN YOUR MOUTH ROAST! So I guess if he asks for that in the future, I will know what he is talking about!

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil in the bottom of a 6qt saucepan-until the bottom is covered. Sprinkle the oil with Cajun seasoning and then brown the roast (mine was about 3lbs) on all sides.

Remove the roast from the oil and then cut it into slices that are about 3/4 of an inch - 1 in. thick. TRUST ME ON THIS PART!

I always cook a pot roast as a whole unit, but cutting it into the slices is what made it OH SO TENDER and "melt in your mouth"ish! Set the slices back into the saucepan, laying them out so that they are spread out.

In a mixing bowl, combine 1 can of cream of celery soup, 1 pouch of dry onion soup mix, 2 cups of water and a few shakes of Cajun seasoning. Pour this over the meat.

Cover and cook for about 45 minutes.

While this is cooking, peel 6 large potatoes (or more, depending on how many you are serving), and cube them. Then peel 6 large carrots and slice them julienne-styled.

After the 45 minutes, add the veggies to the roast, making sure that they are as covered as possible with the liquid. Cook for 45 minutes more.

Just before you are ready to serve, mix together 1/2 cup of water with 3TBSP of Flour. Add to the saucepan to thicken the gravy. Cook until it boils and thickens, stirring constantly.

SERVE!

Beer biscuits

2011-08-21T17:07:00.001+02:00

Got beer?

And want something yummier than those regular dinner rolls you usually serve?!

Now that I have found BISQUICK in Germany, I can actually make these!

4 cups of Bisquick

1/4 cup of sugar

1 12-ounce can of beer

2 TBSP of melted butter

Preheat the oven to 375.

Mix all the ingredients well. Pour into well-greased muffin tins (full sized for dinner biscuits; mini muffin size for snack/appetizer biscuits). Bake 15-20 minutes.

And serve with HONEY BUTTER!

Wanna know how to make honey butter? Glad you asked!

Soften 2 sticks of butter.

Whip it while adding 2 TBSP of honey.

Put it in a butter mold (or regular container) and allow to chill.

The best idea is to make it the day before you want to use it!

Twice Baked Potatoes- Cajun style

2011-08-20T16:29:00.009+02:00

Mads thought I was crazy when I tried to explain to him what "Twice Baked" potatoes were.... then he tasted them! It is a GREAT alternative to the "normal" potatoes you make....especially in a country like DK where we eat LOTS of potatoes!

Preheat oven to 350.

Wash 6 large baking potatoes. Poke each potato several times with a fork and then lightly coat each potato with oil, sprinkle them with a little bit of Cajun seasoning (of course, I use SLAP YA MAMA) and then place them on a foil covered pan.

Bake for at least 1 hour.

Just before you take the potatoes from the oven, place a stick of butter in a large bowl. (I use 1/2 stick of regular butter and a 1/2 stick of garlic butter as it gives it a bit more flavor.)

Remove the potatoes from the oven and cut off the top 1/3 of each one.

GENTLY scoop out the potato (from the bottom 2/3 AND the tops!)

with a spoon and place into the bowl with the butter. Smash the potatoes until most of the lumps are out, while combining with the butter. Add 2 cups

of sour cream and 2-3 shakes of Cajun seasoning. Mix well. Add 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese and mix.

Scoop this mixture back into your 6 potato shells, being VERY CAREFUL not to break the shells. Pile the mixture as high as possible.

Set the filled potatoes back in the oven in a dish that allows them to "sit up". Bake for 20 minutes on 350. Take out of oven and put a small pinch of cheese on top of each and bake for 10 more minutes.

SERVE HOT!

or freeze for another day!

Tamale Pie

2011-08-15T17:49:00.009+02:00

Want a one-dish meal that is INCREDIBLY yummy? This is it!

Forget those "Tamale Pie" recipes you find online...this one is SO easy and SO good!

Ingredients:

2 pkg cornbread mix (I use Jiffy because its sweetness complements the spicy!)

1 pkg ground meat

1 chopped onion

1 envelope taco seasoning

1 can of corn, drained

1 medium-sized jar of salsa (I used medium.)

1 pkg grated cheddar cheese

sour cream (for serving)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix the 2 pkgs of cornbread mix according to package directions; it is best if it is a little "wetter" than you would normally have it.

Brown ground meat with chopped onion. Season with envelope of taco seasoning, according to directions.

Remove the meat/onion from the stove and add the can of corn (drained) and the jar of salsa. Mix well.

Pour into a greased casserole dish.

Cover with a layer of grated cheese.

Top with the cornbread mix.

Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes....until browned and your cornbread is set.

Serve as a "pie slice" with a large dollop of sour cream on top!

Poppy Seed Cake... the BEST EVER!

2011-03-25T15:52:00.004+01:00

When we were in Texas in February to check on dad, one of my parents' neighbors baked us a cake... well, actually her neighbors fed us on several occasions, but the cake is what I remember the most because it was DIVINE!

Before we left, my sister and I asked for the recipe for the cake...figuring it was something complicated because it was so yummy! Then when I saw the ingredients, I could not believe it! It is the strangest combination of things, but let me tell you.. this is the MOISTEST CAKE I have ever eaten... and it STAYS moist for a week (if you can make the cake last that long!)

All you need is:

1 box yellow cake mix

1 small pkg vanilla instant pudding mix

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 oil

1/2 water

4 eggs

1 tsp Almond Extract

2 tsp Poppy seeds

Preheat the oven to 325. Mix the cake mix, pudding mix, orange juice, water and oil. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add the almond extract and the poppy seeds and blend into the batter. Pour batter into a Bundt pan that has been greased and SPRINKLED WITH a little CINNAMON/SUGAR mix. Bake 1 hour at 325. When you remove the cake from the oven, cover it with foil for 15 min.

SERVE and prepare to be asked to SERVE IT AGAIN!

Never Fail Pie Crust

2010-12-24T09:32:00.005+01:00

If you live in a country that does not have Shortening, then you need a pie crust recipe alternative that tastes just as good! And here it is! In fact, if I move back to the US, I think I will keep using this one! It is so much more flaky than my old shortening recipe!

(Note: I double it because I almost always do a lattice top on my pies!)

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tsp sugar

1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced

1/4 cup ice water

Directions

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours (or overnight if you are not making your pies until the next day).

Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in pie plate. Trim the excess edges with kitchen scissors. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.

Fill with something YUMMY!

I usually choose APPLES since that is the best AMERICAN dessert around!

Christmas Dinner Rolls

2010-12-23T17:16:00.002+01:00

I LOVE TO COOK, but I have never attempted to make my own rolls. I really and truly thought I could not! However, I tried this recipe as an option for our Christmas dinner rolls...and THEY ARE DELICIOUS!!!!

And I assure you...these are so yummy you will want to make them more often thanjust Christmas Day!

It is a little bit of work, and takes 2 days to prepare, but I promise...the look on your family's faces when they eat them will make all the work worth it!

Ingredients:

• 1 package active dry yeast (or in DK, use a little more than 3/4 of the refrigerated "gær" blocks)

• 1/4 cup warm water

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1/2 cup white sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 cup warm water

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 4 cups flour

Directions:

DAY ONE:
In a large bowl, stir yeast, 1/4 cup warm water, and a tsp. of sugar. In another bowl, beat eggs in 1 cup warm water; add oil and salt. Mix egg mixture into yeast mixture, and add the 1/2 cup of sugar. Gradually add the flour, one cup at a time. Cover with a damp cloth, and allow to stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Then place the bowl in the refrigerator (still covered) and allow to rise overnight. This dough is rather sticky, and will raise to at least twice its size!

DAY TWO:

Flour your hands and then divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Roll each section out into a circle on a floured board. Cut into pizza slice shapes, and roll slices large end to small end. You can also roll these into small balls if you prefer "round dinner rolls" instead of the "crescent roll shape". Place on greased flat baking pans, and allow to rise for 2 hours.

Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 8 minutes. Serve WARM WITH BUTTER!

Empanadas!

2010-12-04T16:03:00.006+01:00

Not only is it a fun word to say, but a fun thing to make and eat!

Empanadas can be made as an appetizer, a meal, a

breakfast pastry, or a dessert! The options are limitless!

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

12 TBSP butter, chilled and cut into small pieces (NOT MELTED!!)

12 TBSP cream cheese, chilled and cut into small pieces (NOT MELTED!!)

4 TBSP ice water

1 egg, beaten

FILLING-- this is up to you!! Read my suggestions* below!

Directions:

Mix the salt and the flour together in a large bowl.

Cut in the butter and cream cheese. You can use your food processor to do this, but I prefer to use my hands! Mix and mix and mix until the mixture resembles a course cornmeal. Sprinkle with the ice water and mix a little more until the dough forms a ball.

Flatten out, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425. Flour the dough and roll out until it is 1/4inch thick. Using a round cookie cutter or a large glass, cut out as many

circles as your dough allows.

Then roll up the "scraps" and cut out a few more circles. Then take your rolling pin and roll each circle just a bit, so it is a longer, oval shaped. This extra step allows you to fill them up a little bit more! Beat one egg in a small bowl and with a pastry brush, lightly paint the edge of the oval. This will help keep it sealed better when they are baking!

Place a spoonful of your Filling* in the middle of

each oval, fold the dough over and pinch the edges closed. Use the tines of a fork around the edge of the empanada to seal it and add a little flair to it before baking.

Bake at 425 for about 15 min (or until golden brown).

How you serve them will depend on what filling you chose. (see suggestions below)

EMPANADA FILLINGS:

*Taco meat & grated cheese (serve with sour cream and salsa)

*Spinach dip

*Crab Meat (or your favorite crab dip recipe)

*Breakfast sausage (cooked) and scrambled eggs (serve with sour cream and salsa)

*BBQ pork (like the kind you eat on a pulled pork sandwich) (serve with a dollop of BBQ sauce)

*Marmalade/Jam (pick your favorite flavor!) (sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving)

*Apple (or any other fruit) pie filling (serve with ice cream)

*"Strawberry Cheese Cake"--Spread cream Cheese on the dough & then place a dollop of strawberry jam in the middle of it before folding over

As you can see, the options are LIMITLESS!

Sour Cream Pound Cake

2010-11-07T14:54:00.006+01:00

This yummy dessert can be served by itself or it makes the perfect "cake" part of a homemade Strawberry Shortcake!

Ingredients:

1 tsp vanilla

6 eggs

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup sour cream

3 cups sugar (yes, I said THREE)

1 cup butter (yes, I said a cup... and no, I never promised this was a low-fat dessert!)

3 cups flour

Preheat oven to 325 and grease a round TUBE PAN. Trust me on this one! It works WAY better than a loaf pan because it truly cooks all the way through!

Cream together the sugar and butter. Add the sour cream and mix until well-blended. Add the baking soda, vanilla, and flour to the creamed mixture, and then add the eggs one at a time.

Pour the mixture into the tube pan and bake at 325 for 1 hour and 10 min, or until it's golden brown and passes the toothpick check!

SLICE, sprinkle with just a LITTLE powdered sugar, and SERVE!

Mango & Lime Chicken Tacos

2010-11-02T20:39:00.004+01:00

This was an experiment.....but will FOR SURE make a repeat appearance!!!

Shopping List:

1/2 pound (I used 400 grams for 2 people) of chicken (breasts or tenders)

1 pkg corn tortillas

1 mango

2 limes

1 small can crushed pineapple (in DK we have to buy it and crush it ourselves)

1 small red/purple onion

Small handful of chopped cilantro

Your choice of Mexican spices (I use Chipotle Chili Powder)

Other Condiments:

Sour cream/creme fraise

grated cheddar cheese

salsa (I used one called Habanero Passion Salsa which tasted a bit like "Peach salsa" from TX)

Step one-

Prepare your CORN tortillas. This step is CRITICAL to the success of your tacos (AND is also a step you should always do before using corn tortillas to roll enchiladas! Trust me on this one!)

Heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil in a skillet and sprinkle with 1 tsp cumin.

Fry each tortilla--about 1 second on each side and then drain on paper towels. Set aside for later.

Step two-

Prepare your mango chutney- Dice 1 cup of mango. Add 1/2 cup of pineapple (drained), 1 small chopped red/purple onion. Squirt the juice from ONE HALF of a lime. Add the chopped cilantro. Set aside in the fridge while you do the rest.

Step three-

Boil your chicken, add a little cumin and a dash of Mexican spice (Chipotle Chili powder) to the water. I recommend boiling it first to maintain the moisture without having to add any oil/butter. After the chicken is finished, chop and add to a skillet. Cover with a little more spice and generously squeeze the juice of the remaining 1.5 limes over the chicken and just toss in the skillet on a low heat. Do NOT overcook! Just warm it to let the lime juice saturate it.

To serve:

(Trust me, this order of "building" your taco ensures that every bite is perfect!)

Take one corn tortilla and place the mango chutney in a line down the center of it.

Add the chopped pieces of lime chicken on top.

Drizzle a line of sour cream next to the chicken and a line of salsa on top of it.

Top with grated cheese and then roll.

You will thank me for this! Especially if you serve it on a cold, dark, rainy Danish winter night! It brings the yumminess of Tropical Latin America to your dinner table!

TEXAS Sheet Cake AKA: Cocoa Cola Double Fudge Cake

2010-10-26T03:48:00.001+02:00

A YUMMY TEXAS TRADITION!

WARNING: If you make this for your guests, they will BEG you to make it again!

Ingredients for Cake:

1 cup Coca Cola

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 stick of butter (8 TBSP)

3 TBSP cocoa

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

In a saucepan bring Coca Cola, oil, butter, and cocoa to a boil. Mix the sugar, flour and salt together and then pour in the boiling mixture and beat well. Add the eggs, buttermilk, baking soda, and vanilla and beat well. Pour into a greased "sheet cake pan" (larger than a 9x13 if possible!) and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Icing Ingredients:

1/2 stick butter

3 TBSP cocoa

6 TBSP buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans

1 lb. (16 oz) powdered sugar

In a saucepan combine the butter, cocoa, and milk and heat until the butter melts. Beat in the remaining ingredients and spread on the HOT cake. Cool completely and then serve!

Your guests will beg you to make it next time! I promise!

Pineapple Crumble

2010-10-20T20:26:00.002+02:00

Want the simplest dessert on the planet???? But one that will make people think you worked all day??? And no, it's not Rice Krispie Treats!

Preheat oven to 375.

Grease a 9x13 baking dish.

Pour a large can of CHOPPED pineapple in the dish, juice and all!

Evenly sprinkle one package of DRY yellow cake mix over the pineapple.

Evenly sprinkle 1 1/2 cups of chopped pecans over the cake mix.

Melt 3/4 cup of butter (1 1/2 sticks) and pour over the pecans.

Bake 25 minutes, or until golden!

Serve warm....your guests will be AMAZED!

Andouille & Shrimp Stew

2010-10-20T19:56:00.001+02:00

Want another Cajun option for a chilly night, other than GUMBO?

This recipe will NOT disappoint you!

It was an experiment, but after Mads' reaction, it will be a regular on the menu at our place!

Ingredients:

-1/4 cup olive oil

-1 pound (16 oz) of andouille sausage (in DK, I use Kålpølser)- Slice into 1 inch pieces and then half each piece

-1 chopped yellow onion

-Slap ya Mama (or your fave Cajun seasoning)

-2 cloves of garlic, minced-- I prefer to grate my cloves on a cheese grater. The consistency is PERFECT--better than a garlic press, in my opinion!

-2 cans of Rotel tomatoes

-1 pound of sliced okra (frozen or fresh will do, although you know fresh would be just a little bit better!) (In DK you have to buy this in the Turkish

market.)

-2 cans of chicken broth

-1 can of hot water

-1 pound of large shrimp, peeled and deveined

-1/4 chopped green onions

In a soup pot heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the sausage. Cook until browned (about 10 min). Transfer the sausage to another bowl (just to hold it until later), reserving the grease in the pot.

Add the onion, season generously with Slap ya Mama, and cook until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook about 1 minute longer. Replace the cooked sausage in the pot with the onions, and add the cans of Rotel tomatoes, the chicken broth, water, and okra. Bring to a boil, stirring often.

Reduce heat and simmer for at least 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Peel and devein shrimp and of course, season with a little Slap ya Mama! Set the shrimp in the fridge until you are ready for them.

When you are about 10 minutes from being ready to serve dinner, add the shrimp to the stew and cook about 6 minutes longer (until shrimp are pink). You should not need to use a thickening agent because the okra helps the broth to thicken to a stew-consistency.

Serve with a small serving of white rice and top with the green onions.

Banana Crumb Muffins

2010-10-18T15:41:00.002+02:00

Need an idea of what to do with those overripe bananas OTHER THAN making banana bread? Trust me, after you make these one time, you will always pick this recipe over the one you have for regular ol' banana bread!

Preheat oven to 375.

Grease the 12 cups of a muffin tin (In DK, I use Becel.). Don't use muffin paper cups.... it robs them of their moistness!

In a large bowl mix together:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

In a 2nd bowl mix together:

3 overripe bananas, mashed

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup butter, melted

Add the ingredients from bowl #2 to bowl #1 and mix, just until it is moistened.

Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups.

In a small bowl mix together:

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 TBSP flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 TBSP butter (NOT melted!)

Crumble these ingredients together with your hands so that it looks like a course cornmeal. Sprinkle this topping over each muffin cup.

Bake 18-20 min, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Make a cup of tea and ENJOY!

Apple Streusel Coffee Cake

2010-10-18T15:31:00.003+02:00

This recipe makes about a dozen yummy muffins! Or you can use the SAME recipe to create a delicious coffee cake. Instead of a muffin tin, round cake pan--- I use a bundt pan!

In one bowl mix together:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

Cut in 4 TBSP butter. Mix with your hands until the mixture has the consistency of cornmeal.

In a second bowl, mix:

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

Add this to the dry mixture, stirring just enough to moisten.

Peel, core, and chop 3 tart apples.

Add the apples to the mixture.

Grease the 12 cups of a muffin tin or a bundt cake pan. (I use Becel in DK.)

Pour the mixture in.

In a small bowl mix together:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup chopped pecans (in DK you have to use walnuts unless you can import the pecans!)

1 tsp cinnamon

Sprinkle this mixture on top of each muffin cup or on top of the cake batter.

Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

Texas Chili

2010-10-18T13:46:00.004+02:00

I have had to adjust a bit.....being in DK.....but in the end, it still tastes fantastic!

In a LARGE POT (we call 'em "gumbo pots" where I come from...):

1. Brown 1000 grams (whoa, I just used metrics) of ground beef with 2 chopped yellow onions and a few shakes of Slap Ya Mama.

2. Add 3 or 4 shakes of Chili Powder and 1 generous shake of CHIPOTLE chili powder. (You cannot use Chipotle powder as your only source or your guests' tongues will never recover!)

3. Add 1 can of Rotel tomatoes AND 1 box of the "Hakkede tomater med Chili".

(Note: Rotel tomatoes are mixed with water and the ones in DK are in more of a tomato sauce. I import the Rotels-- they are tomatoes with green chiles in WATER, whereas the ones we have in DK are in a tomato sauce and have NO spice to them.) If you are in DK, you can use 2 boxes of the Hakkede tomater... if you are in the US, you can use 2 cans of Rotel. :-) I "integrate" the 2!

4. Add 2 boxes/cans/jars of tomato sauce (I buy the boxes in DK as they are super cheap).

5. Add 3 cans of pinto beans. In the US, I used DRAINED Ranch style beans. In DK, I use "Chili Bonner".

6. Add 2 cans of beer (any brand will do!) and 1 can of water.

7. Simmer all of this together for several hours. The longer it simmers, the better the flavors meld together.

8. Serve with Mexican cornbread and top with a dollop of creme fraise and a handful of grated cheddar cheese. And if it is not spicy enough, dice a few jalapenos on top!

Roasted Banana Bars with Butter Pecan Frosting

2010-07-29T14:53:00.003+02:00

You should bake these just because of how they make your house smell.... it's DIVINE!

Step 1:

Preheat oven to 400 and mix together:

2 cups of ripe bananas (about 3-4 bananas)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 TBSP butter

Bake for 15 minutes. Stir. Bake another 20 minutes. Cool slightly.

Step 2:

Reduce oven temp to 375.

Mix together in bowl #1:

2 1/4 cups of flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

Mix together in bowl #2:

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

Mix together in bowl #3 (yes it's a lot of dirty dishes, but SOOO worth it!!):

the banana mixture (slightly cooled)

1/4 cup buttermilk

Mix together contents of Bowl #1 and Bowl #2.

Once they are well-blended, add Bowl #3. It is important to add the banana mixture last.

Bake in a greased 13x9 pan for 20 minutes at 375.

Cool completely before frosting.

While the bars are cooling, you can make the frosting:

Melt 1/4 cup of butter in a small saucepan and cook until lightly browned (do not microwave...you want the effect of cooking it on the stove!)

Cool slightly.

In a mixing bowl- mix the melted butter, 3 ounces of softened cream cheese, 1 tsp vanilla and 2 cups of powdered sugar. Beat until well-blended. Spread over the cooled bars and then top with chopped pecans.

SHARE!!

And you will be a hit! I promise!

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

2010-05-10T10:36:00.003+02:00

Living in DK, I have to import Brownie mix, JIF, and chocolate chips, but this recipe is SO yummy, I am willing to use my precious imports to make it! :-) Trust me!

Ingredients:
1 boxed brownie mix, prepared according to box directions
1 cup creamy peanut butter--I use JIF!
1/3 cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1 cup of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Grease a 13x9 pan.
Mix Brownies according to package directions.
Prepare peanut butter swirl: Beat peanut butter, sugar, butter, flour, and egg until well blended.
Spread two-thirds of the prepared chocolate brownie batter into the bottom of the pan. Top with dollops of peanut butter mixture until it is all gone! Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the swirl mixture. Top with remaining 1/3 of brownie batter. With tip of knife, cut and twist through mixtures to create swirled effect.

Bake brownies 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out almost clean. Serve warm! YUM! (Don't leave out the chips...they add a special surprise when you bite into them!)

Crawfish Monica

2010-05-01T15:45:00.004+02:00

First of all, I have no clue why this is named Monica! I only have one friend named Monica and from what I know about those who have that name, they are AWESOME so maybe that means this is an AWESOME DISH??!! Which by the way..... it is!

There are many versions of this recipe that you can find out there on the web, but here is how I made it last week and today the Viking is asking for it again!

Ingredients:

1 pound of fresh fettuccine (SO much better than the hard stuff in the bag!)

1 bunch of green onions

2 pounds of crawfish tails (1 is actually plenty, but 2 give you lots of LEFTOVERS!)

1 stick of butter

1 pint of half & half

3 cloves of garlic, minced (I actually grate mine on the cheese grater's finest setting and it works great!)

Slap Ya Mama (or your favorite Cajun seasoning)

(someday, SYM is gonna owe me royalties ... I am sure of it!)

grated FRESH parmesan

Directions-

Chop green onions (tops and all) and saute with the garlic in the butter. Add several shakes of Slap Ya Mama. Do not overcook! 3-5 min is sufficient!

Add the crawfish and saute 3-5 min more until they are pink.

Add the half & half and simmer for 10 min so the sauce can thicken.

Taste the sauce after 5 min and see if it has enough KICK for you.

If not, a couple more shakes will do it!

While doing all of the above, cook the fresh pasta so they are ready at the same time.

Add the fettuccine to the sauce and let it all simmer on LOW for about 5 more minutes.

This gives you time to grate the fresh parmesan.

After serving up a bowl for everyone, sprinkle each serving with a small handful of parmesan.

SIMPLE and DELICIOUS!

Crockpot Lasagna

2009-11-29T20:09:00.003+01:00

I promise that after you make this once, you will NEVER make Lasagna in the oven again!

Put this on before you go to work and when you get home, the only work to do is to warm up some yummy garlic bread! And Dinner is Served!

Brown 2lbs ground beef with 1 chopped yellow onion. Pour in one jar of Spaghetti sauce and 1 can of Ro-tel tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Mix the following ingredients in a bowl: 16oz carton of cottage cheese, 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese (FRESH!!), 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, 1 egg and 1 TBSP oregano.

Grease your crockpot and then spread one layer of the meat/sauce mixture on the bottom of the crockpot. Break your raw lasagna noodles so they fit as best as possible to make your next layer. Cover the noodles with the cheese mixture. Repeat the layers, reserving enough of the meat/sauce for one more layer (which you will place on top of the last layer of the cheese mixture.

Turn the crockpot on low and cook for 6 hours (or 4 hours on high depending on when you want it to be ready). No stirring, no need to open the lid while it cooks. Just make sure your noodles are still a bit firm....don't overcook.

Come home from work and be ready to encounter a delicious smell!

Cranberry Glazed Pot Roast

2009-11-17T18:24:00.003+01:00

I made this tonight for the first time and the verdict is YUM!! I have always made my pot roast Cajun style, but this new recipe is a KEEPER!

I actually made mine with a pork tenderloin because a pot roast is too big for us....but either way, the result will be just as delicious!

Step one: Take out your crockpot.

Step two: Mix 2 TBSP flour with your favorite seasonings (you can use salt & pepper, but of course, I use Slap ya mama!)

Step three: Rub your pork roast/tenderloin with the flour mixture (and discard the leftover mix)

Step four: Set the pork roast/tenderloin in the crock pot and turn it on medium.

Step five: Chop 1 small yellow onion and throw in the crock pot with the pork.

Step six: Pour the following items into the crock pot over the pork & onion:

1 cup red wine, 2 TBSP Worchestershire Sauce, 2 TBSP soy sauce, 2 TBSP Maple syrup

Step seven: Add 1/2 cup of dried cranberries to the crock pot.

Step eight: Cook on medium for about 8 hours..... so put this on before you go to work and come home to a yummy meal!

I served this with mashed potatoes....

Note: when you serve it, be sure and put a few of the cranberries on each plate because a bite of the meat with a bite of cranberries is like nothing you have ever tasted!!!

Green Beans with New Potatoes

2009-11-09T01:30:00.004+01:00

Ingredients:
3 lbs of fresh green beans
1/4 pound of bacon or salt pork
2 cups chicken broth
1-2 tsp of seasoning (S&P or Slap Yo Mamma)
10-12 small red potatoes
1 onion (cut into slivers)
1/2 stick unsalted butter, sliced
Ground black pepper

Remove the ends from the beans. Snap the beans in 2 pieces, place in colander, wash, drain & set aside.

In a large pot, lightly brown the bacon or salt pork over medium heat, turning often (approx. 10 minutes) Toss the green beans into the pot, stirring to coat well with the bacon/pork fat. Add the broth and seasoning. Cook over medium-low heat, covered tightly for approximately 30 minutes or until the beans are half done.

While the beans are cooking, peel a center strip from each new potato with a potato peeler. At the end of the 30 minutes, add the potatoes and onions to the beans; add 1/4 cup more broth, if needed. Cook, covered tightly, until the potatoes are tender (approx. 25-30 minutes). Check the pot periodically to make sure a small amount of liquid remains. When the potatoes are tender, tilt the lid slightly, off to the side of pot and continue to cook approximately 15 minutes more. During last 15 minutes of cooking, add the butter and season with ground black pepper.

Recipe from Paula Deen's cookbook - it is a delicious way to get your family to eat their veggies.

Joe's Ranch Biscuits

2009-11-09T00:44:00.004+01:00

Ingredients:

2 pkg. yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 cup oil

1/3 cup sugar

2 cups buttermilk

4 1/2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

Dissolve the yeast in warm water. Add oil & measure dry ingredients. Add small amount of dry ingredients to yeast mixture, alternately with small amounts of the buttermilk until completely mixed. Shape your biscuits and place on a pan - allow to rise in a warm place for 3-4 hours. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve warm with butter.

The mixture can remain in the refrigerator up to 1 week and only take out the amount you plan to serve - allow to rise and bake.

MoMo's Shrimp Casserole

2009-11-09T00:39:00.003+01:00

Ingredients:

3/4 cup melted butter or margarine

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (red or green)

1 can cream of celery soup

1 lb. shrimp (peeled & deveined)

2 cups cooked rice

1/2 cup chopped green onions (scallions)

1/2 cup chopped parsley

bread crumbs

Salt & pepper to taste

Melt butter - add onions, celery, bell peppers and saute for a few minutes. Blend in the celery soup. Remove from stove and add shrimp, rice, green onions & parsleyt - blend and season to taste. Place all mixed ingredients in a lightly buttered casserole dish and top with bread crumbs. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Serves 6-8 and it is yummy!!

Crab Dressing

2009-11-09T00:29:00.004+01:00

1 cup crabmeat
1 lg. onion (chopped)
2 tablespoons of roux
2 tablespoons of cooking oil
1/4 cup celery
1/2 bell pepper (red or green)
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons parsley
2 eggs (slightly beaten)

Saute onion, celery, & bell pepper for 5-8 minutes. Add water & roux until thick
Add crab meat & lightly season with S&P (or slap your mamma) - cook about 15 minutes
Add bread crumbs & parsley & eggs - Mix well
Bake covered @ 350 degrees until dressing has set (approximately 30 minutes - check every 15 minutes)
Uncover and cook until bread crumbs are slightly browned.

Delicious crab dish that serves 6-8 people.

Crawfish Ratatouille

2009-11-08T08:55:00.003+01:00

A while back I was looking for some type of side dish that used crawfish because you know that a good Cajun cook will find a use for Crawdads in ALL parts of the meal! (still working on dessert! LOL)

So I found 3 different recipes and did not like any of them as they were, so I took a piece of each and came up with my own recipe for Crawfish Ratatouille. (yeah, I made the name up too! But Ratatouille is French so I think it works!)

It is a great side dish, or you can serve it as a "one dish dinner" with some warm French bread!

Ingredients:

2 pounds Crawfish tails

1 stick butter

3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

3/4 cup chopped purple onion (same thing as red onion, but I call 'em purple!)

3/4 cup chopped celery

Your favorite Cajun Seasoning (of course, I use Slap Ya Mama)

3 cans/1 bag fresh sweet corn

3 TBSP sugar

1 cup cream (the "madlavning creme" in Denmark works great!)

Saute the veggies in the butter with a generous amount of your Cajun Seasoning until veggies are soft. Add the corn and sugar (and a bit more butter if it looks like you need it. I usually put in another TBSP just to keep everything from drying out.) Once everything is well-blended, add the cream and cook on low for about five minutes, while stirring. This is important to get all those flavors really blended. Remove from heat and set to the side.

In a skillet saute your seasoned crawfish tails in 2 TBSP butter for about 5 minutes. Add the tails to your veggie base and blend well. Cook all of this together for about 10 minutes... or once you add the crawfish tails, throw all this into your crockpot and let it cook on medium heat until you are ready to serve. This is a great dish to cook ahead of time and let it just simmer for an hour or so because the longer it sits, the better those flavors come out! It is especially good on the second day as leftovers!

Zydeco Sweet Potato Crab Chowder

2009-10-24T18:00:00.004+02:00

I received a great gift from my mother awhile back...Louisana Cookin' magazine. It has some of the best recipes, and this one was a hit with my family. It's a little bit of work, but well worth it.

Ingredients:

2 pieces bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 ounces andouille, ground or chopped (approximately two 4-inch links of andouille)
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/3 cup chopped shallots
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon minced jalapeño, seeded
1 15-ounce can cream-style sweet corn
2 15-ounce cans low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
2 cups, drained and diced Princella Cut Sweet Potatoes in Light Syrup
1 cup whole milk (I used 2%)
8 ounces cooked Louisiana lump crabmeat
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley, in all

Cook the bacon in a large stockpot over medium heat until it begins to crisp. Remove bacon. Add the andouille to the bacon drippings. Sauté for about 3minutes or until the andouille is crispy.
Remove 2 tablespoons of the andouille and set aside for garnish. Add the bacon along with the red bell pepper, shallots, celery, and jalapeño. Sauté for about 5 minutes or until fragrant and vegetables are tender.
Add the cream corn, chicken broth, Creole seasoning, and black pepper. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Next add in the sweet potatoes, stir to incorporate and let simmer 5 minutes, then add the milk and all but 2 tablespoons of the crabmeat, let simmer another 5 minutes or until mixture is heated through.
Stir in 1 tablespoon of parsley. Adjust seasoning if necessary. In a small bowl toss the remaining parsley, crab, and andouille together and use as garnish.
Ladle into bread bowl, individuals bowls, or a soup tureen. Garnish with the reserved andouille/crab mixture.

MoMo´s Strawberry Pie

2009-10-24T08:53:00.001+02:00

Note: To make this in Denmark, you have to bring a few things over from the US.... otherwise, it´s just not quite right.....

Ingredients:
Graham cracker crust
2 cups of freshed, sliced strawberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
3 TBSP cornstarch
3 TBSP strawberry jello (powder)
Cool whip

Cook sugar, cornstarch and water over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and the mixture is thickened. Remove from heat, add Jello and allow to cool completely.

Add sliced strawberries to the mix and pour into the prepared Graham cracker crust. Set in the fridge overnight (or several hours) until set. Just before serving, top with Cool Whip and a few more sliced strawberries. It is SO easy, but your guests will think you worked all day on this!

Shrimp Creole....the Viking´s fave Cajun dish

2009-10-23T20:43:00.003+02:00

Ingredients:
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped (I use red....mom uses green)
1 can Rotel tomatoes (chopped with green chiles)
1 stick butter
cornstarch for thickening
slap ya mama (or other Cajun seasoning)
2 lbs shrimp, peeled, deveined and seasoned, sitting in the fridge, waiting!

Saute the onion, celery and bell pepper in the stick of butter until veggies are soft and onions are almost clear. Season them with your favorite Cajun seasoning while cooking. This would be a good time to put on a pot of white rice in your rice cooker.
(You know a Cajun kitchen should have one! None of that "rice in a bag" nonsense!)

Add the can of Rotel tomatoes and 2 cups of HOT water. Simmer for about 20 minutes so all your spices come together. Sample your sauce. Each can of Rotels is different...some hotter or milder than others. If it is too warm for your family´s taste, add another ½ cup of hot water and simmer 10 minutes longer. Add the shrimp to the mix. Cook until they are done----about ten minutes.
Now you must determine how thick you want your Creole to be.... that determines how much cornstarch to add. Start with a small amount as it thickens quickly! Just make sure that your Creole remains a sauce, not a thick gravy.

Serve over the cooked white rice and top with chopped green onions before serving.

These leftovers are the best...an extra day sitting in the fridge really melds the flavors together!

Cabbage Casserole

2009-10-21T02:51:00.003+02:00

Ingredients:
1 small head of cabbage
3/4 cup raw rice
1 1/2 lbs ground meat
1 onion
1 stalk celery
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 soup can of water
2 cans tomato sauce w/ 1/2 can water

Brown meat with onion and celery. Lightly oil 9 x 12 baking dish. Shred 1/2 cabbage in bottom of pan. Layer meat, raw rice, cabbage, meat, raw rice, etc. Mix the soup, tomato sauce and water together and then pour over the top layer. Cover with foil and back for approximately 1 hour. Uncover and bake additional 15 minutes. Delicious and this will be a hit with guests who don't even like cabbage.

Crawfish Etouffee

2009-10-20T09:55:00.001+02:00

Chop 1 yellow onion, 2 stalks celery, and 1 red bell pepper.

Saute in ½ stick of butter and 4 or 5 shakes of Slap ya Mama Cajun Seasoning (or your own favorite brand) until tender.

Add 4 heaping TBSP of ROUX and blend into the sauted vegetables.

Add 2 cups of boiling water (yes, BOILING!) to the mixture until it is not too thick, but not runny like a soup either. It needs to maintain a little thickness. Add more or less boiling water, depending on the thickness of your roux. Cook on low heat for at least 20 minutes, allowing all the flavors to blend together.

Season your crawfish tails with your favorite Cajun seasoning and add to the sauce. Cook 10-12 minutes.

While all this is going on, you should have a batch of rice cooking in your rice cooker so you can serve the Crawfish Etouffee over rice. Chop a few green onions (tops) on top of each serving.

MoMo´s Blueberry Muffins

2009-10-17T09:28:00.001+02:00

MoMo NEVER used sour cream for anything in her life until she created this recipe for the best blueberry muffins I have ever eaten! They are a perfect addition to any breakfast or brunch!

Mix together the following ingredients.
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
2 eggs, beaten
1 ½ cups sour cream
½ cup oil
1 tsp vanilla

Gently fold in 1 ½ cups blueberries, drained, as the last ingredient.

Mix (without breaking the blueberries).

Grease a muffin tin and fill each cup with the batter. Sprinkle ½ tsp of sugar on top of each cup´s batter. Bake at 350. Bake 12 minutes for mini muffins and 15-18 minutes for standard sized muffins. (or until set and golden brown)

Batter makes 12 standard or 24 mini muffins.

Shrimp Chowder

2009-10-16T09:36:00.001+02:00

A perfect dinner for cold winter night!

Even if this batch sounds too big for your family, make it anyway because this freezes GREAT and tastes even better the second time around!

Ingredients:
1 bag whole kernel corn (or 3 cans)
½ pound bacon
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed
3 TBSP flour
Slap ya Mama Cajun seasoning (or your own favorite brand)
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
½ pound potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 bay leaf
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup cream

Directions:
In a soup pot fry the bacon in 3 TBSP of oil until crisp. Chop into small bite-sized pieces and set aside, reserving the oil. Add onions, celery, and bell pepper to the "bacon" oil and saute until tender. Add garlic until fragrant. Sprinkle in the flour and several shakes of Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning, stirring for about a minute. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and milk. Add potatoes, bay leaf, bacon bits, and corn, bringing to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the shrimp and cream.

If your chowder is too thin, add another TBSP of flour. If it is too thick, add additional milk.
Cook until the shrimp are pink. Taste before you serve in case you need another shake of Cajun seasoning!

Remove bay leaf before serving.
Goes great with warm french bread.

ROUX ... the basic for most Cajun recipes

2009-10-15T09:47:00.001+02:00

Find a Sunday afternoon when you have a couple of hours to spend in the kitchen. This is the perfect time to make a batch of roux! (Although some Cajun cooks would tell you that the roux you can buy in a jar is just as good, MoMo Fontenot would vehemently disagree!) She believed that a good Cajun cook should always have a batch of roux waiting to be used in the back of the fridge!

In a heavy saucepan, over a medium heat, begin to heat 1 cup of vegetable oil and 1 cup of flour, constantly stirring. Add flour or oil as necessary so that it is not too dry and not too wet. There is no specific way to measure this other than the eye of the Cajun cook.

You cook a roux till it "looks right".

Continue stirring and stirring until it turns brown... Can´t tell you what shade of brown other than "roux colored".

Again, you cook a roux till it "looks right"!

Remove from the stove when the color and texture are right. Add 1 cup of chopped yellow onion, stirring into the mixture.

Refrigerate in a plastic container and pull out what you need for each recipe.

A look into our kitchens

2009-10-14T21:03:00.002+02:00

On August 13, 2008 Judy Fontenot, our mother and grandmother, went to heaven leaving behind a legacy which we strive to carry on every time we walk into our respective kitchens.

"Kiss the Cajun Cooks" is the electronic recipe box of 3 Cajun girls, all living in different corners of the world. Some of our recipes come directly from MoMo Fontenot, while others are our own unique creations. Some are experiments, and others are tried and true favorites with our families.

But regardless of where our inspiration came for each recipe, we promise that each and every one is made with a little bit of Cajun love!