All posts by cajunmamacookin
Dianne’s Quick and Easy Crawfish Étouffée
Big Daddy and his mama circa 1993(photo property of Lyndy Hartley Doskocil)
Some of you might ask “who is Dianne?” and some of you already know. What a lady. Such a great lady. Dianne Hartley Bowlin was Big Daddy’s mama. She passed away in 1994 and we miss her everyday. She was a spirited and strong lady full of conviction and a loud laugh that was contagious. She had beautiful brown eyes and a little button nose that I am so glad my girls inherited. She was a beautiful spirit that lives on everyday in so many ways.
And her recipes of course are one of those ways. She ended up a social worker but got her degree from NLU in home economics and she loved to cook. See, she passed before Big Daddy and I got together, but I knew her all my life. It’s a long story and one that I am proud of but it is an emotional story that is a blog post in and of itself. So, let’s just say, she was a part of my life since I was little and by the grace of God, she still is. Because I married her son and gave birth to her grandkids. She is known as Mammaw Dianne to them and she is very much a presence in their lives. My father in law remarried and I love my mother in law. Aka Deb aka Granny. None of this takes away her part in our lives. But to tell about this recipe, I must tell of Dianne. She had many great recipes, ones that I will share as time goes by but this is by far my favorite. It represents her in so many ways. Spicy, no fuss, practical and yet absolutely perfect in it’s simplicity. It is not an old Cajun recipe. I actually have no clue where it came from. I remember getting it when big daddy and I started dating and I fell in love (with him and this recipe). You make a potato salad and some French bread and just go on and you will be just right. With the Lenten season upon us, this is a great recipe to have. It is perfect for company or just to make for the fam on a Friday night. Please don’t judge this recipe by it’s surprise ingredients. They somehow end up making a truly delicious étouffée. Trust me on this one, ok? Dianne would be proud and I believe she is up in Heaven laughing her big laugh at the thought of a blog post all about her.
Dianne’s Quick and Easy Crawfish Étouffée
Serves about 6
Stuff you need~
1 stick of butter
1-12 ounce bag of seasoning blend
Tony’s to taste
2 cans Golden mushroom soup
1 can cream of mushroom
1 pound of crawfish tails (fat included…Good night do not forget the fat!!)
A bloop of ketchup
A bloop of mustard (I had to put that because the original recipe had that in it. Bloop. A squirt. And yes ketchup and mustard. I don’t know why but it works. Just go with it.)
What to do with the stuff~
In a large deep skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the seasoning blend and sauté until the veggies are tender. Add a little Tony’s at this point but don’t over do it. Now stir in the soups and let this cook on low heat for about 10 minutes or so to let the soups and seasoning blend get comfortable together and flavors blend. Stir in the crawfish tails. Now squeeze in the ketchup and mustard. Let it cook for about 5 minutes and give it a quick taste. It may need a little more ketchup and mustard. I usually add 2 bloops of each. Lol at bloops. That’s the funniest word! Ok anyway, let the étouffée simmer for about 20
minutes while the flavors blend aka the time while the rice finishes cooking. Give it another taste and add a few shakes of Tony’s if you think it needs it. Serve it up over rice and let the good times roll. Don’t forget your potato salad and the French bread. Ooh Cher, it’s gonna be good yeah!
bloop!
pretty little veggies getting all tender
bloop bloop bloop
Homemade dinky doozies
All you need to make this yummy copycat recipe.
My oldest son LOVES cookies. Chocolate chip cookies. He loves cookie cakes. Specifically cookie cakes from Great American Cookie Company. He loves anything from there actually. So, we were pondering the other day how to make dinky doozies (he calls them double doozies…I am not sure why I think it is dinky doozies…were they called this back in the 80’s?) Anyhow, today I figured I would see if I could create these wonders at home. Cookie dough? Check. Vanilla icing? Check. What’s that you say? Did I make this stuff homemade ? Negative ghostwriter. Not when the good folks at Duncan Hines and Pillsbury do it so well! I wanted to see if I could whip these up and I think I did pretty good. No. They are not exact replicas, but they are very good. And I didn’t break the bank to make them. In fact, I did not even have to go to the store. I had the stuff at home.
This could not be more simple. So just get the stuff and make up a batch of dinky doozies/double doozies and get ready for the sugar rush.
Homemade Dinky Doozies
Makes about 6 dinky doozies
Stuff you need~
1 roll of chocolate chip cookie cough (I used Pillsbury)
1 container of vanilla buttercream icing
What to do with the stuff~
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line your cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat (these things are awesome and I highly suggest getting one or two if you bake). Using a medium cookie scoop (or spoon), fill a scoop with dough and place each scoop about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. One regular sized roll of dough got me about 12 cookies. (Considering I may have had a bite or two….er…I mean Toby the dog did it). Bake for about 10-12 minutes. Really, use your judgement and how soft your family likes their cookies. We are soft cookie people here. But not too soft as you want the icing to have a substantial base.
Now, once cookies are done, set then aside to cool. You want them Cool because you want the icing to stay the right consistency rather than melt. Make sense? Ok. Once they are cool, turn the cookies over so that the flat side is facing up. Now, just spread some icing over the flat side of the cookie. Like you are making a sandwich and spreading icing on it. Lol. Like so…
Now, take another cookie and put the flat side up against the other side of the icing. So icing should only be touching the flat sides. It is icing sandwiched between two cookies. Yeah, that’s right. Pure evil. Cue evil laughter. Muahahahahahah!
No words. Other than get a glass of milk and go!
Crispy cajun shrimp fettucine
Oh boy. Another crazy week down on the books in our house. What concerns me about this is that every single week for the past month or so has been this way. Which leads me to ponder the scariest thing of all…is this just our norm now? When did the shift occur? It seemed like we were just going along, grooving to a nice little family rhythm and then wa bam…every week is a crazy week. One would think that when someone gives birth to 4 kids in a little under 5 years, a certain amount of chaos is expected. I guess I did. I mean, it was mayhem when they were all little. Mayhem I tell you. But this is mayhem in a different, no one is wearing diapers, nursing, taking a bottle, and everyone can walk and talk kind of way. I am pretty dang sure that the walking and talking are causing a majority of the problems. Yes, the children I once dreamed of all being mobile and verbal have all joined together to create a little army of monkeys that will surely destroy my house. And what is left of my sanity. Sigh. Yes, we are at the stage where they fight. A lot. Over who sits up front in the car, who is on whose profile on the 3ds, Minecraft, who gets to be player one on Mario. Who gets the last piece of gum. The list goes on. And on. Factor in the time change, and I have never been so glad to see a week end in all my life. Or did I say that last week? Yeah, these are wild times for sure. I think with a little more sleep I might be able to accept all of this more gracefully. With acceptance comes peace. Sometimes, we have to bow down and say “this is just where I am in my life” and not only get through it, but enjoy it. All of these 10 1/2 years of mothering have taught me a thing or two, one being is that no child ever stays in a stage forever. Good or bad. So, no matter how unbearable the sleepless nights seem, they don’t last. No matter how bad the refusal to eat seems, it won’t last forever. No matter how cute that baby stage is, it won’t last forever. No matter how much they seem to fight over every single detail, it won’t last. Around the corner is another cute stage or something else equally annoying. So, what I decided long ago to do is try to laugh, drink more coffee (or wine), take some pictures and accept what is and call on God for restoration or faith when it seems as if all else is failing. Because no matter what happens, raising these God given gifts is a blessing. I am one lucky mama. I may want to cry in frustration one minute, but coming soon is a hug, a sweet smile, a giggle, or a cuddle to make it all better.
Just a stage mama…the smiles and the frown (my little one is not a fan of mom taken pics these days)…
Now, I know ya’ll have to know I am moving on to a recipe at some point. And my blabbering about motherhood fits in there somewhere. Somewhere in the midst of our (crazy) weeks, I came across a recipe that I filed away to make later. One of my kiddos’ teachers told me she had made it and it was amazing. I considered that a sign from God that this crispy cajun shrimp fettucine needed to be made. Not to mention, Lent arrived and my meatless meals files needed some revamping and spicing up. This recipe did the trick. Not sure if you do meatless meals once a week or if you are Catholic like me and try to stay away from meat on Fridays, but either way, this is one delicious little gem. Growing up in my house, Lent was an excuse for my parents to cook all the things they didn’t get enough of all year like. Goo fish, gar balls, cappel in tomato gravy, fried fish and sometimes, sometimes if we were lucky crawfish etouffee or fried shrimp. Nothing like this recipe I have for you today. This is one amazing shrimp pasta recipe and you have to try it. It is easy to make, comes together in a flash and has flavor to spare. I made a few changes to the recipe, but you can find the original recipe here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Recipes/522004091198543
Crispy Cajun Shrimp Fettuccine
Stuff you need~
1 box of fettuccine noodles, cooked according to package directions
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
16 jumbo shrimp (I bought a bag of jumbo shrimp frozen from Kroger and used that)
1 Tablespoon Tony’s seasoning or your favorite cajun seasoning
2 Tablespoon flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
What to do with the Stuff~
Cook pasta according to directions. Clean and peel shrimp, removing tails. Pat them dry with a few paper towels. On a large baking sheet. lay shrimp out and coat with the cajun seasoning. Now, sprinkle the flour over the shrimp. Using your hands, make the flour gets on all the shrimp. This is part of how they get crispy.
Getting these babies all ready for cooking.
Heat the olive oil and butter over medium high heat. Add the shrimp to the heated skillet. Cook over for 2 minutes on each side. Remove from skillet and set aside on a plate.
Pour the chicken broth and heavy cream into the skillet. Bring this mixture to a boil, whisking frequently. Reduce heat once it has come to a slight boil, allowing it thicken up. Just a few minutes should do. I added about 2 tsp. of Tony’s to this mixture and then added the shredded Parm. Stir in the cooked pasta and what is left of the crispy delicious shrimp (you will nibble on them because they are tasty and perfect and irresistible. Definitely going with double the shrimp next time). Serve warm. Hint: This is even better the next day when the flavors have had a chance to mingle and get to know one another. Yeah, it is a delicious party the next day. I served this with a salad and garlic bread and it was sheer delight. Mouth watering delight. Mmmmm.
Big Daddy came around at this point and ate half of these babies. Yeah, I will double the amount of shrimp next time.
Scrumptious I tell you!!! I love Lent!
Pea and asparagus casserole and coming home
This recipe is not fancy. It is not new. It isn’t famous or even the most popular with any crowd. Except maybe my family. It calls for simple ingredients and goes great with roast and rice and gravy. In fact, this casserole is one I make any time I make a roast or bake a chicken.
You see, I was up all night with a sick kiddo. We came to Arkansas to spend time with our family and to just get away. Little did I know, a stomach bug did not get the memo and came along with us. Sometimes, I guess the best laid plans go wrong. And you just have to roll with it. And be happy anyway. Because to be frustrated and annoyed about what is means nothing good will come of it. I am from the school of thought that some days you just have to fake it until you make it. So today, I will post a recipe that I know like the back of my hand and just get it out there to y’all. Also, the comfort of knowing a recipe like this and knowing how great it goes with certain main dishes is immeasurable. We left town Friday and I was so excited to get away. I needed to get away from the mundane daily life. Not that it is a bad life, but I wanted to shake things up. We headed to the lodge in search of some R & R with our family. And we did have a good time. It was relaxing. The kids ran wild and wore themselves out (one of them ran until he was sick). And there is just something about walking out the front door and seeing this view.
Kiddos up all night sick or not, this is breathtaking and does not get old. But as the saying goes, no matter where you go, there you are. This holds true even at Bayou LaGrue Lodge aka my happy place. So after a miserable night, I was ready to get my little herd back home. So just like I love trying new recipes and discovering new recipes, some recipes are just like coming home to what you know. Comforting, nothing new, same as always recipes. This pea and asparagus casserole is that way for me. Like an old pair of shoes, that beat up old sweatshirt, or returning back to the same old, same old…homework, carpool, mess…comforting all the same, even though some days I just want to get away. It is always so wonderful to know recipes like these are just waiting. One must appreciate these recipes for what they are. This one has been on the table for many of our family meals. I don’t know where my mom got the recipe, but I know it is a great one to have. I hope someday when you are looking for a new tired and true classic, you will give this a try. It’s a real gem. ~AMB
Pea and asparagus casserole
Stuff you need~
1 can Lesuer peas (petite pois or silver can peas as I tell Big Daddy when I send him to the store)
1 can asparagus spears and tips
1 can cream of mushroom soup
4 slices Kraft singles (that is what we use and to me it isn’t the same with cheddar)
What to do with the stuff~
Spray a 1.5 quart round or oblong casserole dish with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay out 1/2 of the can of peas on the bottom of the casserole dish. Layer 1/2 the can of asparagus over the peas. Now, spread half of the can of cream of mushroom over the asparagus tips. Place two pieces of the cheese (kind of torn into smaller pieces) over the cream of mushroom. Repeat the whole process, starting with peas and ending with cheese. Place, uncovered, in preheated oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes or until cheese is all bubbly and kind of browned. What you will have is a casserole dish full of bubbly, creamy, cheesy peas and asparagus. Side dish of my dreams!
Never gets old I tell you.
Pioneer Woman’s Eggberts Sunriser
Ok, first of all, it may seem like I have a slight fixation with the Pioneer Woman aka Ree Drummond. I admit, that may be a little true. I think she is beautiful, witty, smart, and I love her recipes. She has 4 kids just like me and she was a city girl who married a country boy and learned to adapt and bloomed where she was planted. I got to say, that is a lot like my story. So I guess I identify with her and I love to cook and her recipes seem to be the ones I gravitate to. So, I showcase many of her recipes on my blog and all of this is amounts to a hill of beans except you get the benefit of my take on her recipes and I share them with you. Do ya’ll remember this pic…
Yeah…I guess I have a little fan obsessed when it comes to PW. That’s ok…we all have our thang, right? So, naturally I follow her on Facebook and the other day a picture popped up on my newsfeed that made me drool. A recipe that I knew I could not walk on this Earth much longer without making. It practically cried and begged me to make it. Bless its little heart…I had to answer its cries.
So, a little back story here. Big Daddy loves him some breakfast. I grew up in a household that did not make breakfast except for rare occasions and on vacation. He grew up in a family of pancakes or french toast every morning. Breakfast was a must and for him it still is. I have certainly developed a deeper appreciation for the most important meal of the day and now that we have our kiddos, they of course eat breakfast every morning. It stands to reason that seeing a recipe for a wonderful concoction called an Eggberts Sunriser would drive me to drop it all and make one ASAP. Well, it just so happened that the perfect occasion presented itself almost immediately. Our 13th anniversary. What? You say, a breakfast recipe for your anniversary. Well…yes. Let me tell you, Saturday my youngest starts complaining of a sore throat. When I tell you my easy going baby boy does not complain often, I mean that. So I knew something was up. Then Sunday, when some friends were over to celebrate our oldest daughter’s birthday, started running fever and it was downhill from there. The writing was on the wall…our anniversary was the next day and going out to dinner was probably not going to happen that day. BUT I could make him a delicious anniversary breakfast. Eggberts Sunriser seemed appropriate. So I made it. Ya’ll…it was so perfect. I looked so tasty when I put his together that I followed right in there and fixed myself one. OH. MY. WORD. All I can say is, if you are a breakfast lover or like me a brunch fanatic, you have to get in there and try this. You can read all about PW’s take on this recipe here…http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/12/the-eggberts-sunriser. For now, here is my take on this fabulousness. Oh and after a trip to our pediatrician’s office, it has been confirmed that my baby has strep throat and a double ear infection. Yeah, fancy dinner out for 13th anniversary was not in the cards. That’s ok…plenty of time for that.
Happy 13 years of wedded bliss/craziness to us!! I love this man so. He makes me happy. And nuts. But mostly happy.
Eggberts Sunriser
Serves:4
Stuff you need~
8 cups frozen hash browns
20 whole frozen mini potato wedges (I used some leftover baked potatoes that I had from Sunday lunch. I cut those up into wedges and then did the same thing)
Canola oil for frying
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 whole medium onion, diced
1 whole green bell pepper, diced
1 whole red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced (optional)
1 1/2 cups diced ham
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
4 Tablespoons butter
8 whole eggs
Salsa for topping, optional
What to do with the stuff~
Now, I will start by telling you that I halved this recipe because I knew it would be only Big Daddy and I eating this, but next time I will probably make extra because you could easily reuse this stuff together for breakfast burritos. We love breakfast burritos in this house and also like to use up what we cook, so for us this is a win win. Also, I think next time I will omit the hashbrowns and mini wedges and just use all cut up baked potatoes. What my mother in law (the great and wonderful Deb) calls country fried potatoes. Mmmmm.
Ok…Now, to start off…grab a big cast iron skillet and really douse it well with canola oil. Cover the bottom and then add some more. Trust me. I tried to use my oil sparingly and it resulted in the frozen hash browns sticking to the bottom of the pan. You don’t want to deep fry them, but you want them crispy and browned well. Not stuck to the bottom. Got it? Good. Heat the oil over medium heat and then cover the bottom of the pan with the hash browns. Now, season them really well as they cook and don’t turn them much. Ideally, you want to let them brown and then flip them maybe once. Let them be, precious little darlings. Let them become crispy and brown. Again…don’t let them burn. If you need more oil, add some to the pan. I did and it was all good.
Now, if you are going the frozen wedge route, you will add considerably more canola oil to your skillet so you can kind of deep fry the wedges. I just added the baked potato wedges to the pan at the end of frying the hash browns and let them brown some. Or you can bake the frozen wedges. It is really up to you. I HATE to deep fry. It is just so messy and makes the house smell. To each his or her own though so do your thing! In another skillet, add some canola oil and warm it over medium heat. Not a lot of oil, but enough to just grease the skillet. Now, stir in the diced veggies and ham. You want to stir it around just let the raw veggies get a little tender and take the rawness away. Unless you like all that stuff raw, then, well skip this step I guess. I probably cooked mine for about 8 or 10 minutes, stirring several times.
Now, in a bowl, layer a some of the hash browns, then wedges, then the veggie and ham combo. Now, sprinkle some cheese over this. While the cheese is doing its melting thing, get out a small skillet and add your butter to it. Turn on the heat on medium low and let the butter melt. Crack your eggs into the skillet and cook them to taste. Big Daddy likes his sunny side up but I am an over medium gal. The pic I took is of mine so it is not as pretty as his was. Or PW’s picture on her’s. But mine still had the yellow juice and it dripped down over the potatoes and…oh just writing about this is making my mouth absolutely water. Sweet Maria, that was an excellent breakfast. Definitely put a fresh start on our 13th anniversary and if this next year of our marriage is as good as Eggberts Sunriser…well we are in for one wonderful year. I am pretty dang sure we have started a new anniversary tradition…or a once a week tradition. Yeah, this dish is that good.
Happy, happy, happy!
Roasted tomato and mozzarella pasta
Our kitchen table on any given night.
It has been another wild week at camp cajun mama. Obviously as I am a little behind on blogging. I got the cooking bug on Monday and literally spent all day in the kitchen. Yesterday I spent the school day helping out at the kiddos’ school in the library. Their librarian is the sweetest person and it is book fair time so I figured why not. I got to interact with so many of the sweet kiddos and see their little faces. I love it when they say “hey you are so and so’s mom!” And their face lights up. Not sure I have ever seen people that happy to see me so it’s a win win. Anyway, I apologize for once again falling behind, but I am here now and plan on getting several recipes in. Sometimes the mama part of Cajun mama takes over and I have to handle up on my mommy duties. I am writing this sitting in the parking lot at their school waiting for my son’s strings performance to start. A mama’s got to do what a mama’s got to do, right?
So, on to more important things…this pasta. Oh y’all…this pasta is so delicious. Full of flavor and easy to prepare and just so filling, it is a sure fire winner. I loved knowing that it was chock full of cherry tomatoes and all of the vitamins and good stuff they contain. Also, You can add chicken to this dish or you can leave it out making it a great meatless option. I saw this recipe on Pinterest and knew I would love it and had to make it ASAP. My friend came over for a visit and I decided to throw it together. She loved it. I loved it. Big Daddy…loved it. Even 2 of my kiddos gobbled it up. Yummy noises all around my friends. So grab yourself some cherry tomatoes and pasta and get to cookin. You will be so glad and the yummy noises will be yours!!
Look at those lovely tomatoes ready for roasting…mouth watering
Roasted tomato and mozzarella pasta (adapted from http://www.scalingbackblog.com)
Serves about 6
stuff you need~
2 pints of cherry tomatoes (I used one pint of the cherry and one pint of the sunburst tomatoes…adds color which is pretty and good for you!)
3 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 1/2 teaspoons of the jarred stuff)
Olive oil
Good ole kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 box of whole wheat or regular pasta (I used angel hair and loved it)
1-8 ounce package of fresh mozzarella
1/4 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
Fresh basil (I used the kind in the tube that most stores carry and it worked fabulously…herbs seem to go bad too quickly in my fridge and it is not as cost effective)
1 pound chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces (or you can omit this and go meatless…whatever works for you)
What to do with the stuff~
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. We are going to roast us some tomatoes. (See above pic) I covered a baking sheet with foil. Now lay your washed and dried tomatoes all out on the foil. Now sing to them and let them know they are going to be so delicious roasted and they need not worry. What? You don’t talk to your food as you cook it? You are missing out! (Don’t judge me…I am tired a lot of the time and drink too much coffee). Sprinkle the little darlings generously with the Olive oil. Don’t hold back now. Now sprinkle some kosher salt and pepper then using your hands give those little tomatoes a nice rub down. Lol. Add the garlic and basil. Do the same. You just want to make sure all the tomatoes get some of that flavor. your pasta. Pop them in your preheated oven and roast them until they are literally bursting with flavor. The smell alone coming from your oven will have you salivating. About 25 minutes give or take should do you good. While the tomatoes are doing their thing, go ahead and boil your pasta. Reserve the liquid for use in the dish later as it helps to thicken up the saucy sauce. Next, season the chicken with salt and pepper. in a skillet, heat some olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook until browned on both sides and cooked throughout. Add those beautifully roasted tomatoes to the chicken and cook for 2 minutes. Pour the cooked pasta into the skillet with the tomato chicken mixture and add about 1/4 cup of the reserved water and cook over low heat until sauce is thickened. Stir in more reserved water as necessary to coat all the pasta. Cut the fresh mozzarella into 1/2″ chunks. Stir into the pasta and toss around until the cheese is slightly melted. Season to taste with extra kosher salt, pepper, and extra basil. Serve the pasta up in bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese as desired. Y’all are going to flip!! This is one of my new favorite dishes. Manga!
Heaven in a pasta bowl. It’s even good cold.
Crazy Crockpot Week in Cajun Mama’s Kitchen…
Now, the old groundhog said 6 more weeks of winter and I have not heard real positive reviews on him. Ha ha! He best hide for a while. But, today as I experience this lovely sun on my skin and see how much more energetic I feel on a day when it is sunny and beautiful versus overcast and gloomy, I know that Spring is on it’s way. It is inevitable. Like so many things God promises us, hope, joy, renewal…the change of season will come. The ground will melt and the flowers will bloom. I will be sneezing and have an awesome allergy headache…oh wait, that is already happening. The promise of longer days and the smell of fresh cut grass on the horizon has me feeling rejuvenated. All of the fun Spring activities and the awesome mild weather has most of us wanting to be outside. Working in the garden, throwing or kicking that ball around with the kiddos, taking awalk…anywhere but being cooped up in the kitchen. How nice to have dinner ready when you get home so that as it stays light longer, you can enjoy that last hour or so of daylight outside. So, in anticipation of the joys of Spring, I have decided to compile all of my recipes together in one spot and add in a few more too. This will be a big ole hodge podge of slow cooker/ Crockpot recipes that can all be made in the crock pot and ready when you are!! Enjoy the ride my friends and make sure you have supper going before you take that ride. Life is so much better when supper is cooking while you are out enjoying your life!!~AMB
Mr. Sun Sun Mr. Golden sun please shine down on me!
Some of my favorite crockpot recipes:
https://cajunmamacookinblog.com/2013/10/14/crockpot-itali…eef-sandwiches/
https://cajunmamacookinblog.com/2013/10/08/crock-pot-crea…sy-potato-soup/
https://cajunmamacookinblog.com/2013/10/10/crockpot-chicken-burritos/
I call her big Red and she is mama’s little helper.
Now, those are some of my faves that I have posted before. The next two are some of my favorites as well that I have never posted. These crockpot chicken Caesar sandwiches are little savory bites of delight. They are a perfect meal to have to after a late spring soccer or baseball game, after a long day of work, or to make for a group of friends at a Mardi Gras party or for a pre-parade meal. If you are low carbing it right now or serving friends who are, this would be acceptable to most if served over a bed of romaine lettuce. I had some that way and it was pretty terrific. Just a suggestion for those who might have family or friends on a different diet.
Crockpot Chicken Caesar Sandwiches (adapted from http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/3312044-CrockPot-Chicken-Caesar-Sandwiches)
Stuff you need~
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed away
1 cup of your favorite Caesar dressing (I used the Marzetti’s brand made with olive oil and it is so tasty)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Romaine lettuce
12 slider buns or 6 regular hamburger buns
What to do with the stuff~
Place chicken in a 4.5 quart slow cooker with 1 1/2 cups of water. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. When it is done, remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and drain water out of the slow cooker. Now shred the chicken using 2 forks and place back in slow cooker. In a medium size bowl, whisk together dressing, cheese, parsley and pepper until combined. Pour this mixture over the chicken. Cover and cook on high for about 30 minutes or until heated all the way through. Spoon some of the mixture onto bun. Top with freshly washed Romaine lettuce and voila! Chicken Caesar salad on a bun. Oh yes!
Now, this following recipe is for Creamy Slow Cooker Tortellini soup and it is AWESOME. Or as the kids (and me…despite swearing I would not) are saying…awesome sauce!! Also, because I tend to cook for different groups of peeps and some of them are vegan, vegetarian, etc…I am always glad to have some meatless yet satisfying dishes on hand. This one is meatless and full of super food veggies (spinach and mushrooms…jackpot!). Yes, spring is on the horizon and I am thrilled, but there are a few cold nights left and this will hit the spot. But to be honest, a nice soup that I don’t have to stand over the stove to cook is just fine in the summer time too! Serve with a big side salad and supper is served.
Creamy Slow Cooker Tortellini Soup (adapted from http://myfavoritethings-miranda.blogspot.com/2012/03/creamy-slow-cooker-tortellini-soup.html?m=1)
Stuff you need~
1 envelope white sauce mix (I used white gravy mix from the package…same thing)
4 cups water
1014 ounce can vegetable broth
1 8 oz. container or 1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 1/2 teaspoons of the jarred stuff)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt or sea salt
1/4 teaspoon, dried oregano, crushed (I did not crush mine. It was fine)
1/8 teaspoons or a nice dash of cayenne pepper
1 -8 ounce package or 2 cups of dried cheese tortellini
1-12 ounce can PET milk (evaporated milk)
6 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
dash of ground pepper
shredded Parmesan cheese for serving, optional
The cast of characters in this scrumptious dish
What to do with the stuff~
Sprinkle dry white sauce/gravy mix in the bottom of your 3.5-4 quart slow cooker. Gradually whisk in the water to combine with the gravy mix, until smooth. Stir in broth, mushrooms, onion, garlic and spices. Cover and cook on low for 5 1/2 hours, depending on your slow cooker or on high for 2 1/2 hours. Stir in dried tortellini. Cover and cook on low for another hour or so. Stir in evaporated milk and spinach leaves. That’s it. Now ladle some into individual bowls. If you are so inclined, sprinkle each bowl with some black pepper and shredded Parm. Makes about 4 nice size servings.
Mouth watering…oh I love you!
Dear God…thank you for beautiful days like this. And for soup.
And my crockpot. Amen
photo courtesy of Cammie Engle
Crockpot chicken and stuffing and cajun mama gets stuck in the mud
So I am a day late with this post and I am so sorry. I feel obligated to post when I say I will, especially when I have taunted some of you with my Facebook pictures. But…silver lining is that you all will get a funny cajun mama story. Sigh. Yes. Yesterday would have been the day that I needed dinner happily simmering away in the crockpot. Crazy crockpot week in Cajun mama’s kitchen is whole lot of crazy so far and little crockpot. Double sigh. I am nothing if not open to whatever life holds…also I am nothing but a big baby over the littlest things. You know how you just toodle right along through life, taking what comes, not really fazed by the big stuff and then whammo you encounter something small but so frustrating and you just dissolve into tears. Yeah that was me yesterday afternoon.
The day started out ok. I had a friend who will begin hosting my blog soon over for brunch to talk a little business and a lot of mommy talk (she is pregnant with her third and I have lots of wisdom to offer). I tried several new brunch recipes and they were fabulous and definitely blog worthy so that is great. Then she left and that’s when it took an ugly turn. I get in my car to go get the kids. Left early enough to get there fine. Except I never actually left. I was backing out of our driveway which is a little long and decide for fun I would “turn around in the yard.” I lived in the country long enough to know all about turning around in the yard. It had been a while since it rained so I thought no problem it won’t be wet. Yeah. Wrong. It hit me when I put it drive to go forward…stuck. But no matter, I thought, I’ve got this. Let me put it in overdrive. BD (big daddy) used to mud ride for a hobby so I knew I needed to back up and try again. Difference is when you are mud riding you have someone there with a winch and you can easily get pulled out. Now, normally I would have dialed BD up and made him come home and pull me out. But he left for NOLA that morning for a business trip. Yeah, that is not good. So I call my friend Cammie and sob into the phone. She tells me to get cat litter and that I have so got this. She will get the kids. I was so frustrated. And mad at myself! How stupid! And to make it worse, I kept trying to back up and go in a new direction until my car would back up anymore. So now two ruts have turned to many and it is getting worse. I get my yoga mat and try to get some traction. No. Cat litter was a no go. I tried to put it in neutral and push it. Yes by myself. (Didn’t y’all know I think I am superwoman?) Shockingly, that didn’t work. A neighbor and the garbage man tried to help. No dice. They leave. I sit in my van and cry. Feeling helpless. Then I remembered I have friends and they have husbands (also friends) who could help. So about the same time, the Calvary arrived. Here comes my friend Trey with his aptly named truck, Beast, and pulls me out. About the same time, Cammie got there with my kids. All safe and sound and excited because they got to walk home with Lulu and Kate. So we all had a laugh and all was well. Except for the huge ruts in the yard and the mud in my hair…it was ok. Oh and my yoga mat didn’t fair so well. Most of all, BD was not mad. Nope. He was laughing and asking me to send him pictures. Nice.
So now y’all know why I didn’t post yesterday (if anyone noticed lol) and why it is always, always good to have dinner going in the crockpot because you never know when you will get stuck in the mud. So my kids had to eat “brupper” which is our name for breakfast for supper last night, which is what you do when you fail to plan ahead and get dinner going in the crockpot. So this recipe is a tasty little dish. It is comfort food ready when you are. You will love it. Not all my kids loved it, but 2 out of 4 did so that is always good odds. I have a few tips I will add to help you avoid the pitfalls I did when I made this Tuesday night but all in all this was a winner!!!
Yeah, yeah, y’all are laughing with me not at me.
CROCKPOT CHICKEN AND STUFFING (adapted from http://www.isavea2z.com/crockpot-chicken-stuffing-recipe/)
stuff you need~
4 chicken breasts, fat trimmed away
2 cans or 1 big can of cream of chicken soup
1-12 oz package of frozen green beans
2 boxes Stove Top Stuffing (I used cornbread flavor)
1 cup sour cream
Ya’ll with me so far? Ok.
What to do with the stuff~
First of all, do not forget this…spray your crockpot with cooking spray. I forgot this part and now my crockpot is still soaking because so much stuff was stuck on it. Yuck. So yes, spray away friends. Next, lay your chicken breasts at the bottom of the crockpot. Now, sprinkle the two boxes of stuffing (dry) all over the chicken. Now, layer your still frozen green beans over the stuffing. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream and soup. Pour this on top of green beans. Now take about a 1/2 cup of water and pour this over it all. Cook on low for about 6 hours. Halfway through, I gave the stuffing a nice fluff with a fork as suggested. This will over cook easily and your chicken will be a little dry so just kind of watch it. It was yummy and so warm and comforting!
Yummmm
Chicken Parmesan and embracing the past
So lately I have been having the envie (said “ah-vee”) or as some say, craving, for chicken Parmesan. MMMM…I love chicken parm. Growing up in a double Cajun household, both parents from Marksville, Blue Town and Broulliette respectively, that is a phrase I heard frequently. My dad would say “Hey Bern, I’ve got an envie for pork stew”….or it might have been “a mess of grillades”. Funny how those phrases sound so familiar to me but to someone else, it sounds strange. In the house I grew up in, I was never lucky enough for one of my parents to crave chicken parmesan. Ha ha! That would have been too normal. Red beans and rice or spaghetti and meatballs was about as normal as it got. When I was younger, I was never embarrassed of our Cajun roots, but I did not cling to them like I do now. Maybe it is being a Cajun Catholic transplant among all these North Louisianians or as they call them in Alex. or below…rednecks. (sorry guys, but it is true…and I am one now and it is all good. My dad calls my kids little coon necks. Mix between coonass and rednecks. He is a clever guy, my dad.) The things that I cling to and recall now with extreme pride now are things that were commonplace growing up. They didn’t seem strange until someone else said it was. For instance, when I was probably in 2nd grade, my family was going to a boucherie at my grandparents’ house. That was a normal occurrence in our family. My parents got really excited about it. For those who do not know, this is the event where they kill a pig that has been raised specifically for this purpose and then have a big get together and make boudin, cracklins, grillades, hog head cheese, and so on. A friend from school had spent the night with me and she came along. We walk in my grandfather’s shop, where they were making the boudin, and she screams. Loudly. I am pretty sure she mentioned something about the movie Carrie…I can’t be sure. 7 year old girls can be brutal. Both of my grandmother’s, Momou and Momee, were in there making boudin. Now, I apologize for being graphic and this may gross some of ya’ll out, but both of their hands were elbow deep in a bowl of pig blood. That is what they do to make the red boudin. That’s right. It has blood in it. I only eat the white, but many of my family members love the red. It is considered a delicacy. Now, see, had I had a set of grandparents that did not live in Avoyelles or were not so similar in ways to the other set, I might have realized this was different. But that was all I knew. It was completely normal to me. I found that little incident a little embarrassing at that time, but it did not take long for me to embrace my Cajun roots with pride. I love everything about it. Even the not so pretty. Another story…I distinctly remember Momou making chicken fricassee or smothered chicken with the chicken feet in the pot. I remember it striking me as kind of off, but not really, and I never asked. That is just what we do. I didn’t always appreciate all that I was privvy to growing up in a double Cajun household, but now, oh now, I feel lucky. I feel those traditions and nuances steeped deep into my bones and find so much joy in being different. It is what makes us who we are. I named my youngest baby Lucas Mayeux…his middle name is my maiden name. Of course, people name their kids after their maiden names all the time, but for me, it about more than a name. It is what that name represents. What it carries on. I am no longer Aimee Marie Mayeux. I am Aimee Mayeux Bowlin…I say it with pride.
So, maybe I was never lucky enough to have my parents crave Chicken Parm and cook it for me. That is something I do now for myself. What I crave even more is making sure that as many of those traditions and strange little things, words, details, that I grew up taking for granted are things that my children will come to know as second nature. It may not happen in Avoyelles very often, but I determine if it is kept alive. So around here, I get an envie for chicken Parm. My kids don’t even ask what that means. They know. So it goes…bringing the past into the present and shaping it into something brand new to form what will be the future. I better call my mama to see if she can cook me a mess of grillades when we go to Alex. I have an envie. But for now, in case any of you get a craving for Chicken Parmesan, really good, not hard, not awfully bad for you, chicken Parm I have a great recipe right here for you. Note: I did not pick the recipe because it is a “skinny” version..it isn’t that skinny when you eat 2 helpings…lol! I picked it because it looked like what I wanted. Though…nothing wrong with a healthy version whenever possible, especially when it tastes AWESOME!!! My kids…well 3 out of 4…loved it! My oldest is a hard sell, tried it and said no thanks..he is not a big fan of cheese topped meals…with the exception of a burger or pizza. But 3 out of 4 Cajun Kiddos cannot be wrong.
Baked Chicken Parmesan to satisfy the strongest of envies
Baked Chicken Parmesan (adapted from http://www.skinnytaste.com)
Stuff you need~
4 chicken breasts, cut in half long ways (into strips or you can use 8 tenderloins)
3/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs (I used Progresso garlic and herb breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons butter, melted (or olive oil…I used the butter this time)
3/4 Mozzarella cheese (I used the Kraft Italian 5 cheese blend with a touch of Philadelphia cream cheese in it…it is good stuff ya’ll)
1 cup marinara sauce (ya’ll…I used Ragu. That is what I had on hand. My family does love Robert Newman’s marinara though)
Cooking spray
What to do with the stuff~
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Combine breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan in a plate together. Using a basting brush, spread melted butter lightly over each side of the chicken pieces. Now, press each chicken piece into the plate of breadcrumbs and flip it over to do the other side. Do this with each piece individually. When you are done, place each piece in greased baking dish. Lightly spray a little more oil on top of the chicken and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Turn chicken over and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven. Spoon the marinara or spaghetti sauce over the chicken. Top with shredded cheese. Return this to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes or so until cheese is nice and bubbly. I served this on the side of some boiled angel hair pasta topped with some of the Ragu (this way my oldest pickier kid would not starve. He was down with that. A nice salad goes well on the side as does some garlic bread, if you really want to do it up!) Enjoy!!
Having a Cajun grandmother literally rocks
Momee and Momou (aka Beulah Mae and Narcille) were good friends. How cool is that?
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