Tag Archives: Cajun Mama Cooks

seafood, Weeknight Meals

Shrimp coconut curry and things I love

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I love Thai food. I am not sure how that love came about, but it is a done deal now. Thai food makes me happier than a pig in the mud. It is the yin to my yang, Thai food completes me. I could wax on rhapsodically about Thai food and the happy feelings it brings about in me…but I will just say I ❤️ Thai food and leave it there. But ooh I might need a bumper sticker that says Cajun Mama ❤️ Thai food for my mini van. Or would that be a little too much?
Anyhow, the other morning, I was on Pinterest, pinning some recipes and I decided to look up curries. Why? You might ask. Well I will tell you. I am a chronic rereader of books. I love to read and once I fall in love with a book, I tend to reread it over and over. It’s a problem but who am I change it? Some of my favorites include The Help, Cane River, and the Shopaholic Series. The whole series. My sister Claire got me hooked on those when the first one came out and I still love them. I have them on my Nook and I tend to reread at least once a year. And in the first one, in an attempt to save money, Becky tries to learn to make her own take away curry. Being from Alex by the way of Marksville and having a daddy who wanted his rice and gravy, there was not much curry on the menu. And frankly, I bet I would not have eaten it back then. My kids were not overly thrilled last night and they dined on the house cereal and milk in protest. Anyway, after reading Confessions of a Shopaholic for the umpteenth time and reading about Becky’s curry cooking debacle, I decided I had to give curry a go. I was curious! I needed to try this. I mean curry is all up in Thai and I love Thai …I need to try this. Enter in Pinterest. Now, of course I come across several curry recipes but I finally see one for coconut shrimp curry and whose blog is it on? Another one of my faves! Pioneer Woman! Her recipes are always a pretty safe bet and knowing I had her leading the way, I decided to make a go of it. My friends, this recipe is really easy to prep and not intimidating at all. You can totally do this and you should. It cries to be made. BD LOVED it and I did too. Your kids might not care much for it, but that is because it is called curry and it has a curry smell. If they had tried it, they would likely have loved it. Well, not my Sugar Cookie aka Kayla Ann…she is allergic to fish and we are pretty sure shrimp or shellfish (long story) and since we want to keep her alive, we keep her away from all seafood as a rule. Anyway, this curry recipe is super simple and the end result is some kind of yum. Try it…unless you are allergic to shrimp or shellfish…don’t do that. 😁

Coconut Shrimp Curry

Stuff you need<

Basmati rice, cooked according to package directions (you can use plain old white rice, but basmati rice is incredibly fragrant and just adds to the lusciousness of this dish)
1 pound medium size shrimp
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, diced fine
1 clove of garlic, diced fine (or 1 teaspoon of the jarred minced garlic)
1 can coconut milk (I like the taste of Thai brand)
Curry powder(I have the McCormick brand and it was just fine)
Honey
Kosher salt
Fresh basil leaves (trust me)
Juice from one medium sized lime
Sriracha sauce (just the sight of that bottle makes me happy. I have issues.)

What to do with the stuff~

Get your rice cooking in a rice cooker or a pot on the stove. I made 1 1/2 cups and that was about right. In a large skillet, melt your butter. Toss in your shrimp and cook until they are opaque or as I call it…lovely cooked shrimp color. There is a fine line between cooked just right shrimp and overcooked shrimp so kind of watch them. For medium size shrimp, a few minutes is really all it takes. Now, remove those pretty opaque cooked just right shrimpies and put them on a plate. Set aside. I have to hide them at this point because big daddy starts sneaking them.
Ok, add a little more butter if you need to and add the onions and garlic to the same pot. Stir and cook until the onions are tender. Now, you are going to sprinkle a nice amount of curry powder over the onions and garlic. Stir to allow that curry to release all it’s goodness and flavor. I would say about 1 tablespoon at this point. Ok now, open that can of coconut milk and pour it over the onions. Yes it smells like heaven. Curry Thai heaven. Yum!!! Stir in a little more curry powder so that the coconut milk takes on a nice light brown color. Like this…

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Now, stir in some honey (about 2 tablespoons) for some sweetness. Squeeze in the lime juice. See where we are going here? Oh yes somewhere lovely. Thai town, curry ville, my happy place. Ok, now at this point I added a few squirts of Sriracha sauce. If you have never used this stuff before, use sparingly at first. It is some good stuff though y’all. Used to it could only be found in certain stores, but now it is pretty much in every store on the ethnic foods aisle. Buy some. It’s awesome sauce.
Now, stir in a little kosher salt. And let all this loveliness simmer for a few minutes. Feel free to add more honey, lime juice, Sriracha sauce, and salt to get it to taste just right. Sprinkle in more curry powder if necessary. Clip some of those fresh, fragrant basil leaves and kind of give them a little chop and stir them into that lovely curry sauce. It will taste sweet and savory at the same time, which in my humble opinion, is the beauty of Thai food. Now, stir your shrimp into this luscious concoction. Serve over cooked rice. Garnish with a little extra basil. Just beautiful, ya’ll. Heaven in a bowl my friends. Heaven in a bowl. Thank you PW for your guidance in my first attempt at curry cooking. Y’all can check out her post with the most here–http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2014/07/coconut-curry-shrimp/.
Hope y’all enjoyed our little foray into curry cooking. Next up…Momou’s chicken fricassee and sweet tomato gravy (exotic in it’s own right) , coconut curry soup and also…paella. Stay tuned. Every day is an adventure and I am so glad you are on this journey with me! ~AMB

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that’s the stuff (as my friend Lisa loves to say)

Sides, Traditional cajun faire

Momou’s eggplant dressing

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Now this stuff right here is some of the best stuff you will ever put in your mouth. My mama makes some of the best dirty rice aka rice dressing you will ever eat but there is some ingredients in her dirty rice that might scare some of y’all off. It is true dirty rice. This eggplant dressing is kind of sort of like the rice dressing except the eggplant replaces all the “dirty” stuff. I will eventually work y’all up to the rice dressing but let’s start y’all off on this delicious eggplant dressing. Several years ago, Momou had asked me and my sisters which recipes we would like her to write down for us. I am so glad I asked for her to write this one down. It is truly a one of a kind, cajun mama cooks recipe. I made it last night and Big Daddy said he could make a meal out of this dressing. It really is so good. If you have some eggplant from your garden or if your friend gave you an eggplant or two, this is an excellent way to use it up. Now Momou used to cut the eggplant in half and somehow cut out of the meat and saved the hollowed out eggplant halves and then add the eggplant dressing to that. It made quite the presentation I tell you. Momou has it going on.
I hope you will give it a chance. It may sound different, but it is worth making. I am pretty sure you will agree.

Eggplant Dressing

Stuff you need~

1 pound ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 medium eggplant, peeled and diced
3 cups of cooked rice (more or less to taste)
Salt and pepper

What to do with the stuff~

In a large skillet or Dutch oven, brown the ground meat until no longer pink. Stir in the onion, bell pepper, garlic and eggplant. Cook down until the veggies are all tender. Now, stir in the cooked rice, adding a spoonful at a time and stirring after each addition. I just add rice until there is a good rice to meat and veggie ratio. Also, when the liquid is all soaked up with the rice. Add good ole salt and pepper to taste. Serve it up and ENJOY!

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peeling the eggplant

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Adding in the veggies…they will cook down

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before adding the rice, the veggies all cooked down. That is some good stuff right there

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ah yeah…so good. Thank you Momou!

Traditional cajun faire

Bringing on Fall with one of my favorite meals…post by post

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We went to Arkansas this past weekend so BD and the boys could go dove hunting with my father in law. It’s become a tradition for our family and this year was no different. My big boy turned 11 and his birthday is typically right after Labor Day and usually this all falls on the same weekend. Not this year, as some years it is a little different. BD also has a birthday in September, so that makes this a really fun time when we go up to the lodge. This weekend, there was an LSU game and a Saints game on TV. Also, the temps were in the mid 60’s in the mornings and all I can say is Fall is coming y’all. That makes me happier than words can say. Every year when we go for dove hunt/Labor Day/birthday celebrations, my mother in law Deb always has a lab with new puppies. This year was no different and those pups are the sweetest sight to see. All in all it was a good weekend and September is in full effect. Since Fall is approaching quickly, my mind has turned to cooking delicious soups and stews and another family fave…roast. Roast and all the trimmings. So I decided that I wanted to make a post of all the things I make when I cook a roast. That way y’all have an entire Sunday supper to make if you are so inclined. When I do it, I do it right. What I love most about this meal is that it combines some of family favorites from both sides of the family.
I can remember when my daddy would come home from dove hunting or squirrel hunting, he would also stop at momou’s on the way home from the camp and have lunch at her house. He would always bring home leftovers. This meal here (sans the cornbread…she made rolls usually) is very similar to what he would bring home on a plate wrapped in foil. Oh the smells and yummy tastes. Her rice and gravy always was the best and I would imagine if she was not in the nursing home, it still would be if she made it. So on a Sunday, I always like to make a big toodoo (as she would say) and really cook a big Sunday lunch or supper. So if these fall temps get to you and you get the notion to do it up right, these recipes right here are all you need. Throw in some petite pois, a pot of rice, and some sweet tea and you are at Momou’s! Or the lodge. Both wonderful places to be. Bring on Fall!

Deb’s pot roast…the last roast recipe you will ever need | cajunmamacookin’s Blog

Deb’s pot roast…the last roast recipe you will ever need

Alayna’s best ever cornbread | cajunmamacookin’s Blog

Alayna’s best ever cornbread

Potato Salad with almost everything, paquing eggs and things Cajuns do | cajunmamacookin’s Blog

Potato Salad with almost everything, paquing eggs and things Cajuns do

Momou’s mac and cheese | cajunmamacookin’s Blog

Momou’s mac and cheese

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that’s a bunch of sweet, full and fat puppies

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my 11 YEAR OLD (!!! How did that happen?) back from the hunt

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watching the sunset on the Arkansas River on our trip to BLL

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Toot has been getting sewing lessons from aunt Kathy (deb’s sister)

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My Cookie walking the dogs around BLL

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my baby (not so little anymore) giving mama dog Abby some attention. 😉

pasta dishes

Caroline’s favorite chicken spaghetti

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So I have told y’all about my dear friend Angie haven’t I? She has a precious daughter named Caroline who is the same age as my oldest. We love those girls and they are like a part of our insane family. Bless ’em. Anyway, Angie loves to cook just like me and always love a new delicious recipe. Getting them and giving them out. She is from Monroe, so her roots are different than mine and that keeps our recipes very diverse and allows us to cover a broad range of yummy dishes. The other day they came over and she mentioned she was making Caroline’s favorite chicken spaghetti. I asked her how it was different than the regular chicken spaghetti and she said to was a little lighter than what she usually made, meaning no heavy cream of soups. I was on top of that and asked her to shoot me the recipe ASAP. She did and I made it for supper last night. Boy was I glad I did. BD ate two servings and had to stop himself from having another. It was so good. He then proceeded to go outside in this muggy Louisiana weather and weed the flower beds. He says he could have never done that if I had made the other chicken spaghetti (which he loves). So it is country boy approved and around here I can be Cajun Mama all day long, but if it doesn’t please BD, I am not getting far. Yes I just reread that statement and realize I sound like my Momou talking about my grandfather…or Pa as she called him. So be it. Anyway, this recipe really is a lighter take on the regular chicken spaghetti I make and this version is as delicious if not more so. Now, my kiddos were not game for trying it but truthfully I usually make a kid friendly version for them when I make the other kind, so I need to figure out one with this one. They ate cereal and were just fine. No kiddos starving here I promise. 🙂
I hope y’all love this version just as much. The recipe came from the Tallulah Junior League cookbook called Brushy Bayou Recipes. It’s called Chicken Casserole V. Now y’all know those junior league cookbooks always have the best recipes. This one was published back in 1972, so the recipe needed a little updating so Angie and I both made a few slight changes to the recipe to bring it up to date. Give me your thoughts on it after you try it!!

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now you know that’s a good cookbook

Caroline’s Favorite Chicken Spaghetti

Stuff you need~

1 box vermicelli (you can use spaghetti)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 rotisserie chicken, deboned and shredded or 4 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded (reserve water)
1 carton of chicken broth (I used reduced sodium)
1 jar of sliced mushrooms
2 (14.5 ounces) can of diced tomatoes
2 cups shredded cheddar

What to do with the stuff~

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
If you are boiling your own chicken, do that and then remove chicken breasts once it is done. Add chicken broth to that water, bring to a boil and cook your pasta. If you used a rotisserie chicken, then debone that sucker and just boil your pasta in the chicken broth. (Add water to the pot as needed to have enough liquid and reserve a little of the liquid after done boiling)
Ok, now in a skillet, add your olive oil and butter and warm over medium heat. Add your chopped veggies and sauté a few minutes until tender. Stir in the drained tomatoes and mushrooms. Cook over medium heat a few minutes. Now, I used a pasta scoop to add a little cooked pasta at a time to the pot. I used almost all of the pasta. Use a ladle to spoon in a little of the reserved broth. I found this helped the pasta to not dry out. Stir in your shredded chicken and then transfer to a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar over the pasta. Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes until cheese is all melted and bubbly and the dish is warmed through.
Resist the urge to shove your face into the casserole dish. That melted cheese is really hot and eating straight out the casserole dish is considered “bad manners”. Use a plate please and enjoy!!!!!

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an oldie but goodie

quick and easy, Weeknight wonder

Cheesy chicken crescent squares aka little pockets of yum

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This recipe is so old school I do not even know where it comes from. I have to be honest. I have about 5 church cookbooks that have some version of this delicious concoction. Some are more involved and some are more straight forward and simple. Guess which one I am more partial to? Yep. The straight forward and simple one. These little pockets of yum are so tasty and simple to prepare it almost seems wrong. But it’s not. It’s so so right my friends. In honor of Labor Day, I decided to make a recipe that required almost no labor. So easy my 7 year old could make them. And she almost did them herself. And then she refused to eat them. Yep. That easy!! Sigh.
Now, I have to he honest and say, this is the first meal I have cooked all weekend. I have pretty much been out of commission the entire long weekend with some sort of stomach flu/demon that possessed my body. I thought I was unwittingly chosen to be in a low budget sci-fi film. Nope. Just a yucky bug that knocked me off my behind for a few days. Today is the first day since Saturday I even felt semi human. And still it was a struggle to do much. But I said to myself, what sounds good that I think I can stomach and is not too much work. Yep. These. We went out on the boat so I could at least say we did something over the weekend fun and also my oldest is turning 11 tomorrow and he is ready to PAR-TAY! So here is the recipe and I know y’all will enjoy the heck out of these little pockets to yum aka cheesy chicken crescent squares!

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so teeny and precious

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then boom, like a flash, he is 11. Not so teeny, but still precious and always my baby.

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Toby says he knows nothing about the stomach bug, he is just glad to be on the boat!

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Toby is all tuckered out from his boating adventure. He is also super spoiled.

Cheesy chicken crescent squares aka little pockets of yum

Stuff you need~

2 cups chicken breast, cooked and chopped (I used the breast from a rotisserie chicken I picked up and it was just about enough)
1 cup shredded cheddar (use any blend you want or have on hand)
1 can cream of chicken
1 (soup can) of milk
1 can of crescent squares (I used the big and buttery kind and there are 8)

what to do with the stuff~

Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish (you could use a smaller one) with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut up your cooked chicken. Roll out crescent rolls and separate them out. Now, take some chicken and place it in the largest part of the crescent triangle. Then top with some cheese. If I had to give you a guesstimate I would say about 1 tablespoon of each. Maybe a little less. Now, roll that bad boy up and place seam side down in your prepared dish. Do this for each crescent roll/square/triangle of dough what have you. In a medium size bowl, whisk together the can of soup and can of milk. Pour this over the pockets of yum.
Pop the dish into the oven for about 25 minutes. Add a sprinkling of cheese to the top and pop back in oven for a few more minutes or until the cheese is all melty and irresistible looking. Remove from oven and let sit for about 5 minutes. Enjoy them and pass this recipe along y’all. It’s too good to keep to yourself! Or just prepare them for a friend and they will ask you for the recipe.


add chicken and cheese

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roll em up (this is my sweet Toot doing the rolling

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whisking the soup and milk together…Toot did this as well

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looking all lonely with no sauce

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me pouring the sauce/photo credit goes to Madame Toot

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pockets of yum

breads, Sides

Alayna’s best ever cornbread

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I could give you a very brief synopsis here about this chick named Alayna who gave me a cornbread recipe that is to die for. That would be the abbreviated version. Y’all know that abbreviated it not really my thang so here goes. Alayna is one of the wittiest, most clever, funniest and most loyal friends a girl could have. Now, back when our girls started preschool together when they were 4, I was not so sure. Saw her in the target parking lot one day (where I see and meet most people) and she looked at me like I had 2 heads when all of my circus people start climbing out the suburban. She made some (witty I am sure) remark about “all my kiddos” and it was after school and I am sure my humor was low at the time. But Alayna is a tell it like it is type of gal. She will not steer you wrong and will tell you just how it is. Kind of…wait a second…hold up…like me. We are so much alike, which is kind of good and kind of not good, depending on the day. Now she says “cue the circus music!” when we arrive anywhere. She helps me to take it all in stride. I sure do love her. Tried and true, wonderful in every way…a lot like this cornbread recipe. She says she and her hubby, John, found this recipe somewhere and then perfected it over time. Oh I am gonna tell you…as Alayna is fond of saying…that’s what she said. They have tweaked it to the ultimate cornbread perfection. My country boy, I mean man, LOVES this cornbread with everything. Chicken and dumplings, Lima beans, red beans, chili, any kind of soup. And with fall around the corner and all those yummy gumbos and stews to be made you will be set with Alayna’s cornbread recipe in your arsenal. That’s right you are cornbread slinging, soup making Cajun mama (or daddy!). So when you are ready to try THE best cornbread recipe, the last you will need as far as I am concerned…make this one. Love you Layner! Thanks for the good cornbread recipe and even better friendship!!~AMB

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I love her a bunch

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our kiddos dig one another too

Alayna’s Best Ever Cornbread

Makes 1 large skillet of cornbread

Stuff you need~

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/3 vegetable oil (I use canola)

What to do with the stuff~

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9 x 9 glass dish or a cast iron skillet with unsalted butter (if you have it, or spray it with cooking spray or use salted butter…Alayna would not want me fussing up recipe).

In a large mixing bowl, pour in flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, and baking powder and kind of combine with a fork. Just mix it all together. Next, whisk in the egg, stir. Whisk in milk and oil. Whisk whisk until just combined. Pour into greased skillet or dish. Bake for about 30 minutes or until done in the center and golden brown on top. Yummy!!! Oh and don’t forget the butter. Oh my!!!
*let me add that some of this leftover cornbread with some ice cold milk poured over it in a bowl makes some excellent cush cush. Just saying!

breakfast, Mexican

Cajun mama’s breakfast burritos

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I have always loved breakfast burritos. Good ones anyhow. There is just something so pleasing about all that goodness rolled up into one yummy warm tortilla. It just so pleasing and yet simple. Straightforward. Not fussy. With all these kiddos running around, I enjoy not fussy things. It makes my life easier. And as I have told y’all before, Big Daddy loves him some breakfast. He demands it, as much as he demands anything, which is not much. His mama, Dianne, always made him breakfast every morning. She had a full time job, but according to him and his brother, she made pancakes or something yummy nearly every morning. Then after she passed, and my father in law remarried, Deb (mother in law extraordinaire) continued this tradition. She used to make breakfast (well still does) for the duck hunters when her daddy ran the duck camp that is now, Bayou LaGrue. She did this from a young age so breakfast is in her blood. So, for the Bowlin gang, breakfast is a must. And I love breakfast burritos and it is a natural progression that I would find a way to make them myself. It started way back in college and I have gotten much better since then. My two youngest, Toot and Pappy (aka Aubrey and Lucas), love them a good breakfast burrito so that makes them pretty popular. They usually take simple ingredients you probably have around the house to make them. I will give you some pointers on how to make them more involved and authentic tasting (according to moi) but you can really make them as basic as you please. So let’s get cooking some breakfast burritos mis amigos! Mis compadres! Vamanos!

Cajun Mama’s breakfast burritos

makes about 6 burritos maybe more depending on how much filling you use

Stuff you need~

A pack of burrito size tortillas (I use the kind that say soft and fluffy on the package. Pretty sure they are Mission Bell brand. And feel free to use the smaller size. I do if that is what I have)

8 eggs, scrambled

1 pound breakfast sausage

4 ounce cream cheese

1/2 cup onion diced

1 small bell pepper, diced (if you have it or are so inclined…it’s not mandatory)

1/2 package frozen Ore Ida potatoes o’brien (or you can use left over baked potatoes as well. Scoop out the filling and add to burritos)

Shredded cheese (I use what I have on hand but Monterey Jack and cheddar or cheddar jack work wonderfully…get crazy and see what you like)

taco seasoning or if you are feeling frisky get some Goya sofrito (found at Mexican Supermercados or I have heard some Walmarts carry it)

What to do with the stuff

Ok…what I do is brown the sausage in a large skillet. After that is almost down, I add in the onions and bell pepper (if I use it) and sauté that for a few minutes until they are almost tender. I also add the potatoes o’brien at this point to give them a little head start in getting defrosted and warmed up. Add a little olive oil or cooking oil to your pan if you feel it needs it. Of course you can add In the chunked up baked potatoes as well here. Season them up with some salt, pepper and a little Tony’s if you want to love on the wild side. In a separate skillet, I scramble my eggs with some milk. Ok next add the eggs to the sausage mixture. Now, cut the cream cheese up into chunks and over medium-low heat let that mix it up with the rest of the gang in the pot. It’s all good. No really. It’s so good. Yummm! But you are not done my friends. Oh no.
Now, at this point sprinkle in a little taco seasoning (not a whole packet…more like a tablespoon) or if you went full throttle and bought the Goya seasoning, add in a half packet or so. More if you like it. None of this is necessary, you can absolutely serve the burritos without it, but we really liked the flavor it added. So do what works for you. Ok now, stir in a cup of shredded cheese. Stir in around. The cream cheese should be fairly creamy now and spreading it’s creamy delight to all the rest of the concoction.
Warm your tortillas up, and add a nice size scoop of the burrito mixture to the middle. Roll up burrito style.
No words right? Yes they are muy bueno.

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all that goodness getting ready to get rolled up

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so delicious

desserts, slow cooker

Slow cooker hot fudge sundae cake

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This dessert is a real winner. It is not only a chocolate lover’s dream…it is made in the slow cooker. Oh yes. You heard me. Slow. Cooker. Cake. When my editor for Red River Mom’s asked me for some slow cooker recipes for our September issue, I of course had several on hand, tried and true and no fail. But then I thought of this little nugget I had found on Pinterest (where all things magical come from…happy sigh) I was skeptical (really? Cake in a crock pot…yeah maybe.) and I decided I would give it a go. The blogger at Country Cook blog (www.thecountrycook.net) made it sound heavenly and she had found it in a Gooseberry Patch cookbook. That alone said so much! I am a Gooseberry Patch lover from way back and I always loved their cookbooks (and sidenote…I actually have a recipe in one of them…little Cajun Mama trivia for the day). The recipe uses pretty basic ingredients and is super simple. PI did not double the recipe the first time around and I really should have. We had a friend and her son over and it was gone in no time flat. Bluebell Homemade Vanilla on the side of this ooey gooey delight pushes it right over the edge into pure dessert nirvana.
I urge you, out of the goodness of my heart, to do what is right and try this dessert very soon. That’s my challenge to y’all. No ice water here, just hot fudge sundae cake ba-beee!!! So glad the als challenge is going well, but over here we prefer hot fudge over our cake to ice water over our heads. It’s the Cajun mama way!~AMB

Slow cooker Hot fudge sundae cake

*this recipe is meant for a smaller slow cooker (3 quart) so double it if using a larger crockpot. Doubling is recommended if you have more than 4 people who will be eating it and you want to avoid an angry mob.

Stuff you need~

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa powder, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
3/4 brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 cup hot water

What to do with the stuff~
**IMPORTANT–be sure to spray your slow cooker with some Baker’s Joy or cooking spray before adding the first ingredient. Trust Cajun Mama on this!

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and 2 tablespoons of the cocoa powder. Or instead of sifting, just use a fork to mix it together really well and mashing the ingredients up against the edge of the bowl until it’s all really fine. Stir in milk, oil and vanilla extract. Stir until combined. Fold in the chopped nuts at this point if you are using them.
Spread this mixture evenly all over the bottom of the sprayed slow cooker. Ok now, for the second layer, in a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cocoa powder. Next, stir in the hot water and mix until smooth. Finally, pour this mixture evenly over the first layer. Now DO NOT STIR!!! Do not stir the two layers. This will mess with the perfection that is this dessert. No stir–got it?!! This how the hot fudge sauce and cake layers form. Important scientific stuff.
Put the lid on and cook for about 2-2 1/2 hours on low. Use toothpick test if you are uncertain on the doneness.
Let this sit in the crockpot for 30-40 minutes after the cake is done, so the layers can settle.

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mash all those dry ingredients together

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cook and then let it sit. So tempting and hard to do…it’s worth it

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see what I mean? Worth it. A la mode honey. All the way!

pasta dishes, seafood

Spicy Cajun shrimp pasta

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Well I told y’all when we were on vacay that we picked up a few pounds of fresh Gulf shrimp right? Shrimp is such a luxury for us to have on hand. Somehow it is less painful to shell out the money on vacation for several pounds of big beautiful fresh Gulf shrimp than it is to go to the store and fork it over. Not sure if one is actually more cost effective than the other, but it seems so much easier the other way. Now, that being said, the recipe I am sharing today is so flipping amazing that I will go to the Brookshires or Kroger and buy some shrimp so I can make it. It certainly won’t hold me back!! This was the freshest, tastiest seafood pasta recipe I have tried in a long time. It was yummilicous! (That’s a hybrid word I am trying…cross between yummy and delicious…try it out) I found the original recipe at http://damndelicious.net/2014/01/15/spicy-parmesan-shrimp-pasta/, but I made a few changes to it to make it Cajun style. In all seriousness, this was one fantastic pasta dish and I will make it over and over. I think you will LOVE it.~AMB
Find the rest of this recipe on my new site…Spicy Cajun Shrimp Pasta | Cajun Mama Cooks
http://cajunmamacooks.com/2014/08/04/spicy-cajun-shrimp-pasta/

Sides

Savory mushroom brown rice

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As long as I can remember, this recipe has been around. It truly connects my family to Big Daddy’s family in a unique way. Wait what? I know, sounds crazy right? And yet so true. In a past blog post, I know I told y’all that BD and I have known one another since childhood. Actually babyhood. I was 1 and he was 9 months when they moved in across the street from us in a little neighborhood called Airview Terrace in Alex. (that is Alexandria for those who are not hip to the lingo ha ha). Our moms, Bernie and Dianne, became fast friends. As a mom myself now, I imagine they were so happy to hit it off and their kiddos played well together. Well as well as BD could play with anyone as he was sort of a precious little hellion back then. I can say that because I am raising his prodigy these days. 🙂 So they became fast friends. Clay’s mom was a few years older than my mom. And she had a degree in home economics from what is known as ULM. So sister could cook and enjoyed it. Of course, she was not from Marksville like my mom but from North Louisiana, so they had different styles. I would have to say in general they had different styles period. Dianne was tall and statuesque and had sass to spare. Bernie is a petite and a little more soft spoken. But they were the yin to the other’s yang and they remained friends until the day Dianne passed away. And now of course, there are 4 kiddos running around as a result (to some extent) of this friendship those two ladies formed back in 1976. Thank Heavens for that.
Read the rest of the post on my new site…
Savory Mushroom Brown Rice | Cajun Mama Cooks
http://cajunmamacooks.com/2014/08/04/savory-mushroom-brown-rice/