Tag Archives: Cajun mama

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Happy Mother’s Day…here is your chicken ranch soft taco

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So I debated on whether to post a recipe today…I mean, it has been a week since I last posted a recipe so why today?  I feel guilty when I don’t post a few recipes a week and I admit that I struggle with finding balance between being a mom and a blogger.  Last week I had two strings concerts to attend for my oldest, a field trip to the mall and the skating rink with him.  I helped with the kindergarten gradation pictures since the office asked and my baby was one of them.  Not to mention, he lost his first tooth and then swallowed it all within the same minute.  Oh the drama.  He was scared, disappointed, worried, and elated all at once.  There has been Top Readers Club parties for my 9 year old lovely girl to photograph, bring cupcakes and drinks for, pizzas to pick up…yeah…it has been a little busy.  And frankly, this school year just needs to come to an end because mamas (and dads…but it is mother’s day so ya’ll get over it.  :-)) everywhere are just worn slap out.  I know many of you work full time jobs, coach their kids t ball teams, run kids back and forth to gymnastics, ballet recital practice and pics, therapy sessions and so much more.  So today I decided that I would give ya’ll a Mother’s Day gift.  A recipe that is just so satisfying, delicious, and so easy that it cooks itself.  No really. So, as we are on the countdown to the end of the school year and my subsequent inevitable nervous breakdown (i am kidding!  Mostly)  I thought this would be a wonderful recipe to post.  I hope ya’ll enjoy it as much as my whole family has.  It was a hit even with my pickiest violin player.  So happy Mother’s Day to the moms, grandmothers, aunts who act like moms, stepmoms, Godmothers, and all the ladies out there who may not ever have given birth but play the role of mama to so many.  Here is your chicken soft taco!!!  Much love on this day ladies!!  I sincerely am glad to be able to share these recipes with you.  Drop me a line and tell me a little about yourself in the comment section so I can get to know you better.  I would love that!!  Hugs to you.  Hope your day is just as lovely as you are.~AMB

Super easy Crockpot chicken ranch soft tacos (original post can be seen here: http://myfindsonline.com/4-ingredient-crockpot-chicken-ranch-taco-recipe/)

Stuff you need~

1 cup chicken broth (I used the entire can)

1 packet ranch dressing packet

1 packet taco seasoning mix (I use mild to ensure the kiddos will find it palatable)

2-3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

tortillas

shredded cheese, sliced avocados, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, sour cream for topping

What to do with the stuff~

Lay your chicken breasts at the bottom of your crockpot ( I used Big Read…a 4.5 quart one).  In a bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, ranch dressing mix and taco seasoning mix.  Pour this mixture over the chicken bosoms (my friend Kylie used to call them this and it always cracks me up.  Shout out to Kylie!) and cook on low for 4-6 hours.  Big red tends to cook a little faster, so mine were ready in about 4 1/2 hours.  Shred the cooked chicken breasts and warm the tortillas.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken from the crockpot and put it in a serving bowl (if you wish or you can serve the chicken straight from the slow cooker.  You are the mama!  Do your thing!) Put out the optional toppings and serve those bad boys up.  And watch them disappear!

Easy as…

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1…

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2…

 

 

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3!!!! Hard part is done!!  Turn the slow cooker on and they will be ready when you are!  Pretty great.

 

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Yeah…this was us this morning.  The plan was to take a sweet picture of them all around me in our pool…happy and laughing.  That was the picture I had in my head.  Oh what a pipe dream.  This is my reality.  The boys got into a fight, the girls trying to make mama happy, and me trying to contain the little one.  Ahhh…motherhood.  I need a drink!!

 

 

 

desserts

Southern Living Pound cake and the perfectionist super woman who lives in my head

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It used to take A’s on tests in grad school or a wonderful session for me to feel accomplished…now, when my pound cake slides out the pan and looks pretty…I feel like I climbed a mountain!  Yay!

Extra extra read all about it:  CAJUN MAMA CAN BAKE!  Like a true Southern woman.  I made my very first pound cake.  Now, I know for many of you this is not a big deal.  But for me, it is a true accomplishment.  Usually me baking equals an epic fail.  It usually does not come out nearly as lovely as what I envision in my head.  In my head lives a perfectionist wonder woman who should be able do everything.  Able to wake up rested after 3 hours of sleep and look refreshed and bright eyed.  Able to get it all done plus some and not get tired.  Able to whip up delicious desserts with nary a failure and make it all effortless.  Newsflash…that chick does not exist.  She is an accumulation of my unrealistic expectations in myself and society’s version of what a mom should be.  Guess what?  After a good night’s sleep, I am still tired and look mediocre.  I get some of it done and before leaving my house to go get in carpool line, every day without fail I say to myself “dang I need more hours in the day”.  And when I bake, well, usually it looks like a science experiment went wrong in my kitchen.  But I splurged a while back and bought a really nice bundt pan, hoping that this would solve all my baking problems and baking fails would become baking wins, wars would end, the government would get it together and we could all live in perfect harmony.  Not quite.  But this bundt pan did produce a splendidly browned bundt cake that did not stick!  Hallelujah! Perfectionist super woman got ahold of my debit card and went on Williams Sonoma online and bought this bundt pan.  Thinking of all the wonderful bundt cakes and pound cakes she was going to make (though in this case she was right). She does that sometimes.  Gets all these high falutin ideas about what’s gonna happen in Cajun Mama’s kitchen and buys stuff to make it happen.  I have to tell her to back it down sometimes because she gets out of hand.  I tell Big Daddy it is all her fault, but he reminds me that I do not have split personalities (at least he is pretty sure) and that me and her are the same people and therefore, in reality I am to blame.  humph.  Who lives in reality?  Not me.  Duh.  Lol!  So, cut to a while later, and Sunday evening I was feeling particularly domestic and I said out loud to whomever was listening (no one) “I am gonna bake a sour cream pound cake!!”.  So, I drug out some of my cookbooks (that perfectionist wonder woman bought most of those too) and set out to looking for a recipe.  I figured I had never made one so I would have to start somewhere.  And so I did.  I found a good one (I mean…Southern Living is always a good bet).  The wonderful part about cooking all the time and gaining experience as a non trained chef is that most of the time, I have almost all of the ingredients to bake whatever I fancy at the moment and whatever recipe we find that we want me to cook.  No, not we as in me and my other personality.  We, as in my family, the kids, Big Daddy…whatever we want me to cook.  Because guess what…if it is cooked, it is cooked by me.  Ya dig?  Ok.  So anyway, after some careful research (i.e. reading through cookbooks…tough job), and looking through the pantry and fridge, I was set on go.  Pound cake #1 would commence on Monday.  Well.  It was SCRUMPTIOUS!!!!!  Total win.  Between the wonderful bundt pan and a can of Baker’s Joy (Target brand of course.  I stay at home ya’ll…no money in that.  Store brands rule!!!) it turned out like a dream.  Color me shocked.  But that perfectionist Super Woman just sat there with her arms crossed, looking all smug.  She gets on my nerves.

So, if you have been looking for a good sour cream pound cake and are feeling fancy, this is a good place to start.  My sweet friend Lottie sent me her grandmother’s recipe for pound cake, so I think that will be pound cake #2.  Yes, I am the self appointed pound cake tester.  Also, I am bringing samples to some of my kids’ teachers and other staff members at the kids’ school so that I can get some feedback.  And I won’t injure myself eating an entire pound cake.  Yes, if you are employed at my kiddos’ school, you might be a pound cake guinea pig.  I have not heard any complaints yet!  So here goes friends.  Be Southern…bake a pound cake!!! ~AMB

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A few of the cookbooks I own.  I may or may not have a cookbook addiction.  

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Food blogger research.  Tough job but someone has to do it.

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Shocking that a wonderful sour cream pound cake recipe ended up here?  Nah.

Southern Living Sour Cream Pound Cake (from Southern Living: 40 Years of Our Best Recipes  cookbook)

Makes 10-12 servings

Stuff You Need~

1 1/2 cups of butter, softened (this is 3 sticks of the real stuff)

3 cups sugar

6 large eggs

3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

1 teaspoon lemon extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract (am I the only one who loves the smell of this stuff?)

What to do with the stuff~

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare your 12 cup tube pan by spraying with Baker’s Joy or grease and flour your tube pan.

Add softened butter to the bowl of your standing mixer or a mixing bowl.  Using your standing mixer or electric mixer, beat butter at medium speed until creamy.  Gradually add sugar (I did a half cup at a time), beating after each addition at medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, 1 at at time, beating just until the yolk disappears.

In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt and baking soda.  Add this to the butter mixture a little at a time, alternating with the sour cream, starting with flour mixture and ending with flour mixture. Beat batter at low speed until just blended after each addition.  Now stir in the lemon and almond extracts.  Pour into your prepared tube pan.  Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes, depending on your oven.  Or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean.  Mine took exactly 1 hour 20 minutes.  Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.  Turn out onto wire rack and allow pound cake to cool completely.  Enjoy and share with those you love.  Or those you wish to impress with your amazing baking skills.  Just saying.

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Butter and sugar beat together until light and fluffy. I had to restrain myself from grabbing a spoon.  #sugaraddict #letssellitinajar 

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Chilling on the wire rack. 

 

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Callie’s Ham Salad

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This must be my week to try new things.  I cannot recall having ham salad before and to be honest I was a tad bit reluctant  to try it.   I love most things that include the word salad…tuna salad, potato salad, definitely chicken salad, egg salad..but ham salad?  Yes, ham salad.  Now, I know lots of people are very familiar with ham salad but not me, so forgive my innocence or what I call now…my ignorance.  Several recipes for ham salad have caught my eye, and I have kind of planned to make it, but the minute I saw this little beauty, I knew I would have to make it.   Like now.  Cannot wait.  Impulsivity reigns supreme when it comes to a recipe I see that must be made.  I may perish if I don’t make this asap.  (said in my best Southern damsel in distress voice…)  Tomorrow is another day and by God, I will make this ham salad!!!  Now,   what I love about this recipe is that it is simple and straightforward.  I like recipes that tell me how to get from a to z directly.  Shortest route here people.  No need to reinvent the wheel.  I guess because I deal with kiddo mood swings, fake illnesses, deciphering their language (mine are all at ages where nothing is as simple as it once seemed, maybe it is just me?)…so a recipe should get down to the nitty gritty pretty quickly.  If you start off and tell me that I need to cook a whole ham first before I can get a ham salad out of it…well no thank you.  I am tired, need more coffee and want ham salad.  This recipe took you straight to it.  No hoops to jump through.  This is very easy, takes few ingredients and you can double to feed a hungry bunch if you need to.  Now, this original recipe comes from a cookbook that is now at the top of my list to buy.  My birthday is coming up…hint to BD.  The cookbook is called Callie’s Biscuits and Southern Traditions and I discovered it when I came across blog lovin and this link~ http://www.thecountrycook.net/2014/01/callies-ham-salad.html?m=1.  If you have never had ham salad, I encourage you to try this recipe.  It made a believer out of me.  we ate it in a sandwich, but some people spread it on crackers.   I will be making this one again and again.  Cajun mama is a ham salad convert…spread the word.

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Definitely on my make again list…already.  

Ham Salad

Stuff you need~

1 lb. ham (I used a ham steak that I bought at the store.  It was a little over a pound.  That is what the blogger I got this recipe from did.  But you can use leftover ham from Easter (great idea, Laura!) or any time you bake a good ole ham.

3 stalks celery, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 onion, chopped

2/3 cup mayo (as always…Duke’s is my fave)

2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 sandwich sliced pickles, chopped (I used BD’s favorite kind Claussen that we already have in the house-picture below)

1 1/2 tsp. pickle juice

1 Tablespoon light brown sugar

kosher salt and black pepper to taste (slow your roll and give it a taste first.  I added salt without reading that part and it was a tad too salty for us.  But still amazing)

What to do with the stuff~

Now, she suggests just pulsing the ham and celery together for 20-25 pulses or so.  Again, I did not read all the way through and tossed all the ingredients in the food processor and pulsed it all.  I had left the pickles and onions pretty coarsely chopped and it turned out fine.  If you don’t have a food processor, you can still make this but the consistency might be a tad off unless you chop the ham silly fine.  So, as I said, my way was to throw it everything into the food processor and pulse it a few times until it was combined. Lol!  I was being a hardheaded gal today (or more so than usual…) She says after you pulse the ham and celery set aside.  In a bowl, combine other ingredients.  Add the ham and celery mixture to the mayo mixture and gently stir.    Potato potato I say.  It was dang good my way so I think any way you go, you are golden!!  And that ham salad will taste so good with a glass of iced tea and some potato chips.  Ya know…if you like that sort of thing.  And I do.  I really do.  OOH she also added a few  pieces of chopped green onion (green parts) to the finished product.  I did this as well.  Mmmmmmm….

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Yes, yes, I am a believer in the powers of ham salad.  

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Big Daddy’s and Benny’s favorite pickles 

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All set to be pulsed all together into a lovely ham salad…it was good even if I didn’t do it right

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Luscious Lemon Loaf

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I woke up yesterday morning with cooking on my mind.  My kiddos are on spring break, 2 of them are with their grandparents in Arkansas, one is up his daddy’s behind, and the other (my mama’s girl) has been chilling with mama.  So, frankly, I felt a little adrift. Regardless of how many kids you have, it seems like when one or two are away, things just aren’t the same.  I definitely felt their absence, though it has been nice hanging with my sweet girl and having some one on one time with her.    Anyway, I decided that I was going to cook up some stuff and this lemon loaf was one of the recipes on Pinterest that had caught my eye.  But I must say, it was originally called “white chocolate lemon bread” and frankly, it looked so yummy but the name threw me off.  Yes, I will admit I am not a white chocolate fan.  Mama likes her dark chocolate, that is all I am saying.  Always have.  And white chocolate?  Gag.  No really, gag.  But I took a risk.  I love, love, love the lemon loaf at Starbucks.  I don’t love, however, paying over 2 bucks a pop for a slice.  I mean, really?  I truly love lemon and this looked so easy, I figured what did I have to lose anyway?  Nothing.  So I went for it.  I am so very glad I did.  There is nothing white chocolate to it and this loaf tastes so close to Starbucks’ lemon loaf that it is uncanny.  Taking the risk (though with this the risk was small) was well worth it.  Don’t you love when things work out that way?  I renamed it luscious lemon loaf because even though there is white chocolate pudding mix, you cannot taste it.  This is just pure lemon delight.  And the glaze that you pour over it is simply fantabulous.  This recipe truly could not be easier and makes two loaves.  So, theoretically you can keep one and give one away.  Good luck with that.  This stuff is so good, you might consider hiding both loaves under your shirt and running like the wind.  And keeping it all for yourself.  If your family does not beat you to the punch.  It is that good.  You can see the original recipe here http://liluna.com/white-chocolate-lemon-bread.  I made it just like the recipe suggested this time, but next time I will replace the oil with applesauce and the sour cream with Greek yogurt.  I do the applesauce thing in most of my muffin recipes and it works great.  We get a little fruit boost and I can enjoy a slice or um…two…with less guilt.

Luscious Lemon 

Stuff you need~

1 box of lemon cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)

2 small boxes instant white chocolate pudding mix

4 eggs

1/8 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 2 Tablespoons)

1/4 cup of oil

1 cup sour cream

zest of one lemon

For the glaze:  Mix 1  1/2 cups powdered sugar, juice and zest from one lemon.  Add more lemon juice if it was too thick. I used a big lemon and had plenty.

What to do with the stuff~

Mix cake mix, pudding mix, oil and eggs in a bowl with a beater (or your standing mixer) until well combined.  Now, add sour cream, lemon juice and lemon zest.  Use a spoon to mix at this point.  Pour batter into 2 greased loaf pans.  I used a regular size loaf pan and then a pan with 4 little mini loaves.  They were the cutest little things!!

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.  If you go the mini loaf route, bake for about 15 minutes.  Let them cool completely.  I removed mine from the loaf pans at this point and set them on a baking sheet or plate.  Now, poke holes in the loaves and drizzle the glaze all over them.  Get ready to curse me and thank me all at once.  You will want to do both.  It’s ok.  I still love ya.  Image

Big ole zested lemon 

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awww…look at those little darlings…so tiny and cute.  I could just eat em up.  he he 

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Sweet tart lemony glaze…so pretty

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Sides, veggies

Love, evolution and Cajun Mama’s coleslaw

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sweet tangy coleslaw. I love you.

Yes.  Yes.  I know.  Coleslaw?  What in the world?  This chick posted about potato salad yesterday and now she is posting about coleslaw.  Yes I am.  But hear me out.  All coleslaw recipes are not created equally.  Even in the great state of Louisiana, there are major differences in our coleslaw recipes.  I never knew this.  But ya’ll, and I am not exaggerating, I had NEVER been to Shreveport before 1994.  No I am not lying.  I am dead dang serious.  I came up here with my mom to see BD’s mom when she was sick (back when he was just Clay, my childhood friend.  Before the whole falling madly in love, marriage and 4 kiddos thing) and I remember passing a Home Depot and thinking “wow!  This is not a little podunk town.  They have a Home Depot!”  Please keep in mind that I am from Alex. and we did not have a Home Depot at that time.  Not sure where I got my notions from.  I was 19 and living in BR and going to LSU and thought I was hotsy totsy.  This was August and please keep in mind that by the next January, I was a  Northwestern demon and that was that.  So, I was a drifting college student who did not know Shreveport was a big city.  Anyway, as far as I know, when you live in Central Louisiana (at least when I was young), you took field trips to one of 3 places if you got out of town.  Houston (back in the day we went to Astroworld), New Orleans, or Natchitoches.  So as far as I was concerned, LA stopped after Natchitoches.  How ironic that I now live in Shreveport, right?  And I love it here.  Go figure.  My whole life seems to be a lesson in irony.  Or maybe I protest too much and try to run the show and God likes to show me in funny little ways that he is the boss and I will enjoy the path he chose. ( I am NOT dating some country boy in Keithville!!  Nope, I dated him and married him.  Thank heavens God knows what he is doing and has the power!) Either way.  I know I am where I am supposed to be, coleslaw differences aside.  Oh yeah, I am supposed to be talking about coleslaw.  Blogging ADD is no joke.  Excuse me when I go off on my trips down memory lane.

Ok, so before I was a Shreveport gal, I only knew of one kind of coleslaw.  And we never ate it with BBQ.  Never.  Seriously, not ever.  At least not in my family.  The main times I can remember eating coleslaw was with grillades and rice and gravy and maybe fried fish or at a boucherie.   my cabbage is not shredded fine enough.  It is a work in progress, just like my potato salad.  I had a friend who is from Alex. and has roots in Avoyelles like me (Denee I am looking at you) and she asked me to post a recipe.  So, I will do my best.  It definitely takes me back.  And I have to say, while mayo based coleslaw had its day in the sun for me…I think I prefer it this way.  Just not with grillades.  Please note, I will make adjustments to the recipe as I get better at making it.

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Lovely cabbage…

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Straight forward, simple, uncomplicated.  Perfect.

Cajun Mama Coleslaw 

Stuff you need~

A head of cabbage

1 cup vinegar

1/2 Cup sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

yes, that is it…don’t make it too complicated

What to do with the stuff~

Ok, cut the bottom hard part off of the cabbage.  You don’t need that.  Now cut the head of cabbage in half and in half again.  Now, here is where I have some adjustments to make.  Taking a good heavy knife, shred the cabbage very fine, into little ribbons.  If I had to give a measurement, I could say a 1/4″ thin strips.  Fine.  But really, it is not the end of the world if it is thicker.  Again, work in progress.  Add the cut cabbage to a colander and wash well.  Let it dry or get some paper towels and soak up the excess moisture.  Ok…now dump the washed cabbage into a bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk together your other ingredients.  Adjust accordingly to suit your family’s taste.  Pour over the cabbage and then toss the shredded cabbage with the vinegar mixture.  Let it sit in the fridge for about an hour if at all possible to let the flavors soak into the cabbage. You are ready to go.  Sweet, salty, crunchy, tangy…all the good stuff together.

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BD and I…circa 1978…he was my best friend.  We ate vinegar based coleslaw and loved being together.

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Circa 1996…finding our way…in love and coleslaw.  We were evolving. 

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Circa a month ago…still straightforward and not fussy as this coleslaw recipe.  He is still my best friend.  Gotta love evolution.

Sides

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

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A few years ago, a friend of mine who was born or raised in Shreveport, called me and said “I have to ask you a question”.  It was Christmas time  and they had gone to her husband’s Christmas party and it had been catered by a catering company from South Louisiana.  She says “The food was good.  They served jambalaya and gumbo and…and…potato salad.  No barbecue. Did they get confused?”  I laughed first and then told her that Cajuns eat potato salad with nearly everything.  Etouffee…potato salad.  Chicken fricassee…potato salad.  Rice and gravy and..yes, potato salad.  This falls under the list of things that I never considered abnormal.  Actually, I never considered it at all.  I love potato salad with most stuff and thought my family must like it this way.  Nope.  Apparently it is a colloquial thing.  I will not say it is a “Cajun” thing or a “South Louisiana” thing.  I have had some people say “you are from Alexandria and that is not South Louisiana.”  Fair enough.  I have had people say “Alexandria and Marksville are both considered Central Louisiana”.  Ya’ll…I am not going to claim to know.  I think being Cajun is more a state of mind.  I know people who live in Baton Rouge who don’t consider themselves Cajun.  I have explained before that my family are first generation Alexandrians.  This means, my parents were both born and raised in Avoyelles Parish (Marksville by the way of Blue Town and Broulliette to be precise) and moved to Alex. after getting married.  So, we did most things, cooked most things, adhered to the customs that their families adhered too.  So, I will not claim to know why we eat potato salad with more things than not.  I don’t know where this comes from.  I just know that I grew up thinking it was just what you did and I love me some potato salad and I never questioned it.

So today, I am going to tell ya’ll how I make my potato salad.  I imagine most of ya’ll have a potato salad recipe, but some of you may not.  Maybe you need a little potato salad inspiration.  I know my Momou and Momee made very similar yet distinctly different potato salads.  I liked them both and now my potato salad combines the best of both worlds.  My favorite potato salad memory is the colored eggs that ended up in the potato salad on Easter Sunday.  We would paque eggs and the loser eggs would be peeled and then put in the potato salad.  I always thought it was fun and colorful as a kiddo.  I know that potato salad always tasted so good with the cuchon de lait and dirty rice.  Bring on the colorful potato salad.  For those who may not know what paque (pronounced “pock”) eggs means…that is where you hold a dyed Easter egg in your hand and someone else does the same and you knock the tops of the eggs together.  If you crack their egg, you win and vice versa.  It was good Easter fun I tell you.  My kids love to paque some eggs.  Anyhow, back to potato salad.  Momou’s potato salad was always a little more yellow than Momee’s.  Her potatoes were always a little more substantial where as the potatoes in Momee’s were a little softer, a little more mashed.  Her potato salad usually had some pickles or pickle relish in it.  Momou’s had more pepper in it.  Mine falls somewhere in between the two and I tend to add Tony’s to mine, like my Daddy does.  I remember making potato salad in college and after we got married and BD would always say “yeah, something is missing. It is good but…”  Finally at 38, I think I am close to getting it the way we like it.  But we have much higher expectations for potato salad I do believe.  As I type this, I realize how much thought and effort seems to be put into it.  I guess when you eat something so frequently with so many main dishes, it should be good!!  Maybe it is just me?   Forgive me if I am taking liberties by preaching potato salad to ya’ll.  I do so love it and feel sad for anyone who might be at a loss about how to make it.  Or God forbid, buys it from the store?!!  I must stop that now.  If I can save one person from store bought potato salad, then my work here is done.  Namaste.  Peace on Earth.  Homemade potato salad for all!!!

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Posed at Momee’s house, right before or after I hunted some eggs.  I bet I paqued a few that day

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Another Easter Sunday at Momee’s…my parents and me and all 3 of my little sisters…I bet we ate potato salad with colored eggs in it that day

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Easter Sunday at Momou’s…Ben’s first Easter and his intro into paquing.  Pretty sure Momou won that match.

Cajun Mama’s Potato Salad 

Serves about 8 or 6 hungry Cajuns as the saying goes

Stuff you need~

4 medium size potatoes (I typically use Idahoan potatoes), washed and cut into equal sized pieces

4 eggs

salt and pepper

Tony’s

mayonnaise

mustard

What to do with the stuff~

Cut your potatoes into equal sized pieces.  I usually half the potato and then quarter the halves.  I peel the potatoes after they are boiled rather than before.  That is what my mom and dad did so I do the same.  Put your cut up potato pieces and the eggs in a pot and cover them amply with water.  Bring them to a boil and then reduce heat as needed but keep them at a low boil until the potatoes are fork tender  (for me typically about 20 minutes, give or take). You may prefer the potatoes to be less tender, so just use your judgement.   When you feel they are ready, drain the potatoes and eggs in a colander.  When you can, place the eggs in a bowl of cold water.  Peel the eggs.  Peel the potatoes.  Add both to a medium size bowl.  Now, add about 1/2 cup of mayonnaise and start out with a few squirts of mustard.  Ya’ll, I wish I could be more precise but I go by how it looks (and tastes).  Definitely add in some kosher salt and pepper as you stir.  Stir in more mayo and mustard (gradually) and salt and pepper (a little Tony’s).  Continue to do this until you feel it is just right.  Or close.  It is definitely a trial and error process, or at least it has been for me.  When the potato salad is dressed and seasoned to your liking, sprinkle a little more Tony’s over the top for presentation.  Yes.  It is good.  Yes, it will go with almost anything.  Well…as far as I am concerned.  And it always tastes better with colored eggs on Easter Sunday.  Enjoy!!!

 

 

 

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I love some Dukes mayo in my potato salad (I prefer it to Hellman’s)

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It’s getting good…love it when the potatoes are still a little warm 

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Whatever the question…potato salad is a good answer

 

 

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Dianne’s Quick and Easy Crawfish Étouffée

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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!

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bloop!

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pretty little veggies getting all tender

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bloop bloop bloop

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Pea and asparagus casserole and coming home

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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.

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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!

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Never gets old I tell you.

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Pioneer Woman’s Eggberts Sunriser

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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…Image

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.

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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.

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Happy, happy, happy!