Crawfish Bisque

I love, love, love Crawfish Bisque but it's one of those things that I have never tackled on my own because it's so labor intensive. When I go out to eat, I always order something I wouldn't or don't make at home and this is one of those dishes.

However, I've helped others make it many times and it's always fun to do as a group because that's how we roll in Louisiana! Food, drinks, people = PARTY!!! Because we get a group together, we all chip in on the ingredients and make enough for everyone to take a good quantity home. That's the way to do this really...just turn it into a Crawfish Bisque party. Supply the kitchen, snacks and cocktails, invite friends over and cook!

Stuffing

2 lbs crawfish tails
60 cleaned crawfish shells
1-1/2 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped bell pepper
2 tbs minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped parsley
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups seasoned Italian bread crumbs
salt, pepper and Tony's to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grind crawfish tails, onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic and parsley in a home-style meat grinder or food processor. Once ground, add eggs and enough bread crumbs to hold the mixture together but not so that the stuffing becomes too bready. Begin with 1 cup. Season to taste. Stuff equal amounts into the 60 crawfish heads. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned and fully cooked. Remove and set aside.


Bisque

3 lbs crawfish tails
1-1/2 cup vegetable oil
1-1/2 cup flour
1-1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
2 tbs minced garlic
1/4 cup tomato sauce
3 quarts crawfish stock****
1 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped parsley
salt, pepper and Tony's to taste

In a heavy dutch oven, heat oil and flour to make a dark brown roux. Add onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic; sauté until vegetables are wilted, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Add crawfish tails and tomato sauce, blend well. Slowly add crawfish stock until sauce-like consistency is achieved. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce to simmer and add stuffed crawfish heads. Stir well and simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add green onions and parsley and season to taste. Serve over white rice.

*** I would use Better Than Bouillon seafood paste and water for the stock and season with Tony’s.

Greg and Clifford, The Big Red Dog

When I was six, my family moved into a house with a very large yard in a nice neighborhood with lots of kids. To my incredible delight, next door lived a boy about 14 years old. He was a big, tall, strapping, muscular, tanned, shaggy haired blonde, blue eyed, handsome hunk of burning love! Did I say I was six??? I was IN LOVE!!!

Everyday, when Greg's bus was due to come down the street, I was already outside waiting, absolutely breathless, with butterflies in my stomach. You know, that electric feeling you get when you're madly, passionately in love? Again, did I say I was six?

At first, he was happy to see me when he gallantly hopped off the bus and ran towards me, but then, after a week or so, he became embarrassed as most boys that age do. However, as soon as the bus rounded the corner and was out of sight, he would come bounding out of his house to play with me....or do "homework" together, for which he would invite me over to his house to do. Oh my! A study date! Did I say I was in love and that I was six? Be still, my heart!

I would gather up my mimeographed coloring exercise and my little black, bound writing book with the white speckles all over it and go to Greg's to "study". There, I would work hard (tongue out and touching the center of my upper lip) to color and stay "in the lines" and write my name...and his....perfectly in my book while copying his every move. He would put his left hand under his chin...so did I. He stretched his left arm out parallel to his book, so did I. He would pick up a section of the newspaper and "flick" it to read, so did I. Then, he would break down into laughter and take me outside to play. He was the man of my dreams! He knew me inside and out and all of my worldly needs! Did I tell you I was six and in love?

When it would start to get dark and time for dinner, he would walk me home, give me a hug and kiss my cheek, and I would go in and tell my mother all about my "date" with Greg. She would listen and laugh and tell me that I had a crush on him and it was "puppy love". Well, she said that once too many times and I got really mad! Indignantly, I told her.....

MOM! It's not a crush! It's not "puppy love"! It's a CLIFFORD, THE BIG RED DOG KINDA LOVE!!!!! And ran crying from the room!

One of my favorite dishes at the time was Chicken And Spaghetti, so my mom used to make it for me when my feelings were hurt (turns out that it was his favorite too). It reminds me of Greg and my huge Clifford, The Big Red Dog stuffed animal that sat on my bed, in the center of my pillows by day, and slept with me at night and the even more humongous crush I had on him.

Actually, Greg and I kept in touch through the years and I truly, deeply loved him...we had a special bond, this admiration and respect, that grew out of this puppy love I felt for him and his love for me, the little girl next door. Greg passed away in the early 80's this month. There are a few more stories that I want to share about him, but I'll leave them for later.

Chicken and Spaghetti


1 large fryer, cut up OR
1/2 pkg boneless breasts or tenders AND 1/2 pkg boneless thighs
1 - 2 large jars Ragu Traditional Spaghetti sauce
1/2 bellpepper, chopped
3 large stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
2 lg bay leaves
salt, pepper to taste
Spaghetti

Cut whole chicken fryer up into pieces. Brown pieces in oil on both sides. If using the tenders and thighs, just brown them, as is, in oil on both sides. Remove from pot. Add chopped vegetables to the pot and saute until wilted. Add sauce and half a jar of water, seasonings and stir. Return chicken to pot and allow to simmer until chicken is cooked thoroughly.

Remove chicken from pot and allow to cool. If using cut up pieces, remove meat from bone and tear into bite size pieces. If using boneless pieces, tear or cut into bite size pieces. Return all to pot and allow to simmer while you cook the pasta. Check seasonings and adjust if necessary. Drain pasta and serve!

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a very festive New Year celebration. We were all sick for the holidays, hence the lack of recipe postings for Christmas and New Year's. Yep, things got that bad. We stayed in our jammies, watched Christmas movies and ate my Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup (that I previously put up in the freezer) for Christmas. And for New Year's, I thawed out some of my Best Chili. Ya do what ya gotta do! Although we were sick, it was still relaxing to just lay around and not do anything. We did go out to eat later in the week, to celebrate Christmas but it's just not the same and I'm still feeling like I'm waiting for Christmas to come!

However, it's never too late to have your traditional New Year's dinner and actually that's what I did. Earlier this week, once I felt up to it, I went grocery shopping and bought a couple of pork tenderloins to cook. Since I was still feeling a bit under the weather, I bought (forgive me) cans of black eyed peas and mustard greens. I know...shame on me, but I've found some canned items that are just as good as homemade and since I still didn't have my strength back, I heated them up instead. I like Trappey's Black Eyed Peas with Smoked Bacon (primarily) or Bush's, if I can't make my own. And for greens my favorite is the Glory Seasoned brand, Mustard or Turnip Greens. All are as close to homemade as you can get in a canned product and worth it when you can't make your own.

The Stuffed Pork Tenderloin recipe is one that I have made with a larger beef tenderloin and it was fabulous! Because the pork tenderloins are smaller than beef tenderloins, I just simply "eyeballed" the size of the meat and adjusted the quantities accordingly. That's kinda how I roll with cooking, if you want to know the truth. Anyway, here's how I make it.

1 pork tenderloin
1/3 stick butter, softened
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbl green onion, chopped
salt and pepper
1 lb bacon

Using a sharp chef's knife, make a cut about 1/4 - 1/2 inch deep down the length of the tenderloin. Turn the tenderloin over a bit and keep following that lengthwise cut maintaining the depth of 1/4 - 1/2" until the tenderloin is unfurled and is a flat piece of meat about 1/4 - 1/2 inches thick. Some people make one or two deep vertical cuts but I like the "pinwheel" or "cinnamon" roll effect as it helps baste the meat from the inside once it's prepared, therefore maintaining moisture and preventing dryness and it's just as easy to do.

To the softened butter, add the minced garlic and combine well. Once the tenderloin is unfurled, season with salt and pepper on the inside only. Spread with garlic butter mixture and evenly sprinkle with chopped green onion.

Once the tenderloin has been spread with the garlic butter mixture, roll the tenderloin up and wrap it with bacon, then secure all with toothpicks being careful to secure the pork loin as well as the edges of the bacon.


Now, you can either bake it in the oven on a roasting pan or cook it outside on the grill. Inside, in the oven, bake at 350. On the grill, sear on high coals/heat, close the lid and cook until done. Use a meat thermometer to ensure doneness.

Garlic Cheese Grits

GRITS! Yep, it's a totally southern dish but GRITS also stands for Girls Raised In The South! Ha! While it's historically been a breakfast food down here in the south, over the years, we've modified the traditional grits recipe to adapt it to the lunch and dinner table.

Previously we added scrambled or fried eggs to it, or added crumbled bacon, browned ground meat or sausage to it or some people spooned sausage or red eyed gravy over it. However, Southern Grits has finally grown up and made it as a special and beloved food on dinner tables and holiday menu's here in the south. No matter where you live in the contintental United States or abroad, if you can find grits, you can enjoy this satisfying, comforting and special side dish to grace your table be it breakfast, lunch or dinner. Enjoy this wonderful cheesy garlic version!

**This is the original recipe from the early 1960's. Now with instant grits available, you can cook it according to the directions and add the cheese, garlic, butter and seasonings accordingly, to taste. I still make it the original way.

1 cup grits, uncooked
4 cups water
1 tbl salt
1 stick butter
1 lb cheddar cheese, diced, sliced or grated
3 tbl minced garlic
2 tbl worcestershire sauce

Cook grits in the salted water. When cooked, add butter, garlic, cheese and worcestershire sauce. On low heat, combine well until butter and cheese are melted. Salt and pepper according to taste. This can be served as is or placed in a casserole dish, topped with more cheese and baked at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes.

***Note: Shrimp is a favorite addition to grits, particularly Garlic Cheese Grits. I simply steam some peeled shrimp in seasoned water, drain and add to the grits. To steam peeled shimp, place shrimp in a microwavable bowl, add enough water to cover, season with Tony's, salt, garlic powder. Stir and heat in microwave until cooked, about 8 minutes. Drain and add to grits.

Cajun 12 Days of Christmas, Un and Deux

"Cajun 12 Days of Christmas - by Tee Jules"

History of Christmas in South Louisiana

Louisiana has long tradition of unique holiday celebrations
By PAM BORDELON
Advocate staff writer
Published: Dec 20, 2010

Louisiana celebrates three Christmases

That was the shocking tidbit State Archivist Florent Hardy shared with those attending the YWCA Connections luncheon earlier this month at Juban’s Restaurant. He discovered this interesting fact while researching Louisiana Christmas traditions for his presentation.

There’s the traditional December 25 Christmas celebration, then there's St. Nicholas Day on December 5th and the Trappers Christmas on February 25th.

Hardy also discovered that the first Christmas in Louisiana was celebrated in “La Nouvelle (New) Orleans” in 1718. In fact, according to http://www.thehistoryofchristmas.com, Louisiana was among the first states, all in the South, to make Christmas a legal holiday: Alabama in 1836, Louisiana in 1837 (by Gov. Edward Douglass White Sr.) and Arkansas in 1838. Louisiana first decorated its capitol in 1944, when Jimmie Davis was governor.

Christmas wasn’t declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870. Prior to then, many Northerners thought celebrating Christmas was a sin. Celebrating Thanksgiving, they thought, was more appropriate. Not so in the South, where Christmas was an important part of the social season.

In New Orleans, the original Christmas celebrations included attending midnight Mass, “La messe de minuit,” on Christmas Eve.

“At that time, Christmas was a very religious experience,” said Hardy. “After Mass was la Reveillon, a big feast that featured a menu of wild game (duck, venison and turkey), daube glacé (a jellied meat), eggs, oyster dressing, chuck roast, homemade raisin bread and cakes.”

While everyone was at Mass, Papa Noël paid a visit and filled the stockings of the children with a trinket and some fruit and sweets.

“On Christmas day, you visited la crèche — the manger scene. Gifts were exchanged on New Year’s Day,” added Hardy.

While most of Louisiana celebrated on Dec. 25, families of German descent living in Robert’s Cove in Acadia Parish celebrated St. Nicholas Day on Dec. 5. For many generations, extended families have gathered at homes in the cove to await Kris Kringle (St. Nicholas) and Black Peter to bring treats for the good children.

According to the website http://www.louisianafolklife.org, people were afraid of this impressive bearded figure in white robes with a shepherd’s staff, who was said to punish children who had not been good since last Christmas.

Around World War II, the St. Nicholas Day celebration was suspended, but has seen a revival in recent years. Today a choir accompanied by St. Nicholas, Black Peter and Santa Claus visits homes in the cove. All the children are given treats, the choir sings German Christmas carols, and sweets and beverages are served.

And then there is the Trappers’ Christmas in Barataria. Because Christmas was a very busy time of year for the fur trappers, the celebration was postponed until Feb. 25.

The jolly old elf today referred to as Santa Claus was known by several other names depending on what part of Louisiana a person called home. To those of French heritage he was Papa Noël, to those of German heritage he was Kris Kringle or St. Nicholas and to the Cajuns he was always a she called La Christianne.

“Along the River Road plantations, St. Nicholas arrived on a donkey and left goodies in the shoes of the children left out on the porch,” added Hardy.

The familiar Santa who arrives via a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer (Blitzen, Comet, Cupid, Dancer, Dasher, Donner, Prancer and Vixen) was created by best-selling author Washington Irving in 1819.

“He couldn’t figure out a way for St. Nicholas to travel around the world in one night, so he came up with this idea of him flying through the trees,” said Hardy. “Now in Louisiana, we know Santa, Papa Noël as he’s called, comes in a pirogue pulled by eight alligators (Gaston, Tiboy, Pierre, Alcee, Ninette, Suzette, Celeste and Renée) from reading the ‘Cajun Night Before Christmas.’”

Another longtime tradition in Louisiana’s River Parishes is the Christmas Eve bonfires on the levee, lighting the way for Papa Noël.

“The tradition of the bonfires began with the Marist priests at Jefferson College in Convent (what is now Manresa),” explained Hardy. “It was originally celebrated on New Year’s Eve.”

What started out as simple bonfires in the 1800s has grown into massive creations constructed by multiple generations who join together with family and friends and thousands of complete strangers for a huge celebration.

Further north in Natchitoches, Louisianans have been celebrating the Festival of Lights since 1927. Begun by the city’s superintendent of utilities, today’s celebration runs from Nov. 20 through Jan. 6 and draws more than 100,000 visitors. It features more than 300,000 Christmas lights, more than 100 displays and a parade as well as a candlelight tour of homes sponsored by the Natchitoches Historic Foundation.


Natchitoches isn’t the only city with a Christmas parade. In fact, most cities and towns celebrate the holiday with a parade including Baton Rouge, Amite, Baker, Clinton, Denham Springs, Gonzales, Hammond, St. Francisville and Walker.

“Everybody celebrates Christmas,” said Hardy, “but in Louisiana Christmas is a colorful, diverse and unique celebration.”

Cajun Night Before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas an' all t'ru de house,
Dey don't a ting pass Not even a mouse.
De chirren been nezzle good snug on de flo',
An' Mama pass de pepper t'ru de crack on de do'.

De Mama in de fireplace done roas' up de ham,
Sit up de gumbo an' make de bake yam.
Den out on de by-you dey got such a clatter,
Make soun' like old Boudreau done fall off his ladder.

I run like a rabbit to got to de do',
Trip over de dorg an' fall on de flo'.
As I look out de do'in de light o' de moon,
I t'ink, "Mahn, you crazy or got ol' too soon."

Cux dere on de by-you w'en I stretch ma'neck stiff,
Dere's eight alligator a pullin' de skiff.
An' a little fat drover wit' a long pole-ing stick,
I know r'at away got to be ole St.Nick.

Mo' fas'er an' fas'er de' gator dey came
He whistle an' holler an' call dem by name:
"Ha, Gaston! Ha, Tiboy! Ha, Pierre an' Alcee'!
Gee, Ninette! Gee, Suzette! Celeste an'Renee'!

To de top o' de porch to de top o' de wall,
Make crawl, alligator, an' be sho' you don' fall."
Like Tante Flo's cat t'ru de treetop he fly,
W'en de big ole houn' dorg come a run hisse's by.

Like dat up de porch dem ole 'gator clim!
Wit' de skiff full o' toy an' St. Nicklus behin'.
Den on top de porch roof it soun' like de hail,
W'en all dem big gator, done sot down dey tail.

Den down de chimney I yell wit' a bam,
An' St.Nicklus fall an' sit on de yam.
"Sacre!" he axclaim, "Ma pant got a hole
I done sot ma'se'f on dem red hot coal."

He got on his foots an' jump like de cat
Out to de flo' where he lan' wit' a SPLAT!
He was dress in musk-rat from his head to his foot,
An' his clothes is all dirty wit' ashes an' soot.

A sack full o' playt'ing he t'row on his back,
He look like a burglar an' dass fo' a fack.
His eyes how dey shine his dimple, how merry!
Maybe he been drink de wine from de blackberry.

His cheek was like a rose his nose a cherry,
On secon' t'ought maybe he lap up de sherry.
Wit' snow-white chin whisker an' quiverin' belly,
He shook w'en he laugh like de stromberry jelly!

But a wink in his eye an' a shook o' his head,
Make my confi-dence dat I don't got to be scared.
He don' do no talkin' gone strit to hi work,
Put a playt'ing in sock an' den turn wit' a jerk.

He put bot' his han' dere on top o' his head,
Cas' an eye on de chimney an' den he done said:
"Wit' all o' dat fire an' dem burnin' hot flame,
Me I ain' goin' back by de way dat I came."

So he run out de do' an, he clim' to de roof,
He ain' no fool, him for to make one more goof.
He jump in his skiff an' crack his big whip,
De' gator move down, An don' make one slip.

An' I hear him shout loud as a splashin' he go,
"Merry Christmas to all 'til I saw you some mo'!"

Holiday Baked Brie

This has to be one of the most versatile and popular appetizers around....Holiday Baked Brie. It's so easy and simple to make, yet so delicious that even children like it! I've even prepared it and given it as Christmas gifts to my managers and co-workers, and it was such a hit that I received requests, not only for the recipe but to gift it again the following year!

Light Brown Sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 large (13 oz, 8" round) wheel of Brie
1 stick butter
Apple and pear slices, assorted crackers

Place brie wheel in a baking dish which will also be the serving dish. I use a nice ceramic pie pan. Generously pat brown sugar on top of brie wheel so that it’s about 1/2 - 3/4 inches thick. Sprinkle pecans over the top, slightly pressing them into the brown sugar to keep them in place. Completely cover pecans and brown sugar with pats of butter all over. Bake at 400° until pecans are brown, sugar is melted and bubbly, about 15 minutes. Serve warm with apple and pear slices, and assorted crackers.

A Cajun Christmas, Heaux, Heaux, Heaux

Depending on what side of the family we are spending Christmas with or what our plans end up being otherwise, we will sometimes forego the traditional Southern Christmas and instead have a Cajun Christmas! Cajun Christmas traditions are celebrated somewhat in our household every season but some years we go all out and go full blown Cajun.

We have some wonderful Louisiana traditions that may seem crazy to the rest of you and are very different than the way you celebrate Christmas yet, they are so incredible and unique!

Instead of Santa Claus we have Papa Noel. Papa Noel lives down in the hot, humid, swampy bayou of Louisiana. He's a Cajun legend and you'll often find momma’s (Mère’s) and daddy's (Père’s) reading such books as The Legend of Papa Noel or Cajun Night before Christmas on Christmas Eve.

While Santa is pulled in his sleigh by eight reindeer, Papa Noel is pulled in a Pirogue (pro: Pea-row) by eight alligators: Gaston, Tiboy, Pierre, Alcee, Ninette, Suzette, Celeste and Renee.

On Christmas Eve we follow a tradition dating back hundreds of years....the lighting of bon fires on the levees of the Mississippi River and in the bayous to guide Papa Noel and his alligators to the swamp to deliver gifts to our children in Bayou Country.

Christmas in South Louisiana is so unique and magical with the Cajun decorations, traditions, food and Christmas Zydeco and Jazz music.

The following are a few of our traditional Cajun dishes we serve at Christmas.

Bar-B-Q Shrimp

4 lbs shrimp with shells on (heads on, if possible)
1/2 lb butter
3-4 tbl Worcestershire sauce
3 tbl pickapepper sauce
1-1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp rosemary
1 lg lemon
1 tsp tabasco
4 tsp salt
4 cloves garlic sliced

Melt butter in large casserole dish and add all ingredients except lemon. Cut lemon in half and squeeze juice, add to mixture. Bake in oven at 350 until done. Serve in large soup bowls with lots of sauce and toasted french bread for dipping.

Copeland's of New Orleans Hot Crab Claws

2 teaspoons garlic
1 teaspoon parsley, chopped
2 tablespoon scallions, chopped
2 tablespoons butter, divided
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
6 ounces fresh crab claws, crawfish tails or shrimp
3 ounces chicken stock
1 ounce Italian dressing

Place seasoning, herbs, garlic and half the butter in a preheated skillet; saute until butter is melted. Add seafood, chicken stock and Italian dressing; increase heat to high and toss until seafood is cooked through. Add remaining butter; swirl into the sauce. Do not boil. Serve immediately with buttered and toasted French Bread slices.

Cajun Cornbread Casserole

2 pkgs Pioneer Yellow Cornbread Mix or homemade cornbread
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped
1 lb of Louisiana crawfish tails, chopped
1 lb shrimp, peeled
1/2 lb chopped hot sausage
1/2 cup milk
1 can cream style corn
2 whole eggs, beaten
1 cup mild cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup parsley
Tony’s

Bake cornbread as directed per package instructions or make homemade cornbread. Crumble into a large mixing bowl. Melt the butter in a large sauce pan; add onions, celery, and bell pepper sauté mixture until the onions clear. Add crawfish tails, shrimp, sausage. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add milk and cream corn, stir until mixture is fully blended. Fold all ingredients into the bowl of crumbled cornbread, along with eggs, cheese, and parsley. Mix well, season with Tony’s to taste, transfer to a baking dish, and bake it at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Additionally, we also have dishes from previous posts such as Crawfish Stew, Creole Crawfish Etouffee, Shrimp Creole, and Spinach Madeline. And, of course, we have a smoked or fried turkey!

Santa

Ever wonder what Santa looks like in the summer months?

I do not want that man coming anywhere near me but once a year, down the chimney, in a red suit, bearing gifts then disappearing into the night, unnoticed.

Ho Ho Hell No.

***Sarcasm intended!

Sweet Potato Casserole

One cool, crisp fall day, when I was in college, I was at a friend’s in-law’s farm out in the country and we were playing around with the “toys”. At this particular time, it was 4-wheelers (quads) and we were just running around on them or racing/chasing each other with engines wide open enjoying the beauty of the day and the clean fresh air blowing in our faces and through our hair.

Nearby was a man-made lake with a high levee surrounding it and the boys started running their 4-wheelers up, down and all round the top of the levee. However, being the girl I am, I was scared to do what they were doing. So, my friend’s husband jumped on the back of my bike to “show” me how it’s done.

With his coaching, I turned away from the levee for a distance, then followed his instruction to go head-on, straight up the levee then cut right. Against my better judgment I did so. Ok, fine so far…or so I thought….NOT!!! He yelled that I needed to give it more gas, so I did….but not to his satisfaction. He put his hand over mine and pushed my thumb down on the accelerator, HARD, and gunned it. Big mistake.

Before I realized it, he had gunned that damned bike straight up the levee and straight into the air like a rocket with only the two rear wheels on the ground and it was starting to flip over backwards! Holy Sh*t!!! I yanked my hand out from under his thus moving his hand off the accelerator just in the nick of time. Together, we fell off the back of the bike and landed on our backs, me on top of him. Next thing I knew, I was flipped over with my face down in the dirt when he jumped up and went after the bike.

By the time I got myself up and to the top of the levee, the bike was submerged in the lake and my friend’s husband was slogging waist deep after the bike! *SNAP* (conjure a little sassy neck movement here) Serves his a$$ right! He yelled at me to come help him get the bike out before the engine got wet, so there I am pulling on him with him pulling on the bike. He lost his grip and there we go, on our backs, this time he was on me, in the mud and water!

His weight pressed me down into the soft mud, my head went in too, and I had to work against some serious suction to get up and out!! Not pretty! I was madder than a wet cat…I WAS A WET CAT! I evacuated myself from the bowels of hell and with the last shred of dignity that I could muster and a withering glare at anyone who dared to find amusement at my predicament, I stomped off to the main house only to be met by a cold hose bath before I could get within 10 feet of the door. Baptism by frigid water.

Anyway, it was my friend who gave me the following recipe for Christmas one year. It was wonderful and I’ve been making it ever since. The orange juice and raisins offer a unique twist to an old classic.


3 lbs sweet potatoes
3/4 cup orange juice
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup white raisins

TOPPING
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Scrub sweet potatoes, cut in half and boil until tender. Allow to cool then slip the skins off and mash well. Add orange juice, eggs, raisins, vanilla, melted butter, sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir until sweet potatoes are smooth and well blended. Spoon potatoes into buttered 2 quart baking dish.

Combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon in medium bowl. Add butter and pecans, stir well. Sprinkle pecan mixture on top of sweet potatoes. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes.

***Note: This can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to cook.

Spinach Madeline

This post originally appeared in July, 2010 but is being reposted for the holidays.

A Southern Holiday favorite for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Easter or any special occasion, this versatile dish is excellent year round. It compliments any type of entree: roast beef or steaks, turkey or cornish hens, baked ham and fish. It can also be served as a dip with melba toast as is or by adding lump crabmeat or steamed shrimp. I sometimes make it just because!

Spinach Madeline is particularly good when served at Thanksgiving or Christmas with Turkey, South Louisiana Cornbread Dressing and Giblet Gravy. This recipe is easily doubled, tripled and quadrupled depending on how many people you will be serving. It also freezes very well so it can be made ahead of time. One trick I do is multiply the recipe 6 times, divide that and freeze half for Thanksgiving and half for Christmas. It's such a hit with my family and friends that we all want leftovers to take home hence the large quantity!

2 packages chopped spinach, frozen
4 tbsps butter
2 tbsps flour
2 tbsps chopped onions
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup reserved spinach liquor
1/2 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp celery salt
3/4 tsp garlic salt
6 ounces Velveeta Mexican cheese, cubed
salt and red pepper to taste
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Italian Bread Crumbs

Cook spinach according to directions on package. Drain and reserve liquid. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add flour, stirring until blended and smooth, but not brown. Add onions and sauté 3-5 minutes or until wilted. Add evaporated milk, spinach liquor and Worcestershire sauce slowly, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Cook mixture until smooth and thick, stirring constantly. Add seasonings and cubed cheese. Stir until melted and combine with cooked spinach. This may be served immediately or put into a casserole and topped with Italian bread crumbs. The flavor is improved if the latter is done and kept in refrigerator overnight. Bake at 350.

***Note: see Tips and Information on Velveeta Mexican Cheese

Chicken Gumbo

Gumbo is an original creation and is a staple in South Louisiana cooking. The word "gumbo" comes from the Congo "quin-gombo" which means okra which is a thickening agent. While classified as a soup it really is more like a stew in taste and texture. Additionally, gumbo is served over rice, whereas, soup is not.

There are many different types of gumbo from chicken to wild game to seafood and the recipes vary somewhat. The gumbo we make most often in our house, simply for ease, economics and availability, is Chicken Gumbo. I have to admit, my favorite is Seafood gumbo but it gets really expensive to make if you don't live in South Louisiana! Here is a basic Chicken Gumbo recipe that you can start with and add other types of meat such as sausage, venison, duck or seafood. Have fun experimenting!

3 tbl Oil
3 tbl Flour
1 pkg Boneless Chicken breasts
1 pkg boneless chicken thighs
1 med onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 10 oz pkg frozen sliced okra
Tony’s, salt and pepper
Parboiled rice

In large pot, brown chicken in oil. Remove from pot when thoroughly browned on both sides. Add oil and flour and make a dark brown roux. Add onion and stir well; then add okra and blend well. Add all other vegetables except tomato and allow to cook down, cover if necessary to retain moisture. Cut up chicken into large bite size pieces. Add about 4 cups of water, tomato, and seasonings; blend well. Add chicken and stir. Cook down for about an hour adding more water if necessary. Recheck seasonings. Serve over rice.

***Note: If you will be making Giblet Gravy for the holidays, now would be the time to cook it as you need pan drippings and a little meat, not to mention that it can be frozen ahead of time. Add some extra chicken when making your gumbo then set aside some of it and all of the pan drippings from when you brown the chicken as stated above, then make your gravy while your gumbo cooks! This way, you can make the gravy ahead of time without having to do any extra work to obtain the two aforementioned ingredients.

Giblet Gravy

One Christmas, I must have been about 6 or 7, my great uncle gave me a HUGE candy cane as his present to me. Everything seems so much bigger when you are little but I swear, that thing must have been about 18 inches long and 3 inches in diameter! It was gigantic!

After Christmas dinner, one of my cousins kept teasing and tormenting me relentlessly and we started squabbling. My mother made me come inside and I was furious. My uncle took me aside and privately whispered to me that if my cousin bothered me again, I was to take that candy cane he gave me and whack my cousin with it! He wasn’t serious, but being a little kid, I took what he said seriously.

So, when my cousin started tormenting me again, I grabbed my candy cane weapon, swung it like a bat and {{{{CRACK}}}}, whacked him in the head with it! He let out a blood curdling scream. All the parents came running outside and there I was standing over him, holding my broken, shattered candy cane with a very satisfied smile on my face!

This is the Giblet gravy recipe that goes with my South Louisiana Cornbread Dressing. These are dishes that we serve at both Thanksgiving and Christmas unless we do a Cajun Christmas meal. I used to make Giblet gravy exactly the way my grandmother made it…with the actual Turkey Giblets. But after she passed away and in response to several requests, I stopped doing that and have since been using either breast or thigh meat.

Since this can be made ahead of time and frozen, I usually bake some chicken or make some Chicken Gumbo the week or two before. Then I use a little of the meat and the all of the pan drippings from it and make the gravy then, freezing it for later. Additionally, I usually double the recipe, then when it's cool, divide it in half and freeze both separately: one batch for Thanksgiving and one for Christmas!

3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 can chicken broth
Garlic powder, Onion powder, Celery salt and Tonys, to taste
1 to 1-1/2 cups Chicken breast or thigh meat, chopped fine***
Pan drippings

Over medium-low heat, combine the oil and flour in a large saucepan and make a dark roux. Slowly stir in the chicken broth, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the gravy is smooth and thickened. Add pan drippings and allow to thicken again.

Reduce heat to low, add seasonings and the giblets. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Recheck seasonings, adding more if necessary. This gravy can be made ahead of time and frozen or refrigerated until needed.

My grandmother's way of making it is as follows:

In a medium sauce pot, boil 1 stalk of celery and 1/2 a medium onion along with the turkey neck and giblets. Season water with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and garlic powder. Cook until done. Discard celery and onion. Remove neck and giblets and allow to cool. Make a dark brown roux and add the pan drippings and the seasoned broth you just made (refer to recipe above for instructions). When neck and giblets are cool, remove meat from neck bone, finely chop it and the giblets. Stir that into your gravy. Recheck seasonings and serve.

***Note: I usually bake some chicken for dinner or make a pot of Gumbo the week before, separate enough chicken and the pan drippings and make my gravy at the same time. Then I freeze the gravy and later thaw it out in the refrigerator the day before I need it.

*** When I make chicken salad, I freeze my broth and use that when I make my gravy instead of using canned broth. See Gourmet Chicken Salad recipe.

***See Tips and Information for making a roux and for Tony's.

South Louisiana Cornbread Dressing

My grandparents used to own a cemetery in Louisiana. I was six and my sister was three when late one Thanksgiving afternoon, after we had all eaten, my oldest cousin snuck away to set up a prank on all of us younger cousins, 6 of us to be exact with the 4 oldest being boys (Seven with the oldest prankster). He then came inside, got us and took us up to the only above ground mausoleum in the cemetery, telling us we just "HAD" to come and see.

Once we got close, he told us the ghosts were trying to get out and were coming to get us and kill us! He had wedged a turkey thigh bone into the crack around the perimeter of the door and poured ketchup all over it to make it look like blood! When we got really close to look, he shoved us towards the door and screamed, "THEY'RE GETTING OUT" and ran down the hill and left us all there!

We were screaming and crying and trying to run away, bumping into each other and grabbing onto each other while still trying to escape (envision The Keystone Kops). All of my cousins older than myself and my sister were able to run but we, being the youngest, were so terrified and crying, we couldn't see and we stumbled around, running and falling until we made it down the hill and back home. My sister and I were traumatized about that for years to come!

Needless to say, our "old prankster" got the stick and we got the laugh! We sought revenge later in the weekend by luring him into the basement and later into the cemetery barn and scaring the bejeezus outta him both times by making ghost sounds and bumping around! Revenge is a dish best served COLD!

At any rate, my grandmother made the best cornbread dressing and it has been our family tradition to have it with Giblet gravy since long before I was born. She passed her recipes on to me and I took over some of the holiday cooking duties in my mid 20’s. Later I introduced Spinach Madeline (see recipe in another post) and that has now become our other traditional favorite dish along with Sweet Potato Casserole.

The Cornbread:
3 tablespoons bacon drippings or butter
2 large eggs
1-1/2 cups corn meal
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1-1/4 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450°F. Put the bacon drippings/butter in a 9x13-inch baking dish and put it in the oven while it is preheating. It will melt while you're mixing up the batter.

Beat the eggs in a medium bowl until frothy. Add the corn meal, salt, baking soda and baking powder, and stir to combine. Add the buttermilk and stir well. Remove the hot dish from the oven. Swirl the dish to coat it with melted bacon drippings/butter then pour it into the batter and stir to combine. Pour the batter into the pan, and bake 20 to 25 minutes. The cornbread will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Make the cornbread a day before you intend to make your dressing. Leave it out, uncovered, overnight.

The Dressing:
1 9x13-inch pan of cornbread, crumbled
10 pieces white or whole wheat bread, heels are good (left out overnight)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 large stalks celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped (2-1/2 to 3 cups)
1 large green pepper, chopped
3/4 cup butter (1-1/2 sticks)
4 cups chicken broth, canned or homemade
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp rubbed sage

Preheat oven to 375°F. Crumble the cornbread and white bread into a very large baking dish or pan (This is the pan you will cook your dressing in, and you need room to stir it while it's cooking). Combine the vegetables with the bread crumbs and mix well. Melt the butter and add it and the beaten eggs, chicken broth and stir. (You may need a little more chicken broth – its better if it's too moist than too dry; the uncooked dressing should be a little on the slushy side.) Add poultry seasoning, rubbed sage, black pepper, and mix thoroughly.

Bake 15 minutes then stir dressing from the sides of the pan into the rest so that it cooks uniformly. Recheck the seasonings, adding more if necessary. Bake until browning on sides and top and center has set.