Trump Card Casserole

My Mom is a school teacher.  And for me as a person who works year round and has little patience for stranger's children, by far the most appealing part of that profession in my opinion is the summers off ;-)  Oddly enough, that is the thorn in my Mother's side.  Although she always welcomes the break from the school year come late May, she is normally going stir crazy two weeks in to her summer break.  She doesn't sit well and after the first few weeks of furiously working her way through stacks of novels as tall as she is, she is normally ready to pull her hair out.  So she basically plays tourist in her own city for the rest of the summer months.  She and one of her other teacher friends attend every NOMA art exhibit, take every French Quarter tour and dine at several local restuarants to keep busy during the days.

On one of her French Quarter excursions she picked up a very "souvenirish" gift for me, but something so neat that I was ecstatic to be the recipient.  It was a deck of playing cards called "Deck 'o Meals, 52 Creole recipes".  The deck of cards had more to offer than just 52 classic creole recipes, the recipes had to fit on one side of a standard playing card so they were all very easy recipes with few ingredients.  I quickly thumbed through them and decided I would be making several of them very soon.  The first one I chose was this zucchini casserole.  I wanted to add it as a side for a weeknight meal, but this was so good that I immediately deemed it Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner worthy.  I made a few changes in the preparation of the recipe, but stuck with the original ingredient list and it was AMAZING!


Zucchini Casserole
Loosely adapted from Creole "Deck 'o Meals" Playing Cards

Ingredients:

• 2 slices of bacon, cut up
• 8 oz white button mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 cup diced yellow onions
• dash of garlic salt
• 3 medium zucchini, grated
• 1 1/2 cup cracker crumbs (Saltines)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2/3 cup Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt

Preparation:

1.  Partly cook bacon slices.  Remove from pan and place aside in large mixing bowl.



 Drain all but 1 Tbs of bacon grease from pan.  Cook the onions and mushrooms in the remaining bacon grease.



2.  Add cooked mushrooms and onions to the bacon.  Combine the remaining ingredients.



Adding cracker crumbs and eggs last.



3.  Bake in a 2 quart casserole dish, un-covered for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.



Click Here for My Printable Recipe

Fried Favorites

Cakes, Cookies and Chocolate are not my thing.  I taste them if they are offered and sometimes indulge in full servings if I am in the mood, but I don't seek them out.  I don't get sweet cravings.  I don't have to keep pieces of chocolate around to satisfy frequent sugar fixes.  Don't be too impressed, don't assume I have an iron will, and don't think for one second that I don't have "bad for you" cravings.  I do!  They are just of the saltier, crunchier variety.  When I am eating healthy and want to divert from that course/cheat, I always want fried food.  That is my ultimate weakness!

Because of this I am always excited when recipes like these appear in my favorite publication, Cooking Light.  It gives me a way to indulge without complete guilt - and I love it!  This recipe was very delicious.  I wasn't as excited about the mayo based dipping sauce (another thing I am not a big fan of is mayo) as my husband, but it was very good and the perfect compliment to the crunchy shrimp.

Pan-Fried Shrimp with Creole Mayo
Adapted from Cooking Light July 2011

 

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons Creole seasoning (such as Emeril's Essence), divided
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup fat-free milk
• 3/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

 

Preparation

1. Combine flour, 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning, and salt in a shallow dish.



Pour milk into a shallow dish. Place breadcrumbs in a shallow dish. Dredge shrimp in flour mixture; dip in milk. Dredge shrimp in breadcrumbs;



shake off excess breading.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add half of shrimp;



cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and shrimp.




3. Combine mayonnaise, remaining Creole seasoning, Worcestershire, and hot sauce in a small bowl;



 stir with a whisk.



 Serve Creole mayonnaise with shrimp.



Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

Oh My Oysters!

I am a big fan of oysters, despite this incident. I love them raw, fried, in soups, atop pastas and most of all I love them charbroiled. Unless you are from New Orleans or a frequent visitor to the city you probably have never had them prepared this way. As far as I am concerned, this recipe could convince even the pickiest of eaters to indulge in these meaty molluscs.

This isn't a recipe you typically make at home. Charbroiled oysters are popping up on restaurant menus around the city and although most are good, none can compare to the original recipe from Drago's Seafood Restaurant in Fat's City. Drago's created the dish and as it often goes, no one can top the original. And I wasn't trying to do that with this recipe. We made them as an event. Drago's has their charbroiled oyster "recipe" posted on the internet and we have made them at home before on a few special occasions. This recipe is so much more than just a recipe for a dish to be served to your guests. This recipe takes involvement. Mixing together the sauce is easy and mindless, but someone has to shuck the oysters before they are ready for the grill and that is where the fun comes in. Everyone has to help before they can enjoy this dish. It involves special knives, special gloves, and a technique (cold beers help too!) People need to shuck, people need to grill and it all needs to be done in assembly line fashion in order to get this delicious dish on the table for enjoyment.

Drago’s Charbroiled Oysters Recipe
Drago's Seafood Restaurant

The Sauce:

4 Stick Unsalted Butter, very soft
1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
4 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
4 Tbsp Minced Garlic
16 Tbsp Pecorino Romano
1/4 tsp Cayenne
1/4 tsp White Pepper
1/2 of a squeezed Lemon Juice
4 tsp Minced Italian Parsley

For the Oysters:

4 Dozen Large freshly shucked Oysters on the half shell (preferably Louisiana)
1 Recipe of the Sauce, above
Pecorino Romano to finish
Minced Italian Parsley for garnish
Fresh Bread
Lemon wedges

Mix together all of the ingredients for the sauce,

set aside.

Heat a charcoal or gas grill until very, very hot. Place the oysters on the hottest spot on the grill and let them cook in their own juices for a few minutes, just until they start to bubble and the edges curl.

Top each with a generous portion of the sauce, enough to fill up the shell.

When the sauce starts to bubble and sizzle sprinkle each oyster with about a Tbsp of Pecorino Romano. Let the Oysters go until the sauce on the edges of the shells gets nice and brown. Garnish with minced Parsley.

Serve while still sizzling with Lemon wedges and fresh bread for dipping in the sauce.

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

Sinful Sauce Showdown

This recipe is incredibly rich and sinfully delicious. It is the type of dish where you use the self-checkout at the supermarket when buying the ingredients in order to avoid the disdainful judging eyes of the cashier. It is a meal that you hope your guest don't come early while you are cooking it for fear they will see the copious amounts of bad for you components you are adding into the pan. But instead of feeling guilty for embarking on this full fat, creamy adventure I decided to go the opposite route. Knowing I don't cook like this often, I wanted to take full advantage. So what did I do? I doubled the queso sauce recipe below and decided I would serve it later in the week with pasta for Round 2 of this deliciousness.

Obviously needing to space out the number of days we indulged in this recipe, I stored my second batch of sauce in a sealed container and put it in the fridge until later in the week. I made the enchiladas on Friday and on Tuesday after work I started filling a pasta pot with water in order to boil some penne to serve with my much anticipated crawfish cream sauce. Right around the time my water started to boil Forrest sauntered into the kitchen and asked what was for dinner. I told him that we would be having the cream sauce that I made over the weekend on top of pasta. With an amazingly calm expression, he commented that we didn't have any of that left over. I explained that I wasn't talking about the few enchiladas that remained after our dinner party on Friday night, but about the very large container of sauce I placed all the way in the back of the fridge separated from everything else. Once again, Forrest mentioned that we didn't have that any longer. Certain that he was still confused, I (not so calmly) asked what had happened to it. He told me that he ate it. For some reason I couldn't believe what he was telling me. When did he heat up the sauce, cook pasta and have 6 people over to help him consume the 3 cups of creamy deliciousness laced with cheese and a full $16/lb of crawfish? This is when he revealed the true shocker. He ate it throughout the week - for a snack! with potato chips! I was livid. I couldn't believe it! I ranted and raved about how he turned a roughly $30 dish into a snack, we now had nothing for dinner, and I was looking forward to eating it again and wouldn't have the chance. Instead of apologizing, offering to go out and get us dinner to make up for it, or claiming ignorance, he looked at me and remarked, "It was so good too!"

Crawfish Enchiladas
Adapted from Paul Prudhomme

Ingredients

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup finely chopped onions

1 cup canned green chiles, chopped

3/4 cup finely chopped green bell peppers

2 3/4 teaspoons of salt
2 3/4 teaspoons of white pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground red pepper (cayenne)
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

3 cups heavy cream

1 cup dairy sour cream

8 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese or other white (preferably non-processed) cheese (2 pounds)

2 pounds peeled crawfish tails

2/3 cup very finely chopped green onions

1/2 cup cooking oil

20 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Directions

In a large skillet melt ½ stick of the butter. Add the onions, green chiles, bell peppers, 1 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 3/4 teaspoon of white pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of oregano and the minced garlic. Sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often.

Stir in the cream and bring mixture to a rapid boil;

then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the sour cream;

with a metal whisk, beat continuously until the sour cream is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Add 3 cups of the cheese

and stir until melted. Set the sauce aside.

In a 4-quart saucepan melt the remaining ½ stick butter. Add the crawfish, green onions and the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of white pepper, 1 teaspoon of red pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of oregano.

Sauté over medium heat for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cheese sauce to the crawfish mixture

and stir well. Simmer until the flavors are well blended, about 6 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

In a small skillet heat the oil to 325º. Holding the tortilla with metal tongs, dip each into the hot oil just long enough to soften, about 1 second on each side; drain on paper towels.

Spoon about ⅓ cup sauce on each tortilla

and roll up tortilla; place seam side down in a baking dish.
Cover the tortilla from end to end with a generous amount of additional sauce. Then sprinkle it with the remaining cheese.

For the prettiest presentation, place the enchiladas under a broiler near the flame until the cheese melts and begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Or, bake the enchiladas in a 350º oven until cheese melts, about 5 to 8 minutes. Serve immediately.

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

Ne Ne Nursery

I made this Bananas Foster Bread as a thank you for my wonderful Mom for helping get our soon-to-be son's nursery ready. I have expressed this sentiment before on this blog, but it is worth mentioning again - my Mom is a superwoman. She can do anything, will attempt any job and is more than willing to help in any endeavor. I found a picture on the Internet of a baby nursery I wanted to use as my inspiration, but didn't have the slightest idea of where to start or how to accomplish all of the unique touches I had fallen in love with. I showed my mom the picture, asked her if she would help and if she had any ideas of how to start - of course she did.

The first step was achieving the tree mural that would take up most of the 10 foot wall behind the crib. I told her I found a stick and peel wall decal on the Internet, but she said we could do it ourselves. She started with a free hand drawing of the tree in question, transferred it to a transparency, projected it onto the wall and made a life size stencil. Then I cut it out - that was the extent of my contribution. She then spent a few hours of one of her days off painting the tree using the stencil she had made. And that was just the start of it.

Next up was the fact that I didn't want off the shelf curtains or a bed skirt, so she spent another entire Saturday sewing and hanging curtains, figuring out how to make a crib skirt and whipping that out like a professional. I told you she was amazing! On another Saturday I showed up at her house with some new fabric I wanted to add to the room. As she saw me walk up the stairs to her front door she immediately guessed I had another project in mind for her. That particular day she worked her way through sewing throw pillows and recovering an existing lamp shade in said fabric. The shade and one of the pillows can be seen below, and I told you she could take on any project in spite of lack of experience.

Her last and final project occurred this past Saturday when she spent the day helping me hang these giant flash cards behind the changing table. I wanted them there, I purchased them and the ribbon and then I didn't have a shred of confidence that I could get them hung neatly. Of course she had some really genius idea of how we could do it and she whipped it out in no time at all while we baby sat two of her grandsons.


Some of the other personal touches in the nursery that I love so much are the baby outfits we hung on the wall. No my Mom didn't make these, but they were worn by my two oldest nephews when they were infants. Since my nephews are only six years old now these could hardly be considered heirlooms, but being that they were both New Orleans babies born before Katrina it is miracle that we still have anything from their early life. Since the hurricane hit before they were both one, I spent different portions of the rebuilding process living with each one of them at different times and because of it I have a very special relationship with them and can remember watching them grow each day into little boys. I love having something from each of them in my son's nursery. He will be lucky to have such great older cousins as role models throughout his life.

There is one item though that could be considered an heirloom that made it into the nursery. The white toddler rocking chair below belonged to my husband and was given to him by his Aunt when he was a baby. It used to be brown with a heavily used cotton cover on it that needed some attention. Way before we moved in our house and started this nursery, Forrest began to restore the chair and repaint it a color that would match our decor. He spent several of his Saturdays in his parents garage prepping his chair to pass on this his first born. It is very special to have something of his in the nursery and it has proven to be a very popular piece with my younger nieces and nephews when they have come to visit. Therefore, I have no doubt our son will appreciate it as well.
My mom also crosstiched the alphabet blanket hanging over the crib. She was such a big part of this nursery and she made it all possible. I couldn't have gotten even a quarter of it done without her help. Making this extremely easy bread doesn't even scratch the surface of thank you's that I owe her, but it was a sweet start. I told her recently in a thank you note that if I am half the mom to my son as she has been to me he will be one lucky boy! Here is to my extremely creative, willing and selfless Mom!

Nursery Inspired by Holly Mathis Interiors

Bananas Foster Bread
Adapted from Cooking Light October 2010

Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
• 1 cup packed brown sugar, divided
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted and divided
• 1/4 cup dark rum, divided
• 1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
• 2 large eggs
• 6.75 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Cooking spray
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine banana, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 5 tablespoons butter, and 3 tablespoons rum in a nonstick skillet.

Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to bubble.

Remove from heat; cool. Place yogurt, remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, and eggs in a large bowl

and mix until combined. Add the cooled banana mixture and beat with a mixer at medium speed.

3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through cinnamon) in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; place on wire rack.

4. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter, remaining 1 tablespoon rum, and powdered sugar; stir until well blended. Drizzle over the warm bread.

5. Slice and Serve.

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

Emeril with Ease

This is one of the easiest Emeril recipes I have ever made. His recipes are normally accompanied by mile long ingredient lists and several detailed steps. Don't get me wrong, it is always worth it - I find his recipes to be reliably delicious every time. But it was refreshing to find one that was such a cinch. Give this a try next time you have crawfish on hand - you won't be disappointed!

Crawfish Smothered Grits
Adapted from Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

• 1 pound peeled crawfish tails
• Salt
• Cayenne
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 2 cups beef stock
• 3 cups half and half
• 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking white grits
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions

In a mixing bowl, toss the crawfish tails with salt and cayenne. In a 3-quart saucepan, over medium heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions. Season the onions with salt and cayenne. Saute for 2 minutes, or until the onions are soft.

Add the crawfish and garlic.

Continue to cook for 2 minutes. Add the stock and half and half to the pan. Season generously with salt and cayenne. Bring the liquid to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the grits and stir constantly until they are very tender, about 10 minutes.

Add the cheese and stir to mix and melt it.

Serve warm.

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

Born-Again Bread

In some places they use it for croutons, panzanella or fresh bread crumbs. But in New Orleans when you find yourself with a loaf of stale French bread you only make one thing - bread pudding. And since I am officially a New Orleans resident again, that is exactly what I did when we found ourselves with two rock hard baguettes.

I was happy to find a somewhat slim-downed version of the New Orleans staple and was eager to commence my first attempt at this classic custard creation. I was pleased at how easily the recipe came together and even more delighted with the reaction to the dish. It was thoroughly enjoyed by all and is the perfect solution for an otherwise unfortunate outcome of hardened bread.

New Orleans Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
Adapted from Cooking Light November 2002

Ingredients

• Pudding:
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 1 1/4 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Dash of salt
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed stale French bread (about 8 ounces)
• Cooking spray
• 
  Sauce:
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup light-colored corn syrup
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup bourbon

Preparation

To prepare pudding, combine raisins and 2 tablespoons bourbon in a bowl.

Let stand 30 minutes.

Drain mixture in a sieve over a large bowl.

Combine reserved liquid, milk, and next 6 ingredients (milk through eggs) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk.

Add to bread, tossing gently to coat.

Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with raisins, pressing gently into bread mixture.

Cover with foil; chill 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place dish in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan; add hot water to pan to a depth of 1 inch. Bake, covered, at 350° for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

To prepare sauce, combine 1/2 cup sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Bring to a simmer; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in 1/4 cup bourbon.

Serve each bread pudding serving warm with about 1 tablespoon sauce.

My Adapted Printable Recipe