Super Bowl Menu – Who Dat!

Natchitoches Meat Pies, Boil Shrimp with Horseradish Cocktail Sauce, Mediterranean Pasta Salad with grilled artichokes, Bite Size Sausage Balls, Caramelized Onion Dip with crudités and potato chips, Sweet Potato Fries with Honey Mustard Dip, Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Dip with Pita Chips. Dessert: DoDo Balls and King Cake   Beverages: Almond Iced Tea and the usual super bowl spirits.

Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Dip

Have you ever eaten at Houston’s?  This is very similar to their spinach artichoke dip.  Enjoy!  Warning:  It’s addictive

• 1 jar marinated Artichokes, drained or you can use Monterey’s grilled artichokes
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, drained well
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
• 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, grated
• I usually have a big roll of mozzarella cheese on hand and I just slice it and put it on top of this dip before I put it in the oven.
• 1/3 cup half and half or heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• salt and pepper to taste – can add a little pinch of red pepper too.
• dash of Cavender’s seasoning
• dash of nutmeg

Some people use a food processor to mix these ingredients, but I don’t like the texture.  I prefer to hand chop and hand grate my ingredients.   Pour into a shallow baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.  Dip is ready when the cheese is bubbly.  Eat with tortilla chips or pita chips.  Have a bowl of salsa and sour cream on the side.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

This salad is a favorite year-round at our home.  It’s so simple and easy to make.  No, I don’t use bottled Italian salad dressing.  You can add garlic to this salad, but remember, garlic gets stronger each day so go easy.  In the summer I add fresh herbs like dill, basil, and oregano.

• 1 lb package of pasta – you choose what color and shape you want.  Be creative!
• 1 package Monterey grilled artichoke hearts (any artichoke hearts will do, but if you can find these at your Whole Foods store by all means get them – they are outstanding!)
• 1 package fresh grape tomatoes
• 1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted (I love these olives!)
• 1/2 jar Roasted Red and Yellow Peppers, rough chopped
• 1 pound of good feta cheese, cubed
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 package of pine nuts, toasted (be careful, they toast quickly)
• Kosher salt
• 1/cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

 

For the dressing:  Wisk the following ingredients together to infuse.  Pour over salad ingredients and toss.

• 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar (any flavor will do)
• 12 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 clove garlic – smashed (optional)

Bite Size Sausage Balls

This is an oldie but a goodie and perfect for parties.  I use really good cheese and grate the cheese myself – I think it makes a big difference.

• 10 ounce block of sharp cheddar cheese (Pre-grated cheese is much drier,  so I grate my cheese.)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 3 cups Pioneer Buttermilk Baking Mix
• 1 pound Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon parsley
• 1/4 cup milk

Mix all ingredients well.  Form dough into bite sized balls.  Another trick to making moist sausage balls, don’t pack them tightly – roll them loosely.  If you want the sausage balls consistent in size, use a melon ball scoop.  Place on an ungreased cooked sheet about 1 inch apart.  Bake at 375 - depending on the size 10 – 20 minutes or until golden brown.  These freeze well too.

Natchitoches Meat Pies

Natchitoches is the oldest city in the Louisiana Purchase and it was established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis, one of my descendants.  (My Dad’s mother was a Rambin.)  

I prefer my Natchitoches Meat Pies fried and I use a small saucer as my template for the dough.  These pies freeze well.   

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb ground pork
• 1 large onion chopped finely
• 1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped, optional
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Red Pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• 2 heaping tablespoons of flour
• 1/2 cup Parsley, chopped
• 3 pie crusts
• 1 egg and 1/4 cup cold water for egg wash

Saute meant until done, drain fat if there is a lot about half way through the cooking process, add onions and bell peppers and garlic.  Saute about 5 minutes until all vegetables are soft. Add seasonings and flour.  Remember that this meat mixture is going into dough so you want it to have a good bit of flavor.  Take off the fire, add 1/2 cup chopped parsley and let mixture cool.  This is so easy to make.  The meat mixture can be made several days ahead of time.  

 

Roll pie dough and cut into circles using a saucer as a template.  I make my dough from scratch, but you can buy dough already rolled out and ready to bake.  If you use this type of dough (ready-made), be sure to roll it out and add a little flour on top as you roll it out - to make it a little tougher.  Most people use the ready-made dough.

Spoon a generous portion (about 1/4 cup) of the cooked meat mixture into the pie crust circles.  Brush a little egg-wash around the edge of the shell, fold over and press the edges with a fork.  I prefer to fry my meat pies, but if you choose to bake, cut small slits in dough to vent the steam.  Brush each pie with egg wash for a golden brown color.  Bake 30 minutes at 400 degrees.    

•  2 -1/2 cups all-purpose flour  
•  2 teaspoons salt 
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
•  1/2 cup ice water 

•  Buttermilk Dip:  1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sour cream, 1-1/2 teaspoons celery salt, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, salt, Tabasco, 1 green onion finely chopped.  In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, buttermilk, sour cream, celery salt, and lemon juice.  Season with salt and hot sauce.  Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the scallion.   

  Mustard Horseradish Sauce: 1- 1/2 cups good mayonnaise, 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 1 -1/2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard, 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish, 1/3 cup sour cream, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt.  Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustards, horseradish, sour cream, and salt in a small bowl.  

   

If you want to make your own dough:  In a food processor, combine the flour and salt. With the machine on, add the oil and process until the flour is moistened. Sprinkle on the ice water and pulse 5 or 6 times, just until the dough is moistened. Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead just until smooth. Form the dough into 2 disks, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Monday Red Beans and Rice

Who doesn’t love Red Beans and Rice?  There is a tradition in Louisiana which involves serving red beans and rice on Mondays. This tradition is deeply ingrained in both the Cajun and Creole cultures.  Families used to cook all weekend long for the Sunday meal and Mondays were laundry day, so putting on a pot of beans was easy and delicious.  (Families were much larger back then too.)  I must confess, I don’t regularly cook beans on Mondays, but Monday is my laundry day. . . some traditions never go away.

• 1 lb. Camellia Red Kidney Beans
• 1 lb. Andouille sausage
• 8-10 cups water
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 2-tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• cayenne pepper to taste, optional
• Salt and Pepper to taste – taste before adding salt
• Freshly cooked hot fluffy rice, cooked separately

Pre-Soak Beans.  This makes the beans creamy.

• Boil beans in water for 3 minutes in a heavy pot.
• Cover and set aside for 2 hours.
• Drain and discard the water.

Rinse and sort beans.  Cover with fresh water, start to cook over low heat in a covered pot.  In an iron skillet, cook your sliced Andouille sausage and add to the beans.  In the drippings, sauté onion, garlic, celery, and parsley.  Add this along with the Bay leaf to the beans.  Cook for 1 -1/2 to 1-3/4 hours.  Add water if necessary while cooking.  You want the beans to stay covered.  Serve over hot rice and with New Orléans Cornbread (recipe on this site).

Breakfast Casserole of Champions

This is a great breakfast or brunch dish to make for up to 15 people.  You can cut this recipe in half – just adjust your cooking time.  Prepare it the night before and just pop it into the oven the next morning.  So easy!  I like to make it with my left over homemade biscuits.  If you don’t have homemade biscuits – you can use a can of biscuits.  Just leave the biscuits out so they can get stale/dry.  If you want to spice this dish up you can substitute the bacon for spicy sausage and add green chilies, a few chopped tomatoes, and maybe some red pepper flakes.  The options are limitless!

• 10-15 Biscuits – stale/dry
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped
• 1 lb. bacon cooked crisp and chopped (I prefer Applewood smoked bacon.)
• 12 – 18 eggs
• 1 cup milk (I like to use 1/2 and 1/2 or evaporated milk.)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• a touch nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2-1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Cook the biscuits the day before and allow to go stale. Cut each biscuit into quarters.  Cook the bacon until crispy.  Drain the bacon fat, but leave a little in the pan to sauté your onions and peppers.  Beat eggs together with milk and seasonings. Add the quartered biscuits, 2 cups of cheese, the bacon and vegetables and mix thoroughly.

Spray a 9×13″ pan with cooking spray and add contents. Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese. Cover, and refrigerate overnight or for at least 8 hours. 

Cover with foil (sprayed with non-stick spray on the food side) and cook in a 375° oven for 40 minutes. Remove foil and cook for 20 more minutes or until firm and cooked through.

Let the dish rest for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

• I made this soup for lunch today and paired it with a smoke ham sandwich.  So easy to make and delicious on a cold day.

 

• 1 can chicken broth
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/4 cup butter
• touch of salt
• pepper
• 2 cups milk (I used 2%.)
• 1-1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup swiss cheese
• 2-1/2 to 3 cups steamed broccoli florets, drained well

In a covered sauce pan simmer the chicken broth and chopped onion for about 15 minutes.  Heat the 2 cups milk for 1 – 2 minutes in the microwave.  In a separate pot, make a blonde roux with the butter and flour, add pepper; whisk in the warmed milk.  Stir and heat together on medium-high heat until mixture starts to thicken. 

Next add chicken broth and onions to the milk mixture, blend well.  Add cheeses and chopped steamed broccoli.  If you think the soup is too thick at this point, you can add extra chicken or vegetable broth.

Top 10 viewed Recipes for 2009

This has been a great year of recipes on Hugs from Home.  I hope you’ve enjoyed them as much as I have.  We received almost 4,000 views in the 6 months since we started blogging.  When you try a recipe and leave a comment on the website, it gives me so much pleasure!  Thank you all for your comments.  2009 favorite recipes are:  

Sweet Potato Pie – Homemade is best!

Sweet potatoes are so good this time of year and they are an excellent source of vitamins A and C.  My son Brady loves this pie. 

1-1/2 cup sweet potato, cooked until tender, (about 2 large or 3 medium)

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1 cup milk (I like to use evaporated milk for this recipe.)

1 tablespoons butter

Beat sweet potatoes and butter, add remaining ingredients. Pour into an unbaked pie crust.  Bake at 360 for 40-45 minutes.  When serving, add a spoon full of whipped cream – yummy!