Crawfish Delight – A new dish we tried for the holiday and it was a hit!

Every year at Christmas and Thanksgiving, we add one new dish to the menu, and the family voted that this one is a winner! 

• 1 – 8 ounce Cream cheese
• 1 stick butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 lb. Crawfish tails (I used 1 lb. crawfish and 1 lb. shrimp.  Chicken would also be delicious.)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large bell pepper, chopped
• garlic to taste
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup (If you are not a fan of canned soups, see substitution below.)
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups grated cheese (you choose what kind you want – I used cheddar.)
• 1 can fried onion rings
• 1 – 8 ounce jar mushrooms

Melt the stick of butter and cream cheese together.  In another skillet saute onion, bell pepper, mushrooms and garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Add crawfish, shrimp, or chicken.  Now add the mushroom soup and cooked rice.  Stir in red and black pepper.  Add the cream cheese and butter to the crawfish mixture.  Stir and check seasonings.  Put in a casserole dish and top with grated cheese and fried onion rings.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until bubbly.  Serves 8 – 10.

If you are not a fan of canned soups, you can use the recipe below as a substitute.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 1/2 cup onion, thinly sliced; 8 ounces white mushrooms, rinsed and sliced; 1 – 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/8 teaspoon black pepper; 1/2 cup chicken broth; 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped; 1/2 cup sour cream.  Directions:  Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.  Add onion, mushrooms, salt, garlic, and pepper and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes.  Add the chicken broth and thyme and cook until almost all the liquid is evaporated, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sour cream, and toss to combine.

Louisiana Bread Pudding

This recipe is simple, but so delicious.

2 cups whole milk, scalded
1/2 stick butter
1/2 sugar
4 cups cubed, day old french bread
1/2 cup raisins, optional
2 eggs, beaten
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Brandy Sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in the milk, which has been scalded. Pour the mixture over the bread and raisins. Let this stand about 15 minutes. Add the eggs, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla. Bake in a well greased pan for 35 – 40 minutes. Serve the pudding hot with Brandy Sauce or you can make a simple vanilla sauce to pour over the pudding.

Brandy Sauce
Cream the butter and sugar together and gradually add the brandy.
1 stick butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup Brandy

Louisiana Pecan Pie

While I was in Louisiana for Thanksgiving this year, I was given the most wonderful gift – a huge bag of picked Louisiana pecans!  Needless to say, I believe the Louisiana pecan is the most tasty of all pecans. 

1 cup light Karo Corn Syrup

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups pecans

Mix all ingredients together and pour into an unbaked pie crust.  This pie is so simple to make.  Bake 350 degrees for 55 minutes.  Enjoy!

Cold Oven Pound Cake

This recipe is over 100 years old.  Mamaw McGee share this recipe with me when I was in elementary school.  It’s the perfect hug from home.  Secret to this recipe – DO NOT PREHEAT YOUR OVEN.

1 cup oil

3 cups sugar

3 cups flour

1 cup buttermilk

6 eggs – add one at a time

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon extract – I put more like a tablespoon – yum!

Mix your dry ingredients together, add oil and buttermilk.  Then add eggs, one at a time.  Last add your extracts.  This recipe makes a thin batter and should not be overmixed.  I only mix by hand.  Pour into a cold, greased and floured bundt pan.  Cook 300 degrees for 1 and 1/2 hours.  Cool in pan for exactly 10 minutes.  The delicious crunchy top is my favorite part!

Cornbread Dressing – Grandmother’s Special Recipe

Every family has their own version of cornbread dressing and it’s usually the grandmother who makes the best.  I was very fortunate to have a wonderful mother-in-law who took the time to pass her secrets to me.  I hope you enjoy this recipe.  Cornbread dressing is so delicious and much easier to make than you would think.  This is how I make cornbread dressing.

How long you cook your dressing depends on how wet you like your dressing.  In our family we roast a fresh hen and add it to the dressing – not a turkey.

Saute 2 bunches green onions, 1 large yellow onion, celery as much as you like (at least 6 stalks), in 1 stick of butter.
Make 2 pans of cornbread – don’t add sugar to your cornbread recipe.

In a very large baking pan, crumble your cornbread, 4 pieces of toasted bread and 1/2 sleeve of Saltine crackers (crushed), add sautéed vegetables, add 6 raw eggs (to make it rise), 1 to 2 tablespoons poultry seasoning (careful, too much can make your dressing bitter), salt and pepper (remember, your broth and cornbread have salt and pepper in them so do this last after you taste). Then I add the meat from my hen to the bread mixture. Everything is in one pan – no bones!

Add enough hen/turkey broth to make it thick soupy (like baby food consistency)-approximately 3 – 4 cups. Use your broth from your roasted hen/turkey first, then canned/box or homemade broth. Bake – 350 – 400 degrees until brown around the edges and firm, but not dry. 30+ minutes.  Sometimes, if my hen isn’t very fat, I melt another stick of butter and pour into the dressing.

Note:  If you get your dressing too soupy, no big deal, you’ll just cook it longer.

Zelda’s Chili – Great for Coney Islands and Frito Pie!

Thank you Zelda for sharing this recipe – I love this Chili! 

Combine all seasonings in a bowl.

• 6 tablespoons chili powder
• 4 tablespoons corn meal
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper

In a large pot, brown and drain:

1 lb. hamburger meat

1 lb. Jimmy Dean HOT Sausage

Once meat is browned and drained, add spices and cook about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add:

1 – 8 ounce can tomato sauce

1 – 15 ounce can diced tomatoes

2 cans Refried beans

4 cans hot water.

Simmer slowly on very low heat for 1 hour.  Delicious!  You can add grated cheddar cheese and chopped green onion or a dollop of sour cream to your hot bowl of chili.  This would also be yummy on Coney Island Hot Dogs, a Bryan family favorite.  This dish freezes well.