Banana Pudding Pie + The Latest on the Spill

Here's a heavenly, Southern dessert that will have you going back for more! Luscious whipped cream, paired up with banana pudding and a vanilla wafer crust. It doesn't get any better than this, cher! This fabulous pie takes me back to Sunday afternoons, at my dear Nanny Bea's house. This was one of her specialties. So easy and perfect for those hot summer days. Oh, cest bon, cher! Guaranteed to please!

Banana Pudding Pie
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Crust
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1 1/2 cups vanilla wafers, crushed
1 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar

Combine all ingredients and press into bottom and sides of a greased 9 inch pie pan. Bake @ 350 degrees, for 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Filling
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4 eggs
2 large cans Pet milk
1 cup sugar
Cinnamon for sprinkling
2 medium bananas, sliced

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Heat milk in medium saucepan and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat. Pour the eggs into the milk and return to low heat and add sugar. Continue cooking on low, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and pour into prepared crust. Cover and chill for two hours.

Sprinkle with cinnamon and top with sliced bananas, and whipped cream. (recipe below)

Whipped Cream
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1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Place the whipping cream and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Stir in the powdered sugar and mix on low, with an electric hand mixer until peaks form. ( about 3 to 4 minutes) Cover top of pie with whipped cream and enjoy! Bon appetit, cher!

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The Latest

Hurricane season is here! Although we are no strangers to hurricanes, it is still a major concern for us, each time a storm enters the gulf. You learn, by the time that you're 3 years old, here in Cajun country, to have a healthy respect for hurricanes. I packed my hurricane kit on June 1st and sit prepared for the possibility of a major hurricane coming our way. And although it looks like we may dodge the bullet on Alex, we take nothing for granted, and know how fickle these giant storms can be. In the days before Hurricane Rita, they kept saying that the storm was going to Texas, that it was going to Texas. Over and over, they kept saying this.

But it changed course at the last minute, giving our coastal residents only 24 hours to evacuate. My dear friend Cleo had just moved from Abbeville to Cameron and was living out her dream, as a stained glass artist on the beachfront, at Holly Beach. Hurricane Rita destroyed her home completely and everything was washed away and she could not even tell where her property was, after the storm. Also, countless other people I know, lost everything, too, and some of these folks flooded again, despite having rebuilt their homes in compliance with new hurricane regulations, with Hurricane Ike, and lost everything again! And now this! It is all so mind boggling!

I shudder to think about what will happen, if we do get a big one, this year, considering the oil spill clean-up and continual gushing of raw crude, now at the rate of 1.5 million gallons a day, and that is a conservative estimate! Here is the latest from NBC news.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Wishing ya'll a wonderful, happy week! Merci beaucoup for stopping by!

A Cajun Blast on the Swamp ( Part II )

After hanging out at Basin Landing for a while, we headed over to Whiskey River Landing, where the Sunday afternoon dance was just getting under way. The dances are held every Sunday afternoon, from 4 to 8 pm, with one 15 minute, band break, around 6 pm. We parked in front of "The Obsession", a houseboat that belongs to a friend of mine. It is perfection and the place of many parties and good times. (click to enlarge photos)


 
The crowd was feisty and starting to kick up it's heels. Most people were on their first beer, and the dancing usually gets more intense, according to how many beers the crowd has had! Toward the end, it usually is so crowded, that patrons take to dancing on the bar, a tradition at Whiskey River, and a sort of initiation, for newcomers. An absolute blast, cher! Let the good times roll!


This band really knows how to rev-up a crowd and with each beer, the dancing got faster and faster! I have found that after two beers, it's best to switch to water, if you're there for the long haul. It really helps to maintain your stamina! But there are others that feel that the beer is what keeps them going! I burned off the calories from my Shrimp Poboy, in just two songs!


Here's a little clip that I took of the dancers, right before half-time. They were really starting to cut the rug! The band was in fast forward mode and were boogie-ing down, cher! Also, this band is very loud, so the audio sounds a little warped at times, but you can get the idea. It's that push and pull action that keeps you in shape, not to mention the fancy footwork. Very aerobic!



I ran into an old friend, on the porch, who told me that there was a big shindig going on, right up the road on the levee, at Pat's Atchafalaya Club and Restaurant. It was a fundraiser for a cancer patient from New Orleans, with FIVE bands playing! We couldn't resist checking it out. The place was packed to the gills and the restaurant was serving up the usual seafood delicacies. Cest bon!

Pat's Atchafalaya Club has one of the biggest dancefloors in Louisiana and it was jammed with fans of the five fabulous bands. Shoulder to shoulder and very dark, too. Kinda gave new meaning to the Cajun expression, "two square feet of dancefloor" and you were lucky if you got that! The legendary Percy Sledge was slated to play, a little later. The crowd was already starting to go wild!

To be continued.....

And remember, this was all in one day! Oh the life of a Cajun, is oh, so fun!

Special Fathers Day Menu and Recipes

It's time to put the finishing touches on my Father's Day celebration menu! I will be preparing all of my Dad's faves, and I wanted to share a few of these divinely delicious recipes with ya'll.  Cest bon, cher!

Happy Father's Day!

 



Father's Day Menu

Cajun BBQ Ribs (recipe below) and Andouille Sausage

Spicy Cajun Shrimp Kabobs ~ Spicy Bayou Crab Cakes ~

Crawfish Pasta Salad ~ Deviled Egg Potato Salad ~ Creole Grilled Veggies ~
Fresh Fruit and Veggie Trays ~

Cajun Cake w/ Peanut Butter Icing
Banana Pudding Pie ~ Creme de Menthe Brownies

Sangria LeBlanc

Cajun BBQ Ribs

4 lbs. pork spareribs
Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce to taste

Trim and clean ribs. Prepare rub. (recipe below) Rub spice mixture into ribs, then shake on Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce on both sides and cover and refrigerate overnight. Pre heat grill and grill ribs on indirect heat for about 45 to 50 minutes, turning midway. Baste often with BBQ sauce. (recipe below)

Rub

2 tsp.'s salt
2 tsp.'s cayenne pepper
2 tsp.'s black pepper
2 tsp.'s paprika
2 tsp.'s garlic powder
2 tsp.'s onion powder
1 tsp. thyme

BBQ Sauce
 
1 cup ketchup
4 tbs.'s Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. each, yellow mustard and Creole mustard

1/4 cup molasses
6 dashes Tabasco
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, finely chopped

Place all ingredients in saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Keep warm, until ready to use.

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Spicy Bayou Crab Cakes

1 lb. lump crab meat
2 tbs.'s butter
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 green onions, sliced, including tops
1 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1 egg, beaten lightly
1 tbs. Tony's Creole Seasoning or Cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbs. Creole mustard
2 tbs.'s mayonaise
Few shakes Tabasco
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup white cornmeal and
1/2 cup fine breadcrumbs, mixed together
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil for frying

Melt the butter in a skillet, and saute onions, garlic, and parsley until soft, and set aside.
In a large bowl, squeeze lemon juice on crab meat and mix gently. In separate bowl, combine sauteed veggie mixture, egg, Tony's or Cajun seasoning, salt, garlic powder, mustard, mayonnaise, and breadcrumb/cornmeal mixture, and mix well. Fold into crab meat, until just mixed. Shape into 4 patties. Pour oil into skillet to a depth of 2 inches. Fry in vegetable oil until golden brown, flip and repeat on other side. So much flavor, with so little effort and worth the calories! Bon Appetit!

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Creole Tartar Sauce
 
1 cup light mayo
1 tbs. Creole mustard
1 tbsp. each, green onions and fresh parsley, chopped fine
1 tsp. minced garlic

Combine all ingredients in medium bowl and chill until ready to serve.

Wishing all of you guys a wonderful Father's Day! Relax and enjoy!
Merci beaucoup for coming by!

Cajun Cake w/ Peanut Butter Icing + A Baby Shower + Zydeco Zip

Here is a decadent Cajun dessert that I was introduced to, recently, at a baby shower. It is sinfully delicious and will melt in your mouth, and is a perfect dessert for your Father's Day celebration! Worth the effort and the calories, cher! Cest bon! I will be posting some great Father's Day recipes very soon, so stay tuned!

 

 Cake

2 cups flour
1 tbs. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. almond extract

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add half of the flour mixture, and half of the buttermilk. Stir in the almond extract and mix until blended. Add other half of of flour mixture and milk and beat until smooth and thick. Spread batter in two prepared 8 inch round cake pans. (I use Baker's Joy)

Filling

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 squares semisweet chocolate
1 tsp. almond extract
2 tsp.'s cornstarch, plus a little water to desired consistency

Combine water, sugar, almond extract, and chocolate, in double boiler. Stir in 2 tsp.'s cornstarch mixed with a little water. Cool until thick, and spread between layers of cake.

Icing
 

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
4 cups confectioners sugar
1/3 cup half and half

Beat butter and peanut butter in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in 2 cups of the sugar and 1/2 of the half and half. Beat in remaining sugar. Add a little more half and half, until smooth or desired consistency is reached. Frost cooled cake and serve.

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A Lovely Baby Shower

My daughter's, best friend is expecting a sweet baby girl in mid August, and we are all very excited! Friends and family recently gathered for a baby shower at The Filling Station Restaurant, in downtown Lafayette. It seems like just yesterday, that they were in high school! Thought I would share a few pics with ya'll.

This is her first baby and second shower, so that baby girl will not want for anything!

Quite a wonderful spread and everything was cest bon, cher!

I loaded up on the fruits and veggies, so I could go heavy on the desserts.

This Strawberry Shortcake was divine, as well as the Peanut Butter Cake!

And this heavenly punch was just perfect to wash everything down with!

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Zydeco Zip

And last but not least, I've had a request for some more Zydeco. Here is a clip that I took of Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas, rev-ing up the crowd at this year's Festival International, in April. Just goes to show you, that you're never too old to shake a leg! Enjoy and let the good times roll, cher!

An Award + B.P.'s Deadline!

I was recently surprised and honored to receive The Trendy Blog Award. This very special award was passed on to me by January Asia @ The Caffeinated Globe. The blog is co-owned by Steven Hui, and it is a delight to visit! Ya'll really need to stop by and enjoy a cup of coffee and check out their wonderful ideas, recipes, and photos. Merci beaucoup for the great award! Also, be sure to stop by and see Tara, who was the creator of the award, at The Trendy Treehouse , another fabulous, trendy blog!

The rules for accepting the Trendy Blog Award:
- Post about your award in your blog. (Including thanking the person who has passed along the award to you.)
- In the post, pass along the award to 10 other blogs which you think are trendy.
- In the post, place the award logo (or button) with the URL link to Trendy Treehouse.
- Share the news with the 10 blogs. Make sure you tell them that they need to give this award out to 10 other blogs as well.

It is with great pleasure that I pass this award to these 10 trendy bloggers! They're not afraid to think out of the box and they are all fun reads! Please pay them a visit, when you have time, and tell them that I sent you! Congrats to all!

• Angie @ Gumbo Writer

• Alix @Casa Hice
  

• Drick@ Drick's Rambling Cafe'

• Cloudia @ Comfort Spiral

• Dave @ Daily Photos in St. Thomas

• Eddie @ Plato's Procrastinations

• Gypsy @ The Gypsy's Travel Journal
  

• Kittie @ The Block
  

• Joanne@ Whole Latte Life

• Jivago @ Jivago

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Here's the latest on the Coast Guard's deadline for B.P., which is tonight, at midnight. It seems to me that this should have been their deadline a long time ago! What do you think?

A Cajun Blast on the Swamp ( Part I )

After a scrumptious Cajun breakfast, on Sunday, we headed out to find some fun on the Atchafalaya Basin, better known as the Henderson Swamp. It was a partly cloudy day, with the threat of scattered storms, which stayed to the south of the area. Our first stop was Basin Landing, a combination boat landing/bed and breakfast/bar/fishing supply store. It's quite a unique place and takes you back in time with it's rustic charm and retro Turtle's Bar. (click to enlarge)

There were lots of boaters, spending the afternoon on the water.
The water on the Basin is oil free and the fishing and crawfishing is good!

This is a deluxe houseboat , complete with floating kitchen and Tikki Bar! I would love to buy it and call it the Blogland Express! Imagine the fun we could have on this! Woo hoo!

The patrons at Turtle's Bar are very friendly and are usually ready to party.
Lots of cold beer and great music! There is also a billiard room and video poker.

But my favorite part of Turtle's is their fabulous retro jukebox. You don't see these too much, anymore. What a selection! A little Credence Clearwater Revival, elevated the mood!

It was almost time to go to the Sunday afternoon dance, at Whiskey River Landing, but we were starving and wanted to get a bite to eat, so we headed over to the nearby, Landry's Restaurant. 

My family has been eating at Landry's for over 30 years and I have many fond memories of eating delectable Sunday dinners here, with my parents and children, back when seafood platters were only $5.95!

I didn't want a big heavy meal, so I ordered a divine Shrimp Poboy! Out of this world, cher! Not one drop of oil on these babies! Absolute heaven for a shrimp-o-holic, like me! Cest bon, cher!


It was then time to head over to Whiskey River, to dance these calories off. Jamie Bergeron and the Kickin' Cajuns were rockin' the spirited crowd. Whiskey River is a combination boat landing/ dancehall/bar on the Henderson levee. Oh, and there was some nitty- gritty dancin' going on! Lassiez les bon temps, rouler, cher!!

To be continued.........

Wishing ya'll a fun, happy weekend! Merci beaucoup for stopping by!

Spicy Grilled Catfish & Shrimp + Fun on the Bayou

Here's a great quick and easy recipe that is a favorite at my house, and is perfect for those warm summer evenings. So light and healthy, too! One bite of this scrumptious dish will send you into orbit, cher! Oh, cest bon! If you can't get catfish, in your area, your favorite fish can be substituted. Enjoy!

Spicy Grilled Catfish and Shrimp 

4 large catfish fillets
1 lb. large shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1 tbs. blackened fish seasoning
1 tbs. Cajun seasoning
1 tsp. dried thyme
Juice of one lemon

 


Squeeze lemon juice on both sides of fish and shrimp. Combine seasonings and sprinkle seasoning mix on the fish and shrimp, to coat both sides. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Place seasoned shrimp in an oiled grill pan, and baste and grill for 5 to 7 minutes on each side. Place seasoned catfish (top side down) in an oiled grill pan.  Grill on medium for 10 to 12 minutes. Flip and baste and grill for 10 to 12 more minutes, or until fish flakes with a fork. Oh cest bon, cher! Serve with steamed broccoli and garlic bread. Le bon manger!

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Fun on the Bayou

It was another great Cajun weekend, with lots going on and plenty of fun to be had! On Saturday night, we went to Artmosphere, a combination art gallery, restaurant/ bar, hookah lounge, and live music venue, in downtown Lafayette. David Egan and the Twenty Years of Trouble Band were rockin' the crowd!

There was a whole lotta rockin' and rollin' going on!

After dancing for a while, we ordered one of these sinfully delicious pizzas! Divine!

The walls are always filled with such interesting art. These caught my eye.

And here's a little clip that I took of some good old bayou boogie. They were jammin' down!

David Egan and the Twenty Years of Trouble Band!

Wishing you all a wonderful, happy week! Merci beaucoup for stopping by!

Raining in my Heart + Oil Spill Update !

Day 46 and growing bigger everyday!!! The BP oil spill now covers over 30,000 square miles of the gulf and is growing in leaps and bounds, with up to 780,000 gallons, gushing into the gulf, EACH DAY!! The closed fishing areas along the Gulf Coast now cover 88,502 miles, covering 37 % of the gulf! There have been organized protests in New Orleans against the crimes that have been and are still being committed against our tax paying citizens! In fact, there is now a CRIMINAL investigation into exactly what happened, before and after, the Deepwater Horizon explosion. Here's what's been going on, from abc news.




Various local groups have been protesting in New Orleans. I think that this is what we all need to do! Email your Congressmen, sign the petition, volunteer to help, or if you can, participate in a protest in your area. This is a national tragedy and if you would like to learn more or to help, go here. We are the ones who have to demand the changes that need to be made!



And Louisiana is now, not the only state getting a taste of oil. The toxic sludge is now washing up on Alabama and Florida beaches. Let us pray that the Top Cap will be successful, because I don't even want to think about what will happen, if this leak is not stopped! Even if it is stopped today, the spill will no doubt, follow the loop current around Florida and travel up the east coast! We must make sure that the tighter regulations are in place, before more deep water drilling is permitted! The ones that were in place before the previous administration relaxed them. Our future is at stake and we are the ones who have to do it! !
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