Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Cool Summer Drinks + A Bon Temp !

It's been hotter than hot in Cajun country, and what better way to cool off than with a nice, yummy, frozen drink. After a long, hot day and a dip in the pool, I whipped up a batch of these heavenly, Pina Coladas. So easy to make and so refreshing and relaxing, too! What could be better! Cheers!

Frozen Pina Coladas

1 1/2 oz. light rum
2 oz. cream of coconut
4 oz. pineapple juice
1 cup fresh frozen pineapple chunks
1 cup crushed ice

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth and creamy! Serve in your favorite cocktail glass and garnish with a pineapple wedge. Warning: These can be addicting!




And for those of you who may want to refresh with a non-alcoholic, nutritious, drink, I am including my recipe for a Strawberry-Banana Smoothie. I've been making these since my kids were little and they are a great way to start the day! Sometimes I add a little protein powder or ground flax seeds, for an extra boost. This is my fave, but you can get creative and use whatever fruits that you have on hand. Enjoy!


 Strawberry-Banana Smoothie

6 strawberries, cut in half
1 banana, sliced
6 oz.'s vanilla frozen yogurt
1 cup low fat milk
2 tsp.'s sugar or sugar substitute, optional

Place strawberries, bananas, and sugar, in blender. Add frozen yogurt and milk. Add ice cubes and blend until smooth and thick. So delicious and good for you, too!

 
A Bon Temp!

It was another great weekend in Cajun country and my guests wanted to sample some of the best Cajun cuisine that Lafayette has to offer. We made the rounds at some of my favorite haunts and totally over-indulged in some sinfully delicious selections. Oh cest bon, cher!

But, first, when they arrived, I had a big pot of Crawfish Etouffee waiting for them.


Next, it was lunch at Julien's Poboys for some nitty-gritty Cajun favorites.

Fried Shrimp En Brochette (my favorite)


And Hot Sausage Poboy! Out of this world!



Then it was time to lighten up a bit and we headed over to Jefferson Orleans Restaurant for a nice big salad, topped with Grilled Jalapeno Encrusted Tuna Steak. "To die for", cher!




Then, on Sunday, we took a ride to the levee in Henderson, and stopped, on the way, at Landry's Restaurant, for some Oyster and Shrimp Poboy's. You might say that we were on a tear!

This shrimp poboy was divine! Cest bon, cher!

Next stop was Turtle's Bar, at Basin Landing, for a cold drink, before heading over to the dance, at Whiskey River Landing. Our usual routine, on the levee! We so needed to dance off all of these calories!



When we arrived at the dance, we could hear the spicy sounds of Jamie Bergeron and the Kickin' Cajuns from the porch. Oh the life of a Cajun, is oh, so fun! To be continued......

Merci for stopping by, cher amis! Hope ya'll have a wonderful week!




32 comments:

Kittie Howard said...

Cher, it's great to be home...and, yep, I headed straight for your blog...ohhhh, all that yummy food...tain't a wurst there that can compare...BUT, more importantly, happy to see your summer has been/is a fun one...and Thank God that mess in the Gulf is winding down (not that it will ever end, ie, the damage inflicted). There's Gulf seafood here now and I plan on buying some as soon as I get the suitcases unpacked...wedding at The Homestead was beautiful...did the heart good to see such a lovely group of young people. And, Marguerite, a big hug to you for your nice comments this summer, a touch of home that brought smiles.

California Girl said...

I was going to ask, "How the frig do you keep the weight off?" but maybe you do it with all that dancing?

You sure eat some great looking meals.

What are the local folk saying about the oil plug and subsequent issues with BP?

Rosaria Williams said...

Nothing like it! Yes, let the party begin! Stay cool, Marguerite. How is the tourism going now that the oil has stopped running?

fuat gencal said...

Ellerinize, emeğinize sağlık. Çok leziz ve iştah açıcı görünüyorlar.

Saygılar.

John said...

One day I'm going to make that part of the world and get some of that seafood, but I'll take a cold beer.

Drick said...

great summer drinks, both of them.... and eating all that food in such a short time, makes me wish I was tagging along....

Kat said...

Dang, Girl, I want an oyster poboy! LOL. Ya can never have too much fun.

Eddie Bluelights said...

I think you're so cool you would be cool whatever the weather. Your drinks look divine indeed. But Marguerite you are always eating!!! LOL
Glad you had such an enjoyable time - I love seeing people enjoy themselves.

Oh and your Hot Sausage Poboy! must be wonderful.

See ya soon - Eddie

Pat Tillett said...

Oh my goodness! Each photo looking more scrumptions then the last...
you torture me! We just might try one these dishes tonight...

judi/Gmj said...

Looking food, I mean Good!
i have gained 10 lbs just reading this!

Have a great weekend!!

Laura said...

Oh Marguerite-

Delicious recipes and fun times as usual-
I love pina coladas!

Laura-

Julie said...

Wow, that shrimp looks just awesome!!

Dee said...

Girl, you should try Bon Creole sometime for a good shrimp poboy! They're HUGE!!! Sounds like you had a great time!

Marguerite said...

Kittie- Welcome back and thanks so much for your lovely comment! Yes, it's such a relief that the gulf situation has improved. So glad you had fun at the wedding. Can't wait to see the pics of your European vacation! You're welcome, cher, I so enjoyed your posts, too! Cheers!

Cal. Girl- The dancing definitely helps, but I don't eat like this every day! Just once in a while, and then, in small portions or else I would be as big as a house!

We are all very happy about the oil plug, but the main concern now, is the moratorium, which has put about 38,000 more people, along the coast, out of work.

lakeviewer- Merci, cher! It was a fun weekend, but I am back on my veggie and grilled seafood diet, now. It's going pretty well here, all things considered.

Fuat- Thanks so much for your sweet comment! So glad that you stopped by! Have a great day!

John- I hope that you do because I know that you would love it! Plenty of good seafood and cold beer, here, for sure. Cheers!

Drick- Merci beaucoup, cher! These frozen drinks help beat the heat, for sure. My guests just wanted to eat fried everything! lol Wish you could have been here, too!

Mandy said...

yummy and refreshing! thanks for sharing! i think I'll add in some alchohol to that banana smoothie and concoct myself a birthday celebration drink later this week.

Hey, where is your recipe for dirty rice? I'd like to make that sometime soon but didn't know how to search for it? thanks! Stay cool and hydrated!

Drick said...

Hey Marguerite, I posted a special recipe for ya, hope you like it....

Pam said...

Great summer drinks and food too, especially that etouffee! Way to go, party, party!

nanny said...

Well it's a tough life, but someone has got to do it,,,right?
sounds like a blast

Linda Starr said...

I was going to ask the same thing as Ca girl, then I remembered all the dancing. I would be a blimp with all that food. the cream of coconut is that the same as coconut milk? or is that a liquor, the drink sounds so delightful and cooling, been raining and very humid every day here, the rain at least cools it down a bit. I made tornado prawns tonight, but your recipe looks good too, thankfully the oil mess resolving will help with the local fishing supplies as I love seafood.

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Marguerite said...

Kat- Oysters are still a little scarce, but certain places still have them. These were fab! You're right about that, cher!

Eddie- Merci for the sweet compliments, cher! We were on a tear, for sure, lol, but my friend ate the sausage poboy and my other friend and I ate the shrimp, instead. It was a lot of fun!

Pat- Thanks so much for your nice comment and for stopping by! It's all good, I promise you!

judi- Thanks, cher! Had to dance a lot to work this binge off! lol

Laura- So good to hear from you and glad that you stopped by! Thanks, they are fab and I hope you try them. Perfect on a hot day!

Julie- Hi and welcome to Cajun country! Thanks so much for your sweet comment and for coming by!

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

C'est, c'est bon cher! Eww Wee that some good looking food!

No way anyone can visit and not leave with a great big smile on their face!

Velva said...

Hopefully the rain from the tropical depression did nothing to dampen your party spirits...I know I would enjoy the pin colada served alongside your great meal.

Cheers to you!

Magic of Spice said...

The drinks are so refreshing...have to go with the Pina Colada :) Looks like a great time and a massive amount of great food :)

Carol Murdock said...

Woman, you know how to enjoy this life huh? The food looks wonderful! My son is coming in tomorrow and I'm making Seafood Gumbo, I also got some jose Cuervo Especial to make Margarita's and later your recipe!
Have a great weekend Cher! XOXO

Marguerite said...

Dee- I love Bon Creole and have sampled just about everything on their menu. Their crawfish poboys are my favorite. Thanks for coming by, cher!

Mandy- Thanks, glad you like them, and you're welcome! Hope you had a wonderful b-day, cher! Just go up to the top of the blog, on left side, and enter a search for it, and it should come right up. Cheers!

Drick- Merci beaucoup, again, for the great shout-out and kind words! I loved all three of them! It was so sweet of you, cher!

Pam- Thanks for the sweet compliments! Always a party going on, here. Merci for stopping by!

nanny- You are so right, cher and it may as well be me! It was! Have a great weekend!

Linda- Everything in moderation is the key! lol Coconut cream is thicker than coconut milk and sweetened for use in drinks and dessert recipes. I use Coco Lopez brand and you can find it in most grocery stores. Happy weekend!

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

Finally high speed connection and I can keep up. Impossible to do with the painfully slow speeds recently.

Great looking stuff as always, but as a recent master of Pina Colada... too much pineapple juice, try a flavored pineapple rum and equal parts with the juice

and to really kick it up, add a passion fruit liqueur hey... that's mu blog for tomorrow!!!

GYPSYWOMAN said...

girl, every time i come here i nearly weep in homesickness - however, this time i was saved only by the smallest of small margin - because yesterday i had a cajun-divine lunch at the little cajun cafe down toward the beach - their shrimp po-boy is my most favorite of my favorites there - and their cole slaw is just to be passionate about - and then, the pecan pie! well, i will say only that outside my own oven, it was the best ever!

but thanks for the great frozen drink here today! yummmmm!!!!!

cheers, dear!

Kora Bruce [Dixie Lust] said...

I've been wondering how Jefferson Orleans is! I think about how I need to go every time I pass by! Feel free to offer up any more selection recommendations if you have more favorites there! The salad looks amazing

Marguerite said...

Maubry- Hi and welcome! Thanks for your nice comment and for visiting and following along. I will visit you soon!

Katherine- Yeah you right, cher! As a fellow Cajun, you would know, what each dish tastes like. All sinfully good! Thanks for the sweet compliment, mon ami!

velva- We still have not gotten more than a little drizzle out of that system. It's been stalled out for days. Thanks, hope you try it! Cheers!

Spice- Thanks, Pina Coladas are my favorite summer drink. It's fun to go on a seafood binge, once in a while. Thanks for stopping by!

Carol- Thanks, cher, yes I do! Seafood gumbo sounds fab, and I'm so glad that you're trying the Margarita Shrimp. Great that you got some Jose Q., it comes in handy! lol

Dave- Welcome back, cher! Your Pina Colada looked awesome, but I love pineapple and prefer more fruit to liquor. But the passion fruit liqueur sounds good.

Ali said...

Marguerite those frozen pina coladas look heavenly! Man I wish I had one to sip on right now :D

Thank you so much for adding these to my Refreshing Summer Drinks collection. If you have any more beverage posts you'd like to submit, it will be open for a while. Thanks!

Turnips 2 Tangerines said...

Nice and Refreshing!! Perfect for Summer:) Lynn @ Turnip s Tangerines