Marguerite's Shrimp Salad + More Festival Fun - Day 2 !

Here's one of my favorite salads to have for lunch or whenever I'm in the mood for a light dinner. The combination of the succulent boiled shrimp and spicy dressing is out of this world and is guaranteed to please. It is equally delicious, made with any left over crawfish from your crawfish boil. So easy to make and perfect for warmer weather, too. Enjoy!

Marguerite's Shrimp Salad

1 lb. medium, cooked shrimp (I use boiled, recipe below)
1 lemon, cut in half
1 tbs. Cajun seasoning
2 large hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup each, onion and celery, diced
1 tsp. crushed garlic
1 tbs. chopped dill pickle, optional
1 tbs. chopped parsley
1/2 cup light mayo
1 tbs. Creole or Dijon mustard
1 tbs. ketchup
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Few shakes of Tabasco

In large bowl, squeeze lemon juice on shrimp and season with Cajun seasoning. Add eggs, onions, and celery, and mix well. In separate bowl, mix garlic, dill pickle, parsley, mayo, mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco and mix well. Add to shrimp mixture and toss to coat evenly. Chill until ready to serve. Serve on a bed of Romaine lettuce with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, and avocados. And maybe a nice glass of white wine, too. Bon appetit!

For my Boiled Shrimp recipe, click here.

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More Festival Fun - Day 2!

We passed a great time at day two of Festival International and the weather was gorgeous, sunny and 80 degrees, with a light breeze and low humidity.! A little cool front blew in the night before,  making it feel more like California than Louisiana. The festival angels were with us, as they usually are at this festival. We started out at the official Opening Ceremonies at Scene International. Special thanks went out to the 1500 + volunteers that make this festival happen.

Then, one of my dear, old friends came on the stage and blew everyone's mind with his unique brand of slide guitar magic. The one and only Sonny Landreth was getting down! Geaux Sonny! The huge crowd really went wild for this show and Sonny and his talented band were rockin'! I took five videos of this show and will be posting them all on my You Tube channel, so you can catch them here next week. I am posting one of the shorter ones below. Fab!

 The Sonny Landreth Band

After this fabulous performance, I was famished and we headed over to the Norbert's Restaurant  booth, where I decided to sample the crawfish etouffee, topped with fried catfish! Oh, cest bon, cher!

Then I got a text message from friends wanting us to meet them at the New Orleans Original Daquiri's booth, for a Festival Punch, before heading to the next concert, at Scene Malibu. Yum!

And as the sun was setting over Lafayette, we arrived just in time to see Rootz Underground, a fantastic Reggae band from Jamaica, take the stage.The huge, rowdy crowd was raring to go!

It was so crowded that I could barely wiggle my way in far enough to take this clip, but I managed to take a short one,  just before my camera batteries went out! It seemed more like they blew up! LOL

Rootz Underground

Oh the life of a Cajun is oh, so fun!

Stay tuned, the best is yet to come! To be continued.....

Hope ya'll have a fun and fabulous weekend!
Merci for coming by!

Spicy Creole Cornbread + An Award + Festival Kick-Off

Here's another Cajun fave that is oh, so good and will melt in your mouth! It's just heavenly, a true taste of Southern comfort, and pairs well with just about any meal. Cest bon, cher! Enjoy!

Spicy Creole Cornbread

1 1/4 cups self rising cornmeal mix

1 cup light sour cream

1 cup milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 can chopped green chilies, drained

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 tsp. Creole or Cajun seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in milk, oil, and cornmeal mix, and mix until smooth. Add sour cream, green chilies, cheese and Creole seasoning, and stir until well mixed. Let batter sit for 5 minutes. If too thick, add a little more milk. Pour into an 8 or 9 inch,  greased ovenproof skillet or an 8x8 inch baking pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Melt in your mouth, GOOD! Enjoy!

An Award

My dear Cajun sista, Jessica @ cajunlicious, recently passed this very prestigious award along  to me. Originally from New Orleans, now living up North, Jess is awesome and you'll definitely want to check out her fabulous Cajun recipes and  blog. Merci beaucoup, cher, for this lovely award! Since there are no requirements for this award, other than thanking and linking to the person who gave it to you and passing it on to some of your favorite Sistas, I'd like to pass it along to each and every one of my female followers. (sorry guys) Ya'll are the best and we are all in this Sisterhood together! Please visit them when you get a chance! (links on my followers gadget)

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Festival Kick-Off

We had an absolute blast at the fais do do and  kick-off for Festival International, last night, at Scene Barcardi, in downtown Lafayette. For those of you who do not know what a fais do do is, it is simply a Cajun street dance,  an old tradition in Cajun country.

There were two hotter than hot bands playing and the high spirited crowd was in Zydeco overdrive. Horace Trahan and The Ossun Express was up first and they were really rocking the crowd.

 And there were lots of scrumptious Cajun delicacies to choose from. I just had to have some seafood jambalaya and a shrimp poboy from the Lagneaux's booth. Cest bon, cher!

And lots of drinks to choose from at the Malibu Party Center. It was quite warm and humid, so this booth was very busy. There's nothing like a nice cold drink on a hot day!

And here's a little clip that I took of the exuberant crowd and some of the nitty-gritty dancin' going on. My camera was having issues, , but it will give you an idea of all the fun that was going on. They were only warming up for this fabulous 5 day festival, so stay tuned, because there's so much more fun to come!  Let the good times roll, cher! Wish you all were here! To be continued....

Horace Trahan and The Ossun Express

Wishing ya'll a fun and fantastic weekend! Merci beaucoup for stopping by!

Creole Ham and Cheese Quiche + Cajun Boogie

Here is a new fave at my house and it's sure to become one of yours, too. I sampled it at a recent gathering and it was so good that I just had to try it and wanted to share it with you. This recipe is a great way to use the leftover ham from your Easter dinner and is fabulous for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. And so easy for those busy days.  Serve with a big tossed salad and French bread for a delicious meal. Out of this world, cher! Enjoy!

Creole Ham and Cheese Quiche

1 (9 inch) frozen, (thawed), or homemade deep dish pie shell

1 cup cooked ham, cubed

1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded or cubed

1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup chopped onions

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
3 tbs.'s fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp. dried thyme

6 large eggs

3/4 cup half-and-half

1 tsp. Creole  mustard

1 tsp. Creole seasoning,  (for my recipe, click here)

Salt and Tabasco to taste
2 tbs.'s olive oil

In large skillet, saute the ham, mushrooms, onions,  green peppers, and jalapeno in the olive oil, for 10 minutes. Spread evenly on bottom of  pie shell.

 In medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, cheese, mustard, parsley, thyme and Creole seasoning. Add salt and a few shakes of Tabasco, to your taste, and mix well.

 Pour over ham mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Let stand, before cutting. Serves 6. Bon appetit!

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Cajun Boogie

With Festival International only 2 days away, the excitement is building, as downtown Lafayette is being transformed into a global music stage, as we speak. Life doesn't get much better than this, so come on out and get into the festival spirit and enjoy 5 days of fabulous music, food, and weather! . Here's a little clip of Roddie Romero and Friends playing a Cajun two-step at last year's festival. Put your dancin' shoes on and let the good times roll, cher! Hope to see you there! For a complete schedule, click here.

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend. I certainly did and this is what my Easter dinner looked like, (below), with all the trimmings, of course. I'd like to extend a warm welcome to my new followers and thank everyone who stopped by, while I was away. I appreciate each and everyone of you and am so glad to have you along. Stay tuned for some exciting times, coming right up, and hope you'll come along with me to the 25th annual Festival International de Louisiane! Guaranteed to be a blast, cher!

Hope you all have a wonderful week, filled with fun! Merci beaucoup for coming by!

Cajun Easter Faves + Festival Countdown

It's almost time for Easter and I am excited about a little getaway that I'm planning for the weekend. It's the first Easter in a very long time that I won't be preparing an Easter brunch or dinner, but I wanted to share a few of my favorite Easter recipes with you. These are tried and true, mostly handed down from my dear mother, grandmother, or aunts, and I hope that you will try them and enjoy them. Bon appetit!

Baked Ham w/ Pineapple-Rum Glaze

1 8 to 10 pound spiral ham 

12 pineapple slices, juice reserved

12 maraschino cherries, drained

Ham glaze (recipe below)

Place ham on rack in large roasting pan and top with pineapple slices. Place cherries in center and anchor with toothpicks. Pour 1 inch of water into bottom of pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes per pound, basting often, and pouring the remaining glaze over ham during the last 15 minutes.

Pineapple-Rum Glaze

Melt 1/2 cup butter, in saucepan. Add 4 tbs. pineapple juice, 1/2 cup maple syrup, and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Cook and stir, until sugar is melted. Add 1 tbs. yellow mustard. Boil gently for 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and slowly add 1/4 cup rum, until blended. Baste ham often while baking. Divine! 

 For my Cajun Baked Ham w/ Sugarcane-Bourbon Glaze recipe, click here.

Click on recipe title to view recipes

Crab and Shrimp Jambalaya

 

Creole Shrimp Pasta Salad

Spicy Grilled Shrimp w/ Bourbon Glaze

 

 Mama's Potato Salad

 Nanny's Strawberry Shortcake

Grandma's Chocolate Cake

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Festival Countdown!

It's almost time for the biggest and best festival in Cajun country! In just one week, the 25th annual Festival International de Louisiane, will take place from April 27-May 1, in downtown Lafayette. Six music stages located throughout downtown, with bands from 15 different countries, as well as the finest Cajun and Zydeco bands around,  and the most awesome Cajun and Creole food that you can imagine! That's right, 5 straight days of great music, food, and fun! Woo-hoo! This is my absolute favorite festival and it's all free! For a complete schedule, click here. To read more about this fantastic festival and see more pics, click here.  

And just to give you an idea of all the fun at this festival, here's a little clip that I took at last year's festival. Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas were rockin the crowd at Scene Chevron. This is only one of 500 artists that played during the festival! Let the good times roll, cher!

Wishing you all a blessed and very Happy Easter! Merci beaucoup for coming by!

Looking For Cajun Products? Look No Further : Cajun Supermarket

Cajun BBQ Meatloaf w/ Bourbon Sauce + An Award

Here's a fabulous way to prepare an old Cajun favorite, and once you try it, you may never eat baked meatloaf, again! The spicy blend of flavors and fiery kick of the chipotle sauce and jalapenos will knock your socks off, and is guaranteed to please your family and guests. Fire up the grill and enjoy! Cest bon, cher! Serve with a big tossed salad or grilled veggies and garlic bread!

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef

1/2 lb. ground pork

1 onion, coarsely chopped

1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped

1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce

2 tbs.'s chipotle sauce

1 tbs. Cajun seasoning

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup French bread crumbs

3 slices bacon, cut in half, (optional)

Combine all ingredients in large bowl  and mix well, with the least amount of handling. Shape and form into a loaf, cover and refrigerate overnight. Preheat grill on medium heat and place meat loaf on a grill pan or a double thickness of heavy duty foil, with edges turned up. Top with bacon, if desired. Grill for 45 to 55 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees, on indirect heat. Baste often with my Bourbon BBQ sauce. (recipe below) Divine! (photo courtesy of Google)

 (my favorites)

Bourbon BBQ Sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup bourbon

1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup cane syrup

2 tbs.'s Creole or Dijon mustard

1 tbs. Liquid Smoke

1 tbs. or more, chipotle sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced or 1 tsp. Cajun Power Garlic Sauce

3 tbs.'s onion, minced
Salt and Tabasco to taste

Combine bourbon and sugar in saucepan and heat and stir on medium heat, until sugar melts.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Add a little water, if needed. Use as a basting sauce and make extra for dipping.

*****

An Award

My dear friend, Linda @ Blue Starr Gallery, passed this lovely award along to me. Merci beaucoup for this very special award, cher! Linda is a very talented artist and potter and her blog is very styish, indeed, and she is most deserving of this award.  Please pay her a visit, when you have time. Her blog and art are sure to inspire you. As part of the condition of accepting this award, I'm supposed to tell ya'll 7 things about myself that you don't already know. Well, here goes.

1. I love vegetarian meals and eat them often!

2. My favorite print is leopard and I especially love to wear it!

3. One of my biggest pet peeves is when bloggers bump themselves up on the sidebar, way after they have posted!

4. My favorite color is red!

5. One of my favorite things to do is to cook and eat seafood. lol

6. If money was no object, I would buy a big yacht and sail off into the sunset, forever!

7. I am almost ready to publish my Cajun cookbook! Well, almost, almost ready. lol

And now on to the award ceremony! I'm supposed to pass this award on to 15 stylish blogs. Not an easy feat, as I follow so many stylish blogs, and it's so hard to only choose 15. But, here goes, in no particular order. Please pay them a visit when you find time. They are all FAB!

Dennis @ More than a Mount Full - A Culinary Journey 

Cloudia @ Comfort Spiral 

Velva @ Tomatoes on the Vine 

Martha @ Seaside Simplicity

Drick @ Drick's Rambling Cafe 

Jessica @ Cajunlicious 

Kittie @ Kittie Howard 

Nanny @ The  Good Life

Eddie @ Clouds and Silvery Linings

Joanne @ Whole Latte Life

Dee @ Homesick Cajun

Alisha @ The Ardent Epicure

Kat @ At the Compound

Rosaria @ Loving Real Food

Mandy @ Learn, Laugh, Cook

Congrats to all!  Hope ya'll have a fantastic weekend!  Merci beaucoup for coming by!

Spicy Creole Crawfish Cakes w/ Horseradish Sauce + Weekend Fun!

It's that time of year again, when crawfish are taking center stage in Cajun country. The season started off a little late this year, due to the unusually cold winter that we had, but we are making up for lost time now. Here's a wonderful quick and easy recipe that will tantalize your taste buds and delight your family and friends. And of course, shrimp may be substituted if you can't get crawfish. Out of this world, cher! Bon appetit!

Spicy Creole Crawfish Cakes

1 lb. crawfish tails

2 tbs.'s light mayo

1 tbs. Creole or Dijon mustard

1/2  tsp. Tabasco sauce

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 tsp. or more, Creole seasoning

Salt to taste

1 cup saltine cracker crumbs

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 tbs.'s olive oil

Flour for dusting

In large bowl, combine all ingredients, except flour and oil, and mix well. Chill for 30 minutes. Shape into 8 patties and lightly dust with flour. Heat oil, in large nonstick skillet, and cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve with horseradish sauce. (photo courtesy of Google)

Horseradish Sauce

1/2 cup light sour cream

4 tbs.'s light mayo

1 tsp. Creole or Dijon mustard

2 tbs.'s lemon juice

2 tbs.'s prepared horseradish

Few shakes Tabasco sauce

1 tbs. fresh parsley, chopped

Pinch of sugar

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

*****

Weekend Fun

It was another great Cajun weekend, filled with fun from start to finish. We kicked it off a little early this week, at the first concert of the Spring season at Rockin' on the River, in River Ranch.

T.K. Hulin and Smoke,  with special guest Charlene Howard, entertained the crowd. The swanky sounds of Swamp Pop and Rock n' Roll filled the air, as a crowd gathered in the Town Square.

Here's a clip I took of the action on the dance floor. There was some nitty-gritty jitter-buggin' going on, yeah, cher. The mostly, Boomer crowd loved this band, and everyone had a bon' ton'!

Then, on Saturday, it was on to the Hot Sauce Festival, in New Iberia. This fun festival celebrates hot sauce and there were booths selling every kind of hot sauce that you can imagine.

And of course, as with any festival in  Southwest Louisiana,  there was great, live Cajun and Zydeco music and food. This crawfish poboy was my fave and hit the spot with a cold beer.

And here's a little clip that I took of  all the fun on the dance floor.Geno Delafose and French Rockin' Boogie, were really jammin and movin' the crowd. Oh, the life of a Cajun is oh so fun!

What did you do for fun over the weekend? Hope ya'll passed a good time! 

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

Spicy Cajun Popcorn Shrimp + More Cajun Fun - Part II

Here's another Cajun favorite that is perfect for when you're craving something sinfully delicious. The spicy flavor of these delectable, fried popcorn shrimp will send you into orbit, cher, and never mind the calories because they are totally worth it! And besides, you can just dance them off! Bon appetit!

Spicy Cajun Popcorn Shrimp

2 lb.'s small shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 eggs

1 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup flour

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1 tbs. fresh parsley, chopped

In small bowl, whisk together the eggs and wine, and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, garlic, thyme, parsley, salt, and  pepper. Gradually add the egg mixture,and mix well. Cover the batter and let stand for 30 minutes, at room temperature. Dip the shrimp into the batter and coat well. Heat 2 to 3 inches of vegetable oil,in a large heavy skillet, or deep fry at 375 degrees. Fry in small batches for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Remove with a large slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve with your favorite side dish and a salad. Great as a topping on a dinner salad, too. Cest bon, cher! Fab!

*****

More Cajun Fun - Part II

Here's a little clip of the Grammy winning, Chubby Carrier and The Bayou Stomp Band. There was definitely a "Chubby Party" going on with some hot Zydeco boogie, too! Crank it up and enjoy!

Tonight, I'll be heading over to River Ranch for the kick-off concert for the Spring 2011', series of "Rockin' on the River". These wonderful free concerts will run each Thursday evening, from 5:30 to 8:30 pm., through May. T.K. Hulin and his fabulous swamp pop band will entertain the crowd and Rouse's Market will be serving up some delicious BBQ and other Cajun faves. Come on out and let the good times roll, cher! See ya'll there! Merci for stopping by!

Kahlua Fudge Cupcakes + More Cajun Fun!

It was my turn to bring the dessert for my Genealogy Club meeting and these heavenly little treats seemed like the perfect choice.  These decadent Kahlua fudge cupcakes are perfect for any occasion or when you just have an ahnvee for a little something sweet. They are very easy to make and will melt in your mouth and have you going back for more. Cest bon, cher! Enjoy!

Kahlua Fudge Cupcakes

1 box devils food cake mix

1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 pint light sour cream
4 eggs
1/2 cup Kahlua
1/4 cup vegetable oil

In large bowl, mix together cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, Kahlua, and oil. Beat for 2 minutes, on medium speed, with electric mixer. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased muffin pans or paper liners, 3/4 full. Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely and frost with Kahlua fudge frosting. (recipe below) Makes 24

Kahlua Fudge Frosting

2 cups confectioner's sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tbs. Kahlua

Combine first three ingredients in heavy saucepan and stir in milk. Add butter and bring to a boil. Cook and stir over medium heat for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla and Kuhlua and beat on low with an electric mixer, until desired consistency. Frost cooled cupcakes. 

I will be sharing these at Sweet Indulgence Sunday, and The Sunday Showcase Party.

*****

More Cajun Fun

We had an absolute blast at the weekly T.G.I.F block party at Downtown Alive, on Friday night. Gorgeous Spring weather brought out a huge crowd for the double-header Grammy "after party", featuring the fabulous Grammy nominated "Pine Leaf Boys" and the Grammy winning, Chubby Carrier and The Bayou Swamp Band. The crowd was in nitty- gritty dance mode and there was a whole lotta hot dancin' going on. Poo-yie, cher! So much fun!

First up was The Pine Leaf Boys and they were really rockin' the crowd. There was a whole lotta two-steppin' and jitter-buggin' going on.

Next up, was this year's Grammy winner for best Zydeco, Chubby Carrier and The Bayou Stomp Band and the crowd went into Zydeco overdrive.

Here's a little sample of the first band and all of the fun going on in downtown Lafayette.

Let the good times roll, cher! To view more of my videos, go here, to my You Tube channel.

The Pine Leaf Boys 

Wishing you all a wonderful week, filled with good times!
To be continued...  Merci beaucoup for stopping by!