Marguerite's Cajun-Style French Bread + Cajun Fun on the Swamp !

Here's a fast and easy recipe for a fabulous, Cajun-Style loaf of French bread. It's bold and rich flavor pairs well with just about everything and it freezes well, too. I like to make up several loaves at a time,  to keep on hand in the freezer,  and serve as a delicious appetizer when guests drop in. When I tell you that this bread is out of this world, then you know that I mean it, cher! Cest bon!

1 (14 oz.) loaf French bread

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 medium onion, chopped fine

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2/3 cup light mayo

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese 

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 tbs. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tbs. or more Cajun seasoning

Cut bread in half, lengthwise and brush melted butter evenly onto bread halves.

Stir together onion, jalapeno pepper, and the next 6 ingredients, and spread mixture evenly over buttered bread halves. sprinkle evenly with the Cajun seasoning. Slice each half into 8 (1 inch) pieces.

Place, buttered sides up, on a greased baking sheet and sprinkle evenly with Cajun seasoning.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15  minutes or until  bubbly.

Let stand for 5 minutes and enjoy!

*****

Cajun Fun on the Swamp

After a delectable breakfast of crab meat omelettes, bacon, and biscuits, we headed out to the levee, on the beautiful Atchafalaya Basin, to see if we could find some fun. We didn't have to look too far before we found this group, having a few cold ones on the porch, at Basin Landing

Adjacent to the store at Basin Landing is Turtle's Bar and we found another group of friends in there, as well. Turtles is a quaint little place, where friends often meet on the weekends, to visit or take a nice boat ride on the swamp. Plus, they have the coldest beer on the levee.

It's filled with interesting memorabilia and signs and has a retro jukebox. This preserved alligator head on the bar, caught my attention and lovely Spring flowers filled vintage containers, like this antique bathtub.

.

After having a few cold drinks, it was time to go to the Sunday afternoon dance at Whiskey River Landing, which is just a short distance away, either by car or boat. Whiskey River is a dance hall and a boat landing, famous for it's Sunday afternoon dances and tours of the basin.

 

There was already a good crowd, when we arrived and we could hear the highly seasoned, Cajun music from outside. The hot as Tabasco, "High Performance Band" was rockin' the crowd and there was some nitty-gritty dancin, going on! Oh yeah, cher!

Here's a little clip that I took of the fun going on, on the dance floor. The audio is not the best quality, since I was standing too close to the speakers, at times, but it will give you an idea of the electricity that was bouncing off the dance floor. Let the good times roll cher!

High Performance Band

Hope ya'll have a fantastic weekend, filled with fun! Merci beaucoup for coming by!

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!

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!

A Cajun Birthday Blast !

After a lovely morning brunch of seafood omlettes, beignets, and mimosas, my girl-friends and I headed over to visit friends, who own a houseboat on the Henderson Swamp. As we traveled along the levee road, I marveled at the sheer beauty of the Atchafalaya Basin. Nature at it's best!

When we arrived, we found our friends at their next door neighbor's houseboat. They were grilling up a batch of T-bones, pork fingers, and sausage on the Old Smokey and wanted to know if we were hungry. This method of grilling takes longer, but results in a very tender and juicy meat. We played a few games of boo-ray, a favorite Cajun card game, while we waited for lunch to be served. A big pot of camp beans was cooking on the side.

Then we went over to Turtle's Bar, at Basin Landing, where there was a Cajun birthday party already in progress. Birthdays are celebrated to the maximum degree in Cajun Country and sometimes go on for days. This one was on day two of the birthday bash! It turned out to be a friend of a friend's birthday, so we joined right in. The party barge was an absolute blast!

A little farther up on the levee, there was a band starting soon at Pat's Atchafalaya Club. The birthday guy wanted to hear some Swamp Pop, a 60's retro style of music that we all grew up with, here in South Louisiana. Memories of your first love, first kiss, or first dance come to mind when listening to Cookie and the Cupcakes. So, away we went to dance the night away. Let the good times roll, cher! Oh, the life of a Cajun is fun, fun, fun!!!