Cajun Christmas Eve Party Menu

Cajun Christmas Eve Party Menu 

Tis' the season for holiday parties and I've been looking through my favorite recipes and finalizing my menu for our annual Christmas Eve Party. Here's what I have so far and I'm thinking of including maybe some boiled crawfish,  and maybe a few grilling recipes, too, since it's supposed to be 80 degrees on Christmas day, here in Cajun country. Life doesn't get any better than that, cher!  All guaranteed to please your family and guests! Bon Appetit!

(click on recipe title to view recipe)

 Appetizers
 
Crawfish Spinach Bread Bowl

 Cajun Party Meatballs  

 Spicy Crab Stuffed Jalapenos

 Smoky Blue Cheese Dip w/ Fresh Veggies








Main Course 

Cajun Roast Turkey Breast 

Cajun Baked Ham w/ Honey-Mustard Bourbon Glaze

Sides

Loaded Baked Potato Casserole

Spinach Madeleine 

 Brandied Sweet Potatoes 

 Southern Corn Pudding





Breads 

Cranberry-Pecan Muffins 

 Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins 

Grandma's Buttermilk Biscuits







Desserts 

Marguerite's Christmas Cookies

Eggnog Bread Pudding w/ Cherry-Bourbon Sauce

Kahlua Fudge Cake w/ Kahlua Fudge Frosting

Creole Pecan Pie w/ Bourbon Whipped Cream
 



Wishing you all a happy, safe, and blessed holiday season. Merci beaucoup for stopping by!

Happy Holidays, Ya'll! 

Cajun Christmas Eve Party Buffet

With only one week to go until Christmas Eve, I have been trying to finalize my menu for my Christmas Eve party buffet. I like to have an assortment of family favorites served in a casual buffet style and let guests help themselves whenever they choose. Here is what I have so far, and I'm sure that I'll be adding a few more along the way. Bon Appetit!

Appetizers

Crawfish Spinach Bread Bowl 

Spicy Sausage Bites w/ Cheesy Beer Dip

Spicy Cajun Shrimp Dip w/ Mini Croissants

^^^^^^
Spicy Creole Crab Balls

1 lb. lump crabmeat, picked over
1/2 cup crushed saltine crackers
1 large egg
1/4 cup mayo
1 tsp. Creole seasoning
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. Creole or Dijon mustard
2 tbs.'s chopped bell pepper
2 tbs.'s chopped green onions
Vegetable oil for frying

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the egg mayo, Creole seasoning Worcestershire sauce, and Creole mustard. Add crab meat and mix gently. Add cracker crumbs evenly. Stir in the peppers and green onions. Form the mixture into 3 inch balls. ( I used a melon scoop) and place on a large cookie sheet and chill for 1 hour. Deep fry at 350 degrees for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and transfer to a serving platter. Serve with my Creole Tartar Sauce. Fab!

  ^^^^^^^^
(click on titles to view recipes)

Sides

Muffaletta Pasta Salad

Cajun Crab and Corn Casserole  

 Sausage Cornbread Dressing

Candied Sweet Potato Casserole

 Cajun String Bean Casserole

Jalapeno Cranberry Sauce

And I'll also be serving my Cajun Ham w/Honey Mustard Bourbon Glaze, which may be baked in the oven or prepared in your crock pot. So easy in the crock pot and frees up the oven for other delights. Cest bon, cher, and guaranteed to please your family and guests.

And a batch of my heavenly Peppermint Martinis. Enjoy!



Hope you all are having a wonderful, fun-filled week! Merci beaucoup for stopping by! Cheers, cher!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS YA'LL

Cajun Christmas Faves + Bayou Boogie

With just a few days to go before Christmas, I am making my list and checking it twice to make sure that I have everything that I need for our Christmas feast. Here are a few of my Christmas faves that I will be preparing for my family and friends. All are out of this world and this divine Kahlua Pecan Pie is so easy and is sinfully good! Bon Appetit!




Kahlua Pecan Pie

1/4 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tbs. flour

3 large eggs

1/2 cup Kahlua

1/2 cup dark corn syrup

3/4 cup evaporated milk

1 cup pecan halves or pieces

1 (9-inch) deep-dish pie crust, unbaked

In large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, vanilla, and flour. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the Kahlua, corn syrup, evaporated milk and pecans. Mix well and pour into the unbaked pie shell. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. Reduce to 325 degrees and bake for 40 minutes. Fab!

 Click on recipe title to view recipes

Cajun Baked Ham w/ Sugarcane-Bourbon Glaze

Spicy Crawfish Jambalaya

 Cajun Cornbread Dressing

Brandied Sweet Potatoes

Loaded Baked Potato Casserole

Caramelized Onion-Mushroom Stuffing

Cajun Corn Casserole

Spinach Madeleine

^^^^^^
Bayou Boogie

Here's another little clip of my favorite band, Wayne Toups and Zydecajun, rockin' the crowd at this year's Festival Acadiens. Crank it up for this one and let the good times roll, cher!



Wishing all of you a blessed and very Merry Christmas! 
Merci beaucoup for stopping by!

Cajun Holiday Appetizers

Tis the season for holiday parties in Cajun country and here are a few of my all time favorite, party appetizers. Every year, I love to have a casual appetizer buffet for friends and family for our annual Christmas gift exchange. A dear friend of mine gave me this fabulous shrimp recipe and I just had to share it with ya'll. It's out of this world and is perfect for your holiday party or buffet. The sauce is so good that I could drink it! Enjoy!

Margarita Shrimp Cocktail

4 cups water
2 tbs.'s salt
1 cup white wine
2 tbs.'s fresh lime juice
3 or 4 tbs.'s Cajun seasoning
3 bay leaves
2 lb.'s medium shrimp, unpeeled with heads removed
 

 Place the first 6 ingredients in a large stock pot  and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Add shrimp and boil for 5 more minutes. Cut heat off, cover and let steep for 15 minutes. Remove shrimp and allow to cool.

Peel shrimp, leaving tails on, and place in a large bowl. Meanwhile make sauce.

Sauce  
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbs.'s tequilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Few shakes Tabasco

Combine all ingredients in bowl and mix well. Add cooked shrimp and stir to coat.

Dip rims of Margarita glasses in salt. Place 6 shrimp in each glass and spoon a little extra sauce over shrimp and garnish with lemon and lime slices Fab!
 ^^^^^^
Creole Crock Pot Meatballs

1/2 lb. ground pork
1 (1/2 lbs.) ground beef
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1 egg, beaten
1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tsp.'s garlic, minced

1 or 2  jalapenos, seeded and chopped
2 tbs.'s fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 or 2 tbs.'s Creole seasoning
Salt and Tabasco to taste

In medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, breadcrumbs, and Worcestershire sauce. In large separate bowl, combine meat with all remaining ingredients. Combine the egg mixture with the meat and mix gently, but well.

Shape mixture into 2 inch balls. Arrange meatballs in baking pan and bake @ 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once halfway. Drain and place in crock pot on warm. Meanwhile make sauce.
Sauce   
1 bottle chili sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 tbs. Creole mustard
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pepper jelly
 (or your favorite jelly)
Few shakes Tabasco 
1/2 cup beer
2 tbs.'s Liquid Smoke
  
Combine all ingredients in saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Pour over meatballs and coat well. Serve in crock pot to keep warm. Sinfully good!

 ^^^^^^
Spicy Creole Deviled Eggs

8 hard boiled eggs
1/4 cup Miracle Whip Salad Dressing or mayo
2 green onions, including tops, chopped 
1 tbs. chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, chopped fine
Salt to taste
Paprika for sprinkling


Peel eggs and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop yolks out and place in mixing bowl and mash yolks with a fork. Combine Miracle Whip, onions, chilies and salt in separate bowl and add to the mashed yolks and mix well.

 Fill egg whites with yolk mixture and sprinkle with paprika. Divine!     
 ^^^^^^

And here are a few more. Click on title to view recipe.

 Mini Creole Crab Cakes

 








Bayou Buffalo Wings w/ Smoky Blue Cheese Dip

 

Crawfish Dip w/ Mini Crossaints

Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip w/ Pastry Shells

All sinfully delicious, cher!  Hope ya'll are having a fabulous week.

Merci beaucoup for stopping by!

Bon appetit!

Cajun Christmas Buffet + Bayou Boogie

Yes, it's hard to believe, but Christmas is less than two weeks away! Are you ready? I have been working on my menu for my Christmas Eve buffet, since my dear cousin is doing the honors this year and hosting the family holiday dinner on Christmas day. Thanks, cuz! I like to have a casual buffet for friends and family on Christmas Eve, and although I'm still tweaking the menu, here are some of the the appetizers that I will be serving. Enjoy! (photo courtesy of Google)

(click on titles for recipes)

  Shrimp Remoulade

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms 

 

 

 Jalapeno Cheese Bread

And this is what I have, so far, on my main menu. And a friend just called me and said that he is bringing a Cajun Fried Turkey, too!  Do you think that I have enough or should I add more? Desserts and breads will be in a separate post!

Click on titles in black for recipes.

Cajun Baked Ham w/ Sugarcane/Bourbon Glaze * Grilled Beef Tenderloin w/ Mushroom-Wine Sauce * Shrimp Fettuccini * Creole Potato Salad * Nanny's Sweet Potato Casserole * Cajun Rice Dressing * Creole Sausage Cornbread * Spinach Madeliene *  Corn Maque Choux * Nouveau Green Bean Casserole * Cranberry Jalapeno Relish * Fresh Veggie and Fruit Platters *

******

Bayou Boogie

Since I've been getting quite a few emails, asking for some more bayou boogie,  I am posting a little clip to cheer up all of mon cher amis. I know that the holidays can be a stressful time for many and hopefully this hotter than Tabasco clip of Horace Trahan and Rodney Bernard, playing Shake, Rattle, and Roll, will help to relieve some of the stress that is encountered at this time of year. Especially if you have a cold drink or two,  crank it up, and dance to it. Let the good times roll, cher! Cheers!

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

Holiday Pics + Bayou Boogie !

Here are a few pics of some of the fabulous Cajun dishes that I served on my Christmas Eve buffet. The Roast Turkey and Cornbread- Sausage Casserole were really scrumptious and the Cajun Baked Ham w/Sugarcane-Bourbon Glaze was out of this world! And this was despite the fact that I accidentally turned the oven to broil, instead of bake, for 30 minutes, before I noticed !! This is what happens when I try to cook before I have my coffee! It just charred the outside of the ham, and the inside was moist and delicious! Oh, cest bon, cher!

And what's Christmas, without some sinfully delicious BeBe's Potato Salad and Crawfish Etouffee! Cest bon, cher!

And a few more yummy sides, Broccoli-Cheese Casserole, Sweet Potato Fluff, and Cajun Cornbread Dressing! Le bon manger,cher!

Hope that ya'll had a wonderful Christmas and are relaxing, tonight, with your favorite holiday drink. A few friends stopped by and we are drinking Banana Coladas and Cranberry Jacks and listening to some classic rock mixed in with a little bayou boogie.

Cranberry Jack

1 1/2 parts Jack Daniel's Whiskey
1 part Chambord
1 part cranberry juice
2 parts sweet and sour mix
1/2 cup crushed ice
splash of 7 Up

Shake first 5 ingredients together in shaker, strain, and pour into a festive glass. Top with a splash of 7 Up and garnish with a lemon twist! Enjoy!

Time to get your toes tapping and feet moving! Cheers!

The Lost Bayou Ramblers