Cajun Eggs Benedict Casserole + A Cajun Waltz

With guests coming for the weekend, I wanted to make a special breakfast for them. They said that they loved Eggs Benedict, so I decided to make one of my all time breakfast faves that a colleague had passed on to me at work. Eggs, crusty French bread, and smoky Andouille sausage,  topped off with a spicy Hollandaise sauce, all swirled into a scrumptious casserole. Out of this world, cher! Bon appetit!

Cajun Eggs Benedict Casserole

2 to 3 links Andouille sausage, or 12 ounces Canadian bacon, diced 

1 16. oz loaf French bread

8 large eggs

2 cups milk

1 tsp. or more Cajun seasoning

Salt and black pepper to taste

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup green onions, chopped
 

         
Tear bread into bite sized pieces and place in a buttered 9x13 inch casserole dish. Brown sausage  in skillet and drain excess oil. Place half of the sausage on top of the bread pieces. Whisk eggs, milk, and seasonings in bowl and pour over sausage layer. Top with remaining sausage, parsley, and green onions.

Cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for 15 more minutes or until set. Let rest for 10 minutes and top with Spicy Hollandaise Sauce. (recipe below)

 Spicy Hollandaise Sauce

3 large egg yolks
1 tbs. cold water
1 stick of butter cut into pieces
1 tbs. Creole or Dijon mustard
Few shakes of Tabasco
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Set a heatproof bowl over a small pot of simmering water. Whisk egg yolks with water until thickened. (about 5 minutes). Whisk in butter gradually until melted. Season with Cajun seasoning and keep warm until ready to serve. Stir in lemon juice, Tabasco, and Creole mustard.

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A Cajun Waltz

Here's another little clip that I took of the crowd enjoying a Cajun waltz at Festival Acadiens in October. Let the good times roll, cher!

 Hope that ya'll are having a wonderful Fall week! Merci beaucoup for passing by!

Peaches and Cream Pie + Bayou Blues

Here's a heavenly treat that I love to make when I'm having guests or when I'm just in the mood for a little something sweet. The scrumptious flavors in this Peaches and Cream Pie are divinely delicious and when I tell you that it's the best and the easiest peach pie that I've ever made, then you know that I mean it, cher! Enjoy!

Peaches and Cream Pie

Pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie
(homemade or store bought)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
2 cups sliced fresh or frozen peaches
1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 inch pie pan with crust. Combine the sugar and flour in a large bowl and mix well with fork. Add the peaches and toss to coat evenly. Add the peaches to the pie crust and spread evenly. Pour the cream evenly over the peaches and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until set.

Cool before serving and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Fabulous!

I'll be sharing this at:

Strut Your Stuff Saturday

Saturday Nite Special

Sunday Showcase Party

Sweet Indulgences Sunday 
What's Cooking Wednesday
Full Plate Thursday
Show and Tell Friday
Friday Potluck

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Bayou Blues

It's been a hot and stressful week, here in Cajun country, and I'm chillin' out tonight with some good ole bayou blues. Here's a little clip of one of my favorite blues bands, gettin down at the Simi Cajun Blues Festival. Grab yourself a cold one, cher, and crank it up for this "hotter than hot" band. Cheers!

  Hope ya'll are having a great weekend! Merci beaucoup for stopping by!

Spicy Creole Shrimp Cakes + Shrimp Festival Preview !

Here's a fabulous recipe that I acquired at last year's Shrimp Festival, in Delcambre, La. When I tell you that these spicy, succulent, shrimp cakes are "over the top", GOOD, then you know that I mean it, cher! And topping them off with this rich, sinful jalapeno cream sauce, will really send you into orbit! Cest bon, cher! Enjoy! Bon appetit!

 

Spicy Creole Shrimp Cakes

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled, deveined. and chopped

1/2 cup each, onions, red bell peppers, and green peppers, chopped

2 green onions, finely chopped

2 tbs.'s fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 cup whole kernel corn

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tbs. Acadiana Spice seasoning or Cajun seasoning

Few shakes hot sauce
2 tbs.'s mayonaise

1 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Mix shrimp, bread crumbs, eggs, mayo, sauteed onions and peppers and seasoning in large bowl. Mix well and form into cakes. On medium heat, heat oil and add shrimp cakes, and fry for 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Makes 5 cakes or 10 cakes.

Jalapeno Cream Sauce

1 or 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped fine

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 cup each, chopped onion, red bell pepper, and

green bell pepper

2 tbs. vegetable oil

Salt to taste
1/3 cup whipping cream

2/3 cup light sour cream

Saute onions and peppers in medium skillet, in oil over low heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients. Mix well and simmer for 5 minutes. Makes 1 1/4 cups.

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Time for the Shrimp Festival!

It's that time again, for one of my favorite festivals! The 60th annual, Delcambre Shrimp Festival, kicked off last night and runs through Sunday! There will be tons of shrimp, they have assured us, prepared every which way that you can imagine, lots of great live music, with an all day, fais do do on Saturday, a carnival for the kids, and the blessing of the fleet on Sunday. But what I'm looking forward to the most is the Shrimp Cook-Off, which is taking place, tomorrow, Saturday, August 21, beginning at 9:00am, with tastings beginning around noon. I can't wait to taste all of the different entries in this shrimp lover's event! For a complete schedule, click here. Come on out and support our shrimpers and let the good times roll!

Wishing you all a wonderful, fun-filled weekend! Merci beaucoup for stopping by!

Grilled Beef Tenderloin w/ Mushroom Wine Sauce

Here's one of my favorite recipes from one of my favorite cookbooks. "Something to Talk About", compiled by the Junior League of Lafayette is chocked full of nouveau and traditional Cajun recipes for occasions we celebrate in South Louisiana. Recipe entries are from many of the great Cajun cooks of Lafayette. From Mardi Gras fare to Christmas dinner, this special collection of recipes will help you to prepare and enjoy the world famous Cajun cuisine, no matter where you live. Cest bon! Bon Appetit'!


  Click on title to see a review of this cookbook.  "Something to Talk About"

Grilled Beef Tenderloin

Beef

 
2 lbs beef tenderloin
3 tbs.'s olive oil
1 1/2 tsp.'s salt
1 1/2 tsp.'s pepper

 








Mushroom Wine Sauce

 
1 1/2 cups butter or margarine
6 shallots, chopped
4 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 ounces sliced mushrooms
2 tbs.'s all-purpose flour
1 10 oz. can beef consomme'
3/4 cup red wine

For the beef, preheat the grill. Coat the beef with olive oil. Rub a mixture of the salt and pepper into the beef. Place on a grill rack and grill over hot coals for 30 minutes for medium.

For the sauce, melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the shallots, onions, and garlic. Saute' for 2 to 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms. Saute for 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in the beef consomme' and red wine for 5 to 8 minutes, until sauce has thickened. Serve immediately over the beef. Serves 6 to 8 Serve with a big tossed salad and some good French bread to soak up the wonderful flavor of this delectable sauce. Le bon, manger!

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Festival Fun

I have received a few requests for more festival dancing videos, so here is one that I took on the Saturday of Festival Acadiens, earlier this month, before the dance area turned into a mud slide. Enjoy! Let the good times roll, cher! Hope that you're all having a great weekend! Happy Halloween!

Balfa Toujour

A Cajun Woodstock

Salle de Dance

A "Cajun Woodstock " perfectly describes the upcoming, 27th annual, " Festival Acadiens et Creole"! Only 3 more days!! This year's festival will kick off on, Fri., October 9th, at Downtown Alive , with Feufollet, Jimmy C. Newman, and Doug Kershaw and continue on Saturday, October 10th, through Sun., October 11th, in Girard Park, in central Lafayette. Three days of nothing but, Cajun fun, music and food!! It is going to be a blast! This is the big one, the one that celebrates all things Cajun and Creole! Here are a few pics, out of the hundreds that I took, at last year's festival. (click to enlarge)

The music, the food, the art, the culture, the people! Festival Acadiens et Creole will host three different music stages, providing a non- stop music and dancing atmosphere. Many families set up gazebos where they barbeque and visit and catch up with with old friends. You see just about everyone that you ever knew and meet lots of new people from all over the world!

 The Louisiana Craft Fair

Festival de Musique

 

Put on your dancing shoes for the Festival de Musique that will host over 40 bands with many of my favorites. Wayne Toups & ZydeCajun, Balfa Toujours, Bonsoir Catin, The Lost Bayou Ramblers, Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole, Feu Follet, Lil' Nathan & the Zydeco Big Timers, High Performance, and the list goes on and on!!!

For a complete schedule, go here.

Bayou Food Festival

And you won't want to miss the wonderful variety of Cajun and Creole cuisine, that will be for sale by many of Acadiana's award winning Cajun and Creole restaurants. Oh cest bon, cher! Le Bon Creole and Landry's Cafe' are my faves. I cannot wait to have a fried Crawfish Poboy and Crawfish Pie and a Louisiana Rum Muffin. See ya'll there! And for those of you who can't make it, wish you were here!!! Lassiez les bon ton rouler, cher!!!

Le Bon Vieux Temps Noel + Pecan Pralines

After a delicious Sunday brunch at home, we decided to take a break from Christmas shopping and headed out to find some fun. Vermilion Ville, a Cajun/Creole Heritage and Folklife Park, was having their annual Le Bon Vieux Temps Noel. The weather was warm and balmy which was perfect for walking around the grounds, along the Vermilion Bayou and attending the various activities planned for the day. 

There was a Praline Cooking demonstration at the Cooking School, L'ecole de Cuisine. Margo Latiolais was making pralines, a delicacy among Cajuns, and gave out samples to the guests. When I tell you that these were the best pralines that I have ever eaten. Ca' Cest Bon'! Old fashioned craft demonstrations were held all day and many children enjoyed learning the art of candle making.

The Jambalaya Cajun Band played in The Performance Center, Le Jour de Fete, from 1-4 pm., where there was a whole lot of dancing going on. Then someone told us that they were serving a delicious Christmas buffet at the restaurant, La Cuisine de Maman. Who could resist an all you can eat Cajun Christmas buffet! (highly recommended) A perfect ending to an enjoyable day.

Margo's Pecan Pralines

2 cups brown sugar
2 cups white sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
2 Tbls. melted butter
2 Tbls vanilla
2 cups pecans, whole or chopped

*Mix brown and white sugar,and evaporated milk
*Continue cooking on medium heat until mixture reaches a softball stage
*Stir constantly and add butter, vanilla, and pecans
*Continue cooking about 1 minute or until mixture is thick again
*Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper

Enjoy!

Another Great Weekend

Well, hopefully ya'll have recouped from the Festival Acadiens and are ready to go again. There is a great festival, this coming weekend in Lafayette, at Acadian Village, on Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25. Louisiana's hottest folk roots bands, along with a variety of groups from all over the country will entertain the crowds. Cajun music legend, D.L. Menard and The Terry Huval Band will kick things off on Friday, at 6:30 p.m. With Fall temperatures predicted and sunny skies, it will be a pure pleasure to be outdoors and take in all of what the area has to offer. Get out and enjoy the wonderful festival atmosphere at the 3rd Annual Blackpot Festival and Cookoff, in Lafayette, at Acadian Village

 A few of the 19 regional bands slated to perform at the Blackpot Festival are The Racines, Feufollet, Balfa Toujours, and The Pine Leaf Boys, with the Red Stick Ramblers closing out the festival on Saturday night. And don't forget about the food. The Blackpot Festival celebrates the old fashioned Cajun way of cooking with black cast ironed pots, without electricity. This cook-off challenges chefs to make their best recipe and then share it with the lucky crowd. Tent camping will be offered, again this year, for those who enjoy camping. For a complete schedule and more details, check out: www.blackpotfestival.com