Cajun Thanksgiving Faves + More Cajun Fun!

With only a little over two weeks until Thanksgiving, I've been tweaking my menu and have come up with a list of my family's "must have" faves. Of course, the list includes some of the time honored recipes handed down from my dear mother, aunts, and grandmother, and a few newer dishes, just to keep things interesting. I'll be adding more as the big day gets closer and will be posting lots more recipes, so stay tuned! 






Thanksgiving Menu, so far! (click on titles for recipes)

Cajun Smoked Turkey w/ Giblet Gravy *

Cajun Baked Ham w/Sugarcane-Bourbon Glaze

Jalapeno Cornbread Dressing * Creole Rice Dressing * Cajun Oyster Stuffing 

 Brandied Sweet Potatoes * String Bean Casserole * Cajun Corn Casserole *

  Sweet Potato Biscuits * Buttermilk-Sage Cornbread Muffins * 

Pumpkin Bread Pudding w/Chocolate-Bourbon Sauce* Grandma's Chocolate Cake *
Marguerite's Pecan Pie

All sinfully delicious, cher, but I wanted to share this fabulous sweet potato recipe that is one of my Dad's favorites. It's simple and easy and goes well with chicken, pork, or ham, too.
Bon appetit!

Brandied Sweet Potatoes

2 - 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cane or maple syrup
1/4 cup water
3 tbs.'s brandy
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

Place sweet potatoes in large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes, or until tender, but firm. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large skillet on low heat. Stir in the brown sugar, brandy, maple syrup, water, and salt and cook for 1 minute, stirring often. Add the sweet potatoes and stir gently to coat. Place in a buttered casserole dish, sprinkle with cinnamon and bake @ 350 degrees for 20 minutes, basting with sauce, half way through. ! Out of this world, cher!

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The Giant Omelette Festival

It was another great weekend in Cajun country, with beautiful Fall weather and loaded with lots of fabulous Cajun food, music, and fun! We headed over to Abbeville, on Sunday, for the 26th annual Giant Omelette Festival. The Confrerie d' Abbeville were cracking the 5,000 eggs for the giant omelette, when we arrived.

And the Tabasco dance troop was entertaining the crowd.

There was a fantastic musical line-up, arts and crafts show , and food booths galore!

This was my favorite booth of all! I couldn't resist a crab and shrimp pie and some crawfish fettuccini.

Then it was finally time to make the giant omelette, in a 12 foot skillet, set up in the middle of town. Fifty pounds of the Cajun trinity, butter and crawfish went into this one-of-a-kind omelette, which was then served to the crowd in bowls, in individual servings! Le bon mange!

Here's a little clip I took of the giant omelette being cooked with the Fa Tras Band, playing in the background. What a blast! Only in Louisiana, cher!

Hoping ya'll are having a wonderful week! Merci for stopping by!

Grilled Stuffed Jalapenos + Cajun Tailgating Fun

We had an absolute bon' ton' at the Ragin' Cajuns tailgating party on Saturday! The stage was set at Cajun Field for an afternoon of pure indulgence in the best tailgating food than you could ever imagine. As far as the eye could see, there were Cajun men everywhere, grilling and frying up their best stuff and cooking succulent side dishes, jambalaya, and gumbo, too. It was a bit warm and humid, and by the time I made my way around the huge tailgating area, I was working up quite a sweat! And getting full too, as I was offered a taste and a beer at each grill, but had to stop eating and switch to water, half way through!  It was a blast! Here were a few of my favorites.

This guy was grilling some Andouille sausage and boudin. Cest bon, cher!

This one was frying some chicken wings and they were finger lickin' good!

This one was grilling some huge steaks and the smell was making my mouth water. To die for, cher!

These two guys were cooking a chicken and sausage gumbo and some smothered potatoes. Both were out of this world!

These two were grilling up a big batch of wings with this pork jambalaya on the side. Divine!

And last, but not least,  were these sinfully delicious grilled, stuffed jalapenos and some fresh pork sausage!

These two guys were kind enough to share the recipe with me. So quick and easy, too.

Warning: These are addictive! Fabulous!

Grilled Stuffed Jalapenos

12 large jalapenos, seeded and cut in half

1 lb. bacon, cut in thirds

4 ounces cream cheese

4 ounces of grated pepper jack cheese

1 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 cup onions, chopped fine
Salt to taste

Combine the cream cheese, shredded cheese, onions,  and salt in a medium sized bowl. Mix well. Fill the jalapenos and wrap each one with a bacon strip. Secure with toothpicks.  Grill on medium hot grill for about 10 to 12 minutes,  or until bacon is crisp.

Hot, spicy, and so delicious! Bon Appetit!

Wishing ya'll a wonderful week, filled with good times! Merci beaucoup for coming by!

Another Fabulous Cajun Weekend !

It's Friday and that means it's time for the weekend and some good ole Cajun fun! Since getting off from work at noon on Friday's is a tradition in Lafayette, for many, the fun starts with a fabulous Cajun lunch at one of our, over 300 wonderful restaurants, and that number doesn't include fast food. Today's pick was Dwyer's Cafe', in downtown Lafayette. T.G.I.F., cher!

Dwyer's is a landmark in Lafayette and has been serving up delectable Cajun cuisine for over 40  years! Their delicious daily buffet is always tempting , but I was in the mood for a shrimp poboy, after sticking to my veggie diet all week. Oh cest bon, cher!

And for those of you who's mouths are watering over this scrumptious looking poboy, I am re-posting my Shrimp Poboy recipe for those of you who might want to make one of these at home or add it to your Cajun recipe file. And please try my Poboy Spread recipe, too!

Marguerite's Creole Poboy Spread

Combine:

1/2 cup light mayo

1/4 cup creole or dijon mustard

1 tbs. ketchup
1 tbs. pickle relish

1 tbs.. horseradish

few shakes sea salt

few shakes Tabasco

Stir until well blended and chill for 30 minutes, while frying shrimp.

Fried Shrimp Poboys

1 lb. large, peeled and diveined shrimp (24 ct.)
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, combined with 1/2 tsp. black pepper
4 eggs
1 cup Pet milk
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups flour
2 cups fine French bread crumbs
Vegetable oil for frying

2 loaves French bread, 2 tomatoes, sliced, shredded lettuce, Creole poboy spread

Season shrimp with the pepper, rubbing on all sides.
In shallow bowl,whisk the eggs, then add the Pet milk and the salt.
Spread the flour on one cookie sheet and the bread crumbs on another.
Roll shrimp in the flour, then in the egg mixture.
Then roll the shrimp in the breadcrumbs.
Arrange on large platter and chill for 15 minutes.

Place vegetable oil about 3 inches deep in a large, heavy skillet. Heat until oil reaches 375 degrees. Deep fry the shrimp, in batches, turning after 3 minutes, on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Brush inside of each loaf with my Creole Spread, and add lettuce and tomato. Arrange, 12 on each poboy and cut in halves. Serves 4 Enjoy!

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T.G.I.F.

Then tonight I will be joining friends at Downtown Alive for the weekly T.G.I.F Block Party and an awesome concert at Parc International . The infamous Cowboy Mouth will take the stage around 6:00 pm. If you've never seen this hard rockin', high energy band, you're in for a treat!

Tomorrow afternoon, we'll be tailgating at Cajun Field, and rooting for the Ragin' Cajuns when they take on Middle Tennessee. Game time 6:00 pm. Geaux Cajuns! There will be scrumptious food galore, with tons of gumbo, jambalaya, chili, and a whole lotta grilling going on! Woo Hoo!

And on Sunday, we'll be heading over to the Sugarcane Festival in New Iberia for a bon' ton' and MORE delectable Cajun food, great live Cajun and Zydeco music, and lots of festivities! Come on out and get into the festival spirit and enjoy everything that this festival has to offer. For a complete schedule, click here.

What are your plans for the weekend ? Whatever they include, I hope that ya'll have a fantastic, fun-filled time! Cheers and merci beaucoup for stopping by!

Blow-Out on the Bayou + Crawfish Quesadillas !

It was another fun weekend in Cajun country, packed with great food, great music, and great times! We headed over to the Blue Moon Saloon, on Sunday, for a fundraiser event and benefit dance to help out a worthy cause. NuNu's Nitelife and Cafe', in Arnaudville, La., recently suffered extensive damage from a fire and this event was held to help them rebuild. Everything was donated and all proceeds went to the cause. The place was packed and the event was a huge success.

There were 6 local bands playing, including one of my favorites, Ryan Brunet and Les Malfecteurs. They were hotter than Tabasco and the crowd was doing some nitty- gritty dancing.

There was a lot of great Cajun food, for sale, and the smell was heavenly! These pork steaks, rice dressing, and red beans were fabulous and I had a little bit of each! Ca cest bon, cher!

There was a silent auction, with work donated from local artists, and there were T-shirts and cd's for sale. I loved this painting done on a piece of cypress, but someone else had already bought it.

 

Here's a little clip that I took, in between dances, of Ryan Brunet and Les Malfecteurs. The crowd loved this band and were really cutting the rug! The wooden dance floor was vibrating and the fans, (no air conditioning) were working overtime. Really sweated off a few pounds!

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We ran into some friends that told us about another fun event going on at Artmosphere, which is a restaurant, art gallery, and live music venue, and is just one block away from the Blue Moon. The Green Monkeys Foundation of Louisiana, was holding the first in a series of "Deep South Sundays", with Cajun dance lessons, a booray card game, and live music, all in an effort to preserve our Cajun culture. We couldn't resist checking it out!

Corey Ledet and His Zydeco Band were just taking the stage, but I needed a little break.

These Cajun gals were having a blast!

I ordered a Lemon Basil Martini and sat back and listened to the music for a while. The aroma coming from the kitchen was wonderful and I asked to see a menu.

After all that dancing, I was starting to get hungry again. I decided to order one of my favorite items on the menu, the Crawfish Quesadillas. Cest bon! Divine, cher! For my recipe on how to make this succulent creation at home, click here.
Great with shrimp, too! Oh the life of a Cajun is so much fun!

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

Spicy Cajun Margarita Shrimp + More Cajun Fun!

Here's another Cajun favorite, that is quick and easy and is out of this world, cher! I am happy to say that shrimp are, once again plentiful, here in Cajun country, so you might say that I've been making up for lost time. I have had shrimp, every day, for the past five days, and this is one of my absolute faves! Oh cest bon, cher! Bon Appetit!

 
Spicy Cajun Margarita Shrimp

2 lbs.  large shrimp, peeled and deveined, with tails left on
1/4 cup tequila
2 tbs.'s olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Place all ingredients, except shrimp, in a large zip lock bag. Shake to combine. Add shrimp and shake again. Refrigerate and allow to marinate for 1 hour. Drain marinade and place the shrimp in a large grill skillet and cook on a medium hot grill for 3 minutes on each side. Serve in a big salad or with steamed or grilled veggies, and a big frozen Margarita for a perfect summer meal! Cheers, cher!

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3rd Annual "Best Fest"

What do you get when you take the "Best Bakery" in Lafayette and team it up with the "Best Law Firm"? "Best Fest", with a free hamburger, along with free entertainment! Every year The Times of Acadiana, a local entertainment newspaper, conducts a poll of the "BEST OF" everything and residents cast their ballets. The Glenn Armentor Law Firm was voted #1 for the third year in a row. And Southside Bakery, which is also a restaurant, was not only voted the #1 bakery, but has won, hands down, for "Best Hamburgers" for 3 years in a row. To show his appreciation for this prestigeous honor, Mr. Armentor generously offered to pick up the tab for these #1 hamburgers to the first 2500 people to arrive at the #1 bakery. Only in Lafayette!

Thousands turned out and stood in the sweltering 95 degree heat for a chance for a free hamburger. The line was all the way around the building, with more arriving every minute!

 
There was a nice big tent set up, with free bottled water and huge fans. Wish that we could have these at our big festivals. Dozens of prizes were given away and there was live entertainment.

 
Jamie Bergeron and the Kickin' Cajuns were rockin' the crowd, who were also voted "Best Band" in Acadiana. Here's a little clip I took of them, boogie-ing down at the Best Fest!

Hope you're all having a wonderful summer weekend! Merci beaucoup for coming by!

Jamie Bergeron and the Kickin' Cajuns

Cajun Crawfish Delights + Crawfish Festival Preview

A good friend of mine stopped by yesterday and brought me several large bags of fresh cleaned crawfish tails. Oh, a man after my heart and a good friend indeed! I will be making lots of crawfish dishes in the month of May, with this wonderful stash in my freezer. Another dear friend, Drick @ Drick's Rambling Cafe, asked me to post a recipe for a Crawfish-Spinach Bread Bowl, after he saw a photo of one, on one of my Festival International posts. Well, I am delighted to oblige, since the basic recipe is already on my blog! Here it is, with a few tweaks. Enjoy and bon appetit', cher!

Crawfish Spinach Bread Bowl

1 lb.peeled, cleaned crawfish tails
1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 cup butter
1 8 0z. carton sour cream
1 cup shredded cheese
1 small can Rotel tomatoes
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tbs.'s fresh parsley
Salt to taste
Cajun seasoning, to taste
Large loaf of round French bread

Saute the onion in the butter, in large skillet until tender. Add the tomatoes w/ liquid and salt and cook for 10 minutes on medium heat, stirring often. Add the crawfish and cook for 10 more minutes. Add the soups and a little water, to desired consistency, and blend well and cook on low heat for 20 minutes. Add the spinach, sour cream, cheese, and parsley, and Cajun seasoning, to taste, stir well, and cook on low for 10 more minutes.

Scoop out center of a large bread bowl and fill with crawfish-spinach mixture. Place filled bread bowl on baking sheet and bake @ 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Serve with crackers or mini toasts. This recipe is also delicious, with small shrimp, instead of crawfish, or without the crawfish, for vegetarians. Cest bon, cher!

Time for the Crawfish Festival!

Yes,we get to do it all over again, for another wonderful 3 day festival, beginning this evening at the 50th Annual Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival, in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. Pegged as "the crawfish capital of the world" Breaux Bridge knows how to throw a party. There will be tons of crawfish, prepared every which way you can imagine, a fantastic musical line-up, with three music stages, carnival rides for the kids, and a whole lot more. Click here for a complete schedule. I simply can't wait to visit the Two Cajuns Cafe', food booth and have some of their divine Crawfish Bisque and their sinfully good Grand Isle Shrimp and Crab Etouffee! Of course, that's after I have 3 lbs. or so, of fabulous Louisiana boiled crawfish, and dance a little! Wish you ALL were here!

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Here's a little clip that I took at last year's festival! Let the good times roll, cher!
Hope ya'll have a fabulous weekend! Merci for stopping by!

Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys

MORE Festival Fun ! - Day 2

It was another fabulous evening at Festival International de Louisiane! A gorgeous Spring evening with a lovely breeze and lots of great music and food. We started out at the Pavilion de Cuisine with some delicious Crawfish Nachos and Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya. Cest bon and out of this world, cher! After enjoying this delicious treat, my companions and I headed over to Scene Popeyes to catch the opening ceremonies. The French Immersion students were carrying flags, (see top photo), representing all of the countries that have participated in Festival International. (click to enlarge to view cuisine and drink menu)

The French Immersion program serves to preserve the Cajun French language and culture. The National Anthem was sung by a former student, and the more than 1500 volunteers who made this year's festival possible were recognized. For a complete schedule click here.

Next up was the amazing group, Grupo Fantasia , out of Austin, Texas, whose goal is to advance the Latin music sound. Well , they sure reached their goal in Lafayette, and they were fantastic! This exciting, funky, 10 member band "really had it going on" and they totally mesmerized the crowd with their hypnotic beats and cohesive style.! One of the best things about this festival is getting to experience all different kinds of music from all over the world. Here's a little clip that I took. Enjoy !

Grupo Fantasia

After a 15 minute, cold beverage break, the next band up was the fabulous, Sonny Landreth Band! Sonny is one of the most gifted slide guitar players in the world, as well as an old friend of mine from the college days. Back then, I dated one of his best friends, a "then" jazz drummer, who is "now" a priest! (that's another post, entirely) Anyway, he just blew the crowd away with his spectacular guitar moves and "hotter than hot" band! Here's a little snippet of this talented Louisiana artist in action! Geaux Sonny!

Sonny Landreth Band

The crowd was much larger, last night, and with several hundred thousand festival goers expected for the weekend, it's all going to be a blast, cher!! Starting tonight, all six stages will be up and running. Imagine six stages of incredible international and local music, within a six block radius, and all of this wonderful music is free! But, be sure to buy a festival pin, to keep the festival free! (a $10. donation) See ya'll there! Oh, the life of a Cajun, is oh so good!! Have a wonderful, fun weekend, mon cher amis! Merci beaucoup for stopping by!

Spicy Shrimp Creole + A Fun Cajun Lunch!

It was such a beautiful Spring day, yesterday, that I decided to take a ride to Delcambre, Louisiana and buy some fresh shrimp, right off the docks. Delcambre is the "shrimp capital of the world", for real! The shrimp were on sale and I couldn't resist buying 10 lbs. of the beautiful fresh shrimp that are sold there. I figured that I would freeze these beauties in 2 lb. bags and use, as needed. When I arrived home, my dear son requested that I cook a Shrimp Creole, so that settled it for the first 2 lbs., for dinner last night. This spicy dish is bursting with flavor and can be served over rice, or with your favorite pasta. Add a big tossed salad, a good loaf of French bread, and a glass of wine, for a delicious meal that will delight your guests. Cest bon, cher! Bon Appetit!

Marguerite's Shrimp Creole

2 lbs. medium shrimp
2 tbs.'s olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper , chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 tsp.'s garlic, minced
1 bunch green onions, chopped, (including tops)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 16 oz. can finely diced canned tomatoes
1 8 0z. can of roasted garlic tomato sauce
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tbs.'s lemon juice
2 tbs.'s Creole or Cajun seasoning, divided
2 or 3 bay leaves
1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
Salt and Tabasco to taste

Squeeze lemon juice on shrimp and season with 1 tbs. Creole or Cajun seasoning. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy skillet, over medium heat. Add onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic, and saute for 5 minutes. Add seasoned shrimp and saute for 5 more minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, white wine, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in green onions , parsley and Worcestershire sauce, cover and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cest bon, cher! Enjoy!

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T.G.I.F Fun at Bach Lunch!

Another picture perfect day, in Cajun country, with not a cloud in the sky! We headed down to the weekly Bach Lunch, at Parc Sans Souci, in downtown Lafayette. And yes, we do this every Friday, at noon, and then come back, every Friday night for Downtown Alive!! We found a happy crowd, enjoying the hot Cajun band, "The Saint Street Aces" and three different boxed lunches from several local eateries. There were a lot of children at today's Bach Lunch, and they were cutting the rug, as well. 

Merci beaucoup for stopping by, mon amis! Ya'll are the best!