Cajun Mardi Gras Treats

With Mardi Gras in full swing in Cajun country, we've been having lots of fun and there is still lots of fun to be had! Parades are rolling, and Mardi Gras beads are flying, and there is live music on every corner. Time to eat, drink, and be merry and especially to eat! Here is a fabulous, sinfully delicious menu that is guaranteed to please your family and guests. Bon appetit!

(click on titles to view recipes)

Crawfish-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms * Crawfish-Spinach Bread Bowl

Mini Creole Shrimp Cakes w/ Jalapeno Cream Sauce 

 Mardi Gras Jambalaya * Fried Catfish Bites 

 Creole Shrimp Pasta Salad * Remoulade Potato Salad * Confetti Cornbread Muffins
 

Cream Cheese Filled King Cake 

 And here are a few more Cajun Mardi Gras dessert faves!

Lemon Pie Cupcakes

1 box yellow or lemon cake mix

2 large eggs

1/2 cup water

1 can lemon pie filling

In large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, water, and pie filling. Mix with electric mixer until well blended. Spoon into festive paper muffin cups, and bake in a 325 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and frost.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8 ounce pkg. cream cheese, softened)

1 tbs.milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 cups confectioners sugar

In large bowl, mix the cream cheese, milk, vanilla, and confectioners sugar, until smooth. Add a little more milk, if needed. Spread on cooled cupcakes and top with sprinkles. Enjoy!

Decadent Bourbon Brownies w /Praline Icing

 HAPPY MARDI GRAS, YA'LL! Merci beaucoup for stopping by!

Cajun Mardi Gras Desserts

With Mardi Gras in full swing in Cajun country, I have been making my family's favorite Mardi Gras desserts. Namely, a traditional King Cake, with cream cheese filling,  and a newer, easier version of Mini King Cakes. And it wouldn't be Mardi Gras without my French Vanilla Bread Pudding w/ Praline Rum Sauce and a batch of my Chocolate Praline Brownies. All sinfully delicious and perfect for your Mardi Gras celebration. Cest bon, cher! Enjoy!

Traditional King Cake (click here for recipe)

 French Vanilla Bread Pudding w/ Praline- Rum Sauce

12 slices of French bread, torn into pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans
4 eggs
2 cups milk
1 pkg. French vanilla instant pudding mix

Place bread pieces in a 2 1/2 quart buttered casserole dish. In large bowl , mix sugar, cinnamon, eggs, milk, and pudding mix, with wire whisk, until well blended. Stir in pecans. Pour over bread pieces and blend until evenly coated. Place casserole dish in a larger baking pan, filled with one inch of water. Bake in a 350 degree oven, for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown. 
 

Praline-Rum Sauce

3/4 cup light brown sugar
4 tbs.'s butter
1 small can evaporated milk
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 tbs.'s dark rum or
2 tsp.'s rum extract


Melt butter in saucepan, and then add brown sugar, milk, and pecans. Bring to a boil and lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and stir in rum, or rum extract. Serve warm over bread pudding.

 Easy Mini King Cakes

 

1 loaf refrigerated French bread dough

3 tbs.'s butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbs. cinnamon

1 cup powdered sugar

4 to 5 tsp.'s milk

1/2 tsp. each,  vanilla and almond extracts

colored sugar - yellow, purple, green

Unroll french bread dough into a large rectangle, about 12x16 inches and brush the dough lightly with softened butter. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over butter. Cut the dough in half lengthwise and then cut crosswise into strips about 1 1/4 inches wide.  Twist two stips together and tie each strip loosely into a knot, and place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart. 

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes and allow to cool slightly.

In medium bowl, mix powdered sugar, milk, and extracts to make icing. Dip each mini cake into icing and then sprinkle with colored sugar. Fab!

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Chocolate-Praline Brownies (click here for recipe)

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 I'll be sharing these at ~

These Chicks Cooked @ This Chick Cooks

Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage 

Potpourri Friday @ 2805

Wishing you all a fun and fabulous Mardi Gras! Merci beaucoup for stopping by!

Mini Muffalettas + More Super Bowl Delights

With Super Bowl Sunday only a few days away,  I have finalized my buffet menu and wanted to share a few more of these delicious, Cajun delights with ya'll. In addition to the appetizers on my previous post, I will also be serving the following items, and I'm sure that I'll be adding a few more items, before it's all over. I tend to get carried away and am always afraid that I won't have enough food for a party. What do you think? Cest bon,cher! Enjoy!

Mini Muffalettas

24 count,  potato or other dinner rolls

1 jar Italian olive salad

1 lb. smoked ham, sliced thin

1/2 lb. provolone cheese slices, sliced thin

1/2 lb. hard salami, sliced thin

Creole or Dijon mustard

1 small onion, sliced thin

Slice rolls in half and place, inside up, on large cookie sheet. Spread the top half of rolls with Creole mustard and bottom half with olive salad. Layer salami, cheese, double layer of ham,  and onion, on top of olive salad. Top with roll. Cover with a tent of foil and place in a 300 degree oven for 10 minutes or until cheese melts. So easy!  Enjoy!

 Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 tbs. butter, softened

1 pkg. (10oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 1/2 cups (6 oz.) Colby/Jack cheese, shredded

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp. Cajun seasoning

Few shakes Tabasco

Tortilla chips or crackers

 In medium skillet, saute onion and artichokes in butter, for 5  minutes. Stir in spinach and Parmesan cheese and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Add cheese, milk, and Cajun seasoning and heat on low until cheese is melted, stirring occasionally. Add Tabasco and salt to taste. Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.

And a few more!

Click on Titles to View Recipes

Creole Shrimp and Okra Gumbo

Spicy Cajun Chicken Wings

 Crawfish Quesadillas

Sinful Bayou Crab Dip

 

Mardi Gras Slaw

Mardi Gras King Cake

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It's almost time for Mardi Gras parades and you can feel the excitement in the air. Here's a little preview clip of the Krewe of Pas Bon float, in last year's Independent Parade. Woo hoo! They were really throwing down some beads, cher! Let the good times roll!

Hope that ya'll are staying warm in the latest blast of Arctic air and blizzard! It was 70 degrees in Cajun country, yesterday, and is only 30 degrees today!  I'd like to extend a warm welcome to my new followers! Bienvenue Acadiens! Merci beaucoup for stopping by!

Mardi Gras Season in Cajun Country!

With the holidays over and fading into a distant memory, Mardi Gras season is just beginning! That magical time of year that begins on "The Twelfth Night", (the twelfth night after Christmas!), and ends at midnight on Mardi Gras Day, better known as Fat Tuesday. On the Christian calendar, the twelfth day after Christmas is known as "Epiphany", "Twelfth Night", or King's Day". It is the day that the Magi visited the baby Jesus, bearing gifts and is celebrated with it's own unique rituals. As part of these rituals, a round oval cake is baked, in honor of the three kings, and is called a "King Cake". Life is a never ending King Cake Party, in Lafayette, during carnival season and the problem with these cakes is that they are every where, and you can't stop eating them! Sinfully delicious!

Here is a fabulous recipe , that I am re-posting for the king of all cakes, the Mardi Gras King Cake. This delectable cake originated in Europe and came with French settlers to New Orleans in the 1870's. They have been a part of the Mardi Gras tradition, since then, and King Cake parties are popular throughout Louisiana. The King Cake is made with a rich dough and covered with icing and sprinkles in the Mardi Gras colors, purple, green and gold. They can be filled with many different fillings, such as lemon, strawberry, chocolate, or cream cheese. It takes a little time, but it is well worth the effort. The person who finds the plastic baby in his or her piece is said to blessed with good luck throughout the year and is designated to bring the King Cake to the next King Cake party! Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Filled Cake

1 16 oz. container sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp. salt
2 envelopes active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 tbs. sugar
2 beaten eggs
6 cups bread flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. each of cinnamon and nutmeg
2 8 0z. packages cream cheese, softened
1 large egg
1 tsp, vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
Purple, green, and gold sugar sprinkles
Vanilla frosting
1 small plastic baby doll

Dough

Cook first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan, on low heat, stiring often, until butter melts. Set aside. Stir together yeast, warm water, and sugar in a small bowl.

Beat sour cream mixture, yeast mixture, eggs, and 2 cups of the flour, and the cinnamon and nutmeg,with an electric mixer, until smooth. On low speed, continue to add the remaining flour until a soft dough forms. 

Place dough on a floured surface and knead until smooth. Place in a well greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour. Punch down dough and divide in half. Roll each section into two rectangles.( 22x12 inches, each)

Filling

Beat the sugar, cream cheese, egg, vanilla and almond extracts with an electric mixer at medium speed, until smooth. leaving 1 inch border, spread the cream cheese mixture evenly on each rectangle.

Starting with 1 long side, roll up each rectangle. On a lightly greased baking sheet, place one of the dough rolls, seam side down. Bring ends of roll together to seal, to form an oval. Repeat with second dough roll.

Cover and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes minutes or until golden. Let cakes cool for about for about 10 minutes. Insert the plastic baby doll into the cake. 

Icing 

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbs.'s lemon juice
2 tbs.'s water


Combine in medium bowl until smooth. Spoon icing onto cake and spread on top, only. Sprinkle evenly, alternating with colored (green, purple, and gold sugar sprinkles). Cool before serving. Makes 2 cakes. (15 servings each) Cest bon, cher! Bon appetit!

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Stay tuned for a series of Mardi Gras posts in the next five weeks. It's going to be a blast, cher! Have a happy, fun weekend, ya'll!! Merci for stopping by, cher amis!