Spicy Crawfish Enchiladas + Crawfish Festival Preview

Here's a Cajun fave that is just perfect for your Cinco de Mayo celebration or anytime that you're in the mood for a sinfully delicious dish. Layers of scrumptious crawfish and cheese, with plenty of heat and topped with green onions. Well, it just doesn't get any better than that, cher! Enjoy!

Spicy Crawfish Enchiladas

3 tbsp.'s butter
1  onion, chopped
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
1 bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 lb. peeled crawfish tails or shrimp
1 tsp. or more, Cajun seasoning
1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 can hot enchilada sauce, divided
1 (4 oz.) can green chilies, drained
1 tsp. or more, Cajun seasoning
1 10-count package flour tortillas
1 (1/2) cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

In large skillet, saute the onion, bell pepper, seasoning, and crawfish tails, on medium heat, for about 15 minutes.

Pour in mushroom soup, half of the enchilada sauce, and green chilies. Stir and mix well. Add salt to taste. Cover and simmer for 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Place tortilla in a shallow dish and spread 1/2 cup of the mixture on top, sprinkle with cheddar cheese, roll, and place in a greased, 13x9 baking pan, with seams down. Repeat.

When complete, pour other half of enchilada sauce, evenly on top and sprinkle top with remaining cheddar cheese,   green onions, and cilantro. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until bubbly and cheese melts. Cest bon, cher! Bon Appetit! 

Note: Shrimp may be substituted for crawfish. 

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Time for the Crawfish Festival!

The 51st annual Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival will kick off on Friday, May 6, at 5:00 pm and run through Sunday, May 8. Yes, another  great festival!  What started out as a small, hometown festival  in the sixties, has grown into one of  Louisiana's largest festivals and is one of my faves. There will be crawfish prepared every which way, and a stellar musical line-up, with 3 music stages and 3 straight days of live Cajun and Zydeco music. For a complete schedule, click here. See ya'll there!

And here's a little clip that I took at last year's festival of the high-spirited crowd, dancing a two-step to the spicy sounds of Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys. Let the good times roll! 

Wishing you all a fab weekend, filled with fun! Have all the fun you can, cher! Merci beaucoup for stopping by!

Time for Jazz Fest

And for those of you who are wondering if you should make the second weekend of Jazz fest in New Orleans or for those of you who would like to listen to a live broadcast of this fabulous festival, click here,  to see a complete schedule.

I'm a Hog For You Baby !

Some old friends dropped by last night just as we were finishing dinner. (beer can chicken, with a little creole jambalaya, and baked beans on the side). They couldn't resist a plate, so they ate and I put on a little Clifton Chenier music and opened the nice bottle of wine that they brought. These were two of my oldest and dearest friends in the world that I went to college with. We went through everything together back then and continue to go through everything together now.


In college, we used to go to a honky- tonk dancehall, out in the country on the weekends called Jay's Lounge, in nearby Cankton, Louisiana. It was a dump, but nobody cared because there was a very special band that played there on Saturday nights, Clifton Chenier and His Red Hot Louisiana Band. Boy, did we ever have a blast at Jay's!

Clifton could move a crowd like no other musician I've ever seen. The nitty-gritty dancing that used to go on in that place was as hot as his highly seasoned , pulsating music. The big wooden dancefloor would vibrate and at times, I thought we would cave it in.

He became better known as "The King of Zydeco" and to this day, long after his death, no one can hold a candle to his spicy, soulful, bluesie, Cajun/ Zydeco moves. He was one of the best accordion players that ever lived and captured the very essence of the Louisiana gumbo and multi-cultural spirit that has evolved in Cajun Country over the past 250 years. 

My favorite album is "Clifton Chenier Out West w/ Steve Miller & and Elvin Bishop". Now that was one hot gig! Here he is shown playing at Jazz Fest in New Orleans, in 1977 , playing one of my favorites, "I'm a Hog For You Baby"! More videos at the end of the clip. Let the good times roll. cher!