A Cool Cajun Lunch + Bayou Boogie

It's been hotter than hot in Cajun country and we've been eating light and trying to stay cool. I just love going for a dip in the pool and then eating a cool poolside lunch and sipping a frozen fruit smoothie. I like to make up a platter of fresh fruit for nibbling and dipping in a creamy fruit dip and maybe a yummy salad or sandwich. On the weekends, I like to grill a lot of chicken, shrimp, and veggies, and then freeze in individual containers for use in week day meals. Here are a few of my favorite recipes that I love to prepare for those hot, summer days.  Cest bon, cher! Enjoy!

Cajun Chicken Salad  

 3 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1/2 cup light mayo
1/4 cup Creole or Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. prepared horseradish
1 small red onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1/2 bell pepper, diced
1 tsp. Cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Salt to taste
Lettuce and sliced tomatoes
12 slices of your favorite bread or 6 rolls

Combine all ingredients in large bowl, mix well, and chill until ready to use. Place salad in a serving bowl and serve with bread or rolls and a platter of lettuce and tomatoes. Makes 6

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And what could be better than a platter of fresh fruit with a heavenly fruit dip. Fab!

Greek Yogurt Fruit Dip

1 (8 oz.) container Vanilla Greek Yogurt
2 tsp.'s fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. sugar or honey





Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve. Transfer to a dip bowl and enjoy!

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And why not top it all off with a refreshing frozen fruit smoothie. Here's my fave.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

6 strawberries, cut in half

1 banana, sliced
6 oz.'s vanilla frozen yogurt
1 cup low fat milk
2 tsp.'s sugar or honey, optional
Ice cubes





Place strawberries, bananas, and sugar, in blender. Add frozen yogurt and milk. Add ice cubes and blend until smooth and thick. So delicious and good for you, too!

Bon Appetit !

Hope ya'll are having a fun and fab weekend! Thanks for passing by!


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Bayou Boogie

Here's a little clip that I took at the final Spring concert at Rhythms on the River, in River Ranch. Wayne Toups and ZydeCajun were tearing it up and there was a whole lot of nitty-gritty dancin' going on. Crank it up for this one, cher, and let the good times roll. Geaux Wayne!

Chocolate-Praline Bundt Cake + Cajun Fun on the Bayou

Here's a Cajun delight that I love to make for special occasions or when I'm having guests. When I was invited to a wedding shower recently and asked to bring a dessert, I knew exactly what I wanted to bring. This rich, delectable cake is out of this world and will have you going back for more and is even more decadent when you add a little bourbon! Cheers! Bon appetit!

Chocolate-Praline Bundt Cake

2 sticks butter

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 cup water

1/8 cup bourbon (optional)

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla or almond extract

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

Spray a bundt  pan with Baker's Joy, baking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On low heat, cook the first three ingredients in a saucepan, stirring constantly, until butter melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

In large bowl, beat buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and extract, with an electric mixer, until smooth. Add butter mixture to buttermilk mixture, beating until well blended. In small bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients and add to the bowl, beating until well blended.

Pour into prepared bundt cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack and invert on cake plate, before frosting. (recipe below)

Praline Frosting

1/4 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup whipping cream

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans

Bring first three ingredients to a boil in a 2 quart saucepan and boil for 1 minute, stirring often. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla extract and powdered sugar until smooth. Stir in pecans and stir gently for about 3 minutes or until frosting begins to cool and thicken. Frost immediately because it will harden quickly. And yes, you will want to lick the spoon! Cest bon, cher!

I'll be sharing this cake at  Sweet Treats Thursday, It's a Hodgepodge Friday, Friday Potluck,  Sweets for a Saturday, Saturday Nite Special,  Sunday Showcase, A Themed Baker's Sunday, and Savory Sundays. Join in the fun!

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Cajun Fun on the Bayou

We had an absolute blast at the Spring Finale' of Rhythm's on the River in River Ranch on Thursday evening. An enormous crowd gathered to see the fabulous Marcia Ball and her talented band.

The honky tonk sounds of this fantastic band filled the Town Square and they were really jammin'up a storm. Marcia plays a mean keyboard and her soulful brand of Louisiana boogie is the best!

It was a warm and sultry evening and the drink booths were hoppin' and the wine was flowing. After all, it has been a very stressful week in Cajun country and it was almost the weekend.

Many were coming straight from work and decided to indulge in a nice dinner while relaxing with friends on the patio at the City Club. Others opted for the Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya at the Rouse's Market booth. Yum!

Then of course, there was plenty of dancing to work that dinner off and to relieve the stress of the work week. Cajuns consider dancing a good form of therapy and love every minute of it!

I took quite a few clips, that I will be sharing with ya'll, but here is my fave. My friend, Tom, was cutting the rug and really twirling that lucky girl around. This one's for you, cher!

Hope ya'll have a wonderful weekend, filled with fun! Merci beaucoup for stopping by!

Happy Friday ! + Rockin' on the River !

T.G.I.T. (thank gawd it's Thursday) doesn't even begin to describe the mood, last night, at the weekly Thursday night, "Rockin' on the River" concert, in River Ranch, in Lafayette. It was a lovely evening, with perfect, beautiful weather, with such a nice breeze. It felt more like we were in California, instead of Southwest Louisiana.

There were some who were having a nice glass of wine or two, or a few cold beers to unwind from a very stressful work week! Cheers, cher!

The folks from Rouse's Market had a tent and were dishing up lots of Cajun delights. Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya and Barbequed Ribs! Oh cest bon, cher!





 
The one and only "Louisiana Red", was playing some of the best bayou boogie around!
And some were dancing to some good old rock n' roll!

Oh, the life of a Cajun is oh, so fun!!

What do ya'll do on Thursday evenings, for fun?

Stay tuned, we have the biggest and the best festival of the year, coming up next week, Festival International de Louisiane! Five days of nothing, but glorious weather, fun, food, and music, in downtown Lafayette! Let the good times roll! For a complete schedule, click here.

Wishing everyone a fabulous and happy weekend! Like my dear Daddy always says, "Have all the fun you can, cher!" Merci beaucoup for coming by!

Christmas Fun on the Bayou !

On Sunday, after a delicious breakfast of crawfish omelettes and biscuits, we headed out to find some Cajun fun. Vermilion Ville, a Cajun heritage and folk life park , in Lafayette, was having their Old Time Christmas celebration. But first we wanted to go to the Cajun Christmas Fair, going on at River Ranch, in Lafayette. With all of the rain we've been having in Cajun Country, you might say we're in the monsoon season, again! Thanks to El Nino, we've gotten over a foot of rain, so far in December, and it's only the middle of the month.

But thankfully, the rain held off on Sunday afternoon for "The Gift of Music" fundraiser, held at River Ranch, in Lafayette. It was a family event to raise money for several area youth programs and included a gumbo challenge, old fashioned games, live music, a live nativity scene, and an arts and crafts show.

We bought a few gifts at this great jewelry booth and enjoyed some fabulous music, before heading over to Vermilion Ville for "An Old Time Christmas".

Old fashioned craft demonstrations were held all day, at Vermilion Ville and The Jambalaya Cajun Band was playing in The Performance Center, Le Jour de Fete, from 1-4 pm., where there was a whole lot of dancing going on.



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. Boat rides on the bayou were also offered.

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! A perfect ending to an enjoyable day!

Rockin' on the Bayou + T.G.I.F.

 
It's been an absolute blast here in Cajun Country, the past few days and the weekend is only beginning! Here are a few pics of last night's "Rockin' on the River" concert in River Ranch, featuring Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys. The crowd anxiously waited for the band to start.

 
Dancing, dancing, and more dancing is all this crowd wanted to do!

Steve and the Boyz, rocking the crowd!

Then, tonight at the T.G.I.F. block party, at Downtown Alive, there was more music and more dancing to the awesome blues sounds of The Marty Christian Band. They kicked things off for the fabulous Henry Gray and the Cats and were really getting down!




Henry Gray is 84 years young and can still play the daylights out of that keyboard! They were hotter than Tabasco sauce and reminded me of N'awlins.


The crowd was hungry and ready to eat. Joy's Curbside had a line that seemed to go so slow, but it was worth the wait. This is the best for Jambalya and Hot Sausage Poboys.



 
I will be headed to the swamp this weekend for more Cajun adventures and a barbeque, before going to the weekly dance at Whiskey River on Sunday. Horace Trahan and The Ossun Express will entertain the crowd. Oh the life of a Cajun, is oh so fun!
 
Hope ya'll have a fun and happy weekend! Lassiez les bon temps rouler!
 
Have all the fun you can!