Spicy Cajun Seafood Casserole

Here's a Cajun favorite that is perfect for the Lenten season and so easy for those busy days. The succulent shrimp, crawfish, and crab meat,  blends perfectly with the delectable, spicy cheese sauce,  and the rice adds a nice texture. It is a very versatile recipe and can also be made with a pound of just shrimp, crawfish, or crab meat,  or whatever you have available. It can be made in advance as it freezes well, and then thawed and popped into the oven when ready to serve. Cest bon, cher! Bon appetit!

1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup each, red and green bell pepper,chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
2 tsp.'s garlic, minced
1 or 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup green onions, sliced thin
1/2 stick butter
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 soup can half n' half or milk, plus a little more, if needed
1/2 lb. each, fresh shrimp, crawfish tails, and crab meat
1 tsp. or more Cajun seasoning
 Few shakes Tabasco sauce
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

Melt butter on medium heat, in large,  heavy skillet. Saute the first 5 ingredients in the butter , until soft. (about 10 minutes)  Add seafood, seasoning, parsley, and green onions, and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Add soups, half n' half, and Tabasco and mix well. Fold in the rice, mixing gently, but well. Transfer to a greased 13x9 inch baking dish and top with breadcrumbs and cheese Bake at 350 degrees, for 35 to 40 minutes or until bubbly and browned. Sinfully delicious! Enjoy!

Serve with a big tossed salad, a glass of white wine, and my Cajun-Style French Bread.
 (click here for the recipe)

I am sharing these at~

Strut Your Stuff Saturday @ Six Sister's Stuff

See Ya in the Gumbo Potluck @ Ms. EnPlace

Sunday Showcase Party @ Under the Table and Dreaming

Wishing ya'll a fun and fab weekend! Merci beaucoup for stopping by!

Crab and Shrimp Etouffee' + Festival Lagniappe!

Here's a family favorite that will tantalize your taste buds beyond belief and have you going back for seconds! Succulent crab meat and shrimp, combined in a spicy Cajun stew is guaranteed to please, cher! And so easy, for those busy days. Serve with a big tossed salad and plenty of French bread. Ca cest bon! Enjoy!


 

Crab and Shrimp Etouffee'

1 cup chopped onions,
1/2 cup each, bell peppers. and celery
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp.'s minced garlic
1 can Rotel brand, diced tomatoes and green chilies, (undrained)
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 tbs. Cajun seasoning
Salt to taste
Few good shakes Tabasco
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 cups water or seafood stock
1/2 cup white wine
Juice of 1 lemon
1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb. lump crab meat
4 tbs.'s butter
4 tbs.'s flour

Coat shrimp with lemon juice, season with Cajun seasoning, and set aside. Melt the butter in a large heavy pot, on low heat. Add the flour and stir constantly, until a light to medium brown color is reached. Add chopped onion, bell pepper , celery, garlic, and tomatoes and saute on low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking. Add the water or stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat and add seasoned shrimp, crab meat, and white wine and stir. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add parsley and green onions in the last ten minutes of cooking time. Add a few good shakes of Tabasco and serve over hot cooked rice. Serves 4.Le bon manger! Bon appetit!

 












Festival Lagniappe!

It was another fun-filled Cajun weekend, at the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival! Except for a few clouds and sprinkles, here and there, the weather held up and the stormy weather stayed to our north and east. A good rain came in the night and I slept right through it.

The music was great with a super line-up, and the crowd was ready to dance! Several of my faves were playing, including Keith Frank and the Soileau Family Band and Hunter Hayes!

My friend's brother-in-law owns this drink stand, so we had special privileges!

I ate crawfish galore, but couldn't resist stopping by the "Roger's Cajun Pistol" booth, and getting one of these! Oh cest bon, cher! Sinfully delicious!

 





We had to cancel our plans for Jazz Fest, on Sunday. New Orleans was under a tornado watch, with rain and wind. You win a few, you loose a few, and a few are just rained out, cher! Cie la vie!

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Please keep the entire gulf coast in your thoughts and prayers in the coming days, as the giant oil spill inches ever so closer to land. So many people I know are either in the oil industry or the seafood industry. These two, and related industries, furnish the livelihoods for most of the people, in Cajun country. It's too soon to predict whether our area will be directly affected, but one thing is for sure, we will ALL be affected, one way or another, by this terrible tragedy. Merci beaucoup for your prayers and for stopping by! Wishing ya'll a wonderful, happy week!

A Cajun Food and Drink Diary

Birthday Dinner #2

Birthday Drink #2 - Eye of the Storm

Shrimp Scampi over Angel Hair w/ tomatoes, spinach, and artichokes

Copeland's Fried Seafood Platter

Birthday Cake # 2

Birthday Dinner # 3

Chesapeake Bay Steamed Crabs

Tim's Maryland Crab Soup

To be continued..........

Wish ya'll were here!

Time for the Shrimp Festival ! + Nanny's Strawberry Shortcake

It's festival time, again in Cajun Country, and one of my absolute faves is coming right up! The town of Delcambre, La. will be hosting the Delcambre Shrimp Festival on August 12-16. Delcambre is known for it's shrimp and this fabulous festival salutes my favorite crustacean, the shrimp! They will be serving it up right and in as many ways as you can think of, boiled, fried, stuffed, in a stew, etc., etc.

And lots of great music to go with all of this great food, too. Wednesday and Thursday nights are family nights and will feature live music and specials on the carnival rides. On Friday night, there will be a fais do do, and dancing that will last into the night. On Saturday, Jamie Bergeron and the Kickin' Cajuns will rock the crowd and on Sunday, T.K. Hulin and Friends will take the stage, at noon, under the pavilion.

Also on Sunday, there will be the traditional Fisherman's Mass on the docks at 10 a.m., with the blessing of the fleet, followed by a boat parade. Come on out and get into the festival spirit for the first of many fun festivals coming our way. For more info., click here. Let the good times roll, cher!

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Nanny's Strawberry Shortcake 

Here is a family favorite that is so delicious that I could eat it everyday! It was my godmother's recipe and I have many fond memories of eating this heavenly delight over at her house on hot summer days. I like to bake the shortcake, which is really a poundcake, in the morning, which by itself is a real treat, with a good strong cup of coffee. But layered with whipped cream and fresh Louisiana strawberries, it becomes divinely delicious beyond belief! Cest bon, cher! 


1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups sifted flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
3 Tbs.'s water
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbs. lemon juice
1 lb. fresh strawberries, washed and sliced in half
Whipped cream

Cream butter and add sugar gradually and mix well. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add 1 tbs. at a time to the butter and sugar mixture, alternating with water. Beat the eggs lightly in bowl and add vanilla and lemon juice. Stir well and add to the dry mixture. Mix gently and pour into a greased loaf pan and bake @300 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Set aside to cool.

Slice pound cake into eight slices. Place slice on dessert plate, top with whipped cream, then fresh sliced strawberries. repeat. Bon Appetit! Serves 4

Spicy Crab and Shrimp Jambalaya + Weekend Lagniappe'

Here is one of the most sinfully delicious Cajun recipes of all time! With crabs in season, right now is the perfect time to make a big pot of this fabulous Louisiana favorite. It can easily stand on it's own as an entree with a big tossed salad and french bread, or it can be a delectable side dish to accompany another seafood dish. Oh cest bon, cher! One bite of this divine jambalaya will send you into orbit! This is a real guest pleaser and you will be asked for the recipe, I guarantee it! Enjoy! Le bon, manger, cher!

Spicy Crab and Shrimp Jambalaya

2 tbs.'s olive oil

1 lb. or more of medium shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1 lb. lump crab meat
1 cup, each, of "the trinity", (onions, celery, and bell peppers), chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups seafood or vegetable stock
1 large can crushed tomatoes w/ juice
 1 small can tomato sauce
2 cups uncooked rice
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. each, paprika and garlic powder
Tabasco to taste

In a large heavy pot, saute the shrimp, garlic and salt in the olive oil, for 5 minutes. Add the spices and the trinity and saute, while stirring, for 5 more minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot. Add the crab meat and tomatoes w/juice, stir and bring to a boil. Lower heat, and add the rice, stir and simmer for 5 minutes, uncovered. Then add stock, tomato sauce, and Tabasco. Bring to a second boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes, stirring once, half way through. Add parsley during the last ten minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir gently before serving.
Serves 6 Bon Appetit!

Here's a little Festival Lagniappe' that I thought ya'll might enjoy with your jambalaya!
Let the Good Times Roll, Cher!

Cajun Jam w/ Roddie Romero and Friends

Keith Frank and the Soileau Family Band

Crab and Shrimp Sauce Picante'

Of all the wonderful meals that my mother prepared for our family, this one is my favorite. One bite of this rich delicious dish and you know that you're in heaven. Ca cest' bon, cher !

 Mama's Crab and Shrimp Sauce Picante'

2 lbs. medium shrimp (peeled and deveined) 

10 gumbo crabs (cleaned)

 or 1 lb. crab meat
5 tbsp.'s butter and 5 tbsp.'s flour
1 onion and 1 bell pepper (chopped fine)
3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp. or more Tony's Creole seasoning
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies

Salt and Tabasco to taste
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 bunch green onions (chopped)

3 bay leaves

1 cup warm water

Season the shrimp with 1 tbsp. of the Creole seasoning. In large Dutch oven, melt the butter on med. low heat and add the flour, stirring constantly, until light brown in color. Add the onions,bell pepper, and garlic and lower heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 5 more minutes. Slowly add water, the Tabasco, the remaining Tony's, and the bay leaves. Stir well and add the shrimp and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the green onions, and parsley and crabs and simmer for about 20 more minutes. Discard bay leaves and serve over cooked rice, with a fresh garden salad. Serves 6