Cajun Holiday Favorites

It's that time of the year again for Christmas and New Year's parties and festivities and I wanted to share a few of my family's favorite holiday party recipes. I like to have an assortment of family party favorites served in a casual buffet style and let guests help themselves whenever they choose.  They are perfect for all of your parties and gatherings and will fit in nicely at your New Year's celebration, too. All are sinfully delicious and guaranteed to please your family and friends. Why not start the party off right with a round of delicious drinks. Cheers and Bon Appetit!
 

  Ultimate Cajun Eggnog 

 

Peppermint Martinis

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 Spicy Cajun Crab Dip 

1 lb. lump crab meat
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup onion, finely chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 (8 oz.) pkg.'s cream cheese, softened
1/2 pint sour cream
4 tbs.'s mayo
1 tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. Creole mustard
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. or more, Cajun seasoning
Tabasco to taste

Combine cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, onion, lemon juice, mustard, and seasonings, in a large bowl. Mix well and fold in crab meat and cheddar cheese.

Place in a buttered 2 1/2 qt. casserole dish and bake @ 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with pastry shells, veggies, or crackers. Fab!

 Baked Muffaletta Dip w/ Mini Toasts

 Crawfish Spinach Bread Bowl  

 

Spicy Cajun Party Meatballs

Cajun Ham w/ Honey-Mustard Bourbon Glaze

Nanny's Praline-Sweet Potato Casserole 

 Creole Potato Salad

Spicy Christmas Jambalaya

Jalapeno Cranberry Sauce

 

Nanny's Sweet Potato Biscuits

Mama's Cornmeal Biscuits
 

 

 


 

 

Pumpkin-Praline Cheesecake

Bourbon Brownies w/ Praline Icing 

 

  Christmas Bread Pudding w/ Nanny's Rum Sauce

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  For my Cajun Christmas Dinner Menu, click here.

Happy Holidays Ya'll! Merci beaucoup for stopping by!

Cajun Mardi Gras Favorites

It's time for Mardi Gras, cher, and time for some of the best eats of the year. King cake parties, before and after parade parties, lavish Mardi Gras balls, BBQ, crawfish boils, and the list goes on and on! Just one big party! Here are a few of my favorite Mardi Gras "must haves". Out of this world! Enjoy!

  (click on titles to view recipes)

Spicy Cajun Crab Dip

 Mardi Gras Jambalaya

  Fried Catfish Bites 

 Creole Shrimp Pasta Salad

 Spicy Cajun Crawfish Cakes

1 lb. fresh crawfish tails

2 tbs.'s mayo

1 tbs. Creole or Dijon mustard

1/2  tsp. Tabasco sauce

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 tsp. or more, Cajun seasoning

1 cup saltine cracker crumbs

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

2 tbs.'s olive oil

In large bowl, combine all ingredients, except oil and breadcrumbs and mix well. Roll in breadcrumbs, shape into 8 patties, and chill for 30 minutes. Heat oil, in large nonstick skillet, and cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with my Creole Tartar Sauce. (recipe below)

Creole Tartar Sauce

1 cup light mayo
1 tbs. Creole mustard
1 tbsp. each, green onions and fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp. minced garlic 1 tbs. sweet pickle relish
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Few shakes Tabasco

Combine all ingredients in bowl and chill. Fab!
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And by popular demand.

Mini Muffalettas

Creole Potato Salad

Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice

Cajun BBQ Shrimp

Mardi Gras Slaw w/ Cajun Hush Puppies

King Cake Bread Pudding

Have a safe and Happy Mardi Gras, Ya'll! Merci for passing by!

Cajun Holiday Party Faves

With the holidays right around the corner, I wanted to share a few of my favorite holiday party buffet recipes. Perfect for all of your parties and gatherings and guaranteed to please your family and friends. Cest bon, cher!

Bon Appetit!

Appetizers

  Spicy Cajun Party Meatballs 

Cajun Crab Dip 

Creole Stuffed Mushrooms

Crawfish Spinach Bread Bowl

















 Main Course

Cajun Baked Ham w/ Sugarcane-Bourbon Sauce

 

Cajun Roast Turkey Breast

  Sides  

Spicy Creole Jambalaya

Mama's Cornbread Dressing

Candied Sweet Potato Casserole

Broccoli-Cheese Casserole 

 Breads

Spicy Crawfish Cornbread

2 cups yellow cornmeal

1 tsp. salt
3 tsp.'s. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup bell peppers, chopped
1/4 cup jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 (15 oz.) can cream-style corn
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 lb. peeled crawfish tails or small shrimp
1 tsp. Cajun seasoning

Stir together cornmeal,  baking powder, baking soda, and salt,  in large bowl. In another bowl, beat the eggs and mix in the onions, peppers, vegetable oil, milk, cheddar cheese, cream style corn, jalapenos, crawfish or shrimp, and Cajun seasoning. Combine the mixture with the dry ingredients and place in a buttered 10 inch baking dish or cast iron skillet.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown and a knife comes out clean.

Grandma's Buttermilk Biscuits

 Desserts

Easy Kahlua Cake w/ Chocolate-Rum Glaze

1 box of dark chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 (4 ounce) package of chocolate fudge pudding mix
4 eggs
1 cup brewed Community coffee, cooled
1/2 cup Kahlua
1 cup chopped pecans, for garnish


Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat for 4 minutes on medium speed. Transfer batter into a lightly greased bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes and then drizzle with glaze and garnish with pecans. Fab!
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 Chocolate-Rum Glaze

1 cup dark brown sugar
1 stick butter
1/4 cup rum
1/4 cup water







Melt butter in medium saucepan.  Add brown sugar, rum, and water, and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute or until thick.  Punch holes in cake and pour glaze evenly over cake.

 Bourbon Brownies w/ Praline Icing  

Chocolate Chip-Pecan Pie Bars

 Marguerite's Christmas Cookies

For more of my holiday desserts, click here.

Drinks 

Peppermint Martini

 First prepare the glass.

Dip rim of martini glass in white crème de cacao and swirl several times in a plate of crushed candy canes.

 2 oz. vodka
1 oz. white creme de cacao

1 oz. peppermint schnapps
1/2 cup crushed ice

Candy canes

Combine vodka, creme de cacao,  and schnapps over ice in shaker. Shake well and strain into prepared martini glass. Garnish with a candy cane.

   Ultimate Cajun Eggnog 

 For more fabulous Cajun Christmas drinks, click here.

Cheers and Happy Holidays, Ya'll!

Cajun Easter Favorites

The Spring weather has been absolutely gorgeous in Cajun country and perfect for grilling and boiling seafood on the patio. And with Easter almost here, I've been going through my recipes and trying to decide on which ones to prepare for my Easter Sunday Buffet. This is what I have so far and I'll be adding more as I go along. We will also be boiling some scrumptious Louisiana crawfish and shrimp and sipping a Cajun Bloody Mary or two. All out of this world,  and totally worth the calories, cher! Cheers and Bon Appetit!

Cajun Bloody Mary's

Jalapeno Andouille-Bacon Bites

 Cajun Crawfish Dip

 Cajun Baked Ham w/ Honey-Mustard Bourbon Glaze

 

Cajun Potato Salad

Spicy Cajun Boiled Shrimp Salad w/ Remoulade Sauce

Cajun Crawfish Casserole

Cajun Boiled Crab Salad

6 hard boiled eggs, quartered
1 carton grape tomatoes
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
1 red onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 large head of romaine lettuce, washed and torn
1 lb. lump crab meat, peeled from boiled crabs

Place lettuce in the bottom of a large salad bowl. Layer with crab meat, onion, bell pepper, avocado, and tomatoes. Top with eggs, and my Jalapeno Ranch Dressing. (recipe below)

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Jalapeno Ranch Dressing.

1 (1/4) cups, no-fat buttermilk 

3/4 cup light mayo

1 tsp. Creole mustard

2 tsp.'s white vinegar

2 tbs.'s  lime or lemon juice 

1 tsp. crushed garlic

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

1 tbs. fresh parsley, minced

1 tsp. Cajun seasoning

Salt to taste

Whisk ingredients together in the order given, in a mixing bowl. Store in a sealed glass container in refrigerator, for up to one week. Shake well before each use.

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Cajun Crab and Corn Casserole 

 Parmesan Spinach Bread

Banana Pudding Cake w/ Praline Icing

1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 pkg. instant banana pudding mix
4 eggs
1 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. almond extract
1 cup mashed bananas
2 tbs.'s rum, (optional)

In large bowl, stir together cake mix and pudding mix. Add eggs, oil,  water, and mashed bananas,  and beat with electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. 

Add almond extract and beat on medium speed for 2 more minutes. Pour into prepared muffin pan and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool cake before icing with Praline Icing. (recipe below)

Praline Icing

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Melt butter in small saucepan. Add milk and sugar and stir and cook until well combined. Bring to a boil and lower heat and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Heavenly!

Coconut Dream Cupcakes

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Wishing you all a blessed and Happy Easter!
Merci beaucoup for stopping by!