Quote

"The good you do today may be forgotten
tomorrow. Do good anyway." - Mother Theresa



Photo by Julie, Dave & Family @ flickr

Quote

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow." - Mahatma Gandhi

Photo by imageshack

Recipe: Dennys MINI Louisiana Lyon Oven Pancake

Dennys MINI Louisiana Lyon Oven Pancake - Easy, yummy, quick meal for two! Try drizzling chocolate sauce in place of the lemon on this one! Easy to make as a small dessert rather than a meal when you add chocolate. 200 calories BC (before chocolate).

Note: For other recipes visit my other fun blog:
Comfort Food From Louisiana

We Believe In Santa

We Believe In Santa - great fun article with loads and loads of Santa photos from the great photography enthusiasts over at flickr. You can join for free the We Believe In Santa worldwide fan club and spread some goodwill this season!

Photo by Weaselmcfee @ flickr

Resource - Harbor Candy Shop

Harbor Candy Shop is a wonderful artisan candy online resource. They are from Ogunquit, Maine. This is a raspberry and chocolate cream basket that is vegan. They create wonderful fruit jellies in apricot, raspberry, blueberry, strawberry-rhubarb, plum, lime and pomegranate. Their truffles are beautiful beyond description! Reasonably priced and prompt delivery. My relatives were grinning from ear to ear after receiving these chocolate gifts of perfection!

Recipe - Dennys Oatmeal Pancakes with Cherries

Dennys Oatmeal Pancakes with Cherries



Heart-healthy, easy to make and vegetarian!


Here is a wonderful and hearty recipe for cold weather days - and lazy Sundays! This recipe is heart-healthy with lots of oatmeal, cherries for the mineral iron and buttermilk as the American version of yogurt.

Photo by Denny Lyon

Quote

"My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far I've finished two bags of M&M's and a chocolate cake. I feel better already." – Dave Barry

Photo by starmist1 @ flickr

Recipe - Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Note from Denny: Found this fun little healthy recipe using lots of chocolate over at the photography site of flickr! Enjoy!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies with Tofu

- vegan recipe

Yields about 12 large cookies

Photo and recipe by freakapotimus @ flickr

Ingredients

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup unrefined sugar

1 cup chocolate chips

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon fine-grained sea salt

1/2 cup soy margarine

1/2 cup silken tofu OR 2 eggs (3 eggs for a cakey texture)

1 teaspoon almond OR vanilla extract

Optional: try adding 1 cup nuts to the dry ingredients!

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment.

In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, sugar, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

Blend margarine, tofu (or egg), almond (or vanilla) extract.

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix well.

Drop cookie dough onto sheet using a tablespoon.

Bake 15-20 minutes, or until cookie bottoms begin to brown.

Briefly cool on a cooling rack--they are tasty warm!

Note from freakapotimus @ flickr: For the batch I made yesterday, I used the equivalant of two eggs instead of the three called for, and they came out a bit less cakey but still chewey and moist. Although I feel bad I cheated on the vegan-ness by using Swiss-made dairy chocolate chips.

This was my first fime making this recipe, and the cookies turned out so yummy delicious! It's an easy-to-follow recipe that can, without any trouble, be vegan--I find it's tastier with the tofu!

Note: For other recipes visit my other fun blog:
Comfort Food From Louisiana

Recipe - Vegetarian Cornbread

Dennys Low Gluten Southern Cornbread - This is very low-gluten and wonderfully moist and satisfying. White corn meal cornbread is lighter than yellow. Fast and easy for beginner cooks! Vegetarian too!

Photo by Denny Lyon - from my kitchen to yours!

Recipe - Oven Pancake

Dennys Louisiana Lyon Oven Pancake - Vegetarian! Great for a quick supper or brunch with a minimum of fuss mixed in one bowl and baked in one pan - and this pancake is long on presentation! This is a version of the Dutch baby oven pancake. The only sugar in the recipe is if you serve it with powdered sugar. High in protein and very filling, it is about 400 calories if served to only two people - so no need to add sausage or bacon.

Summary:
heat your pan in the oven before you begin mixing,
melt the butter in the pan until bubbling,
pour in the batter and
let the beauty rise to the occasion in the oven,
bake about 20 - 25 minutes.
serve with lemon wedges and powdered sugar.

WARNING: Can be addicting!

Recipe - Chocolate Bread Pudding

Dennys Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding and Sauces

This recipe is not so rich, full of calories or excess sugar so you can savor the chocolate! Easy to mix up by hand. Great for holiday menus or the novice cook. Serves about 8 - 10.

This is my own version developed 9 November 2008.

Less rich version with a lot less sugar, exploding with enough chocolate flavor to drown in it!

Recipe: Crawfish Pie

Can I tell you just how popular crawfish pies are here in Louisiana? Everyone loves them! AND they are easy to make! Don't have crawfish available in your area? Not to worry - substitute a favorite fish or combination of fish and frozen shrimp. Louisiana is all about getting creative and not breaking the bank or emptying the wallet to eat well. Enjoy!

If you don't own any of the editions from I to IV River Road Recipes cookbook series, you can purchase one over at Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. The first edition still remains popular after decades in print. The cookbooks come from The Junior League and all proceeds go to charities in the community. These cookbooks are practically the local food bibles for comfort cooking here in Louisiana. You won't be disappointed!

Make sure you watch the Scott Hargrove video, link to YouTube posted is at the end of the recipes, as he is easy to follow, a likable instructor and he has yet another version of this delicious easy recipe. He also shows you how to make your own pastry.

***

Crawfish Pie from the Baton Rouge, Louisiana beloved world renown cookbook series: River Road Recipes cookbooks.

This is from River Road Recipes IV: Warm Welcomes.

Makes 3 (9-inch) pies to serve 18.


Ingredients:


1 1/2 cups chopped onions

1 1/2 cups chopped celery

6 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can of cream of mushroom soup

1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk

2 Tablespoons cold water

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1 bunch parsley, trimmed and chopped or minced

3 lbs. Louisiana crawfish tails

8 ozx. Parmesand cheese, grated

salt and pepper to taste

6 refrigerator pie pastries


Directions:


Saute onions, celery and garlic in the butter in a large saucepan until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the soup and evaporated milk. Mix the cold water and cornstarch in a small bowl and stir into the soup mixture.

Add the green onions, parsley and crawfish and mix well. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cheese, salt and pepper.

Line 3 (9-inch) pie plates with 3 of the pastries. Spoon the crawfish mixture evenly into the 3 pastry-lined pie plates. Top with the remaining pastries, fluting the edges and cutting vents.

Bake in a 350-degree F. oven for 30 minutes or until light brown. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. You may prepare, bake in advance and freeze for future use. Reheat at 325-degrees F. for 25 minutes or until heated through.


Second version of Crawfish Pie


From the restaurant Oysterella's

Crawfish Pie


1 lb butter

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

1 onion, diced

1/4 Tasso ham, diced

1 cup white wine

1 lb crawfish tail meat


Add 1/2 cup flour

2 quarts heavy cream

1 Russet potato, peeled and blanched

3/4 cup frozen or fresh peas

1 cup carrots, peeled and blanched

Seasoning:

Cayenne pepper TT (TT = to taste)

Salt TT

Black pepper TT

1 Tablespoon Tabassco

2 Tablespoon Worchestershire Sauce


Melt butter and saute red and green peppers.

Add yellow onion.

Add Taso and crawfish tail meat.

Deglaze with white wine.

Whisk in flour slowly so lumps do not form.

Add in 2 qts. heavy cream.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add two tablespoons Worchestersire sauce and one tablespoon Tabasco. All to thicken. Ladle into oven safe crock or cooking dish.

Lay puff pastry on top of dish. Cut off excess. Brush pastry with egg wash.

Place into 375 convection oven and cook for ten minutes.

***

Two videos:

Scott Hargrove, really great guy, different recipe than here and easy to read superimposed on the screen as he instructs - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDcP7V2elbM&feature=PlayList&p=58E014BAC3D81DEE&playnext=1&index=6

AND

From WKRG.com is a demonstration for Oysterella's chef - http://www.wkrg.com/recipes/recipe/crawfish_pie/19931/