Dennys Food and Recipes: Comfort Food From Louisiana

Showing posts with label Comfort Food From Louisiana. Show all posts

14 February 2010

Popular Posts 2010 at Comfort Food From Louisiana and Thank You!

New Orleans French Quarter Photo by Lyndi&Jason @ flickr

From Denny: Thank you for all your support this year and what a year it has been! The New Orleans Saints, as the underdogs against a great team in the Indianapolis Colts, unexpectedly won their first Super Bowl.

What a boost to the morale of all of Louisiana and most especially New Orleans. While the whole country has been dealing with the adverse effects of the past year's "recession," this area of the Gulf Coast has been dealing with this issue since August of 2005. A Super Bowl win did a lot to lift everyone's spirits around here. Thank You New Orleans Saints!

It's amazing how many posts you enjoyed this year and last. I'm committed to staying on top of the trend to post your favorites as it happens rather than wait until the end of the year to compile what is developing into an exhaustive list. :)

June

Posts Roundup at Dennys 14 Blogs - 13 June 2010

8 Funny Posts to Enjoy

New Orleans Food: G.Gs Stuffed Crab

Posts Roundup at Dennys 14 Blogs - 5 June 2010

May

Posts Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 30 May 2010

From CBS: Make Ahead Memorial Day Dishes

Funny Posts to Get U Thru Your Work Week - 26 May 2010

Seafood Recipes: Crawfish Casserole, Crawfish Corn Bread, Crawfish Tortellini

Check Out 2 Funny Posts 2 Get U Thru the Work Week

Easy Recipes: 4 Versions of Crawfish Pie

Sweet Breakfasts: Caramel Pecan Buns, Sweet Blueberry Drop Biscuits, Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Tradtional Sandwiches Updated: California Tuna Melt, Egg Salad

Chocolate Wonders: Kentucky Derby Pie, Make-ahead Chocolate Soufflé

Easy Moist Chocolate Mayo Cake From Bon Appetit

April

Those Funny Mothers Day Quotes and Trivia

Whats Happening in America This Week - Political Cartoons 24 Apr 2010

Outrageous Tea Party Tax Signs and the Perverted Fools That Carry Them

Kid Friendly Recipes: Chocolate Quesadillas, Very Best Fudge

5 Easy Recipes 4 Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Whats Happening in America This Week - Political Cartoons 24 Apr 2010

2 Crowd Pleasing Easy Casseroles: Mexican Lasagna, Turkey Tetrazzini

Kid Friendly Recipes: Chocolate Quesadillas, Very Best Fudge

Cooking 4 Men, Teaching Men to Cook 2

Awesome Cajun Barbecued Shrimp — New Orleans Style

Yummy Homemade Coconut Cream Pie

How to Survive Allergy and Pollen Season

Play Fun With Your Food: Mini Frittata Crostinis, Mini Wonton Quiches

March

Awesome Sauces 4 Louisiana Seafood

51 Funny Political Cartoons - Sex Scandals, Rove, Obama, Health Care, Tea Party - 27 Mar 2010

Kid Chefs Offer Tasty Recipes 4 Sandwiches Adults Will Like

Spring Food: Chef Kellers Marinated Skirt Steak, Ice Cream Sandwiches

Louisiana Crawfish Etouffee From Lafittes Landing

Warm Gooey Cheese Fondue 4 Cold Nights

Chef Mario Batalis Easy 3 Pork Saltimbocca Recipes

4 Star Food on a Budget: Pecan Chicken, Salad, Orzo, Sweet Cheese Tarts

Recipe: Low-Fat Lemon Bundt Cake

Cajun Comfort Food Chases Away Winter Cold, 3 Recipes

3 Oyster Recipes: Awesome Louisiana Food From National Food Conference

Martha Stewarts 4 Fast Spring Recipes

48 Post Roundup: Dennys Blogs 7 Mar 2010

Enjoy Louisiana Culture: Love Those Eggplant Recipes

Cold Weather: Real Deal Hearty Beef Stroganoff, Beef Ribs, Pineapple Cake

Chef Jamie Oliver Discovers American Kids Dont Know Veggies

Funny Groundhog Phils Says 2 More Weeks of Winter

February

New Orleans Recipes: Crawfish Etouffee, Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, Jambalaya, Sazerac Cocktail

Stop That Cold in Its Tracks: Illness Fighting Foods

Valentines Day, Mardi Gras: 7 Yummy Snack Recipes

Who Dat Super Bowl Champs: 5 Rocking New Orleans Saints Songs

Easy Party For a Crowd: Marti Gras King Cake, Kicked Up Red Beans

97 Posts Roundup From All Dennys Blogs

Popular Posts 2009 at Comfort Food From Louisiana, Thank YOU!

6 Super Bowl Junk Food Recipes

9 Easy Marti Gras and Super Bowl Eats

Chef Sandra Lees Quick Baby Back Ribs

Super Bowl Food: Jumbo Shrimp and Gouda Grits

07 February 2010

27 November 2009

Thanksgiving Leftovers Ideas: 3 Entrees, 1 Dessert, Recipes

From Denny: Any time you serve a holiday meal there are bound to be leftovers. The first day after people don't mind the exact same meal reheated but after that it's time to put on our thinking hats and come up with something creative. With the price of food these days we can no longer afford to throw out leftovers. The Scottos are a creative restaurant family in New York City to our rescue.

The turkey croquettes are an interesting and sweet way to use up those sweet potato casserole leftovers even the kids will eat! Do you have some leftover stuffing, vegetables and mashed potatoes? Then make Sheperd's Pie casserole with a little cheese thrown in to make it different.

Do you have leftover sauteed vegetables that are still a bit crunchy? Add them to pasta with your favorite cheese. They use goat cheese here; we like Asiago or Romano in our house. I do a version of this recipe all the time when I have leftover vegetables, sometimes using gravy in the sauce too.

What I really enjoyed here was a new way to use up my cranberry chutney recipe by folding it into bread pudding! Can't wait to try that one even without the additional apples. You could probably do this with almost any leftover fruit as many people do a stewed fruit dish during holiday season.

Recipes Featured:

* Turkey sweet potato croquettes
* Italian shepherd’s pie
* Thanksgiving vegetable fettuccine
* Apple cranberry bread pudding

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Turkey sweet potato croquettes

From: The Scottos

Serves: 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup cooked turkey meat, diced
• 1 cup cooked mashed sweet potatoes
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 cups olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, add turkey, sweet potatoes, salt and pepper, 1 beaten egg, mix thoroughly and form into oblong croquettes.

2. In a second bowl add the flour, and in a third bowl the beaten eggs, and finally in a fourth bowl add the bread crumbs.

3. Dip croquettes into flour, beaten egg mixture, then the bread crumbs, and set aside.

4. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat and fry croquettes, turning occasionally until golden brown. Serve immediately.

5. Heat leftover turkey gravy and serve with the croquettes.

Italian shepherd’s pie

From: The Scottos

Serves: 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups leftover sausage rice and mozzarella stuffing
• 2 cups any leftover vegetables, diced
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 stick butter, melted
• 2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
• 4 cups leftover white mashed potatoes
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, combine stuffing and vegetables and mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

2. In a large bowl, combine parmesan cheese, melted butter and bread crumbs, mix thoroughly and set aside.

3. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, layer the bottom of the dish with mashed potatoes, then add a layer of the vegetable rice mixture, then finally add a layer of mashed potatoes and top with cheese crumb mixture.

4. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes until crumb topping is golden brown and bubbling.

TIPS

Note: If there is leftover turkey, it can be added to the rice stuffing.

Thanksgiving vegetable fettuccine

From: The Scottos

Serves: 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound fettuccine, cooked according to package directions
• 1 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons finely diced garlic
• 1 cup cooked mushrooms
• 1 cup cooked string beans
• 1 cup cooked carrots
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup crumbled goat cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large skillet, sauté garlic over medium to high heat for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Add mushrooms, string beans and carrots and quickly sauté for about 1 minute.

2. In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook fettuccine, drain and add to sauté pan containing the vegetables, add butter, toss, plate and top with goat cheese. Season with salt and pepper; serve immediately.

Apple cranberry bread pudding

From: The Scottos

Serves: 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS

Apple cranberry mixture

• 6 whole Granny Smith, Gala or Rome apples, peeled and cores removed,
• cut into 1/4-ince slices
• 1 stick butter, and 1/4 to grease baking dish
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup leftover cranberry sauce

Bread pudding

• Apple cranberry mixture
• 2 cups half and half
• 1/2 cup (packed) plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 cups 1/2-inch cubes egg bread or brioche

DIRECTIONS

Apple cranberry mixture

1. In a small sauté pan, melt the butter, add apples and sauté until apples are soft, about 5 to 8 minutes.

2. In a bowl, add the cooked apples, vanilla extract, cinnamon, maple syrup, and cranberry sauté; toss and set aside.

Bread pudding

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Whisk half and half, light brown sugar, eggs, cinnamon and vanilla extract in large bowl to blend. Fold in apple cranberry mixture then finally fold in bread cubes. Mix thoroughly until it’s completed blended.

2. Add to 9 x 13-inch greased baking dish and bake for 40 minutes at 350°F or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

*** For more recipes, visit Comfort Food From Louisiana, Easy Party Foods: Short Ribs and Chicken Pot Pie, go here.

*** Thanks for visiting!

03 March 2009

Recipe: Crawfish Fettuccine

In Louisiana the French and Italian cuisines are often married. This recipe for Crawfish Fettuccine is a typical example of local seafood substituted for the usual meat in a pasta dish.

Seafood dishes get quite creative during Lenten season since the majority of south Louisiana is Catholic even though Catholicism no longer requires this kind of fasting from meat. People still choose to fast from meat for health reasons these days with a nod to past religious tradition that has mellowed into a cultural tradition.

Louisiana men are known for their friendships developed from cooking or grilling what they often hunted and fished. Men tend to be the best cooks here. They also are the ones who tend to cook for large gatherings. This recipe comes from three friends who cook often for gatherings in their Catholic community.

Crawfish Fettuccine

From: James “B” Didier, Kenneth “Bobby” Barbier and Cliff McDaniel, All are close friends who enjoy cooking together for large gatherings - Holy Family Catholic Church, Port Allen, Louisiana

Yield: 50 servings - great for wedding rehearsal dinner!

Crawfish Fettuccine

Ingredients:

2 ½ pounds margarine

12 yellow onions, finely chopped

6 bunches green onions, finely chopped

6 bell peppers, finely chopped

10 garlic cloves, finely chopped

½ cup finely chopped parsley

4 pounds Velveeta jalapeño cheese
(Velveeta is basically a combination of Swiss and Cheddar cheese that melts easily with added hot Mexican hot peppers you can find in a jar.)

12 pounds crawfish tails

4 pounds fettuccine

Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions: Sauté in the margarine the onions, green onions, bell peppers, garlic and parsley until soft.

Add jalapeño cheese and cook until melted and combined well. Add crawfish.

Boil fettuccine until done, drain well. Add to crawfish mixture. Remove from heat. Pour into large casserole. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

To serve, bake at 350 degrees until thoroughly heated.

Serves 50.

28 February 2009

Recipe: Cajun Red Beans and Rice

Cajun Red Beans and Rice: "It's another Saturday night in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and we are hungry for some Red Beans and Rice with Andouille Sausage. Um Um! That's some good stuff cher!" 1 video.

By Mike Stokes

18 February 2009

Creole Vs. Cajun - Kissing yet Distant cousins

Creole Vs. Cajun - Kissing yet Distant cousins - "To start with, as far as Creoles go, it seems that if you put two New Orleans historians in a locked room and ask "What exactly is a Creole?" only one will come out alive."

By NOLA in the ocho
Photo by snuzzy @ flickr

16 February 2009

Roux - The Secret to Great Cajun Cooking

Roux - The Secret to Great Cajun Cooking: "Traditionally, Creole roux is used with lard or bacon fat, while Cajuns utilized butter. Modern-day Cajuns now use vegetable oil and it is usually cooked until the color appears copper to dark brown. However, some do use a light brown roux in their recipes. Cooking it until it reaches a dark brown color imparts a unique and rich flavor like no other to whatever dish is being prepared."

By Cayenne_Pepper

09 February 2009

How to Catch Catfish

World Record HUGE Catfish!!!!!

How to catch Catfish: "I remember when me and a buddy went night fishing for the Big Blue Cats back in the 70s.We used nightcrawlers and chicken livers for bait. We built a bon fire to keep warm by and to entice the fish to come closer to shore.

We fished all night and caught at least 50 Blue Cats that night.Some of them weighing up to 20 pounds.Here are a few ideas if you haven't cat fished..."

This man loves to fish and so do people from Louisiana! They don't call Louisiana the Sportsman's Paradise for nothing! He provides a recipe too and some interesting videos you will enjoy.

By flread45

08 February 2009

Molecular Gastronomy – Where Science Meets Cuisine

Molecular Gastronomy – Where Science Meets Cuisine: "The science of molecular gastronomy has given us knowledge about why foods do what they do, under what circumstances, and how. And it has fascinated us by busting myths..."

By Sallys Trove
Photo by Claire L. Evans @ flickr

06 February 2009

Recipe: Lemon Tart with Almond Crust

Here in Louisiana we are big fans of the taste of lemon! We love lemon desserts, especially cakes, tarts and cookies. From a home cook in Paris, France comes this lovely easy tart. Enjoy!

Lemon Tart with Almond Crust
From: Alexandra de Waresquiel, Paris, France

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients for the Crust:

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup whole almonds, toasted

1/3 cup sugar

½ teaspoon (scant amount) salt

½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

3 Tablespoons (about) ice water

½ teaspoon almond extract

Ingredients for the Filling:

2/3 cup fresh lemon juice

½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

4 large eggs

Optional garnishes:
Toasted sliced almonds

Lemon slices

Whipped cream

Directions for Crust: Blend flour, whole toasted almonds, sugar and salt in processor until almonds are finely ground. Add chilled butter and cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix 3 Tablespoons ice water and ½ teaspoon almond extract in small bowl; add to processor and blend until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball and flatten into disk. Wrap disk in plastic; refrigerate 1 hour. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Soften dough slightly at room temperature before continuing.)
Preheat oven to 375° F. Roll out dough on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Press dough into pan. Fold in dough overhang, pressing to adhere and forming double-thick sides. Pierce dough all over with fork. Freeze 20 minutes. Bake crust until golden brown, piercing with fork if crust bubbles, about 30 minutes. Cool crust on rack 15 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.

Directions for Filling: Whisk lemon juice, sugar and lemon peel in medium bowl to blend. Add eggs and whisk until well blended. Pour mixture into crust. Bake tart until filling is set, about 25 minutes. Cool completely.
Garnish tart with toasted almonds and lemon slices and pipe whipped cream rosettes around edges, if desired. Cut into wedges and serve.

25 January 2009

Louisiana Culture: Love of Eggplant Recipes

Louisiana Culture: Love of Eggplant Recipes - Fun article about Louisiana food culture. 3 eggplant recipes and 4 cooking videos will have you well on your way to cooking this versatile vegetable!

By Denny Lyon
Sauteed Eggplant with Cheese and Honey Photo by avlxyz @ flickr

24 January 2009

Louisiana Culture: Heavenly Hash Cake (and recipe)

Louisiana Culture: Heavenly Hash Cake: "Heavenly hash “cake” is quite popular with home cooks. It is basically a marshmallow cake mixed with nuts and some chocolate and then bathed again in a chocolate glaze to seal the marshmallow. If you love marshmallows you will love this 'cake.'"

Photo by Flirty Kitty @ flickr

18 January 2009

Swamp Dragons

Photo by William A. Franklin @ flickr

Swamp Dragons - You will enjoy this Louisiana native's tale of her growing up years! Alligators can get up to 14 feet long and weigh up to 1,000 pounds!

Recipe: Dennys Valentines Day Chocolate Crepes with Sweet Ricotta Cheese

Dennys Valentines Day Chocolate Crepes with Sweet Ricotta Cheese - Videos posted below to help you see just how easy it is to make that French culture favorite: crepes!

Welcome!

Enjoy a wide range of food from the newest beverage trends to pasta to all things chocolate to Louisiana food and more.

Reporting on food news, trends and new delights with lots of demonstration food videos along with the recipes. Merging my three food blogs into one: Romancing The Chocolate, Comfort Food From Louisiana and Unusual 2 Tasty!

Awesome blog photo from one of my fav Louisiana restaurants - Bittersweet Plantation by Chef Folse.

Email me: warriorspearl@gmail.com.

Enjoy a cup of coffee with me and let's talk like all good foodies love to do! And please join me on Google Friend Connect and Google Plus. - Denny Lyon

Dennys Food and Recipes

Pages