Baked Potato Soup

This is a recipe from my friend Erin.  I tweaked it by adding more cheese and milk, that's a shocker, Right?  Hey, it's low-fat milk and it makes enough for several people.

Difficult to see white soup in a white bowl, Huh?

Ingredients:

• 4 large baked potatoes
• ¾ C. flour
• ½ gallon of low-fat milk (8 C.)
• 2 C. shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 C. sour cream
• ¾ C. chopped green onions
• 6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
• 1 small chopped onion
• 3 cloves of minced garlic
• ½ stick of butter (4 T.)
• 1 T. kosher salt
• 1 T. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• Fresh chives

Directions:

1. Peel and coarsely mash the baked potatoes
2. Melt butter in large pot, add onions and cook until clear, about 10 minutes  
3. Add garlic for an additional minute
4. Whisk in flour and then gradually add milk while continuing to whisk
5. Cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until thick and bubbly
6. Stir in mashed potatoes, most of the cheese, salt, Creole seasoning, sour cream, green onions, and bacon
7. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes
8. Top with more cheese and chives to serve

Tips and Tricks:

• The best way to bake potatoes is without foil in a 450 degree oven.  Depending on size, they usually take about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
• I’ve tried making this recipe with Colby, mild cheddar, and sharp cheddar cheese.  Sharp cheddar is my favorite, but use what you like.
• I like to add chives when serving.  Chives are NOT green onions.  They are milder and thinner than green onions.  Chop the green onions to cook in the soup and the chives to serve ON the soup.   You can find them by the fresh herbs in the produce section.

Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs

These make such a nice presentation.  They are great for a small gathering and they are another Barefoot Contessa recipe.  I LOVE that lady.

Ingredients:

·        8 boiled eggs

·        4 ounces of finely chopped smoked salmon

·        2 ounces of cream cheese

·        ½ C. sour cream

·        2 T. mayonnaise

·        2 T. finely chopped chives

·        1 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice

·        1 t. kosher salt

·        ½ t. fresh ground black pepper

·        Salmon roe

Directions:

1.      Boil eggs, then peel and cut them lengthwise

2.      Carefully remove yolks and place in a mixing bowl

3.      Mash egg yolks with a mixer, then add each of the ingredients to the bowl saving the salmon for the last ingredient

4.      Spoon mixture into egg halves or use a pastry bag

5.      Place eggs in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes

6.      When ready to serve, put a garnish of salmon roe on the top and sprinkle with more chives, salt, and pepper

Tips and Tricks:

·        I use kitchen shears to cut chives.  It is much easier than cutting with a knife.

·        Salmon roe is not something you can pick up at the local grocery store.  I found it at an Oriental market.

Cauliflower Soup

This is a crock pot recipe that my friend Michelle shared with me.  It's easy and low fat.  Just put everything in the crock pot and let it cook all day.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized cauliflower
• 2 C. of peeled and cubed potatoes
• 3 medium leeks
• 4 C. of chicken broth
• 1 T. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• 8 ounces of Swiss cheese cut in cubes

Directions:

1. Cut leeks lengthwise and wash well
2. Break cauliflower into pieces and rinse
3. Slice the leeks into semi-circles  
4. Add all ingredients into a crock pot, except Swiss cheese
5. Cook on low heat for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours
6. Using an electric mixer or stick blender, puree for a minute or so
7. Turn off crock pot and add cubes of cheese
8. Let cheese melt for about 5 minutes and then serve

Tips and Tricks:

• I use a Baby Swiss cheese for this recipe.  It melts smoother.
• You can use green onions if you can’t find leeks.  It tastes similar.

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

This is a combination of my Mom and Dad's Jambalaya recipe with my friend Gary's quick tips to make it a little easier. It's got all the "Cajun" staples (a roux, the trinity, plus garlic and pepper) It's spicy and makes enough to feed a crowd.

Ingredients:

• 2 C. of chopped onions
• 1 C. of chopped bell pepper
• 1 C. of chopped celery
• 6 cloves of mined garlic
• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2 lbs of smoked sausage cut into semi circles
• 1 can of Rotel
• 1 large can of crushed tomatoes
• 6 C. chicken stock
• ½ C. of Louisiana Hot Sauce
• 1 T. of salt
• 1 C flour
• 1 C vegetable oil
• 5 C. parboiled rice

Directions:

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then dust with flour
2. In cast iron pot, brown chicken in ½ cup of veggie oil, about 4 minutes per side
3. Remove chicken and let rest
4. Add other ½ cup of oil, and make roux with oil and flour over medium high heat until the color of dark peanut butter
5. Add onions, bell peppers, and celery and cook until soft, about 10 minutes
6. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute
7. Add Rotel and crushed tomatoes, cook for 5 minutes and then transfer to a gumbo pot
8. Add chicken stock, sausage, salt, pepper, and hot sauce
9. Bring to a boil and cook for 45 minutes
10. While cooking cut chicken into 1 inch chunks
11. Add chicken and cook for 15 minutes
12. Add rice and cook for 15 minutes on low heat (cookbook has 5 minutes, that's a typo)
13. Serve hot!

Tips and Tricks:

•         Making your own chicken stock for this recipe is cheaper and tastes better. Follow my link to find out how I make mine.  
•         If you don’t have a cast iron pot you can make a roux in a heavy bottomed pot instead.  The trick is to stir constantly.  You can NOT multi-task during this step.  This is where the base of flavor for your gumbo comes.  Be diligent, it takes about 20 minutes to make a roux the color you need.
•         I use Bryan Cajun Smoke Sausage. 
•         The ½ C. of hot sauce might have you scared.  Don’t be!  The sausage, chicken, and rice all absorb the hot sauce and give this jambalaya a great flavor.  It is spicy, but not tongue numbing.
•         This freezes well.

French Onion Soup with Garlic Cheese Rounds

This recipe is the combination of three different recipes that I've tweaked.  It is not difficult, just time consuming.  (I know, I have a lot of recipes like that.)  This is the perfect first course for a dinner party.

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs. of red onions
• 1 ½ sticks of butter
• 1 T. salt
• ¼ t. cayenne pepper
• 2 T. flour
• 6 bouillon cubes
• 10 C. chicken stock
• 2 T. Pickapeppa sauce
• 2 T. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 French baguette
• Garlic powder
• Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• 10 slices of Swiss cheese

Directions:

1. Slice onions into ¼ inch rings
2. In a Dutch oven, sauté onions, salt, cayenne pepper, and 1 stick of butter over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes, until they start to brown
3. Add flour and cook for 3 minutes
4. Dissolve bouillon cubes in ¼ C. of boiling water
5. Add bouillon, chicken stock, and sauces
6. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce to a simmer on lowest heat possible
7. Cook for 2 hours
8. While soup is simmering, make the Garlic Cheese rounds
9. Slice baguette into thin slices and spread with butter and sprinkle with garlic powder and Creole Seasoning
10. Broil for about 3 minutes until toasted
11. Add a  ½ slice of Swiss cheese and broil until cheese melts
12. Serve piping hot soup with Garlic Cheese rounds floating on top

Tips and Tricks:

• I use a Baby Swiss cheese for this recipe.  It melts smoother.  Cut a square piece of cheese into 4 pieces and place two small squares on each slice of baguette. After the rounds cool,  I cut them into 4 pieces, so they are bite size croutons in the soup.
• Making your own chicken stock for this recipe is cheaper and tastes better.  Follow my link to find out how I make mine.

Grillades

Serving brunch?  You will need a Grits and Grillades recipe if you want to do it the "New Orleans" way. This is not the veal steak "Grillades".   It is just a lean cut of beef (round steak) simmered in a delicious gravy.

See how the meat is so tender it's falling apart?

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs. of round steak cut into ½ inch strips
• 1 lb. of bacon
• ½ C. vegetable oil
• ½ C. flour
• 2 C. of chopped onions
• 1 C. of chopped bell pepper
• 1 C. of chopped celery
• 6 cloves of mined garlic
• 1 bunch of green onions finely chopped
• ½ C. of fresh parsley finely chopped
• 2 T. Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 T. Crystal or Louisiana hot sauce
• 1 T. salt
• 1 T. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• 1 t. thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes
• 1 C. beef broth
• 1 C. red wine

Directions:

1.    Fry bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp and remove from pot

2.    Brown round steak in the bacon fat and remove from pot

3.    Make a dark roux with oil, flour, and drippings from browning the meat. This starts as a brown color because of the meat drippings.  Be careful to cook the roux long enough, at least 15 minutes.

4.    Add onions, bell pepper, and celery and cook until limp

5.    Add garlic and cook for 1 minute

6.    Add meat, crumbled bacon, and all of the other ingredients to the pot

7.    Cook on a low heat, covered, and stirring occasionally for about 4 hours

8.    When the meat looks like it is starting to fall apart and the gravy starts to thicken up “It’s DONE”

Tips and Tricks:

·        I’ve tried cooking this in the crock pot and I didn’t have success.  I have friends who say it can be done.

·        I usually start this the night before I am serving it.  I cook it for about 2 hours and then put it in the refrigerator.  The day it is being served I cook it for the additional 3 hours.  You know the theory on the flavors getting to “marry” in the refrigerator.

·        This is great with grits.  I make a Garlic Cheese Grits to serve with this.  Follow my link to get the recipe.

Garlic Cheese Grits

Great alone, but even better with Grillades.  It bakes like a casserole and serves like one as well.

Ingredients:

• 1 C. grits
• 4 C. water
• 1 t. salt
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 lb. Velveeta cheese, cut in cubes
• ½ C. half and half
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 T. Crystal or Louisiana hot sauce
• 2 eggs well beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cook grits in water with salt added and stir frequently
3. When the grits start to firm up add the stick of butter
4. When grits are cooked, add cheese then turn off heat
5. Add garlic, hot sauce, and cream
6. Fold in eggs
7. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray
8. Pour ingredients into dish
9. Bake for 1 hour

Tips and Tricks:

• I have not used quick grits for this recipe.  I don’t trust them, because they get hard too fast.
• This recipe called for a roll of garlic cheese by Kraft.  I tweaked it with the fresh garlic and Velveeta and I think it works well.

Very Berry Salad with Coconut Cream Sauce

This is another Barefoot Contessa recipe for the salad.  The sauce is a creation of my friend Jeannien's mom, JoAnn.  This is great to serve for brunch or to bring for a potluck.  It is easy to make, but makes such a nice presentation.

Ingredients:

• 1 pint of strawberries
• 1 pint of blackberries
• 1 pint of raspberries
• 1 pint of blueberries
• 1 T. balsamic vinegar
• ¼  C. sugar
• 8 ounces of cream cheese
• ½ box of powdered sugar
• ½ C. Coconut Rum (more or less)

Directions:

1. Rinse all the berries well and let drain
2. Cut strawberries into halves or fourths, depending on size
3. Mix all berries together
4. Mix vinegar and sugar in a separate bowl and pour over the berries
5. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour
6. While the berries are cooling, beat cream cheese with a blender until smooth
7. Add powdered sugar gradually
8. Add rum until the desired consistency you like

Tips and Tricks:

• I know you might think, vinegar with berries GROSS!  It is NOT, you don’t even taste the vinegar, but it compliments the berries and sugar so well.
• The sauce is not necessary, but SOOO good.  I serve the sauce in a gravy boat and let people pour as little or as much as they like over the berry salad.
• If you don’t make the sauce, you can serve the salad over vanilla ice cream.
• We have also served this salad over angel food cake or pound cake.

Shrimp Stock

Shrimp stock is great to use when making gumbo or jambalaya.  Don't throw away those heads and peelings after you've peeled shrimp!  Make your OWN shrimp stock, here's how I make mine.

Ingredients:

• Heads and peelings from 5 lbs. of shrimp
• 2 onions, cut in ½
• 1 head of garlic, cut in ½
• 4 celery stalks, cut in ¼
• 1 T. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• 16 C. cool water

Directions:

1. Place everything in a stock pot
2. Boil on medium heat for 2 hours
3. Cut heat and allow to cool with cover on for 1 hour
4. Strain and now you have stock

Tips and Tricks:

• If you don’t have time to make stock when you are peeling your shrimp for a recipe, you can save them.  Place the heads and peelings in a freezable container and fill with water.  Freeze until you have time to make the stock. 
• I freeze this stock, but it can be used out of the refrigerator for about 2 weeks.

Seafood Gumbo

This is my Mom and Dad's Seafood Gumbo recipe with minor tweaks on my part (lump crabmeat).  WARNING: you won't be satisfied with seafood gumbo from most restaurants after you eat this Gumbo.  It is labor intensive, so block out several hours, but it is worth it.

Ingredients:

• 2 C. of chopped onions
• 1 C. of chopped bell pepper
• 1 C. of chopped celery
• 6 cloves of mined garlic
• 1 bunch of green onions finely chopped
• ½ C. of fresh parsley finely chopped
• 5 lbs. of peeled shrimp
• 1 lb of lump crabmeat
• 1 lb of smoked sausage cut into semi circles
• 1 pack of Gumbo crabs
• 1 (32oz.) bag of frozen okra
• 2 cans of Rotel
• 4 C. of  chicken stock
• 12 C. of water or shrimp stock
• 1 T. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 T. of salt
• ½ T. of black pepper
• 1 T. of Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• ½ t. cayenne pepper
• 1 C flour
• 1 C vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Make roux with oil and flour in cast iron pot over medium high heat, until the color of dark peanut butter
2. Add onions, bell peppers, and celery and cook until limp
3. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute
4. Add okra and cook for 30 minutes, stir frequently
5. Add Rotel then transfer to a gumbo pot
6. Add chicken stock, water or shrimp stock, sausage, gumbo crabs, salt, pepper, Creole Seasoning, and cayenne
7. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 hours
8. Add Worcestershire, shrimp, crabmeat, green onions, and parsley.  Cook for 10 minutes
9. Serve with rice

Tips and Tricks:

• You can make shrimp stock to use instead of the water.  It is easy!  Follow my link to find out how I make mine.
• If you don’t have a cast iron pot you can make a roux in a heavy bottomed pot instead.  The trick is to stir constantly.  You can NOT multi-task during this step.  This is where the base of flavor for your gumbo comes.  Be diligent, it takes about 20 minutes to make a roux the color you need for gumbo.
• I use Bryan Cajun Smoke Sausage in my gumbos.  It has a soft casing that absorbs some of the gumbo.  Yum!
• This gumbo always tastes better the next day, so make some room in your refrigerator.  The flavors get to “marry” (as 9^th ward Gloria says) as they sit over night.