BEIGNETS!

Hey y'all! Happy Friday! Hope everyone is enjoying this gorgeous spring weather!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have fresh French Quarter beignets fried up in the comfort of your own home?! Well now it's possible with this yummy recipe I adopted from Sugar and Charm. This savory treat will make you feel like you're in the heart of NOLA enjoying a hot cup of coffee and a delightful beignet at the famous Café Du Monde.

Beignet Heaven
Photo By: Sugar and Charm 

Ingredients 

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

1/2 cup white sugar1 teaspoon salt2 eggs1 cup evaporated milk6 1/2 cups bread flour1/4 cup shortening1 quart vegetable oil for frying (or try Café Du Monde’s recommended cottonseed oil if you can find it!)1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the warm water, sugar and yeast and stir. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a standalone mixer, combine the eggs, evaporated milk and salt and beat until combined.

3. With the mixer on low, add in the yeast mixture to the egg mixture.

4. Then add in cups of bread flour and mix on low.

5. Add the shortening in and continue to mix before adding the remaining 3 1/2 cups bread flour. DON’T over mix!

6. Knead the dough until smooth (it shouldn’t be stiff). Then place back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

7. Set the bowl in a warm area and let it rise for 2 hours.

8. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4″ thick. Then slice into 2″ squares with a pizza cutter.

9. Heat vegetable oil in a Dutch oven until the temperature reaches 350 degrees. Or you can be like me and just wait until it’s pretty hot ; )

10. Then place a few dough squares in the hot oil and watch the magic happen! Turn them so they don’t burn on one side.

11. When you remove them, dust with a light layer of powdered sugar, until all of them are done, then pile powdered sugar on top! 

Y'all enjoy!

KOLACHES! A TEXAS FAVORITE!

Hey y'all! Happy Monday!

I'm currently having withdrawals from Texas delicacies after spending the past week back home. This morning I woke up craving my favorite breakfast food in the whole entire world...kolaches! Most people outside of Texas don't know what kolaches are but they're simply yeast rolls stuffed with sausage and cheese. They're basically amazing!

Anyways, I began searching for a recipe I could easily whip up to get a little taste of home while back up in Utah and I ended up stumbling upon this simple recipe from The Coers Family Blog. Amanda is a proud Texan that knows her stuff when it comes to fixin' up Texas staples, so be sure to check her out by clicking on the link above!

Kolaches
Picture By: Confections of a Foodie Bride

Here's what you'll need:

10 Rhodes frozen dinner rolls, thawed but still cool
10 fully-cooked breakfast sausages (jalapeno cheese if you enjoy a little kick like I do) :)
5 slices American cheese, cut into quarters
1/2 stick butter, melted

Directions: 

1. Set out 10 frozen Rhodes bread rolls in a pan to thaw. 
2. Spray with nonstick cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap to keep moist. 
3. Allow rolls to thaw for 2-3 hours before assembling kolache. 
4. Prepare a 9x13 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. 
5. Heat oven to 375 degrees. 
6. Flatten each thawed bread roll in the palm of your hand, like a tiny tortilla.
7. Place cheese and then sausage onto flattened bread roll.
8. Fold the ends of the bread roll over the sausage and begin to roll the dough over the filling to cover completely.
9. Be sure to pinch the ends of the bread roll to seal. (This keeps the cheese from oozing out too much during baking)
10. Place kolache seam-side down into prepared pan. Repeat until all ten kolache are completed. 
11. Next, brush kolache with melted butter and don't be shy about it. 
12. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Y'all Enjoy! 

CRAWFISH BOIL!

Hey y'all it's time for some relaxation! It's March and in the south that means the start of crawfish season and spring break! Two things we can all be excited about!

Crawfish are definitely one of my all-time favorite foods on the planet! Add crawfish to anything and you got yourself a serious meal, pie, jambalaya, gumbo, etouffee...the possibilities are endless and everything tastes delicious! 

Today I want to share with y'all a simple crawfish boil recipe. Super easy and a total crowd pleaser so it's perfect for parties, family reunions and get-togethers!

Crawfish Boil
Photo by: Jason Kindig

Now y'all don't forget to purge your crawfish... they're mudbugs for crying out loud so you want to make sure they release all of that gunk before ya eat 'em! It's a simple process here's how you do it..

PURGE

1. Empty crawfish in cooler.

2. Pour 1 pound of salt on crawfish.

3. Fill cooler with water just enough to cover the crawfish. 

4. Gently stir. 

5. Once they have purged, dump the nasty water and rinse them.

6. Sift through the crawfish and throw away the dead ones, you absolutely DO NOT want to add dead crawfish to the stockpot. **I REPEAT DO NOT BOIL DEAD CRAWFISH**

7. Repeat this process one more time before boiling, just to make sure they're nice and clean. 

BOIL

Ingredients

35 lbs. Crawfish

Water

3 lbs. Louisiana Seafood Boil

Tony Chachere's

Red potatoes (halved)

10-15 ears of corn (halved)

Directions

1. Boil water in large outdoor stockpot with basket strainer.

2. When water begins to boil add 1 lb. seafood boil. (For every 10 lbs add 1 lb of seafood boil)

3. Add potatoes and corn to the stockpot until potatoes are tender.

4. Add crawfish and stir let boil for about 10-15 minutes.

5. Remove the strainer from stock pot and allow crawfish to drain.

6. Toss crawfish in a generous helping of Tony Chachere's and repeat!

Enjoy because we only get until June to appreciate this southern delicacy!

Sweetie Pie's Mac & Cheese

Hey y'all! Happy Sunday! I hope everyone is staying warm on this chilly winter day! 

I woke up this morning almost frostbitten from this crazy snow storm that blew through over night! It was nuts! I've never seen so much snow in my life! Y'all may not know but I am currently attending school in Utah, I accepted a scholarship to play volleyball at Southern Utah University so this has been home for the past few years. Weather like this definitely makes me miss all the mild winters in Texas!

Anyways, I realized the town became a winter wonderland overnight so I was trying to think of a delicious comfort recipe that would warm us up from shoveling the driveway all morning! When I suddenly thought of Sweetie Pie's Mac & Cheese. I got this recipe from watching Diners, Drive In's and Dives the other night and it's said to be one of the best mac and cheese recipes. So, of course I had to to try it!

Now let me tell y'all beware this recipe is extremely addicting and truly lives up to all the hype!
It's so easy that you will never want to make it from a box ever again!

Sweetie Pie's Mac & Cheese
Photo By: Food.com 

Here's a clip of the episode for a little inspiration! If this doesn't motivate you to make this mac and cheese... well then there's no hope for you!

Sweetie Pie's Mac and Cheese on Diners Drive-In's and Dives 

Ingredients 
1 lb cooked elbow macaroni

1 cup whole milk

24 ounces evaporated milk

3 eggs

2 tablespoons

1 Cup butter, cut into small pieces

1⁄2 lb colby cheese
1⁄2 lb monterey jack cheese, shredded
1⁄2 lb sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 lb Velveeta cheese, cut in chunks
salt
1 tablespoon whiter pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup shredded American cheese or 1 cup mild cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°C.

2. Put pasta in 9 by 13 dish and set aside.

3. Mix milks and eggs well.

4. Add the butter and colby, montery jack, sharp cheddar and velveeta cheeses to the pasta.

5. Pour milk and egg mixture over the pasta.

6. Mix in sour cream. 

7. Season with salt , pepper, sugar and toss.

8. Sprinkle with remaining cups of American or Cheddar cheese.

9. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until top is lightly browned.

Paula D's Banana Pudding!

Hey y'all! I hope everyone is enjoying this gorgeous Sunday afternoon!

I want to share with y'all my all time favorite banana pudding recipe and of course, I adopted it from the queen of southern cookin' herself Paula Deen! This recipe is so darn good it will leave you and your loved ones lickin' the plate and beggin' for seconds. If you haven't tried it you're missin' out on one of the best southern dishes ever created!

Banana Pudding
Photo By: Passionate Penny Pincher

Banana Pudding

Ingredients:

2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies (I use Vanilla Wafers but either one is great so pick your poison) :)
6 to 8 bananas, sliced
2 cups milk
1 (5-ounce) box instant French vanilla pudding
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping thawed, or equal amount sweetened whipped cream

Directions:

1. Line the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.

2. In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer. 

3. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. 4. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. 

5. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended. 

6. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. 

7. Refrigerate until ready to serve.


y'all enjoy!

Crawfish Pie!

Hey y'all! Happy Fat Tuesday!

Hope everyone is enjoying this lovely day and indulging in tons of delicious food! I love this time of year because it's Mardi Gras and it reminds me of all the delicious Cajun recipes my family used to make growing up.

Over the weekend I got a massive craving for crawfish and decided there's no better way to celebrate Mardi Gras than fixin' up some crawfish pie! This recipe I adopted from Patsy Brumfield, The Southfacin' Cook, it's absolutely fantastic!  I must admit I got pretty lazy on the crust though and I used Pillsbury's refrigerated pie crust instead (it's still pretty darn good). I also used another crust on top to seal in the filling. So, I kinda tweaked it a little bit but you can find the original recipe by clicking on the link above.

Photo By: Thermador

Ingredients:
1 box of Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust
1 stick butter
1/2 cup flour
1 cup diced onions
3/4 cup diced bell pepper 
3/4 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1 lb. frozen, thawed crawfish tails 
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (after using 1/4, I lean toward 1/8)
1 teaspoon salt
Tony's Chachere's to taste 

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Prepare crust as directed and set aside. 
2. In a skillet, melt butter then add flour and whisk into a lightly browned roux. 
3. Add onions, bell pepper and celery. Cook, stirring, for another 6-8 minutes until vegetables are tender.
4. Add tomatoes, crawfish, green onions, parsley and seasonings.
5. Cook another 2-3 minutes until just heated through. Pour into large bowl and let cool about 10 minutes, then pour filling into pie shell.
6. Cover filling with the other pie crust and cut three slits into the center of the pie. 
7. Bake until crust is golden. Allow to cool 10-15 minutes before serving. 

Cupid Buttons

Hey y'all! Happy Valentine's Week!

You may be wondering what to get your sweetie this Valentine’s Day and we all know the way to a man's heart is through his stomach! So, why not ditch the box of chocolate and conversation hearts this V-Day and make him this tasty treat!

I stumbled upon this recipe on an awesome blog called g*rated! Y’all need to check it out sometime! These girls are incredibly talented and post everything from crafts to recipes and more! Here’s a link to their homepage:  http://griffithsrated.blogspot.com/

Cupid Buttons
Photo by: g*rated

Cupid Buttons

Ingredients:

1 bag of Square Pretzels (you can use Circle ones too!)

1 bag of Milk Chocolate Hershey Kisses

1 bag of Hershey Hugs

1 bag of Valentine’s Day Milk Chocolate M&Ms

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 165°. 

2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

3. Place the pretzels and top them with the hugs and kisses.

4. Bake for 4-5 minutes until the chocolate is shiny and soft (but NOT melting - they should still hold their shape). 

5. Carefully place an M&M in the center of each piece of chocolate and gently press down.

6. Place in refrigerator and cool!

Enjoy!