Carmela Vineyards where it all comes together – wine, food, and rving. After a week of family festivities culminating with a wedding, what more could we ask for than an oasis in southern Idaho? Continue reading “Carmela Vineyards – Glenns Ferry, Idaho”
Stuffed Mushrooms in Vodka Sauce
Cajun French: la dépense (la dā-pons) – pantry
Vodka sauce sounds so romantic and enticing. Each time the pantry was opened the vodka sauce was staring at us. Four large mushrooms, two stuffed crabs and vodka sauce, dinner was in the making. Add seasoning and pasta and the romance was waiting.
Mais C’est Bon!
Street Breads of Baton Rouge, LA
Cajun French: la rue (la rū) – street
On Saturday mornings if we are close to a Farmers Market we’re headed that way for the opening bell. We are also looking for breakfast as most also have breakfast vendors with the markets. When we’re in our home area of Baton Rouge, we’re pointed to the Red Stick Farmers Market. This morning we decided to look elsewhere and step out of the box for our Saturday morning treat. Continue reading “Street Breads of Baton Rouge, LA”
Stuffed Jalapenos
Cajun French: bourrer (boor-ā) – stuff
Leftover beans and rice again. What can we combine them with this time? We enjoy stuffed grape leaves for snacks. The last ones we purchased had very tough leaves so we had been using the stuffing in dishes. Mayonnaise was used as the binder and a stuffing for Jalapenos was beginning. The mayonnaise also gives a richness to the peppers. This dish is a great snack or side for a salad.
Mais C’est Bon!
Louisiana Saturday Night Oysters
Cajun French: l’huite (l’ū-eet) – oyster
Fresh Louisiana oysters are salty sweet and taste like no other oysters. When we purchased the oysters, we knew how we wanted to cook them, simply in olive oil with pasta. Avocado oil was used to give the dish a buttery taste and it adds richness. This dish is easy to prepare but makes a gourmet meal.
Mais C’est Bon!
Eggs Beanedict
Cajun French: le piment fort (lu pee-mon for) – pepper (hot)
What do you do with left over beans and rice? Bean Patties.
What do you do with left over bean patties? Eggs Beanedict.
If you are like us, there always seems to be beans and rice left even after eating leftovers. Trying to come up with a way to use the beans and rice in a creative manner, we decided on bean patties. They had a great flavor and we served them with grilled salmon. Ok, now we had two bean patties leftover. Thinking breakfast we decided to top them with fried eggs and one thing led to another. Eggs Beanedict was born and enjoyed.
Mais C’est Bon!
Shrimp Pasta
Cajun French: la chevrette (la shuv-ret) – shrimp
Pasta is a staple in our pantry and we are always looking for ways to make a pasta dish interesting. What was to be just another tomato sauce and pasta evolved into a dish with depth of flavor. There was fresh corn in the refrigerator so that went in. Laurie had Kipper Snacks for lunch and one was left, so it was mashed and into the sauce it went along with red wine. The sauce is full of flavor with a depth of richness.
Mais C’est Bon!
Enjoy!! Continue reading “Shrimp Pasta”
Beans and Rice
Cajun French: le riz (lu ree) – rice
Leftover beans and rice – what to do? We were looking for something other than just beans and rice. Think Mujadarrah with a Cajun twist. Instead of lentils, we have Colorado River Beans and rice cooked with arugula.
Mais C’est Bon!
Eggplant Seafood Casserole
Cajun French: la breme (la brem) – eggplant
Eggplant is a vegetable we enjoy using in various ways. Not sure how we wanted to use the one we purchased at the farmers market, so we started brainstorming. What else had we purchased or had on hand that we could incorporate? After some discussion, we decided on a casserole using seafood – shrimp and crab. The fresh peppers were abundant this week and we had a variety so in they went. The mayonnaise was used not only as a binding but also for flavor enhancement. Although the recipe is easy, the results are a casserole with a richness to be enjoyed.
Mais C’est Bon!
Flatbread Pizza
Cajun French: Cuire (kū-eer) – bake
So many ways to make pizza with varied ingredients, the options are limitless. The pizza could be very healthy or a heart attack on a plate and everything in between. Our pizza du jour is made using flatbread with olive oil and lots of garlic and we build from there. The garlic is roasted in the olive oil, yes we like garlic. Have fun with the pizza; try different ingredients with different combinations. Some will be great others not to be tried again. But that is the fun of cooking especially cooking with family and friends.
Mais C’est Bon!