Jessica's Lenten Crawfish Monica

Since there's no meat-eatin' during Lent, my dear friend Jessica shared one of her favorite ways to get through the Lenten season - with crawfish! Although I haven't tried her recipe, she swears it's marvelous. And knowing Jessica, there's no doubt that it's anything less than spectacular for a fancy meal at home or an impressive dish for a dinner party. Get out your fancy dishes, y'all!

1 lb. crawfish tails, boiled and peeled (preferred)
OR 1 lb. shrimp, peeled OR 1 lb. lump crabmeat OR 1 lb. oysters, drained and quartered

1 stick butter (the real stuff- don't be foolin' around with margarine!)
1 pint half-and-half (Look, relax. Just don't eat this every day..)
1 good-sized bunch green onions, chopped (tops, too)
3 - 10 cloves garlic, chopped (to your taste)
1-2 tbs Creole Seasoning
1 lb. cooked fresh rotelli pasta (Dry is fine if fresh is not available.)

Cook pasta according to the directions on the package, drain, and rinse under cool water. Drain again, thoroughly. Melt the butter in a large pot and sauté onions and garlic for 3 minutes. Add the seafood and saute for 2 minutes. Add the half-and-half, then add several big pinches of Creole seasoning, tasting before the next pinch until you think it's right. Cook for 5 - 10 minutes over medium heat until the sauce thickens. Add the pasta and toss well. Let it sit for 10 minutes or so over very low heat, stirring often. Serve immediately, with lots of French bread and a nice dry white wine.

Joelle's Spicy Chicken with Spaghetti

A friend of mine from work passed along this recipe with the warning that it is SO GOOD, but makes a ton of food. WOW, I thought – that’ll make it a lot easier when I make casseroles for my pregnant friends this spring! BTW, frozen casseroles are one of the BEST gifts to give a pregnant woman – she won’t have to cook when she gets home from giving birth, and if hubby can turn on the oven and timer they’re set! Anyway, here’s the recipe from Joelle:

2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
¾ of the big block of Velveeta (you can use Lite, but not fat-free)
4-6 Chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
garlic salt and black pepper, to taste
1 can EACH regular and spicy Ro-tel (or 2 cans regular if you prefer)
1 pkg. spaghetti noodles, cooked and drained

Combine all ingredients in a gigantic bowl, then divide into 2 9x13 casserole pans or several 9x9 square pans for freezing. When ready to cook, thaw overnight and bake for 45 minutes on 350.

Marshmallow Popcorn Balls

Combining the best elements of popcorn balls and rice krispy treats, Marshmallow Popcorn Balls are awesome at Halloween or any time of year. I even made them for one of TJ’s presentation meetings at work! We doubled the recipe and made one batch with peanuts and another with M&Ms. It’s a 2-man job, but LOADS of fun and really messy!

1 stick butter or margarine
1 large pkg. mini marshmallows
1 family size bag microwave popcorn
Lots of Pam or other nonstick spray
stir-ins of your choice: M&Ms, salted peanuts, Reese’s pieces, jelly beans, gummi bears

Melt the butter and marshmallows in a nonstick pot over medium-low heat, stirring to combine, until mixture is smooth and of an even color. Stir every few minutes or so to make sure it’s melting evenly, and to prevent scorching. While this is going, cover a section of your countertop with waxed paper and nuke the popcorn according to the package directions, throwing away any un-popped kernels. Spray a large pot or bowl with nonstick spray and dump in the popcorn. When butter/marshmallow mixture is ready, pour this mixture and any stir-ins over the cooked popcorn and stir with a large spoon to distribute evenly. Spray your hands with nonstick spray, and work quickly! Form balls with the popcorn mixture, pressing slightly to keep them together, and lay out on waxed paper to “congeal” before wrapping individually in cling wrap. You should have 8-10 baseball-sized popcorn balls when you get finished, depending on how big you want to make them.

The Original Cowboy Lemonade

I have absolutely no idea how TJ formulated this concoction, but it’s been a hit with our friends for ages. We even had it at our wedding reception in Louisiana in one of those swirly daiquiri machines, and the whole machine was emptied in less than 30 minutes. It was insane. Anyway, here’s the recipe for what’s sure to be a big hit at your next hoedown.

1 12 oz. can frozen lemonade concentrate
12 oz. vodka (fill the empty lemonade can up)
1 can of beer
lots of ice

In a blender, combine lemonade, vodka and beer. After all have been combined, pour off half of the mixture and fill the blender back up with ice. Chop ice/blend to slushy consistency. Repeat with other half of lemonade mixture. If you want to make “Super Cowboy”, add 4 shots of bourbon to first mixing.

"Healthy" Roasted Potatoes

I made these for Thanksgiving this year and they were a big hit. I was so honored when my grandmother asked for the recipe! Anyway, it’s a healthier way of cooking potatoes because there’s not cheese, sour cream or butter involved and it’s just as good. We also cook vegetables like eggplant, zucchini and summer squash like this and they’re awesome! Feel free to adjust the seasoning amounts to your liking – this is just a starting point.

1-5 lb. bag of red potatoes, cubed
1 c. olive oil
2 T garlic salt
1 T. pepper
1 T. paprika
1 tsp. ground red pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Mix all ingredients except potatoes together until slurry. Dump cubed potatoes out onto a rimmed baking sheet and baste with 1/3 of the olive oil mixture. Bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, take the potatoes out and mix them up with a spatula. Some will probably stick to the bottom of the pan; that’s okay, just scrape them up and mix them all around. Baste again and return to the oven for another 15 minutes. Repeat the spatula mixing and basting process again and cook for a final 15 minutes.

"Sandwich"

Yes, this wonderful delicacy was simply dubbed “sandwich” by my adorable husband, who professes that this is one of his favorite things in the world. Perfect for feeding friends during a spirited football game, “sandwich” is easy to prepare and really good!

1 lb. hot bulk pork sausage
1 lb. ground beef/chuck/whatever’s on sale
1 onion, chopped
2 T mustard (or more, depending on how much you like mustard)
16 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
2 eggs, beaten
2 baguettes or twin loaves of French bread (we use Pepperidge Farm)
spray margarine
garlic salt

Preheat oven to 375. In a skillet, cook sausage, beef and onions until done, making sure to break up the meat into little bits, and drain. While meat is cooking, cut the loaves in half and hollow out the middle on both sides, leaving a shell similar to how you’d hollow out a twice-baked potato. Place the loaves on a large sheet of aluminum foil. When meat is cooked and drained, pour it into a big bowl and add mustard, cheese and eggs. Mix to combine, and spoon mixture into the hollowed out bread loaves. Do the next steps for both loaves: Use the foil to help roll the top of the loaf onto the bottom, and push any mixture that has “escaped” back into the bread. Spray the top with spray margarine and sprinkle lightly with garlic salt. Form the aluminum foil around the sandwich to help hold in the stuffing, making sure to leave the top open so the sandwich can brown on top. Bake for 35 minutes and cut into fourths. Serves 8.

Betty's Dip

TJ’s mom acquired this recipe many years ago, and passed it on to me because it’s one of his favorites. When I mentioned making it for a party last night, his eyes lit up and he was actually excited about going grocery shopping.

1 jar Armour dried beef
1 small can chopped black olives
1 small can mushroom stems and pieces
1 bunch green onions, green part only
3 tsp. Accent
3 8 oz. tubs whipped cream cheese

Put beef, mushrooms and onions in food processor and chop VERY fine. Put chopped ingredients in a large bowl and add olives, cream cheese and Accent. Stir to combine thoroughly, cover and refrigerate overnight. This dip is very thick, so choose a sturdy chip (Fritos Scoops are great) or toasted baguette slices, carrots or celery sticks.