SHRIMP CREOLE

1 lb of raw shrimp

5 T butter

1 clove garlic minced

½ C chopped celery

½ C fresh parsley chopped

½ C onion chopped

½ C bell pepper chopped

1 large can stewed tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

1 tsp Worcestershire

1 tsp salt

½ tsp cayenne pepper

Louisiana Hot Sauce

and a LARGE POT OF RICE!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
INSTRUCTIONS

• Melt butter and sauté onion, parsley, celery and bell pepper until tender.

• Add can of tomatoes and tomato sauce, garlic, pepper .

• Simmer for a few minutes and add Worcestershire sauce, salt and about 6 dashes of Louisiana Hot Sauce.

• Continue to simmer allowing flavors to meld together. 20 – 30 minutes.

• While this is simmering cook your white rice; peel out your raw shrimp - I like to leave the tail on - but that is a personal choice.

• In the last 5 minutes add the shrimp and gently stir until the shrimp are a bright pink with NO translucent quality.... shrimp should be white and meaty with a lovely pink cast to them.

• Serve over a bed of steaming hot rice.

YUM

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

by Holly

*** GATHER YOUR INGREDIENTS ***

Large Butter Croissants

grilled or baked or store bought chicken (shredded or chopped or pulled)

mayo

walnuts or pecans (toasting really helps the flavor)

apples diced

celery chopped fine

salt & pepper to taste

cranberries (Craisins)

All mixed together

add lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers on the sandwich

*************

Now seriously, can you think of a better lunch than that? The heat has been so unforgiving that to heat up the kitchen is almost a sin! This is simple, beautiful, and most important delicious!
Thanks Holly!

Raspberry Pecan Chicken Salad

by Holly

good lettuce ( bib, romaine, Boston, or spring mix)

pecans or walnuts toasted in butter and brown sugar

feta and blue cheese ( crumbled )

apples ( diced )

cranberries (Ocean Spray Dried Cranberries )

grilled chicken sliced or use Tyson Grilled Chicken Breast Strips

raspberry walnut vinaigrette ( I like Newman's )

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• This is a great salad any time or season of the year !
  
• 
  
• Do you have left over chicken from a Bar-B-Q ? Pull it apart to use on your salad - or grab a bag of Tyson's Ready to Serve Grilled Chicken
• 
  
• Either toast your own nuts or grab a can of Honey Roasted Pecans or Walnuts a good handful or two
  
• 
  
• Use good lettuce - a large bag of prewashed and packaged lettuce
  
• 
  
• core and dice an apple
• 
  
• grab a bag of Craisins a good handful or two
  
• 
  
• small container of feta or blue cheese crumbled - use as much or as little as you like
  
• 
  
• Good Raspberry Vinaigrette - don't drown your salad!!!! but do coat everything
  

Toss all the ingredients gently together and top with chicken strips.... This is also good with fried chicken strips purchased from the store .... just slice them up on the diagonal and place on top of the salad.... YUM>....

Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting

Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup nonhydrogenated shortening (I use Earth Balance brand)

1/2 cup nonhydrogenated margarine

3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted if clumpy

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup plain soymilk or soy creamer

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Directions:

• 1. Beat the shortening and margarine together until well combined and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat for about 3 minutes more. Add the vanilla and soy milk, beat for another 5 to 7 minutes until fluffy.
• (I don't have a fancy mixer, I just beat by hand and it comes out just great, although tiring, it's worth it!!)

S'Mores Cupcakes

Another Favorite Vegan Dessert

by Jessica


3/4 cup brown sugar


1/2 cup canola oil


2 tablespoons molasses


1/4 cup soy yogurt


1 1/4 cups soy milk


1 teaspoon vanilla extract


1 cup all-purpose flour


1 teaspoon baking powder


1/2 teaspoon baking soda


1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon


1/4 teaspoon salt


1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (see note below)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Directions:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
• 
  
• 2. Mix the brown sugar, oil, molasses, yogurt, soy milk, and vanilla in a large bowl.
• 
  
• 3. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a separate bowl and mix. Add the graham cracker crumbs and mix it up.
• 
  
• 4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in three batches, mixing well after each addition.
• 
  
• 5. Fill cupcake liners full. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely before decorating.

To assemble:

• Spread or pipe a thick layer of Vegan Fluffy Buttercream frosting onto each cupcake.
• 
  
• Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over the frosting.
• 
  
• Drizzle with melted chocolate or with shaved chocolate and stick a graham cracker into each cupcake.
• 
  
• Either eat immediately for authentic s'mores warm yumminess, or allow to set.
• 
  
• Delicious either way and no one will go home unhappy.

Note: To rapidly make graham cracker crumbs, crumble six whole graham crackers into a food processor and process into crumbs. Measure out the 1/2 cup and save the rest of the crumbs for decorative purposes. If you don't have a food processor and can't find prepackaged vegan graham cracker crumbs (who can?), then place graham crackers in a plastic bag and cover with a dish towel. Use a kitchen mallet or plain ol' hammer to smash the crackers into fine crumbs. You may need to shake the bag a few times to make sure you get 'em all.

Ice Cream on Steroids by Holly

Box of Ice Cream Sandwiches
Cool Whip
Magic Chocolate Shell
Heath Bars
Caramel Sauce












****************

DIRECTIONS

• Unwrap and place ice cream sandwiches in the bottom of a glass dish ... be sure they are close together.... Cut some if you have to so that they are in there tight.
  
• 
  
• Spread the Cool Whip on top.
  
• 
  
• Swirl Magic Chocolate Shell (the chocolate sauce that gets hard),
  
• 
  
• Crush Heath Bars and sprinkle on top
• 
  
• Drizzle Caramel Sauce on top of that
• 
  
• FREEZE
• 
  
• Slice and EAT!

Now talk about a sugar fix!!! YUM!

• 
  

Martha and Holly's No Bake Cheese Cake

Filling

1 small carton of heavy whipping cream

2 - 8 oz packages of cream cheese (room temp)

1 cup of sugar

1 lemon juiced ( 1/4 cup)

1 teaspoon of vanilla (about a cap full)

Crust

2 packages of Graham Crackers ( or Holly's says cookies - hmmm let's use Oreo's!)

1 stick of butter

2 Tbls of sugar

************************************************

DIRECTIONS

CRUST

• Put graham crackers in a large resealable plastic bag, and crush them with a rolling pin until very fine crumbs form.

• Pour crumbs into a medium bowl; stir in sugar. Add butter, and stir until well combined.
• 
  
• Note from Holly: if you don't want to use butter use condensed milk - or use the juice from a can of pineapples - or use the lemon juice - or use chocolate melted.... be creative when it comes to the crust... yum!
  

• Press the crumb mixture into a pan, spreading it 1 1/2 to 2 inches up the side; press flat. Chill crust in freezer at least 10 minutes

FILLING

• Combine cream cheese, lemon juice, and sugar in a mixer, and beat until combined. Set aside
• 
  
• Lightly whip the cream to soft peaks, and fold into cream-cheese filling.
  
• 
  
• Remove crust from freezer, and pour filling evenly into pan.
  
• 
  
• Cover with plastic wrap, place in freezer for 30 minutes, then transfer to refrigerator until firm, at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours.

• Holly says " When ready to serve - top with fresh cut berries or drizzle with chocolate or with crushed cookies. - Ok - so now - this is a Martha Stewart recipe - her instructions are much nicer. A easier but less yummy version is to use cool whip - don't over work."

******************************************************************

Tip of the Day from Samie

Hey I saw a tip on cutting corn off the cob...not that we do much of that.
but I was looking at Jessica "mock shoe" recipe and thought about it ...
you use a small bowl inverted and placed in a larger bowl...then you cut away.
I liked the idea, I think it would work.

I think Samie is on to something here... sure beats chasing kernels all over the counter!

Remember buying corn from Ed Daniel's boys off the back of their old truck? It was as sweet as candy.... yum!

Remember Mama Reid's skillet fried corn? Sometimes things so simple get looked over... until you have a triggered thought!

Thanks Samie !

Chicken Parmesan

Well August has arrived here in Tennessee with a vengeance ! The temperature punched in at 95 and it really hasn't dropped much this evening... I did see however that Little Rock hit 108! Sorry Samie, I will keep my sob stories to myself!

I know you would think it is TOO hot to cook... but really, FOOD is my middle name! And of course I chose to cook something that heats up the whole kitchen. So my dear friends, I pass it along to you.... maybe in a couple of months when the weather actually gets cooler it would be a great evening meal... so don't forget about it .. .OK?

Chicken Parmesan

The ingredients are simple and results are very professional
preheat oven to 325

4 boneless chicken breast ( or approximately 6 tenderloins)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup of Italian Bread Crumbs

1 egg beaten

Tony Chacheres Creole Seasonings

2 cans of tomato SAUCE

Worcestershire Sauce

teaspoon of sugar

2 tsp of FRESH Basil chopped

1/4 stick of butter

1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

4-6 slices of Provolone Cheese (you can use Mozzarella in a pinch)

Angel Hair Pasta




+++++++++++++++++++++++

instructions

• Preheat oven to 325

• Place breast in press and seal or a large ziplock bag

• using a mallet ( I use whatever is handy ... even my rolling pin) flatten breasts to 1/2 inch thickness.

• Lightly dust the breast with Tony's and dredge them in the egg wash

• coat the breast in bread crumbs

• In large skillet heat the olive oil

• Place the breast in the hot oil and brown the breasts

• when both sides are nice an golden brown remove and place in baking dish

• set to the side

• in sauce pan place the tomato sauce, butter, sugar, a couple of good dollops of Worcestershire Sauce, and basil (reserve a bit for garnish.)

• Simmer for about 10 minutes and pour over chicken

• Top this with Parmesan Cheese
  

• Cover and bake for about 20 minutes

• While the chicken is in the oven - boil the Pasta - Drain toss with a little butter and a little basil if you have any left from the sauce.

• Remove the chicken from oven and top each breast with the Provolone (you can run it back in the oven for a minute or two while the cheese melts

• Serve over the Pasta

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how do you tell when your pasta is ready? If you think it is done... take a strand and toss it against the kitchen backsplash... if it clings ... IT'S DONE ! Of course you could take the fun out of it and just taste it... if it is crunchy... IT'S NOT DONE!