Crawfish Etouffee

This is one of my favorite Louisiana foods and it is so easy to make.  

1 lb. crawfish peeled and deveined (get them pre-prepared at your seafood market)

1 onion (medium)

1 bell pepper (medium)

2 stalks of celery

1 stick real butter

4 tbs. of flour

two cans or one box of chicken stock

water as needed to thin

creole seasoning

pepper and salt to taste

Melt butter in a heavy bottomed 6 quart sauce pan.  Add chopped vegetables and sautee until soft - about 8 - 10 minutes on medium heat.

Add crawfish tails with all the fat and juice.  Cook until the tails feel a little firmer.  Add flour and stir.  Let flour mixture cook for a few minutes to get the raw flour flavor out

Add chicken stock. Stir vigorously to get the roux to break up.  Bring to a boil and then simmer.  Add seasonings as desired.  For additional flavor you can use a tablespoon of chicken base or chicken bullion  cubes (3 - 4) instead of salt.  

Serve over rice or put it in a pie shell with rice to make a crawfish pie!

Tomato Gravy

My mom made this many Sunday nights to put over her homemade biscuits   Nothing better This gravy is one reason to can you own tomatoes   

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 to 3/4 cup plain flour

One quart home canned tomatoes or one large can of quality diced tomatoes

Make roux with oil and flour.  Stir constantly on medium fire till the color is  brown like the color of a brown paper sack. Do not let it burn. 

Add tomatoes and stir.  Add water to your desired consistency.  Cook until tomatoes are mostly broken up.  Season with pepper and salt as needed.

Abel's Jambalaya

There are many types of jambalaya recipes -- brown to red in color -- chicken and sausage -- seafood. They are all delicious.  The recipe I am sharing with you is the one that my father, Billy Abel, used to make at our family sporting goods store, the Land of Sports.  We often fed many customers and friends at lunch time.  The meat in the jambalaya depended greatly on what was in season and what people brought us from their hunts.  Rabbit, Squirrel, and even alligator tail meat make excellent protein for this dish.  However, the go-to meat for this jambalaya is chicken and smoked sausage, which is what this recipe calls for.

This is the easiest and cheapest one-pot meal you can make.

2-3 lbs chicken meat -- I recommend boneless chicken thighs and breasts for ease (though my dad always made his with bone-in chicken)
2 lbs of smoked sausage -- I like Manda's -  cut in half rounds about 1/2 inch thick
3 cups of rice (parboiled - like Uncle Ben's converted) -- this is important for the novice -- otherwise you may end up with the worst jambalaya ever -- both crunchy and mushy -- awful
6 cups chicken stock
1 large onion diced
1 large bell pepper diced
3 stalks celery diced
Oil to coat the bottom of a heavy bottomed 6- 8 quart pot
Creole Seasoning to taste.  You can use black pepper and salt instead if you prefer.

Pour enough oil to cover the bottom of the pot.  Put in cut chicken breasts and thighs  -- I usually quarter them unless the pieces are huge -- they will be large but you can break them up as you cook.  Season liberally with creole seasoning.  The meat will be juicier if you resist the urge to cut them into small, bite-sized chunks.  Brown the chicken well on medium-high  to high heat, stirring with a heavy spatula frequently.  A brown fond will form on the bottom of the pot.  This is what you want for the color and flavor.

Once the chicken is browned and your have used your spatula to cut it into smaller pieces, add your cut sausage and brown this also, add another lighter coat of seasoning.

When chicken and sausage have browned, add the onion, bell pepper, and celery - again add another light covering of seasoning.  Stir and cover to let soften.

Next, add rice.  Stir so that the rice is coated with the oil that is in the pot.

Next, add your chicken stock  Stir well and lower heat to medium.  Cover pot.  Stir every 5 minutes or so until all the moisture is taken up by the rice.  At this time, test the rice to make sure it is soft enough.  If you like it softer, you can add a half-cup more of stock (or water) and stir.  Turn off heat and let it sit for about 20 minutes before serving.

Serve with french bread and enjoy.

Turkey (or Chicken) Pot Pie Made Really Easy

With leftover turkey, what to do.  I already made a turkey gumbo, turkey enchiladas (with my enchilada recipe on this site), and turkey salad sandwiches.  I looked in my pantry and made a great pot pie!

1 medium onion diced
1/2 stick of butter
1 can cream of chicken soup and 1 can of water
1 carrot diced
2 potatoes diced
2 cups of leftover turkey, diced (you can also use chicken in this)
1/2 cup peas (frozen is best)
1/2 cup corn (frozen or canned)
1/2 tsp sage or poultry seasoning
1 Pillsbury roll-out pie dough

Sautee the onion in butter.  Add cream of chicken plus one can of water.  Add carrots and potatoes.  Cook until slightly tender.  Add the turkey, peas, corn, and sage/poultry seasoning.  Let cool somewhat.  Remove the two pie dough rolls from their box and line a pie plate with one.  Fill with pot pie mixture.  Tope with the other crust.  Crimp both doughs together.  Bake at 375 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes until golden brown.

Chicken Taco Burritos or Salad

This recipe is founded in the craze that many people have of going to Izzo's, Cafe Rio, or some other build your burrito eatery.  It is super easy with no mess or fuss

4 skinless chicken breasts or a whole chicken if you like (you can use boneless for ease)
2 packages of McCormick Chicken Taco mix
1 can of black beans
Mexican Cheese
Lettuce
Tomato
Salsa
Flour or corn tortillas -- your choice

Cook the chicken with NO seasonings in your crockpot for three to four hours on high -- every crockpot cooks differently it seems to me so you will have to gauge the time.  When the chicken is shreddable, it is done.

Let chicken cool somewhat and then shred.  Mix in taco mix and a few tablespoons of water.  Voila -- your meat is done.  All you need to do is put the meat and the fixings out and let everyone make their own.  It makes a great chicken taco salad also -- just use everything except the tortilla!

I like to top with a mixture of ranch dressing and puree of avocado with a little lime juice for a dressing.

Enjoy!!!

Crockpot Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

I made this at my sister Melanie's house this week. Very easy though not as good as the old fashioned way. But it is a great way to make Sunday lunch while at church.

3 or 4 chicken breasts or thighs ( I use boneless)
1 lb of smoke sausage link
1 lb frozen okra
1 can chopped tomatoes regular sized can
1 small onion diced
1 bell pepper diced
2 celery stalks sliced
1 - 2 teaspoons liquid crab boil
1 -2 tsp garlic salt
2 bay leaves
For roux
1/2 cup oil
1 cup plain flour

Chop chicken into large pieces while raw.  Also chop sausage ino rounds. Put meat in crockpot. Put all other ingredients except oil and flour in crock pot. Cover with water or chicken stock. Cook on high for four to six hours depending on your crockpot. Near end of cooking make roux in skillet by browning flour and oil mixture.  It should be the darkness you want your gumbo to be. Add finished roux a spoon at a time until desired thickness is achieved.  Save any extra roux in fridge for up to three weeks to use on another dish. Serve over rice.

Georgia's Red Beans and Rice

When I was a little boy, my mother worked at our family's sporting goods store with my father.  We children had a daytime nanny named Georgia.  She cooked red beans every Monday.  We loved them.   And we would often eat them everyday until the huge pot was empty. Below is a tribute recipe to Georgia.

2 lbs. Camellia Red Beans ( you can use other dried red beans but they won't be as good)
One onion cut in quarters
One smoked ham hock (I like to use one from a bone-in ham we have had for Sunday dinner)
Water
Salt and pepper to taste

Soak beans overnight in enough water to fill your large crockpot.  Drain water after soaking.  Put ham hock and onion in beans.  Cover with water and cook on low for six hours until falling apart somewhat.  Remove one cup of cooked beans and smash finely into a paste. Add back into mixture to cream the beans. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve over rice.  Add Louisiana hot sauce to your own bowl as you like.  We also like to fry smoked sausage links to eat with this.  Sometimes we cut up the sausage into slices and precook them to add into the completed beans.

Fajita Seasoning Mix

Last night I wanted to make fajitas but I did not feel like firing up the grill and I did not have a fajita seasoning mix in the pantry. What to do? I looked online and found a couple of fajita mix recipes. I modified them to my taste -- using Tony's instead of salt, adjusting proportions, etc. It worked great -- better that store bought. This is a great way to use up spices. 

 

1 tbsp cornstarch 

2 tsp chili powder 

1 tsp paprika 

1 tsp. sugar 

1 tsp. crushed chicken bullion cube

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder 

1 tsp. Tony Chachere's or other cajun seasoning 

1/4 tsp cumin 

 Mix together and store in a airtight container. You can double, triple, whatever to make some for use later. To use mix, combine 3 tbs of water and 1 tbs of canola oil with the the mix above (if you make a larger batch, it is about 3 1/2 tbsp of mix). Cut up four chicken breasts and pour the marinade over it -- mixing well. Let the chicken marinade for about one hour. Cook in a hot skillet with onion and peppers.

Serve with your favorite tortillas and fixings.

Stuffed Bell Peppers, Abel style

Green peppers grow very well in our climate. These were utilized by my family for this favorite dish. We always served them with mashed potatoes to utilized the resulting gravy to its fullest potential. 

 5 - 6 medium bell peppers (any color will do but we always used green) 

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground meat 

1 1/2 cups rice after cooked (day-old is best) 

1 small onion diced 

1 tsp garlic powder 

2 eggs 

1-2 tbs milk 

1 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp pepper 

3 Tbs ketchup with more to top the peppers 

Cut the bell peppers at the top and removes seeds and core. It will be like a little bowl. You may have to trim the bottom is the bell pepper won't sit up straight. Place in a baking dish. In a bowl, mix the ground meat, rice, chopped onion, garlic powder, eggs, salt, pepper, and 3 tbs ketchup. Mix well. If the mixture seems dry, add 1 - 2 tbs. milk (or water). Fill the bell peppers with the meat mixture. Place back in baking dish. Top the bell peppers with ketchup (a somewhat thick coating). Then, sprinkle 1/2 tsp. of granulated sugar on top. Bake at 375 degrees for about 35 - 40 minutes until done.

Pizza on the Grill

We finally got our grill out of storage (because we finally have a beautiful new wooden deck to keep it on). So, I have been grilling quite a bit lately. My family was in the mood for homemade pizza -- which we like a lot. But, it has been so hot and electricity so high, I didn't want to fire the oven up to the 450 degrees needed. I remembered watching someone on Food Network grilling pizza on the outside barbecue. It intrigued me. So I tried it. 

The result was excellent. Here is how I did it. I made a pizza dough using my go-to dough at my link on this blog: http://recipesfromronnie.blogspot.com/2008/07/crispy-bread-dough-for-rosemary-bread.html 

 I separated the dough into five equal pieces. Using two baking sheets, which I coated liberally with olive oil, I stretched the dough to the desired size -- I made oblong pizzas to fit my grill better. I then coated the top of the pizza dough rounds with olive oil. I fired up the grill to the high setting. When the grill was nice and hot (and brushed clean), I put three of the pizza dough rounds on the grill. They instantly began to bubble. I cooked them (with the lid down) until done on the bottom side (about 3-4 minutes). I then flipped them and dressed the browned side with my pizza toppings (this had to be done fast -- I turned the grill down to low while I did this). I then cooked them on low for about 3 - 4 more minutes until the cheese was bubbly. Because my grill is not huge, I had to do the last two pizza rounds separately. The result was excellent. Far closer to a brick oven than a conventional oven because you are cooking over actual fire.

Pita (or Tortilla) Crust Pizza

This is the easiest, quickest meal that everyone loves, pizza made on a piece of pita bread or flour tortilla. We do this on any night we are too exhausted to do anything in the kitchen. It is always a hit and takes no time. 

 Pita Bread Rounds or Tortillas for as many pizza's as you are making (white or wheat) 

Mozzarella cheese, grated (quantity to your taste) 

Some type of pizza sauce (marinara, white sauce, garlic infused olive oil, or pesto) 

Toppings (your favorites of any kind) 

 Place Pita rounds on a baking tray. Spread your sauce on. Cover with desired amount of mozzarella. Top with your favorite toppings. Bake at 400 degrees until crispy. My favorite combos are: Pesto, cheese, pepperoni Olive oil, garlic powder, Italian seasonings, and cheese only. Red sauce, cheese, ham, and mushroom These also make great appetizers. Cut into small pieces and serve!

Baby Back Ribs Quick and Easy

I used to hate fooling with ribs. I was brought up that you had to boil them first to get them tender. Then you had finish them on the grill and put the sauce on. It was too much trouble to do very often. I read a couple of alternative ways of making ribs and came up with a hybrid of all those recipes. These taste as good as my family's favorite ribs from Zea's Restaurant in New Orleans (of course it doesn't hurt that we use Zea's Tai sauce on them sometimes!) So here's how I do it. 

 First I make a rub -- 

1 cup brown sugar, packed 

1/4 cup Tony Chachere's or other Cajun seasoning (McCormick's Season-All would work also) 

1 Tbsp. garlic powder 

1 Tbsp. onion powder

 Mix dry ingredients together 

Next, use two to three full racks of baby back ribs -- leaner is better. Cut into four slabs each. Coat each slab with dry rub and layer in your crock pot. You can fill it up to the top. You should use all the dry rub in the above recipe for full flavor on three racks. If you do only two, you would use about 2/3 of rub, etc. 

Once you have all the ribs in the crock pot, pour a Coca-Cola over the ribs for moisture (you can substitute Dr. Pepper if you like). Cook on high for about four hours. 

 The ribs will be tender and delicious -- but there is one more step for perfection. To finish them off, remove the ribs from the crock pot and place them on two baking trays. Put your favorite barbeque sauce on top and then broil them on high for about 4 -5 minutes until the sauce is set and somewhat browned. 

Most people who eat these think you slaved forever. But, you won't even have to pull out the grill. (You can grill to set the sauce instead of using the broiler, if you prefer) Good Luck!

Crockpot Barbeque Chicken

I do this easy recipe on Sundays before church. So easy and a whole meal is ready when you get home. 

4 chicken breasts or 8 chicken thighs (boneless or bone-in) 

3 potatoes cut into large wedges 

1 handful of baby carrots 

1 medium onion cut into rings 

1 bottle Kraft Hickory barbeque sauce 

Season All ( I use cajun seasoning) 

 Season chicken breasts. In the crock pot, layer one half carrots, potatoes, and onions with two chicken breasts. Pour half the bottle of sauce over this. Use the rest of the ingredients layered. Add the rest of the barbeque sauce. Rinse bottle with a little water and pour over the pot. Cook on high in the crockpot for 3 -4 hours. The chicken is moist and this one-pot meal is complete.

Ronnie's Fried Rice (Chahan)

I have made fried rice since I was in Japan as a missionary -- we called it "chahan." We always had the ingredients and it was a filling and delicious meal. As a missionary, I didn't use shrimp. We used left-over pork, chicken, or whatever we had (even ham). 

1 lb. cook protein (shrimp, pork, chicken, steak, or ham cut into bite sizes 

1 stick of butter 

2 tbs. canola oil 

1 onion chopped fine 

4-5 eggs 

2-3 tbs soy sauce 

1-2 tsp. Cajun seasoning (or McCormick's season all) 

4 -5 cups cooked rice (we love basmati rice but any will work it should be cold, day-old is best)

Black pepper to taste 

In a large, non-stick pan or on a large giddle, melt two tablespoons of butter. Crack the eggs one by one without overlapping. Break the yokes and let them cook on both sides until firm. Remove eggs, cut them into bite sized pieces, and put aside. Next, melt two more tablespoons of butter in the same pan and saute the onion. When they are translucent, add the rest of the butter. Add meat and cook until just about done. Then add canola oil. Next, add the rice crumbled into individual grains. Stir with a spatula until each grain is covered in butter/oil mixture (this is the rice frying part). Add the eggs back in. Then add soy sauce. The amount is up to your taste. Finally, sprinkle with Cajun seasoning and black pepper to your taste. This rice is excellent as a meal or as a side with rib eye steak served with a teriyaki sauce.

Fried Catfish

The key to good fried catfish (or any other type of fish) is to get fresh, thin-sliced fish. Another key is to use Zatarain's Seasoned Fish Fri (available at https://www.mccormick.com/zatarains). Finally, you should fry in peanut oil if possible. 

 The process is really simple. First, use a cast iron dutch oven or other heavy pot. Put about 2 - 3 inches of peanut oil in the pot. On high heat, bring the oil up to about 375 degrees. If it is the right temperature, a little fish fri put in the pan will sizzle 

 Prepare the fish so that the fillets are thin - no thicker than 1/4 - 1/2 inch. 

Make sure that the fish is moist but not overly wet. Then dredge fish in fish fri. We usually do this by putting about 3 or 4 pieces in a tupperware container filled with fish fri. Shake the container. 

 Place the fish in the hot oil - do not crowd. Let the fish brown to a light color (about 2 - 3 minutes at most) and turn to brown other side. The fish will float as it gets done. Do not overcook as this will cause the fish to be tough and rubbery.

   

We also fry shrimp the same way. Shrimp should be large 20 - 30 count per pound. Cooking times are shorter on shrimp so remove when light tan or brown.

Crawfish (or Shrimp) Pasta

This is a really easy pasta dish that is sure to please. 

1 lb. crawfish tails (or shrimp, peeled and deveined) 

1 lb. Velveeta Cheese 

1 can Rotel tomatoes, diced 

1 can cream of chicken soup 

1 small onion 

3 cloves garlic 

2 tbs. butter 

1 lb. rotini pasta (I like the multi-colored pasta) cooked 

 Saute onion and garlic in butter until soft. Add crawfish tails (or shrimp) and cook for two minutes. Add tomatoes, soup, and cubed Velveeta. Stir until smooth and cheese is melted. Stir in pasta. Serve with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top with a crispy french bread and salad.

Betty Jane's Pork Chops and Rice

So easy and so good. Mom Betty Jane Pack taught me this one-dish meal. Becca loves the rice -- she would eat that and leave the pork chops. But, they both are good. 

6 pork chops (your favorite cut) 

2 cans beef broth plus enough water to make 4 cups total liquid 

2 cups rice 

Your favorite seasoning (I use Tony Chachere) 

Season pork chops and place in a greased 9X12 casserole dish. Cook in the oven on 375 degrees uncovered for about 20 minutes -- until the chops are about half done. Remove pork chops from the pan. Pour liquid into the pan and stir drippings and liquid together. Add rice and distribute it evenly in the pan. Top with the half-cooked pork chops. Cover tightly with foil and cook for 40 minutes at 375 degrees until the rice is fluffy and done. Serve with a salad and your meal is complete.

Lima Beans

I use my mother's recipe for red beans substituting the lima beans for red beans. 

1 one lb. package of dried large lima beans 

1 small onion 

1 smoked ham bone, ham hock or other smoked seasoning meat salt and pepper to taste 

Using a 6 qt crock pot, fill with it to the 1/2 mark with water. Pour in beans. Let soak overnight. Add onion, sliced into four pieces, garlic cloves pealed and left whole, and seasoning meat. Add water until 1 inch below top. Cook for 5 - 6 hours on high. When beans are soft, it is done. To make creamy, take out about 1/2 cup of beans and smash. Add back into the beans and mix around. Salt and pepper to taste. (I do not salt the beans before cooking because the seasoning meat is very salty. It will provide most if not all of the salt.) Serve over long-grain rice with french bread or corn bread.

Chicken with a Brick

This cooking method is modified from Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals show. It works great and is so easy. 

 4 chicken breasts (bone-in with trimmed skin) 

Your favorite grill seasoning (I use Montreal Grill Seasoning by McCormick) 

1 tbsp olive oil 

Two heavy skillets or fryer pans (one needs to be slightly smaller than the other) 

Two garden bricks covered with aluminum foil or four heavy cans of foods (for weight) 

 Heat largest skillet until it is screaming hot. Add oil to cover bottom of pan. Season chicken breasts with steak seasoning. Place skin side down in pan. Cover with aluminum foil. Put second skillet on top of chicken and foil. Put bricks (or cans) in the top skillet. This weight causes the chicken to have maximum contact with the pan surface to seal in juices and make a really crispy outside. Cook under weight for five - seven minutes on medium high (depending on size of chicken pieces). Remove bricks and pan and flip chicken and repeat method above for the other side. Finish in a 400 degree oven (uncovered) for twenty minutes. This will be the best baked chicken you will ever eat. Serve with smashed potatoes and your favorite vegetables.

Hickory Chicken

This is one of our easy family favorites.  

4 chicken breasts

1-2 cups grated mild cheddar cheese (to your liking) 

4 slices of smoked baked ham from your deli 

1 red tomato cubed 

1/4 cup green onion tops sliced 

 Cook chicken breasts in your favorite way (I use my electic panini griddle but you can grill or pan fry it). Place grilled or cooked breasts in a casserole dish. Baste chicken breasts liberally with barbeque sauce. Sprinkle each breast with a layer of grated cheese. Next, put one slice of ham on each breast. Baste ham with more barbeque. Top each ham covered breast with the remaining cheese. Bake only until cheese is melted in a 375 degree oven -- 5 minutes tops. Plate the chicken and top with tomato and green onion. Serve with baked potatoes and steamed broccoli for a great combo.