Cheesy Crawfish Potatoes

Always a good way to use crawfish leftovers from a boil. A real crowd-pleaser

5 lbs small red potatoes, washed and sliced (peel on) into quarters -- boil in salted water until just done --  not mushy.

1 lb package of mexican velveeta

1lb sharp cheddar grated

8 oz mild cheddar grated (for topping)

1 pint half and half

1 package (usually a pound sometimes 12 oz) of frozen crawfish tails -- Louisiana are better but Chinese will work

Optional -- for more seafood flavor -- add a can of crab meat or package of frozen crab when you add the cheese in later.

1 stick of  butter

1/2 cup flour

1 onion chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped or 1 tsp garlic powder of salt

In a large pan or pot -- melt butter -- sautee onions until translucent -- add garlic and sautee one minute more (or add garlic powder).  Add crawfish tails.  Sautee for a minute.  Add flour and mix until all crawfish are coated and the butter has been absorbed.  Pour in half and half -- use a wisk and mix it well.  This will form a somewhat thick sauce.  You may need to add milk to loosen it -- it should be the consistency of a thick gravy.  Next, add cubed velveeta - and stir until melted.  Add sharp cheese until melted.  Season with Tony Chachere's or season-all to taste.  Again, if the sauce is too thick, add milk to thin it to a thick gravy consistency.

Drain Potatoes and put in large baking dish.  Pour sauce over potatoes and top with cheese.  Baked until bubbling through and through and the cheese is somewhat browned.

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.

Really Easy Granola

Melissa Campbell, who just moved from our ward, taught me to make granola -- it is really easy and quite tasty. I modified her recipe as I only observed her make it and did not write down the proportions -- I also mixed and matched recipes I found online to come up with this one I really like. Granola-making is a good way to rotate your oats in your food storage -- while oats last a long time, they lose their taste quality after a few years. I used some 10 year old canned oats with really good results. For Christmas, we put granola in quart jars and wrapped them with ribbon. It made a nice homemade gift that is different from the usual cookies. 

 1/2 cup honey 

 1/2 cup brown sugar (light brown) 

 1/2 teaspoon salt 

 6 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

4 cups rolled oats 

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

To be added during baking process: 

1/3 cup whole almonds (you can also use other nuts) 

To be added after cooled 1/3 cup raisins (or cranberry raisins) or 1/3 cup other dried fruit to your taste (optional) 

 In a a saucepan, melt the honey, brown sugar, salt, and oil. Do not bring to a boil as it will turn to candy. In a large mixing bowl, mix your oats and cinnamon together. Then, with a spatula, pour and mix the liquid mixture into the oats -- a little at a time. Make sure all the oats are well coated. Pour the granola mixture on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with baking spray -- make sure that they are in an even layer. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the almonds on top. Mix with a spatula and distribute evenly again. Bake for 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and mix again. Bake for five more minutes (you can omit the last five minutes if you like your granola chewy and lighter). Let cool. Using a spatula, loosen the granola. When fully cooled, add your dried fruit (raisin, craisins, etc.) and mix. Put in a sealed storage container. This will store for 2 weeks on the counter -- up to a month in the refrigerator.

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.

Doris' Southern Biscuits

This is nothing fancy -- my mom made biscuits every week when we were growing up. The ingredients were simple. No Bisquick-- but she did take the help of self-rising flour. We would eat these with tomato gravy, molasses and sour cream, or homemade strawberry jam. When they were day-old, she would split them in half, butter them well, and bake them until crisp under the broiler in the oven. They were even better like that.   The "biscuit bowl" is important to the southern kitchen.  Use a tupperware with a lid and store your leftover flour for the next batch.  It is a perpetual bowl that you don't wash.

A bowl with at least 4 cups self-rising flour 

1/2 cup shortening 

2 tbs. sugar 

3/4 cup milk (whole or buttermilk is best) 

Combine the sugar and milk.  Put flour in big bowl.  Create a well in the center of the four. Put shortening in the well.  Pour in milk  in the well. Start by pulling flour from the sides into the well with your index finger as you mix with your had. You will only used about 2 1/2 cups of the flour -- the other will stay dry on the side  Don't overwork the flour. You do not want to activate the gluten as it will make the biscuits tough. The dough will be somewhat sticky but you can pull flour from the sides as you form the biscuits. Just pat them into the size you like. Put them on a baking sheet and punch a fork into them twice to make vent holes. Bake at 400 degree until light and golden.

Shrimp Mirliton

This is a special request by Michael Wyatt. It is an Abel family favorite. My mom used to grow mirliton's in our backyard. When they were ripe, we would harvest them and have this awesome dish. Another name for mirliton is chayote squash. It is available in many markets. It is also a traditional Christmas dish in Louisiana. 

6-8 mirlitons depending on size 

6 tbsp butter 

1 medium onion diced 

3-4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced 

1 lb of shrimp, peeled and de-veined 

1 can chicken stock 

4 eggs 

1 -1/2 cups Italian breadcrumbs 

 Boil mirlitons with skin on until tender (a knife should be able to be inserted easily). Cool mirlitons. Peel and seed -- cut in half and remove seed and stem. Dice and put aside. Next, saute onion and garlic in all the butter. When translucent, add shrimp. Cook until pink. Add chicken stock and diced mirliton. Beat eggs and temper them with liquid from the stock. Add tempered egg mixture. Add breadcrumbs until somewhat thick, like a loose dressing. Place mirliton dressing in a casserole dish. Top with more breadcrumbs or parmesan cheese. Bake until set, about 30 minutes on 375 degrees. We love to serve this with prime rib or grilled steak. Note: Be sure to boil the mirliton before you peel them. Mirliton are very acidic before boiled and will literally cause your skin to peel if you work with them in their raw state.

Simple Mini Tart Pastry

I made these for my neice Lauren's wedding shower this evening. They are really easy and very versatile. Bake them before filling and fill with your favorite pie filling. Or fill them with your favorite savory quiche recipe. I also fill them with crawfish etoufee to make mini crawfish pies. 

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature 

3 oz. cream cheese at room temperature 

1 cup all-purpose flour 

 If using a mixer, cream butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add the flour and mix on low speed until a smooth dough forms. You can also do the same thing by hand. Roll dough into half-inch balls and place in mini-muffin pan. Using your fingers, shape the balls to evenly cover the indentation in the tart pan. Another easier alternative is to use a tart plunger, available at most cooking stores. Just dust the wooden plunger with flour and press the dough ball into the tart pan. If you plan to fill them after baking, bake until golden brown at 375 degrees for about 8 - 10 minutes. Cool on rack. If you are baking with a filling (quiche, pecan pie, etc), bake until filling is set at 375 degrees.