Happy Mardi gras!

It's Fat Tuesday here in Louisiana. That means good food. I'm starting with "king cake" cinnamon rolls. This one is super easy. I'm using store bought cinnamon rolls. You going to unroll them and reshape them into a twisty wreath shape. Bake according to directions. Warm up the icing and drizzle over warm cinnamon rings.  Now while the rings bake, make the colored sugar. Just use a small container and mix food coloring with regular granulated sugar (purple, green and yellow. Separate containers for each color). Sprinkle on iced cakes while still warm. Serve!

Next is lunch. Poboys. These are simple to make. I'm going with shrimp. First, peel and devein your shrimp and dry them on a paper towel. I'm using a simple batter. In a large bowl crack open 2 eggs and whisk them. In another bowl, add 1 cup of flour and season with Cajun seasoning. On the stove heat your vegetable oil to 375 degrees.  Dip your shrimp in the egg then in the flour mixture. Fry for about 2-3 minutes until golden. Dry on paper towels. You'll want to fry them in batches.
   Next get your spread ready. 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce. Mix together. You can add more of the Cajun seasoning also.
   Now the French bread. Cut the loaf into thirds. Slice to open. Spread on mayo mixture generously. Add shrimp. Enjoy with some Zapp's potato chips and a Barq's root beer!

Last I'm making boiled shrimp. It's cold today, so we're staying inside. Start with a large stock pot. Fill it 3/4 full of water. Add 1 cup of seafood boil (I use Zatarans) 2 lemons (cut in 1/2)  a few garlic cloves and 1/2 stick of butter. Go ahead and add about 6 new potatoes, they take longer to cook. And a few ears of corn. Bring to boil. Then let's prep our shrimp. I bought mine, with the heads off and deveined. Tail shells still on. They just have to be defrosted. If you get yours straight off the boat (lucky!) you will want to take the heads off and devein them.  I'm making 4 lbs of shrimp. Add them about 2 lbs  batches to boiling water and boil about 4-6 minutes until pink and curled. Remove shrimp, potatoes and corn and serve with the mayo mixture used with the poboys and some French bread.

We're watching Princess and the Frog today, reading Gaston Goes to Mardi Gras, and listening to Johnette Downing. Enjoy your Mardi Gras! Freezing rain here..

Thanksgiving side dish

Here's a recipe for a family favorite Thanksgiving side dish!

Corn Casserole
Ingredients:
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can mexicorn
1package cream cheese
1 package shredded cheese

Open and drain both cans of corn. In a medium sauce pan, cook corn and cream cheese until melted and combined. Turn oven on 350 degrees. Add corn and cream cheese mixture to casserole dish. Top with shredded cheese. Bake until bubbly.

You can also add jalapeños to flavor.

Game day!

Southern women love 3 things.. God, Sweet Tea and the SEC. Today is college game day, a holiday in the south that occurs every Saturday in the fall. You dress up in your team colors and cook a magnificent spread of appetizers. There are a few staples to make any game day spread a winner! ( even if your team loses)
* cream cheese with pepper jelly- it's exactly what it says. Take a block of cream cheese add a few tablespoons of hot pepper jelly on top. Serve with crackers.
*kielbasa sausage-  grilled or pan seared with some Zee's* sausage dipping sauce.
*chips and dip- any variety

Geaux Tigers!

Best ever potatoes!

There's a wonderful little hidden gem of a restaurant in Alexandria, LA called The Cottage. They're open for lunch and you have to try their stuffed cheese burgers. They are also known for their Cottage  Potatoes. They recently ran the recipe in a local paper and I thought I would share!

Cottage Potatoes:
1 bag Russet Potatoes
Melted Butter
Season All

Wash potatoes. Place standing up in a pan of water. Cover with foil and bake at 350• until done. Cut potatoes into 1" squares, leaving skin on. Transfer to large bowl. Pour melted butter over them and sprinkle with season all and stir. Serve warm.

Crock pot fajitas

These are super easy! You just need a few ingredients. Add rice and black beans for a delicious meal and some chips and salsa as a starter!

You need 2 lbs of your choice steak or chicken. Boneless chicken or those skirt steak works fine
1 sliced onion
1 each sliced & deveined green and red bell pepper
1 packet fajita seasoning
1 cup water

Combine ingredients. Be sure to mix fajita seasoning in well. Cook on low 3-4 hours.
Dress with your favorite toppings!

New school year!

The new school year starts tomorrow for us. My son starts 2nd grade at a local magnet school and Emma with be in the toddler class at the preschool I work at. We're all prepared. New backpacks and lunchboxes. Back to school check ups and haircuts. It will be a busy time for us. Ethan has 4 large projects this year. We also play sports; soccer and running. ( he wanted to add swim team.. Maybe next year..) Emma has dance. I have a big class project for our fall fundraiser. So needless to say, we stay pretty busy. Oh and add in Junior League! So the next few meals will be quick fixes and crock pot meals! Happy New School Year!

Taco Joes

These are a favorite of my sons. In fact, he wants me to make them for his school lunch. They are super easy for those work/school nights. All you need is


1 lb ground meat
1 can Campbell's tomato soup
1 cup salsa
Shredded cheese
Tortillas/ tortilla chips

Brown ground meat on skillet. Drain. Add tomato soup and salsa. Mix well. Add desired amount of cheese. Can be eaten in tortillas or as a dip. You can also add refried beans. Easy and delicious!