How to Make Basic Meatloaf

How to Make Basic Meatloaf  is about the old fashion meatloaf recipe like Maw Maw used to make. And it is certainly good Southern comfort food at its core.

Continue reading “How to Make Basic Meatloaf” →

Smothered Pork Chops with Hot Pepper Jelly Glaze

Smothered Pork Chops with Hot Pepper Jelly Glaze are just one of the types of pork chops that Mike likes.

He likes pork chops fried, grilled, slow-cooked, smoked, and now smothered in Hot Pepper Jelly.

Every time I cook pork chops for Mike, it reminds me of his mother Betty Lou. She would fry floured and thin cut pork chops in an electric skillet.

Once she was done, she would pour a can of cream of mushroom soup in the grease to make a gravy. Then, she would put the pork chops back in the gravy.m

Just thinking about it now makes my arteries seize up. Continue reading “Smothered Pork Chops with Hot Pepper Jelly Glaze” →

How to Cook a Chuck Roast in a Cast Iron Pot

I learned How to Cook a Chuck Roast in a Cast Iron Pot today. You can do it too!

I was never really a fan of cooking with cast iron until recently. I remember learning to cook at my Mom’s house with cast iron. Probably the first thing I learned how to cook was fried potatoes. That was my after school snack sometimes.

Back in the day, there we didn’t have Teflon pans or Fry Daddys. Anyway, I received the cast iron Dutch oven last Christmas and have found success using it for various roasts, stews, and jambalaya.

Unless you purchase the porcelain or enameled cast iron, regular cast iron can seem to be tricky to clean.

We use regular salt and a cast iron scrubbing brush. Rinse and dry well and put in the oven on a low temp for a few minutes to make sure it’s dry. Then Mike puts a little oil on a paper towel and runs all over the inside.

The key is to prevent the cast iron from getting rust spots. You should never let a dirty cast iron pot soak in soapy water for a period of time or overnight. Cast iron should be cleaned as soon as you can for years of cooking enjoyment.

We’ve tried several cuts or types of roasts in the cast iron pot. This particular episode features a Beef Chuck Roast stuffed with garlic pods and surrounded by root vegetables.

We hope you enjoy this new recipe from Cajun Cooking TV.

Prep:  30 minutes
Cooking Time:  3-4 hours
Serves: 6 servings

How to Cook a Chuck Roast: Ingredients

2-3 pound chuck roast or other roast of your choice
2 cups sweet onion, celery, and bell pepper – coarsely chopped
8-10 garlic pods – sliced in half or 2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 medium sized turnip roots – peeled and quartered
½ bag peeled baby carrots
8-10 small red potatoes – quartered
1 cup water
Olive oil

Cajun seasoning (like Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning)
Salt
Garlic powder (granulated)
Onion powder
Bay leaf powder (optional)

8 quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven

How to Cook a Chuck Roast: Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat the bottom of cast iron pot with olive oil.

Take a sharp knife and cut slits in the chuck roast to insert the garlic pieces all over.

Season the roast well with salt, Tony’s, onion powder, granulated garlic powder, and bay leaves powder.

Cover the roast in all-purpose flour.

Heat the cast iron pot on the stove top.

Brown the roast on the top and bottom in the cast iron pot.

Remove the roast and add the chopped onion, celery, and bell pepper on the bottom of the pot.

Place the browned and seasoned roast on top.

Pour in 1 cup water.

Place pot in the oven on a large cookie sheet in case of spill over.

Allow to cook for 1 hour uncovered.

Carefully remove from oven and toss in all the turnips, baby carrots, and red potatoes.

Place the cover on the pot and allow to cook covered for 2 more hours.

Carefully remove the lid and set aside on pot holders.

Let the roast cook another 20 minutes uncovered.

Remove pot from oven.

Carefully lift the roast onto a plate for slicing.

Serve over cooked rice or my creamy mashed potatoes recipe.

Beryl

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Cajun Cooking TV features Beryl Caillouet Stokes and her grand-daughter Addison cooking up some good eating Cajun recipes from their kitchen in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Please Follow Us On Facebook for Daily Updates and New Recipes:
https://www.facebook.com/CajunCookingTV/

The Cajun Cooking TV show airs on local Baton Rouge, Louisiana channel WLFT MeTV channel 30.1 and on Cox cable channel 117 on Tuesday mornings at 10 am.

You Can Write Beryl At:
Cajun Cooking TV
7516 Bluebonnet Blvd # 179
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70810

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Boston Butt Pork Roast

A Boston Butt Pork Roast is a new (for us) recipe at Cajun Cooking TV.

(This is our first time making one, but it won’t be our last time!)

We’ve mastered making pork roasts or beef roasts in the oven like my mom and my Maw Maw used to make.

The “secret“:  low oven temp + long number of hours = tasty tender meat. 

A Boston Butt Pork Roast can be used for a variety of different meals:  oven roasted, slow cooked in a crock pot, smoked on a grill, and BBQ pulled pork.

For this Boston Butt pork roast recipe, we made a dry rub of several seasoning ingredients and applied to all sides of the roast.

The dry rub we used today contains: Chili Powder, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Salt, Ground Bay Leaves, Dry Mustard, Cayenne Pepper or Tony’s Creole Seasoning, and sugar (we used raw cane sugar).

Feel free to use any dry rub you like, or purchase, or just whatever seasonings you may have in your cupboard.

For the Oven Roasted Pork Roast we suggest to thicken the liquid made in the pan with 2 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons softened butter to make a hearty gravy.

Pour over rice or try our Mashed Potatoes recipe.

(I make the best mashed potatoes, if I do say so myself.) 

Recipes from the Cajun Recipes at Cajun Cooking TV are easy and simple cooking.

Prep:  30 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-5 hours total
Serves: 6 servings

Boston Butt Pork Roast Ingredients

5 pound Boston Butt Pork Roast
1/2 cup Dry Rub (see above)
1-2 cups water or stock
4 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons softened butter

Boston Butt Pork Roast Cooking Essentials

=> Roasting Pan with cover if possible
or a disposable Aluminum pan and heavy
duty aluminum foil.

=> Meat Thermometer

For this Oven Roasted Boston Butt Pork Roast recipe, begin by placing the olive oil on bottom of a roasting pan or aluminum pan.

We lined the pan with heavy duty aluminum foil for easy clean-up. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the roast on a platter and season well on all sides with the dry seasoning mixture.

Place the roast in the oiled pan with the fat side down.

Bake uncovered for 1 hour.  Meat will brown.

Then, remove from oven and add 1-2 cups water or pork stock (about 1 inch).

Lower oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Cover tightly with roasting pan cover or heavy duty foil.

Bake for 3-4 more hours.

Remove from oven and carefully open the foil.

Check the temperature with a meat thermometer.

Insert the thermometer into the middle of the Boston Butt Pork Roast.

The temperature should be a least 160 degrees F.

To serve, pull meat apart with a serving fork.

For a thick gravy, mix 2 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons softened butter in a small bowl.

Add to the hot meat juices and stir well until melted and well blended.

Serve meat with gravy poured over it and rice or mashed potatoes.

We had baked potatoes on this particular night.

Options: add sliced sweet onions, whole garlic pods, baby carrots and chopped celery to the pan.

Tasty stuff in a thickened gravy.

Crock Pot Beef Stew Recipe

This Crock Pot Beef Stew Recipe is a Sunday night staple at the Stokes’ home.

We usually make our Beef Stew in a Crock Pot because it’s easy and a delicious meal all in one pot.

My older kids always called it meat, rice, and gravy.

We also have an awesome Slow Cooker Pot Roast recipe and video too, so be sure to check it out!

Crock pots are often also referred to as slow cookers.  I have two different types of crock pots.

One is a 5 quart crock pot with a ceramic insert which I consider this one more as a slow cooker because even on high heat it takes 6-8 hours to cook a meal.

The other is a 3 quart metal non-stick pot that rests on a griddle like heating element.  This Crock Pot gets pretty hot quickly resulting in more of a stove-top like stewing method.  The deep lid also allows for optimal moisture to remain in the pot and keep the meat moist as well as create a wonderful gravy.

For this Crock Pot Beef Stew recipe, I prefer to use the smaller crock pot.

Prep:  30 minutes
Serves: 6 servings

Crock Pot Beef Stew Recipe Ingredients

1 1/2 – 2 pounds lean beef stew meat
1 (12-ounce) package frozen seasoning blend (onions, bell peppers, celery & parsley)
3-4 turnip roots (peeled and quartered)
4 fresh carrots (peeled and cut)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1-2 cups water or beef stock
Tony’s Original Creole Seasoning (or salt and pepper) to taste
4 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil
All purpose flour

Crock Pot Beef Stew Recipe Cooking Directions

Begin by placing 1 cup flour in a deep bowl.

Add salt, black pepper and Cajun seasoning (like Tony’s) if desired.

Toss the beef stew meat in the flour coating on all sides.  Set aside in another bowl.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a deep skillet on medium heat (#6).

Brown the meat in batches on all sides (you should no longer see any red meat).

Place meat in the heated and oiled crock pot base.

Once all meat is browned and placed in the crock pot, toss in the Seasoning Blend or Cajun Trinity (onions, celery and bell pepper), carrots, turnips and lightly season again.

Add 1 to 1 and  1/2 cups water.

Cover and place crock pot on medium – high heat.

(Mine has numbers 1-5.  I put on 3 or 4.)

Allow to cook for 2 hours undisturbed.

Uncover and stir to make sure not sticking to the bottom.

Re-cover and allow to cook an additional 2 hours.

This Crock Pot Beef Stew recipe is very easy to make, and very hard to beat when it comes to good eatin’.

Crock Pot Beef Stew Recipe Serving Suggestions

Serving suggestions would be to top the slow cooker beef stew over a bed of rice or try our Mashed Potatoes recipe.

Beryl

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Cajun Cooking TV features Beryl Caillouet Stokes and her grand-daughter Addison cooking up some good eating Cajun recipes from their kitchen in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Please Follow Us On Facebook for Daily Updates and New Recipes:
https://www.facebook.com/CajunCookingTV/

The Cajun Cooking TV show airs on local Baton Rouge, Louisiana channel WLFT MeTV channel 30.1 and on Cox cable channel 117 on Tuesday mornings at 10 am.

You Can Write Beryl At:
Cajun Cooking TV
7516 Bluebonnet Blvd # 179
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70810

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Make an Easy Texas Barbeque

We tried a new stove-top Texas Barbeque recipe and served on heated flour tortillas stuffed with jalapeno jack cheese, salsa, and sauteed Sweet Texas onions.

Tex Mex cooking is not necessarily Cajun Cooking, but we love the spiciness of the Tex Mex cuisine.

You could also serve this on buns for BBQ sandwiches.

This recipe is so easy. Just have your ingredients ready to go and get started.

Prep Time: 2.5 hours
Serves: 6-8 people

Ingredients for Texas Barbeque

1 large sweet onion – diced
1 fresh jalapeno pepper – diced (we like to remove the seeds)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 pork tenderloin (about one pound) – cut into cubes
2 pounds cubed beef stew meat
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1 Bay leaf
1 cup beef stock
2 tablespoons canola oil
8 ounces Jalapeno Jack cheese (shredded)
1 package of large flour tortillas
Toppings: salsa, sour cream, sauteed onions & peppers, etc.

Cooking Directions for Texas Barbeque

In a 6-quart pot, begin sauteing onions, jalapeno and garlic in 2 tablespoons oil.

Brown all the meat thoroughly.

Add in chili powder, ground cumin, and Italian seasonings.

Stir in 1 cup beef stock and 1 can (10-ounce) Rotel tomatoes.

Cover and cook on medium heat (#5) for 1 hour.

Stir occasionally.

Uncover and cook an additional hour stirring occasionally.

Remove meat to a platter and break apart with a fork.

Return to the pot.

Heat flour tortillas according to package directions.

Serving Suggestions for Texas Barbeque

Spoon Texas Barbeque meat into the flour tortilla.

Top with shredded jalapeno jack cheese, salsa, and whatever you normally like on fajitas.

Beryl

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Cajun Cooking TV features Beryl Caillouet Stokes and her grand-daughter Addison cooking up some good eating Cajun recipes from their kitchen in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Please Follow Us On Facebook for Daily Updates and New Recipes:
https://www.facebook.com/CajunCookingTV/

The Cajun Cooking TV show airs on local Baton Rouge, Louisiana channel WLFT MeTV channel 30.1 and on Cox cable channel 117 on Tuesday mornings at 10 am.

You Can Write Beryl At:
Cajun Cooking TV
7516 Bluebonnet Blvd # 179
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70810

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Burgundy Beef Stew

Burgundy Beef Stew is a French beef stew country recipe utilizing the traditional French Trinity of chopped onions, celery and carrots.

Burgundy Beef Stew is not really classified as a Cajun recipe, but I can sure see Cajuns making and eating this dish.

Ingredients for Burgundy Beef Stew

2 pounds lean beef stew meat
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 slices of bacon cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups Cajun Trinity (onion, celery, bell pepper)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 large carrot (diced)
4 large mushrooms (sliced)
3 cups Burgundy wine or any red cooking wine.
(We chose a California red wine)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 cups beef stock
Ground thyme
Egg noodles or rice

Cooking Directions for Burgundy Beef Stew

Place stew meat in a large mixing bowl.

Season with salt, Tony’s Creole Seasoning, and garlic powder.

Toss in the all-purpose flour to coat the stew meat.

Mix well until all meat is covered in the flour.

In a large 6-quart pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil on medium heat (#6).

Place bacon pieces in the hot oil and brown. Remove from heat into a separate bowl.

In the same pot, brown the stew meat in 2-3 batches.

Brown the meat on all sides to sear in the juices and the browning creates a nice gravy.

Remove from from heat after each batch and reserve in a separate clean bowl.

Next, saute’ 2 cups Cajun Trinity (onion, bell pepper, and celery) and 1 tablespoon minced garlic.

Add diced carrots. Cook 5 minutes.

Toss in sliced mushrooms.

Add 3 cups red wine, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, and 4 cups beef stock. Stir well to blend.

Mix the stew meat and bacon bits back into the liquid mixture.

Sprinkle the beef stew with a dash of ground thyme.

Cover and let simmer on low heat (#3) for 1 1/2 hours stirring occasionally.

Cook egg noodles according to package direction and number of servings needed.

Serving Suggestions for Burgundy Beef Stew

Serve the Burgundy Beef Stew over the egg noodles.

Man this dish was so good. The gravy was thick and rich. You could taste the wine just a bit and the meat was super tender. This stew would also serve well with rice or mashed potatoes.

Easy Homemade Chili Recipe

Home-style Chili is easy to make using fresh ingredients such as ground beef or pork, bell pepper, onion, celery, garlic, diced tomatoes and seasonings.  We add ample amount of chili powder to the meat while it’s cooking to infuse the flavors and create a rich chili taste.

I’m no chili expert, but this is an easy chili recipe sure to please.  Try some by itself or ladle on top of a hot baked potato with cheddar cheese and sliced green onions.  Now that’s some good comfort food there cher!

Ingredients for Homestyle Chili

Serves 8

1 1/2 pounds ground round beef (or split between ground beef & ground pork)
Cajun Trinity *

1 bell pepper (diced) *
1 sweet onion (diced) *
2 ribs of celery (diced) *

* or 1 (10 ounce) bag of seasoning blend

1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons chili powder (some people also use ground Cumin)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Tony’s Creole Seasoning
2 (10 ounce) cans diced Rotel tomatoes
1 can pinto beans or chili beans
Dash of Tabasco sauce
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
Chopped green onions (for garnish)

Also need a large 6 quart pot and a flat wooden utensil.  Optional – Blender or food processor.

In a large 6 quart pot, turn on the stove heat to medium-to-high #6.

Pour in 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Saute the bell pepper, celery and onion until soft.  Add minced garlic.

Push the vegetables to the sides and add the ground meat.

Begin to break the meat apart with the wooden utensil.

Add the 2 tablespoons chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon of Tony’s Creole Seasoning and salt to your preference.

Continue to brown the meat by stirring and chopping into small clumps.

While the meat is cooking, open Rotel tomatoes.

Pour one can in a blender or food processor and puree (remember to put the lid on or you will have a red ceiling).

(This will create a rich and thick sauce for the chili.)

Once the meat is well cooked, add the tomato puree and the second can of Rotel tomatoes.

Add the pinto beans and stir well.

Allow to simmer uncovered on medium-to-low heat #3 for 30-45 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent scorching or burning.

Suggested Servings for Home-style Chili

Serve over a Baked Potato or simply by itself in a bowl topped with shredded cheddar cheese and chopped green onions for garnish.  Don’t forget the crackers or French bread for dipping. We hope you enjoy our recipe for chili and share it with your friends.

Note:  If chili is not thick enough for you, try using a little corn starch (follow package directions) or blend 1 tablespoon flour with 1 tablespoon softened butter and mix in the sauce.  Allow to cook an additional 5-10 minutes to thicken.

Cheeseburger Meatloaf Recipe

A Cheeseburger Meatloaf is basically a fun and delicious way for your family to enjoy the old run of the mill meatloaf in a whole new way. I don’t know if this qualifies as genuine Cajun cooking, but Cajuns sure do like it, I guarantee!

Ingredients for Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

1 1/2 pounds ground round beef
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 cups Cajun Trinity (or a bag of frozen Seasoning Blend)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped dried or fresh parsley
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 eggs
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Dash of Tabasco sauce
Salt and Tony’s Creole Seasoning
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 – 1 cup bacon (6-8 slices), cooked and crumbled

Also need a large baking sheet, wax paper and canola oil spray.

Preheat oven on 350 degrees.

Cook the bacon strips.  Remove to several paper towels to blot off excess oil.

In the bacon drippings, saute the Cajun Trinity until well cooked.  If desired to hide from your children or those that don’t like the sight of onions, chop well in a food processor.

In a large mixing bowl, combine ground meat, seasonings, bread crumbs and eggs.  Blend together well with your clean hands.

Using a baking sheet either 13 x 9 or a 15 x 10, place a sheet of wax paper over the pan.

Place the meatloaf mixture on the pan and begin to spread out evenly and flat like making a pizza dough or a jelly roll cake.

Sprinkle the crumbled bacon all over and spread out shredded cheddar cheese.

At this time, add other ingredients as desired like caramelized onions or sliced mushrooms.

From one end, begin to roll up sealing off the ends as you go.  You may have to gradually remove the wax paper.

Place the loaf on a greased baking sheet with the seal side down.  Make sure the ends are meshed together good so the cheese doesn’t unnecessarily ooze out.

Bake for 1 hour or until the Cheeseburger Meatloaf reaches an internal temperature of 160-165 degrees.  It’s always a good idea to have a meat thermometer for cooking.

Serving Suggestions for Bacon Cheeseburger Meat Loaf

Serve with Mashed Potatoes,  Baked Potatoes, Macaroni and Cheese or Steamed Broccoli.

Leftovers are wonderful to have a Cheeseburger Meatloaf sandwich.  Oh this is making me hungry!

Serves 8