Grilled Chicken and Pasta Recipe

Grilled chicken and pasta, with broccoli or asparagus and a cheese sauce, is one of my husband’s favorite dishes. We have it at least one Sunday night a month, if not more often!

Although this chicken and pasta recipe calls for grilled chicken, you can certainly bake it, broil it, or even fry it if that is more convenient for you. The real secret to this recipe (at least this is what my husband would tell you) is the cheddar cheese sauce. This cheddar cheese sauce recipe is so good you could pour it over cardboard and you’d have a great tasting meal.

Anyway, the cheese sauce recipe is included in the video, and although this isn’t a specifically Cajun cooking Cajun recipe, we Cajun’s just plain love all good food, so we’ve included this in our Cajun recipes collection, under “other recipes”. We hope you enjoy our grilled chicken and pasta as much as we do.

How to Make Grilled Chicken and Pasta

Grilled Chicken and Pasta Ingredients

– 2 Chicken breasts – skin on

– 2 cups finely grated Cheddar cheese (we used Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese and Seaside White Cheddar Cheese)

– 2 cups milk

– 2 tablespoon butter

– 1/4 cup flour

-2-3 cups rotini pasta or bow-tie pasta

– Steamed broccoli crowns or fresh asparagus

– Cajun Creole Seasoning (like Tony’s)

– Garlic powder

– Sea salt

– Chopped green onions for garnish

To begin – prepare your charcoal grill.

(For details on grilling, please see our 10 Grilling Tips).

Wash chicken breasts and pat dry with a paper towel.

On a platter, season the chicken breasts on both sides with Cajun seasoning, garlic powder and sea salt.

After the chicken has been cooking for about 30 mins, start the cooking inside.

Note: We sometimes purchase already grilled chicken breast at out meat market.

Cheese Sauce, Pasta, and Vegetable.

Begin to bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil.

Cook 2-3 cups pasta according to package directions.

In a deep skillet, melt the 2 tablespoons butter.

Once bubbly and hot, gradually add in the flour and whisk well.

Gradually add in warmed milk and whisk to incorporate with flour mixture.

Continuously stir for 8-10 minutes.

The white sauce should be thick and creamy.

Lower the heat and mix in the finely shredded cheese.

Keep on low until ready to serve.

Meanwhile in another saucepan, put a small amount of water and steam the broccoli or asparagus for 5-8 minutes.

The chicken breasts should be about done.

With a meat thermometer, check the chicken’s internal temperature by placing the thermometer in the thickest part of the breast.

If it reads at least 160 degrees, that chicken is ready to eat.

If not, you best leave on the grill a bit longer.

To Serve:

In a deep plate, place a spoonful of pasta.

Add cut-up chicken breast and vegetable.

Spoon on the creamy cheddar cheese sauce.

Top with chopped green onions.

I hope you enjoy it. Bon Apetite!

‘Till next time,

Beryl

Hoppin’ John

I was born and raised in Louisiana Cajun cooking country, and my husband is a “cracker” from north Florida transplanted to Cajun country, and neither of us had ever heard of Hoppin John when a subscriber of our Cajun recipes emailed us and asked us to make it and publish it on our Cajun Cooking blog.

So, not wanting to disappoint a loyal reader, I went to Google to see just what in the world Hoppin’ John was.

Black eyed peas is what I found out, laugh out loud.

We call Hoppin’ John black-eyed peas around here, and sure I know how to cook black-eyed peas!

We’ve since asked around, and found that plenty of our friends and relatives knew what Hoppin’ John was, they just didn’t call it that.

Hoppin’ John is more of a “low country” of South Carolina and Georgia southern food term than a Cajun recipe term.

Anyway, I may be prejudiced, but I do think we make Hoppin” John, or black eyed peas, whichever you prefer to call it, pretty darn good.

So, here’s our Hoppin’ John recipe, hope you enjoy it.

Hoppin John Ingredients

1 (1 pound) package dry or frozen black eyed peas

Seasoning meat like ham, thick bacon or sausage – cooked

1 medium diced onion (1 cup)
1 bell pepper (1 cup)
3 stalks diced celery
1 jalapeno (diced & no seeds)
1 (10 ounce) can Rotel tomatoes
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (like Tony’s)
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4-6 cups stock (vegetable or chicken)
Chopped green onions for garnish
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups cooked long grain white rice (1 cup rice, 2 cups water, 20 minutes on low heat)

Putting it all together…

The night before cooking Hoppin John, soak the dry black eyed peas in a bowl of water.

Cover and set aside until you are ready to cook.

Then drain the peas in a colander.

Prepare all of your ingredients – chopping, dicing and measuring.

In a 6 quart pot, heat the 2 tablespoons of canola oil on medium high heat (#6).

Saute the onion, bell pepper, garlic and celery.

Add the 4-6 cups vegetable or chicken stock.

Add the Rotel tomatoes, seasonings, jalapeno, black eye peas, and cut up seasoning meat.

(We slowly cooked 3 links of sausage on the grill the night before. You can also saute in a skillet.)

Make sure the mixture is covered with water.

Add water if needed.

Bring to a boil.

Cover and lower the heat to medium low (#3).

Simmer for 1 1/2 hours stirring occasionally.

In the last 1/2 hour, cook the rice according to package directions.

About ready to serve – spoon out a couple spoonfuls of black eye peas in a bowl.

Smash with a fork. (This will act as a thickener for the Black Eye Peas gravy.)

Pour back in the pot and stir.

Spoon out some rice in a deep bowl.

Ladle on the Hoppin John and ENJOY!

This is a great dish for New Years Day or anytime of year.

What a great comfort food.

Also see our recipe for Turnip Greens that we cooked the same night.

Here is another recipe for black-eyed peas the way Mike cooks them –

https://www.cajuncookingtv.com/black-eyed-peas-recipe

Hope you enjoy!

Beryl

P.S. – If you have a question or comment about this recipe
(or any other recipe) please post your question or comment
in the “Comments” or “Leave a Reply” section below this
recipe.

P.S.S. – You can get these recipes emailed to you once
every two weeks by joining our FREE Cajun Recipe Club.

Simply enter your first name and email and click “submit”
on the form in the upper right hand corner of this page.

Cajun Potato Salad

Potato Salad must be one of America’s favorite dishes, and when it comes to Cajun cooking, potato salad fits right in. Cajun’s add a little flair to everything they cook, and Cajun Potato Salad is right up our alley.

You already know that potato salad is a must for parties and all holiday meals, but did you know that many Cajuns add a scoop of potato salad to their bowl of gumbo?

Anyway, this potato salad recipe is one my husband perfected at his fishing camp out of Golden Meadow, Louisiana. Mike and his buddies would fish and shrimp and catch speckled trout and redfish and come in mighty hungry after a day on the water. There’s be a feast at supper time, with boiled shrimp and crabs, fried trout and redfish, and rounded out with Mike’s famous camp-style Cajun potato salad.

So here’s the recipe, published for the first time right here on Cajun Cooking TV.

Serves 6-8 people…

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Equipment Needed to Make Cajun Potato Salad –

•Large pot

•Small saucepan

•Large mixing bowl

•Medium mixing bowl

•Cutting board

•Knife

•Colander

•Mixing spoons

Cajun Potato Salad Ingredients –

•8 medium sized red potatoes (peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes)

•1 cup mayonnaise

•1/2 cup yellow mustard

•1/2 cup sweet pickle relish (dill is okay too)

•1/2 cup chopped green olives

•1 cup finely diced purple onion

•4 stalks chopped green onions

•1 cup finely dices celery stalks

•4 eggs

•Cajun Seasoning (like Tony Chachere’s)

•Salt

Shrimp and Crab Boil or substitute a teaspoon of cayenne pepper

•1 Bay leaf

How to Make Cajun Potato Salad

Prepare all your vegetables: peeling, chopping and dicing and have ready to go at mixing time.

Fill the small saucepan with water (enough to cover eggs).

Place the 4 eggs in the pan and turn your stove on High.

Once your water is boiling, put the lid on the pot and turn your stove on low (#3 or #4).

Cook for 20 minuntes undisturbed.

Meanwhile, rinse your peeled and cubed potatoes in a colander.

Pour the potatoes into the large pot and fill with water (enough to fully cover the potatoes).

Turn your stove on High.

Bring the water to a boil.

Turn stove down to #7 or #8 to prevent water boiling over.

Cook for only 10 minutes.

Drain in a colander and set aside for later.

The eggs should be done now.

Pour out the hot water and refill with cold water.

Add a few ice cubes to help cool the eggs enough for you to peel.

Peel your eggs by holding an egg upright on the larger bottom side tap on the counter to release the bubble and the egg with peel easily.

Place back in your cool water to wash off any small shell left.

Next, cut the eggs in half and remove the yolks.

Place the egg yolks in a medium mixing bowl.

Chop the egg whites for use in the blended process.

Putting It All Together:

With a small wisk or a fork chop up the egg yolks.

Stir in the mayonnaise and mustard.

Add one by one all the chopped celery, onions, olives, relish and egg whites.

Mix well.

Pour the cooked and drained potatoes into a large mixing bowl.

Using a large wisk, chop up the potatoes to your desired consistency.

We like the potatoes chopped well leaving small lumps.

Some people like a chunky potato salad.

So whatever you like.

Now mix in the egg and vegetable mixture.

You’ll need a big spoon.

Man that is looking good enough to eat – cher!

Pour into a serving bowl and enjoy.

Using 8 medium potatoes will feed about 6-8 people.

If you need more, just double the recipe.

Also remember – food with mayonnaise and eggs should stay out no longer than 1 hour.

Refrigerate promptly after everyone has eaten.

Now wasn’t that easy. Bon Apetite!

How to Make Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo is hard to beat if you want a great meal that is very inexpensive and will serve a lot of people, or make a lot of leftovers to freeze for during the week heat-and-serve dinners.

These authentic Cajun recipes that we’re cataloging on this website are Louisiana cultural treasures.

This chicken and sausage gumbo recipe has been in our family a long, long time.

Simple, inexpensive, great-tasting and a Cajun cooking favorite, this recipe is for you if you want to learn how to cook chicken and sausage gumbo.

Want to know the secret to making a great gumbo?

It’s the stock. Watch the video to learn more about this secret of Cajun cooking.

How to Make Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Cookware and Utensils Needed:

Large stock pot
Skillet
6-8 quart Dutch oven or large pot (non-stick okay)
Flat wooden spatula or flat whisk
Cutting board
Knife

Ingredients for Your Gumbo

2 fresh chicken breasts
2-3 links Andouille sausage or any quality sausage
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 stick of butter
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (like Tony’s)
3 Bay leaves
4-5 cups Cajun Trinity (chopped onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic and parsley)
2 (1-pound) bags cut okra
2 (10-ounce) cans Rotel tomatoes
6-8 cups chicken stock
1 cup long grain white rice
Chopped green onions for garnish

How to Cook Your Gumbo

Prepare all your ingredients and have ready to go.

Fill the stock pot with water.

Leave enough room for the chicken breasts.

Season the water with salt and Cajun seasoning.

Bring to a Boil.

Place the chicken breasts in the boiling water and boil for 50-60 minutes.

Meanwhile, spray a non-stick skillet with canola oil.

Turn the heat on medium #6.

Cook the Andouille sausage turning often for about 20 minutes.

Remove and drain on paper towels.

Cut into ½ inch slices and set aside for later.

Next, in the Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil and sauté the Cajun Trinity until onions and celery are translucent.

Set aside.

In the skillet, melt the 1 stick of butter.

Once bubbly and hot, gradually add the ½ cup of flour.

Sprinkle in a little flour and stir well.

Add a little more flour and stir and so on.

The Roux should be smooth with no lumps of flour.

Continuously stir until the roux becomes a dark caramel color.

Carefully, pour the roux into the Cajun Trinity.

Stir well.

Return the pot to the heat and place on medium.

Now mix in the Rotel tomatoes.

Ladle out 3-4 cups chicken stock from the boiling chicken pot.

Add to the mixture and stir well.

Add 1-2 bags of cut okra.

Make sure all is covered well with stock.

Add Cajun seasoning, Bay leaves, dashes of Tabasco.

Simmer for about 30 minutes.

Occasionally stir and add additional stock if needed.

The chicken breasts should be done after 1 hour.

Remove the chicken from the stock pot.

Let sit a few minutes, and then cut into bite size pieces.

Add the chicken and sausage to the gumbo.

Stir well and add more stock to cover all ingredients.

It should be a thick soup consistency.

Make a pot of rice for 4 people by bringing 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan.

Add 1 cup rice.

Stir.

Cover and lower the heat to medium #3.

Cook for 20 minutes and do not disturb the pot.

Serve the Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo over rice in a deep plate or bowl..

Garnish with chopped green onions or bell pepper and sprinkle on gumbo file’.

A small salad and toasted French bread are excellent accompaniments for a complete meal.

Serves 6-8.

Also, gumbo freezes well for a quick supper during the workweek.

Bon Appetite!

P.S. – If you have a question or comment about this recipe
(or any other recipe) please post your question or comment
in the “Comments” or “Leave a Reply” section below this
recipe.

P.S.S. – You can get these recipes emailed to you once
every week by joining our FREE Cajun Recipe Club.

Simply enter your first name and email and click “submit”
on the form in the upper right hand corner of this page.

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Top 10 Grilling Tips

How to grill on a charcoal fire is one of the questions we get most often, so we’ve put together a Grilling Tips video for you.

There’s nothing like grilling on charcoal, your food is so much better than if it was cooked on a gas grill that there’s no comparison at all.

Charcoal grilling is the real thing!

We’ve listed 10 grilling tips that should make you the envy of your neighborhood when it comes to barbecuing and you’ll surely be invited to everyone’s cookout for your grilling skills.

These tips are for beginners and long time veterans of the back yard barbecue, so let’s get started with our top 10 grilling tips …

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Grilling Tip #1: Purchase a quality charcoal grill. We recommend an Old Smokey Charcoal Grill. They are available in three sizes: small, medium and large. We also purchased the optional long legs to help make the grill high off the ground.

Grilling Tip #2: Charcoal is an essential part of grilling. We are using real hardwood charcoal instead of the regular square briquettes. Real hardwood charcoal is actually made from real wood.

We purchase a bag from Whole Foods that is made from scrap wood from furniture makers. Do you even know what charcoal briquettes are made of? I don’t want chemical laden products cooking my food.

Grilling Tip #3: Charcoal Chimney – is a cylinder made of sheet metal with a grate a couple of inches from the bottom to hold the charcoal. You actually start the charcoal by placing one or two sheets of newspaper loosely crumpled in the bottom of the chimney. Then, light the newspaper.

The charcoal ignites and begins to smoke and heat up. Imagine not using chemical laden charcoal lighter fluid – you know a lighter form of gasoline.

Grilling Tip #4: Smoking Chips give grilled beef, poultry and fish a great flavor unlike just grilling with only the charcoal. There are many varieties of wood chips or chunks: hickory, mesquite, cherry and apple are just to name a few.

We soak a handful of chips in a bowl of water. Once charcoal is ready, we drain the chips and toss evenly over the fire. Soaking the chips prevents them from burning up too fast.

Grilling Tips #5: Spray the Grill. Spraying the grill with a cooking spray oil like Pam helps prevent your meat from sticking. Never spray the grill placed directly over the fire. Remove the grill and spray away from the fire.

Grilling Tip #6: Meat Preparation and Seasoning – place your raw meat on a platter lined with wax paper. We sprinkle on all our meats: sea salt, Tony’s Creole Seasoning and granulated garlic powder.

Grilling Tip #7: To Grill or To Smoke? That is the question. We grill steaks and hamburgers by place the charcoal evenly in the pit. We smoke pork tenderloin and chicken by placing the charcoal on one side of the pit and the meat on the other. Smoking enables a longer, slower cook.

Grilling Tip #8: Use tongs or a flipper; not a fork – tongs allow you to turn meat without piercing the meat and letting the natural juices escape. So use tongs or a flipper to protect your flavorful meats.

Grilling Tip #9: Meat Thermometer – invest in a good quality meat thermometer. There is nothing worse than serving undercooked meat at a dinner party. Meat should at least be 150 to 160 degrees. Eating undercooked meat can be dangerous and unhealthy.

Grilling Tip #10: Let meat sit when done – once you bring in the meat on a clean platter, let it sit for 5-10 minutes in order to seal in the juices. Then slice and serve. Yummy!

Red Beans and Rice Recipe

Red Beans and Rice is as Cajun as white on rice. It just don’t get more Cajun!

Red beans and rice was often a Thursday dish, because it was usually the day before payday (Friday) and folks were usually broke by then. Another train of thought has Monday being red beans and rice day as it was laundry day. In my opinion, any day is a great day for red beans and rice!

You can feed a big family a fine meal on a just couple of dollars with the Cajun classic red beans and rice recipe.

A bag of Camellia red beans, a ham hock or some sausage, and some rice and you’ve got a dinner fit for a king.

When it comes to Cajun cooking, red beans and rice is in the Top 5 all-time Cajun cuisine favorites.

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Red Beans and Rice Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package dry red kidney beans (We always use Camellia brand)
1 sweet Vidalia onion – chopped
1 green or red bell pepper – chopped *
2-3 stalks of celery – chopped small *
2 tablespoons fresh or dried parsley – chopped *
2 tablespoons minced garlic

( * Or, you can substitute a 16 oz bag of frozen seasoning blend.)

3 Bay leaves
1 tablespoon Cajun Seasoning (like Tony’s)
1 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil
2 links or 1/2 lb fresh Andouille sausage (or any sausage you like)
1 cup long grain white rice

How to Make Red Beans and Rice

Start your preparation the night before by soaking the dry red beans in a large glass bowl.

Cover the red beans with about 6 cups of water.

Cover and let stand overnight.

Ready to Cook –

Drain the red beans in a colander and place into the crock pot (slow cooker).

NOTE: If you don’t have a crock pot, you can cook the red beans in a stew pot on your stove top.

Cover again with about 6 cups of water.

Turn the heat setting on High.

In another skillet:

Heat the oil on medium heat (#6) and cook the sausage for 15 minutes.

Move to a paper towel to blot off excess oil, then slice into 1/2 inch pieces.

In the same skillet with the sausage drippings, saute the onion, bell pepper, celery, parsley, and garlic.

Stir and cook until onions are translucent – about 2-3 minutes.

Stir the seasoning mixture into the red beans.

Add the sliced sausage.

Add the Bay leaves and Cajun seasoning.

Stir well.

Be sure the mixture is at least covered with water, but leaving room for more liquid to form up from
the slow cooking process.

Cook for 6 hours; only uncovering to stir occasionally.

Note: You will usually need to mash some of the beans to thicken your gravy.

Just mash them against the side of your pot with a spoon, then stir them in.

30 minutes before ready to eat, cook a batch of long grain white rice.

In a medium saucepan, add 2 cups water and bring to a boil.

Add 1 cup rice.

Cover and lower the heat to medium-low (#3).

Set your timer for 20 minutes.

Do not uncover until done.

TIME TO EAT!

Give the Red Beans and Andouille sausage a good stir.

Serve over rice with a sprinkle of parsley for color.

Enjoy!

P.S. – If you have a question or comment about this recipe
(or any other recipe) please post your question or comment
in the “Comments” or “Leave a Reply” section below this
recipe.

P.S.S. – You can get these recipes emailed to you once
every two weeks by joining our FREE Cajun Recipe Club.

Simply enter your first name and email and click “submit”
on the form in the upper right hand corner of this page.

Awesome Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

Macaroni and Cheese has got to be an All-American dish right up there with hamburgers and apple pie. It is certainly popular in Cajun country too, and a Cajun Cooking favorite.

This macaroni and cheese recipe is so good that we’ve even made it as an entree, although it was originally prepared as a side item.

There are a lot of mac and cheese recipes out there, but you owe it to yourself (and your family!) to try this one. It can’t be beat!

This is the real thing when it comes to real home-style baked macaroni and cheese.

Home Style Macaroni and Cheese Recipe:

Ingredients

4 tablespoons real butter (1/2 the stick)
3 cups milk
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (like Tony’s)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 cups finely grated sharp Cheddar cheese
2 cups elbow macaroni

1 deep skillet
1 medium sauce pan
1 1-1/2 quart casserole dish (sprayed with cooking spray)
1 colander

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How to Make Home Style Macaroni and Cheese

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

(Have all your ingredients prepared and measured before starting because you will need each item to be ready to go.)

Fill your medium sauce pan with water and place 1 tablespoon of butter.

Place on medium heat so that the water is heating while other cooking is being done.

Place your milk in a microwave safe container or another sauce pan to warm the milk.

(I use the microwave for this and put the timer on 1:30 minutes.)

In the deep skillet, place the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter.

Turn on medium heat.

Melt the butter stirring with whisk.

Toss in the flour a little at a time stirring continuously.

Cook for 1 minute.

Slowly pour in the warmed milk while whisking continuously.

Once completely blended with the butter and flour; cook for 10 minutes stirring continuously.

NOTE: (If you stop, the milk and flour will burn.)

Remove pan from heat.

At this point, your water for the macaroni is probably boiling.

Stir in the macaroni.

Cook for only 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir into the white sauce mixture, the Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper and ground nutmeg.

Little by little stir in 4 cups of sharp Cheddar cheese.

Cover and set aside.

The macaroni should be done.

Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water.

Drain well.

Gradually spoon the macaroni into the cheese sauce mixture until all macaroni is covered in cheese sauce.

Pour into a 1 ½ quart casserole dish.

Place casserole dish into 375 degree oven on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Remove from oven and cover with remaining shredded cheese.

Let set for 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

Serves 6.

Works well with grilled burgers, pork tenderloin, steak or as a stand-alone meal.

Till next time,

Beryl

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.

You can find all of our recipes on our website, at:
https://www.cajuncookingtv.com/

Please Follow Us On Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/CajunCookingTV/

The Cajun Cooking TV show airs on local Baton Rouge, Louisiana 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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How To Grill Steaks

Want to learn how to grill steaks and make mouth-watering baked potatoes?

Grilled steaks are the All-American meal, especially for the men! Well, All-American includes Cajun in my book!

Cajuns love grilling steaks almost as much as boiling crawfish. The great thing about grilling steaks is that it is a year-round thing, whereas crawfish boils are seasonal.

We have some grilling tips, plus we’ve included our “skin-eatin’ good” baked potato recipe because baked potatoes go with grilled steak like white on rice.

We’re grilling a Porterhouse steak tonight, which is our favorite steak.

A Porterhouse steak has the filet, or tenderloin, one one side and the New York strip on the other side, with the “T-bone” in between.

A Porterhouse steak is similar to the T-bone steak, except that the filet (or tenderloin) side is much bigger.

Usually we’ll buy the biggest Porterhouse in the market, and split it, with Beryl getting the filet side and Mike getting the New York strip side.

(If you need some grilling tips, be looking for our Grilling Tips .)

How to Grill a Steak

Simple and Easy Dinner for Two (guys this can be very impressive for ladies)

You will need:

1 Porterhouse steak (look for good fat marbling and at least 1 inch thick)
2 large Idaho baking potatoes
Sea salt
Tony’s Creole Seasoning
Garlic powder
Spray oil

Grill (we use Old Smokey Grills)
Hardwood charcoal
Mesquite or hickory chips
Grilling tongs

Aluminum foil
Meat thermometer
Baking sheet

Toppings: Butter, sour cream, finely grated Cheddar cheese, and chopped green onions (crumbled real bacon is also a good option).

Let get going!

Step-by-Step Instructions

First: The Potatoes

About 1 ½ hours before your serving time, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Rinse your potatoes off with cool water.

Cut 2 large enough pieces of aluminum foil.

Place a potato on the foil and spray with vegetable or olive oil spray.

Then, sprinkle on sea salt and/or Tony’s.  (I just use Tony’s)

Wrap in the foil tightly.

Place a baking sheet to prevent splatter in your oven.

Bake about 80 minutes, or until done.

(You can tell they’re done by putting on an oven mitt and squeezing the potato. If it’s soft, it’s done.)

Meanwhile…The Porterhouse Steak

To prepare the Porterhouse Steak for grilling, place on a platter.

Spray with cooking oil spray. (We use olive oil)

Sprinkle sea salt, Tony’s and granulated garlic . Repeat on other side.

To the Old Smokey Grill –

For complete details on preparing your charcoal grill, please see either How to Grill Hamburgers or Grilling Tips.

Drain your Hickory Chips and sprinkle across the coals.

Away from the fire, spray your grill with cooking spray to prevent sticking.

Place the steak in the middle of the grill.

Sear on each side about 1 min each.

Place the grill cover on.

For a medium steak, turn after 5 – 6 minutes. Cover and cook another 5 – 6 minutes.

Check the meat temperature with the meat thermometer.

The temperature depends on your desired doneness.

We like medium (which is just a little pink) – 155 degrees F.

Carefully remove with grilling tongs and place on a platter.

Add a pat of butter and let sit a couple minutes before serving so the butter will melt and the juices fully distribute.

Servin’ It Up

The Skin Eatin’ Good Baked Potatoes are done if you give them a squeeze and they feel soft (use an oven mitt, of course) they are done.

Split open with a knife and squeeze to loosen the potato.

Top with all your favorite toppings.

Note: If we have some other side items like steamed broccoli or asparagus, we will split a big potato.

Serve the desired portion of the Porterhouse steak and a baked potato.

Bon Appetite!

See You Next Time!

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Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

How to make spaghetti and meat sauce, Cajun style.

You probably weren’t expecting to find a spaghetti sauce recipe on a Cajun cooking website, but since spaghetti is such a basic menu item for most families we decided to put up our family spaghetti and meat sauce recipe.

This is a very quick and easy recipe that the whole family with love.

We have the complete recipe and a video showing step by step exactly how we make it.

How to Cook Spaghetti Sauce – Cajun Style

Utensils needed:

Large pot
Medium saucepan
Colander
Measuring cup
Measuring spoons
Cutting board
Knife
Wooden spoon

NOTE: The ingredients to this recipe has changed a little bit from the video, since Mike has started cooking the spaghetti sauce.

Otherwise, the video cooking directions still apply.

Ingredients Needed:

2 lbs fresh ground round or ground beef of your choice

1 (29 ounce) can of tomato puree or tomato sauce
1 (29 ounce) can or crushed tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 (14 ounce) can of tomato sauce or puree
4 cups Cajun Trinity (chopped onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic & parsley)
(or 1 bag of seasoning blend)
1 tablespoon olive or canola or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (like Tony’s Creole Seasoning)
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning (oregano, basil, and thyme)
3 Bay leaves
2 cups Rotini pasta or whatever pasta you like (cook 1 cup per person to be served)
Parmesan cheese

How to Cook Spaghetti Sauce – Cajun Style

First have all of your ingredient ready to go before you start cooking.

Chop your Cajun Trinity. (Or use a bag of seasoning blend)

(See How to Make the Cajun Trinity if you need help with this.)

In the large pot and medium-high heat #7, place 1 tablespoon oil.

Toss in the Cajun Trinity and sauté 5-10 minutes.

Add the ground beef.

Chop and stir often cooking thoroughly for about 15-20 minutes, until done.

Add the tomato puree, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, bay leaves and water.

(If your sauce still need more liquid, you can add another 14 oz can of tomato sauce.)

Stir well.

Cover.

Lower the heat to #3 and simmer for 30-45 minutes.

Stir occasionally.

(Mysteriously added to my sauce was chunky salsa, ketchup and no telling what else.)

Fill the medium saucepan with water about 2 inches from the top.

Sprinkle in salt (optional) and a little bit of olive oil (or other oil) or butter.

Bring the water to a boil and stir in the pasta.

Lower the heat to #8 to prevent water boiling over.

Cook according to package directions.

Turn off the heat.

Drain in a colander in the sink.

No need rinse.

Bring back to the stove.

To serve Spaghetti Sauce at the table, spoon pasta in a deep platter and cover generously with spaghetti sauce.

Grate fresh Parmesan cheese and sprinkle over the dish.

Spaghetti Sauce serves 8-12.

We typically cook and freeze containers for quick suppers during the busy workweek.

Hope you enjoy!

Beryl

P.S. – If you have a question or comment about this recipe
(or any other recipe) please post your question or comment
in the “Comments” or “Leave a Reply” section below this
recipe.

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How To Make Crawfish Pie

This crawfish pie recipe was a divine inspiration when we had some crawfish etouffee left over after supper.

(Which doesn’t happen often enough to have much experience with leftovers!).

We call that lagniappe (pronounced “lan-yap”) here in Louisiana – something “extra”.

So, with a little leftover crawfish etouffee, we created a dish that was even more awesome than the original dish!

So watch the video and you can make this fast and easy dish and amaze your family and friends.

This is a Cajun recipe that you’ll want to remember, so be sure to bookmark this website.

Or better yet, subscribe in the box to the right, and you’ll get an email every time we publish a new Cajun recipe like this crawfish pie recipe.

What You Need to Make Crawfish Pie

2-3 cups Crawfish Etouffee
1 cup cooked rice
2 prepared pie shells – thawed

Paring knife
Fork
Wax paper

Preheat your oven 375 degrees.

Take one of the pie shells and carefully cut around the inside edge to remove the thick outer crust.

Remove crust and discard.

Turn the shell over onto a piece of wax paper.

If it doesn’t fall out, carefully pull out and place flat on the wax paper.

Set aside.

Mix together the Crawfish Etouffee and the rice.

Pour the mixture into the second pie shell.

Spread around.

Take the top shell and place on top of the etouffee mixture.

With the fork, smash the top crust to the bottom shell to seal.

You may need a little bit of warm water to seal.

Go all the way around.

Important Tip: You should cover the crust (the thick edge of the pie shell) with either folded aluminum foil or place the empty pie tin on top of the Crawfish Pie to prevent the crust from burning faster than the pie bakes.

Place in the oven on a baking sheet in case of spillage.

Bake for 50 minutes.

Remove and let set 5 minutes.

Cut into wedges and enjoy.

Um Um – now that’s some good stuff cher!

Serves 6

Great with a green salad.

Beryl

P.S. – If you have a question or comment about this recipe
(or any other recipe) please post your question or comment
in the “Comments” or “Leave a Reply” section below this
recipe.

P.S.S. – You can get these recipes emailed to you once
every two weeks by joining our FREE Cajun Recipe Club.

Simply enter your first name and email and click “submit”

.