Happy New Year 2012

Well it's been a fast paced wonderful year. I have a new job (CLICK HERE) and many new opportunities in the new city I am living. I am no longer traveling to New Orleans on a regular basis but I am still cooking and seeking out new sources of good Cajun and Creole cooking. I have some upcoming posts about products I am trying out as well.

Dear friends, have a wonderful New YEar and I hope all are prosperous in 2012. Have fun but don't drink and drive tonight.

RouxBDoo

Buttermilk Pie for the Holidays

I love Pecan Pie for the Holidays but a lot of people seem more and more to have nut alergies, I thought I'd publish this recipe which is a favorite of mine, similar to Pecan Pie in flavor but no pecans.

2 cups sugar
1 stick butter, room temperature
4 tbs flour
3 whole eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1 ½ tbs vanilla
1 whole 9-inch pie shell, unbaked

In large bowl cream together sugar, butter and flour. Add eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Pour into unbaked pie shell and bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool and serve.

Merry Christmas!

Turkey and Dressing Soup with Dumplins

This is my recipe for, I think, the best after-holiday turkey leftover soup. I don't usually measure out the turkey meat, I usually use most of the remaining breast meat. Around 3 lbs I would think. I use a lot because this recipe makes a lot of soup.

3 lbs turkey breast meat (roasted, shredded coarse in big chunks)
½ stick butter or margarine
1 large onion (diced)
4 ribs of celery (diced)
½ tsp garlic (minced)
8 cups water
4 cups milk
4 cups turkey or chicken stock (if using stock from your turkey be sure to skim the fat off)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 6 oz. box dressing mix (cornbread variety)
1 tsp cajun/creole spice mix
1 tbs kosher salt
½ tbs black pepper
2 sprigs thyme
½ tsp dried sage
2 bay leaves

In a large pot on MED/HI ( I use a 7 qt. dutch oven ) melt the butter and sauté the onion and celery until softened. Add garlic, spice mix, salt, pepper, thyme, sage, and bay leaves. Let this go for about 5 minutes. Stir in the stock, after 5 minutes add the turkey. Let this cook for about 10 minutes then add the water and milk. Bring this to a boil and pour in the dressing mix and the cream of chicken soup. Bring back up to a boil for about 10 minutes, turn down to MED/LO and let cook for an hour to tenderize the turkey. Check the celery in the soup to see if it is soft before adding the dumplins with the recipe below. By the way, this soup is great by itself, but the dumplins really top it off.

Dumplin' mix

1 cup flour (self rising or use plain and add 2 tbs baking powder)
2 tbs oil (i don't recommend olive oil, use a flavorless vegetable or safflower oil)
1 pinch salt & pepper
milk or water

In a bowl combine the flour, salt and pepper, oil, and enough milk or water to make a mix about the consistency of cooked oatmeal. Turn soup down to MED/LO and drop half-spoonfuls into soup. The dumplins will puff up and float to the top of the soup.

Enjoy the food of the Holidays

Great Side Dish for Christmas

Alright friends this isn't Cajun or Creole, but I love it and you can serve it with your Christmas Dinner along with your turkey or ham. You can even use it with your leftover turkey afterwards. I is savory and creamy, if you are having it with turkey you can omit the meat from it. Here is my simple Chicken with Rice Casserole.

1 cup shredded cooked chicken (or turkey) breast
1 ½ cup water
1 ½ cup rice (uncooked)
2 10 oz. cans Cream of Chicken Soup
¼ cup diced onions
¼ cup diced celery
¼ cup diced fresh mushrooms
2 tbs diced green onions
½ stick butter or margarine
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp Tony Cachere's
1 tsp dried sage flakes
1 tsp parsley flakes
1 tsp dried garlic flakes
¼ tsp cayenne pepper

In an oven-proof pot with a lid, melt butter and saute the onions, mushrooms, celery, and green onions on MED/HI until onions soften. Add all spices and shredded chicken. stir and saute all together. Add the water and bring to a boil for 5 mins., add the rice and stir well to distribute to keep from lumping.

Cook for 5 mins. and then add the cans of soup. Slide off the stove eye and stir extremely well, making sure the soup and rice are thoroughly mixed. Cover with the lid and place in a pre-heated 300º oven for 1 hour. Let cool slightly before serving.

Stay tuned for my Great Turkey Leftover Soup!

RouxBDoo

Merry Christmas Friends!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, today is the 1st of December and I assume most of you are preparing for Christmas, or the holidays in general. We here at RouxBDoo's are going to try and ramp up our frequency on publishing posts and featuring restaurants and products.

I am no longer working out of New Orleans and it is more difficult to feature NOLA restaurants. We will be featuring other places that serve Cajun and Creole food around this area. I am also expanding the scope to include more Low Country and Appalachian Mountain foods. I grew up here in the mountains of East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia and the food is much simpler than some of the others in this blog but no less wonderful.

If you click on the above banner, right under the RouxBDoo graphic, you can download some of the Harkleroad family Christmas favorites. My Dad's Peanut Butter candy, my Scottish Shortbread, and my wife's Sugar cookies and Icing recipes are listed there, I think you'll like them. I am also going to be featuring more holiday recipes this season, so strike the harp and join the chorus, Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!

RouxBDoo