Cajun
Dinner
Hosted
by Paul & Susan Sieczkowski
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Makes: 20
servings, Prep Time: 10 minutes,
Cook Time: 15 minutes
3 - 10 oz boxes frozen
chopped spinach
1 stick butter
1 - 16 oz can artichoke
hearts, chopped
1 - 8 oz cream cheese
¾ cup shredded Parmesan
cheese
6 oz Mozzarella cheese
1 small to medium onion,
finely chopped
8 oz sour cream
1 - 8 oz can evaporated milk
Cook spinach according to
label directions; drain well. Sauté onions in butter.
Add spinach, artichokes, sour cream, cream cheese, Parmesan, and Mozzarella,
stirring well between each addition. Slowly stir in evaporated milk to thin if
needed. Serve in a chaffing dish or slow cooker with tortilla chips or
crackers.
NOTE: There are three types of spinach available in
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Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya (made by Sue Sieczkowski)
from the Junior League of New Orleans Cook Book, serves
10
1 pound andouille,
thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
3 T. olive oil
2 t. oregano
2/3 c. chopped green pepper
1 T. Creole seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ t. salt
¾ c. chopped fresh parsley
¼ t. cayenne pepper
1 c. chopped celery
¼ t. black pepper
2 16-oz. cans diced tomatoes
2 c. long grain rice
2 c. chicken broth
3 lbs. raw shrimp (I used
frozen)
1 c. chopped green onions
1 ½ t.
thyme
In 4-qt. heavy pot, sauté
sausage; remove with slotted spoon. Add
oil to drippings and sauté green pepper, garlic, parsley and celery 5
minutes. Add tomatoes with liquid, broth
and onions. Stir in spices. Add rice which has been washed and rinsed
three times. Add sausage and cook 30
minutes, covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally. After most liquid has been absorbed by rice,
add shrimp and cook until pink. Transfer
mixture to an oblong baking dish; bake about 25 minutes.
NOTE: Since I used shrimp that was already cooked,
I simply allowed mixture to heat through after adding the shrimp. At that point, I transferred to crock pot on
low setting until serving.
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Sausage and Ham Jambalaya (made by Sue Sieczkowski)
from the Junior League of New Orleans Cook Book, serves 6
2 c. sliced andouille
1 t. salt
1 c. chopped yellow onion
½ t. thyme
¾ c. diced green pepper
¼ t. basil
1 large clove garlic, minced
¼ t. marjoram
2 c. diced ham
¼ t. paprika
½ c. dry white wine
¼ t.
1 - 16-oz. can chopped
tomatoes
1 c. long grain rice
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
In a Dutch
oven, sauté sausage 10 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper
towels. Add onion, green pepper and
garlic to drippings. Sauté
until tender, about 5 minutes.
Stir in sausage, ham, wine, tomatoes with liquid, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; add parsley and rice; mix well. Cover and simmer 25 minutes.
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Shrimp Salad (made by Eldon & Deb Waskowiak)
1 mango
2 tsp lemon or lime juice
1 pd
large shrimp
1 tsp chicken stock
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp Louisiana Gold hot
Sauce
1 ½ cup pineapple chunks
(fresh or canned)
1 cup chopped tomato
1 red onion, thinly sliced
Mixed lettuce
Puree peeled mango with
lemon or lime juice, reserve. In a sauce pan, combine shrimp, stock, chili, and
hot sauce. Cook till the shrimp are done. Remove from heat,
add tomatoes, pineapple and onion. Chill. Arrange on lettuce, spoon mango
dressing over.
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6 sweet potatoes
3 Granny Smith apples
½ cup Apple juice
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Peel and slice sweet
potatoes and place in bottom of crockpot. Core and
slice apples (peel if desired) and place on top of potatoes. Mix spices with
apple juice and pour over the potatoes and apples. Melt two tablespoons butter
and pour over potatoes and apples. Cook on low for 6 – 8 hours. (2 – 4 hours on
high). Stir once half way through.
Praline Topping:
2 cups chopped pecans
1 ½ cup brown sugar
8 Tablespoons cup butter
pinch of salt
1 ½ teaspoon of vanilla
After
stirring the potatoes half way through: Mix together pecans, brown sugar,
butter, salt and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for about two to three minutes. Spread over
potatoes and apples.
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Cajun Corn Maque Choux (made by Kathy Wetjen)
Southern Living, DECEMBER 2001 - Yield: Makes 6 servings
1
small onion, chopped
¼
cup chopped green bell pepper
1
to 2 tablespoons olive oil
3
cups frozen shoepeg corn, thawed
2
plum tomatoes, diced
¼
pound andouille sausage, cooked and diced
¼
cup chopped green onion tops
¼
teaspoon salt
¼
teaspoon pepper
Sauté onion and bell pepper in hot oil in a large skillet
over medium heat 8 minutes or until tender. Add corn, tomato, and sausage; cook, stirring often, 15
minutes. Stir in green onions, salt, and pepper; cook 5 minutes.
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The Baldpate Inn
Cornbread (made by John & Sue Keyser)
Recipe
from The Baldpate Inn,
1
cup butter
1
cup sugar
4
eggs
2
cups creamed corn
½
cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated
½
cup medium Cheddar cheese, grated
1
cup all-purpose white flour
1
cup yellow cornmeal
4
teaspoons baking powder
¼
teaspoon salt
Preheat
oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric mixer, cream softened butter and sugar,
then add eggs one at a time. Gradually, mix in corn and cheeses. Stir in the
remaining ingredients. Spread evenly in a greased 9x13 cake pan. Place in oven,
close door, and IMMEDIATELY reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. Bake one
hour. Top will still seem moist-looking, not dry as in a cake. Center should be
set, not gooey. Serve warm.
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Cajun Bread Pudding (made by Krista Freimuth)
4 ¾ cups milk, divided
4 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup butter, softened
11 cups cubed French bread (1 inch cubes)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup raisins (I used raisins & dried cherries)
2/3 cup chopped pecans
Praline Sauce:
¾ cup water
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 ½ cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons butter
Dash salt
In
a saucepan, heat 4 cups of milk until warm; set aside. In a large mixing bowl,
combine remaining milk, eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla. Gradually add warmed
milk, stirring constantly. Stir in butter. Add bread cubes; soak 10-20 minutes.
Add cinnamon, and raisins and/or pecans if desired. Pour into a 13-in. x 9-in.
x 2-in. baking pan. Bake at 400 degrees F for 45-60 minutes or until a knife
inserted in center comes out clean.
Meanwhile,
for sauce, bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Add sugar; stir to dissolve.
Add corn syrup. Bring to boil; cook 15-20 seconds. Remove from the heat; add
remaining ingredients. Cut pudding into squares and serve with sauce.
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Chocolate Truffle Cake (or should I say, Mousse?)
(made by Sherri Petersen)
2 c
heavy cream
2
lbs. high quality bittersweet chocolate, small pieces
1/4
bourbon or other liquor (I assumes they meant 1/4 c)
Optional
whipped cream for topping
Heat
the cream in a double boiler until warm to the touch. Add chocolate and stir
constantly until smooth and melted. Refrigerate the ganache
until it sets. Remove 3/4 of the ganache to a strong
mixer. With the paddle attachment, slowly beat the mixture while adding the
bourbon. As the mixture whips, it begins to soften. Stop often and scrape. As
the mixture softens, increase the speed to medium. The mixture will lighten, then begin to thicken again. Stop at this point to avoid a
grainy texture. Press the mixture into a film lined 9" cake pan and remove
any air at the corners. Refrigerate about an hour. Invert the cake onto a
serving dish, re-warm (don't get it hot, it will melt the cake) the remaining ganache and drizzle it over the cake. Refrigerate again for
service.
NOTE: I went onto a few
other sites and there are several that are almost the same with the exception
of adding 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter. Could that make such a difference? Must be. One recipe listed 1/4 c powdered sugar, yet it
never appeared in the instructions as to when to add, etc.
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Updated 3/1/2007