Savory Bread Pudding, Shrimp in Red  Creole Sauce,  and Jellied tomatoes

 Bunko was at my house last Friday night.  My girlfriends have been playing Bunko for near 20 years.  Although we all have been friends for 20 to 30 years and then some even longer!  We are great group which we all have great respect for one another.  We are all different but the love we share is the same, true!  Our Bunko entails a group member hosting a dinner party at her home.  We all try to attend, not easy, even after all the years of raising our children.  And then there are the times we get together and just eat, have a few drinks, and talk, laugh and never play a game.  As was last night!  Oh well, trust me, we were having fun!

Each time I have my girlfriends over I want nothing more to offer my heart and soul, wait on them, and create a wonderful menu they have never ate before.  I first created this during the holidays 2011.  Inspired from NOLA, I created a menu classic, from shrimp and grits.  Although instead of using grits, I thought, all this French bread and cornbread we had for the holidays why not combine the breads and make a savory bread pudding?  So here goes, take a ride on this and remember one statement I love to make, just have fun!

French bread – cubed and day old – 5 cups

Corn bread – cubed and day old – 5 cups
Milk – ½ gallon
Eggs – 12 eggs, 1 dozen
Onion – whole onion chopped
Bell pepper – 1 cup chopped – Mix the different colors, will add wonderful flavors to this dish
Celery – 1 cup chopped
1/3  cup olive oil
Lawry’s  - 1 Tablespoon
Granulated garlic – 1 tablespoon
Black pepper – 1 teaspoon
Sauté in a skillet, onion, bell pepper, celery, oil  and Lawry’s seasoning until tender
Mix the above ingredients and place in a Pam sprayed 9  X  13 casserole dish.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for one hour.

Let cool for 15 minutes and top with red Creole sauce and shrimp and garnish with jellied tomatoes.

Red Creole Sauce

1 large cans of Contadina Crushed Tomatoes
2 large cans of water from the Contadina
2 small cans of Canadian tomato  paste
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoon granulated garlic
2 teaspoons dried basil
6 bay leaves
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped bell pepper
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup of a dark roux

8 pounds of cleaned divined shrimp that are 20 to 30 count a pound.  Just the perfect size shrimp for this recipe.

Sauté olive oil, onion, bell pepper and celery in a large pot until tender.  Add seasoning, brown sugar, bay leaves, crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste along with the water.   Cook over low heat , covered for 4 to 5 hours.  Stirring often and occasionally.  Add the roux after the sauce has been cooking for a couple of hours.  Make sure to stir often.   Once you have cooked the red Creole sauce long enough you can add the raw shrimp to cook quickly for no more than 10 minutes.  Very important to not overcook the shrimp.

Jellied Tomatoes

1 large package Grape tomatoes
1 teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup water
4 tablespoons of butter

Place all ingredients in large saucepan and cook over medium heat on top of the stove, uncovered.  Render down until tomatoes have thickened as jelly.

The red Creole sauce and Jellied Tomatoes can be topped on rice or grits.   Any version is delicious, but come on, main statement, just have fun, let’s have some fun!

Southern Delight Pralines

Hello to all!  I am going to propose to you I am selling my Southern Praline Delights for 21.95 a pound plus tax and delivery where applicable.  My 1 pound pralines are approximately 14 pieces per pound 2 to 2 1/2 inch in diameter.  Order just in time for Mother's Day.  I aim to please everyone that is on your Mother's Day list!

You can contact me through my personal e-mail address, leopardlady265632@yahoomail.com

Thank you!

Chicken Filled Pies

Pastry
3 sticks of butter, salted, room temperature
3 cups flour
1 – 8 ounce cream cheese, room temperature

Mix the above and refrigerate until well chilled, a couple of hours.  Roll pastry thin on floured cutting board.  Use a biscuit cutter and cut rounds 2 inch in diameter. 

Fill with chicken filling, approximately 1 teaspoon.

3 boneless skinless chicken breast
Season and grill your chicken on a grill for added flavor.  Let chicken cool and cut into small pieces. 
Place in bowl and add the following;
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups of mozzarella grated cheese
2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 teaspoon black pepper
Lawry’s Seasoning to taste
Mix with the chicken and add 1 teaspoon to each round of pastry.  Fold over and seal with a fork.  Also prick the center of each filled pie in order for pies to let out steam while baking.  Sprinkle with Paprika for color.  Bake on a cookie sheet which has been lined with parchment paper.

Bake in a 400 degree oven  for 20 minutes until golden brown.  Cool and enjoy, have some fun!

Strawberry Triffle and Cream

Last weekend I shopped at HEB, and in the produce department strawberries were advertised on sale and noting a Limited Edition.  The Limited Edition Strawberries are from San Diego California, and these strawberries are a treat in season.  I thought to myself, “Sandy you have to take advantage of this moment and make something marvelous with these strawberries”.

Thoughts of cake, cream, and wonderful fresh strawberry juice came to mind.  So the fun begins, follow me down the aisles of HEB to purchase ingredients in order to make an easy and enjoyable dessert.

15 ounce pre maid angel food cake in the bakery department

2 – 16 ounces of the Limited Edition Strawberry, although you can purchase any brand of fresh strawberries.  I am partial to California Strawberries, and I ask you, can you guess why?  I give you one chance to answer that question.

Wash, stem, and slice the strawberries adding 1 cup powdered sugar, stir and set aside.  Stir occasionally promoting the strawberries to juice.

And if you have my cookbook, make a recipe with my Strawberry Sauce, page 147.  This is a special sauce made with Amaretto.  You will need only 1 cup of this sauce along with the fresh strawberries.

1 large container (16 ounce) of Cool Whip – Lite

1 package of jello brand vanilla instant pudding
1 ½ cups of milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Mix the pudding mix, cold milk, and vanilla extract with a wire whisk and then fold in the thawed container of cool whip, set aside.

 In a trifle bowl cut angel food cake into 4 sections, because you are going to make 4 layers of the cake, strawberries and cream.  (In fact you will use all parts of this dessert in 4’s)  Cut into pieces ¼ of the angel food cake.  Drizzle the juice and strawberries over the cake.  Top the strawberries with the cream sauce, and repeat layers ending with the cream sauce.

Refrigerate overnight for better results.  You will want the strawberry sauce to moisten the angel food cake adding wonderful layers of sweet flavors.  Enjoy my friend and just have fun!

Pigs in Puff Pastry

I made these last weekend and these were a hit.  Easy, so easy to make and definitely you are going to have fun!

1 package of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry – in the frozen section at the grocery store

1 pound link of Prasek’s Smokehouse Sausage - I purchased pork and beef
This sausage takes me back to when my family ate Czech Sausage.  I call the sausage Czech Sausage because I am Czech, and sausage was always at our table for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
There are so many different types of sausage you can use for this recipe.  Use the brand and type of sausage you prefer.
4 tablespoons mustard – get creative using the mustard.  You can use plain mustard, but why when there are so many to pick from?   I used honey mustard with jalapeno’s.  Have fun choosing something  wild and exotic  or just plain fun.

That is all there is to this, here is what you have to do to put it together.

Place your sausage (if you purchased the Prasek’s Sausage) in a skillet, cover with water, cover and cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes.  Drain and set aside while preparing the puff pastry.  I do this to cook some of the fat out so that once wrapped with the puff pastry, the pigs in puff pastry will not be too greasy.

Work with only thawed puff pastry, which has been thawed in the refrigerator.

Prepare a sided cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Lightly flour a wooden cutting board and place puff pastry one or two at a time depending on the size of the cutting board.  Roll out slightly, but not too thin.  Spread the four tablespoons over the surface of the puff pastry.  Cut the puff pastry in squares about 4 X 4.  Slice a piece of sausage which will work with the square, about 2 inches.  Wrap each square over the sausage and place seam side down on parchment paper/cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes. 

Serve warm, oh my gosh, get a cold glass of beer, I prefer red wine and just enjoy and have fun with everyone!

Fun Size Candy Cheesecake

Hello!  I want to share with you a cheesecake. I am posting a recipe which is near and dear to me.  If you have purchased my cookbook you have read my cheesecake section and how cheesecake had come to my life. 

You will need to have a 9 inch diameter and a deep sided 3 ½ inch to 4 inch side.  Cannot make this recipes with a shallow spring form pan.  You can purchase my spring form pans on ebay.  I hope you enjoy because I had a blast creating this recipe.

Spray your spring form pan with a non stick coating, bottom and sides.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Graham Cracker Crust
2 cups of graham cracker crumbs – I feel if you have a food processor, the food processor makes the best graham cracker crumbs.  If not, that is okay as well, place 1 ½ packages of graham crackers and seal bag.  Roll a rolling pin over the bag until all the cookies have been crushed.
6 tablespoons butter melted
¼ cup granulated sugar
Mix in a bowl until well blended and press the graham cracker crumbs into bottom of the prepared spring form pan.  Place spring form pan on a sided cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

Remove and start preparing the filling;
6 ounces of cream cheese – room temperature
1 cup of granulated sugar
6 large eggs - room temperature
Beat sugar and cream cheese until well blended on medium speed of mixer for about 2 to 3 minutes, scrapping down the sides and beating well once again for 2 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time until well blended again, beating on medium speed.

½ cup sour cream

½ heavy cream
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
Add the sour cream, heavy cream and extracts one at a time, beating well until well blended.  You may also need to scrape down the sides, making sure cream cheese filling is well blended.

Prepare the fun size candy as follows;

Use any type of chocolate candy fun sizes, these are the candies I chose.

In a bowl open 3 bags M & M’s,  cut the following candy bars in small pieces;  4 Butterfingers,
4 Snickers, 4 Musketeers, and 4 Reeses Peanut Butter.

Fold gently into the cream cheese filling and then pour the cream cheese filling into the spring form pan and bake at 325 degree for 30 minutes, cut down oven to 300 degrees and bake for 30 minutes, cut down oven to 275 degrees and bake for another hour until cheesecake does not jiggle too much when moved gently in the oven.  Baking could take another 30 minutes.  If the top is browning too much or cracking definitely, cracking, your cheesecake is done.  If the cheesecake is golden brown on top and still jiggly cut oven to 250 degree until finished baking.

Sour Cream Topping

3 cups of sour cream
¼ cup of granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

Pour sour cream mixture over top of cheesecake and do not place back in the oven.  Just let the cheesecake set until cooled and then refrigerate overnight until well chilled.  After taking the cheesecake out of the oven take a sharp thin knife and run the knife along the sides of the cheesecake.  This will make a very neat appearance to your cheesecake once the spring form pan is removed.  After the cheesecake is chilled you will need to run the knife along the sides again to remove the spring form pan.

Enjoy, have fun, create and you may want to open a bottle of dessert wine of your choice to have even more fun!