Crawfish Fettuccine

If you don't have access to crawfish or if it's not that time of year (crawfish season is in the spring..biggest crawfish tails are typically available during Lent/Easter),  this is also very good with chicken. If you use crawfish during season, make sure you get LOUISIANA crawfish tails. I just think crawfish should come from Louisiana, not China...
This is an Emeril recipe. So delish!

2 TBL butter
1-2 lbs crawfish tails
2 TBL minced garlic
1 TBL minced shallots
1 TBL Worcestershire sauce
1 TBL Crystal hot sauce
2 cups heavy cream
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 lb cooked fettuccine

In large pan melt butter. Sauté crawfish tails in butter for 2 minutes. (If you use chicken, cut in pieces and brown in separate pan, then throw them in the sauce.) Season with Tonys. Add shallots and garlic. Continue cooking for 1 minute. Stir in Worch sauce, crystal hot sauce and cream. Bring liquid to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 8 minutes or until sauce thickens. In mixing bowl toss pasta with crawfish sauce. Season with salt and pepper fold in grated cheese and green onions. Garnish with grated cheese and some chopped chives.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/crawfish-fettuccini-recipe/index.html

Sugar Rush

One of the best things about Shreveport, LA is the Red River Revel.  It's a local food/music/art festival that happens every year the first week in October.  Each year, I indulge in a funnel cake.  This year, I thought I'd "kick it up a notch" to a Chocolate Funnel Cake!  Yes, my calorie intake for a week.  Hey, I'm young...I can still do it!!!

Easy Meatloaf

Last night's dinner!

You Will Need...

~1 1/2 lbs ground meat
~1 cup Italian bread crumbs
~1 egg slightly beaten
~1 small onion finely chopped
~1/2 cup tomato sauce
~1 tsp garlic powder
~1 tsp Tony's


Mix all together and form into a loaf.  Top with Emeril's marinara sauce (about 1 cup)  Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until thermometer says 160 degrees when inserted into thickest part of meatloaf.

Awesome BBQ Sauce!

I have been trying to master BBQ sauce for a while.  I've gotten close to perfect before..but tonight I was experimenting again and ROCKED it!  

You Will Need...

~1 1/2 cups Ketchup
~1 clove minced garlic
~2 Tablespoons Worcheshire sauce
~2 TBL Apple Cider Vinegar
~2 TBL maple syrup
~2 TBL brown sugar
~1/2 tsp regular sugar
~1/4 tsp lemon juice
~1/2 tsp Jack Daniel's Whiskey
~1/4 tsp pepper
~a few dashes of liquid smoke

Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Make sure you stir often.

Trial and Error....

Everyone makes mistakes...even at something they're good at.  It's only a matter of time before a mistake occurs.  I think it's only fair that I put a few of my kitchen mishaps on here to show everyone out there, that even people who have been cooking a while mess up.  So here is what happens when one is trying to cook and has no patience and is in a rush...

~Last night's dinner..Pizza!  I wanted to be creative and make my own pizza dough..FROM SCRATCH.  I have never attempted this, shouldn't be that hard, right?  Just mix a little yeast with warm water, flour, olive oil, etc...

Being extremely hungry and ready to eat...I wasn't about to wait the amount of time the directions said for the dough to rise...1 hour!  Also, it had to be in a draft free room (away from AC).  I also thought that didn't matter much.  So I just covered the dough and put it on the kitchen table and waited about 30 min...

Anyway, so then all seems to be going accordingly, so I decide to put it on the round pan and dress it up.  (note to self, if doing this..put enough cornmeal at the bottom so it will slide off easily onto pizza stone...

So far, so good right?  Looks yummy..lots of cheese, can't wait to eat!   But then...

DISASTER...

Lesson learned on this one.   Don't try to rush things by cutting directions!!  The directions are there for a reason.  Several errors on this one, but mainly...I didn't put near enough cornmeal, so it stuck when I tried to slide it onto the pizza stone.  Better luck next time!! : / Dinner last night consisted of garlic breadsticks....those were quite tasty!

Beef Tips & Rice

So easy and so yummy!

You Will Need...

~1 package of stew meat
~2 packages McCormick brown gravy mix
~1 small onion, chopped
~2 teaspoons garlic, minced
~2 1/2 cups water + 1 cup water for gravy
~salt and pepper


Brown stew meat in about 2 Tablespoons of olive oil for about 15-20 minutes.  Add onions and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.  Add garlic.

Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 45 minutes, covered.  In a bowl, fill with 1 cup of water and empty gravy packets.  Stir until dissolved in water and slowly add to beef tips.  Stir in gravy and bring to a boil.  Let boil for an additional 5 minutes.  Cook rice according to directions.  Serve beef tips over rice.


 
After gravy is added                                    
Finished with side of spinach!
                                                            
             

A Tip for Cooking with Vino...

I have recently started cooking with wine.  Red and white.  I've always been a big wine drinker, but I thought with cooking...I could cut costs by using a really "cheap" wine.  Don't do this!   Your food will still have the flavor of the wine.  Only cook with wine you would drink.  If you pour yourself a glass and it makes you gag...your food won't taste much better....  Just a tip!