December 27th, 2011
It is becoming a Holiday Tradition in my household to order a Tur-Duc-Hen. And, guess what? The company that I have tried again and again is Cajun Grocer from Lafayette, Louisiana. Have tried others; they do not compare. You can read all about it by visiting www.cajungrocer.com.
I have mentioned the Tur-Duc-Hen in the past and no, they are not sending them to me so that I can blog about them. They are really delicious, and, defiinitely, a conversation piece at a dinner table.
Cajun Grocer offers a multitude of dishes, but a specialty of theirs is this partially deboned turkey, stuffed with chicken, duck and your choice of dressing, which is my case was a creole pork and creole seasoning. Other dressings are available, but I chose the one that was gluten free.
The tur-duc-hen arrives ready to cook. It is so easy to prepare. Follow directions. I will tell you that mine took longer to cook than what it said on the package.
I like to make it my own so I put slices of bacon on the top. Once it is ready, you let it rest for a bit; just like you would with a regular turkey and then slice it.
Your guests will taste the 3 different types of poultry, along with the Cajun dressing that had been placed between each bird.
My family raves about it. We had plenty of left-overs since it weighed about 15 lbs. You will get plenty of juices in the pan to make a homemade gravy also.
I made extra gluten free stuffing on the side and other trimmings, as well.
For a sweet ending, we chose cupcakes from Cake Break, located at 7 South First St., Rehoboth Beach. Tel. 302-260-9264. Website? www.cakebreak.com. An assortment of cupcakes, including gluten free ones.
A hassle free Christmas dinner it was….talk to you later.
February 22nd, 2010
Bored and don’t know what to make this week for dinner? Sometimes it is such a chore. Believe me, I like to cook but plenty of times I really don’t make up my mind until the last minute. Some people don’t give it another thought; they figure it is just another meal. But to me it is the experience of making something from scratch; not opening another package loaded with salt, fat and “seasonings”. I like to see what I am chopping. I like to smell my food cooking and the combinations of foods on my plate.
Keeping it simple is the best way to go about it. So, the following recipes are easy and I think you might like them.
Baked Chicken Breasts With Parmesan Garlic Crust
1 cup breadcrums, fresh are the best
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese (grate it yourself, it is better)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 6-7 oz. each
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
1/4 mayonnaise
lemon wedges for serving
Adjust oven rack to upper middle position. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl.
Pat chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Place in a 9″ x 13″ baking dish.
Combine mayonnaise and basil in a small bowl and spread evenly over chicken.
Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over mayonnaise, pressing lightly.
Bake for about 1/2 hour until the crust gets a nice brown color. Since you are cooking on a higher heat, please make sure you check them so they don’t burn.
Serve it with a nice salad. This recipe is good at any time of the year.
Shrimp and Tomato Chowder
2 stalks celery, chopped (1 cup)
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 13.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained
8 ouces medium and peeled, cooked shrimp
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup water
ground pepper
slivered fresh basil
In a large saucepan, cook celery and onion in hot oil until just tender.
Stir in tomatoes; heat through.
Add shrimp, cream and water. Cook over medium heat until hot.
Season to taste with pepper.
Ladle chowder into bowls; garnish with basil.
Makes 2 to 4 four servings depending how hungry you are or if you are serving as a main meal. You can easily double this recipe.
Note: If you can get foccacia wedges from the grocery store or an Italian market, it would really complement the chowder.
Smithfield Ham and Potato Casserole
8 large potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8″ thick
1 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup mayonnaise
2 cups diced Smithfield ham
1 small onion, minced
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Cook the potatoes in slightly salted (optional) water until barely tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and put in a large bowl.
Add remaining ingredients and mix together.
Place in a well greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Watch closely so the cheese does not burn. You may choose to cover the dish for the last 15 minutes of baking.
Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Makies 8 to 10 servings.
Again, this is one of those dishes you might want to adjust to your tasting. You may even substitute the Smithfield ham but that its up to you.
You can use this dish as a side dish or for breakfast with fresh fruit. It could be served at dinner time with fresh asparagus and a salad.
Make it your own and enjoy….See you soon…
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