Down On LaSalle And Rampart Street, The Combo’s Playin’ With A Mambo Beat.

So it’s beginning to look a lot like Mardi Gras, and I’m far far away from my native land for the 2nd year in a row. Last Mardi Gras, while I was in the UK, mom sent me & Emile National Championship pajama pants in purple & gold (last year was so much better for our Tigers) and a box of Mardi Gras: beads, confetti, and The Advocate front page from the day after our National Championship win. Last Mardi Gras came and went, and for the first year of my life, I had no King Cake.

I love King Cake. I don’t necessarily eat all that much of it, but I love it. I’m a sucker for food with history. That purple, green and gold sugary confection is just a nice thing to have on display in the kitchen — it’s festive. You knew it was really Mardi Gras season when King Cakes started showin’ up in homeroom. A King Cake set you back mayyybe $7, but it guaranteed you at least 15-20 minutes free from actual class work. Even the most efficient teacher wouldn’t dare interrupt the distribution and enjoyment of such a beloved tradition. At that point you didn’t even mind if you were the one that found the baby — while you were the one charged with the task of providing the next cake, you were also blessed with the opportunity to perpetuate the avoidance of mind-numbing busywork. Let the sweet times roll.

So here I am in Tennessee, I’m 20 years old, and I’m going to attempt my first King Cake. Wish me luck.

Also. Straining yogurt for a sour cream substitute… gee whiz. Should’ve just gone and bought the damn sour cream.

xxAimee Cait

Joe Cookies

So, my boyfriend Joe is allergic to eggs. This has limited his food experiences. Just think about it: 20 years of life on Planet Earth with no scrambled eggs, no breakfast burritos, no ice cream, no egg nog… it’s a sad, sad thought. Oh, also — some of the only cookies he’s ever eaten in his life have been from a special recipe his mum found that uses an egg substitute. So he’s experienced the joy of chocolate chip cookies, but nothing else. No other kind of cookie… ever.

This, in my opinion, is just wrong. A life without cookies? That’s a crying shame. So I’ve set out on a mission to introduce Joe to all different sorts of cookies, not just chocolate chips. M&M, snickerdoodles, sugar cookies, white chocolate macadamia nut, oatmeal raisin, pecan pralines… the sky is the limit. I just have to figure ‘em all out. I love a challenge.

Here’s the basic recipe — if you have any ideas, let me know!

JOE COOKIES
happy little Eggless wonders

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons orange juice
3 teaspoons Egg Replacer dissolved in 4 Tablespoons warm water (mix well)
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a greased baking sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar. Gradually add replacer eggs, vanilla and orange juice while mixing. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir into the butter mixture until blended. Finally stir in the chocolate chips.
3. Using a teaspoon, drop cookies 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 6 to 8 minutes or until light brown. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.

They’re amazing, and the orange juice makes all the difference. True story.

I’d also like to add that the ultra positive point of this recipe being egg free: no salmonella. The dough is completely safe to eat uncooked. So if this never ends up making it to the baking sheet, no harm done.

I found Egg Replacer at Kroger in the Organic/Specialty section. (Joe and I were racing to find it. Naturally, I won. I’m the girl, I know my way around the grocery store.) Good times.

Off to help mom finish up red beans & rice for dinner. The kitchen smells like home. I miss Baton Rouge, but I’ll be there soon enough.

xx AimeeCait

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

So here’s the thing. I started making these not knowing if it was going to be what I was craving. (I knew I wanted peanut butter & chocolate… I just haven’t ever attempted the combination whilst baking.) Only upon tasting the butter/sugar/peanut butter/vanilla mixture did I realize what a brilliant decision I’d made. Gee whiz. Like a Reese’s Cup, just not as sickeningly sweet. Feel free to leave out the pecans – they’re not actually a part of the proper recipe, but I’m a fan of ‘em and I haven’t had them in ages, so I’m all about them lately.

Anyway, here’s the recipe, give it a go. You’ll love it, true story.

Ingredients:

• • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
  • 1/2 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 3/4 cups – 2 cups chocolate chips (I used Nestle semi-sweet)
  • Granulated sugar

ALSO: I added in 2 cups of roughly chopped pecans because I couldn’t help myself.

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour and baking soda in small bowl. Beat butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in egg. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels.

DROP dough by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Press down slightly with bottom of glass dipped in granulated sugar.

BAKE for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are set but centers are still soft. Cool on baking sheets for 4 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Do it. You’ll thank me later.

xxAimeeCait

Happy St. Pat’s!

Right, so in the States, we’ve always given the Irish a nod come March 17. Every year I’ve been on this earth, I’ve ‘celebrated’ somehow — even if that just meant wearing the obligatory kelly green in an effort to minimalize the risk of suffering a pinch at the hands of my fellow classmates. Being a bit of a mutt, nationality-wise, (we’ll settle on Welsh/Scot for the purpose of this post) I don’t have that sort of distinct identity based on my heritage. Granted, I hold my 18 years in South Louisiana in high regard, but I’m no Boudreaux, Thibodeaux, Bajoie or Martinez. I am Gwaltney. I’ve never been able to say “Kiss me, I’m Irish!” or anything fun like that. So this year, I’m taking St. Patrick’s Day and making it my own.

Right, so we don’t actually do St. Patrick’s Day like we do in the States ’cause here they’ve got something of a friendly cultural rivalry goin’ on with Ireland. Understandable, yeah. But that means no local parades, no green beer, no wearing of the green, nothin’.

Therefore, I’ve decided that I’m initiating my own festivities.

Nigella Lawson (my new favourite kitchen guru) has an amazing recipe for a chocolate Guinness cake. In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, I’m making it tomorrow & lovely shall be its name.

Also, I’m sharing the recipe here with you! Yayyy for increasing your calorie intake! Cheers!

CHOCOLATE GUINNESS CAKE
from Nigella Lawson’s book, Feast

cake
250ml Guinness
1 cup butter
75g cocoa
400g caster sugar
140ml sour cream
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
275g plain flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

icing
300g cream cheese
150g icing sugar
125ml heavy cream

preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/355F, and grease and line a 9-inch springform tin.
2. Pour the Guinness into a large saucepan, and add the sliced butter. Heat until the butter is melted, and remove the saucepan from the heat. Whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Beat the sour cream with the eggs and the vanilla, then pour into the saucepan. Finally, beat in the flour and baking soda.
3. Pour the batter into the greased and lined tin, and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Leave to completely cool in the tin – it is quite a damp cake.
4. For the icing, beat the icing sugar and cream cheese together. Add the cream, and beat again until it’s a spreadable consistency. Ice the top of the black cake until it resembles the frothy head of a pint of Guinness.

Sounds lovely! I’ll let you know how it goes.

Also – quick note – Slum Survivor was amazing, and it’s going to take a few posts to debrief on that. Thank you so much for your prayers, they were sincerely felt. I saw God move in me and my kids this weekend — total blessing. I’ll also hopefully be able to give you a sum total of what we raised this weekend for Tearfund. We had several raise over £100 (over $200 USD). That’s amazing. We’re marrying passionate words with passionate works and that’s exciting. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers as we really delved into the subject of poverty and tried to experience just a bit of how others spend their entire lives. It was so worth it.

xx Aimee Cait

Mmm. MSG.

First, I’d like to give a shout-out to my boyfriend Willie at K.Roger.
(Apparently, I have the prettiest eyes he’s even seen, and he sure would love to take me out for dinner this weekend.)

Anyway. Went on this wild adventure in search of a Asian specialty grocery store, which apparently no longer exists in the Germantown area. :[ Ended up at The Fresh Market first. The Fresh Market is definitely one of my favorite things about living in Collierville. It’s a tiny Whole Foods. Love it. Grabbed lots of things, met a really nice checkout lady who made sure I didn’t forget my grocery list — (hella important), and rolled out. On to WalMart, grabbed more things. Met another nice checkout lady — I love my WalMart staff, they’re awesome and sweet and generally geriatric. Best friends. Last stop — K.Roger, where the second I land in the produce section, I’m asked,

“Whatchoo need, baby girl?”

Lovin’ that friendly, familiar Kroger staff. Really.

Took a minute, but I shook him (sweetly). Then, as I was checking out at the self-checkout where my BFF Curly works (it’s not his name, I don’t know his name, but I call him Curly in my inner monologue), I put the two ginger roots in their little produce bag on the checkout scale and waited helplessly as I tried to figure out what to do. Ginger’s not super common like green bell pepper or celery, so it wasn’t listed in the ‘commonly bought items’ categories on the computer. I turn to ask Curly for help, and he’s already smiling at me (in the midst of the chaos that is Collierville Kroger at 5:30pm on a week night) with a thumbs up in the air, saying, “Already got it!”

Life is great today, k?

Next item on the agenda: I’m making delicious food tonight.

Sup at you, PF Chang’s shrimp dumplings? You heard me, I said Chang’s dumplings. Oh-em-gee. I’m halfway through making it right now, and I swear, the recipe is such a perfect copycat of the restaurant’s dish. It’s amazing. High fives all around, boo.

Sooo here’s the recipe, courtesy of RecipeZaar:

Chang’s Shrimp Dumplings

 

makes 12 servings

1 (12	ounce) package wonton wrappers
Mix
1	lb peeled and deveined medium shrimp, washed and dried
2	tablespoons minced fine carrots
2	tablespoons minced fine green onions
1	teaspoon minced fresh ginger
2	tablespoons oyster sauce
1/4	teaspoon sesame oil
Sauce
1	cup soy sauce
1	ounce white vinegar (2 Tbsp)
1/2	teaspoon chili paste
1	ounce sugar (2 Tbsp)
1/2	teaspoon minced fresh ginger
	sesame oil
1	cup water
1	tablespoon cilantro leaves

 

1. Take ½ lb.of shrimp and mince fine in a food processor.
2. Take the other ½ lb.and dice small.
3. Combine rest of ingredients.
4. With a small spoon, place about ½ oz.of mixture into wonton wrapper.
5. Moisten outside edge. Fold corner to corner (opposite and seal). Top should look like cross. Place on a plate covered in refrigerator until ready to serve.
6. Combine sauce ingredients and mix very well.
7. Prepare garnishes.
8. Fill soup pot with water. Bring water to a boil, then down to slight boil.
9. Line bottom of Chinese steamer with light coat of vegetable oil or non-stick spray. Place dumplings in steamer. Cover and steam 7-10 minutes. Dumplings should be firm with internal temperature of 160 degrees.
10. Serve in steamer or on plate. Place 2 oz. of sauce in small bowl for dipping.

OHmygosh. I wish you could smell this… it’s really just phenomenal. Pictures later.

So check me out!

Wow, I haven’t heard this Imogen Heap in such a long time. The last time I heard this, Lindsey and I were belting it out to each other in Paul Revere on Old Hammond in Baton Rouge… wow. There are certain songs that just feel like mourning. This is one of them.

Lindsey and I did this interpretive gabba-gabba-hey kind of dance to this song, haha.

“MM WHATCHA SAY?”

^ The best part overall.

Onward to the real point of this post. With me? Great.

I fried crawfish tails at 10 last night. Dad loves to heckle me when I cook so late, trying to tell me that I’m not going to clean it up or it’s too late to eat, etc. Last week, at Micah and Laura’s house, we cooked late and generally stayed up late, so I got used to it and liked it. And it’s not like I decided, “Hey, I’m going to do this at 10.” It was more along the lines of me getting distracted every two seconds, which totally slowed my cooking process down. That, and night-before-last (for the first time in my life), I burnt a roux.

(Picture me letting out a heavy sigh, indicating shame and frustration.)

It sucked. I’ve never done it before (I’ve been lucky) and when my flour started acting funny, I just stared at it in disbelief for a few minutes. “What’s going on here? Why is it doing that? Did I… burn it?” Oh, it was horrible. Truly. Once you burn the roux, it’s game over, baby. You have to start all over again from scratch. “Equal parts, Aimee, equal parts.”

The second roux almost burned, too. Apparently, I shouldn’t cook when I’m upset, because I was just screwin’ up left and right. I take forever when I’m not on a mission. Gumbo turned out great, though.

Anyway, the fried crawfish tails were fantastic, here’s the recipe.

Fried Crawfish Tails
1 lb crawfish tails
2 large eggs
2 cups flour
salt and pepper to taste (I used Slap Ya Mama)
oil to deep fry
fryer

While the oil is heating (to 350F), beat the eggs well. Season the flour so that the breading will have some kick to it (I’m gonna be conservative and estimate my Slap Ya Mama usage to be about 3 tsp). Dredge the crawfish through the eggs, then roll them in the flour, coating them well. Then drop crawfish (in batches – I divided it into fourths) into the hot oil and let fry until golden (about 3 minutes). Drain on paper towels, serve hot. Super easy to follow, crazy delicious to enjoy.

I’m off to a doctor’s appointment. Stellar, right?
I’m so sure.

Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Bites

Happy times, man. Happy times. I’ve promised this recipe to many a person, and have even posted it on Facebook. But to ensure maximum exposure to this delicious dessert, I’m blogging it.

Crust:
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
4 Tablespoons sugar
¼ cup (½ stick) butter, melted
Package of bite-sized Reese’s peanut butter cups

Filling:
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, or almond extract
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350F. Place a paper cupcake liner in each cup of a standard muffin pan. (The recipe originally says that it will only yield 12 cakes, however, I’ve easily squeezed out 20+ cakes, so if you’ve got two muffin pans, fill both.)

Crust prep:
In a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter until crumbs are moistened. Press crust into bottom of each muffin cup. (Easy – just use a wooden spoon.) Put 1 peanut butter cup into the center of each crust.

Filling prep:
Beat cream cheese with a hand held electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar, flour and vanilla, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Spoon cream cheese mixture over peanut butter cups and graham cracker crusts. Bake until just set, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely before serving. (I put mine in the refrigerator until we devour them.)

You can make them without the peanut butter cups if someone’s not jazzed about them (or wildly allergic to them, either way). I made half with them and half without them the other day and everyone was happy.

So there it is. Let me know when you make them!

Jambalaya, Crawfish Pie, File Gumbo

I’ve done it.

I have created the perfect crawfish etouffee recipe.

No lie. I’ve done it.

If you blend a recipe I found online and the River Road Recipes II recipe… you get this amazing blend of deliciousness that is unmatched, I tell you. Unmatched indeed.

So I’ve decided to share it with you. Guys — you should make this for your mama. She’ll love you forever.

CRAWFISH ETOUFFEE
serves 6-8
1 stick salted sweet cream butter
6 tablespoons flour

1 cup chopped onions
3/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
6 green onions, chopped (with tops)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 lbs. crawfish tails

Red & black pepper/salt to taste
(I’ll estimate that I used abouttt… 3 tablespoons of salt? Don’t quote me on that. Duh, be careful with the amount of salt you use. You can’t take it out.)
Tabasco sauce to taste
(One of the recipes called for 4 chicken bouillon cubes, or the equivalent of that in granules or whatever. I didn’t use cubes, and I used this crazy ‘low sodium’ version of Wyler’s chicken bouillon, and I only used about a tablespoon. I don’t really care for the low sodium stuff because it just doesn’t taste right, but do whatever you want.)
Hot cooked rice to serve over

Ready, cook:

1. Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the flour (carefully so that you don’t splash hot, melted butter onto your bare skin) and stir, making a roux. Don’t let the roux burnnn because then you have to start all over again, and that’s approximately ZERO fun. Y’know, if I had to guesstimate.

Keep stirring, stirring, and stirring until your roux starts to turn a ‘deep golden brown’.

Found this picture on a food blog. That’s ‘deep golden brown’.

2. Add your chopped vegetables (the Holy Trinity: green bell pepper, onion, and celery) and saute these until they’re tender. You’re still on medium heat, and this takes a while, at least I take forever doing this. I like my vegetables really tender — I don’t want to crunch on a chunk of onion, y’know?

3. Add the water, the crawfish, your seasonings and the parsley & garlic.
(If you buy your crawfish from Albertson’s like I do, then they’re in a sort of frozen sheet. Defrost them in the microwave, throw them in a strainer/sieve and rinse them before they end up in the pan. I do that just because it gets rid of whatever might have accidentally ended up in the bag — like bits of shell, etc. That and it gets rid of that hardcore ‘crawfishy’ smell.)

4. Simmer uncovered for a real long time. (I simmer on low heat for abouttt 30-45 minutes. Again, crunchy vegetables are a no-no as far as my personal taste goes. Yuck.) Here’s where I added a few pinches of red pepper and a few drops of Tabasco. I’m not the biggest fan of Tabasco (the flavor — I can stand the heat) so I used more red pepper to get the heat I wanted.

5. Serve over a bed of hot rice.

6. Be the happiest person alive.

Seriously. The only thing that could have made this better was french bread. So I’m making a mental note of that — serve with french bread.

High five. I love cooking. :]

♥