Cajun recipes???

One last quickie recipe! I know you mentioned making pralines, but they can be tricky. I've made them lots and sometimes it's just a disaster. I never know what I do wrong, but sometimes they're incredible. No rhyme or reason, I guess. Anyway, if you want to use pecans, these are dead easy and make yummy snacks!:

SPICY PECANS


INGREDIENTS:

    * 2 tablespoons butter, melted
    * 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
    * 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
    * 1/4 teaspoon salt
    * 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
    * 2 cups pecan halves
    * 1 tablespoon chili powder

DIRECTIONS:

   1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
   2. In a medium bowl, mix butter, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper, salt, and garlic powder. Stir in the pecans, and gently toss with chili powder to coat.
   3. Spread coated pecans on a medium baking sheet, and cook 30 minutes in the preheated oven, stirring approximately every 10 minutes.

Barbara, belindaloo's recipe is almost the same as mine so it should suffice. Mine just uses cumin instead of chili powder making it a little more expensive to make. Good luck!

belindaloo, since I can't get po-boy bread (New Orleans french bread) here in NC, I just use any french loaf I can get. You should let it get stale or dry it out yourself in your oven. Takes care of the absorption problem.

Ladies, all I can so is "oh, wow"!  Those are some fantastic looking recipes and if I can pull them off, I'll have some of the happiest guest in the world!  The reason for the party is my husbands retirement, he located a band that plays cajun/bluegrass music and since they agreed to play for us, it only seemed fitting that we have cajun food.  Now, i'm really starting to look forward to the party!

Thanks ever so much!

Barbara, belindaloo's recipe is almost the same as mine so it should suffice. Mine just uses cumin instead of chili powder making it a little more expensive to make. Good luck!

Oooh, cumin would be great!!

belindaloo, since I can't get po-boy bread (New Orleans french bread) here in NC, I just use any french loaf I can get. You should let it get stale or dry it out yourself in your oven. Takes care of the absorption problem.

I've never actually used that particular recipe, but stale French bread is great for any bread pudding!

The reason for the party is my husbands retirement, he located a band that plays cajun/bluegrass music and since they agreed to play for us, it only seemed fitting that we have cajun food. Now, i'm really starting to look forward to the party!

That sounds awesome!! I wish I could come!!

That sounds awesome!! I wish I could come!!

Would you like a waitress, will work for food?

Have a great party!

Would you like a waitress, will work for food?

Have a great party!

[That sounds awesome!! I wish I could come!!

You're welcome to come, we're in Devon. 

You're welcome to come, we're in Devon. 

Oh, I was joking!! I thought you were in the US for some reason!! I really didn't mean to sound like I was inviting myself to your party. LOL!

Oh, I was joking!! I thought you were in the US for some reason!! I really didn't mean to sound like I was inviting myself to your party. LOL!

Nor me, but how sweet of you - I *wish* !!! I am going out to lunch in a moment and I feel sure I am going to get the "cajun chicken" wrap now!

Hope it all goes off well and do post what you made...for those of us into the food porn

Thanks, belindaloo, for doing the heavy lifting on this recipe for me.  Miss Pat's is a sweeter variation.

MISS PAT'S BREAD PUDDING

1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
3 medium eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla
5 cups day old New Orleans French Bread, 1" cubed (see note)
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup rough chopped pecans
1 cup sweetened cocoanut
Other optional ingredients are:
a small jar of marashcino cherries
a cup of butterscotchor chocolate chips
a cup of well-drained pineapple

First preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 9 x 13 baking pan. Combine sugars, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs until smooth, then work in the heavy cream. Add the vanilla, then the bread cubes. Allow bread to soak up custard.

Add the raisins, pecans, cocoanut, and any optional ingredients.  Cover with foil.  Bake for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake another 15 minutes or until the pudding has a golden brown color and is firm to the touch. If a toothpick inserted in the pudding comes out clean, it is done. The mixture of pudding should be nice and moist, not runny or dry. Cool to room temperature.  Serve with ice cream.

Note: New Orleans French bread is very light and tender. If substitute bread is used that is too dense, it will soak up all the custard and the recipe will not work.

MISS PAT'S BREAD PUDDING

Mmmm... that sounds delicious! A friend and I took a cooking class in New Orleans once. The man teaching it was a bread pudding connoisseur. He pretty much told us that you could throw anything in it as long as the liquid/bread ratio was right. We did a pina colada bread pudding, which sounds a bit like this recipe (but with rum)!

Mmmm... that sounds delicious! A friend and I took a cooking class in New Orleans once. The man teaching it was a bread pudding connoisseur. He pretty much told us that you could throw anything in it as long as the liquid/bread ratio was right. We did a pina colada bread pudding, which sounds a bit like this recipe (but with rum)!

Darlin', We just have to get together!  I miss my step-mom's cooking so bad.  I'm coming over next month.  What shall I bring?

Darlin', We just have to get together!  I miss my step-mom's cooking so bad.  I'm coming over next month.  What shall I bring?

LOL! All the ingredients for the above recipe are easily obtained in the UK! Come on over!!!

Darlin', We just have to get together! I miss my step-mom's cooking so bad. I'm coming over next month. What shall I bring?

Umm, do you think you could come next Saturday?  You could both make this for the party!

Barbara,

The easiest rum/bourbon/whatever sauce in the world:

Take confectioner's sugar and liquor of choice. Mix together and smash out all of the little lumps. Taste to see if it's right. Put in a little more sugar and/or liquor. Taste to see if it's right. Add a little melted butter. Taste to see if it's right. Poke holes all over the bread pudding with a fork. Pour sauce on the pudding. Not enough to cover it? Make up another batch, making sure that you taste frequently to ensure it's right. Ask DH to lift you off of the floor, taking care not to spill the remainer of the sauce which you then pour over the rest of the pudding. "Never fails" sauce that's not TOO heavy and will melt down into the pudding. It also helps to cover up any little "errors" you might make when experimenting with different ingredients.

 

Ask DH to lift you off of the floor, taking care not to spill the remainer of the sauce which you then pour over the rest of the pudding.

LOL!!!!!!