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Bouquet Garni

I know some of you are asking what is this? Well I am going to tell you it is the Mack Daddy of seasonings you need when cooking soups, stews or making a homemade broth. It’s like a little Gift for your groceries! The bouquet garni (French for “garnished bouquet”) is a bundle of herbs usually tied together with string and cast adrift in your pot to flavor a soup, stew, or broth. They are tied together so they can be removed easily at the end of the cooking.

There is no generic recipe for bouquet garni, but most recipes include parsley, thyme and bay leaf. Depending on the recipe, the bouquet garni may also include basil, rosemary, peppercorns and tarragon. Vegetables such as carrot, celery (leaves or stem), leek, onion and parsley root are sometimes included in the bouquet. You may use what ever you want. Here is our recipe.

Ingredients

2 sprigs Fresh Thyme

2 Dried Bay Leaves

Leafy Greens from two Celery Stalks

6 sprigs Fresh Parsley

Directions

Arrange the herbs in a neat stack on top of each other and tie the ingredients into a tight bundle with string. Place into broths, sauces, stews and soups. Remove the bouquet garni from cooking liquid once it is done cooking and discard it.

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Succotash with Bacon and Sour Dough Croutons

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This is a nice change from your ordinary succotash. The bacon adds a lot of flavor and goodness to the vegetables. We love the croutons on top for that extra crunch.

Succotash with Bacon and Sour Dough Croutons

Get-
½ pound bacon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small Vidalia onion
1 clove garlic chopped
2 cups diced roma tomatoes, drained
1 pound fresh or frozen Butter peas (cooked according to directions and drained)
1 11 oz can mexicorn
1 11 oz white shoe peg corn
¼ cup basil
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper to taste
½ teaspoon sugar (optional)

Let’s do it-
Get your large black skillet out fry that bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels and crumble. Pour off all of the drippings but about 1½ tablespoon bacon fat. Add oil to bacon fat and cook onions over medium heat, stirring, until softened. Add your garlic and tomatoes; cook until tomatoes are heated and garlic is fragrant. It should be smelling pretty darn good right about now. Add bacon, peas, corn and basil. Stir around making sure that all of the vegetables are coated in that goodness. Cook until veggies are warm. Taste mixture and season with salt, pepper and sugar. Toss with sour dough croutons and serve immediately.

Croutons:
What you need-
2 cups of sour dough bread, cut in cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
Garlic salt to taste

How to-
Brush bread with oil and season with garlic salt. Lightly oil a frying pan and heat over medium high heat until hot but not smoking. Grill bread until golden brown and toasted on both sides.

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Cereal Bars

I got this idea the Paula Deen website. I changed it up a bit. These are really good and good for you. Trying to watch what I eat but I need something for my sweet tooth and these do the trick.

What you will need-
2 cups Rice Krispies
1/2 cup fat free powdered milk
1/2 cup low sugar dried cranberries
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons all natural peanut butter
2 tablespoons Splenda brown sugar

How to-
This is so easy. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Get a large mixing bowl out and combine the first 6 ingredients. Using your hands toss the mixture around. Next add the remaining ingredients to a small pot. Warm over low heat until peanut butter has melted. Pour over the other ingredients and Quickly mix it all up. Pour onto a lined cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes. Let cool and then cut or break into squares. Store in airtight container.

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Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Cherries and Walnuts

Get-

2 sticks butter, softened
¾ cups packed brown sugar
¾ cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups of cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups old fashion oats
1cup dried cherries
1 cup walnuts, diced

Make it-
Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Beat your butter on medium speed with your mixer. Add sugars slowly and beat until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and then vanilla; beat well. Add combined cake flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats, dried cherries and nuts; mix well. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto un-greased cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely.

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Big Bo’s Sausage Gravy

Big Bo is our mother. Caleb, Suzette’s son started calling her Bo when he was a little boy. Suz and I added BIG to Bo and thats how the name came to be. Big Bo made this for us when we were growing up and we love it. This is a very hearty breakfast and we recommend making this on lazy Sunday mornings when you have little to nothing to do. It’s great served with a fried egg on top. You can make your own biscuits or use the frozen ones from the market. This recipe can be easily modified to reduce some of the fat and calories. Use turkey sausage instead of pork, use 2% milk in place of half and half, omit the butter and use wheat toast instead of the biscuits. It’s still really yummy.

Big Bo’s Sausage Gravy

Get-
1 pound bulk breakfast pork sausage
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 cups half and half
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons butter
Buttermilk biscuits

How it’s done-
Get your large skillet out and brown your sausage over medium heat. Add your garlic close to the end of browning and continue cooking until sausage is done and garlic is fragrant. Be careful not to burn your garlic. Now, you can drain some of the grease off of the sausage if you want to. You have to have some grease to make the gravy. We do not drain the grease. It’s your call. Next you want to sprinkle the sausage with the flour and stir until flour is mixed in good with your meat. Increase your heat and slowly add half and half. Stir and cook until gravy thickens up. Taste it, does it need salt and pepper? If so, do it. Reduce your heat and add your butter. Split your biscuits and ladle that yummy sausage gravy on your biscuits. Put you a fried egg on top(if you want) enjoy, return to bed and watch some good Sunday morning TV. The gravy is also great on buttered toast or grits.

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Cajun Corn Beef and Cabbage

Go on and try it Cajun style! My family does not particularly like corned beef and really frowned upon me making it. But let me tell you they loved it! They ate every bite. Hope you will try it! Enjoy!

Get you some:

1 medium onion. cut into wedges

10 small red skinned potatoes

3 cups Beef Broth

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning

2 teaspoons Louisiana Hot Sauce

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 (3 pound) corned beef brisket with spice packet, cut in half

1 small head cabbage, cut into wedges

Directions

Place the onions, potatoes in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Combine beef broth, garlic, bay leaf, Cajun seasoning, hot sauce, pepper and contents of spice packet; pour over vegetables. Top with brisket and cabbage. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf before serving.

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French Onion Steak on Cheese Toast

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French Onion Steak

Ingredients

For the Steak –

1 ¼ pound ground sirloin

¼ cup finely chopped parsley

2 Tbsp. Finely chopped scallions

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. Cajun seasoning (we used Slap Ya Mama)

2 Tbsp. All purpose flour

For the Sauce-

1 Tbsp. oilve oil

2 cups sliced onions

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1 tsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

2 cups beef broth

¼ cup dry red wine

1 tsp. salt

Cheese Toast

Minced fresh parsley

Shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

Combine ground sirloin, ¼ cup chopped parsley, scallions, salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning. Divide evenly into four portions and shape each into 3/4 –to 1 inch- thick patties. Place 2 Tbsp. flour in a shallow dish; dredge each patty in flour. Reserve 1 tsp. flour.

Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add patties and sauté 3 minutes on each side, or until browned. Remove from pan.

Add onions, mushrooms and sugar to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and tomato paste; sauté until paste begins to brown, 1 minute. Sprinkle reserved flour over mushrooms and onions. Slowly stir in broth, wine and salt.

Return meat to pan; bring sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low cover, and simmer 10 minutes or until meat reaches desired temperature.

Serve steaks on Cheese Toasts with onion sauce ladled over. Garnish with parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Cheese Toast

4 slices French baguette, cut diagonally (1/2-inch thick)

2 Tbsp. butter, room temperature

½ tsp. minced garlic

Pinch of Cajun seasoning

6 ounces Gruyere cheese (shredded)

2 Tbsp. shredded Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place bread on baking sheet. Combine butter, garlic and Cajun seasoning; spread on one side of each slice of bread. Combine chesses and sprinkle evenly over butter. Bake until bread is crisp and cheese is bubbly, 10-15 minutes.

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La Chicks in La Blanket

This is The Sister’s take on pigs in a blanket. We like to serve these on game day or any day for that matter. Our guests love when we serve these puffs of goodness.

La Chicks in La Blanket

What’s in it-
1 ½ pounds chicken sausage, with provolone and Italian herbs
2 sheets puff pastry
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
Flour for work surface

Make it-
Crank your oven to 450 degrees and let it get good and hot. Slice sausage in 1 inch pieces, about the size of a Hershey kiss. Clean you some space off of your counter and flour the surface. Don’t get in a rush, work with one sheet of puff pastry at a time. Take your rolling pin out and roll the puff pastry into a 14×11 inch rectangle, about the size of an album cover. If you don’t know what an album cover looks like, Google it or use a ruler. Using a pizza roller, or if your fancy a pastry knife, cut lengthwise into seven 1½ -inch wide strips. Cut each strip into 6 rectangles, these will be your blankets for your little chicks. Make you an egg wash by beating the egg and 1 tablespoon water; put it over to the side, you will need it shortly. Place a piece of sausage on the pastry and cover it with the blanket. Make sure the chick is covered up good. Brush the la chicks in la blanket with the egg wash. Place chicks on a greased baking sheet. Refrigerate those babies for about 15 minutes. Pop in the oven and bake until puffed and golden, about 15-20 minutes. Mix equal amounts of mustard and mayonnaise for your dipping pleasure.

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Crack Candy

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The reason that we call this crack candy is because one piece aint gonna get it. You will slap your Mama and steal her pocketbook to get yourself another fix. You might want to double this recipe because if you don’t you might find yourself on the floor in the fetal position craving for more.

Crack Candy

Ingredients:

1 sleeve saltine crackers
2 sticks butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup mini semi sweet morsels
1 cup mini milk chocolate morsels
1 cup Heath English Toffee Bits
1 cup walnuts, chopped fine

Directions:
Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray (can be lined first). Place crackers on cookie sheet in a row. In a medium sauce pot, melt butter and stir brown sugar. Bring mixture to a boil and let boil for 3 minutes. Pour mixture over crackers and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and turn oven off. Sprinkle chocolate chips, heath bar and nuts over crackers. Return to oven for and let chocolate melt, about 3-5 minutes. Cut into squares while warm.

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