Last night I roasted a bunch of garlic for a bouilliabaisse. When I got done I squeezed all of the garlic out and had the skins left over. I thought, I hate to throw these away because there is still a lot of goodness left in here. I threw the skins into my shrimp stock that I was making. It gave it a wonderful flavor. So next time you roast garlic throw the skins and some salt into a small pot. Add some water and simmer for about 20 minutes on low and strain. You’ll have a delicious broth.
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. 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.
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.
We love Banana fosters and we love pancakes. Put those together and you have a love affair. The first time we had these our friend Griff made them for us at the beach. This was such a treat.
Ingredients:
2 cups baking mix
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 tablespoon of vanilla
Directions:
Mix all ingredients until blended. Pour about a ¼ cup onto hot greased pan. Cook until edges are golden and pancake mix is bubbling. Turn and cook until golden brown.
Banana Fosters
Ingredients:
1 stick butter
¾ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup banana liqueur
6 bananas cut in half lengthwise, then halved
¼ cup dark rum
Ice Cream or whipped cream (optional but reccomended)
Directions:
Combine the butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a skillet. 
Place the pan over low heat on top of the stove, and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. 
Stir in the banana liqueur, and then place the bananas in the pan.
When the banana sections soften and begin to brown, carefully add the rum. Continue to cook the sauce until the rum is hot, and then tip the pan slightly to ignite the rum (if using a gas stove).
When the flame goes down, lift the bananas out of the pan and place four pieces over each pancake. Generously spoon the warm sauce over the top of the pancakes and top with ice cream or whipped cream if you dare.
Good morning to all you lovely grocery lovers! Hope everyone has had a great weekend and is ready for a wonderful week ahead.
Growing up we always loved toast. Yes, toast. All kinds of toast, from just plain butter, cheese, jelly ect. But we loved cinnamon toast with lots of butter and cinnamon sugar. Well our friend Griff came up with a new cinnamon sugar recipe and we decided to try it on french bread and let me tell you it was “Get In My Belly Good”! It gives toast a little make over! This is great for feeding a crowd and children will love it!
1 French Bread loaf
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons powder sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 stick of butter at room temperature
Cut your french bread in half. Cut length wise each loaf so you have 4 halves. Mix all ingredients together and spread onto each loaf. Bake at 350 until bread is toasted and sugar mixture is melted, about 10 minutes. Hope yall enjoy!
You know it’s weird how sometimes you feel skinny, well after eating a piece of this cake you might feel like a busted can of biscuits. But it is ok you can diet tomorrow!
Can the sister’s just get an Amen! “Amen brother Ben”! This recipe will have you on your knees praying to the grocery God’s for another slice of heaven. You know who you are, we wont bust you out in front of everyone, but you know when life hands you some lemons, 9 times out of 10 you don’t make lemonade, you reach for chocolate. If you are planning for all your girlfriends to come over to have a gripe session, you definitely need to have this cake on hand.
Dark Chocolate Cherry Cake
Ingredients
Unsweetened cocoa
1 package chocolate fudge cake mix
½ cup sugar
1 (3.8 ounce) package French vanilla instant pudding mix
4 large eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil
½ cup water
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 (3-ounce) dark chocolate bars
½ cup coarsely chopped dried cherries
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
Directions
Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan, and dust with cocoa, set aside. Combine cake mix, sugar and pudding mix in a large mixing bowl. Beat eggs and next four ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Gradually add oil mixture to dry ingredients, beat 2 minutes. Coarsely chop one chocolate bar, fold cherries and chopped chocolate into batter. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack. Coarsely chop 1 chocolate bar. Place chopped chocolate and butter in a small bowl, set aside.
Bring whipping cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat, and immediately pour over chocolate and butter. Whisk gently until smooth. Cool glaze 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Drizzle glaze over cake. Coarsely chop remaining chocolate bar, sprinkle chopped chocolate over cake.
Cajun Steak and Mushrooms
This recipe makes the best gravy. Make sure you have plenty of rice and French bread. We believe, “that it is all in the gravy”.
Ingredients:
2 New York strip Steaks, room temperature
2 teaspoons Slap ya Mama, Cajun Seasoning
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup onions, sliced
¾ cup bell pepper, sliced
3 tablespoons garlic, minced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons Creole mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
10 ½ ounces beef consommé
Directions:
Season steaks on both sides with Cajun seasoning.
Heat the oil in a large black skillet over medium high heat. Sear each steak on each side for 3 – 4 minutes. 
Remove steaks and add the flour to the skillet. Reduce heat to medium. Cook for 4 – 5 minutes, stirring constantly, making a dark roux.
Add onions, bell pepper, garlic and mushrooms to the roux. Season vegetables with salt and pepper. 
Raise the heat to medium high heat and add the consommé.
Bring the mixture to a boil, add steaks and continue to stir the sauce until it thickens about 5 minutes (turn steaks during this process). Add Creole mustard and simmer for a few minutes.
We love to have plenty of appetizer recipes. This one has been a favorite for years and years with my family and close friends. It is good for parties, get-togethers, or heavy appetizers for the family. This is a savory sausage suprise that is always a hit. It freezes well, so you can have batches in the freezer and when you need a quick appetizer…viola…in 20 minutes time, you are set to go. (and we know that Velveeta isn’t the healthiest choice out there, but, man, does it work it this recipe!)
Ingredients:
½ pound bacon, diced
16 ounces fresh Brussel sprouts
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 Tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoon honey
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
In a large skillet cook bacon over medium heat, drain and reserve 1 tablespoon bacon drippings. Trim the ends off the Brussel sprouts. Cut in half, lengthwise. Place the sprouts in a steamer basket. Place in a saucepan over ¾ cups of water; bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 4-6 minutes, drain. Heat skillet over medium heat and add bacon drippings and garlic. Cook garlic over medium heat until fragrant. Add sprouts, cover and cook for 4-5 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the butter, honey and mustard. Drizzle over sprouts and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes. Toss with bacon and season with salt and pepper.
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, savory 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.
Sass! 