Gone Pecan and some Recipes!

Hello Girls... well, i am going to Panama City, FL for a few days to meet with Anita about all this Giddy Up business. May not have computer access while there and did not want to leave you all with "nothing new on the blog." SOoooo,, am going to list a couple of recipes to help you relax over the weekend.. Hope you Enjoy them and know we are STILL working on the Cajun Caravan trip for you all. Stay tuned for more news and other "stuff" when i return. Happy Trails! Did you check out the new music too? How are you liking the French songs? Are we in New Orleans yet? LOL

MY MINT JULEP(makes one drink)

1 dozen fresh mint leaves, plus 2 sprigs of fresh mint
1 tsp sugar
2 ounces of bourbon
1 oz of dark rum
Finely crushed ice
Put the mint leaves in a tall glass. Add the sugar and, with a spoon, crush the leaves and stir. Pour in the bourbon and the rum.
Fill the glass with the ice, then juggle (don't stir) until the outside of the glass
is heavily frosted. Garnish with the mint sprigs. Enjoy!


CRABMEAT AMANDINE
(makes 4 appetizer servings)

6 tablespoons of butter, melted
1 pound of lump crabmeat
1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup of finely chopped green onions
1/2 cup of toasted almond slivers
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste
Toast points

Heat the butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add the crabmeat, lemon juice, green onions and almonds. Toss gently. Season with salt and cayenne.
Cook for two minutes and serve with toast points.

SWEET RED BELL PEPPER SOUP
makes 6 servings

4 medium size red bell peppers
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 cups of chicken broth
1 quart of heavy cream
Salt, cayenne pepper, and Tabasco, (to taste)
1 pound of lump crabmeat

Split the peppers in half, remove the seeds and chop coarsely.
Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the peppers and cook, stirring, for two to three minutes, or until soft. Add the chicken broth and cook for five minutes.
Pour the mixture into a blender or food processor and process for 15 seconds.
Return the mixture to the pot. Add the cream, bring to a gentle boil and reduce the mixture until it thickens slightly. Season with salt, cayenne and hot sauce. Add the crabmeat, reduce the heat, and simmer for five minutes. Serve immediately.

All recipes taken from "Who's your Mama, Are you Catholic and Can You make a Roux?" cookbook #2 by Marcelle Bienvenue

Cajun story Part III

Exiled from Acadie, separated from loved ones, mistreated and enslaved, the Acadians might well have been destroyed as a culture. But they endured and survived. Hearing of Louisiana with its own French heritage, thousands of exiles began a tortuous journey through the North American wilderness. When they reached New Orleans, they again faced disappointment and despair. The French Creole nobility wanted nothing to do with these French farmers and fisherman.
Ironically, it was the Spanish, then in control of Louisiana, who provided land grants in Southwest Louisiana for the Acadians. The long, hard journey ended in the lush coastal wilderness, where they would live in isolation until reasonably modern times, clinging to their language and customs and carving, from the marshes and swamps- another Acadie. Here they reaped the bounty of the bayous, rivers and the prolific Gulf waters, the untamed marshes and the great Atchafalaya swamp.
And, in their new Acadie, there was the same family spirit among neighbors and the same zest for living- undaunted by one of the most brutal ordeals in the history of the American continent.
The name Acadian has been contracted to "Cajun", and was actually resented at one time by the descendants of the Nova Scotia exiles. Now, it is used with affection and respect, and has a bouncy ring that seems in keeping with the laughing way of life of these unique people.