Creole Shrimp Skillet

I don't know anyone in the south who doesn't love cajun/creole foods. It is spicy, ladened with meat and fish, and is good either in soups or stews or skillet dishes. The main difference between the two dishes is Creole is usually tomato based and cajun is not. Cajun Shrimp and Dirty Rice Skillet is not really Cajun at all but Creole. Tomato, tomato, either, either, it's the final product that matters.

Modifications Made:

Garlic was doubled. One pound of Boudin and one pound of shrimp seemed excessive. Therefore only one link of Boudin sausage and three quarter pound of shrimp were used. Tomato paste and parsley were omitted. Tony Chachere's was chosen Cajun seasoning. Did you expect anything different?

Boudin was skillet fried heavily to create a nice crunchy outside casing. Once cooled, it was sliced into chunks. To boudin grease, onions, celery, and peppers were cooked until soft. Remaining instructions were followed and boudin was returned at the same time the shrimp were added.

Scaled for Likability: Good

There is a disconnect in my cooking technique. I cannot cook rice unless it is by itself. When cooked in a mixture there is either too much water, not enough water, the rice is overcooked or more likely undercooked, and always takes longer than the suggested cooking time.

Other than the rice giving grief, this Cajun/Creole dish was tasty. It was not authentic by any means but it was easy.

Better Than Campbell's Old Fashion Vegetable Soup

Went to the store with the hopes of gathering fresh produce for soup. With more than 45 people in line for two packages of any meat product and the produce section containing only avocado, orange, and most randomly, strawberries, I settled upon canned soup. Well not canned soup since that section was still void of food, too. Instead soup made from canned goods as the canned vegetable section had been mostly restocked. Soups like this 15 Minute Vegetable Soup are ideal in dire food situations such as current times. Modifications Made: Plain petite diced tomatoes omitted, frozen carrots instead of canned, green beans and corn undrained, peas omitted (gross, nasty little pods), one cup celery, three cups diced potatoes, one can tomato sauce, two beef and two pollo de tomate bouillon cubes, six cups water. Once onions were softened, carrots/celery/potatoes/juice of green beans and corn, sauce, bouillon cubes, water were added and allowed to simmer until carrots almost tender. Green be

Sour Cream & Chive Scalloped Potatoes

Can't believe the Month of the Potato is over. There are so many more potato recipes saved. Guess I will have to work them into another month. Last week's scalloped potatoes were one of the best new recipes during the month of potatoes. With today being the last day in the Month of Potatoes, I decided to go out with a bang by cooking another batch of scalloped potatoes but this time sour cream and chive. The Best Scalloped Potatoes , or so they said. Modifications Made: Recipe was reduced by half. Mayo was omitted and one entire package of chives were chopped and added to sauce before pouring onto layers. Scaled for Likability: Good Betty Crocker Sour Cream and Chive Box Scalloped Potatoes were the standard for this recipe. These were a family favorite for years but have long since been discounted. Bummer. Trying to replicate this seemed easy enough. Alas, it was not. These had a nice texture but were too oily from the cheese and did not contain enough onion, garlic,

Papas a La Mexicana (Ranchera)

It is a crying shame that there are six hens and not a egg in sight. What am I supposed to do with homemade ranchero sauce? Thankfully with a few quick searches of the internet a recipe from my hometown newspaper was discovered: Papas Ranchera . Not once in the thirty years I lived in my hometown did I ever eat at a local food joint serving papas rancheras. No time like the present to remedy this cultural dish. Because this recipe is hidden behind a paywall (grrr...) I have included it here for you: Servings: 4-6 Ingredients: 1 pound potatoes, diced 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/2 large onion 1 1/2 medium tomatoes 3 jalapenos 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup juice from canned tomatoes Instructions: Fry potatoes in vegetable oil until lightly browned (about 4-6 minutes). Saute onions, tomatoes, jalapenos until soft. Add garlic powder and salt. Add tomato juice until vegetables are covered (may need to add water). Bring to a boil and then add potatoes. Cover and reduc

Eating Waffles

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