Creole Shrimp and Sausage Stew

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One of my favorite lines in Julie & Julia was when Julie says she read somewhere that it's a show of poor manners to say "Yum" while you're eating. And then she bites into a pork chop and says, "Yum." I laughed because I do that all the time -- such a boor I am.

I'm afraid we had a show of really poor manners the night I made this stew dish, because there were many "yums" all around the table. It was a five thumbs-up meal -- absolutely no complaints. This is a mildly spicy dish, (but not too spicy for any of us, including the kids) with the spice coming mostly from the canned tomatoes and chilies, and the Tony Chachere's I added. I found the recipe at myrecipes.com, and followed it pretty closely, but with a few changes. I am posting it as I made it. I served mine over white rice, but brown would be nice if your gang will eat it.

Creole Shrimp and Sausage Stew
serves 6 to 8

2 T. olive oil
1 c. chopped bell pepper (I used half red/half green)
2 c. sliced turkey smoked sausage (I used Butterball and I used the entire package -- just a little over 2 cups)
2 large cloves garlic, crushed or minced
small can chicken broth
1 t. Tony Chachere's
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained (I used Rotel)
1 lb. peeled and deveined medium shrimp
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained


Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan. Add bell pepper, sausage, and garlic to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until bell pepper is tender, stirring occasionally. Add broth, spices, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Stir in shrimp and beans; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 6 minutes or until shrimp are done. Serve over rice.

Easy printer version

Source: Adapted from myrecipes.com

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Cajun Burgers

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I am always looking for something to jazz up an ordinary dinner like grilled hamburgers. This recipe was simple, but definitely not ordinary. The key ingredient here is the special sauce. The kids and I recently had lunch at Cane's Chicken Fingers, and if you've ever eaten at Cane's, you know the sauce is key to the taste of those delicious chicken fingers. It has a little bit of a Cajun flair, and after doing a little research I found the reason is they originated in Louisiana.

I found many recipes for the sauce online, but most were missing something very important. I think without the Tony Chachere's creole seasoning it wouldn't be the same. My kids said mine was even better than Cane's. That's mighty sweet of them.

You can top this burger with anything you like -- lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles, but make sure you don't skip the sauce.

Cajun Burgers
serves 6

2 pounds ground beef/round
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 t. onion powder
1 to 2 t. Creole seasoning salt (depending on how spicy you like your burger)
1/2 t. ground pepper

6 slices sharp cheddar cheese
hamburger buns
sliced tomato
lettuce leaves
onion slices
hamburger pickles

"Cane's" Sauce
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. ketchup
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t. Tony Chachere seasoning
dash Tabasco
pinch black pepper

Mix sauce ingredients thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Chill until ready to serve.

Mix ground beef with seasonings and combine thoroughly with your hands. Form into six large patties. Grill until desired doneness. Turn off grill and top with a slice of cheese. Cover and let cheese melt. Remove from grill.
Place burger on a bun and top with special sauce, and onions, pickles, tomato and lettuce -- whatever you like. You could even throw some pickled peppers on there.



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Fiery Cajun Shrimp

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You may have already seen the recipe for this family favorite on my other blog. I've been linking to it when it appears on my menu. I finally made it a point to get a picture and put the recipe here as well.

My kids inhale this shrimp, along with its yummy butter sauce -- they like spicy food, all four of them, and my husband loves it, too. When I find a good sale on shrimp, like I did last week, we enjoy. This is a Paula Deen recipe, but I make a few changes. First, I take the shells off the shrimp. I leave the tails on, but I think the shells are a big nuisance when the shrimp is swimming in butter sauce. Paula's recipe also calls for five pounds of shrimp. And as much as we enjoy, we can't enjoy that much. So I've pared down the recipe for my family of six, and made the changes below.

I always make sure we have a crusty bread and white rice to eat with the spicy butter sauce. It would also be great with some crusty bread for an appetizer.

Fiery Cajun Shrimp

1 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 T. cup lemon juice
2 T. cup ground black pepper
1 t. hot sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. salt
2 lb. peeled medium shrimp, tails left on
2 lemons, thinly sliced

Stir together butter, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, pepper,
hot sauce, garlic and salt.
Pour half the mixture into a large heatproof dish.
Layer half the shrimp and half the lemon slices;
then form a second layer of shrimp and lemon slices
and pour remaining sauce into the dish.
Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until shrimp are pink, stirring twice.
Serve with French bread for dipping.

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