Cajun Inspired Cuisine & Recipes

I did it. I made my first cooking video in my retro kitchen!

I am so excited to share this with everyone. I’ll post it on Monday. I played the video back and I did okay for my first time. I do look like a blimp though. Oh my, do I ever. Unfortunately, I’m not one of those women who shrink back to their old body within 6 weeks. I have to work at it. The video will be edited over the weekend but I seriously doubt that my big post-baby-belly can be removed. So… you just have to deal with the real me. That is until I get off my rear and exercise.  Yeah, Jillian Michaels, call me. Mmmmkay?

I’m calling this My Retro Inspired Kitchen. Partly because it excuses the mess of a kitchen that I have and partly because I’m taking classic (retro, if you will) Cajun recipes and making them better for you by substituting some of the ingredients for healthier alternatives - and none of the taste is compromised!

Just an FYI: I won’t be limiting these videos to “just” traditional Cajun foods. I will also make some other favorites that are delicious, quick and easy. I could never limit myself being that I am a major lover of Italian, Chinese, Greek, Indian, and Mexican Cuisine. Okay, Okay. So I love all kinds of food, BUT… the point is, no matter what I cook it is likely to be infused with Cajun spices and traditional preparation.

The first recipe is Cajun Shrimp Scampi. This is one of my absolute favorite recipes. Some other traditional Cajun recipes I intend to take on in the upcoming months are: Pastalaya, Jonnycakes, Crawfish Bisque, Stuffed Catfish (to go with Jo-Lynn’s Etouffe), homemade Mac-n-Cheese, Dirty Rice, Cajun BBQ with Brochette, Maque choux, Shrimp Creole, Red Beans and Rice, Stuffed Bell Peppers, Cajun Green Beans, Chicken Pontalba, Andouille-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin, Spicy Meat Pies, Round Steak with Onions and Gravy, and Sauce Piquante.

Now to go with all of this you will first need to know how to make a roux and homemade stock. While we are at it, I’ll teach you how to make homemade french bread and buttermilk biscuits.

Since you need dessert every once in a while we will also make King Cake, Bread Pudding, Pecan Pie, Chocolate Chip Pound Cake, and Pumpkin Spice Cake. In addition to that there are the Po-Boys, Mufulettas, Scalloped Potatoes, Beignets, Crème Brûlée Pain Perdu, Couche Couche, Cheese Grits, Hush Puppies, Pecan Pralines, Café-au-lait, and who can forget the ICED TEA?

I’ll include other types of cuisine amongst all of that. I’ll also share my time-saving tips and tricks with you and whatever else my mama and mawmaw taught me. Most of these are their recipes that I have simply altered. Trust me, they are yummy! While we are at it I’ll share with you all of the stories, traditions, culture, and history of my heritage. A little lagniappe if you will.

My hope in all of this is not only to preserve some of this for future generations but also to teach some cooking skills to those who have yet to learn.

Cajun food is simply French inspired cuisine that was adapted to the ingredients available here in Southern Louisiana. The skills needed to cook are the same. It is the ingenuity of the first French Acadian settlers (descendants of Acadian exiles which were French-speaking settlers from Acadia or Nova Scotia, in the maritime provinces of what is now Canada) that make this food so unique, rich, and robust. They made do with what they had and it opened up a whole new culinary world for us and I’m happy to share it with you.

If you have particular requests to learn certain things then please let me know. I LOVE doing these videos. I have a ways to go to get completely comfortable and get into a groove but just grow with me, kay? Now, let’s eat! Check back Monday for my first video!

Laissez les bons temps rouler! (Let the good times roll!)