Pecan Picking

     Now that fall is here, it's time to pick pecans!  Everywhere I go, I see people under pecan trees, picking them.  It's like finding treasure on the ground!   My grandchildren were here a couple of weeks ago on their way to my son's next duty station and as you can see they had a wonderful time picking, cracking and eating them!

 

  
     Now that the pecans are picked, the real work begins.  Have to get them cracked (I'm talking 10 gallons of pecans) and the meat out of them so that I can make a pecan pie!  This may take a while....

Time for Gumbo!

Woke up to BEAUTIFUL, COOL weather and here in Louisiana that means GUMBO!  Most of the time I make chicken and sausage, but we also like duck gumbo.  Whenever the hubby and sons get to go hunting and actually shoot a duck, I will make that kind!

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

5-6 lbs. chicken - legs, thighs, breast, whole- cut up first (whatever you have on hand)
1 lb. smoked sausage - sliced
3 quarts water
8 oz. roux (any brand will do)
1 chopped onion
1/2 cup onion tops
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 teaspoons Tony Chachere's seasoning (or use salt and pepper)

Add water to large pot and bring to a boil.  When boiling, add roux and stir continuously until dissolved. Add remaining ingredients and cook on low-medium for 2-3 hours.  Be sure NOT to cover pot fully- leave large crack for ventilation or it WILL boil over!  Serve over cooked rice.

***This is one meal you can save as leftovers and it is BETTER the second time you eat it!

NOTES:
- If you'd like to cut some of the fat out of this recipe, you can remove the skin from the chicken, use chicken sausage and cook as usual.  If you refrigerate the gumbo overnight, you can remove the fat that has risen to the top and discard it.
-Sometimes, I have gumbo juice left over, but no meat.  In this case, you can cook some cut up chicken breast and sausage in a pan and add it to the gumbo juice and cook on low for about 20-30 minutes to blend the flavors.
-Gumbo freezes well also.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Carrot Beignets

Good Morning!  Today I wanted to share my grandmother's recipe for carrot beignets.  This is a wonderful way to get your children to eat vegetables!  The beignets are deep fried, but you can make them into pancakes instead if you'd like to make them a little healthier.  My grandchildren love these as pancakes!

You will need:
1 can carrots (drained and mashed)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour

Heat oil in skillet to 350 degrees, mix all ingredients together and drop by teaspoonfuls into oil.  Drain on paper towels.  Enjoy!

Happy Hummingbirds

     A few weeks ago, the hummingbirds were flying through here on their way south, so I decided to put out two feeders and take a few photos. At one point we had over 15 of them and I was refilling both feeders everyday. I made my own hummingbird food by mixing 1 cup of water with 1/2 cup sugar.  Obviously it was a big hit! They are such beautiful, delicate birds.  There was one in the flowerbed in the front yard- I started calling him butterball because he was pretty round and didn't fly much! Enjoy.....

Welcome to my home in south Louisiana. Here you will find cajun family recipes, nature's beauty in our part of the world, inspiration to slow down a little and enjoy the simple things that life has to offer. I'd love to show you around, so come in, grab a cup of coffee and make yourself at home!