Crawfish Beignets With Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
Beignets
- 1 Egg – Beaten
- 1 Lb Chopped, Cooked Crawfish
- 4 Green Onions – Chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp Butter – Melted
- 1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper adjust for your taste
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/3 Cup Olive Oil
Sauce
- 3/4 Cup Mayonnaise
- 1/2 Cup Ketchup
- 1/4 tsp Ground Horseradish I use more horseradish and less hot sauce
- 1/4 tsp Hot Sauce of your choosing
Instructions
- Mix all of the sauce ingredients and refrigerate
- Heat frying oil in a pan or heat oil in deep fryer. Oil should shimmer when up to temp
- Mix egg, crawfish, onion, butter, salt and cayenne
- Stir in flour until blended
- Drop batter by tablespoonfuls into oil
- When browned, turn over and fry the other side
- Drain on paper towel
- Serve with dipping sauce
Notes
This recipe is easy, quick and so very good. Any seafood can be substituted for the crawfish.
Gluten Free Breakfast Cookies
These are a great grab-n-go breakfast for those busy mornings or snacks
Equipment
- 1 Cookie Sheet
- 1 Sheet of Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 1 Banana-mashed
- 1/2 Cup Peanut Butter use either chunky or creamy
- 1/2 Cup Teff Flour
- 1/2 Cup Rolled Oats or Bob's Mighty Hot and Tasty Cereal I prefer Bob's Mighty Hot and Tasty-I love this cereal and even use it in whole grain breads
- 1/4 Cup Nuts or Seeds Any kind or leave them out
- 1/4 Cup Chocolate Chips up to 1/2 Cup
- 1/4 Cup Dried Montmorency Cherries up to 1/2 Cup, can substitute other dried fruit of your choice
- 3 tsp Maple Syrup The darker color syrups add more flavor
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Mix banana, egg, peanut butter, vanilla, syrup and butter
- Add the remaining ingredients except for chips and dried fruit and mix well
- Mix in chips and fruit
- Drop by spoonfuls on parchment lined cookie sheet
- Flatten and shape as desired, these do not spread in the oven
- Bake 350°F 10-12 minutes
Notes
This is a highly customizable recipe. Add and subtract as you prefer but keep the quantities approximately the same as listed. It is a fun recipe to experiment with.
Winter Fondant for Bees
Equipment
- 1 flat sheet pan
- 1 wax paper to line the pan
- 1 candy thermometer optional
- 1 hand mixer
Materials
- 4 lbs Granulated White Sugar Do NOT use brown sugar. Molasses and carmelization are bad for bees.
- 1 Pint Water
- 1 tsp White or Apple Cider Vinegar
Instructions
- In large saucepan, combine all 3 ingredients
- Heat on medium/high to 235 degrees F
- The liquid will become translucent and foam when it boils
- If you do not have a thermometer, when the foaming subsides, drip some from a spoon into cold water. It should form soft balls when it cools
- Without thermometer, watch for the liquid to become slightly translucent
- Remove from heat and let it cool to 190 degrees F
- Once cooled, mix well to break the sugar crystals. It will turn opaque white
- Pour into pan lined with wax paper and cool completely
Notes
I leave the wax paper on it to put in the beehive. They’ll chew through it as needed.
Fried Cucumbers
Unbelievably good, this is a great change of pace from the usual cucumber fare.
Ingredients
- 1-2 Whole Cucumbers
- 1/2 Cup Italian Bread Crumbs
- 1/4 Cup Flour
- 2 Eggs – Beaten
- Lightly Salted Water
- Frying Oil
- Ketchup or ranch dressing
Instructions
- Peel and slice cucumbers lengthwise
- Soak cucumbers in lightly salted water for 1 hour
- Drain and blot cucumbers dry with a towel
- Dredge in flour then in beaten egg
- Coat with breadcrumbs
- Fry in 365-degree oil until well browned and drain on paper towels
- Serve with ketchup or ranch dressing
Lemon Verbena Cookies
The best lemon-flavored cookie ever! They are buttery and soft, definitely my new favorite.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 Cups Flour
- 2 Tbsp Dried, Crushed Lemon Verbena Leaves I like heaping Tbsp!
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 Cup Butter – Softened
- 1 1/2 Cup Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla
Instructions
- Combine the first 4 ingredients and set aside.
- Beat the butter on medium for 30 seconds.
- Add sugar, eggs and vanilla until well combined.
- All 1/2 of the flour mixture and mix well.
- Stir in the rest of the flour mixture.
- Place rounded spoonfulls 2" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake 350 degrees fpr 8-10 minutes.
Notes
You can roll into balls and slightly flatten the cookies to create more uniform circles. Don’t skimp on the verbena, I add a little extra!
Oyster Duxelles
The perfect base for omelettes
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp Melted Butter
- 1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Onions or Onion Tops
- 2 Cup Minced or Diced Oyster Mushrooms Originally this was intended for minced golden oysters but diced work great if you want a little more substance
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Soy Sauce
Instructions
- Sautee onions in butter until tender
- Add remaining ingredients and mix well
- Cook over medium heat until mushrooms are tender
Notes
Pile on top of a steak or hamburger. Use as a base for an omelet or quiche. Store 1 week in refrigerator. This freezes well in an airtight container.
Smoked Sucker
Ingredients
- Whole Sucker Fish
- 1 Cup Kosher or Pickling Salt
- 1/2 Cup Ketchup
- 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
Instructions
- Cut heads off suckers
- Cut open the belly and remove guts
- Remove fins and tail
- Cut rib cage along the spine so the fish will lay open on their own. This works best with a heavy butcher scissors.
- Rinse with clean water
- Sprinkle or rub with salt and pack in ice
- Refrigerate 24 hours
- Rinse both sides of fish to remove salt
- Mix brown sugar and ketchup and spread on the fish
- Smoke 170-240 degrees for 4-6 hours. We smoke with hickory and applewood, but you can choose your own favorites
Notes
Store smoked suckers in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. Freeze them for longer storage.
Ramp Pesto
Spring is coming and I have ramps on the brain. Here is a simple recipe for the ramp foragers out there.
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 2 Bunches Ramps Cleaned and roots removed
- 3/4 Cup Olive Oil
- 1/4 Cup Pine Nuts Increase if desired
- 1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Instructions
- Pulse ramps and pine nuts in food processor.
- Add olive oil to desired consistency.
- Add parmesan cheese and pulse just until blended.
- Salt and Pepper to taste.
Notes
Makes a great sandwich spread or dip. This also works well with pasta much the same way as basil pesto. Can be frozen up to 6 months.
Suet
An easy mix that helps keep our birds warm
Ingredients
- 2 cups lard
- 2 cups peanut butter
- 4 cups corn meal
- 3 cups old fashioned oatmeal
- 3 cups black sunflower seed you can substitute other nuts, seeds or dried berries
Instructions
- Warm the lard and peanut butter while mixing.
- Mix in the remaining ingredients.
- Form into the size/shape blocks you prefer. It works great if you've saved the plastic trays from store bought suet. Otherwise, put into 9×13 pan or larger and cut blocks to size.
Dog Treats
My dog sits by the oven and begs while I mix these up.
Servings: 30 +
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat flour or brown rice flour Use brown rice flour if your dog has allergies
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 cup peanut butter creamy or chunky
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°
- Mix all ingredients into a dough
- Roll out to 1/2″ thick
- Cut to desired size for your dog (A pizza cutter makes quick work of these)
- Bake on cookie sheet (parchment optional) for 20 minutes
Notes
Keep a week’s worth in an airtight container on the counter. If you have extra, seal them in a bag and store in the freezer.
Rodent pets love them too!
