Andouille Cream Sauce

1 Tablespoon olive oil


2 oz. Andouille sausage casing removed diced small


2 Roma Tomatoes seeds removed and diced small


3 Tablespoons green onions chopped


1 Tablespoon minced garlic


2 Tablespoons white wine


2 1/2 Tablespoon flour


3/4 Cup heavy cream


1 Tablespoon Tony Chachere's seasoning


3 Tablespoon chopped Parsley


Juice of 1/2 a lemon





Place a deep skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil. Add andouille sausage, garlic and tomatoes. Cook for 3 minutes. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir. Allow to cook for 3 minutes. Whisk in heavy cream. Add white wine,green onions and Chacheres's. Bring to a simmer and allow to thicken. Add parsley and lemon juice.





Serve

* I served mine over a pan seared shrimp and a Cajun corn pudding.

Knowing when its done!

If you are just learning to cook or have been over cooking or under cooking food forever one of the best tools you can invest in is a meat thermometer..... ! Once your meat is a the correct temperature give it a touch with your finger. This will give you an idea what it feels like when its done...

Always let your meat rest before serving this is very important.. If you cut into your meat as soon as it come off the grill or out of the oven all of the juices will run out and you will be left with a dry hockey puck!! Not good. Chicken is cook at 165! Don't cook it to 200 degrees!


USDA Recommended Temperatures
Steak 145 degrees
Fish 145
Pork 160
Ground Beef 160
Egg Dishes 160
Chicken Breast 165
Whole Chicken 165
Turkey 165

Kale Chips Demo

Cajun Pasta Sauce

1 lb Shrimp peeled and deveined

1 lb. Andouille sausage casings removed,diced

1/2 lemon

1 1/4 C heavy cream

1 clove of garlic minced

1/2 green bell pepper diced

1/2 red bell pepper diced

2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil

1 green onion chopped

1/4 C butter

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Tony Chachere's

Red pepper flake

.

In a large skillet over medium heat add a tablespoon of butter. Once it melts and the pan is hot add andouille,red and green bell peppers. Saute until peppers start to soften. Add remaining butter and garlic. Once that has melted add flour. This will help to thicken the sauce. Add heavy cream while stirring . Once incorporated add basil,parsley,Parmesan cheese green onion, and shrimp. Add a pinch of red pepper flake and season to taste with Tony Chachere's seasoning. Cook until the shrimp is no long opaque. Serve over your favorite pasta.

Sweet Potato Quesadilla's With Cilantro Lime Creme

1 Medium sweet potato peeled and diced
2 Tablespoons Olive oil
1 Teaspoon Cumin
1 Teaspoon smoked paprika
1 Teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 Jalapeno seeded and minced fine
1/4 of a bunch of cilantro choppped
1/2 of a lime zest and juice
1/4 Cup monterry jack cheese grated
4 Flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Place diced sweet potatoes on a baking sheet. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the sweet potatoes. Season with cumin,paprika,and kosher salt. Roast potatoes in oven for 25 minutes or until fork tender. Pull out of oven and set aside.

In a bowl add potatoes,cilantro and minced jalapenos. Mix well


Assemble Quesadillas


In a skillet over medium heat add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Once oil is hot brown each side of the quesadilla. Serve with Cilantro Lime Creme



Cilantro Lime Creme

1 Cup Sour Cream
1/2 Jalapeno Pepper seeded and minced
1/8 of a bunch of cilantro chopped
1/2 Lime Juice
Pinch of kosher salt


In a small bowl mix all ingrediants.
Spoonn over Quesadilla.

Strawberry Salsa

1 Pint strawberries stems removed and diced
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 small onion diced fine
1/2 bunch of cilantro chopped
1 Jalapeno roasted,seeded and diced fine (you can use what ever pepper you can handle)
1 Tsp Orange juice
Pinch of kosher salt

In a bowl place strawberries and add balsamic vinegar and let set. Roast jalapeno until all sides have been charred. Place jalapeno in a plastic bag and allow it to sweat. This will aide in the removal of the skin. Remove stem,skin and seeds from the jalapeno and dice finely. Add jalapeno,garlic,cilantro and onions to the strawberries, add orange juice and mix well season to taste with a pinch of kosher salt.

Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Chips

1 Store Bought bag of tortilla chips
1/4 cup brown sugar
1Tablespoon Cinnamon

Preheat oven 250 degrees

Place chips on a baking sheet and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Bake for 10 minutes.

Foodways Charreada

I had alot of fun at the Foodways event on Sunday out at Clear Fork Station. I checked in around 2:40 a little early and escorted back to the kitchen. The event planner says to me I think Grady needs some help with some of his appetizers. And by Grady I am not talking my husband Grady. I found myself in Grady Spears kitchen. He was much more laid back then I imagined he would be. We stuffed and tied tamales and skewered shrimp. After we were done in his kitchen we were sent to help sever at the event as it was about to open to the public. Myself and fellow chef Julia Dunaway were sent to Executive Chef Jerrett Joslin of The Wild Mushroom in Weatherford Texas. We served A spicy jalapeno mac n cheese, Chipolte pesto grits with bacon and Gulf coast shrimp cooked in Shinner Bock. I only wished we could have tasted some of the other Chefs dishes as alot of them were out of food by the time we got a break.

I did get to taste a dish from Ellerbies, Lambert's,Wild Mushroom and The Outlaw Chef Terry Chandler. Terry Chandler was a hoot! Very bubbly with and infectious laugh. This was alot of fun for me a great experiance.