Colcannon (Irish Dish)

This dish is absolutely delicious; a definite must for Irish celebrations. This dish is traditionally made for Halloween. Trinkets are hidden and children must fish them out to receive their prizes.

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs potatoes
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 1/4 cups hot milk
• 1 head of cabbage
• 1 lb of ham or bacon
• 4 scallions, finely chopped
  
• salt
• pepper
• parsley
  

Directions:

• Peel potatoes, boil or steam until you can easily pierce with a fork. Mash and remove all lumps. Add stick of butter in pieces. Gradually add hot milk.
• Boil cabbage in unsalted water until it turns a darker color. Drain, and chop into small pieces.
• Fully cook ham or bacon, cut into small pieces.
• Add cabbage, scallions, and ham/bacon to mashed potatoes, stirring gently.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Sprinkle with parsley.
  

Boneless BBQ Pork Ribs - Crock Pot

I am one of those crazy people that loves slaving over a hot stove. I feel like the more I've worked on a dish, the more love I've put into it. Hehe. Well, it's a much different story if I'm starving. If I'm hungry, I want something quick and easy. And honestly, maybe even ready by the time I get home. That, my friends, is the job of a slow cooker. Last spring I decided to experiment with ribs in the slow cooker, and now it's part of my repertoire. If you love juicy, tender, flavorful ribs, and don't have the time... Check this recipe out! Happy eating!

Ingredients:

• 1 pack of country style boneless ribs (the average size package)
• 1 bottle of BBQ sauce (I love the Jack Daniels kind)
• 1 BBQ sauce bottle of beef stock
• Optional: Worchestershire Sauce, Chipolte Tabasco, Tonys

Directions:

• Many recipes suggest you brown all sides of the ribs prior to putting them in the slow cooker. Since there's no time before I go to work, I just throw the straight in.
• Add the bottle of BBQ sauce. Be sure to pour is all over the ribs. Fill the bottle with beef stock, shake it up, and pour that over the ribs. (use water and a bullion cube if need be)
• If you want a little kick, add some Worchestershire sauce, Tabasco, Tony's etc... Be creative!
• Cook in the slow cooker on low for 7 hours. Serve with sides and enjoy!
  

Chicken Soup with Cornmeal Sage Dumplings

Soup from a can and I are through!!! Why would I eat mass quantity made soup, when I can make my own!? This soup is delicious! You're family will think you slaved all day!

I do need to add: I've had doughier dumplings, but these are yummy! (especially if you love sage, and I do!) Instead of cooking my chicken with the soup, I cooked it in the crock pot all day, then made the soup. Also, I skipped on the peas.

Happy eating!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 8 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup frozen peas

Dumplings:

• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cornmeal
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

• Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onion, carrots, and celery and saute 2 minutes.
• Add chicken and cook until chicken is golden brown on all sides.
• Add thyme and stir to coat. Add broth, salt and black pepper, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Partially cover and boil for 5 minutes. Stir in the frozen peas.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sage, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Add buttermilk and oil and stir with a fork until mixture comes together.
• Using a spoon or a small ice cream scoop, drop 8 golf ball size dumplings into simmering liquid.
• Cover pan and cook for 5 minutes (without lifting lid), until dumplings are puffed up and cooked through.
  

Serve soup with dumplings.

Parran's Po-Boys and Restarant

http://sites.google.com/site/parranpoboys/

Crawfish and Mirliton Soup

This is it folks, the soup of all soups! My aunt made this soup for Thanksgiving, and it surpasses any soup I've ever eaten. I love it! The soup has a creamy thin broth, which is exactly how I like it. (Reminds me of the broth for LaRuth's Oyster and Artichoke!) Also, there are not a lot of chunks, the mirliton, garlic, and green onions are cooked down and blended together like a bisque. This makes the broth delicious! The crawfish adds a pleasant surprise and the cayenne pepper is certainly the finishing touch. I do have one warning, this is not a soup if you're in a hurry. This soup will take you 2 hours at least. I assure you though, it is worth every single second. Is it lunch time yet? Make it, eat it, love it! Happy eating!

Ingredients:

• 3 Mirlitons
• 1 Stick unsalted butter
• 4 Stalks green onion, chopped finely
• 2 Cloves of garlic
• 2 Stalks of celery, chopped finely
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 lb Crawfish tales
• 1 Cup Half and half, (1/2 a pint)
• 4 Cups chicken stock (3 to 4)
• White pepper to taste
• Red pepper to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• Salt to taste

Directions

• Boil 3 mirlitons in water until tender. Let cook and scrape tender part of vegetable from skins. Cut into chunks. Set aside.
• In a heavy pot, melt butter and saute green onions, celery and garlic until soft.
• Add mirliton, peppers, salt and bay leaf and cook until most of liquid cooks out, breaking up mirliton as it cooks.
• Pour chicken broth into pot. Continue to cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Remove bay leaf and place 3/4 of mixture into blender to puree.
• Return puree to pot. Add crawfish. Mix in Half and Half.

Cheesecake Filled Pumpkin Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 large eggs, plus 1 large egg white
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 container of cream cheese icing.

Directions:

• Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350°. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with baking liners. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar for 3 minutes. Beat in 1 egg white and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
• In a bowl, whisk the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. In another bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, 2 eggs, granulated sugar, oil and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Whisk in the flour mixture.
• Layer each muffin cup with some of the pumpkin batter, then the cream cheese mixture, then more of the batter. Bake until springy to the touch, 25 minutes. Let cool.
• Ice cupcakes

Cake Balls

One of our kindergarten teacher makes the best candies and desserts I think I've ever tasted. At one of our teacher workshops this August, I bit into heaven. Imagine a small ball, covered in vanilla candy coating and cake inside, strawberry cake, and I HATE strawberry cake. It was so delicious, my thoughts on strawberry cake have make a 180! Again for our Thanksgiving feast, vanilla candy coating, and spice cake inside! Well finally, I asked for the recipe and it was the easiest recipe I've ever heard of! It is so versatile, and a definite show stopper. Try any cake flavor and icing combination you see fit. The world is your oyster! I made spice cake balls for Thanksgiving, and I put people into sugar comas! Try this recipe, you WON'T be sorry! Happy eating!

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package cake mix
• 1 (16 ounce) container prepared frosting
• 1 (3 ounce) flavored confectioners coating

Directions

• Prepare the cake mix according to package directions using any of the recommended pan sizes. When cake is done, crumble while warm into a large bowl, and stir in the frosting until well blended. The whipped frosting may not go as far, so just stick with the regular kind.
• Melt candy coating in a glass bowl in the microwave, or in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. (some come with their own microwavable tray)
• Use a melon baller or small scoop to form balls of the chocolate cake mixture. Using a skewer, dip the balls in candy coating. Place on waxed paper to set.