I will be coming by myself. Mom and hubby don't care to attend. Hubby has been traveling quite a bit and will again later this week and next week, so he's content to stay home. So now you either have openings for more attendees or we have more room in the house.

Address and directions PM'd to all.
Seamus I will get you my recipes soon as well.
I did test the Crawfish braid recipe last weekend and it turned out nice, but I will make a few adjustments so it is better this weekend.
I am also planning on making a second loaf with just cheese, pimento, and green onions for the vegetarians.

Hi,

I have some hot andouille sausage from Ron's Cajun Connection. It is hotter than what my family and I like.

Could someone suggest a recipe where this will be well used?

Regards,

I love spicy andouille in red beans and rice. Obviously, it won't mitigate the spice but for those who love the spicier versions, it's a great way to showcase it!

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

I have some hot andouille sausage from Ron's Cajun Connection. It is hotter than what my family and I like.

Could someone suggest a recipe where this will be well used?

Regards,

Gumbo, of course.

I've got a mess o' Jambalaya coming up with me, so Gumbo might be your best bet.

Buddy

Hi,

I see Ava is bringing red beans and rice.

Unless I am mistaken, I see no gumbo. I never made one, though today may be the day. Irisarbor - if bringing a gumbo not a duplication of someone else's effort, I will make it.

Regards,

Gumbo would be awesome!
Each one is different anyway.
A classic chicken and sausage version might showcase (and balance) the andouille nicely.

irisarbor wrote:Gumbo would be awesome!
Each one is different anyway.
A classic chicken and sausage version might showcase (and balance) the andouille nicely.

I agree. Even though I will not be eating it. Also my red beans and rice will be animal-free so a version with animals would probably be welcome. Last year my beans and rice went pretty fast.

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

I see Ava is bringing red beans and rice.

Unless I am mistaken, I see no gumbo. I never made one, though today may be the day. Irisarbor - if bringing a gumbo not a duplication of someone else's effort, I will make it.

Regards,

The more gumbo the merrier. My gumbo is on the stove as we speak.

Hi,

I made a mistake. I defrosted the sausage, which is Boudin and not andouille.

Rather than two gumbos, I will make something with the boudin. I recall reading of appetizer Boudin balls, is that good? Any other suggestions for 19 ounces of 'hot' Boudin.

Regards,

Probably too late for you to see this, prior to the party, but Boudin Balls sounds good to me!

Buddy

BuddyRoadhouse wrote:Probably too late for you to see this, prior to the party, but Boudin Balls sounds good to me!

Buddy

Just in time and in the works!

I just sent Elaine a message. Alistair thinks the conditions could be dreadful, although the snow is supposed to be done by early afternoon, so despite having a bowl of beans brined and soaked we are playing it safe and will be unable to join you today.

i'm afraid i'm bowing out as well, but not because of the snow. it's migraine weather, and i've got one. luckily i'd only made the pimiento cheese but hadn't yet made my sandwiches. so i guess i'll be eating it all week (not a hardship). i'm awfully sorry to miss this, irisarbor. i had a great time last year and was really looking forward to this- the music even more than the food.

My sister drove from the city to my house. It snowed until about O'Hare, so I'm coming up 294 come hell or snowstorm. I went to a Superbowl party during the blizzard, so this is chopped liver.

On another note, since Ava said she wasn't coming, I made the smothered okra with bacon and chicken fat!

justjoan,

Sorry you won't be there. Those Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches will be missed. Any chance you could send them via messenger? I'd chip in for expenses...

Buddy

Hi,

The Boudin balls are made. The cake is about to come out of the oven.

Regards,

Ms. Ingie wrote:My sister drove from the city to my house. It snowed until about O'Hare, so I'm coming up 294 come hell or snowstorm. I went to a Superbowl party during the blizzard, so this is chopped liver.

On another note, since Ava said she wasn't coming, I made the smothered okra with bacon and chicken fat!

Careful out there sister!

I'm on the way (maybe 15 minutes late?) with the corn and crab bisque, which is really more of a chowder. I waffled until the last minute about adding the crabmeat or bringing it separately, thinking of pairs4life, though if she's vegan rather than vegetarian it'd be off-limits anyway, as it's full of milk and cream. Sorry she and some others couldn't make it because of the weather. (Dang! and I wanted to have a pimiento cheese sandwich.) I live nearby and have Spiderman-like snow tires. See you all soon!

Not vegan. My red beans are almost done. I started them late after I knew we weren't coming. They do smell good. I will miss the music and fine company, as well as the food.

BuddyRoadhouse wrote:justjoan,

Sorry you won't be there. Those Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches will be missed. Any chance you could send them via messenger? I'd chip in for expenses...

Buddy

how sweet of you buddy. i'm glad someone will miss my food, if not me (!) but i'm more than happy to share my recipe. i've been tweaking it for years and , so far, it's my favorite pimiento cheese recipe. let me know and i'll post it. joan

Hi,

What a terrific time, great food, music and wonderful people, thanks to Elaine and family.

The King Cake recipe was from Saveur. Based on recipe review comments, I made the following adjustments:
- I used bread flour instead of all-purpose, I read another recipe where bread flour offered a fluffier outcome and AP flatter.
- I used only 8-ounces cream cheese, though I used full measure of the remaining filling ingredients.
- Instead of maple syrup, I used sugar cane syrup.
- I rolled the dough into a large rectangle until it was about 1/4 inch thick on parchment paper.
- I spread the cream cheese and sugars filling, then sprinkled the chopped pecans.
- I then lift one edge of the parchment to begin rolling the cake.
My cake took only 30 minutes to bake at 350 degrees.

Again, thanks for a great time.

Regards,

Pictures please!

Another wonderful party. As I told Frank, my favorite of the year; I'm still full this morning. I feel bad that you have to clean it all. Hope you had help.

It was a great party- so many wonderful friends and so many great dishes.
A BIG Thank you to everyone who cooked and everyone who came to party!
I'll get some pix up tomorrow.
Those who could not make it were missed for their company, and not just their culinary skills.

Although Joan, my daughter did say she was really looking forward to the pimento cheese sammies LOL
So if you don't mind sharing the recipe, I'm sure she'd love to have something better than the awful stuff she bought in jar last month

I am also happy to email any of my recipes.

JUSTJOAN'S PIMIENTO CHEESE
1/2 lb. good quality extra sharp cheddar(i like the black wax tillamook sold at costco)
4 oz.roasted, peeled, seeded red pepper (weight after peeling) this is about 1 large, or 2 small peppers. better to roast 1 extra, than not have enough. i burn them one at a time on a stove burner. please, do not cool them in a bag- that's steaming them, and they don't taste the same, IMO.
.14 hellmann's mayo (i weigh everything. this is about 1/3c)
2 shakes, worcestershire sauce (maybe 2t.)
1-2 shakes of cayenne pepper (do not use dried red pepper flakes w/ seeds)
a small slice of onion

so, if you want yours to taste like mine, follow my recipe exactly. you start by peeling/cooling off your peppers. then combine everything except the cheese in a large food processor. process it until the roasted pepper is finely chopped. leave in the processor. then for the cheese, you must use the small holes of a box grater- not the food processor shredder, or the large holes on a box grater, not a rotary grater. i've tried them all. the only way the texture is JUST RIGHT, is the small holes. then transfer the cheese to the processor and pulse 4-5 times, or until all is blended. you do not want to puree your grated cheese. this is best made, and mellowed, in the refrigerator for a few hours. but it's not absolutely essential. it's traditionally served on white bread. i would have used pepperidge farm thin sliced white if i had made my sandwiches for the party. it's also great open-faced on dark bread. and it'll keep for many days in the refrigerator. enjoy, i always do...

Finally Found my card reader, so here are some pix:

Crawfish Braid by irisarbor


Cheese Braid by Irisarbor


Crawfish pie (x2) by Irisarbor


Shrimp Etouffee by Irisarbor - this turned out amazing, if I do say so myself....


Some delish cornbread/butter adds to the meal so well from Carol (the piano player)


Cajun spiced pork tenderloin sammies from Ginnie and Dave


Buddy Roadhouse; outstanding Jambalaya AIE!


Delicious mac n cheese n cheese n cheese from Cookie monster


Smothered green beans and potatoes from Cookie Monster


A flavorful crab and corn bisque by Katie


An always welcome Sweet Potato Pie by Ms. Ingie


A delusion of something healthy from the hostess LOL


Greyhound cocktails from the younger set, (Kaitlyn and Shaylyn) made with freshly squeezed grapefruit juice- stay away statin crowd LOL


Here are Laura and Kaitlyn enjoying those Greyhounds


A very successful and delicious King Cake from Cathy2


Yummy yummy chicken and homemade andouille Gumbo from lougord and Jennie


Here's Lou frying up some of that amazing smoky andouille as an appetizer (and you may notice a bottle of my "secret spices" on the counter


A milder version of crab and corn chowder from Beth and Scott (the bass player) Chock full of sweet crab and with lovely toppings.

I wish I had gotten more pix of the people having fun, those who did, please add them to the posts.
I do think I got almost all the food....
altho I missed the jell-O shots always fun.
I also missed a pic for the delicious brussels sprouts salad from Carolyn and David.
Thanks again to all who came and all who cooked- It was an amazing time and as always my only regret is that I didn' t have more time to talk to each one of you.