Crawfish Étouffée (a/k/a Smothered Crawfish)

Crawfish Étouffée (a/k/a Smothered Crawfish) is a south Louisiana favorite during crawfish season.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. clean crawfish tails
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1 small bell pepper, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 lb. butter
  
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup green onion, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

This is the ultimate Crawfish Étouffée recipe and very simple to make. Sauté vegetables and seasonings in butter for approximately 5 minutes. Add crawfish tails and cook on medium heat for one-half hour. Serve over cooked long grain rice. Serves 4.

Bon Appetite! Ahheee!!

35 Pound Bigmouth Buffalo Fish Caught on TopCat's Premium Catfish Bait

It seems that catfish are not the only lovers of TopCat's Premium Homemade Catfish Bait. As shown in the photo below, 17 year old Josh B. of Texarkana, Texas landed this 35 lb. giant Bigmouth Buffalo fish while fishing for catfish with our exclusive dough bait. I understand it was one heck of a fight between Josh and this monster fish. The fish was caught near Maud, Texas in Lake Wright Patman. That is the look of one happy fisherman. Way to go Josh!
 
 

The bigmouth buffalo, Ictiobus cyprinellus, also known as the gourd head, redmouth buffalo, buffalo fish, bernard buffalo, roundhead, or brown buffalo, is a large species of the Catostomidae or "sucker" family. The bigmouth buffalo is a dull brownish olive color with dusky fins. Like other suckers it has a long dorsal fin, but unlike others it has a large oblique and terminal mouth. It is the largest of the buffalo fish and reaches a length of more than 4 ft (1.2 m) and 65 lb (29 kg) in weight. It is distributed from the Red River of the North, Manitoba, Canada and North Dakota, United States to the Ohio River and south in the Mississippi River system to Texas and Alabama in the United States. It lives in sluggish areas of large rivers and shallow lakes and streams. ~ Source: Wikipedia

Simple Chili Recipe for the Diabetic

Here is a simple chili recipe for the diabetic.

Ingredients

• 1 can red beans (kidney)
• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1 can tomato soup
• 1 Tbs chili powder
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper

Note: If you want, and you have some handy, you can add a touch of cumin and a 1/2 tsp.of masa corn flour to incorporate a traditional taste and to thicken it up a little.

Instructions

1. add all the above ingredients in a pot (while stirring)
2. bring to a slow-boil then turn the heat down and simmer about 1/2 hour

 Quick and easy.

Tomato Soup: Commercial soup became popular with the invention of canning in the 19th century, and today a great variety of canned and dried soups are on the market. Dr. John T. Dorrance, a chemist with the Campbell Soup Company invented condensed soup (including tomato) in 1897. [source]

Original Crawfish Chili Recipe

Make a golden brown roux using:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour*
• 1 cup butter

Add to roux:

• 1 cup onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped

Cook in roux about 5 minutes then add:

• 2 quarts water
• 1 large can tomato sauce
• 1/2 to 1 cup chili powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cook for at least 2 hours. The longer it cooks, the better it tastes. Approximately 5 minutes before chili is done add 1 lb. clean crayfish tails. Chili beans can also be added if desired.
* You may substitute 5 Tbs. of powdered roux and only 1/2 -cup of butter.

Mmmmm... C'est Magnifiques! 

KT

Char-grilled Ribeye Steak

There's not much that tastes as good as a nicely done char-grilled rib eye steak.  They are so easy to make, there is really no excuse for messing it up.  I'm always amazed at what people do to torture steaks on a grill.  The art to grilling steak is not the ingredients - that's easy and simple. The art is in the method.  It takes grilling a bunch of steaks to be able to eyeball a steak to know its perfectly done.  I can't profess to teach the art of grilling.  Its going to take you time and practice to learn that.  What I will do is show you how I do it.  I do this the same way, every time, and it always comes out good.  All of you die-hard grillers out there probably have your own methods for doing this. And I know that not everyone can afford aged beef (in fact, any well-marbled rib-eye that you find in your grocery store will taste great). Aged beef does taste exceptionally good - but don't waste your money until you have mastered the art.  Messing up a $10 steak does tend to ruin one's appetite.

Here are the ingredients:

• Well marbled, aged rib-eye steak
• Lawry's Seasoned Salt
• Lawry's Seasoned Pepper
• Worcestershire Sauce

About an hour before you begin grilling take the steak out of the fridge and place it in a glass pie-dish, covering it with saran wrap.  It's always best to grill your steaks at room temperature, so let them sit for a while.  Once they begin to warm up, generously sprinkle the salt and pepper onto both sides of your steak.  Let them sit another five minutes, then generously coat each side of the steak in Worcestershire.  Let them sit another ten minutes or so, while you heat up the grill.  Make sure you get all the old char off the grill before you start cooking.  I like to use a cooking oil spray made specifically for grilling that doesn't flare up.  Spray some of the oil onto the grates, then scrape them well with your grill cleaning tool.

Once the grill is clean, spray the grate with some more cooking oil.  Turn the heat on high and close the lid to the grill.  You want the temperature to get as hot as you can make it; at least 400 degrees.  Using a long-handled fork, put the steaks over the hottest part of the grill.  Close the lid for about 2-3 minutes.  Lift the lid, move the steak out of any direct flame.  Turn the steaks 45 degrees on the same side, and cook with the lid open another 2-3 minutes.  Turn the steak over and cook for 2-3 minutes on the other side.  Turn the steak another 45 degrees on the same side, and cook another 2-3 minutes.  Remove the steak from the heat when they are done to your preference.  All of the marbling should be rendered from the meat.  When a steak is rare but warmed up, it will hang limply on the fork.  When you can detect slight stiffness in the steak, its medium.  When the steak is almost completely stiff it is well done.  Let the steak rest on foil for at least five minutes before you serve it.

 I like to serve mine with something green (like salad or asparagus) and something brown (like a loaded baked potato).

KT