Boudreaux and Dat Doggone Dog! (Cajun humor)

Boudreaux and his wife Clotille lived on a little farm just outside of the city of Mamou, Louisiana.

One day Clotille said, "Mais, Boudreaux, you have to get rid of dat dog. All he does is lie under de front porch and turn over da trash cans."

Boudreaux said, "Okay Cher. I'll get rid of him."

He put the dog in the pickup, drove down the road a couple of miles, and dumped him out. He drove home and in a few minutes the dog showed up. So he put him back in the truck, drove several more miles and dumped him out.

After Boudreaux got back home, the dog showed up again.

Clotille said, "You have to take him out and drive around and around a lot in circles, den dump him out. Dat way he won't know da way home."

Boudreaux said, "You some smart, Clotille, and dat's why I marry you."

Boudreaux again took the dog, and drove further out. Then he drove all around and zigzagged in and out the back roads a lot then dumped the dog out.

He started back home but pulled over and parked and called Clotille on his cell phone.

"Has dat dog come back yet?"

Clotille answered, "Yes, he just came in."

Boudreaux said, "Well, put him up to da phone - I'm lost."     ... Ahheee!!

Call of the Wild | Early Morning Ambushes and Cajun Duck Gumbo

Our home was situated about 100 feet from a public dirt road and about twice that distance from a large redwood barn my grandfather built to store corn, hay and farm equipment. Just behind the barn, about 20 yards away, was a small 50' x 100' pond which we dug to germinated the hundreds of sacks of rice seed prior to planting. Although the pond's main purpose was to germinate the seeds, it also served us in other ways—like raising fish and birds.

The pond was a playground for our domestic ducks and geese. About half of them were wild birds at one time before they became domesticated. You could tell which were wild and which were tamed by the color of their feet. The wild ones had green feet and the domesticated ones had yellow feet.

The lucky wild ones (the ones which were spared because only the tips of their wings were clipped by a shotgun blast during a hunt) in many cases went on to live a life of security and leisure on our farm pond.

There were times when my grandpa would nurse these 'fortunate' birds back to health and eventually release them with our domesticated birds. I gave them plenty to eat so they had no reason to leave our farm to find food elsewhere.

Many mornings, just after sunrise, (the domesticated wild ones I called them), would take flight and disappear into the horizon only to return a few moments later. Sometimes they would meet-up with a few stragglers in the sky and invite them back to our pond … and eventually to our dinner table. We had the best live decoys any duck hunter could hope for.

During the cold winter months, when we wanted to prepare duck gumbos or stews, my grandfather would walk inside the barn from the front entrance and quietly move to the back door which was purposely kept ajar a few inches—just wide enough to slide the barrel of a 12-gauge shotgun into position. He would then bag just enough wild birds to feed our family.

It was an ideal set-up. Pops didn't have to buy expensive hunting equipment or spend money on blinds and leases. I guess it was kind of like shooting fish in a barrel for him. The entire drama took less than 10 minutes and our farm birds (the live decoys) were content doing what they had always done best … quacking, flapping their wings, and playing in the water.

Have a great day. Bon Appetite!

Angel Magic | Holiday Greetings for 2015

I would like to wish you and your family a very Cajun Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Joyous 2016 New Year

Tick here to begin animation.

Je Vous Souhaite un Bon Noel! Ahheee!!
!

What Kind of Gumbo to Cook?

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

When I ponder on what kind of gumbo to cook, I first like to look in my freezer to see what's on hand... or, in the local papers to see what is on sale at the supermarket. 

Gumbo is a real Cajun dish. It is served in a soup bowl over cooked rice and garnished with chopped green onions and an optional pinch of filé lightly sprinkled on top.

Any of the following meats may be added to make a delicious gumbo: beef, pork, chicken, goose, wild duck, quail, dove, guinea, rabbit and squirrel, to name just a few. Sausage, tasso, and okra may also be added.

Seafood gumbos are made with shrimp, crab, crawfish and oysters, or a combination of these. The basics in making gumbo are the same. However, the seafood mentioned here take about 15+ minutes to cook so you should add it to the slow boiling gumbo about 15 -- 20 minutes before it is done.

Please check out these links for everything you need to make a great gumbo:

• How To Make a Gumbo Roux
• Wild Duck Gumbo with Oysters
• Shrimp and Okra Gumbo
• Wild Duck Gumbo
• Chicken Gumbo

Tough Love Bean Stew

Anonymous wrote: "Can you teach me how to prepare a high-energy Cajun meal which will give my grown-up kid the courage to get off his lazy butt and find a job?"

Answer: Yes, Anonymous, I can. Serve the following simple Cajun seasoned bean stew only once a day for a week. That should certainly give your kid an incentive to look around for something else to eat. It's a good start.

• 1 small can pork & beans, (generic brand)
• 3 dashes Tabasco sauce
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 glass of lukewarm water (for drinking)

Note: Best served straight out of the can at room temperature. May be eaten with a plastic spoon or fork preferably outside with the doors locked.

Be careful, tho. The toes you step on today may be connected to the butt you're gonna have to kiss tomorrow. Ahheee!! Lache pas la patate!