Cajun Goods

1 chicken , cut
1 lb tasso , cut (if available)
1 andouille (or sausage) chopped into 1/2″ pieces
Salt/Pepper
Cajun Seasoning
6 chicken bouillon cubes
1 cup onions , chopped
1 cup celery , chopped
1 cup bell pepper , chopped
1/2 cup green onions , chopped
1/4 cup parsley , chopped
3 garlic cloves , cut fine
1 cup of flour (all purpose)
1 cup of oil (Veg)
4 quarts of water

Directions:

Start off with veg oil and flour and cook a roux , cook until you get to a nice copper penny like color, stir constantly. Then add in your celery , onion , bell pepper and garlic and sweat it or cook it until the onions become translucent. Now add in the chicken and cook until moderately browned , be sure to stir constantly. Once chicken is moderately browned add in your water and chicken bouillon cubes and cook on moderate (medium) heat until chicken is tender. Now add in your sausage or andouille and tasso and cook until all meat is tender. Add onion tops and parsley and finish off cooking (about 10 mins),  and serve over rice.

1/2 cup cooking oil
1/4 cup of flour
2 tbs salt
2 tbs garlic powder
1-2 onions (large-1/small-2)
2 tbs sugar
2 rings of onion tops (chopped)
1 bell pepper (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 can rotel tomatoes
1 can tomatoe sauce (28 oz)
Cajun Seasoning
2 pounds of peeled shrimp
1 pound of crab meat

Directions:

First start by combining the oil and flour in a pan to make a roux. Cook the oil/flour mixture on a low to medium heat stirring constantly until you get a lovely caramel color , which will take around 35-45 minutes. Now add in your chopped bell pepper , onions, and half of the onion tops. Continue to stir the mixture continuously for a few minutes. Now slowly add in your garlic salt , rotel tomatoes , tomatoe sauce , Cajun seasoning and sugar one at a time. Stir often and let cook for about 10 minutes. Slowly add in a little water until you reach your desired consistency depending on how thick you like your gravy. Cook now over a medium heat for about 15 minutes with the cover of the pot on leaving a little gap , stir occassionally. Remove the cover and now add in the rest of the onion tops and garlic powder , also can add a little more cajun seasoning to taste and desired heat , then add in your shrimp and crab meat. Cook over a medium heat again with the cover on pot leaving a gap. Then turn off the fire and let the pot stand covered for about 15 minutes. Your now ready to serve over rice or any other desired way.

The Cajun Heartland State Fair is back (and so is its incredibly catchy commercial jingle) for another run of rides, music, food and fun.

No fair experience would be worth it without a spin on the rides, and this year’s fair offers plenty of the rides we’ve come to know and love. We know money is tight, so here are some must-go nights for ride-ticket discounts that are good for the family.

On Saturday, Sonic sponsors Supersaver Wristband Night from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Wristbands are $16, and they can be purchased at any Acadiana Sonic Drive-In location.

On May 26 and 27, you can purchase Discount Family Wristbands for $25. They’re good for both nights from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. For an additional $5 off these wristbands, check out our special coupon in The Advertiser.

For other ticket deals throughout the fair’s run, check the Cajundome Web site at www.cajundome.com.

Attendees also should note that official fair parking is only at Cajun Field and is $10 per vehicle. There is only one main entrance into the fairgrounds.

Beyond the rides, there’s the music, and this year’s lineup is filled with some local favorites.

It’s an eclectic lineup all around, but if you’re looking for some sure-fire highlights, start with Cupid and his infectious shuffle.

Lafayette loves Cupid - get ready to do the Shuffle and maybe even the Happy Dance.

Also make sure you don’t miss Jaryd Lane, Wayne Toups, Jamie Bergeron and The Molly Ringwalds.

They all deliver high-energy live shows, which will keep you rockin’ with the fair-going spirit.

And finally, watching adults and younguns alike take Guitar Hero super seriously might be worth the wristband price alone.

Source: dailyworld

The seasoning added to the boil is the reason why Louisiana crawfish differs from anywhere else. The secret is in the water! Like any other cuisines like Korean, Indian, Chinese and Thai foods, Cajun dishes are also known for their spicy and hot flavors. Although not every dish is very hot and causes runny nose, many of Cajun dishes are generously seasoned. True Cajun crawfish boils causes irritation in the eyes when fingers get too close. First, we ought to know the seasonings for us to safely and accurately estimate the right amount.

Recipes or seasonings can either be made from scratch or from prepared mixes. A good example is the Cornbread that can be brought from corn meal and/or corn flour, or from a blend of dry ingredients box. Both cases are turned from a raw material into a finished corn bread. This is the same in Crawfish boil. If you fancy to, you can make your own ratios of ingredients like salt, cayenne, herbs seeds and spices by your own choice. Truth is, even most Cajuns don’t do this. They’d rather use pre-made mixes and/or make adjustments until they encounter the formula they like. But Cajun cooking is an art and not exact science.

Many Crawfish boil mixes cannot be bought on local grocery stores and can only be bought online. For you to choose which is the best, you have to try them and find which suits your taste. Major brands such as Cajun Land, Konriko, Louisiana, Rex, Slap Ya Mama, and Zatarain’s offer seasoning blends specially for Cajun style boil. To minimize the guessing of measurement, products come in specific amounts with corresponding amount of crawfish to be boiled. Currently, the buzz seems to go on a brand called Chackbay. Some parts of the country are known to add Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning on the top of the crawfish boil before eating.

Whatever brand you prefer, you should be aware that seasoning products come in three different forms; mesh bags, liquid and dry or powdered. Some recipes call for a mixture of seasoning forms. A little of this and a little of that. Much worse is that some recipes made by experts recommend not to follow the directions on the spice package. If you like better to follow the directions, just add the amount of seasoning proportionate on the amount of crawfish you would boil. Keep in mind that the seasoning will be absorbed by whatever you are cooking so if you are cooking more than one batch, you will need to add more, about one-third and two-thirds of the original amount.

Salt: Salt is important, especially the proper amount. Salt as a seasoning is more crucial as other flavor profiles increase. Flavor profiles are the overall taste in a dish; sweet, sour, bitter and salty. Together they balance the dish. Salt in this case, will intensify the flavor of the crawfish itself and balance the intensities of the other flavors. How much salt? Salt, in general is very subjective. The best we can offer is to give you a hint on range to stay within. It is easy to add salt and trying to subtract salt would involve expensive and complex desalinization equipment. For a sack of crawfish in a large crawfish pot (60 to 80 qt) filled two-thirds full of water (40 to 53 qt) you will use between one and two “cylinder” boxes of salt, that’s 1.5 to 3 pounds. It is normal that the water will be much saltier and much spicier than the crawfish because they aren’t going to be immersed for very long. Try cooking a whole box, and try a crawfish. It will at least be a good early reference point for adding more salt to taste. You can also add potatoes first to gauge the right amount of salt, especially while the crawfish isn’t added yet. Salt additions may be necessary on cooking batches because salt would be absorbed during cooking.

Mesh Bag Seasoning: These bags (3-4 oz.) come packaged a few to a box and are usually enough to season 4-5 lbs of seafood each. Like a teabag, it is soaked in the boiling water, but stay contained in the bag itself. The bag contains whole or flake form and is good for smaller batches and for moderate amount of flavor without too much spicy heat. Put the contents of the bag into a blender and the resulting powder would add more flavor and spice to your boil. The bag doesn’t contain salt so you would have to add it yourself. Bag contains some or all of the following: pepper flakes, peppercorns, whole cloves, dried citrus peel, herb leaves (basil, bay, laurel, oregano, thyme), and whole seeds (allspice celery, coriander, dill, mustard).

Liquid Seasoning: This comes in 4 oz., 8 oz., 16 oz., and crowd dispersing 1 gallon bottles. They are distinct, quick acting and powerful when added in a crawfish boil. You will want to use liquid seasoning as a spice and flavor booster, in addition to the mesh bags or dry seasoning. This is because as a lone seasoning, it doesn’t bring well rounded taste. It also does not contain salt. It is worth keeping around the house to be used in other recipes in addition to pest control and fending off home invaders.

Dry or Powdered Seasoning: Available in 1lb. bags capable of cooking 10lbs. of seafood or large 3-6 lbs jars for a whole sack of crawfish. This is the seasoning of choice to start out with. Preferably, the powder is used with a little extra liquid or bag for well rounded flavors. It has salt in it but not enough. Dry or powdered seasoning blends will contain some or all of the following: salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, white pepper, paprika, mustard powder, garlic powder, onion powder, ground coriander, celery seed, lemon flavoring, ground herbs (bay leaf, thyme, oregano, basil) dextrose, MSG.

Straight Cayenne Pepper: In its pure form, ground red cayenne pepper is the staple ingredient for making adjustments to spicy heat. If premade mixes aren’t hot enough for you, refer from this.

We hope we helped you with your boil in reading this article. The idea here is to familiarize you with seasoning ingredients and their various forms. With this knowledge, you can make your own adjustments based on how you think your crawfish should taste in terms of salt and seasoning. The best thing you can do to improve your technique is to practice. You’ll make a whole lot of friends and have some great memories along the way to crawfish boil perfection. You also want to keep journal of your crawfish boil. Some people do this for wine tasting, but this is way cooler. In it, record the important things: pounds of crawfish, which cooking pot, amount of salt, seasoning, lagniappe extras, cooking times, soak times, batches, etc. Before you enjoy too many beers, write down your overall impression and what others thought; too spicy made me cry; not salty enough; my fingers are swollen now I can’t get my ring off; potatoes turned into mashed potatoes; not enough beer, just right. This way if you are one of the unfortunate ones who only gets to have boiled crawfish once a month during the crawfish season, you’ll have some notes to refer to and make adjustments.

Source: buzzle

LOUISVILLE, KY. — Winning the Kentucky Oaks wasn’t enough for Cajun jockey Calvin Borel.

He had to win the Kentucky Derby, too.

Borel’s Oaks victory Friday on favorite Rachel Alexandra was expected. She won by more than 20 lengths.

But his Derby victory Saturday on 50-1 shot Mine That Bird — who could have seen that coming?

A crowd of 153,563 at Churchill Downs witnessed a classic Borel ride, similar to his ride on Street Sense when he won the Derby two years ago. Settle at the back of the pack, save ground along the rail, wait for a hole to open, and go.

“I kind of rode him like Street Sense, ” Borel said. “I didn’t think he’d have the finish like that.”

Mine That Bird, a gelding who couldn’t win in two starts at Sunland Park in New Mexico, won the Derby by 6 3/4 lengths going away.

Pioneerof the Nile edged Musket Man by a nose for second. Papa Clem finished fourth, a head behind Musket Man in a field of 19 3-year-olds. I Want Revenge, the morning-line favorite, was scratched Saturday morning because of an ankle problem.

Mine That Bird paid $103.20, the second-largest win payoff in Derby history. Donerail paid $184.90 in 1913.

“Really and truly, you’ve got to be surprised, ” Borel said. “But like I say, the horse is in the Derby for a reason. He did something down the road to get there.”

Borel, 42, who was born in St. Martinville, grew up in Catahoula and learned to ride on the bush tracks in the area, said he rides every horse to win.

“You’re in it to win it, so you’ve always got a shot, ” Borel said. “I rode him like a good horse. I knew they would be going fast, and the track was a little heavy. I didn’t know he would give me the response that he give me, but when I worked him out in the morning, he worked in 1:02 (for five furlongs) and galloped out in 15 (1:15 for six furlongs), but that wasn’t bad. The other horses weren’t going that much faster than him.

“And he’s such a small horse, he really skipped over the track . . . where I thought the other horses were digging in a lot more than him.”

At the start, Mine That Bird was squeezed between horses and dropped back to last as Join in the Dance set the pace, with Regal Ransom and Pioneerof the Nile close behind. The pace on the sloppy track was moderate — 22.98 seconds for the first quarter-mile, 47.23 for the half and 1:12.09 for six furlongs. At that stage, Mine That Bird was still last.

Borel said that at about the three-eighths pole he starting thinking that Mine That Bird could win.

“Then after that, you know, he started picking them up so easy, and it was unbelievable” he said.

At the quarter-pole, Mine That Bird moved around Atomic Rain. As Mine That Bird approached the eighth pole, Borel guided him between Join in the Dance and the rail — through a hole maybe an inch wider than a horse.

“I had enough room, ” Borel said. “He’s a small horse.”

Mine That Bird took off to victory, completing the mile and a quarter in 2:02.66.

He races for Double Eagle Ranch in Roswell, N.M., and Bueno Suerte Equine, a Roswell breeding farm operated by Leonard Blach, a veterinarian. A son of Birdstone, Mine That Bird was bred in Kentucky but began his career in Canada.

Mark Allen, who owns Double Eagle Ranch, and Blach purchased Mine That Bird last fall for $400,000 after he won the Grey Stakes last October at Woodbine. The gelding, who was trained by David Cotey, was named the top 2-year-old in Canada.

After the sale, Bennie “Chip” Woolley, a former rodeo cowboy who started his training career with quarter horses in 1983, took over as trainer, but not right away.

The new owners decided to send Mine That Bird to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Richard Mandella was the trainer for that race, in which Mine That Bird finished 12th. He then was given a break before being sent to Woolley’s barn at Sunland Park.

In retrospect, Woolley said that running Mine That Bird in the Breeders’ Cup was a mistake, because the traveling was hard on him, and he hadn’t had enough time to recover from his last race.

Mine That Bird’s first two races this year “weren’t up to snuff, ” Woolley said. The gelding finished second in the Borderland Derby and fourth in the Sunland Derby, though unfavorable trips might have hurt his chances.

His connections were considering the Lone Star Derby for him but decided to go for the Kentucky Derby when it became clear that Mine That Bird could get into the race.

Woolley, who is on crutches because he’s recovering from a broken leg suffered in a motorcycle accident, drove the van that took Mine That Bird from Sunland to Churchill. They stopped at Lone Star Park near Dallas for one day, so Mine That Bird could gallop on the track.

His gallops at Churchill encouraged Woolley, particularly those in mud.

“The horse had never been in the mud at all until we got here, but when you watched the horse train over this track, it was like he was born to run here when it was dry, and when it was wet, it looked even better, ” he said. “The horse just really stepped over it.”

“I really thought this horse had a lot of talent, ” Blach said. “We just were not able to see it all yet. And today, it made my heart sink a little bit when he came by there, and he was last. But I was really glad to see him that far in front when he came around the second time.”

“I wasn’t that worried about it, ” Allen said. “I knew Calvin Borel was on him. He’s a patient rider.”

Said Borel: “It’s not the first mile. It’s not the first half-mile that counts. It’s always the last and down the backside, really and truly. When he got out of the bit, I didn’t think I would maybe win, but I knew he would come running, because I finally got him out of the bit, and he relaxed.”

Mine That Bird came running, all right. Just like Street Sense.

“It’s the same feeling, ” Borel said. “You wouldn’t imagine. When you win the Derby, there’s not enough Derbies to win.”

Source: NOLA.com

Wayne Toups may be an icon in Cajun music, but things weren’t always so easy. Long before he toured the world, performing with artists ranging from Ray Charles and Elvin Bishop to Alan Jackson and Sammy Kershaw, the musician ran afoul of his traditional brethren who didn’t like the rock and other influences he injected into his “zydecajun” style.

“They thought I was turning my back on what I was raised on, and I wasn’t,” Toups said. “I was just trying to create a progressive style going into the future. The music needed to advance, and I tried to do it in a very slow and positve way. I wanted my music to go somewhere, and I wanted the tradition to have a solid foundation leading into the future.”

Since then, most Cajun music fans have come around to Toups’ way of thinking, and he’s even dipped back into his heritage to record a few traditional records. So just what does Toups’ music sound like? He describes it as “a musical gumbo of Southern rock and rhythm and blues with a real tough Cajun accent.”

While that’s mostly what Toups will play at festival appearances like the one today at the Riverside Crawfish Fest, he still has a real affection for the music he grew up with.

“I’m still capable of playing those nice little waltzes and two-steps,” he said. “We have a lot of fun. That’s the main thing. We like to have fun, and the musicianship is really good.”

It’s been a few years since Toups has made a stop in Monroe, but he says he always enjoys his visits.

“We have a lot of fans from the Monroe area,” he said. “It will be a very high party atmosphere, and we’re going to try our best to entertain them the best way we can.”

The Riverside Crawfish Fest continues Saturday with a performance by country singer T. Graham Brown.

What: Riverside Crawfish Fest, featuring Wayne Toups
When: 5 p.m.-midnight Friday
Where: Monroe Civic Center, 401 Lea Joyner Expressway, Monroe
Cost: $8

Source: newsstar

Ingredience:

1 lb  Shrimp (shelled and cleaned)

6 oz  spaghetti (bag/box)

2 slices bacon

1 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoe

1 can tomatoe sauce (8 oz)

1/4 tsp Cajun Seasoning (whichever available)

2 cloves of garlic (diced/minced)

1 bell pepper (diced)

Directions:

Start by cooking the pasta (following regular directions). Then in a skillet cook diced bacon slabs until crisp, and drain. Then stir in the garlic and cajun seasoning and cook for about a minute. Now add in the can of stewed tomatoes and tomatoe sauce and cook uncovered for 8-10 minutes , stirring occasionly. Now add in the shrimp and peppers (can check seasoning and add a more here to taste) , and cook for another 8-10 minutes. Once sauce is ready spoon it over the hot spaghetti.

30-40 lbs Crawfish (live)

2 bags crawfish/crab boil

Corn on cob

Small Potatoes

Onions (Medium/Small Sized)

3 Lemons halfed

4 tablespoons cajun seasoning (adjust to taste)

2 cups rock salt

2 Cans of Favorite Beer

Directions:

In a large pot preferrably outside over an open burner about 30-quarts in size , fill approx 3/4 with water. Place pot over high heat and then add in your lemons , rock salt , cajun seasoning and crawfish/crab boil and bring to a rolling boil for 5-8 minutes. In a basket add your live crawfish , onions , and potatoes and lower into large pot. Cover pot and boil for 6-8 minutes depending on size of crawfish , add your 2 cans of beer to the boil in the last 2 minutes of cooking time.  Once time is reached cut the fire off and allow the crawfish to soak for 2-3 minutes to increase seasoning and flavor. Remove crawfish and pour crawfish onto platters !

3 Pounds Crawfish Tails
1 bell pepper (minced)
2 onions (minced)
3 garlic cloves (minced)
2 cup celery (minced)
1 can tomatoe sauce
1 can whole tomatoes
1/2 cup oil
cajun seasoning/salt-pepper

Directions:

In a pan saute onions , celery , garlic, and bell pepper until well wilted. (If a thicker sauce is wanted you can make light roux “equal parts flour/oil” at this point to thicken but it is optional and not included in base recipe). Then add in the can of whole tomatoes and tomatoe sauce and dash of cajun seasoning/salt-pepper. Cook down on low heat for about 35-45 minutes. Then add in crawfish tails and cook for an additional 25-30 minutes adjusting seasoning once again to taste. Serve over Rice.

The UL football team’s schedule for the 2009 season was released on Saturday. The Cajuns’ 12-game slate features six home games, beginning with the season opener and ninth annual Herbert Heymann Football Classic on Saturday, Sept. 5 against Division I-AA Southern University.

That game, and the scheduled trip to Nebraska on Sept. 26, will be UL’s first meeting in football with those programs.

In fact, the Southern game marks the first time since 2004 - and the fourth time since 2000 - that the Cajuns will open a football schedule with a home date. The announced schedule also marks the third time in the last four seasons that UL will play six home games.

After two home dates with Southern and Kansas State on Sept. 12 open the schedule, UL will play four Sun Belt Conference games at Cajun Field against North Texas (Oct. 10), Florida Atlantic (Oct. 24), UL Monroe (Nov. 21) and Troy (Nov. 28).

The 2009 season will be the first the Cajuns have opened and closed a schedule with two home games since 1989.

“I like starting the season at home,” UL coach Rickey Bustle said. “It’s going to be a tough three-game stretch that follows, but then we get to return for two of our next three at Cajun Field.

“We’ll have some new faces on the field this season, but I expect our team to compete for the Sun Belt title.”

Following their season-opening homestand with Southern and Kansas State, the Cajuns travel to LSU (Sept. 19), Nebraska (Sept. 26) and Western Kentucky (Oct. 3). The game with the Hilltoppers marks the first Sun Belt Conference football game in WKU history.

Tickets for the LSU game will be available to UL football season-ticket holders on a first-come, first-serve basis. Season-ticket holders will be able to buy as many LSU tickets as they have UL season tickets. Existing ticket holders will be able to renew their tickets with an LSU ticket option. New ticket holders can add the LSU ticket option at the time of purchase.

The addition of WKU to the Sun Belt provides an additional conference game on the schedule. After four straight non-conference games to begin the season, UL plays eight straight against Sun Belt opponents.

The Cajuns return from Bowling Green to play two of the next three games at home. The team hosts North Texas (Oct. 10) and Florida Atlantic (Oct. 24) around a trip to Arkansas State (Oct. 17). The game with FAU will serve as the Cajuns’ 64th homecoming.

After traveling to Miami to face FIU on Halloween, the Cajuns will enjoy an open date the first week of November. The final road game of the season pits UL at Middle Tennessee (Nov. 14).

The Cajuns finish the regular season with a pair of home games against UL Monroe (Nov. 21) and defending Sun Belt champion Troy (Nov. 28).

Television games will not be announced by the Sun Belt until the conference hosts its annual Media Days in July.
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