Thanksgiving Boudin Stuffing

If you have been following along, I just finished my recap of the hubby and I's adventures in Barcelona. First, I am not sure I mentioned it before but the hubby and I went to Spain to celebrate our two year anniversary.

He's pretty excited about us being married for two years...hahaha. We took a sleeper train from Barcelona to Granada -- an 11 hour trip. The concept of a sleeper train was much cooler in my head then it actually ended up being. But it was nice to sleep while traveling to our next destination.

We visited the Catedral de Granada. This was one of the prettiest cathedrals we saw, from the bottom to the top. Absolutely breathtaking.

We also went to Alcaiceria, which was a shopping area that used to be an old silk market. Super cool!

But the best was an all day trip to Alhambra. We roamed the beautiful gardens and grounds surrounding Alhambra as well. And the view from the castle was stunning.

And we continued enjoying lots of yumminess. The hubby finally got to enjoy horchata, while I enjoyed all the goodies offered in local bakeries.

And then we said bye to Granada. Definitely one of my two favorite places in Spain. If you ever go to Spain, this city is definitely worth visiting :)

Last year, I hosted Thanksgiving dinner for my sister and cousin. Justin, his girlfriend Kadi, Luke and Sophia also came by. I cooked up a storm and got us a deep fried Cajun turkey. I could not fry a turkey myself, as I live in an apartment. This year, I want to share some of my favorite recipes in my one week countdown to TURKEY DAY! Gobble Gobble!

Since I am married to my wonderful Cajun country boy, not only did I pick up a deep fried Cajun turkey, but I decided to make a boudin stuffing because he loves boudin. If you do too, you should see my other boudin recipes I have shared. My sister and cousin have never had boudin before so I thought this would be a great way to introduce them to it. Everyone loves stuffing, but adding boudin just makes it even better :) Check it out!

 

THANKSGIVING BOUDIN STUFFING

Adapted from Savory Sweet Life

 

INGREDIENTS

 Preheat Oven to 350F Degrees

4 tbsp. of butter

1 medium onion chopped 

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground sage

1 tsp. dry thyme 

4 links of boudin 

10 c. of unseasoned bread cubes 

1 1/2 c. of broth (chicken or vegetable)

1 egg, whisked

DIRECTIONS

Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions, salt, sage and thyme until onions are slightly browned, translucent and fragrant. Add in the filling of the boudin (remove from casing), mixing until warmed. Turn off heat and add bread cubes. Gently fold the bread cubes into the onion-boudin mixture. Continuing folding in the bread cubes while also slowly pouring the broth and egg over the cubes making sure the broth and egg are evenly incorporated throughout the stuffing mixture.  Be gentle, as the cubes may break apart.

Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Pour uncooked stuffing into the baking dish and bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy,

Boudin Stuffed Red Peppers

I have enjoyed every blissful moment of this holiday vacation. I always knew graduate school would be hard. I mean, I did get my masters degree in 2 years while working full time. So I thought, naively, that I could handle a doctoral program. But I had no idea how different it would be. The never ending hours, how it takes over your life, constantly working, always feeling tired, constantly thinking your behind and never ever catching up. And let me tell you, feeling like that all the time can really wear on a person. And it has definitely worn me down. So this break was definitely a needed mental health break. A time for me to get back to things I love: spending time with the hubby, Ninja and my family. Sleeping in, sleeping late and taking naps. Watching endless hours of TV on Netflix :) Hey, my desires are simple but it has been SO NICE!

You are probably wondering why in the world would a person continue with school if this is how it feels. Well, I think that all doctoral programs are hard and if you don't feel like you are going to break, then you probably are not doing it right (i.e., working hard enough). Plus, I am sooo close, just one more year. Also, I have a wonderful hubby and adorable Ninja face to come home to....two boys that make every bad day so much better! Most of all, I LOVE working and helping children. I started off thinking that the only way I wanted to do this was to become a clinical psychologist and do not get me wrong...I so plan on pursing it. But I have learned so many facets of that job -- therapy, assessment, teaching, research ... and I have come to love all of it...so it helps...and keeps me going!

I know I have said this several times but the hubby is Cajun and he introduced me to boudin. My favorite Cajun food (though I pretty much love it all). I always try to find cool ways to incorporate boudin into food. Like my Boudin Pizza. I wanted to do another stuffed pepper recipe since my Sante Fe peppers were a big hit. How did I get to boudin + stuffed peppers. Well I randomly like to Google food ideas to see what inspires me. And I saw these pepper bowls vs. how I did stuffed peppers before (slicing them in half) and I had just bought some boudin....viola...and there hatched my devious plan ;)

BOUDIN STUFFED PEPPERS

Adapted from Boudin Link

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 325F Degrees

4 large bell peppers
6-8 links of Boudin
10 oz. can of Rotel w/ green chiles 
3/4 c. of grated Parmesan cheese
Salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning to taste

DIRECTIONS 

To prepare peppers, wash and cut off tops. Remove the ribs and seeds of peppers with a knife or spoon. If the peppers do not sit up on their own, cut the bottom slightly so it sits flat. Place each pepper in a greased muffin pan. Sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese into the bottom of each pepper. Set aside.

In  a skillet over medium heat, cook boudin (removed from casing) until cooked through and warm. Season with salt, pepper and cajun seasoning (I use Tony Chachere's). Fold in Rotel (serving 1/4 of the can to sprinkle on top).  Fill each peppers with boudin mixture. Sprinkle remaining tomatoes over peppers and top with grated Parmesan cheese. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until peppers are tender.

Enjoy,
Chika

Boudin Pizza

It's raining, it's pouring...the old man is snoring :) Hahaha...it is pouring in College Station today, which really equals a sad, sad Ninja who looks out of the window longingly-- with hopes of going to the dog park. I think the thunder must have upset him while we were gone today, because when I came home, my normally very well behaved Ninja, decided to tear up a throw pillow. I entered to see my housed filled with fluffy snow stuffing, everywhere. I knew he did something wrong, because instead of having my sweet Ninja face greet me, I instead had my naughty Ninja face hiding underneath the coffee table. Ninja spent some time in his time out corner. He was too ashamed to even look at the camera ;) Have you seen those pet shame pictures? That's what this picture reminded me of.

I am back in the cooking game. I really like cooking tons of meals in advance so that even on days that I am exhausted or just busy, that I will still have recipes to share. Well, this week is pretty niffty in that, not only do I have some opportunities to make meals for the hubby like I normally do, but it is also Ninja's Birthday coming up (I KNOW! My baby is turning 3!) so I am going to make pupcakes for the puppies (to add to my puppy love collection) and cupcakes for the humans ;) I LOVE when I have extra opportunities to make desserts! Going back to what For the Love of Dessert is all about! :) I may have also bought some other ingredients to make a trifle so I can use the trifle bowl set the hubby bought me for my birthday (never made a trifle before- so I am excited). Stay tuned for these yummy recipes, lets cross our fingers and hope they come out well!

Well- it is no secret that the hubby is from Louisiana. One of my favorite foods that the hubby introduced to me from his neck of the woods was Boudin. I LOVE IT! (And if you watch Duck Dynasty, they do too!) I could not get enough of it! I actually gotten some authentic Boudin for the hubby on Valentine's Day!  Anywhoo, usually I get my recipes from searching on-line and seeing what stands out to me-- and then slightly adapting it to fit my preference/ingredients.

But this time time, I was so proud of myself. I completely "invented" a recipe in my head, and it was so different that I could not even find a recipe for it anywhere on the internet! I saw that a pizza company tried to do it- but they did not share their recipe and I think they discontinued it. You know what?! It came out awesome! It was such an interesting twist to an already yummy food! And I may be enjoying a slice right now ;) I really think you all should try this recipe! It is super fun-- I mean who does not love Pizza and its topped with something delicious! Oh- it is a white sauce based pizza- not marinara sauce.

BOUDIN PIZZA

Pizza Crust adapted from CDK Kitchen 

Cream Sauce adapted from food.com

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 375F Degrees

FOR THE CRUST
1 1/3 c. warm water
1/4 c. non-fat dry milk
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 c. flour
1 (4oz) package dry yeast
2 tbsp. olive oil

FOR THE SAUCE
2 tbsp. butter
1 1/2 tbsp. garlic
1 c. milk
3 tbsp. flour
1/2 c. grated Parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

FOR THE TOPPING
3 links of boudin (sold in the sausage section)
14 oz. bag of three pepper and onion blend, thawed and dried
1/4 c. grated Parmesan

DIRECTIONS

For the Crust:
In a small bowl combine warm water, dry milk, salt, and yeast. Whisk together and let sit for 3-5 minutes (until it begins to bubble at the top), then add in oil and allow to sit for another minute. Then in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with dough hook- mix into 3 c. of flour.  Slowly add in the last c. until the dough comes together. If it is too dry add more warm water or if too wet add more flour. Place in large bowl coated with cooking spray and cover. Allow to sit for 1-2 hours. When dough has risen, "punch" dough to deflate. Cut dough in half, wrap one of the halves in saran wrap, and freeze for future use. Grease pizza pan.  Roll remaining dough (the half not frozen) onto a 12 inch pizza pan. Poke holes in crust with fork and brush dough with olive oil. Bake for 5-10 minute until begins to bubble slightly on top. Remove from oven.

For the Sauce:

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add garlic and saute until brown and fragrant. Mix in milk and flour (see this recipe to find out how to add flour without creating clumps before adding in milk) and whisk well until incorporated. Finally stir in Parmesan cheese as well as salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to simmer so that sauce does not thicken too much. 

For Topping and making Pizza:

Cut boudin links into medallions. 

Spread sauce over the surface of the dough with the back of a large spoon (spoon the sauce in the middle of the pizza and spread by making larger, and larger circular motions--moving outward). Then evenly cover pizza with three pepper and onion blend, as well as boudin medallions. Finally garnish with Parmesan cheese. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes until crust is golden brown. 

Enjoy,
Chika