TAMARA & JAN'S ORIGINAL            RECIPE FOR HOMEMADE                  CAJUN  MAMOU  BOUDIN

Boundin is a French delicacy, made from a pork roast, calves liver,  cooked rice, seasonings, yellow onions & green onions. It is so delicious.  When I worked as a Long Distance Operator @SouthCentralBell Telephone Co. , in Baton Rouge, my co-workers begged me to make some Boudin and sell it to them.  My Sister and I made 30 lbs. of Boudin; it was alot of work, because we did not have a Kitchenaid Mixer with the grinding attachment or the sausage stuffing attachment.  We used an antique, hand cranked grinder, like the one my dear Mom used to use.  We never made Boudin again, after that.  We had developed our own recipe and it was fabulous.
Here, is our recipe* :

8-9 lb. pork shoulder roast , ground up
3 lbs. calves liver, ground up
5 bunches of green onions , chpd.
2 large bell peppers, chpd. very fine
3  ribs of celery, chpd. very fine
3 large yellow onions, chpd. very fine
¼ cup of salt
¼ cup of black pepper
1/3  cup of red cayenne pepper 
1 (2.5 oz.) container of paprika 
13 cups of cooked rice, cooled off   

Purchase sausage casings at a Meat Market or Local Butcher Shoppe .

In a large Magnalite Oval Roaster, brown the ground pork roast and ground liver, and then, add the yellow onion, bell pepper, celery and add seasonings . Once cooked, remove from the heat and mix the cooked rice and the chpd. green onions in . 

You may have to transfer the meat to a very large bowl or a clean ice chest , in order to mix well. 
In a very large bowl, or a clean ice chest, mix all of the 
ingredients listed above, until there are no chunks of rice . 
Cut casings to 28" each, for 1 lb. links.  Use a special stuffing nozzle on a meat grinder, to fill the casings . 

You can freeze the boudin links on a cookie sheet or baking pan for 1 hour , making sure that the links are not touching, then transfer to Ziploc or Hefty freezer bags  . 

💜

 When ready to cook the links, place number of desired frozen links in a pot 

of cool water and place on the stove; heat water/boudin

until the water begins to boil softly, and then, turn down to simmer; simmer for 30 minutes. Drain the water and, using tongs, remove links to a platter ; let sit for 2 minutes so that excess steam can escape.  Cut into bite size pieces or 3" links.  Serve.

My Sis & I made the old fashioned Boudin ; we stuffed the casings with raw meat & veggies & cooked rice , then, froze the
froze the links in ziploc bags .  To be safer , I am instructing you to cook the meat & veggies .  Stores in south Louisiana are now making the Boudin with cooked meat.  It does not affect the taste. It just takes a little bit longer to make. 

Enjoy !
P.S. I have no idea why the Font is going back and forth between 2 styles. 

OLD FASHIONED PEACH COBBLER , CUSTARD STYLE

1 cup Pioneer Biscuit mix
1 lg. can Peaches with the juice
3/4 cup Evaporated Milk
1 cup Sugar

 
(or, if using Fresh Peaches, use  2 cups fresh (fresh tastes best )
Peaches,only ½ cup Evaporated Milk plus,
only ¼ cup sugar )

½ bar of real Butter
1 tsp. Cinnamon
¼ tsp. Vanilla


*Melt the butter. then, pour half of it into a bowl;
leave the other half in a glass Pie Plate __set
aside.  Tilt Pie Plate from side to side, spreading
melted butter around the pan.

Mix all other ingredients in the bowl, including
the peaches, along with the juice.  Pour into the
glass Pie Plate and Bake @350° for 1 hour.

Simply a delicious dessert.
~Enjoy~

  My Headboard that I made from doors

I purchased a brand new , 6 panel door for $25 , a reg.
bi-fold door from a roadside sale, for $5 and I found a
more narrow, bi-fold door near the dumpster at the apts.
I live in; it had 1 hole where the doorknob was ripped out.   I unscrewed 1 door on each bi-fold set and swapped 1 door from each set, so that it would be symetrical.  I mixed some paints but, never could achieve the right color . Here is the result.

I bought some paint at Lowe's , called Robin's Egg and repainted the doors.  It took 2 coats.

I had begun to paint the larger bi-fold door that you see in the left side of the pic .

Here is a close up. 

You can see the contrast of the bird and the doors .
The bird was the original color.

I added a carved , wooden overlay to the center door.



Then, I added a small overlay to cover the hole and1 on the
opposite side , to make it symetrical.




I absolutely love this color.  It is so soothing and calming.
I am painting the overlays, cream color.
When I am done, I will post a pic of the headboard
with the French Duvet Cover that I have in the
first pic.
If you can't afford to buy something in the stores,
try to make it yourself.  It is so rewarding. 

           LITTLE KARYN'S DELICIOUS MEATLOAF

I love this recipe and you will, too .  My roommate gave it to me in 1980. It is my favorite meatloaf recipe of all time.  It freezes well, too.  There are few dishes that are are considered Comfort Foods , that taste better than this one.  I was caught offguard, when I saw that it calls for condensed milk and also, brown sugar, but, after I tasted it, I was sold .  This would be an excellent Sunday Dinner or a special dinner with friends , just add some creamy mashed potatoes and your favorite mac-n-cheese or vegetable and you will make some people feel very special and loved.
Preheat oven to 350° . If you want your meatloaf to be tall, rather than wide, refrigerate your prepared meatloaf until firm, before baking, but, ** be sure to put the chilled dish into a cold oven, and then turn it on, or , you will crack your glass loaf pan.

Meatloaf :
1 ½  lbs. ground Chuck
1 sm. onion, chpd. fine
¼ sm. bellpepper, chpd. fine
½ cup oatmeal
1 lg. egg
¼ cup condensed milk
1 sm. can tomato paste (not sauce)
 salt , pepper & garlic salt

Mix all and shape in a loaf pan or , if using
a metal pan, line with 2 sheets of foil; one crossing
over the other, to prevent having baked-on sauce to scrub off the pan.

Shape the meatloaf in the pan.

Glaze:
1 sm. can tomato sauce
2 Tablespoons of worcestershire sauce
½  cup brown sugar ( I use dark brown sugar)

Mix glaze in a small glass measuring cup .  Poke
holes, in the top of the meatloaf ,every 2 inches.

Pour glaze on top of meatloaf and bake.
Bake for 1 hour @350° .

Enjoy !

My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Got Milk???

Almost everbody I know loves chocolate chip cookies ; very few don't like them.

I am known for my chocolate chip cookies and have been asked by many people for my recipe , men have even asked me for it.

I will share it with you. I used to be able to find chocolate chunks by Hersheys or Nestle' in the grocery store when I lived in Florida. They don't sell them here.
They make fabulous "Chocolate Chunk Cookies" .
Tamars' Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 bar butter
1/2 cup butter flavor Crisco shortening
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
Cream all together.

Add:
2 cups plain flour
1 tsp. baking soda (level teaspoon)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsps. of Pure Vanilla Extract (not imitation)
Beat well til creamed .
Add:
1 Lg. egg

Mix Only until well incorporated.
****Do Not overbeat .
12 oz. bag Nestle' semi-sweet chocolate chips
(I also love Hersheys' and Ghiradelli's )
****Never use something that reads
Chocolate Flavored***it is fake 
and never use carob chips(they taste fake
and gross).
Fold-in the chocolate chips .
Chill first, for best results .

TIP: I use a Med. size ice cream scoop to make the
cookies uniform. It's the Pampered Chef one.
TIP: Do not flatten out your cookie dough balls. It is fabulous. 

Bake cookies on the middle rack of the oven for approximately 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees. They are wonderful. 
Once baked, let cool on the cookie sheet for about 2-3 minutes , then remove to a wire rack to cool. 
I like them a little bit gooey with a glass of ice cold milk.  

I have a medium size Parrot who Loves Cookies and Milk. She doesn't like 
homemade cookies, only Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies. She gets so excited if 
she hears me open the cabinet, or even more so, if she hears me open a bag of
Chips Ahoy . She shreiks at the top of her little lungs,"Cookies??Cookies??",
"Want Cookies??" "Cookies and Milk??" 
I don't let her eat the chocolate chips.
When she is full, she wipes her beak and walks to the back of her cage. She is so funny.

THE MOST DELICIOUS CHICKEN SOUP I HAVE EVER HAD!

I first tasted this wonderful chicken noodle soup at a Soup and Chili luncheon at our church last year. It was so delicious that I chose to skip dessert to have 2nds, after I made sure that everyone had eaten all they wanted. 
It is called Mama Mandolas' Chicken Soup.

MAMA MANDOLAS' CHICKEN SOUP (like Carabas' Restaurant)
Ingredients:
5 celery ribs
4 medium carrots, peeled
1 large yellow onion
2 medium potatoes, peeled
1 large green bell pepper
1 can (14-ounce size) imported Italian plum tomatoes
1 (5-pound size) hen, washed and cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 quarts water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
(the soup I tasted had several shakes of Louisiana Red Hot Sauce in it,but,it wasn't enough to make the soup "hot".)

Dice celery, carrots, onion, potatoes and bell pepper into 1/4-inch pieces. Chop tomatoes; reserve all juice. Place vegetables, tomatoes with their juice, chicken pieces, parsley and garlic in a 10-quart stockpot. Add water. Season with salt and pepper. Slowly bring soup to a boil over low heat. Skim off foam that rises to the surface; may have to skim 2 or 3 times. Partially cover pot and simmer 2 hours. When soup is finished, remove chicken pieces with a slotted spoon. Let cool. 

Meanwhile, mash a little bit of the vegetables**(if you desire the soup to be a little bit thicker) in the bottom of the pot with the back side of a large cooking spoon or a potato masher. When chicken has cooled enough to handle, remove skin and bones and chop into bite-size pieces, then return meat to soup.   Enjoy!

Notes: Soup is best served the day after it is made. Refrigerate and remove fat that solidifies on the surface of the soup. Serve soup with rice or small, stubby pasta such as Farfale(mini bowties),pastina or tubetti. For better flavor,pratially cook the rice or pasta,drain well,then finish cooking the rice or pasta in the soup when reheating. You may need to add a little bit of chicken broth or chicken bouillion cubes to sustain the flavor of the soup. Add freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, if desired.

This recipe from CDKitchen for Carrabba's "Mama Mandola's Chicken Soup" makes 1 .5 gallons

********You can add corn and sweet peas,and maybe even short-cut green beans,and small white navy beans just to increase the volume.********
I know that you will enjoy this soup. 

THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A BOWL OF HEARTY BEEF STEW!

THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A BOWL OF HEARTY BEEF STEW!

I used to cook lunch for our small church school and I developed this recipe for Beef Stew which everyone loved. I serve it over rice with hot, buttered cornbread 

BEEF STEW RECIPE 

1 3-5 lb. beef Shoulder Roast, seasoned
TONY CHACHERIE'S CREOLE SEASONING 
GARLIC POWDER
OIL for searing the roast
Season Roast and brown on all sides over high heat in a heavy Magnalite Pot,
then, reduce heat to low and pour 1-2 cups water around the roast.
Add:

2 envelopes of LIPTON BEEFY ONION dry soup mix 
Sprinkle over the roast.
1 very large Onion, chopped fine
Spread chopped onion over the roast 
Let simmer for 2-3 hours on low. 
Remove roast to a platter, trim any fat and cut meat into large chunks and refrigerate overnite. 
Remove fat from pot after chilling overnight and discard. 
Cut meat into bite size pieces and add 2 more cups of water and cook on Med. High.
Add:
2-3 envelopes of Brown Gravy Mix and
1 cup cold water
Stir until dissolved. 
Add to the pot and stir while adding.
Meanwhile, peel and chop potatoes and carrots, as many as desired,and boil until almost tender. 
***Parboiling the potatoes and carrots in another pot cuts down on the gassiness 
of the potatoes.***
Drain vegetables after parboi;ing and add to the pot of beef. 
Boil the stew on high, stirring constantly,until thickened. 
Serve over rice. 
Serve with cornbread.
***The Beef Stew will taste even better after refrigerating it for one or two days before serving it.***

Enjoy!