A few years back my lake neighbor Glen introduced me to his Langostino lobster cheese dip at a Christmas party he hosted, and I got the original dip recipe from him. Glen’s recipe inspired me to make a Cajun rendition because of my time in Louisiana and my love for cooking Cajun food. Although it’s a seafood recipe in title, I thought that the Andouille sausage really gave it some pop and a Cajun flair. I get the Louisiana Crawfish at the Walmart at 369 and 400 and I’m pretty sure you can find the sausage there also. They make three different kinds of sausage, mild, medium and hot. Your call on that but I prefer the mild or medium. The picture above is just about everything I used for the dip, and it makes enough for 10+. I reduce the ingredients to half for a smaller group of 4-6 guests.

Ingredients:

• 1lb of cooked and peeled shrimp
• 2- 12ounce packages of cleaned Louisiana crawfish tails (sautéed for 10 minutes)
• 1 package of Ragin Cajun Andouille sausage
• 1/2 chopped sweet onion.
• 2 8-ounce packages of Philadelphia cream cheese (softened)
• 1/2 tbsp of Old Bay (optional)
• 2 cans of Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilis (drained).
• 12 ounce bag of grated parmesan
• 12 ounce bag of grated mild cheddar cheese
• 1 cup of grated Mexican blend
• Lemon pepper, salt and coarse ground pepper to taste.

Instructions:

First, I preheat the Oven to 375 and sauté the crawfish in the juice from the package for 10 minutes. That gives the crawfish a great flavor. I mix the thawed shrimp in a bowl with the crawfish and that gives the shrimp a good flavor also.

Next comes the sausage cut into quarters and the the rest of the ingredients listed above, stirring as I go. Once everything is mixed, the mixture goes in my deep 9×13 baking dish.

I cover the top with foil and bake the mixture for 45 minutes and transfer it to the crockpot. At that point I stir and serve with scoops.

This is one recipe that doesn’t take a lot of prep time and is a delicious meal for fish camp or deer camp. I make it from time to time and usually we have enough leftovers for sharing with family members. Since we just celebrated thanksgiving, sometimes, I’ll use the leftover turkey or ham instead of a chicken.

Ingredients:

• 1 roasted chicken or 1-2lbs of leftover turkey
• 1/2 stick of melted butter
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup
• 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
• 1 16-ounce bag of mixed vegetables
• 3 cubed softened potatoes
• 2 cans of plain crescent rolls
• salt and pepper to taste

Make sure your vegetables are thawed before mixing and mix all the ingredients above in a large mixing bowl.

I use one of the crescent roll cans and line the bottom of a greased (or Pam) 9×13 baking dish. Spread the chicken mixture evenly on top of the crescent dough.

After spreading the mixture evenly, spread the other can of crescent dough across the top. You may need to stretch it a little to cover the top.

I bake mine at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes uncovered.

Enjoy!!

A few years back I discovered a delicious hashbrown casserole at our local Cracker Barrel restaurant and I just had to start making it myself. This is my version of the recipe and I hope you enjoy it. We’ve prepared it for breakfast as well as a side dish for dinner and holiday meals. Keep in mind that you can vary the amounts to your own liking.

Ingredients:

• 32-ounce bag of thawed hashbrowns
• 1 stick of melted butter
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 chopped sweet onion
• 16 ounces of sour cream
• 3 cups of cheddar cheese
• 1 cup of parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and add all of the ingredients above in a big mixing bowl. I save one cup of the cheddar cheese for the topping. Once I’ve mixed all of the ingredients above in a big bowl, I spray a little Pam on my 9×13 baking dish and transfer the mixture into the baking dish and bake for 40 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!!!

This one is probably a little fattening but that’s what holidays are for. I combined my midwestern chocolate delight recipe with a southern banana cream pudding recipe to make “Choclanana Delight”. I’ve always like bananas and chocolate so why not get them together. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 box of Betty Crocker Pie Crust mix or make a graham cracker crust if you would like
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 8-ounce package of cream cheese softened
• 2 8-ounce tubs of Cool Whip
• 1 large box of instant chocolate pudding
• 2 small boxes of banana cream pudding
• 5 cups milk

Prepare the pie crust using the whole box of pie crust mix and using 4 tbls of cool water and 4 tsps of cool water. Mix thoroughly and create a ball of dough. I used a lot of flour to keep it from sticking to the counter, but I roll it out on a thin bed of flour and flour on my rolling pin. Once I’ve rolled it out I place it in my greased 9X13 baking dish, and a little granulated sugar on top and bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.

Once the crust cools, I mix my first layer of 1 cup powdered sugar, 8 ounces of softened cream cheese and 8 ounces of Cool Whip.

Mix the large box of chocolate pudding with 2 and a half cups of milk and I add a few small chocolate chips to the mixture before spreading it.

Spread chocolate mixture on top of cream cheese mixture and then mix the banana cream pudding using 2 and a half cups of milk.

Spread pudding mixture and spread on top of chocolate mixture and top with sliced bananas.

After the bananas slices are added, top the whole dish with 8 ounces of Cool Whip and garnish with a few more miniature chocolate chips, cover and chill. Serve chilled and enjoy!!

This has been one of my favorites for years. Sometimes I substitute chicken or shrimp for beef. Be sure and adjust the ingredient amounts or ingredients to your liking.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of cooked ground beef (drained)/or cooked chicken
• 10 flour tortillas
• 8 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese
• 8 ounces of Mexican cheese
• 1-2 cans of green enchilada sauce
• 1 can of Rotel diced tomatoes, lime juice and cilantro
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 8 ounces Philadelphia cream cheese
• 1 small can sliced or chopped black olives

Brown hamburger and add chopped onion

In large mixing bowl add drained Rotel

I add 6 ounces of shredded cheese to the mix

I usually just add a couple tablespoons of the green sauce to the mix for flavor

I add a swipe of cream cheese to each tortilla

Add a generous scoop of mix, roll and place in 9×13 baking pan or dish. I usually spray the pan with Pam

Add the remainder of the sauce and top with 8 ounces of cheddar cheese

Add olives to the top

I cover the dish and bake at 375 for 30 minutes and then uncovered for 15 minutes longer before serving

I top mine with sour cream, a little hot queso and serve with a side of refried beans top with the remainder of the Mexican shredded cheese. Enjoy!!

This is another of my old Fish Camp/Deer Camp recipes and I made it yesterday for the Georgia game at Cast Away Cove. Lisa and I were working on the house while watching the game and we both found ourselves going back to the crockpot again and again for more of this delicious dip. It’s pretty meaty, cheesy and addicting, especially watching football on a fall day. Btw, you can replace the ground beef with sausage, venison, chicken or even turn it into a seafood dip with shrimp or Langostino lobster. Here’s my best stab at the amounts as I have never really officially measured anything and I always suggest making changes to the way you like it.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees

Ingredients:

• 1/2-1 pound of cooked ground beef/venison, cooked sausage or cooked chicken
• 2- 8 ounce packages of cream cheese (softened)
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 can of Ro*Tel Dice tomatoes with lime juice and cilantro
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup of chopped andouille sausage (optional)
• I like to throw in a little Old Bay for that southern flair
• salt and pepper to taste

I just mix all of the ingredients listed above in a big mixing bowl and then put it all in my big blue baking dish. I cover and bake the dip for about 25 minutes covered and another 15 minutes uncovered. After I remove it from the oven I transfer it to the crockpot to keep it warm and ready to serve with my favorite, Tostito’s scoops. Enjoy!!

This is a recipe I picked up years ago and I still make it once every few weeks. I’m pretty sure this dish isn’t very health but it’s very delicious and somewhat easy to make. I like to serve it with quartered potatoes and a green vegetable. Here’s the ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of chicken tenders boiled
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup with herbs
• 8 ounces of Velveeta cheese cubed
• 1 can of original crescents
• 1 full soup can of milk
• salt and pepper to taste

I like to boil my potatoes and chicken in the same pot to save time.

Once the chicken is done I set it aside to cool and finish boiling the potatoes. When the chicken has cooled I break it into pieces and start my cheese sauce on very low heat so the sauce doesn’t burn when it thickens. Preheat your over to 375 degrees at this point.

Add a good pinch of chicken to each of the unrolled crescents and continue to stir the cheese sauce. You may need to adjust the added milk to get the perfect thickness for the cheese sauce. Place your chicken crescent rolls in the oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

I guess you can get the picture from here. Enjoy!!

My first memory of gravy was when I was very small and my grandmother would make fried rabbit gravy that she made in an electric skillet. I used to watch her mix the flour with the used grease drippings and then add the milk. She would quarter potatoes and the gravy would be served on top of the potatoes to go with the rabbit. She also made the gravy in that electric skillet for biscuits and gravy in the morning. You may want to play with the ingredients just a bit but here is my best guess at the amount of everything. I just wing it and I don’t measure anything, I just know how much to use.

Ingredients

• 1/2 (6 ounces) package maple flavored sausage (or any flavor sausage you prefer). Note: Use bulk sausage instead of sausage links.
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cup of finely chopped onion (optional) (Lisa doesn’t like the onion) (Not Southern!)
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

Brown the Maple sausage in a non-stick skillet

Add the butter and onion once the sausage is broken down and browned

Add flour and Worcestershire sauce and stir thoroughly

Add milk slowly and continue to stir.

Once it begins to simmer it will thicken. Continue to simmer until desired thickness. If it gets to think I just add a little more milk.

Once desired thickness has been reached, remove heat and pour into a serving dish and pour over your biscuits.

Enjoy!!!

This is a recipe I’ve been wanting to do for a while but didn’t get the pictures I needed till yesterday afternoon when we made the baked beans to go along with our smoked brisket and potato salad for ourselves and our house guests.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of lean ground beef
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 2 large cans of pork and beans 53 ounce (we drain 1 can)
• 6 slices of bacon
• 1/2-1 cup of ketchup
• 1/2 cup of chopped bell pepper (optional)
• 1/2 cup of chopped Vidalia onion
• salt to taste
• course black pepper to taste

1. Brown the hamburger meat, drain and set aside

Finely chop the onion

Prepare the bacon and set aside

place the 2 cans of pork and beans in a aluminum pan for baking.

Add the ground beef, onion, brown sugar and ketchup to the beans

When everything is mixed thoroughly, top with the stripes bacon and bake the mixture uncover at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Ready to serve.

*All of these ingredients and the amounts are subject to your own taste so by all means make adjustments, additions or subtractions to make it to your own liking. This is just a basic potato salad recipe that I created while I lived in New Orleans. I needed a good side dish for fried fish.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 pounds of medium red potatoes, boiled soft and peeled, cut into 1” cubes
• 4 large hard boiled eggs
• 1/2 cup of chopped Vidalia onion
• 2/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup yellow mustard
• 1/4 cup sour cream (optional)
• 2TBS Dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup of dill pickle salad cubes with 3 TBS of dill juice
• salt to taste
• course black pepper to taste
• lemon pepper to taste
• paprika for garnish

Directions:
1. Place potato pieces in a large pot of hot water andBring to a boil. Then simmer until potatoes are just tender. Drain in a colander and give them a quick rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. I included my 4 eggs for the last 15 minutes of boiling time on the potatoes. I let the eggs and potato’s cool for 10-15 minutes before peeling the potatoes and shelling the eggs.

2. I like to hand cut my potato’s into pieces and chop the egg as well while they are still warm. Some folks like to use a potato masher but I like my potato salad with chunks. After chopping the potato’s and eggs I add the chopped onion and I place them in a big glass mixing bowl and place them in the refrigerator for at least an hour to cool and solidify the potato pieces. *This helps hold the potato’s together when you fold in the rest of the ingredients.

3. Next I start adding the remaining ingredients starting with the Mayo and working my way down the list of remaining ingredients stirring after each addition. Season with salt, pepper and lemon pepper to taste. Garnish the top with paprika.

4. I like to cover the bowl with clear plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. As the mixture cools the ingredients tend to blend together and give it more taste.