Past Episodes
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This week: 2010 Woodlawn High Tailgate Throwdown Cookoff
We talk to Norman Browning about Woodlawn's favorite fundraiser, then to all the cooks about their dishes: Doug Prejean (Roast pig), Mike Tramonte (Tramonte's, bacon wrapped steak bundles), Tim Godso (MBS Men's Club, Catfish Courtbouillon), Robbie Magee (MBS Men's Club, Fried Surf & Turf), Darren Coates (Krewe of Orion, Fried Fish), Mike Alfandre (Mason's Grill, Pulled Pork Cajun Burgers), Joe Harris (Smoked Chicken), Gordon Richardson (Braised Brisket), Jason Federic (Cajun J's, Babyback Ribs). Who will the winner be? It was all good!!
This week: Summer produce! Purple hull peas, pattypan squash, peppers, peaches and more...
Marissa heads out to cook with Sue McDonald (Keller Williams First Choice). Sue fries up some speckled trout and Marissa makes some purple hull peas with shrimp and andouille. When the peas are done, we use them as a stuffing for squash and fresh peppers. Then we poach some peaches in nectar and Firefly Peach Tea Vodka, then serve them over ice cream.
Sue shows us two houses, one in Old Dutchtown and one on Roddy Road in Gonzales. For more information, call Sue at (225) 806-5053.
For the recipes:
See them here:
This week: Creative Cajun Cooking
Jimmy Babin shows us his mobile kitchen in St. Amant. Jimmy is the creator of Magic Swamp Dust and a whole line of cajun blends: Gator Wing Batter, Seafood Boil, Etouffee Mix, and Back Porch Fish Fry. Creative Cajun Cooking is a go-anywhere mobile catering company that can cook for a handful of people or dang near a whole town! He's also got a giant, fun facility on the Diversion Canal that's great for any size party. Go to www.CreativeCajunCooking.com for more information and a list of stores that carry his products. He's got some fantastic gift baskets that include his products and Justin Wilson seasonings and sauces. We just created a Facebook page for Creative Cajun Cooking - you can "like" him there too!
Watch the cooking we did right here:
This week: Summer produce! Purple hull peas, pattypan squash, peppers, peaches and more...
Marissa heads out to cook with Sue McDonald (Keller Williams First Choice). Sue fries up some speckled trout and Marissa makes some purple hull peas with shrimp and andouille. When the peas are done, we use them as a stuffing for squash and fresh peppers. Then we poach some peaches in nectar and Firefly Peach Tea Vodka, then serve them over ice cream.
Sue shows us two houses, one in Old Dutchtown and one on Roddy Road in Gonzales. For more information, call Sue at (225) 806-5053.
For the recipes:
This week's show: Boiled shrimp, Shrimp & Andouille gyoza, Shumai
Michele Munson, Keller Williams 1st Choice, shows us a great house for sale in Fountain Hill that has a fabulous outdoor living area so we grab some goodies and get cooking! Michele shows us her favorite version of peel-n-eat shrimp that's super simple. Just boil some shrimp in crab boil, drain when they're done. Cover them with Old Bay seasoning and refrigerate overnight. Done! Marissa takes some of the shrimp to make some dim sum. She combines the shrimp with Veron's andouille and Asian seasonings and fills won ton wrappers with the mixture. They can be done as gyoza or shu mai. Either way, it's delicious and can be done in foil packs on the grill! For more info on the gorgeous house we were cooking in, call Michele Munson at (225) 247-7449 or go to www.MicheleMunson.com.
For the recipes, click here:
This week's show: The Daly's outdoor kitchen, Shish Kabobs, Crab Dip, Crawfish & Corn Egg Rolls
One of our sponsors, Kevin Boudreaux (KTB Properties) just finished building a gorgeous outdoor kitchen for Nelson and Sally Daly. We just had to check it out. Nelson made some wonderful shish kabobs and crab dip. Marissa has been experimenting with recipes and has a great one for leftover crawfish from a boil: crawfish & corn egg rolls. To see more pics of the project, go to www.KTBProperties.com.
For the recipes:
This week's show: Milton's spaghetti, Squirrel hunting
Now, this show also features some of the best squirrel hunting we've ever had. Milton & Ed head to Vicksburg with Susie and Sandy, the squirrel dogs. Along for the hunt are Les Allen and Mark Delaune, the property owner. They kill 34 squirrels over the weekend and have a great time out in the woods.
This week: Back to Basics
Marissa's in the kitchen, getting back to basics. We've had lots of requests for gumbo recipes lately, so we'll show you one that's good right out of the pot - no waiting until the next day. We love cooking with stocks because of the homemade flavor that you just can't get from plain water. So, we have a rich, roasted chicken stock, a beef stock with velvety red wine and a shrimp stock that we use in Shrimp & Corn Bisque. Then, of course, we have the gumbo.
VIDEO: Stocks Part One
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VIDEO: Shrimp & Corn Bisque
VIDEO: Chicken & Sausage Gumbo
This week's show: Keller Williams First Choice Grand Opening, Veron's new labels, Tacos al pastor
Outdoors: We head to the grand opening of the Prairieville office of Keller Williams First Choice where Sue McDonald and Patricia Odom show us around. Find out more about it at www.KellerWilliamsAscension.com. While we're there, Buggy LeMoine of Veron Foods shows us the new labels coming soon to Veron's and Martin's products. Same great sausage, new look. www.VeronFoods.com.
Kitchen: Marissa cooks up a Cinco de Mayo recipe, tacos al pastor. Marinated, grilled pork tacos with grilled pineapple, sliced red onion and cilantro. So good! For a side, we make Jazzmen (Louisiana jasmine) rice with a can of black beans and some Martin's hot sausage right off the grill. For the recipes: Tacos al pastor
Venice Charters, Bounce N' Around, Redfish with pesto sauce
Outdoors: Capt. Brent Roy (Venice Charters) takes us out for some stellar trout and redfishing. Franklin went with Ed Beard (Ed's Shenandoah Hardware) and caught a limit of 75 trout before 9:30am! Oh, and don't forget those tasty redfish - which Marissa cooks up pronto! For charter and accomodation information, call Capt. Brent Roy, (225) 268-8420.
Kitchen: Marissa cooks up the redfish with a quick and simple pesto sauce and serves it over pasta. To go with it, we have golden brown crab toast and bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with andouille and cheese. Don't like dates? Try it with roasted bell peppers - it sent Franklin over the moon. Our sponsor, Jack LeBlanc (Bounce N' Around) liked them so much, he stuck around for a while to eat (and bring home all the leftovers)! He also gave us a great lagniappe deal: $20 off any weekend inflatable rental, $35 off inflatable rentals Monday - Friday, available only at Bounce N' Around (225) 647-9996. Tell Jack you saw him on TV for the discount!!
Recipes:
This week's show: Royal Red Shrimp, Veron's sausage
We head off to a beautiful outdoor kitchen in Hammond to hang out and cook with Steven "Buggy" LeMoine, Veron Foods. He brings some homegrown snap beans and potatoes to cook with pickled pork. If you haven't tried pickled pork in your beans, you really should. It's a boneless ham that isn't smoked, is 90% lean and adds incredible flavor to a homemade pot of any kind of beans. He also brings along a pack of Martin's Hot Sausage (my favorite) to make kolaches. Better than a hot dog-stuffed pig-in-a-blanket, these kolaches have great flavor and tender crusts. Marissa goes the easy route: grilling fresh Royal Red Shrimp from Cajun Catch in Gonzales and serving them with a 4-ingredient dipping sauce. For dessert? Satsuma Cheesecake that's out of this world (and requires no baking)!!
For the recipes:
For more about Veron Foods: www.VeronFoods.com
You can find all the Veron's and Martin's products at Ralph's Market, (Jones Creek, Gonzales, Pelican Point)
This week's show: Squirrel hunting & Camp Crawfish Jambalaya
Milton Valentine & Ed Beard take us out to the woods for their first squirrel hunt of the year. They bring along Susie & Sandy (awesome squirrel dogs), several friends and a whole mess of kids. All the boys (young and old) have a great time. Milton makes a giant pot of crawfish jambalaya and another pot of field peas with tasso.
This week's show: Cooler foods, Legacy Hills
Marissa makes some yummy stuff to throw in a cooler for a picnic lunch. First, an eggless chicken salad wrapped in lettuce leaves. Then, a spicy shrimp wrap with avocado aioli. For dessert, winesicles. That's right, popsicles made from wine: a sangria and also a Pinot Grigio blended with pears. So good!!
Lonnie Roussel (Keller Williams First Choice) shows us a beautiful home in Legacy Hills. We take a tour, then eat out on the patio. For more about the house, click here: www.LonnieRoussel.com. Give Lonnie a call whether you're buying or selling. Cell: (225) 284-6010, Office: (225) 744-0044
For the recipes:
This week: DEMCO'S Big Buck Contest, squirrel hunting in Fayette
We start off at DEMCO's headquarters in Central where Ronnie Corkern tells us about the event, shows us how to score antlers, and announces the winners. All of DEMCO's families are invited to participate and the best part is watching the kids take away some big prizes! Andy Rushing reveals his technique for jambalaya and Randy Rushing gives us a hearty spaghetti recipe with chicken, pork, and sausage.
Then we head out to the woods in Fayette, Mississippi, where Ed Beard, Milton Valentine, and Colt Valentine go squirrel hunting with their secret weapons - Susie and Sandy the squirrel dogs. The guys have a successful hunt and a great time. We're glad we get to be there for their traditional February hunts!
This week: New specials at Val's Marina
Val's Marina has re-opened after their small kitchen fire. Since the folks at Val's have made some new budget-friendly specials, we took a ride out to Maurepas to check them out. Anthony Gregoire and Cody Hanna cooked practically everything on the menu for us. Here's the highlights:
Tu/We/Th (all day): Overstuffed shrimp poboy $7.99, 1/2 poboy + gumbo/soup $9.99, $9.99 plate menu offers your choice of fish, shrimp, oysters, frog legs, crawfish pie and more.
Tuesday night date night special: 2 for $20 (includes 1 appetizer and 2 entrees)
Wednesday night kid's night: Kids eat for $5.99 with adult meal
Thursday night: Surf & Turf (14 oz ribeye with shrimp, fish or oysters) $16.99, AYCE Shrimp & Fish $18.99
New appetizer: Cebo's Shrimp Trinkets $6
Call (225) 695-6538 for Val's 2 Geaux (everything from the cocktail sauce to catering a crowd)
This week's show: Squirrel hunting & Camp Crawfish Jambalaya
Milton Valentine & Ed Beard take us out to the woods for their first squirrel hunt of the year. They bring along Susie & Sandy (awesome squirrel dogs), several friends and a whole mess of kids. All the boys (young and old) have a great time. Milton makes a giant pot of crawfish jambalaya and another pot of field peas with tasso.
This week's show:
Chicken Fried Ribeye - Kevin Boudreaux (KTB Properties) had a great idea one day while eating a lackluster chicken fried steak with white gravy. What if you used really good meat, like a ribeye? What if the gravy had real cream and lobster in it? Then he hit the kitchen. The result? Wow. It's a chicken fried ribeye with lobster cream sauce and it's probably our favorite recipe ever.
For more info on KTB Properties (and what they can build for you), call (225) 622-2600.
Party Foods - Robyn Holifield (Keller Williams First Choice) is showcasing a great little neighborhood in Gonzales that has tons of NOLA charm. Since even the kitchen screams "Big Easy", we decided to bring you some party foods. Chicken wings are a must at every party and we do some of those, but for real flair we blacken some spicy scallops and serve them with creamy guacamole and crunchy bacon bits for a party appetizer out of this world! Robyn also shows us an easy banana pudding that could be topped with a dark chocolate chip fleur de lis, perfect for your black & gold celebration.
This week: New specials at Val's Marina
Since the folks at Val's have made some new budget-friendly specials, we took a ride out to Maurepas to check them out. Anthony Gregoire and Cody Hanna cooked practically everything on the menu for us. Here's the highlights:
Tu/We/Th (all day): Overstuffed shrimp poboy $7.99, 1/2 poboy + gumbo/soup $9.99, $9.99 plate menu offers your choice of fish, shrimp, oysters, frog legs, crawfish pie and more.
Tuesday night date night special: 2 for $20 (includes 1 appetizer and 2 entrees)
Wednesday night kid's night: Kids eat for $5.99 with adult meal
Thursday night: Surf & Turf (14 oz ribeye with shrimp, fish or oysters) $16.99, AYCE Shrimp & Fish $18.99
New appetizer: Cebo's Shrimp Trinkets $6
Call (225) 695-6538 for Val's 2 Geaux (everything from the cocktail sauce to catering a crowd)
1/25/09: Lite Recipes for the New Year
Tons of stuff for you in this show! First, we head to Ralph's Market on Jones Creek Road in Baton Rouge to show you the new pharmacy. Pharmacist Bert Blanchard introduces himself to the viewers and talks about how easy it is to transfer prescriptions to their new location. Then, I grab some groceries and head home to show you a recipe I've been working on since New Year's. Let me just say, I HATE boiled cabbage. But I LOVE this version of stuffed cabbage rolls! I reduced the fat and poured on the flavor. This stuffing would be great with any stuffed vegetable from bell peppers to eggplants. I've also got a light version of my favorite Fettuccine Alfredo that has no butter or cream. I've got Lonnie Roussel and Patricia Odom (Keller Williams First Choice) to taste it for me. We cook in a kitchen that's on the market right now and have a good time showing it to you. The pasta was great too!
Recipes:
Ralph's Pharmacy, Jones Creek (225) 214-0133
Keller Williams First Choice (225) 744-0044
For info on the house we featured, click on the picture.
Ralph's Market, Pelican Point
We take a little trip down Highway 44 to the new Ralph's Market at Pelican Point. We take over the deli kitchen (which is like a restaurant kitchen!) and cook up some yummy stuff. Mickey LeMoine shows how they do shrimp and butter beans in Lutcher and Buggy LeMoine shows us his pork pastalaya. We get Ronnie Trosclair about the design of the new store and get tours from managers Brandon Trosclair and Heath Waguespack.
And don't forget: it's KING CAKE SEASON and Ralph's Market has the best ones (fillings baked inside the cake and no crumbly sugar everywhere!) Cakes can be custom made in lots of designs (think Super Bowl team colors for your party!)
For more info about Ralph's Market: www.RalphsAG.com or call (225) 473-1004.
Ralph's King Cakes:
This week's show: Val's oysters, Youth Hunt '09
First, we head to Val's Marina in Maurepas (225-695-6538) for oysters. They serve them raw (Thursday night 35¢ raw oyster special), grilled with spinach & artichoke or lagniappe topping, or fried with lagniappe sauce. We also love their Bloody Marys!
Of course, oysters are a Louisiana tradition in the cooler months, as is heading to the deer woods for a little hunting. We head to Last Chance Hunting Club for Youth Hunt weekend. Carlos Braud (World Champ Jambalaya Cook) cooks a jambalaya over a wood fire. His father-in-law, Carbett Bercegeay makes white beans with pickled pork to go with it.
This week's show: Holiday recipes
Marissa hangs out with some sponsors and checks out some of their favorite holiday recipes. First, we go to Kevin Boudreaux's house (KTB Properties) to cook a turtle soup. Kevin catches and cleans his own turtles, but if you're not that Cajun, you can get cleaned turtle meat from Cajun Catch Seafood in Gonzales.
Then we head to Sue McDonald's house (Keller Williams First Choice 225-744-0044) for some holiday cookies. She makes Chocolate Cappuccino Biscotti and Chocolate Cayenne cookies. Marissa brings over a Who Dat King Cake and some Kahlua Spiced Holiday 'Nog that was great with coffee. Find Kahlua and King Cakes of any color and filling at Ralph's Market (www.RalphsAG.com). Call ahead for custom orders.
For the recipes:
This week's show: Royal Red Shrimp, Veron's sausage
We head off to a beautiful outdoor kitchen in Hammond to hang out and cook with Steven "Buggy" LeMoine, Veron Foods. He brings some homegrown snap beans and potatoes to cook with pickled pork. If you haven't tried pickled pork in your beans, you really should. It's a boneless ham that isn't smoked, is 90% lean and adds incredible flavor to a homemade pot of any kind of beans. He also brings along a pack of Martin's Hot Sausage (my favorite) to make kolaches. Better than a hot dog-stuffed pig-in-a-blanket, these kolaches have great flavor and tender crusts. Marissa goes the easy route: grilling fresh Royal Red Shrimp from Cajun Catch in Gonzales and serving them with a 4-ingredient dipping sauce. For dessert? Satsuma Cheesecake that's out of this world (and requires no baking)!!
For the recipes:
For more about Veron Foods: www.VeronFoods.com
You can find all the Veron's and Martin's products at Ralph's Market, (Jones Creek, Gonzales, Pelican Point)
This week's show: Val's oysters, Youth Hunt '09
First, we head to Val's Marina in Maurepas (225-695-6538) for oysters. They serve them raw (Thursday night 35¢ raw oyster special), grilled with spinach & artichoke or lagniappe topping, or fried with lagniappe sauce. We also love their Bloody Marys!
Of course, oysters are a Louisiana tradition in the cooler months, as is heading to the deer woods for a little hunting. We head to Last Chance Hunting Club for Youth Hunt weekend. Carlos Braud (World Champ Jambalaya Cook) cooks a jambalaya over a wood fire. His father-in-law, Carbett Bercegeay makes white beans with pickled pork to go with it.
Week of 11/20/09: Cooking with the guys, Fishing with the Marsh Rat
Outdoors: Capt. Chad Billiot (www.MarshRatGuideService, 985-637-5058) takes my brother-in-law, Jessie Thompson, and his son Joey out trout and redfishing in the marshes out of Golden Meadow. The wind was howling, but the Pogeaux Pop (www.BayouBuckLures.com) corks helped them bring in lots of trout and several nice reds. For a trip with The Marsh Rat, contact Capt. Chad Billiot: www.MarshRatGuideService, 985-637-5058.
Kitchen: Dr. Gray Bailey (Absolute Quality Care Family Dentistry) and his buddy, Leroy Laiche, an attorney in Prairieville show us some of their favorite recipes. Dr. Bailey makes an egg salad with eggs from the chickens on his farm and puts it on top of tomatoes topped with baby spinach, mozzarella cheese and basil pesto. Leroy Laiche makes a shrimp and squash dish in a cast iron pot. Marissa soaks some blueberries in merlot and serves it with cake and whipped cream.
Recipes:
Pig Roast Graduation Party/Bowfishing trip
Milton Valentine shows us how to prep and roast a whole hog in a "cajun microwave." First, they make slits for onions, garlic and green onions and then inject it with marinade using Charlie's Quick Shot Injector. That little gadget saved a ton of time! It's a pressurized injector system, so no pushing and pulling on a plunger or breaking needles in the hog's hide. They cover the prepped hog with seasoning and then let it marinate for 2 days in a walk-in cooler. On the day of the party, Milton makes giant pots of jambalaya and white beans. The hog goes in the microwave early in the morning and is done early that afternoon. Milton's boys keep careful watch over the firepit and help turn it at the halfway point. For tips on hog roasting, please watch our online videos.
As a graduation gift for his son Colt, Milton takes him bowfishing with Marsh Masters Guide Service. The airboat and wind noise made for rough filming, but we got lots of fish on tape. For information on bowfishing, contact Capt. Dan Bryan at Marsh Masters (985) 396-2980. Marsh Masters offers coastal and rig fishing as well as accomodations. www.MarshMasters.com
Week of 11/9/09: Royal Red Shrimp, Veron's sausage
We head off to a beautiful outdoor kitchen in Hammond to hang out and cook with Steven "Buggy" LeMoine, Veron Foods. He brings some homegrown snap beans and potatoes to cook with pickled pork. If you haven't tried pickled pork in your beans, you really should. It's a boneless ham that isn't smoked, is 90% lean and adds incredible flavor to a homemade pot of any kind of beans. He also brings along a pack of Martin's Hot Sausage (my favorite) to make kolaches. Better than a hot dog-stuffed pig-in-a-blanket, these kolaches have great flavor and tender crusts. Marissa goes the easy route: grilling fresh Royal Red Shrimp from Cajun Catch in Gonzales and serving them with a 4-ingredient dipping sauce. For dessert? Satsuma Cheesecake that's out of this world (and requires no baking)!!
For the recipes:
For more about Veron Foods: www.VeronFoods.com
You can find all the Veron's and Martin's products at Ralph's Market, (Jones Creek, Gonzales, Pelican Point)
Week of 11/1/09:
Youth Hunt Weekend 2008: We head out to the woods to let the kids have their chance for this year's deer. Oh, and the cooking was beyond fantastic! Carlos Braud (Jambalaya Fest 2000 Champ, 2006 AND 2008 Champ of Champs) cooks a Deer Sauce Piquant over a wood fire. Does it get any better? It really satisfies the "Louisiana" in you to watch somebody cook in a 100 year old cast iron pot over a wood fire. Who cares if we were actually in Mississippi? For his recipe, click here: Deer Sauce Piquant
Now, as if that wasn't good enough, Carlos' daughter-in-law, Kristen Braud (2008 Sorrento Boucherie Fest Champion, 2009 Champ of Champs) cooks a whole kettle of fresh cracklins. She starts with 80 pounds of pork rind and ends up with a big pot of heaven!! For tips on cooking cracklins, click here: Cracklins
To get your hands on some of the stuff you saw on the show:
Congratulations to all our Youth Hunters: Alexis Guedry, Brooke Everett, Jensen and Jacie Ortego, Dylan and Dawson Brock, Zach Boudreaux and William Armstrong
Week of 10/25/09: Squirrel Gumbo
Outdoors: Milton Valentine (Valentine & LeBlanc, Inc.) and Ed Beard (Ed's Shenandoah Hardware) go squirrel hunting on Joe Garrett's land at Raccourci Island with Susie and Sandy, Milton's squirrel dogs. They have a pretty good hunt, too! Then they head to Slaughter, Louisiana, for a rabbit hunt with Randy Guidroz's rabbit dogs out in the cane. They bag 3 rabbits and they have plenty meat for a gumbo. They also had a pretty good time, judging by the outtakes.
Kitchen: Milton makes his squirrel and okra gumbo over at Charlie Record's office in Baton Rouge. Record & Associates Construction is a new sponsor and was happy to lend us their outdoor kitchen. Milton, Charlie, Ed and the boys have a good time cookin' and cuttin' up. Milton even sings for his supper at the end!
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Week of 10/19/09: Venice Charters, Bounce N' Around, Redfish with pesto sauce
Outdoors: Capt. Brent Roy (Venice Charters) takes us out for some stellar trout and redfishing. Franklin went with Ed Beard (Ed's Shenandoah Hardware) and caught a limit of 75 trout before 9:30am! Oh, and don't forget those tasty redfish - which Marissa cooks up pronto! For charter and accomodation information, call Capt. Brent Roy, (225) 268-8420.
Kitchen: Marissa cooks up the redfish with a quick and simple pesto sauce and serves it over pasta. To go with it, we have golden brown crab toast and bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with andouille and cheese. Don't like dates? Try it with roasted bell peppers - it sent Franklin over the moon. Our sponsor, Jack LeBlanc (Bounce N' Around) liked them so much, he stuck around for a while to eat (and bring home all the leftovers)! He also gave us a great lagniappe deal: $20 off any weekend inflatable rental, $35 off inflatable rentals Monday - Friday, available only at Bounce N' Around (225) 647-9996. Tell Jack you saw him on TV for the discount!!
Recipes:
Week of 10/12/09: ALLIGATOR
Outdoors: Danny Berthelot (Gator World) takes us out to Blind River on his annual gator harvest. He gets many tags each year and knows what he's doing. For information on gator hunting: www.alligatorfur.com. To buy Gator World farm-raised alligator legs, tailmeat or leather products (boots, wallets, belts, etc), stop by The Gift Gallery at the Waterfront on Diversion Canal (225) 698-3050. Alligator bodymeat can be purchased at several grocery stores, including Ralph's Market and Cajun Catch Seafood.
Kitchen: Anthony Gregoire (Val's Marina) cooks up lots of alligator dishes: Smothered alligator legs, Buffalo alligator bites, Sweet & Sour alligator legs and Shoestring potato wrapped shrimp. The Buffalo alligator bites and shoestring shrimp are on the menu everyday. The alligator legs will be run as a special. To find out the daily specials at Val's Marina, call (225) 695-6538 or get on the email list: marina@eatel.net.
For the recipes:
Week of 10/4/09: Cooking with the guys, Fishing with the Marsh Rat
Outdoors: Capt. Chad Billiot (www.MarshRatGuideService, 985-637-5058) takes my brother-in-law, Jessie Thompson, and his son Joey out trout and redfishing in the marshes out of Golden Meadow. The wind was howling, but the Pogeaux Pop (www.BayouBuckLures.com) corks helped them bring in lots of trout and several nice reds. For a trip with The Marsh Rat, contact Capt. Chad Billiot: www.MarshRatGuideService, 985-637-5058.
Kitchen: Dr. Gray Bailey (Absolute Quality Care Family Dentistry) and his buddy, Leroy Laiche, an attorney in Prairieville show us some of their favorite recipes. Dr. Bailey makes an egg salad with eggs from the chickens on his farm and puts it on top of tomatoes topped with baby spinach, mozzarella cheese and basil pesto. Leroy Laiche makes a shrimp and squash dish in a cast iron pot. Marissa soaks some blueberries in merlot and serves it with cake and whipped cream.
Recipes:
Week of 9/27/09: Tailgate Throwdown
Our sponsor, Ed Beard (Ed's Shenandoah Hardware) goes to his alma mater for the very first Woodlawn High Tailgate Throwdown. Many competitors from the Baton Rouge area came out to see whose tailgate food was the best. We see lots of great stuff: red beans, shrimp etouffee, smoked briskets, ribs and chicken, fried seafood and more. The winner was Cajun J's baby back ribs (they were so tender that if you grabbed a bone, a bone was all you got!) All proceeds went to support the Woodlawn High School athletic programs.
Week of 8/16/09: Camp food in a million-dollar home!
Need a recipe? Marissa cooks up some easy ones in the million-dollar house shown by Robyn Holifield (MNS Real Estate, 225-413-5381). Fish in foil packets - it doesn't get much easier, no matter where you are! Robyn shows us around the house (and it was so beautiful, she had to practically kick us out of it)! For a tour of this house, call Robyn or go to www.MNSrealestate.com.
For the recipes:
Week of 9/13/09: ALLIGATOR
Outdoors: Danny Berthelot (Gator World) takes us out to Blind River on his annual gator harvest. He gets many tags each year and knows what he's doing. For information on gator hunting: www.alligatorfur.com. To buy Gator World farm-raised alligator legs, tailmeat or leather products (boots, wallets, belts, etc), stop by The Gift Gallery at the Waterfront on Diversion Canal (225) 698-3050. Alligator bodymeat can be purchased at several grocery stores, including Ralph's Market and Cajun Catch Seafood.
Kitchen: Anthony Gregoire (Val's Marina) cooks up lots of alligator dishes: Smothered alligator legs, Buffalo alligator bites, Sweet & Sour alligator legs and Shoestring potato wrapped shrimp. The Buffalo alligator bites and shoestring shrimp are on the menu everyday. The alligator legs will be run as a special. To find out the daily specials at Val's Marina, call (225) 695-6538 or get on the email list: marina@eatel.net.
For the recipes:
Week of 9/6/09: Venice Charters, Bounce N' Around, Redfish with pesto sauce
Outdoors: Capt. Brent Roy (Venice Charters) takes us out for some stellar trout and redfishing. Franklin went with Ed Beard (Ed's Shenandoah Hardware) and caught a limit of 75 trout before 9:30am! Oh, and don't forget those tasty redfish - which Marissa cooks up pronto! For charter and accomodation information, call Capt. Brent Roy, (225) 268-8420.
Kitchen: Marissa cooks up the redfish with a quick and simple pesto sauce and serves it over pasta. To go with it, we have golden brown crab toast and bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with andouille and cheese. Don't like dates? Try it with roasted bell peppers - it sent Franklin over the moon. Our sponsor, Jack LeBlanc (Bounce N' Around) liked them so much, he stuck around for a while to eat (and bring home all the leftovers)! He also gave us a great lagniappe deal: $20 off any weekend inflatable rental, $35 off inflatable rentals Monday - Friday, available only at Bounce N' Around (225) 647-9996. Tell Jack you saw him on TV for the discount!!
Recipes:
Week of 8/30/09: Tailgate Throwdown
Our sponsor, Ed Beard (Ed's Shenandoah Hardware) goes to his alma mater for the very first Woodlawn High Tailgate Throwdown. Many competitors from the Baton Rouge area came out to see whose tailgate food was the best. We see lots of great stuff: red beans, shrimp etouffee, smoked briskets, ribs and chicken, fried seafood and more. The winner was Cajun J's baby back ribs (they were so tender that if you grabbed a bone, a bone was all you got!) All proceeds went to support the Woodlawn High School athletic programs.
Week of 7/27/09: Bees & Honey
Ed Beard (Ed's Shenandoah Hardware) takes us out to the apiary for the Capital Area Beekeeper's Association. Dr. Dale Pollet, Entomologist with the LSU AgCenter) explains the history of beekeeping and the different kinds of bees in Louisiana. Alva Stuard, President of the Louisiana Beekeeper's Association, invites us to his Honey Works. He shows us how the honeycombs are uncapped and the honey spun out. The raw honey is filtered and bottled onsite.
Week of 8/16/09: Camp food in a million-dollar home!
Need a recipe? Marissa cooks up some easy ones in the million-dollar house shown by Robyn Holifield (MNS Real Estate, 225-413-5381). Fish in foil packets - it doesn't get much easier, no matter where you are! Robyn shows us around the house (and it was so beautiful, she had to practically kick us out of it)! For a tour of this house, call Robyn or go to www.MNSrealestate.com.
For the recipes:
Week of 8/2/09: Stuff It!
Marissa's in the kitchen with some new (and old) ideas. We love the standard dirty-rice-stuffed-peppers-with-tomato-sauce, but wanted something different. When experimenting with stuffings, we got hold of some boudin - now there's a stuffing already made. We added some shrimp and seasoning for more flavor, then drizzled it with white queso. Devoured!!
We were also trying to think of new ideas for the deer sausage and ground deer meat taking up a lot of freezer space this time of year and thought up a hunter's style stuffed mushroom. Cook the meat with a little red wine, stuff it in a portobello and you're good to go! I used farmer's cheese to keep the meat from falling out.
We experimented with new ideas for meat pies (using hummous, cheese and all kinds of things) but figured out that classic is best. We love the juicy meat and gravy filling - it was good right out of the skillet. Deep fried in a pie sent it out of this world!!
RECIPES:
Video should load within 5 seconds. If not, click on the link, go to our page on Facebook and click on the video you want to see.
Part One: Boudin & Shrimp Stuffed Peppers
Part Two: Mushrooms and Meat Pies
Week of 7/27/09: Bees & Honey
Ed Beard (Ed's Shenandoah Hardware) takes us out to the apiary for the Capital Area Beekeeper's Association. Dr. Dale Pollet, Entomologist with the LSU AgCenter) explains the history of beekeeping and the different kinds of bees in Louisiana. Alva Stuard, President of the Louisiana Beekeeper's Association, invites us to his Honey Works. He shows us how the honeycombs are uncapped and the honey spun out. The raw honey is filtered and bottled onsite.
Week of 6/14/09: Pig Roast Graduation Party/Bowfishing trip
Milton Valentine shows us how to prep and roast a whole hog in a "cajun microwave." First, they make slits for onions, garlic and green onions and then inject it with marinade using Charlie's Quick Shot Injector. That little gadget saved a ton of time! It's a pressurized injector system, so no pushing and pulling on a plunger or breaking needles in the hog's hide. They cover the prepped hog with seasoning and then let it marinate for 2 days in a walk-in cooler. On the day of the party, Milton makes giant pots of jambalaya and white beans. The hog goes in the microwave early in the morning and is done early that afternoon. Milton's boys keep careful watch over the firepit and help turn it at the halfway point. For tips on hog roasting, please watch our online videos.
As a graduation gift for his son Colt, Milton takes him bowfishing with Marsh Masters Guide Service. The airboat and wind noise made for rough filming, but we got lots of fish on tape. For information on bowfishing, contact Capt. Dan Bryan at Marsh Masters (985) 396-2980. Marsh Masters offers coastal and rig fishing as well as accomodations. www.MarshMasters.com
Thinking of a pig roast? You can order whole or half hogs from any Ralph's Market meat department (Baton Rouge, Gonzales, Pelican Point). You can also pick up a Charlie's Quick Shot Injector at any Ralph's location.
Week of 7/13/09: SAUSAGE
For our "outdoors" part of the show, we go on a field trip to Veron Foods in Prairieville to see how they make their smoked sausage, andouille and head cheese. Veron's bought the Martin's brand a few years back but Paul Hays (President, Veron Foods) has retained the original recipes (from the '40s and '50s) for each brand. Martin's has more "Ascension Parish" flavor while Veron's has more of a "River Parish" flavor. We had a good time sampling a little of each for comparison and savoring the terroire of each sausage! For group tours or information, call (225) 622-3262. They're about to come out with new labels for all their products, so be on the lookout for the new packaging in your local store. You can find Veron's and Martin's products at both locations of Ralph's Market.
For the cooking part of the show, Mickey LeMoine comes over to my house to see what his brother, Buggy LeMoine (Sales Director, Veron Foods) sent over for us to cook for our viewers. Mickey wanted to keep it simple: weeknight red beans and a cajun antipasti platter. For weeknight red beans, take some pre-chopped creole veggies (fresh or frozen) and saute them in a little oil. Add sliced Veron's or Martin's smoked sausage and let that render a little. Add your favorite canned red beans (or any kind of beans for that matter) and let them simmer until your rice pot dings. For the appetizer platter, remove the synthetic casing from the andouille and set them in a hot skillet until browned on both sides. Drain on paper towels and set on a platter with sliced hog head cheese and crackers. Better than cocktail weenies, for sho'! Don't forget to sprinkle sizzling meats with a little LeMoine's Season-Um-Up for extra kick.
Week of 7/6/09: Trout fishing with the Marsh Rat, Trout on the grill (2 ways)
Kitchen: Marissa has lots of trout to cook and, well, you can't fry everything, right? So she comes up with some grilled fish dishes. First, she goes Spanish style, wrapping the fish fillets in thinly sliced spicy ham (you can use prosciutto, too). The flavor is great and the fish doesn't stick to the grill. She serves it with Spanish style rice and a yellow bell pepper aioli that would be great drizzled on just about anything spicy. In the second part of the show, she uses foil packs to cook trout with green salsa and crab meat. Grilled avocadoes and onions go great on the side!
Recipes:
Week of 6/28/09: Grilling with Sue McDonald, MNS Real Estate
Marissa is on location with Sue McDonald (MNS Real Estate) in a beautiful home in Lexington Estates in Baton Rouge. On the menu: Grilled scallops and shrimp with remoulade, banana peppers stuffed with crawfish dip, grilled corn and creole tomato salad, grilled peaches and cream.
For the recipes:
Week of 6/21/09: Alligator hunt
Outdoors: Danny Berthelot takes Ed Beard (Ed's Shenandoah Hardware, Baton Rouge) out into the swamps to hunt alligators. Danny owns Gator World, an alligator farm in Maurepas, and harvests gators annually. He sells alligator meat and leather products at his farm: call (225) 695-6477. If you'd like to go on a guided alligator hunt, you can find guides and info at at www.alligatorfur.com. Remember, you must have tags from Wildlife and Fisheries to hunt gators!
Kitchen: If you're hunting gator dishes, head out to Val's Marina (225-695-6538). They had lots of water damage from the storms but they are now back in business! They've got alligator nuggets everyday as an appetizer, both grilled and fried. Anthony Gregoire showed us their surf & turf special and Ms. Karen Perck showed us the stuffed shrimp. Want more alligator recipes? Try: alligator sauce piquant alligator wings
Val's Marina is on Hwy 22 in Maurepas. Call today to get on Nicole's email list for specials!
See the video here:
Alligator Episode, Part 1
Alligator Episode, Part 2
Week of 6/14/09: Pig Roast Graduation Party/Bowfishing trip
Milton Valentine shows us how to prep and roast a whole hog in a "cajun microwave." First, they make slits for onions, garlic and green onions and then inject it with marinade using Charlie's Quick Shot Injector. That little gadget saved a ton of time! It's a pressurized injector system, so no pushing and pulling on a plunger or breaking needles in the hog's hide. They cover the prepped hog with seasoning and then let it marinate for 2 days in a walk-in cooler. On the day of the party, Milton makes giant pots of jambalaya and white beans. The hog goes in the microwave early in the morning and is done early that afternoon. Milton's boys keep careful watch over the firepit and help turn it at the halfway point. For tips on hog roasting, please watch our online videos.
As a graduation gift for his son Colt, Milton takes him bowfishing with Marsh Masters Guide Service. The airboat and wind noise made for rough filming, but we got lots of fish on tape. For information on bowfishing, contact Capt. Dan Bryan at Marsh Masters (985) 396-2980. Marsh Masters offers coastal and rig fishing as well as accomodations. www.MarshMasters.com
Thinking of a pig roast? You can order whole or half hogs from any Ralph's Market meat department (Baton Rouge, Gonzales, Pelican Point). You can also pick up a Charlie's Quick Shot Injector at any Ralph's location.
6/7/09: Magnolia Mound
I'd love to have something like this in my backyard - it's the open hearth kitchen at Magnolia Mound Plantation in Baton Rouge. Volunteers Eva Bell, Jeanne Yerger and Susan Wilder show us how to cook some serious Louisiana cuisine over an open hearth. We've got Shrimp & Corn soup, Planked redfish, Potatoes Provençal, a ham in a reflector oven and more. We also take a look at the kitchen garden with Master Gardeners Tony DeBenedetto and Cecil Hubbard. This was such a fun show to make. A trip to Magnolia Mound is even more fun as an adult than it was on my fifth grade field trip!
Week of 6/1/09: Mediterranean Pool Party foods
We served all this with warm pita, hummus and sliced onions marinated with a balsamic vinaigrette.
Video should load within 5 seconds. If not, click on the link, go to our page on Facebook and click on the video you want to see.
Week of 5/24/09: Episode 100! Trout fishing with the Marsh Rat, Trout on the grill (2 ways)
Kitchen: Marissa has lots of trout to cook and, well, you can't fry everything, right? So she comes up with some grilled fish dishes. First, she goes Spanish style, wrapping the fish fillets in thinly sliced spicy ham (you can use prosciutto, too). The flavor is great and the fish doesn't stick to the grill. She serves it with Spanish style rice and a yellow bell pepper aioli that would be great drizzled on just about anything spicy. In the second part of the show, she uses foil packs to cook trout with green salsa and crab meat. Grilled avocadoes and onions go great on the side!
Recipes:
Video should load within 5 seconds. If not, click on the link, go to our page on Facebook and click on the video you want to see.
Week of 5/19/09: Simple Sunday Dinners... Marissa's cooking with the LeMoine boys again!
For the recipes:
Video should load within 5 seconds. If not, click on the link, go to our page on Facebook and click on the video you want to see.
Week of 5/10/09: Hot off the grill
Kitchen: Marissa throws everything on the grill for grilled pizzas - even the dough. A seafood pizza gets slathered in garlic butter and topped with grilled redfish, crabmeat, homegrown tomatoes and lots of cheese. A "red" pizza gets the standard sauce but loads of flavor from grilled andouille, Vidalia onions and portobello mushrooms. Pizzas make great "bar" parties - just set out lots of ready ingredients and let your guests entertain themselves. For recipes and ideas: Grilled Pizza
Week of 5/3/09: Mediterranean Pool Party foods
We served all this with warm pita, hummus and sliced onions marinated with a balsamic vinaigrette.
Video should load within 5 seconds. If not, click on the link, go to our page on Facebook and click on the video you want to see.
Week of 4/27/09: JB in the Jungle, Mexican flavors
Outdoors: Mr. JB Salter (Salter's Jiggin' Poles, guided trips & LSU leisure classes: (225) 933-9109) takes us out to Henderson Lake for big ol' bream. We launched at Butte La Rose and tossed crickets with jiggin' poles in the shady cypress stands. It was so much fun! And being in the shade the whole time was definitely a bonus! Call Mr. JB to book a trip or for info on jiggin' poles or weighted panfish hooks.
Kitchen: Marissa pan-fries fish (because that's so good). You can use any white-flesh fish for this technique. Mexican flavors are our favorite so we top it with queso and pico de gallo. We also had a spicy crab & avocado salad: marinated crab on top of chunky guacamole. We finished off with a lemonade margarita granita. Just by freezing (and fluffing with a fork) some of Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville Lemonade Margarita drink! It was sweet and good - perfect for hot weather. We also got to try some top-shelf stuff: 1800 Select Silver Tequila. Man, that made some good margaritas, too!! Look for all our ingredients at Ralph's Market!
Week of 4/19/09: Simple Sunday Dinners... Marissa's cooking with the LeMoine boys again!
For the recipes:
Video should load within 5 seconds. If not, click on the link, go to our page on Facebook and click on the video you want to see.
Week of 4/12/09: Stuff It!
Marissa's in the kitchen with some new (and old) ideas. We love the standard dirty-rice-stuffed-peppers-with-tomato-sauce, but wanted something different. When experimenting with stuffings, we got hold of some boudin - now there's a stuffing already made. We added some shrimp and seasoning for more flavor, then drizzled it with white queso. Devoured!!
We were also trying to think of new ideas for the deer sausage and ground deer meat taking up a lot of freezer space this time of year and thought up a hunter's style stuffed mushroom. Cook the meat with a little red wine, stuff it in a portobello and you're good to go! I used farmer's cheese to keep the meat from falling out.
We experimented with new ideas for meat pies (using hummous, cheese and all kinds of things) but figured out that classic is best. We love the juicy meat and gravy filling - it was good right out of the skillet. Deep fried in a pie sent it out of this world!!
RECIPES:
Video should load within 5 seconds. If not, click on the link, go to our page on Facebook and click on the video you want to see.
Part One: Boudin & Shrimp Stuffed Peppers
Part Two: Mushrooms and Meat Pies
Video should load within 5 seconds. If not, click on the link, go to our page on Facebook and click on the video you want to see.
Week of 4/5/09: Squirrel hunt
Milton Valentine (Valentine & LeBlanc, Inc.) and Ed Beard (Ed's Shenandoah Hardware) head to the woods for a weekend of squirrel and raccoon hunting. They get little Susie, a Feist squirrel dog, warmed up for the season. Then they hook up with friends on a Father-Son hunt. The kids get to take a few shots and bag a few turkey-egg-stealing raccoons. Then Milton and Ed fire up the grill and cook deer sausages and bacon-wrapped dove breasts.
Video should load within 5 seconds. If not, click on the link, go to our page on Facebook and click on the video you want to see.
Video should load within 5 seconds. If not, click on the link, go to our page on Facebook and click on the video you want to see.
Week of 3/30/09: Back to Basics
Marissa's in the kitchen, getting back to basics. We've had lots of gumbo weather lately, so we'll show you one that's good right out of the pot - no waiting until the next day. We love cooking with stocks because of the homemade flavor that you just can't get from plain water. So, we have a rich, roasted chicken stock, a beef stock with velvety red wine and a shrimp stock that we use in Shrimp & Corn Bisque. Then, of course, we have the gumbo. To find LeMoine's Gumbo File, go to www.SeasonUmUp.com or look in your local grocery. I know you can get it Ralph's Market.
VIDEO: Stocks Part One
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VIDEO: Shrimp & Corn Bisque
VIDEO: Chicken & Sausage Gumbo
Video should load within 5 seconds. If not, click on the link, go to our page on Facebook and click on the video you want to see.
Week of 3/22/09: Squirrel Gumbo
Outdoors: Milton Valentine (Valentine & LeBlanc, Inc.) and Ed Beard (Ed's Shenandoah Hardware) go squirrel hunting on Joe Garrett's land at Raccourci Island with Susie and Sandy, Milton's squirrel dogs. They have a pretty good hunt, too! Then they head to Slaughter, Louisiana, for a rabbit hunt with Randy Guidroz's rabbit dogs out in the cane. They bag 3 rabbits and they have plenty meat for a gumbo. They also had a pretty good time, judging by the outtakes.
Kitchen: Milton makes his squirrel and okra gumbo over at Charlie Record's office in Baton Rouge. Record & Associates Construction is a new sponsor and was happy to lend us their outdoor kitchen. Milton, Charlie, Ed and the boys have a good time cookin' and cuttin' up. Milton even sings for his supper at the end!
Video should load within 5 seconds. If not, click on the link, go to our page on Facebook and click on the video you want to see.
Week of 3/15/09: Crawfish Season is here!
We start with a field trip to Cajun Catch Seafood Market in Gonzales where Blaine Jones shows us how he boils crawfish and shrimp for a crowd. Blaine is offering a little lagniappe for Outdoor Kitchen Show viewers: Buy a po-boy in the deli, get fries and a drink for free! For hours and contact info, click here: Cajun Catch
In the kitchen: Mickey LeMoine shows us how to "Season-Um-Up." His recipe for crawfish and corn chowder is simple but rich and fabulous. It's great with leftover tails from a crawfish boil or with packs of crawfish. For his recipe, click here: Crawfish & Corn Chowder.
Video should load within 5 seconds. If not, click on the link, go to our page on Facebook and click on the video you want to see.
Video should load within 5 seconds. If not, click on the link, go to our page on Facebook and click on the video you want to see.
Week of 3/8/09: Grillin' burgers
Sue McDonald (MNS Real Estate Group) shows us her favorite backyard-cookin' recipe: Jalapeno Cheeseburgers. She mixes jalapenos and spices into the meat, grills the burgers up with some onion slices and bacon, glazes the meat with a sweet-savory coffee glaze and slathers the buns with a homemade ranch sauce that adds even more flavor. Then for dessert, she makes a Baked Brie with honey and walnuts. So good.
For more information about MNS Real Estate Group, go to their website: www.MNSRealEstate.com. They've got an interactive map that makes find properties so much easier.
Video should load within 5 seconds. If not, click on the link, go to our page on Facebook and click on the video you want to see.
Week of 3/1/09: Lent recipes
Mickey LeMoine (Season-Um-Up, Fry-Um-Up) comes over to show us some lent recipes. First, Mickey pan-fried scallops in a little oil & butter and Season-Um-Up. So simple. Even better, he coated some in Fry-Um-Up and deep fried them (yum!). Then we battered and fried some shrimp and drizzled them with a lemony cream cheese seafood sauce. So good! We paired these dishes with Fetzer Gewurztraminer (nice sweet, fruity white wine) and Rosemount shiraz (very good with the spicy pan-fried scallops).
Video should load within 5 seconds. If not, click on the link, go to our page on Facebook and click on the video you want to see.
Week of 2/23/09: Squirrel hunt
Milton Valentine (Valentine & LeBlanc, Inc.) and Ed Beard (Ed's Shenandoah Hardware) head to the woods for a weekend of squirrel and raccoon hunting. They get little Susie, a Feist squirrel dog, warmed up for the season. Then they hook up with friends on a Father-Son hunt. The kids get to take a few shots and bag a few turkey-egg-stealing raccoons. Then Milton and Ed fire up the grill and cook deer sausages and bacon-wrapped dove breasts.
Video should load within 5 seconds. If not, click on the link, go to our page on Facebook and click on the video you want to see.
Week of 2/15/09: Hog hunt
Outdoors: Gray Bailey, DDS (Absolute Quality Care Family Dentistry) takes us out to Centerville, Texas to do some hog hunting on Smith Ranch. He prefers to stalk hogs in the 100 pound range with a bow and arrow. The guys got a nice sized hog around dusk and brought plenty of meat back home. At the camp, they had a fantastic seafood gumbo with fresh seafood from Cajun Catch in Gonzales.
Kitchen: We head over to Dr. Gray's house to roast a pork shoulder. He shows us how he slow roasts the meat for hours, then finishes it on the grill with barbecue sauce. He pre-cooks an Aoudad mutton roast and ribs and shows us how to finish it up. Marissa also makes a super easy white bean recipe that's perfect for the camp. For our recipes: Wild game ribs & roasts Camp white beans
Week of 2/8/09: Stuff It!
Marissa's in the kitchen with some new (and old) ideas. We love the standard dirty-rice-stuffed-peppers-with-tomato-sauce, but wanted something different. When experimenting with stuffings, we got hold of some boudin - now there's a stuffing already made. We added some shrimp and seasoning for more flavor, then drizzled it with white queso. Devoured!!
We were also trying to think of new ideas for the deer sausage and ground deer meat taking up a lot of freezer space this time of year and thought up a hunter's style stuffed mushroom. Cook the meat with a little red wine, stuff it in a portobello and you're good to go! I used farmer's cheese to keep the meat from falling out.
We experimented with new ideas for meat pies (using hummous, cheese and all kinds of things) but figured out that classic is best. We love the juicy meat and gravy filling - it was good right out of the skillet. Deep fried in a pie sent it out of this world!!
RECIPES:
Video should load within 5 seconds. If not, click on the link, go to our page on Facebook and click on the video you want to see.
Part One: Boudin & Shrimp Stuffed Peppers
Part Two: Mushrooms and Meat Pies
Week of 2/1/09: Blind River Gar Rodeo
Outdoors: Ed Beard (Ed's Shenandoah Hardware) takes us out to the Blind River Gar Rodeo with Kenny Watts (who sets up all the lines) and Anthony Gregoire (who cooks up a big jambalaya). The wind blew their jugs around Lake Pontchartrain quite a bit and they actually had to get out of the boat several times to retreive them. It was hard fishing, but a good time.
Kitchen: Anthony Gregoire cooks up a big jambalaya. Here's a recipe: big-pot jambalaya
Ed takes us to the shop to see the best in outdoor cooking equipment. He's got Dutch Ovens from 2 qt to 20 qt and Jambalaya rigs from 4 gallon to 30 gallon, and all the accessories too. Big Green Egg-head? He's got all sizes! He's also got smoking woods of every flavor. If you need an outdoor cooking rig that's not on the market, make up a drawing and bring it to Ed. He can custom build stands and burners for your needs. He's at 5715 Jones Creek Road in Baton Rouge (225) 753-1300. You can also order everything for the camp at www.EdsOutdoors.com.
Week of 1/25/09: Back to Basics
Marissa's in the kitchen, getting back to basics. We've had lots of gumbo weather lately, so we'll show you one that's good right out of the pot - no waiting until the next day. We love cooking with stocks because of the homemade flavor that you just can't get from plain water. So, we have a rich, roasted chicken stock, a beef stock with velvety red wine and a shrimp stock that we use in Shrimp & Corn Bisque. Then, of course, we have the gumbo. To find LeMoine's Gumbo File, go to www.SeasonUmUp.com or look in your local grocery. I know you can get it Ralph's Market.
VIDEO: Stocks Part One
VIDEO: Shrimp & Corn Bisque
VIDEO: Chicken & Sausage Gumbo
Ralph's Market, Pelican Point
We take a little trip down Highway 44 to the new Ralph's Market at Pelican Point. We take over the deli kitchen (which is like a restaurant kitchen!) and cook up some yummy stuff. Mickey LeMoine shows how they do shrimp and butter beans in Lutcher and Buggy LeMoine shows us his pork pastalaya. We get Ronnie Trosclair about the design of the new store and get tours from managers Brandon Trosclair and Heath Waguespack.
And don't forget: it's KING CAKE SEASON and Ralph's Market has the best ones (fillings baked inside the cake and no crumbly sugar everywhere!) Cakes can be custom made in lots of designs (think Super Bowl team colors for your party!)
For more info about Ralph's Market: www.RalphsAG.com or call (225) 473-1004.
Ralph's King Cakes:
Week of 1/12/09: Squirrel hunting
Outdoors: Ed Beard and Milton, Travis and Colt Valentine head out to the Ole Miss Hunting Club at Raccourci Point in Pointe Coupee with Joe Garrett. They shoot over 30 squirrels over the weekend and have a great time. Ed enjoys hunting squirrels with either his Marlin .22 Magnum rifle or with a Mossberg 835 Ulti-Mag 12-gauge shotgun (both available at his shop, Ed's Shenandoah Hardware on Jones Creek Road in Baton Rouge). Milton is excited about his first hunt with his new squirrel dog, Susie, a 2 1/2 year old Feist. Since she's still learning the trade, she's equipped with a GPS (in case she takes off after a deer) and how to retreive every fallen squirrel. She did a great job on this hunt, for sure!
Kitchen: Milton shows us his super-easy camp recipe: beef brisket and gravy. It cooks in a cast iron dutch oven low-and-slow overnight and through the morning hunt, to be ready for when the guys get back from the woods. For the recipe, click here: Milton's brisket
Here's a short version of the show, courtesy our page on Facebook:
1/4/09: Take me to the camp!
Jerky is super simple - follow the manufacturer's instructions for your machine. We've got the middle-of-the road model made by Nesco. You can find the boxes of jerky cure in lots of places, including outdoor stores. 1 packet of jerky cure and 1 packet of spice per pound of sliced meat and a little water - easy! If you slice your jerky thin enough, it really doesn't take long to dehydrate. I lived on this stuff after Gustav!
The satsuma shrimp and grits were FANTASTIC! Our volunteer neighbor taste tester said the shrimp and andouille topping was really good over rice, too, but I prefered the cheese grits with this. Thanks for the pepper jelly, Aunt Judy!! Go to the recipe to see the video!
The beef stew gets some heat from canned chipotle peppers. Please be careful with these if you're not familiar with them. One was good enough to spice up this big pot, two made it really spicy, three made it burn-your-tongue-out HOT! (Volunteer neighbor taste tester loved the flavor, but the "back heat" got her running for a drink.)
The spinach and artichoke dip is easy to throw together with ingredients that work double duty at the camp. You can make it ahead and keep it in the cooler. Just warm it up gently in whatever heat you have - oven, microwave, in foil on the pit. Don't forget the tortilla chips!
Week of 12/28/08:
Youth Hunt Weekend 2008! We head out to the woods to let the kids have their chance for this year's deer. Oh, and the cooking was beyond fantastic! Carlos Braud (Jambalaya Fest 2000 Champ, 2006 AND 2008 Champ of Champs) cooks a Deer Sauce Piquant over a wood fire. Does it get any better? It really satisfies the "Louisiana" in you to watch somebody cook in a 100 year old cast iron pot over a wood fire. Who cares if we were actually in Mississippi? For his recipe, click here: Deer Sauce Piquant
Now, as if that wasn't good enough, Carlos' daughter-in-law, Kristen Braud (2008 Sorrento Boucherie Fest Champion) cooks a whole kettle of fresh cracklins. She starts with 80 pounds of pork rind and ends up with a big pot of heaven!! For tips on cooking cracklins, click here: Cracklins
To get your hands on some of the stuff you saw on the show:
Congratulations to all our Youth Hunters: Alexis Guedry, Brooke Everett, Jensen and Jacie Ortego, Dylan and Dawson Brock, Zach Boudreaux and William Armstrong
Wanna watch the show? Click here:
Merry Christmas Y'all!!
Mickey and Buggy LeMoine stop by for our holiday show and give us some great recipes. Buggy stuffs a pork roast with andouille for a holiday dish that can be an entree or finger food - and it is so easy. Mickey shows us a rich andouille dip and Shannon's pecan pie. Quick, easy and good!! Marissa shares bloopers from throughout the year. Thanks to all our sponsors for being such good sports!!
To find Veron's and Martin's sausage and andouille, try any Ralph's Market location or check the "gumbo" meat section of your grocery store for andouille and pickle pork.
Watch the show here, courtesy Facebook Fan Page!
Part 1: Pork Roast, Andouille dip, Outtakes
Part 2: Outtakes, Shannon's Pecan Pie
Check out some of the liqueurs and spirits featured in the show:
Please be responsible. These are great in recipes but not to drown in!
Week of 12/14/08:
Cookie Swap! Since it's almost Christmas, we gave all the critters a rest and made some really, really good Christmas cookies. Sue McDonald (MNS Homes) invites us into her home for her annual cookie swap. She's got everything decorated for Christmas and a big ole buffet set up. She shows us her favorite cookie recipes: Cherry Eggnog Biscotti and Ricotta Cheese cookies. I've got a lagniappe recipe for you (and it's great for cheaters!) Try my Satsuma Sugar Cookies. Yeah, baby. I use a mix!!
The morning of the party, lots of friends show up laden with more cookies. Coffee (and mimosas) gets everything started off right.
Sue's cookie swap protocol: Bring 6 dozen baked cookies. No Kids! Bring your own tupperware! Share your recipe! Once everyone has devoured the buffet (and mimosas), make a conga line around the table and keep circling until your tupperware is full and the cookies are gone.
Sue's buffet: Garlic cheese grits, Bacon & Mushroom egg casserole, Injected & marinated Pork Tenderloin with ranch sauce (see recipe), stuffed artichokes, mushroom pate (see recipe), crab dip, crackers, olive tapenade & feta, baked spiced fruit, coffee, mimosas, etc.
View the episode here:
Cookie swap Part One
Cookie swap, Part Two
Week of 12/7/08:
Youth Hunt Weekend 2008! We head out to the woods to let the kids have their chance for this year's deer. Oh, and the cooking was beyond fantastic! Carlos Braud (Jambalaya Fest 2000 Champ, 2006 AND 2008 Champ of Champs) cooks a Deer Sauce Piquant over a wood fire. Does it get any better? It really satisfies the "Louisiana" in you to watch somebody cook in a 100 year old cast iron pot over a wood fire. Who cares if we were actually in Mississippi? For his recipe, click here: Deer Sauce Piquant
Now, as if that wasn't good enough, Carlos' daughter-in-law, Kristen Braud (2008 Sorrento Boucherie Fest Champion) cooks a whole kettle of fresh cracklins. She starts with 80 pounds of pork rind and ends up with a big pot of heaven!! For tips on cooking cracklins, click here: Cracklins
To get your hands on some of the stuff you saw on the show:
Congratulations to all our Youth Hunters: Alexis Guedry, Brooke Everett, Jensen and Jacie Ortego, Dylan and Dawson Brock, Zach Boudreaux and William Armstrong
Week of 11/29/08: Alligator hunt
Outdoors: Danny Berthelot takes Ed Beard (Ed's Shenandoah Hardware, Baton Rouge) out into the swamps to hunt alligators. Danny owns Gator World, an alligator farm in Maurepas, and harvests gators annually. He sells alligator meat and leather products at his farm: call (225) 695-6477. If you'd like to go on a guided alligator hunt, you can find guides and info at at www.alligatorfur.com. Remember, you must have tags from Wildlife and Fisheries to hunt gators!
Kitchen: If you're hunting gator dishes, head out to Val's Marina (225-695-6538). They had lots of water damage from the storms but they are now back in business! They've got alligator nuggets everyday as an appetizer, both grilled and fried. Anthony Gregoire showed us their surf & turf special and Ms. Karen Perck showed us the stuffed shrimp. Want more alligator recipes? Try: alligator sauce piquant alligator wings
Val's Marina is on Hwy 22 in Maurepas. Call today to get on Nicole's email list for specials!
See the video here:
Alligator Episode, Part 1
Alligator Episode, Part 2
Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!!
Mickey and Buggy LeMoine stop by for our holiday show and give us some great recipes. Buggy stuffs a pork roast with andouille for a holiday dish that can be an entree or finger food - and it is so easy. Mickey shows us a rich andouille dip and Shannon's pecan pie. Quick, easy and good!! Marissa shares bloopers from throughout the year. Thanks to all our sponsors for being such good sports!!
To find Veron's and Martin's sausage and andouille, try any Ralph's Market location or check the "gumbo" meat section of your grocery store for andouille and pickle pork.
Check out some of the liqueurs and spirits featured in the show:
Please be responsible. These are great in recipes but not to drown in!
Week of 11/16/08:
Outdoors: Fishing with the Marsh Rat, Capt. Chad Billiot, for trout and redfish. The guys stayed at Bobby Lynn's Marina, got lots of goodies at Tyd's Tackle and hit the water as the sun came up. They caught lots of frying-size trout and some beautiful golden redfish. For a trip like this, check out Capt. Chad's website: www.marshratguideservice.com.
Kitchen: Kevin Boudreaux (KTB Properties) and Danny Bonfiglio (Jani-Care) get to cookin' in Kevin's kitchen. Danny dumps some yummy stuff in a ricepot for jalapeno rice and Kevin debones and stuffs flounder with a crabmeat stuffing. He tops it with a pineapple glaze that really brightens up the dish. To get fresh flounder, you can head to Cajun Catch Seafood. He's got plenty this week! For recipes: Jalapeno rice Stuffed flounder with pineapple glaze
11/9/08: Take me to the camp!
Jerky is super simple - follow the manufacturer's instructions for your machine. We've got the middle-of-the road model made by Nesco. You can find the boxes of jerky cure in lots of places, including outdoor stores. 1 packet of jerky cure and 1 packet of spice per pound of sliced meat and a little water - easy! If you slice your jerky thin enough, it really doesn't take long to dehydrate. I lived on this stuff after Gustav!
The satsuma shrimp and grits were FANTASTIC! Our volunteer neighbor taste tester said the shrimp and andouille topping was really good over rice, too, but I prefered the cheese grits with this. Thanks for the pepper jelly, Aunt Judy!!
The beef stew gets some heat from canned chipotle peppers. Please be careful with these if you're not familiar with them. One was good enough for this big pot, two made it spicy, three made it HOT! (Volunteer neighbor taste tester loved the flavor, but the "back heat" got her running for a drink.)
The spinach and artichoke dip is easy to throw together with ingredients that work double duty at the camp. You can make it ahead and keep it in the cooler. Just warm it up gently in whatever heat you have - oven, microwave, in foil on the pit. Don't forget the tortilla chips!
11/2/08: Comfort food, "Afri-Cajun" recipes
With the weather cooling down a bit, it's time to pull out some comfort food recipes. We traveled to South Africa earlier this year and learned how to make some wonderful dishes. When I got back home, I "cajunized" them a bit to put on the show. Try our Sweet Potato & Crab soup, Chicken Pie or Pork & Tomato Bredie (stew). You'll love it!
Going to South Africa was beyond amazing. I can't thank my very best friend, Nicola Gross, enough for inviting us. For more information about traveling to Cape Town, South Africa, go to www.SouthAfrica.net. It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience!!
Week of 10/27/08: Alligator hunt
Outdoors: Danny Berthelot takes Ed Beard (Ed's Shenandoah Hardware, Baton Rouge) out into the swamps to hunt alligators. Danny owns Gator World, an alligator farm in Maurepas, and harvests gators annually. He sells alligator meat and leather products at his farm: call (225) 695-6477. If you'd like to go on a guided alligator hunt, you can find guides and info at at www.alligatorfur.com. Remember, you must have tags from Wildlife and Fisheries to hunt gators!
Kitchen: If you're hunting gator dishes, head out to Val's Marina (225-695-6538). They had lots of water damage from the storms but they are now back in business! They've got alligator nuggets everyday as an appetizer, both grilled and fried. Anthony Gregoire showed us their surf & turf special and Ms. Karen Perck showed us the stuffed shrimp. Want more alligator recipes? Try: alligator sauce piquant alligator wings
Val's Marina is on Hwy 22 in Maurepas. Call today to get on Nicole's email list for specials!
Week of 10/19/08: Off to the deer woods!
First we start off with a big game hunt in Texas with Kevin and Zach Boudreaux. They go on a safari-style ride around Wa-To-Go Exotics Ranch (Mountain Home, Texas, Anthony Matone: 830-640-3585) with Cajun Outfitters Guide David Moore. After learning how to shoot with a crossbow, Zach and Kevin head out to hunt elk.
For youth hunt weekend, we love to go out with our friends at Last Chance Hunting Club in Fayette, Mississippi. Club President Clarence "Bim" Brock takes us in a deerstand with his grandson, Dylan. We also went out with Kevin & Zach. Of course, the deer were camera shy, but all the kids brought in a prize. For me, the best part was cooking for such a big crowd. Kevin got a whole hog from Ralph's Market and cooked it in a "cajun microwave." He left the cleaned hog whole, injected it with marinade overnight and roasted it in the custom built microwave for about 4 hours. The process isn't difficult, but flipping the pig in the middle of the cooking time can be unwieldy since it's whole (and hot). Want to make it easier? Call the butchers at Ralph's Market to get your hog - whole or in half. They even sell them fully smoked so you don't have to buy a roasting box or deal with cooking the pig yourself! For Ralph's Market: Located at Hwy 44 & 931 Gonzales (225) 622-4044, Hwy 44 at Pelican Point and on Jones Creek & Tiger Bend Baton Rouge (225) 752-1004, www.RalphsAG.com, Open every day 5:45am to 9:00pm
Order your hog now for the Arkansas game!
Week of 10/12/08: Squirrel hunting
Outdoors: Ed Beard and Milton, Travis and Colt Valentine head out to the Ole Miss Hunting Club at Raccourci Point in Pointe Coupee with Joe Garrett. They shoot over 30 squirrels over the weekend and have a great time. Ed enjoys hunting squirrels with either his Marlin .22 Magnum rifle or with a Mossberg 835 Ulti-Mag 12-gauge shotgun (both available at his shop, Ed's Shenandoah Hardware on Jones Creek Road in Baton Rouge). Milton is excited about his first hunt with his new squirrel dog, Susie, a 2 1/2 year old Feist. Since she's still learning the trade, she's equipped with a GPS (in case she takes off after a deer) and how to retreive every fallen squirrel. She did a great job on this hunt, for sure!
Kitchen: Milton shows us his super-easy camp recipe: beef brisket and gravy. It cooks in a cast iron dutch oven low-and-slow overnight and through the morning hunt, to be ready for when the guys get back from the woods. For the recipe, click here: Milton's brisket
Week of 9/28/08: Snapper fishing/au gratin
9/21/08: Comfort food, "Afri-Cajun" recipes
With the weather cooling down a bit, it's time to pull out some comfort food recipes. We traveled to South Africa earlier this year and learned how to make some wonderful dishes. When I got back home, I "cajunized" them a bit to put on the show. Try our Sweet Potato & Crab soup, Chicken Pie or Pork & Tomato Bredie (stew). You'll love it!
Going to South Africa was beyond amazing. I can't thank my very best friend, Nicola Gross, enough for inviting us. For more information about traveling to Cape Town, South Africa, go to www.SouthAfrica.net. It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience!!
Ralph's Market, Pelican Point
We take a little trip down Highway 44 to the new Ralph's Market at Pelican Point. They're NOW OPEN!! So, we take over the deli kitchen (which is like a restaurant kitchen!) and cook up some yummy stuff. Mickey LeMoine shows how they do shrimp and butter beans in Lutcher and Buggy LeMoine shows us his pork pastalaya. We get Ronnie Trosclair about the design of the new store and get tours from managers Brandon Trosclair and Heath Waguespack. Mike Klein of Republic National Distribution Company shows off the wine/spirit cellar.
For more info about Ralph's Market: www.RalphsAG.com or call (225) 473-1004.
Week of 8/24/08: Blind River Gar Rodeo
Outdoors: Ed Beard (Ed's Shenandoah Hardware) takes us out to the Blind River Gar Rodeo with Kenny Watts (who sets up all the lines) and Anthony Gregoire (who cooks up a big jambalaya). The wind blew their jugs around Lake Pontchartrain quite a bit and they actually had to get out of the boat several times to retreive them. It was hard fishing, but a good time.
Ed takes us to the shop to see the best in outdoor cooking equipment. He's got Dutch Ovens from 2 qt to 20 qt and Jambalaya rigs from 4 gallon to 30 gallon, and all the accessories too. Big Green Egg-head? He's got all sizes! He's also got smoking woods of every flavor. If you need an outdoor cooking rig that's not on the market, make up a drawing and bring it to Ed. He can custom build stands and burners for your needs. He's at 5715 Jones Creek Road in Baton Rouge (225) 753-1300. You can also order everything for the camp at www.EdsOutdoors.com.
Week of 8/3/08: JB in the Jungle, Mexican flavors
Outdoors: Mr. JB Salter (Salter's Jiggin' Poles, guided trips & LSU leisure classes: (225) 933-9109) takes us out to Henderson Lake for big ol' bream. We launched at Butte La Rose and tossed crickets with jiggin' poles in the shady cypress stands. It was so much fun! And being in the shade the whole time was definitely a bonus! Call Mr. JB to book a trip or for info on jiggin' poles or weighted panfish hooks.
Kitchen: Marissa pan-fries fish (because that's so good). You can use any white-flesh fish for this technique. Mexican flavors are our favorite so we top it with queso and pico de gallo. We also had a spicy crab & avocado salad: marinated crab on top of chunky guacamole. We finished off with a lemonade margarita granita. Just by freezing (and fluffing with a fork) some of Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville Lemonade Margarita drink! It was sweet and good - perfect for hot weather. We also got to try some top-shelf stuff: 1800 Select Silver Tequila. Man, that made some good margaritas, too!! Look for all our ingredients at Ralph's Market!
Week of 7/27/08: Ralph's Market, Pelican Point
We take a little trip down Highway 44 to the new Ralph's Market at Pelican Point. They're NOW OPEN!! So, we take over the deli kitchen (which is like a restaurant kitchen!) and cook up some yummy stuff. Mickey LeMoine shows how they do shrimp and butter beans in Lutcher and Buggy LeMoine shows us his pork pastalaya. We get Ronnie Trosclair about the design of the new store and get tours from managers Brandon Trosclair and Heath Waguespack. Mike Klein of Republic National Distribution Company shows off the wine/spirit cellar.
For more info about Ralph's Market: www.RalphsAG.com or call (225) 473-1004.
Week of 7/20/08: SAUSAGE
For our "outdoors" part of the show, we go on a field trip to Veron Foods in Prairieville to see how they make their smoked sausage, andouille and head cheese. Veron's bought the Martin's brand a few years back but Paul Hays (President, Veron Foods) has retained the original recipes (from the '40s and '50s) for each brand. Martin's has more "Ascension Parish" flavor while Veron's has more of a "River Parish" flavor. We had a good time sampling a little of each for comparison and savoring the terroire of each sausage! For group tours or information, call (225) 622-3262. They're about to come out with new labels for all their products, so be on the lookout for the new packaging in your local store. You can find Veron's and Martin's products at both locations of Ralph's Market.
For the cooking part of the show, Mickey LeMoine comes over to my house to see what his brother, Buggy LeMoine (Sales Director, Veron Foods) sent over for us to cook for our viewers. Mickey wanted to keep it simple: weeknight red beans and a cajun antipasti platter. For weeknight red beans, take some pre-chopped creole veggies (fresh or frozen) and saute them in a little oil. Add sliced Veron's or Martin's smoked sausage and let that render a little. Add your favorite canned red beans (or any kind of beans for that matter) and let them simmer until your rice pot dings. For the appetizer platter, remove the synthetic casing from the andouille and set them in a hot skillet until browned on both sides. Drain on paper towels and set on a platter with sliced hog head cheese and crackers. Better than cocktail weenies, for sho'! Don't forget to sprinkle sizzling meats with a little LeMoine's Season-Um-Up for extra kick.
Week of 7/14/08: Alaska at Val's Marina
We head to Val's Marina in Maurepas (225-695-6538) to check out some of the footage from Anthony Gregoire's vacation to Alaska. They went halibut and salmon fishing AND went on board one of the "Deadliest Catch" boats to see King Crabs. Back at the restaurant, Anthony cooked up some of the fish they caught in Alaska and had shipped home. He fries up halibut in a beer batter, cooks smoked salmon with a honey-dijon sauce and spices up some crab legs in a little cajun seafood boil. Snow crab legs are always on the menu at Val's, but salmon is a special. Call ahead for daily and nightly specials and sign up for their e-mail list to keep up-to-date. And, if you tell them you saw them on TV, you'll get a free dessert for your table with purchase of an entree!
Week of 7/6/08: Hot off the grill
Kitchen: Marissa throws everything on the grill for grilled pizzas - even the dough. A seafood pizza gets slathered in garlic butter and topped with grilled redfish, crabmeat, homegrown tomatoes and lots of cheese. A "red" pizza gets the standard sauce but loads of flavor from grilled andouille, Vidalia onions and portobello mushrooms. Pizzas make great "bar" parties - just set out lots of ready ingredients and let your guests entertain themselves. For recipes and ideas: Grilled Pizza
Week of 6/30/08: Double-duty recipes for the camp or condo, Hog hunting
Kitchen: Marissa makes some dishes that fall in the "double duty" category, meaning you can cook once and eat twice off each. Whether you're headed to the camp or condo for a few days' vacation, it's hard to come up with easy, healthy, cheap recipes to cook in a galley-style kitchen. And really, who wants to eat spaghetti for their whole holiday weekend?? My suggestions: buy or bring ingredients that can work in several recipes and try to bring the "expensive" stuff from home (steaks can cost up to $12/lb in tourist towns!!) So, we bring meat from Ralph's Market and seafood from Cajun Catch Seafood when we head to the beach in Gulf Shores or to the woods for hunting trips. It saves us quite a bit. For our vacation/camp-friendly shopping list and recipes, click here: Vacation/Camp Food
Ingredient note: I was shocked to realize than Veron's andouille (the chub-style package) has only 5 grams of fat per serving (compared to breakfast sausage at 17 fat grams per same size serving!!) I love the flavor of Veron's and am so happy to be aware of those nutrition facts!
Wine notes: We really enjoyed these wines with these recipes: Bolla Pinot Noir (Italian) was a great sipping wine and was awesome with the pasta dish and Napa Cellars 2006 Napa Chardonnay was excellent with the skewers and wraps. Both are available at Ralph's Market or your local AG.
Week of 6/22/08: Cajun Favorites
Seafood: Blaine Jones at Cajun Catch Seafood in Gonzales shows us how to butterfly catfish without removing the fillet from the bone. He also shows us "fried spiders" (actually shrimp legs) and his favorite fried crawfish corn and boudin balls. Oooo-wee! That stuff is good. Tell him you saw him on The Outdoor Kitchen Show and you'll get some lagniappe - buy any po-boy in the deli and get fries and a drink free! Deli is open Monday - Friday from 11am - 2pm. Call 647-3470 for information and orders.
Homegrown tomatoes: Uncle Ronnie and Aunt Judy Rachal have been hard at work gardening and canning tomatoes. Aunt Judy cans whole tomatoes for gravies and spaghetti. She also makes salsa with homegrown peppers and seasoning. When she has extra peppers, she makes pepper jelly and I can't wait to try the strawberry figs! For canning tips, click here: canning tomatoes
If you don't have the time to grow your own, find homegrown tomatoes at all locations of Ralph's Market!
Week of 6/15/08: Hot off the grill
Kitchen: Marissa throws everything on the grill for grilled pizzas - even the dough. A seafood pizza gets slathered in garlic butter and topped with grilled redfish, crabmeat, homegrown tomatoes and lots of cheese. A "red" pizza gets the standard sauce but loads of flavor from grilled andouille, Vidalia onions and portobello mushrooms. Pizzas make great "bar" parties - just set out lots of ready ingredients and let your guests entertain themselves. For recipes and ideas: Grilled Pizza
Week of 6/8/08: Catfishin'
Outdoors: Ed Beard (Ed's Shenandoah Hardware 225-753-1300) and Anthony Gregoire (Val's Marina) go out with commercial fisherman Kenny Watts into Lake Maurepas to check lines for catfish. And they don't just catch catfish - they release speckled trout, redfish and a stingray!
Kitchen: Anthony takes us into the kitchen at Val's Marina (225-695-6538) to show us their recipe for Catfish Courtbouillon. (This is actually Debbie Bell's recipe, but she's just a bit camera-shy.) We chose a red wine from their list - Menage A Trois California red wine (a blend of zinfandel, merlot and cabernet) that went great with the spicy, tomato-laced gravy. For the recipe: Catfish Courtbouillon
Week of 6/2/08: Lake Pontchartrain trout with a little something different
Outdoors: Capt. Greg Schlumbrecht of To Fish Charters takes us out to the train trestles in Pontchartrain for trout. The spillway water is not affecting this area (yet), but the stiff breeze makes it even more challenging to detect trout strikes. We fish with Deadly Dudley Baychovies in Opening Night colors and catch several nice-sized trout. If the Lake is adversely affected by the spillway, Capt. Greg plans to temporarily move his operations to Delacroix. Either way, you've got to check out his new boat (arriving May 21). To contact Capt. Greg: www.ToFishCharters.com.
Kitchen: With fresh trout on hand, Marissa wants to do something a little different. Franklin, however, insists on frying everything in LeMoine's Fry-Um-Up. So, Marissa comes up with something different on the side: oven-fried onion rings and andouille risotto. The crispy-crunchy of the fish and rings went great with the creamy-sweet-spicy of the risotto. Not your typical fish fry goodies, but SO good.
Week of 5/26/08: Double-duty recipes for the camp or condo, Hog hunting
Kitchen: Marissa makes some dishes that fall in the "double duty" category, meaning you can cook once and eat twice off each. Whether you're headed to the camp or condo for a few days' vacation, it's hard to come up with easy, healthy, cheap recipes to cook in a galley-style kitchen. And really, who wants to eat spaghetti for their whole holiday weekend?? My suggestions: buy or bring ingredients that can work in several recipes and try to bring the "expensive" stuff from home (steaks can cost up to $12/lb in tourist towns!!) So, we bring meat from Ralph's Market and seafood from Cajun Catch Seafood when we head to the beach in Gulf Shores or to the woods for hunting trips. It saves us quite a bit. For our vacation/camp-friendly shopping list and recipes, click here: Vacation/Camp Food
Ingredient note: I was shocked to realize than Veron's andouille (the chub-style package) has only 5 grams of fat per serving (compared to breakfast sausage at 17 fat grams per same size serving!!) I love the flavor of Veron's and am so happy to be aware of those nutrition facts!
Wine notes: We really enjoyed these wines with these recipes: Bolla Pinot Noir (Italian) was a great sipping wine and was awesome with the pasta dish and Napa Cellars 2006 Napa Chardonnay was excellent with the skewers and wraps. Both are available at Ralph's Market or your local AG.
Week of 5/19/08: Squirrel hunting
Outdoors: Ed Beard and Milton, Travis and Colt Valentine head out to the Ole Miss Hunting Club at Raccourci Point in Pointe Coupee with Joe Garrett. They shoot over 30 squirrels over the weekend and have a great time. Ed enjoys hunting squirrels with either his Marlin .22 Magnum rifle or with a Mossberg 835 Ulti-Mag 12-gauge shotgun (both available at his shop, Ed's Shenandoah Hardware on Jones Creek Road in Baton Rouge). Milton is excited about his first hunt with his new squirrel dog, Susie, a 2 1/2 year old Feist. Since she's still learning the trade, she's equipped with a GPS (in case she takes off after a deer) and how to retreive every fallen squirrel. She did a great job on this hunt, for sure!
Kitchen: Milton shows us his super-easy camp recipe: beef brisket and gravy. It cooks in a cast iron dutch oven low-and-slow overnight and through the morning hunt, to be ready for when the guys get back from the woods. For the recipe, click here: Milton's brisket
Week of 5/12/08: Mo' seafood recipes
Well, folks we tried to go fishin' for ya, but the weather just hasn't been cooperating. We went to Lake Calcasieu for trout, reds and flounder and got mostly a lot of wind. The guys did sneak off for the 11pm tides and caught a bunch of fish off the dock, so we had plenty fish to eat - just not many on film. Oh well, Dr. Vince and Dr. Gray Bailey's camp is so nice, we don't mind heading back there to try again. They showed us their "company" fish dish - baked flounder with a shrimp and crab topping.
Since we had some extra time on the show, we had Kevin Boudreaux show us a recipe he's been toying with - Lobster Boudreaux. It's like an Alfredo sauce, but with a little extra kick. He boiled some fresh lobsters in crab boil, broke them apart for the meat and fat and tossed it with a creamy, spicy sauce over fettucine. He also used the extra claw meat to make a Lobster Ceasar Salad. (Super easy - just toss the meat with dressing, lay it on a bed of romaine and top with fresh parmesan and cracked pepper.) And - special thanks to Mark Smith with Underwater Adventures who went diving in the Atlantic and caught us some lobsters for the show! To contact Mark about scuba diving adventures: (225) 927-3483. They're in Baton Rouge on Government Street or on the web: www.underwateradv.net
Week of 5/5/08: Catfishin'
Outdoors: Ed Beard (Ed's Shenandoah Hardware 225-753-1300) and Anthony Gregoire (Val's Marina) go out with commercial fisherman Kenny Watts into Lake Maurepas to check lines for catfish. And they don't just catch catfish - they release speckled trout, redfish and a stingray!
Kitchen: Anthony takes us into the kitchen at Val's Marina (225-695-6538) to show us their recipe for Catfish Courtbouillon. (This is actually Debbie Bell's recipe, but she's just a bit camera-shy.) We chose a red wine from their list - Menage A Trois California red wine (a blend of zinfandel, merlot and cabernet) that went great with the spicy, tomato-laced gravy. For the recipe: Catfish Courtbouillon
Week of 4/28/08: SAUSAGE
For our "outdoors" part of the show, we go on a field trip to Veron Foods in Prairieville to see how they make their smoked sausage, andouille and head cheese. Veron's bought the Martin's brand a few years back but Paul Hays (President, Veron Foods) has retained the original recipes (from the '40s and '50s) for each brand. Martin's has more "Ascension Parish" flavor while Veron's has more of a "River Parish" flavor. We had a good time sampling a little of each for comparison and savoring the terroire of each sausage! For group tours or information, call (225) 622-3262. They're about to come out with new labels for all their products, so be on the lookout for the new packaging in your local store. You can find Veron's and Martin's products at both locations of Ralph's Market.
For the cooking part of the show, Mickey LeMoine comes over to my house to see what his brother, Buggy LeMoine (Sales Director, Veron Foods) sent over for us to cook for our viewers. Mickey wanted to keep it simple: weeknight red beans and a cajun antipasti platter. For weeknight red beans, take some pre-chopped creole veggies (fresh or frozen) and saute them in a little oil. Add sliced Veron's or Martin's smoked sausage and let that render a little. Add your favorite canned red beans (or any kind of beans for that matter) and let them simmer until your rice pot dings. For the appetizer platter, remove the synthetic casing from the andouille and set them in a hot skillet until browned on both sides. Drain on paper towels and set on a platter with sliced hog head cheese and crackers. Better than cocktail weenies, for sho'! Don't forget to sprinkle sizzling meats with a little LeMoine's Season-Um-Up for extra kick.
Week of 4/21/08: Lake Pontchartrain trout with a little something different
Outdoors: Capt. Greg Schlumbrecht of To Fish Charters takes us out to the train trestles in Pontchartrain for trout. The spillway water is not affecting this area (yet), but the stiff breeze makes it even more challenging to detect trout strikes. We fish with Deadly Dudley Baychovies in Opening Night colors and catch several nice-sized trout. If the Lake is adversely affected by the spillway, Capt. Greg plans to temporarily move his operations to Delacroix. Either way, you've got to check out his new boat (arriving May 21). To contact Capt. Greg: www.ToFishCharters.com.
Kitchen: With fresh trout on hand, Marissa wants to do something a little different. Franklin, however, insists on frying everything in LeMoine's Fry-Um-Up. So, Marissa comes up with something different on the side: oven-fried onion rings and andouille risotto. The crispy-crunchy of the fish and rings went great with the creamy-sweet-spicy of the risotto. Not your typical fish fry goodies, but SO good.
Week of 4/14/08: You can't get more Louisiana than this... fishin', cookin' and music (in the heat!)
Outdoors: Fishing with Gray Bailey, DDS, in the Louisiana Dental Association Rodeo - a family event for members that includes fishing out of Grand Isle and fun at the Sand Dollar Marina. Dr. Gray and his crew bring in lots of nice trout and reds.
Kitchen: We shoot on location at Ralph's Market on Jones Creek Road with Mickey LeMoine (Season-Um-Up and Fry-Um-Up). He gives us his formula for big-pot jambalaya. Mickey's from Lutcher, so his jambalaya is just a little "red." I lived in NOLA while college and love a hint of tomato in my jambalaya! We've got his formula and add-ins here: Mickey's big pot jambalaya.
While we were out there cooking, Kent Lavigne and his friends were playing some old time cajun music. He plays for the Lil Bayou Band (I saw him at the Swamp Pop Fest) and they do events. If you're interested: Lil Bayou Band
Week of 4/7/08: Mo' seafood recipes
Well, folks we tried to go fishin' for ya, but the weather just hasn't been cooperating. We went to Lake Calcasieu for trout, reds and flounder and got mostly a lot of wind. The guys did sneak off for the 11pm tides and caught a bunch of fish off the dock, so we had plenty fish to eat - just not many on film. Oh well, Dr. Vince and Dr. Gray Bailey's camp is so nice, we don't mind heading back there to try again. They showed us their "company" fish dish - baked flounder with a shrimp and crab topping.
Since we had some extra time on the show, we had Kevin Boudreaux show us a recipe he's been toying with - Lobster Boudreaux. It's like an Alfredo sauce, but with a little extra kick. He boiled some fresh lobsters in crab boil, broke them apart for the meat and fat and tossed it with a creamy, spicy sauce over fettucine. He also used the extra claw meat to make a Lobster Ceasar Salad. (Super easy - just toss the meat with dressing, lay it on a bed of romaine and top with fresh parmesan and cracked pepper.) And - special thanks to Mark Smith with Underwater Adventures who went diving in the Atlantic and caught us some lobsters for the show! To contact Mark about scuba diving adventures: (225) 927-3483. They're in Baton Rouge on Government Street or on the web: www.underwateradv.net
Week of 3/30/08: SAUSAGE
For our "outdoors" part of the show, we go on a field trip to Veron Foods in Prairieville to see how they make their smoked sausage, andouille and head cheese. Veron's bought the Martin's brand a few years back but Paul Hays (President, Veron Foods) has retained the original recipes (from the '40s and '50s) for each brand. Martin's has more "Ascension Parish" flavor while Veron's has more of a "River Parish" flavor. We had a good time sampling a little of each for comparison and savoring the terroire of each sausage! For group tours or information, call (225) 622-3262. They're about to come out with new labels for all their products, so be on the lookout for the new packaging in your local store. You can find Veron's and Martin's products at both locations of Ralph's Market.
For the cooking part of the show, Mickey LeMoine comes over to my house to see what his brother, Buggy LeMoine (Sales Director, Veron Foods) sent over for us to cook for our viewers. Mickey wanted to keep it simple: weeknight red beans and a cajun antipasti platter. For weeknight red beans, take some pre-chopped creole veggies (fresh or frozen) and saute them in a little oil. Add sliced Veron's or Martin's smoked sausage and let that render a little. Add your favorite canned red beans (or any kind of beans for that matter) and let them simmer until your rice pot dings. For the appetizer platter, remove the synthetic casing from the andouille and set them in a hot skillet until browned on both sides. Drain on paper towels and set on a platter with sliced hog head cheese and crackers. Better than cocktail weenies, for sho'! Don't forget to sprinkle sizzling meats with a little LeMoine's Season-Um-Up for extra kick.
Week of 2/25/08: Squirrel hunting
Outdoors: Ed Beard and Milton, Travis and Colt Valentine head out to the Ole Miss Hunting Club at Raccourci Point in Pointe Coupee with Joe Garrett. They shoot over 30 squirrels over the weekend and have a great time. Ed enjoys hunting squirrels with either his Marlin .22 Magnum rifle or with a Mossberg 835 Ulti-Mag 12-gauge shotgun (both available at his shop, Ed's Shenandoah Hardware on Jones Creek Road in Baton Rouge). Milton is excited about his first hunt with his new squirrel dog, Susie, a 2 1/2 year old Feist. Since she's still learning the trade, she's equipped with a GPS (in case she takes off after a deer) and how to retreive every fallen squirrel. She did a great job on this hunt, for sure!
Kitchen: Milton shows us his super-easy camp recipe: beef brisket and gravy. It cooks in a cast iron dutch oven low-and-slow overnight and through the morning hunt, to be ready for when the guys get back from the woods. For the recipe, click here: Milton's brisket
Week of 2/17/08: Crawfish!
We start with a field trip to Cajun Catch Seafood Market in Gonzales where Blaine Jones shows us how he boils crawfish and shrimp for a crowd. Blaine is offering a little lagniappe for Outdoor Kitchen Show viewers: Buy a po-boy in the deli, get fries and a drink for free! For hours and contact info, click here: Cajun Catch
In the kitchen: Mickey LeMoine shows us how to "Season-Um-Up." His recipe for crawfish and corn chowder is simple but rich and fabulous. It's great with leftover tails from a crawfish boil or with packs of crawfish. For his recipe, click here: Crawfish & Corn Chowder.
Week of 2/11/08:
Outdoors: Fishing with the Marsh Rat, Capt. Chad Billiot, for trout and redfish. The guys stayed at Bobby Lynn's Marina, got lots of goodies at Tyd's Tackle and hit the water as the sun came up. They caught lots of frying-size trout and some beautiful golden redfish. For a trip like this, check out Capt. Chad's website: www.marshratguideservice.com.
Kitchen: Kevin Boudreaux (KTB Properties) and Danny Bonfiglio (Jani-Care) get to cookin' in Kevin's kitchen. Danny dumps some yummy stuff in a ricepot for jalapeno rice and Kevin debones and stuffs flounder with a crabmeat stuffing. He tops it with a pineapple glaze that really brightens up the dish. To get fresh flounder, you can head to Cajun Catch Seafood. He's got plenty this week! For recipes: Jalapeno rice Stuffed flounder with pineapple glaze
Week of 2/4/08: Lent recipes
Mickey LeMoine (Season-Um-Up, Fry-Um-Up) comes over to show us some lent recipes. The weather has been off for fishing, hunting (and parades!) so we got to cooking some stuff that will make this early Lent season a bit brighter. First, Mickey pan-fried scallops in a little oil & butter and Season-Um-Up. So simple. Even better, he coated some in Fry-Um-Up and deep fried them (yum!). Then we battered and fried some shrimp and drizzled them with a lemony cream cheese seafood sauce. So good! We paired these dishes with Fetzer Gewurztraminer (nice sweet, fruity white wine) and Rosemount shiraz (very good with the spicy pan-fried scallops).
Week of 1/27/08: Val's Marina wine & rum tasting, Kevin's Elk Chili
Val's Marina in Maurepas (225-695-6538) is our favorite local hole-in-the-wall kind of place. Now they just went off the charts by adding a user-friendly wine list (glasses start at $4 for a yummy reisling!) Anthony Gregoire shows us how they prep and fry small whole catfish and top huge baked potatoes (instead of rice) with crawfish etouffee. Mike Klein of Republic National shows us several of the wines on the wine list and tells us not to fret when making a choice to go with dinner - just drink what you like! Now, I'll tell you what Franklin and I really liked was the Old New Orleans rum cocktails we were sipping. Cajun tea (sweet tea with cajun spiced rum), Partly Cloudy (Amber rum and ginger ale) and Tsunami (Crystal rum with ginger ale). Distiller Chris Sule told us all about the rums he helps make and showed us how to mix it up. For info on the only rum made in Louisiana with homegrown sugarcane from Gonzales (and distillery tours too!): www.NewOrleansRum.com
Kevin Boudreaux had tons of meat from his elk hunting trip to Texas and he's been cooking elk-everything since! In this show, he shares the recipe he's been working on for elk chili. He serves it with cheese and jalapeno quesadillas. Just for lagniappe, Marissa makes pistolettes that would be great using backstrap or ribeyes - smothered in portobello wine sauce and tucked into crispy pistolettes.
Week of 1/20/08: Hog hunt
Outdoors: Gray Bailey, DDS (Absolute Quality Care Family Dentistry) takes us out to Centerville, Texas to do some hog hunting on Smith Ranch. He prefers to stalk hogs in the 100 pound range with a bow and arrow. The guys got a nice sized hog around dusk and brought plenty of meat back home. At the camp, they had a fantastic seafood gumbo with fresh seafood from Cajun Catch in Gonzales.
Kitchen: We head over to Dr. Gray's house to roast a pork shoulder. He shows us how he slow roasts the meat for hours, then finishes it on the grill with barbecue sauce. He pre-cooks an Aoudad mutton roast and ribs and shows us how to finish it up. Marissa also makes a super easy white bean recipe that's perfect for the camp. For our recipes: Wild game ribs & roasts Camp white beans
Week of 1/12/08: Big Lake "Backed" Crabs
Outdoors: Capt. Josh Johnson of Triple J Charters takes V.J., Darrel and Nick Purpera trout fishing in Big Lake (Lake Calcasieu). Everybody had a great time fishing and can't wait to go back with Capt. Josh. For a trip like this: (337) 598-1111. For lodging at Hebert's Marina, check out www.BigLakeGuestHouse.com. They have 6 different cabins available for nightly rental (whether you have a charter guide or not).
Kitchen: Capt. Josh shows us how to make Big Lake "Backed" Crabs. I'd never seen anyone take the backs off the crabs before boiling, but I'm so glad I know how to do it now. Between the soaked-in seasoning and the lemon-butter sauce, I'll never boil crabs any other way! For the recipe: Big Lake Backed Crabs
Week of 1/6/08: Lighter Recipes!
Okay folks, you've asked and we've dug deep in our files for lighter recipes. Okay, I actually had to come up with an "experimental" recipe because all my old favorites have lots of fat (and many that start out healthy end up deep fried.) So, Mickey LeMoine of LeMoine's Season-Um-Up shows us a simple roasted veggie medley with a blast of flavor from his cajun seasoning. (Find it at Ralph's Market or www.SeasonUmUp.com).
I love white rice but am a little disappointed with its nutritional value. I've used brown rice often and it's great in many recipes, but for nutrition's sake, I wanted to try something new. QUINOA (keen-wah) is a great substitute for any recipe that calls for rice. It looks like birdseed but it fluffs up like rice and cooks just the same too (one part grain to two parts liquid). So, I sauteed some crawfish and onions to toss with this great grain and it was fabulous. Find the recipes here: Cajun Crawfish Quinoa Roasted Veggie Medley
Week of 1/1/08: Off to the deer woods!
First we start off with a big game hunt in Texas with Kevin and Zach Boudreaux. They go on a safari-style ride around Wa-To-Go Exotics Ranch (Mountain Home, Texas, Anthony Matone: 830-640-3585) with Cajun Outfitters Guide David Moore. After learning how to shoot with a crossbow, Zach and Kevin head out to hunt elk.
For youth hunt weekend, we love to go out with our friends at Last Chance Hunting Club in Fayette, Mississippi. Club President Clarence "Bim" Brock takes us in a deerstand with his grandson, Dylan. We also went out with Kevin & Zach. Of course, the deer were camera shy, but all the kids brought in a prize. For me, the best part was cooking for such a big crowd. Kevin got a whole hog from Ralph's Market and cooked it in a "cajun microwave." He left the cleaned hog whole, injected it with marinade overnight and roasted it in the custom built microwave for about 4 hours. The process isn't difficult, but flipping the pig in the middle of the cooking time can be unwieldy since it's whole (and hot). Want to make it easier? Call the butchers at Ralph's Market to get your hog - whole or in half. They even sell them fully smoked so you don't have to buy a roasting box or deal with cooking the pig yourself! For Ralph's Market: Located at Hwy 44 & 931 Gonzales (225) 622-4044 and on Jones Creek & Tiger Bend Baton Rouge (225) 752-1004, www.RalphsAG.com, Open every day 5:45am to 9:00pm
Week of 12/23/07: Holiday Blooper Show
We share lots of bloopers made by Marissa and several of our wonderful, humorous sponsors!
Week of 12/16/07: Snapper fishing/au gratin
Week of 12/9/07: Tuna & Snapper
Kitchen: Chef Derek Chang at Koto of Japan shows us how to cut tuna for sashimi and nigiri. He also introduces us to his new sizzling snapper dish (thinly sliced snapper topped with sliced jalapenos and green onions, then drizzled with sizzling spicy sesame oil and soy sauce). Then he shows us a new roll one of his customers requested: the Fogg Roll. Spicy crawfish with avocado and cream cheese, rolled up with spicy tuna on top. Chef Derek serves it with "the Bomb" sauce (spicy mayo, ginger dressing and bbq eel sauce). For more on Koto: www.KotoofJapan.com
Week of 12/2/07: Off to the deer woods!
First we start off with a big game hunt in Texas with Kevin and Zach Boudreaux. They go on a safari-style ride around Wa-To-Go Exotics Ranch (Mountain Home, Texas, Anthony Matone: 830-640-3585) with Cajun Outfitters Guide David Moore. After learning how to shoot with a crossbow, Zach and Kevin head out to hunt elk.
For youth hunt weekend, we love to go out with our friends at Last Chance Hunting Club in Fayette, Mississippi. Club President Clarence "Bim" Brock takes us in a deerstand with his grandson, Dylan. We also went out with Kevin & Zach. Of course, the deer were camera shy, but all the kids brought in a prize. For me, the best part was cooking for such a big crowd. Kevin got a whole hog from Ralph's Market and cooked it in a "cajun microwave." He left the cleaned hog whole, injected it with marinade overnight and roasted it in the custom built microwave for about 4 hours. The process isn't difficult, but flipping the pig in the middle of the cooking time can be unwieldy since it's whole (and hot). Want to make it easier? Call the butchers at Ralph's Market to get your hog - whole or in half. They even sell them fully smoked so you don't have to buy a roasting box or deal with cooking the pig yourself! For Ralph's Market: Located at Hwy 44 & 931 Gonzales (225) 622-4044 and on Jones Creek & Tiger Bend Baton Rouge (225) 752-1004, www.RalphsAG.com, Open every day 5:45am to 9:00pm
Week of 11/26/07: LOBSTER FEST
Outdoors: Mangrove snapper fishing with Capt. Chris Moran of Cajun Made Charters. The guys (Kevin Boudreaux, Blane Purpera, Chris & Pat Gonzales and Franklin) stayed at Belle Pass Marina in Fourchon. Capt. Chris has really done wonders with the place and is available for all kinds of charters. Call Capt. Chris at (225) 931-7306 or call the Marina at (985) 396-2442.
Kitchen: Kevin Boudreaux (KTB Properties) shows us some lobster recipes. When he was growing up, Kevin's dad did lots of business in Maine and would ship 25-30 lobsters home at a time, so they got a little creative with some of their recipes. Of course, crab-boiled with a little butter is always perfect, but we cracked off the claws and fried them like crab claws, topped the tail meat with a rich crabmeat sauce and tossed the "leftover" meat from the head, back of tail and legs to make a cold lobster salad.
Week of 11/17/07: Holiday Blooper Show
We share lots of bloopers made by Marissa and several of our wonderful, humorous sponsors!
Week of 11/11/07: Alligator hunt
Outdoors: Danny Berthelot takes Ed Beard (Ed's Shenandoah Hardware, Baton Rouge) out into the swamps to hunt alligators. Danny owns Gator World, an alligator farm in Maurepas, and harvests gators annually. He sells alligator meat and leather products at his farm: call (225) 695-6477. If you'd like to go on a guided alligator hunt, you can find guides and info at at www.alligatorfur.com. Remember, you must have tags from Wildlife and Fisheries to hunt gators!
Kitchen: If you're hunting gator dishes, head out to Val's Marina (225-695-6538). They've got alligator nuggets everyday as an appetizer and alligator sauce piquant as a special. Anthony Gregoire showed us how he makes their sauce piquant and buffalo alligator "wings." For the recipes, click here: alligator sauce piquant alligator wings
Week of 11/5/07:
Outdoors: Fishing with the Marsh Rat, Capt. Chad Billiot, for trout and redfish. The guys stayed at Bobby Lynn's Marina, got lots of goodies at Tyd's Tackle and hit the water as the sun came up. They caught lots of frying-size trout and some beautiful golden redfish. For a trip like this, check out Capt. Chad's website: www.marshratguideservice.com.
Kitchen: Kevin Boudreaux (KTB Properties) and Danny Bonfiglio (Jani-Care) get to cookin' in Kevin's kitchen. Danny dumps some yummy stuff in a ricepot for jalapeno rice and Kevin debones and stuffs flounder with a crabmeat stuffing. He tops it with a pineapple glaze that really brightens up the dish. To get fresh flounder, you can head to Cajun Catch Seafood. He's got plenty this week! For recipes: Jalapeno rice Stuffed flounder with pineapple glaze
Week of 10/28/07: BEAT 'BAMA BRUNCH, Val's Football Favorites
We start in Marissa's kitchen making up some tailgate goodies for the upcoming LSU/Alabama game. Since they don't have a "cookable" mascot, we got a little creative with an "Eggs Bene-NICK", "Crimson Sliders" and a "Purple & Gold Pie." All are very easy and can be done with skillet or griddle on an outdoor burner.
Then we head to Val's Marina in Maurepas (225-695-6538) for some football favorites. Anthony Gregoire shows us his classic BBQ shrimp, smothered potatoes and all the fried appetizers at Val's (crab balls, crawfish balls, alligator bites, stuffed peppers, fried crab claws, fried mushrooms and more). Then he shakes up a "Purple Tiger Tini." Everything on Val's menu (except for the alcohol) is available "to geaux"!
Week of 10/22/07: Tuna & Snapper
Kitchen: Chef Derek Chang at Koto of Japan shows us how to cut tuna for sashimi and nigiri. He also introduces us to his new sizzling snapper dish (thinly sliced snapper topped with sliced jalapenos and green onions, then drizzled with sizzling spicy sesame oil and soy sauce). Then he shows us a new roll one of his customers requested: the Fogg Roll. Spicy crawfish with avocado and cream cheese, rolled up with spicy tuna on top. Chef Derek serves it with "the Bomb" sauce (spicy mayo, ginger dressing and bbq eel sauce). For more on Koto: www.KotoofJapan.com
Week of 10/15/07: Boudreaux's fishin' & soup
Kitchen: Kevin Boudreaux (KTB Properties) invites us over for Mamie Boudreaux's "fisherman's soup." It's a lot like an Italian cioppino (tomato-based soup with mussels, clams and fish), but Kevin uses fresh gulf seafood from Cajun Catch. I told Kevin that the next time he makes it, throw in some chunks of that fresh mangrove snapper! For the recipe, click here: Fisherman's soup
Our featured wines were Tapeña Garnacha and Tempranillo. For more: TapeñaWines.com
Week of 10/8/07: Snapper fishing/au gratin
Kitchen: With some red snapper fillets coming in off the boat, Mickey LeMoine (Season-Um-Up, Fry-Um-Up) decides to give a twist to his seafood au gratin. He layers the very rich, very cheesy au gratin mixture in a pyrex dish with some broken up pre-baked fillets then tops it with sliced american cheese and shredded pizza cheese. Y'all - I can not stress enough how satisfying each bite was. Mickey's recipes always feed an army (this dish is best at appetizer size) but you can adjust quantities as you like. This is a fabulous dinner party dish: Mickey's Snapper Au Gratin
Week of 10/1/07: LOBSTER FEST
Outdoors: Mangrove snapper fishing with Capt. Chris Moran of Cajun Made Charters. The guys (Kevin Boudreaux, Blane Purpera, Chris & Pat Gonzales and Franklin) stayed at Belle Pass Marina in Fourchon. Capt. Chris has really done wonders with the place and is available for all kinds of charters. Call Capt. Chris at (225) 931-7306 or call the Marina at (985) 396-2442.
Kitchen: Kevin Boudreaux (KTB Properties) shows us some lobster recipes. When he was growing up, Kevin's dad did lots of business in Maine and would ship 25-30 lobsters home at a time, so they got a little creative with some of their recipes. Of course, crab-boiled with a little butter is always perfect, but we cracked off the claws and fried them like crab claws, topped the tail meat with a rich crabmeat sauce and tossed the "leftover" meat from the head, back of tail and legs to make a cold lobster salad.
Week of 9/24/07: You can't get more Louisiana than this... fishin', cookin' and music (in the heat!)
Outdoors: Fishing with Gray Bailey, DDS, in the Louisiana Dental Association Rodeo - a family event for members that includes fishing out of Grand Isle and fun at the Sand Dollar Marina. Dr. Gray and his crew bring in lots of nice trout and reds.
Kitchen: We shoot on location at Ralph's Market on Jones Creek Road with Mickey LeMoine (Season-Um-Up and Fry-Um-Up). He gives us his formula for big-pot jambalaya. Mickey's from Lutcher, so his jambalaya is just a little "red." I lived in NOLA while college and love a hint of tomato in my jambalaya! We've got his formula and add-ins here: Mickey's big pot jambalaya.
While we were out there cooking, Kent Lavigne and his friends were playing some old time cajun music. He plays for the Lil Bayou Band (I saw him at the Swamp Pop Fest) and they do events. If you're interested: Lil Bayou Band
Week of 9/15/07: Basin bream with Caribbean flair
Outdoors: J. B. Salter (Salter's Jiggin' Poles 225-627-5151) goes into the Bayou Cowan/Catfish Lake area off Little Pigeon (Atchafalaya Basin) to catch an icechest full of bream. He explains his jiggin' pole technique, how to use panfish tackle and where to throw your bait. For a panfish trip to the Basin or even the False River area, call Mr. JB.
Kitchen: Smoked bream with a Caribbean sauce
Okay, honestly, I've cooked fish in almost every conceivable way. Trying to find something different, I got inspiration at Ed's Shenandoah Hardware from all the flavors of wood chips there. I chose mesquite for the show (since it's easy to find) but he also carries pecan, maple, hickory, persimmon and peach. So, I stuffed the fish with peppers, onion, garlic and ginger and marinated them in a caribbean flavored mixture that reduced nicely into a sauce for the cooked fish. I served it with crispy fried sweet potatoes but you could easily put this over rice. For the recipe: smoked bream with spicy caribbean sauce
Week of 9/8/07: Alligator hunt
Outdoors: Danny Berthelot takes Ed Beard (Ed's Shenandoah Hardware, Baton Rouge) out into the swamps to hunt alligators. Danny owns Gator World, an alligator farm in Maurepas, and harvests gators annually. He sells alligator meat and leather products at his farm: call (225) 695-6477. If you'd like to go on a guided alligator hunt, you can find guides and info at at www.alligatorfur.com. Remember, you must have tags from Wildlife and Fisheries to hunt gators!
Kitchen: If you're hunting gator dishes, head out to Val's Marina (225-695-6538). They've got alligator nuggets everyday as an appetizer and alligator sauce piquant as a special. Anthony Gregoire showed us how he makes their sauce piquant and buffalo alligator "wings." For the recipes, click here: alligator sauce piquant alligator wings
Week of 9/3/07: New seafood dishes at Derek Chang's Koto of Japan
From time to time, we find ourselves with an abundance of fresh fish and always wonder what we can do "different" with it. In this show, Chef Derek Chang of Koto of Japan (College Drive at I-10, Baton Rouge) shows us how he makes a lemonfish ceviche, a spicy tuna taiji roll and deep fried coconut scallops with a spicy sauce. A ceviche can be made with any kind of seafood, but it has to be very fresh. If you catch a nice lemonfish (cobia), ice it down quickly, dress it at the marina and keep it on ice until ready to use (same thing for tuna). If you're making sashimi or ceviche, use the fish within 24 hours. Here's an idea - pick up some sushi ingredients at Ralph's Market on Jones Creek Road when heading off to the camp and make it there! For the ceviche, Derek tosses bite-sized lemonfish and veggies (sliced bell peppers and red onion, avocado, jalapenos, cherry tomatoes, cilantro) with Japanese sauces (miso, creamy ginger dressing, ponzu sauce and spicy chili/sesame oil) and tops it with chopped green onions, sesame seeds and masago. If you're wanting to make this yourself, you can substitute fresh lime and orange juice for ponzu and use whatever seafood and veggies strike your fancy.
The taiji roll starts with spicy tuna (fresh yellowfin tuna chopped finely and mixed with spicy mayo, green onions and masago), rolled with sushi rice, a crab stick and avocado slices in 2 nori sheets attached to make 1 long sheet. It is then dipped in tempura batter and flash-fried. Derek serves it with a spicy chili sauce.
The fried scallops can be made at home by slicing large scallops into smaller pieces, seasoning with salt and lemon juice and frying them. Derek uses a secret batter mix of wet and dry flours and coconut. I would use LeMoine's Fry-Um-Up for a little cajun flair. He serves them with a garlicky-cocktail-like sauce and edamame. Now how's that for something out of the ordinary? To try any of these dishes, stop by Derek Chang's Koto of Japan in Baton Rouge.
Week of 8/25/07: Boudreaux's fishin' & soup
Kitchen: Kevin Boudreaux (KTB Properties) invites us over for Mamie Boudreaux's "fisherman's soup." It's a lot like an Italian cioppino (tomato-based soup with mussels, clams and fish), but Kevin uses fresh gulf seafood from Cajun Catch. I told Kevin that the next time he makes it, throw in some chunks of that fresh mangrove snapper! For the recipe, click here: Fisherman's soup
Our featured wines were Tapeña Garnacha and Tempranillo. For more: TapeñaWines.com
Week of 8/13/07: You can't get more Louisiana than this... fishin', cookin' and music (in the heat!)
Outdoors: Fishing with Gray Bailey, DDS, in the Louisiana Dental Association Rodeo - a family event for members that includes fishing out of Grand Isle and fun at the Sand Dollar Marina. Dr. Gray and his crew bring in lots of nice trout and reds.
Kitchen: We shoot on location at Ralph's Market on Jones Creek Road with Mickey LeMoine (Season-Um-Up and Fry-Um-Up). He gives us his formula for big-pot jambalaya. Mickey's from Lutcher, so his jambalaya is just a little "red." I lived in NOLA while college and love a hint of tomato in my jambalaya! We've got his formula and add-ins here: Mickey's big pot jambalaya.
While we were out there cooking, Kent Lavigne and his friends were playing some old time cajun music. He plays for the Lil Bayou Band (I saw him at the Swamp Pop Fest) and they do events. If you're interested: Lil Bayou Band
Week of 8/6/07:
Outdoors: JB Salter (Salter's Jiggin' Poles, 225-627-5151) takes us out into the canals off Big and Little Pigeon Bayous to catch big sacalait. He shows us how to use the jiggin' poles, how to attach a weed guard and how to use white lithium grease to make sure the hooks grab the fish and not the weed guard. To order a jiggin' pole or tackle kit, call Mr. JB Salter at 225-627-5151.
Kitchen: Mickey LeMoine shows us a recipe he came across by accident: "stewfee." When making a shrimp stew, he didn't have enough oil roux and decided to add a butter roux to thicken the mixture. Then, just for good measure, he added a little tomato sauce (like an etoufee) and created a wonderful "stewfee." He also shows us a quick and easy slaw made with apples, golden raisins and (what else?) Season-Um-Up cajun seasoning!
Week of 7/28/07: Big Lake "Backed" Crabs
Outdoors: Capt. Josh Johnson of Triple J Charters takes V.J., Darrel and Nick Purpera trout fishing in Big Lake (Lake Calcasieu). Everybody had a great time fishing and can't wait to go back with Capt. Josh. For a trip like this: (337) 598-1111. For lodging at Hebert's Marina, check out www.BigLakeGuestHouse.com. They have 6 different cabins available for nightly rental (whether you have a charter guide or not).
Kitchen: Capt. Josh shows us how to make Big Lake "Backed" Crabs. I'd never seen anyone take the backs off the crabs before boiling, but I'm so glad I know how to do it now. Between the soaked-in seasoning and the lemon-butter sauce, I'll never boil crabs any other way! For the recipe: Big Lake Backed Crabs
Week of 7/20/07: Basin bream with Caribbean flair
Outdoors: J. B. Salter (Salter's Jiggin' Poles 225-627-5151) goes into the Bayou Cowan/Catfish Lake area off Little Pigeon (Atchafalaya Basin) to catch an icechest full of bream. He explains his jiggin' pole technique, how to use panfish tackle and where to throw your bait. For a panfish trip to the Basin or even the False River area, call Mr. JB.
Kitchen: Smoked bream with a Caribbean sauce
Okay, honestly, I've cooked fish in almost every conceivable way. Trying to find something different, I got inspiration at Ed's Shenandoah Hardware from all the flavors of wood chips there. I chose mesquite for the show (since it's easy to find) but he also carries pecan, maple, hickory, persimmon and peach. So, I stuffed the fish with peppers, onion, garlic and ginger and marinated them in a caribbean flavored mixture that reduced nicely into a sauce for the cooked fish. I served it with crispy fried sweet potatoes but you could easily put this over rice. For the recipe: smoked bream with spicy caribbean sauce
Week of 7/16/07:
Week of 7/7/07: New seafood dishes at Derek Chang's Koto of Japan
From time to time, we find ourselves with an abundance of fresh fish and always wonder what we can do "different" with it. In this show, Chef Derek Chang of Koto of Japan (College Drive at I-10, Baton Rouge) shows us how he makes a lemonfish ceviche, a spicy tuna taiji roll and deep fried coconut scallops with a spicy sauce. A ceviche can be made with any kind of seafood, but it has to be very fresh. If you catch a nice lemonfish (cobia), ice it down quickly, dress it at the marina and keep it on ice until ready to use (same thing for tuna). If you're making sashimi or ceviche, use the fish within 24 hours. Here's an idea - pick up some sushi ingredients at Ralph's Market on Jones Creek Road when heading off to the camp and make it there! For the ceviche, Derek tosses bite-sized lemonfish and veggies (sliced bell peppers and red onion, avocado, jalapenos, cherry tomatoes, cilantro) with Japanese sauces (miso, creamy ginger dressing, ponzu sauce and spicy chili/sesame oil) and tops it with chopped green onions, sesame seeds and masago. If you're wanting to make this yourself, you can substitute fresh lime and orange juice for ponzu and use whatever seafood and veggies strike your fancy.
The taiji roll starts with spicy tuna (fresh yellowfin tuna chopped finely and mixed with spicy mayo, green onions and masago), rolled with sushi rice, a crab stick and avocado slices in 2 nori sheets attached to make 1 long sheet. It is then dipped in tempura batter and flash-fried. Derek serves it with a spicy chili sauce.
The fried scallops can be made at home by slicing large scallops into smaller pieces, seasoning with salt and lemon juice and frying them. Derek uses a secret batter mix of wet and dry flours and coconut. I would use LeMoine's Fry-Um-Up for a little cajun flair. He serves them with a garlicky-cocktail-like sauce and edamame. Now how's that for something out of the ordinary? To try any of these dishes, stop by Derek Chang's Koto of Japan in Baton Rouge.
Week of 6/30/07: Mickey's Stewfee, JB's Sacalait
Outdoors: JB Salter (Salter's Jiggin' Poles, 225-627-5151) takes us out into the canals off Big and Little Pigeon Bayous to catch big sacalait. He shows us how to use the jiggin' poles, how to attach a weed guard and how to use white lithium grease to make sure the hooks grab the fish and not the weed guard. To order a jiggin' pole or tackle kit, call Mr. JB Salter at 225-627-5151.
Kitchen: Mickey LeMoine shows us a recipe he came across by accident: "stewfee." When making a shrimp stew, he didn't have enough oil roux and decided to add a butter roux to thicken the mixture. Then, just for good measure, he added a little tomato sauce (like an etoufee) and created a wonderful "stewfee." He also shows us a quick and easy slaw made with apples, golden raisins and (what else?) Season-Um-Up cajun seasoning!
Week of 6/23/07: Redfish
Outdoors: Capt. Chad Billiot of Marsh Rat Guide Service (985) 637-5058 takes us out redfishing. Ed Beard (Ed's Shenandoah Hardware) and Milton Valentine (Valentine & LeBlanc, Inc.) have a great time catching reds and trout. They also highly recommend staying at Bobby Lynn's Marina when taking a trip down to Leeville or Grand Isle. Capt. Chad shows us how to catch nice fish in a high wind (popping cork) and how to remove hooks set deep into a fish's gullet (go through the gills and gently turn and pop the hook out).
Call Capt. Chad to book a trip like this - Father's day is coming soon and his calendar is filling fast. Ask about excellent cobia trips and tell him you saw him on The Outdoor Kitchen Show.
Kitchen: The guys brought me back some great redfish and I wanted to do something easy and light that someone could cook at the camp. My idea? Foil packets. Fish fillets in one with a little seasoning, herbs and a pat of butter and fresh tomatoes and corn in another. Tomatoes and corn are just coming in to their season and fresh, home-grown produce doesn't need much to be great. For the recipe, click here: Redfish with tomato-corn relish.
Week of 6/16/07:
Outdoors: Capt. Josh Johnson of Triple J Charters takes V.J., Darrel and Nick Purpera trout fishing in Big Lake (Lake Calcasieu). Everybody had a great time fishing and can't wait to go back with Capt. Josh. For a trip like this: (337) 598-1111. For lodging at Hebert's Marina, check out www.BigLakeGuestHouse.com. They have 6 different cabins available for nightly rental (whether you have a charter guide or not).
Kitchen: Capt. Josh shows us how to make Big Lake "Backed" Crabs. I'd never seen anyone take the backs off the crabs before boiling, but I'm so glad I know how to do it now. Between the soaked-in seasoning and the lemon-butter sauce, I'll never boil crabs any other way! For the recipe: Big Lake Backed Crabs
Week of 6/9/07: Lighter Recipes!
Okay folks, you've asked and we've dug deep in our files for lighter recipes. Okay, I actually had to come up with an "experimental" recipe because all my old favorites have lots of fat (and many that start out healthy end up deep fried.) So, Mickey LeMoine of LeMoine's Season-Um-Up shows us a simple roasted veggie medley with a blast of flavor from his cajun seasoning. (Find it at Ralph's Market or www.SeasonUmUp.com).
I love white rice but am a little disappointed with its nutritional value. I've used brown rice often and it's great in many recipes, but for nutrition's sake, I wanted to try something new. QUINOA (keen-wah) is a great substitute for any recipe that calls for rice. It looks like birdseed but it fluffs up like rice and cooks just the same too (one part grain to two parts liquid). So, I sauteed some crawfish and onions to toss with this great grain and it was fabulous. Find the recipes here: Cajun Crawfish Quinoa Roasted Veggie Medley
Week of 6/2/07: WINE FEST
The Southern Breeze Wine & Culinary Festival in Orange Beach (Alabama) was so much fun. The best part? It's coming to Baton Rouge June 15 -17. The festival offers top-notch Winemaker Dinners on Friday night, a Grand Wine Tasting on Saturday afternoon and a Walkabout Brunch on Sunday. For the Grand Wine Tasting, festival goers get to sample wines from all over the world and get special event pricing for bottles (or cases) of their favorites. At one of the booths in Orange Beach, I was able to sample a $77 bottle of wine right next to a $13 bottle of wine. How great is that? My favorites were at the Rodney Strong booth. I chose Charlotte's Home Sauvignon Blanc ($14) and the Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($24). There was also a Rasberry Champagne at another booth that was out of this world for brunch!
Remember, you save $10/ticket by ordering in advance!
Week of 5/26/07:
Outdoors: Speckled trout fishing in Lake Raccourci (out of Leeville) with Chris Gonzales of Ascension Granite & Marble and his friends, Leonard Meaux and Andrew Baker. Fished a stout wind, success with H&H glow & chartreuse plastic and Top Dog.
Kitchen: Southwestern Fish, Lemon Ice Box Pie
I was looking for something to go with fried fish (that wasn't fried too) and topped some crispy catfish bites (fried in LeMoine's Fry-Um-Up) with a southwestern black bean salsa. Also great topped with a little dollop of sour cream. With this topping, you've got lots of crunch and it's better for you than fries and hushpuppies. Finished it off with a frozen Lemon Ice Box Pie that was completely guilt-free. I experimented with low fat, low sugar ingredients using a full-fat recipe and my version came out tangy and wonderful for summer. Recipes: Southwestern Black Bean Salsa Lemon Ice Box Pie
Week of 5/19/07: Tuna burgers
Outdoors: Tuna fishing with Capt. Chris Moran of Cajun Made Charters. Lots of fish hit the deck on this trip and a very large marlin flirted with the boat, chasing skipjack tuna. For an awesome bluewater trip out of Port Fourchon, call Capt. Chris at (225) 931-7306 or call the Belle Pass Marina at (985) 396-2442.
Kitchen: Marissa and Blane Purpera make tuna burgers with yellowfin tuna steaks. (When you bring home that much tuna, you have to get creative!) This is Blane's experimental recipe, so try it out and let us know what you think. We served them on toasted country-style buns with wasabi mayonnaise and rounded out our plate with some sweet potato chips. For the recipes: Tuna burgers Sweet Potato Chips
Week of 5/12/07: Redfish
Outdoors: Capt. Chad Billiot of Marsh Rat Guide Service (985) 637-5058 takes us out redfishing. Ed Beard (Ed's Shenandoah Hardware) and Milton Valentine (Valentine & LeBlanc, Inc.) have a great time catching reds and trout. They also highly recommend staying at Bobby Lynn's Marina when taking a trip down to Leeville or Grand Isle. Capt. Chad shows us how to catch nice fish in a high wind (popping cork) and how to remove hooks set deep into a fish's gullet (go through the gills and gently turn and pop the hook out).
Call Capt. Chad to book a trip like this - Father's day is coming soon and his calendar is filling fast. Ask about excellent cobia trips and tell him you saw him on The Outdoor Kitchen Show.
Kitchen: The guys brought me back some great redfish and I wanted to do something easy and light that someone could cook at the camp. My idea? Foil packets. Fish fillets in one with a little seasoning, herbs and a pat of butter and fresh tomatoes and corn in another. Tomatoes and corn are just coming in to their season and fresh, home-grown produce doesn't need much to be great. For the recipe, click here: Redfish with tomato-corn relish.
Week of 5/5/07: Crawfish!
We start with a field trip to Cajun Catch Seafood Market in Gonzales where Blaine Jones shows us how he boils crawfish and shrimp for a crowd. Blaine is offering a little lagniappe for Outdoor Kitchen Show viewers: Buy a po-boy in the deli, get fries and a drink for free! For hours and contact info, click here: Cajun Catch
In the kitchen: Mickey LeMoine shows us how to "Season-Um-Up." His recipe for crawfish and corn chowder is simple but rich and fabulous. It's great with leftover tails from a crawfish boil or with packs of crawfish. For his recipe, click here: Crawfish & Corn Chowder.
Week of 4/21/07: Lighter Recipes!
Okay folks, you've asked and we've dug deep in our files for lighter recipes. Okay, I actually had to come up with an "experimental" recipe because all my old favorites have lots of fat (and many that start out healthy end up deep fried.) So, Mickey LeMoine of LeMoine's Season-Um-Up shows us a simple roasted veggie medley with a blast of flavor from his cajun seasoning. (Find it at Ralph's Market or www.SeasonUmUp.com).
I love white rice but am a little disappointed with its nutritional value. I've used brown rice often and it's great in many recipes, but for nutrition's sake, I wanted to try something new. QUINOA (keen-wah) is a great substitute for any recipe that calls for rice. It looks like birdseed but it fluffs up like rice and cooks just the same too (one part grain to two parts liquid). So, I sauteed some crawfish and onions to toss with this great grain and it was fabulous. Find the recipes here: Cajun Crawfish Quinoa Roasted Veggie Medley
Week of 4/7/07:
Week of 3/31/07: A great recipe for get-togethers!
Marissa goes shopping for that special something for a family get-together. Brad Dixon at Ralph's Supermarket shows us how to pick a whole ribeye and how he custom cuts this wonderful piece of beef. (Ralph's also has whole filet mignons and whole briskets, depending on the "fanciness" of your football party!)
Instead of standard steak-and-potatoes, Marissa grills the steak to medium and serves thinly sliced on toasty poboy buns with either sour cream-horseradish dressing or blue cheese-mayo. Perfect party food.
Week of 3/24/07:
Outdoors: More from our spectacular yellowfin tuna trip with Capt. Chris Moran of Cajun Made Charters. Ed Beard of Ed's Shenandoah Hardware and Clarence "Bimbo" Brock, Assistant Chief of Police of Gonzales, tag team on a 60+ pound tuna. For an awesome bluewater trip out of Port Fourchon, call Capt. Chris at (225) 931-7306 or call the Belle Pass Marina at (985) 396-2442.
Kitchen: We're back at Chef Derek Chang's Koto of Japan for more lessons. This time, we try out some premium sake. Mr. Lito Pineda, a sake importer based in Honolulu, shows us there is more (and better) than just hot sake. For beginners, he recommends "Komekome" (Happy Bride) and for more sophisticated sake drinkers, an anise infused sake called "Heaven of Tipsy Delights." My recommendation? I like the sake sampler - great with all light dishes at Koto.
After our sake lesson, Chef Derek shows us how he prepares sashimi. He slices up some yellowfin, yellowtail, escolar and salmon. He explains how protecting the quality of the ingredients is the most important part of preparing sashimi (okay, that's japanese for raw fish - but I swear, I loved the tuna!)
Week of 3/17/07: Ed's Annual Squirrel Hunt
Outdoors: Ed Beard (Ed's Shenandoah Hardware) and Milton Valentine (Valentine & LeBlanc, Inc.) go off to Greensburg for their annual squirrel hunting trip. They did so well the first day, they decided to head to Ed's camp in Clinton the very next day to get a few more for Milton's recipe. To find the "Leg Loc" hunter's helper, go to Ed's Shenandoah Hardware at 5715 Jones Creek Road in Baton Rouge or your local sports/outdoors store.
Kitchen: Milton cooks up a Squirrel Sauce Piquant. He starts off by browning the prepared squirrels in a 16-quart cast iron dutch oven with some onions. Then he makes a medium-brown roux, adds more onions, tomato sauce and water, adds the squirrels back in and lets it simmer until Ed can't stand it no more. Served over rice, this is a great camp recipe. Click here: Squirrel Sauce Piquant
Week of 3/10/07: Crawfish Season is here!
We start with a field trip to Cajun Catch Seafood Market in Gonzales where Blaine Jones shows us how he boils crawfish and shrimp for a crowd. Blaine is offering a little lagniappe for Outdoor Kitchen Show viewers: Buy a po-boy in the deli, get fries and a drink for free! For hours and contact info, click here: Cajun Catch
In the kitchen: Mickey LeMoine shows us how to "Season-Um-Up." His recipe for crawfish and corn chowder is simple but rich and fabulous. It's great with leftover tails from a crawfish boil or with packs of crawfish. For his recipe, click here: Crawfish & Corn Chowder.
Week of 3/3/07: Our 50th episode!
Week of 2/24/07: Deer Hunt/Sauce Piquant
Then, Bim takes us along to the deer stand where he guides his grandson, Dylan (age 7), through his first deer hunt. Dylan shoots a spike from 92 yards. Talk about bonding in the woods!
For more information about Louisiana hunting regulations for kids and adults, please go to the Louisiana Wildlife & Fisheries website: www.wlf.louisiana.gov. You can also get info about the "Discover Louisiana Hunting" program that runs over Thanksgiving weekend.
Week of 2/17/07:
Outdoors: Yellowfin tuna fishing with Capt. Chris Moran of Cajun Made Charters. For an awesome bluewater trip out of Port Fourchon, call Capt. Chris at (225) 931-7306 or call the Belle Pass Marina at (985) 396-2442. Franklin and the guys caught 6 nice tuna on this trip and you'll be seeing more footage from that trip soon.
Kitchen: Tuna Fiesta! Since I had lots of tuna to experiment with, I thought I'd add a little Mexican flair to our grilled tuna steaks by rubbing them with oil and chili powder, cumin and Benoit's Best Salt-Free Spicy Cajun Seasoning. So simple. For leftovers, you could do your same old tuna salad or you could add the tuna and rice to a corn tortilla and deep fry it like a taquito. Serve it with my favorite salsa and guacamole and you've got a great meal! Don't want to cook at all? Stop at Ralph's Supermarket and pick up a couple of dinner plates - their new smoked meats are out of this world!
Week of 2/6/07: King Cakes
Outdoors: Mr. J.B. Salter shows us how to catch sacalait in these cooler months. Submerged trees are the best way to go and he shows us how to find the fish (and not the trees!) For a trip with Mr. JB, give him a call at (225) 627-5151. He knows the Basin better than anybody (he's been fishing there since 1952!)
Week of 2/3/07: Marshrat Trout
Outdoors: We go fishing with "the Marshrat", Capt. Chad Billiot of Marshrat Guide Service out of Leeville (985) 637-5058, with our friends and sponsors, Evan and Chris Gonzales of Ascension Granite & Marble.** Capt. Chad shows us his popping technique with the Pogeaux Pop cork (Bayou Buck Lures) and they catch lots of trout and a couple of reds. **Don't forget the special deal at Ascension Granite - buy a granite countertop and they'll throw in the kitchen sink! Call for details.
Week of 1/27/07: Mickey's Shrimp boulettes and eggplant
The weather has been awful so we haven't been able to hit the water or the woods. Doesn't stop us from cooking up some great food, though! Mickey LeMoine comes over to demonstrate his fry batter called "Fry-Um-Up." He patties up a ground shrimp mixture to fry and slathers them in a creamy shrimp sauce. Then, we fry up some battered eggplant slices to show how yummy and crispy veggies can be when you "Fry-Um-Up."
Week of 1/20/07: A great recipe for the big game!
Marissa goes shopping for that special something for the big game. Brad Dixon at Ralph's Supermarket shows us how to pick a whole ribeye and how he custom cuts this wonderful piece of beef. (Ralph's also has whole filet mignons and whole briskets, depending on the "fanciness" of your football party!)
Instead of standard steak-and-potatoes, Marissa grills the steak to medium and serves thinly sliced on toasty poboy buns with either sour cream-horseradish dressing or blue cheese-mayo. Perfect party food.
Week of 1/13/07:
Outdoors: Capt. Chad Billiot, Marsh Rat Guide Service, takes Evan Gonzales of Ascension Granite & Marble out to the Sulphur Mine. They launch from Bobby Lynn's Marina in Leeville and catch lots of specks in the fog. To charter a trip with Capt. Chad, give him a call at (985) 637-5058. To get information about Bobby Lynn's, give them a call at (985) 396-2678.
Week of 1/6/07: King Cakes
Outdoors: Mr. J.B. Salter shows us how to catch sacalait in these cooler months. Submerged trees are the best way to go and he shows us how to find the fish (and not the trees!) For a trip with Mr. JB, give him a call at (225) 627-5151. He knows the Basin better than anybody (he's been fishing there since 1952!)
Week of 1/1/07: Tuna burgers
Outdoors: Tuna fishing with Capt. Chris Moran of Cajun Made Charters. Lots of fish hit the deck on this trip and a very large marlin flirted with the boat, chasing skipjack tuna. For an awesome bluewater trip out of Port Fourchon, call Capt. Chris at (225) 931-7306 or call the Belle Pass Marina at (985) 396-2442.
Kitchen: Marissa and Blane Purpera make tuna burgers with yellowfin tuna steaks. (When you bring home that much tuna, you have to get creative!) This is Blane's experimental recipe, so try it out and let us know what you think. We served them on toasted country-style buns with wasabi mayonnaise and rounded out our plate with some sweet potato chips. For the recipes: Tuna burgers Sweet Potato Chips
Week of 12/23/06: Holiday Blooper Show
Week of 12/16/06:
Ed Beard of Ed's Shenandoah Hardware starts us off with one of his favorite wild game recipes: Spicy Deer Chili. Then he shows us some great holiday gift ideas - cast iron, guns and ammo, turkey and crawfish pots and big, beautiful barbecue pits. We also show some fun footage from a frogging trip we took with Ed back in June.
To wrap it up, we head out to Pine Grove, Louisiana for a tour of the Kleinpeter Dairy. Jeff Kleinpeter and his dad, Ben, tell us about the history of this facility and the Kleinpeter legacy.
Week of 12/9/06: Cold weather recipes
In the kitchen: Marissa's putting Gorman Brothers Appliances' demo kitchen through its paces by making some old favorites with a cajun twist. Instead of split pea and ham soup, how about Green Bean & Andouille Soup? It's so good and so easy. For a great weeknight meal, try Cajun Chicken Marsala. We serve it over penne pasta to make it even more satisfying. Get out those stockpots because these are great meals!
Outdoors: As the weather gets cooler, the redfish action is heating up. Capt. Brent Roy of Venice Charters takes some of our friends out redfishing in Venice and gives us some tips on fishing redfish tournaments. For more info: www.VeniceCharters. com
Week of 12/2/06: Marshrat Trout
Outdoors: We go fishing with "the Marshrat", Capt. Chad Billiot of Marshrat Guide Service out of Leeville (985) 637-5058, with our friends and sponsors, Evan and Chris Gonzales of Ascension Granite & Marble.** Capt. Chad shows us his popping technique with the Pogeaux Pop cork (Bayou Buck Lures) and they catch lots of trout and a couple of reds. **Don't forget the special deal at Ascension Granite - buy a granite countertop and they'll throw in the kitchen sink! Call for details.
Week of 11/25/06:
Outdoors: Mangrove snapper fishing with Capt. Chris Moran of Cajun Made Charters. The guys (Kevin Boudreaux, Blane Purpera, Chris & Pat Gonzales and Franklin) stayed at Belle Pass Marina in Fourchon. Capt. Chris has really done wonders with the place and is available for all kinds of charters. Call Capt. Chris at (225) 931-7306 or call the Marina at (985) 396-2442.
Kitchen: Kevin was ready to cook his famous Creole Shrimp Spaghetti for us. Like he says, when he takes out the black iron pot, he's ready to cook for hours. I've got his recipe here (and added a few shortcuts for you).
Week of 11/18/06: Deer Hunt/Sauce Piquant
Then, Bim takes us along to the deer stand where he guides his grandson, Dylan (age 7), through his first deer hunt. Dylan shoots a spike from 92 yards. Talk about bonding in the woods!
For more information about Louisiana hunting regulations for kids and adults, please go to the Louisiana Wildlife & Fisheries website: www.wlf.louisiana.gov. You can also get info about the upcoming "Discover Louisiana Hunting" program that runs over Thanksgiving weekend.
Week of 11/11/06:
Outdoors: Dove Hunting with Ed Beard. Ed takes us to his camp in Fayette and bags several doves. For guns and ammo, stop by Ed's Shenandoah Hardware. For camouflage accessories, try Gonzales Military Supply (on Burnside in "Main Street" Gonzales).
Week of 11/4/06: Boudreaux's bisque
Outdoors: We're with Capt. Bobby Bryan of Marsh Masters Guide Service fishing the West Timbalier area. Capt. Bobby wants everyone to know that the landscape there is very different since the storms and cautions boaters to watch out for sandbars and rocks. If you'd rather let Capt. Bobby worry about the hazards while you catch all the fish, give him a call at (985) 396-2411, www.MarshMasters.com.
Week of 10/28/06: Tuna burgers
Outdoors: Tuna fishing with Capt. Chris Moran of Cajun Made Charters. Lots of fish hit the deck on this trip and a very large marlin flirted with the boat, chasing skipjack tuna. For an awesome bluewater trip out of Port Fourchon, call Capt. Chris at (225) 931-7306 or call the Belle Pass Marina at (985) 396-2442.
Kitchen: Marissa and Blane Purpera make tuna burgers with yellowfin tuna steaks. (When you bring home that much tuna, you have to get creative!) This is Blane's experimental recipe, so try it out and let us know what you think. We served them on toasted country-style buns with wasabi mayonnaise and rounded out our plate with some sweet potato chips. For the recipes: Tuna burgers Sweet Potato Chips
Week of 10/28/06: Tuna burgers
Outdoors: Tuna fishing with Capt. Chris Moran of Cajun Made Charters. Lots of fish hit the deck on this trip and a very large marlin flirted with the boat, chasing skipjack tuna. For an awesome bluewater trip out of Port Fourchon, call Capt. Chris at (225) 931-7306 or call the Belle Pass Marina at (985) 396-2442.
Kitchen: Marissa and Blane Purpera make tuna burgers with yellowfin tuna steaks. (When you bring home that much tuna, you have to get creative!) This is Blane's experimental recipe, so try it out and let us know what you think. We served them on toasted country-style buns with wasabi mayonnaise and rounded out our plate with some sweet potato chips. For the recipes: Tuna burgers Sweet Potato Chips
Week of 10/21/06:
Week of 10/14/06: Cold weather recipes
In the kitchen: Marissa's putting Gorman Brothers Appliances' demo kitchen through its paces by making some old favorites with a cajun twist. Instead of split pea and ham soup, how about Green Bean & Andouille Soup? It's so good and so easy. For a great weeknight meal, try Cajun Chicken Marsala. We serve it over penne pasta to make it even more satisfying. Get out those stockpots because these are great meals!
Outdoors: When the weather gets cooler, the redfish action is heating up. Capt. Brent Roy of Venice Charters takes some of our friends out redfishing in Venice and gives us some tips on fishing redfish tournaments. For more info: www.VeniceCharters. com
10/7/06: Magnolia Mound
I'd love to have something like this in my backyard - it's the open hearth kitchen at Magnolia Mound Plantation in Baton Rouge. Volunteers Eva Bell, Jeanne Yerger and Susan Wilder show us how to cook some serious Louisiana cuisine over an open hearth. We've got Shrimp & Corn soup, Planked redfish, Potatoes Provençal, a ham in a reflector oven and more. We also take a look at the kitchen garden with Master Gardeners Tony DeBenedetto and Cecil Hubbard. This was such a fun show to make. A trip to Magnolia Mound is even more fun as an adult than it was on my fifth grade field trip!
Week of 10/1/06: Picnic food for a great fishing trip
Week of 9/23/06:
Outdoors: More from our spectacular yellowfin tuna trip with Capt. Chris Moran of Cajun Made Charters. Ed Beard of Ed's Shenandoah Hardware and Clarence "Bimbo" Brock, Assistant Chief of Police of Gonzales, tag team on a 60+ pound tuna. For an awesome bluewater trip out of Port Fourchon, call Capt. Chris at (225) 931-7306 or call the Belle Pass Marina at (985) 396-2442.
Kitchen: We're back at Chef Derek Chang's Koto of Japan for more lessons. This time, we try out some premium sake. Mr. Lito Pineda, a sake importer based in Honolulu, shows us there is more (and better) than just hot sake. For beginners, he recommends "Komekome" (Happy Bride) and for more sophisticated sake drinkers, an anise infused sake called "Heaven of Tipsy Delights." My recommendation? I like the sake sampler - great with all light dishes at Koto.
After our sake lesson, Chef Derek shows us how he prepares sashimi. He slices up some yellowfin, yellowtail, escolar and salmon. He explains how protecting the quality of the ingredients is the most important part of preparing sashimi (okay, that's japanese for raw fish - but I swear, I loved the tuna!)
Week of 9/16/06:
Outdoors: Yellowfin tuna fishing with Capt. Chris Moran of Cajun Made Charters. For an awesome bluewater trip out of Port Fourchon, call Capt. Chris at (225) 931-7306 or call the Belle Pass Marina at (985) 396-2442. Franklin and the guys caught 6 nice tuna on this trip and you'll be seeing more footage from that trip soon.
Kitchen: Tuna Fiesta! Since I had lots of tuna to experiment with, I thought I'd add a little Mexican flair to our grilled tuna steaks by rubbing them with oil and chili powder, cumin and Benoit's Best Salt-Free Spicy Cajun Seasoning. So simple. For leftovers, you could do your same old tuna salad or you could add the tuna and rice to a corn tortilla and deep fry it like a taquito. Serve it with my favorite salsa and guacamole and you've got a great meal! Don't want to cook at all? Stop at Ralph's Supermarket and pick up a couple of dinner plates - their new smoked meats are out of this world!
Week of 9/11/06:
Outdoors: Capt. Brent Roy of Venice Charters takes Franklin, Bill Landry and Bimbo Brock (Gonzales Police Department) out for a some trout action. They started right at dawn and caught a ton of fish before the sun was all the way up. We had so much footage, we'll show you more of that trip in a week or two. To book a trip with Capt. Brent Roy, go to www.VeniceCharters.com
Week of 9/1/06: Koto Hibachi
Marissa heads out to lunch with sponsors and friends to Derek Chang's Koto of Japan. First, Chef Derek Chang gives us a lesson on the knives used in his restaurant. Derek prefers to use high-quality Japanese and German knives when slicing fish and sushi rolls. He uses professional ceramic whetstones to keep his knives in good condition. His favorite brands were Misono and Masamoto (Japanese) and Wusthof Trident (German). For lunch, we try out the hibachi grill. Chef Jack Chang cooks up the best fried rice in Louisiana and wows us with lobster, salmon, shrimp, scallops, steak and chicken. They definitely gave us the VIP treatment. For more info on Koto: www.KotoofJapan.com
Sorry, no recipes for this segment. Hibachi chefs add only salt, pepper and soy sauce to their creations. The magic comes from using the highest quality foods and techniques.
Week of 8/26/06:
Outdoors: Mangrove snapper fishing with Capt. Chris Moran of Cajun Made Charters. The guys (Kevin Boudreaux, Blane Purpera, Chris & Pat Gonzales and Franklin) stayed at Belle Pass Marina in Fourchon. Capt. Chris has really done wonders with the place and is available for all kinds of charters. Call Capt. Chris at (225) 931-7306 or call the Marina at (985) 396-2442.
Kitchen: Kevin was ready to cook his famous Creole Shrimp Spaghetti for us. Like he says, when he takes out the black iron pot, he's ready to cook for hours. I've got his recipe here (and added a few shortcuts for you).
Week of 8/19/06:
Week of 8/12/06:
Louisiana Family Recipes
We start off with an authentic Cajun Shrimp Étouffée with Kevin Boudreaux (KTB Properties). His mom, Betty Granier was gracious enough to show us this classic Cajun dish handed down by her parents. AND she does it in Cajun French. I have the recipe for you here, in both Cajun French and English.
Then, we head back to my kitchen to grill up some Steak Italiano. The Bakers of All American Absorbents (Bobby, Robert and Brett) come over and share their favorite "football weekend" recipe. Brett shows us how to make a topping for the grilled ribeye and covers those goodies with mozzarella cheese. And let's not forget his aunt's recipe for Marinated Baby Carrots and a yummy version of Toasted Crostini.
Week of 8/5/06: "Summertime Blues"
Outdoor Segment:
Kitchen Segment:
Marissa fires up the grill for some "Black-n-Blue Burgers." For some more "blue" recipes, she makes "Blue Moon Grapes" - a great little party appetizer, especially with a fruit tray. Tomato and blue cheese salad is great on the side or even as a topping for the burgers. Finish it off with a summertime frozen drink made from rum-soaked melon and blueberries.
7/29/06: To fry or not to fry?
Outdoors: Capt. Chad Billiot of Marsh Rat Guide Service, Leeville, takes Ed Beard and Chris Gonzales out to the coast for some great speckled trout action. The tide was moving just right and the trout loved Bass Assassin's Opening Night and Silver Minnow soft plastic baits. The guys caught almost 80 trout in 2 hours!
Week of 7/22/06:
Outdoors: Capt. Brent Roy of Venice Charters takes Franklin, Bill Landry and Bimbo Brock (Gonzales Police Department) out for a some trout action. They started right at dawn and caught a ton of fish before the sun was all the way up. We had so much footage, we'll show you more of that trip in a week or two. To book a trip with Capt. Brent Roy, go to www.VeniceCharters.com
Week of 7/15/06: Koto Hibachi
Marissa heads out to lunch with sponsors and friends to Derek Chang's Koto of Japan. First, Chef Derek Chang gives us a lesson on the knives used in his restaurant. Derek prefers to use high-quality Japanese and German knives when slicing fish and sushi rolls. He uses professional ceramic whetstones to keep his knives in good condition. His favorite brands were Misono and Masamoto (Japanese) and Wusthof Trident (German). For lunch, we try out the hibachi grill. Chef Jack Chang cooks up the best fried rice in Louisiana and wows us with lobster, salmon, shrimp, scallops, steak and chicken. They definitely gave us the VIP treatment. For more info on Koto: www.KotoofJapan.com
Sorry, no recipes for this segment. Hibachi chefs add only salt, pepper and soy sauce to their creations. The magic comes from using the highest quality foods and techniques.
Week of 7/8/06: Picnic food for a great fishing trip
Week of 7/1/06:
Outdoors: Mangrove snapper fishing with Capt. Chris Moran of Cajun Made Charters. The guys (Kevin Boudreaux, Blane Purpera, Chris & Pat Gonzales and Franklin) stayed at Belle Pass Marina in Fourchon. Capt. Chris has really done wonders with the place and is available for all kinds of charters. Call Capt. Chris at (225) 931-7306 or call the Marina at (985) 396-2442.
Kitchen: Kevin was ready to cook his famous Creole Shrimp Spaghetti for us. Like he says, when he takes out the black iron pot, he's ready to cook for hours. I've got his recipe here (and added a few shortcuts for you).
Week of 6/24/06: Sushi madness!
Chef Derek Chang showed us so many great sushi dishes, we could hardly pick a favorite. Franklin loves "The Bomb" (grilled tuna and rice, breaded and deep fried, served with 3 sauces) and Marissa loved the "Hawaiian Roll" (fried coconut shrimp, cream cheese and mangoes - what's not to like??) More crowd pleasers were the cucumber salad with ginger dressing, Koto II (with spicy tuna, crawfish and crab salad), and the snow crab naruto (a.k.a. cucumber wraps). Want recipes? Just look at the ingredients - what makes great sushi is the skill of the chef and the quality of ingredients. Koto of Japan has both (and a hibachi grill - so they've got you covered!) Go to www.KotoOfJapan.com for more info. Remember, if you're not sure, ask the chef. Chef Derek even has special soy paper wraps (instead of seaweed) and rolls for every taste. Tell him we sent you!
Week of 6/17/06:
Outdoors: Fishing with Capt. Bobby Bryan of Marsh Masters Guide Service. To book a trip with Capt. Bobby, click here: www.MarshMasters.com
Kitchen:
Foil packets are great to throw in practically any kind of food and peppers, sliced yellow squash and a jar of marinated mushrooms really came out great.
Week of 6/10/06:
Outdoor: Panfishing with J.B. Salter (Salter's Jiggin' Poles, 225-627-5151) out of Bayou Pigeon landing in the Atchafalaya Basin. Give Mr. J.B. a call for a guided trip or to talk about how the fish are biting in the Basin!
Kitchen: Mr. J.B. gave us his secrets to the best fried and grilled fish - mustard and worcestershire sauce.
Marissa cooks it up in her kitchen in a little deep fryer and on the grill. For an added treat, Marissa fries up some mushrooms (shiitake and regular) in a little egg wash and seasoned fish fry. Then for dessert, a tropical fruit puree (mango, pineapple, strawberry in the blender) over vanilla ice cream. For the recipes, click:
WEEK OF 6/3/06:
Kitchen Segment: We decided to take a road trip to the "frozen nawth" of Ruston in north Louisiana. We toured Mitcham's Peach Orchard, chatted with the mayor of the City of Ruston at the Peach Festival and then had the folks at Maxwell's Restaurant show us how they make their famous peach cobbler. This year's peach festival is June 22-25. For more info: www.Ruston-Lincoln.org.
5/27/06: Salsbury's Dodge City Steak Cookoff/Camp Food
Milton Valentine and Bim Brock give us their camp recipes for jambalaya and white beans.
5/20/06: To fry or not to fry?
Outdoors: Capt. Chad Billiot of Marsh Rat Guide Service, Leeville, takes Ed Beard and Chris Gonzales out to the coast for some great speckled trout action. The tide was moving just right and the trout loved Bass Assassin's Opening Night and Silver Minnow soft plastic baits. The guys caught almost 80 trout in 2 hours!
5/13/06: Magnolia Mound
I'd love to have something like this in my backyard - it's the open hearth kitchen at Magnolia Mound Plantation in Baton Rouge. Volunteers Eva Bell, Jeanne Yerger and Susan Wilder show us how to cook some serious Louisiana cuisine over an open hearth. We've got Shrimp & Corn soup, Planked redfish, Potatoes Provençal, a ham in a reflector oven and more. We also take a look at the kitchen garden with Master Gardeners Tony DeBenedetto and Cecil Hubbard. This was such a fun show to make. A trip to Magnolia Mound is even more fun as an adult than it was on my fifth grade field trip! Make sure to stop by on March 11 (10am-4pm) for "A Fair to Remember." There will be cooking, crafting, dancing, tours and a children's area. And it's FREE!
Week of 5/6/06: Sushi madness!
Chef Derek Chang showed us so many great sushi dishes, we could hardly pick a favorite. Franklin loves "The Bomb" (grilled tuna and rice, breaded and deep fried, served with 3 sauces) and Marissa loved the "Hawaiian Roll" (fried coconut shrimp, cream cheese and mangoes - what's not to like??) More crowd pleasers were the cucumber salad with ginger dressing, Koto II (with spicy tuna, crawfish and crab salad), and the snow crab naruto (a.k.a. cucumber wraps). Want recipes? Just look at the ingredients - what makes great sushi is the skill of the chef and the quality of ingredients. Koto of Japan has both (and a hibachi grill - so they've got you covered!) Go to www.KotoOfJapan.com for more info. Remember, if you're not sure, ask the chef. Chef Derek even has special soy wraps (instead of seaweed) and rolls for every taste. Tell him we sent you!
Week of 4/29/06:
Outdoor Segment: Venice fishing
Note: This episode was filmed last summer before Katrina. Venice is rebuilding and Venice Marina is open for business. For the more info, click here: www.VeniceMarina.com.
Franklin goes out to Venice with Capt. Brent Roy of Venice Charters and his buddy on the Redfish Tour, Gerry Glueck. They catch lots of reds, both eaters and bulls, lots of trout and a rare treat - a pompano! This is the first time a camera has ever caught a pompano on Capt. Brent's boat. We're so glad it was ours!
Kitchen Segment: CLASSIC NEW ORLEANS
Since we had that good pompano, we thought it would be a shame to cook it any other way than "en papillote." This recipe is THE classic New Orleans dish. Baked in parchment paper with sauce that's good enough to sop up on its own, this pompano was absolutely incredible. Brad Dixon and Ryan Villemarette from Ralph's Supermarket were on hand to try it out. It really is a rare treat. To go with such a special dish, Marissa makes a crawfish cardinal appetizer and the best bread pudding ever. If you hate mushy bread pudding, try this "fluffy" version with brandy sauce. For the recipes:
4/22/06: Picnic food for a great fishing trip
4/15 - 4/21: OYSTER FEST
Kevin Boudreaux shows us some of his favorite oyster recipes - Oysters Rockefeller, Bienville and Soup. While Antoine's Restaurant created the original Oysters Rockefeller and Bienville (and, of course, chooses to keep those recipes a secret), this are easy at-home versions. We use spinach, herbs and bacon with a little dot of butter on top to keep it "rich as Rockefeller." Bienville has shrimp and bread crumbs - yum!
Week of 4/8/06:
We have a great time down in New Orleans! Several areas are open (and begging) for business - Uptown, Magazine Street and the French Quarter are all ready for visitors. We stopped to get coffee and beignets at Cafe Beignet on Bourbon Street then headed down to the Steamboat Natchez for a harbor cruise. Galley Divas Edna and Teresa showed us how they saute shrimp in butter and wine then show us a creamy crawfish pasta.
Here's a tip: park in the Jax Brewery lot next to the boat and get a validated parking voucher in the steamboat gift shop. You'll save $9 on parking!
For more tips and info on planning a family trip to NOLA, check out these websites:
Week of 3/25/06:
Outdoor: Panfishing with J.B. Salter (Salter's Jiggin' Poles, 225-627-5151) out of Bayou Pigeon landing in the Atchafalaya Basin. Give Mr. J.B. a call for a guided trip or to talk about how the fish are biting in the Basin!
Kitchen: Mr. J.B. gave us his secrets to the best fried and grilled fish - mustard and worcestershire sauce.
Marissa cooks it up in her kitchen in a little deep fryer and on the grill. For an added treat, Marissa fries up some mushrooms (shiitake and regular) in a little egg wash and seasoned fish fry. Then for dessert, a tropical fruit puree (mango, pineapple, strawberry in the blender) over vanilla ice cream. For the recipes, click:
Our outdoor segment is with Capt. Bobby Bryan of Marsh Masters Guide Service fishing the West Timbalier area. Capt. Bobby wants everyone to know that the landscape there is very different since the storms and cautions boaters to watch out for sandbars and rocks. If you'd rather let Capt. Bobby worry about the hazards while you catch all the fish, give him a call at (985) 396-2411, www.MarshMasters.com.
Week of 3/11/06:
Outdoors: Capt. Chad Billiot, Marsh Rat Guide Service, takes Evan Gonzales of Ascension Granite & Marble out to the Sulphur Mine. They launch from Bobby Lynn's Marina in Leeville and catch lots of specks in the fog. To charter a trip with Capt. Chad, give him a call at (985) 637-5058. To get information about Bobby Lynn's, give them a call at (985) 396-2678.
3/4/06: Magnolia Mound
I'd love to have something like this in my backyard - it's the open hearth kitchen at Magnolia Mound Plantation in Baton Rouge. Volunteers Eva Bell, Jeanne Yerger and Susan Wilder show us how to cook some serious Louisiana cuisine over an open hearth. We've got Shrimp & Corn soup, Planked redfish, Potatoes Provençal, a ham in a reflector oven and more. We also take a look at the kitchen garden with Master Gardeners Tony DeBenedetto and Cecil Hubbard. This was such a fun show to make. A trip to Magnolia Mound is even more fun as an adult than it was on my fifth grade field trip! Make sure to stop by on March 11 (10am-4pm) for "A Fair to Remember." There will be cooking, crafting, dancing, tours and a children's area. And it's FREE!
Week of 2/28/06: Mardi Gras is here!!
Outdoors: Mr. J.B. Salter shows us how to catch sacalait in these cooler months. Submerged trees are the best way to go and he shows us how to find the fish (and not the trees!) For a trip with Mr. JB, give him a call at (225) 627-5151. He knows the Basin better than anybody (he's been fishing there since 1952!)
Week of 2/18/06:
We have a great time down in New Orleans! Several areas are open (and begging) for business - Uptown, Magazine Street and the French Quarter are all ready for visitors. We stopped to get coffee and beignets at Cafe Beignet on Bourbon Street then headed down to the Steamboat Natchez for a harbor cruise. Galley Divas Edna and Teresa showed us how they saute shrimp in butter and wine then show us a creamy crawfish pasta.
Here's a tip: park in the Jax Brewery lot next to the boat and get a validated parking voucher in the steamboat gift shop. You'll save $9 on parking!
For more tips and info on planning a family trip to NOLA, check out these websites:
Week of 2/11/06:
Outdoors: Capt. Chad Billiot, Marsh Rat Guide Service, takes Evan Gonzales of Ascension Granite & Marble out to the Sulphur Mine. They launch from Bobby Lynn's Marina in Leeville and catch lots of specks in the fog. To charter a trip with Capt. Chad, give him a call at (985) 637-5058. To get information about Bobby Lynn's, give them a call at (985) 396-2678.
Week of 2/4/06:
Louisiana Family Recipes
We start off with an authentic Cajun Shrimp Étouffée with Kevin Boudreaux (KTB Properties). His mom, Betty Granier was gracious enough to show us this classic Cajun dish handed down by her parents. AND she does it in Cajun French. I have the recipe for you here, in both Cajun French and English.
Then, we head back to my kitchen to grill up some Steak Italiano. The Bakers of All American Absorbents (Bobby, Robert and Brett) come over and share their favorite "football weekend" recipe. Brett shows us how to make a topping for the grilled ribeye and covers those goodies with mozzarella cheese. And let's not forget his aunt's recipe for Marinated Baby Carrots and a yummy version of Toasted Crostini.
Week of 1/28/06:
Capt. Brent Roy, Venice Charters (now back in Venice) and Chef Michael Claus join me in the kitchen to talk about the changes in Venice since Hurricane Katrina and cook up one of Chef Mike's special recipes:
To order the "Serve with Love" Cookbook, contact Christy Harper at (225) 927-1975.
For information on current Plaquemines Parish fishing/hunting regulations, click here: www.ppso.net
Week of 1/21/06: Mardi Gras is coming!!
Outdoors: Mr. J.B. Salter shows us how to catch sacalait in these cooler months. Submerged trees are the best way to go and he shows us how to find the fish (and not the trees!) For a trip with Mr. JB, give him a call at (225) 627-5151. He knows the Basin better than anybody (he's been fishing there since 1952!)
Week of 1/14/06:
Outdoors: Dove Hunting with Ed Beard. Ed takes us to his camp in Fayette and bags several dove. For guns and ammo, stop by Ed's Shenandoah Hardware. For camouflage accessories, try Gonzales Military Supply (on Burnside in "Main Street" Gonzales).
1/7 - 1/13: OYSTER FEST
Kevin Boudreaux shows us some of his favorite oyster recipes - Oysters Rockefeller, Bienville and Soup. While Antoine's Restaurant created the original Oysters Rockefeller and Bienville (and, of course, chooses to keep those recipes a secret), this are easy at-home versions. We use spinach, herbs and bacon with a little dot of butter on top to keep it "rich as Rockefeller." Bienville has shrimp and bread crumbs - yum!
For the originals, head down to the French Quarter - Antoine's re-opened on Dec. 29. For our versions, go to our recipe page.
Week of 1/1: A Day at the Races
This is my favorite show of them all. When Franklin and I found out Fair Grounds was actually going to have races (though held at Harrah's Louisiana Downs in Bossier City), we had to go check it out. What we found was lots of hospitality, fun and good food.
Chefs Chris Colello and Maurice McMillan of Harrah's Louisiana Downs Steakhouse & Grill cooked up some great Southern-inspired gourmet dishes.
Week of 12/24/05:
Then we round out the show with some silly bloopers from earlier this year. Watch Marissa wrestle with mangoes and almost set her kitchen aflame.
Week of 12/17/05:
Outdoors: Mr. J.B. Salter takes us to the Basin for sacalait in a canal between Big and Little Pigeon. The Basin is doing very well considering the hurricanes passing on each side. If you'd like to book a trip with Mr. J.B., give him a call at (225) 627-5151.
Kitchen: Chef Ron Barattini of Barattini's in Prairieville comes to Marissa's kitchen and cooks Pasta Primavera and Black & Blue Tuna over scampi. Barattini's is 2.7 miles off Airline on Hwy. 42. For more info, click here. For the recipes: PASTA PRIMAVERA BLACK & BLUE TUNA/SCAMPI
Week of 12/10/05:
Ed Beard of Ed's Shenandoah Hardware starts us off with one of his favorite wild game recipes: Spicy Deer Chili. Then he shows us some great holiday gift ideas - cast iron, guns and ammo, turkey and crawfish pots and big, beautiful barbecue pits. We also show some fun footage from a frogging trip we took with Ed back in June.
To wrap it up, we head out to Pine Grove, Louisiana for a tour of the Kleinpeter Dairy. Jeff Kleinpeter and his dad, Ben, tell us about the history of this facility and the Kleinpeter legacy.
Week of 12/3: A Day at the Races
This is my favorite show of them all. When Franklin and I found out Fair Grounds was actually going to have races (though held at Harrah's Louisiana Downs in Bossier City), we had to go check it out. What we found was lots of hospitality, fun and good food.
Chefs Chris Colello and Maurice McMillan of Harrah's Louisiana Downs Steakhouse & Grill cooked up some great Southern-inspired gourmet dishes.
Week of 11/26/05:
Then we round out the show with some silly bloopers from earlier this year. Watch Marissa wrestle with mangoes and almost set her kitchen aflame.
Week of 11/19/05:
To order the "Serve with Love" Cookbook, contact Christy Harper at (225) 927-1975.
Week of 11/12/05
Outdoor: Panfishing with J.B. Salter (Salter's Jiggin' Poles, 225-627-5151) out of Bayou Pigeon landing in the Atchafalaya Basin. Give Mr. J.B. a call for a guided trip or to talk about how the fish are biting in the Basin!
Kitchen: Mr. J.B. gave us his secrets to the best fried and grilled fish - mustard and worcestershire sauce.
Marissa cooks it up in her kitchen in a little deep fryer and on the grill. For an added treat, Marissa fries up some mushrooms (shiitake and regular) in a little egg wash and seasoned fish fry. Then for dessert, a tropical fruit puree (mango, pineapple, strawberry in the blender) over vanilla ice cream. For the recipes, click:
Week of 11/5/05:
In the Great Outdoors:
Evan Gonzales takes a day away from his Granite shop to go fishing with Capt. Bobby Bryan of Marsh Masters Guide Service. They head to the west end of East Timbalier Island and catch monster reds. (Since very large bull reds are released, we had a shrimp recipe for our cooking segment :)
Useful information:
The portable butane burner used in the cooking segment is from Ducote's Restaurant & Bar Equipment. You can cook anywhere with one of those!
Week of 10/29 (Happy Halloween!)
Louisiana Family Recipes
We start off with an authentic Cajun Shrimp Étouffée with Kevin Boudreaux (KTB Properties). His mom, Betty Granier was gracious enough to show us this classic Cajun dish handed down by her parents. AND she does it in Cajun French. I have the recipe for you here, in both Cajun French and English.
Then, we head back to my kitchen to grill up some Steak Italiano. The Bakers of All American Absorbents (Bobby, Robert and Brett) come over and share their favorite "football weekend" recipe. Brett shows us how to make a topping for the grilled ribeye and covers those goodies with mozzarella cheese. And let's not forget his aunt's recipe for Marinated Baby Carrots and a yummy version of Toasted Crostini.
Week of 10/22/05
Outdoors: Dove Hunting with Ed Beard. Ed takes us to his camp in Fayette and bags several dove. For guns and ammo, stop by Ed's Shenandoah Hardware. For camouflage accessories, try Gonzales Military Supply (on Burnside in "Main Street" Gonzales).
Week of 10/15 - 10/17:
Outdoors: Mr. J.B. Salter takes us to the Basin for sacalait in a canal between Big and Little Pigeon. The Basin is doing very well considering the hurricanes passing on each side. If you'd like to book a trip with Mr. J.B., give him a call at (225) 627-5151.
Kitchen: Chef Ron Barattini of Barattini's in Prairieville comes to Marissa's kitchen and cooks Pasta Primavera and Black & Blue Tuna over scampi. Barattini's is 2.7 miles off Airline on Hwy. 42. For more info, click here. For the recipes: PASTA PRIMAVERA BLACK & BLUE TUNA/SCAMPI
Week of 10/8/05:
Kitchen Segment: Stuffed Backstrap, Sheephead on the grill
Ed Beard takes us to his personal outdoor kitchen and cooks up a deer backstrap stuffed with jalapenos and cream cheese and wrapped in bacon. With this, he serves fresh squash and zucchini from his garden. All they need is a little butter flavor spray and Cavender's seasoning. Then, he takes sheephead fillets, brushes them with a little crab boil and tops them with crawfish tails. He wraps all that in foil and lets it cook on the grill in the packet. Tastes like crabmeat and crawfish deluxe! Try Ed's honey-glazed corn with that!
For the recipes, click below:
Episode for 10/1 - 10/3/05
Outdoor: Bream fishing with J.B. Salter in Big Pigeon (Atchafalaya Basin), launching out of Bayou Pigeon Public Landing (Pierre Part). Mr. J.B. says that Big Pigeon is full of silt now because of Rita, but Little Pigeon is just fine. If you're going fishing in the Basin, make sure to look for pretty, green (oxygenated) water. Let the bayous with silt settle. If you'd like to book a trip with Mr. J.B., call him at (225) 627-5151. He's been out scouting the Basin for us since the big storms passed.
Episode for 9/17 - 9/19: A tribute to New Orleans brunch
New Orleans is the kind of place that has always triumphed over adversity, and it always comes back a little better than it was before. We usually show an outdoor segment to go with our kitchen segment, but some of our favorite fishing places are in limbo. We'll have fishing in the Basin next week.
This week, Marissa cooks up her favorite New Orleans brunch dishes.
Useful information:
- Cookware and cocktail shaker provided by Ducote's Restaurant & Bar Equipment.
- New Orleans photos courtesy John DeAngelo, www.NewOrleansScrapbook.com. To order a New Orleans picture CD, go to his website or give him a call at 1 (877) CITY-PIC. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.
- Salon Venus: Michele Crawford and Kathie S. Mixon have opened a new hair salon in Prairieville at Airline/Hwy 42 in the Oak Grove Plaza. Located next door to Las Palmas, Salon Venus is convenient and offers all the professional salon services you need. Right now, they're offering $10 haircuts! Give them a call at (225) 744-3840 to set up an appointment. Walk-ins are welcome. Open Tuesday - Saturday.
Week of 9/10 - 9/12/05
Outdoor Segment: More footage from our trip with Capt. Brent Roy of Venice Charters. Kevin Boudreaux of KTB Properties and Chris Gonzales of Ascension Granite & Marble catch some nice redfish and trout. We're still not sure if Kevin's superstition about rubbing a ladyfish on your head really works on growing hair...
Kitchen Segment: Marissa cooks up some of those nice redfish by grilling it on the half shell, then folding the fish into a breadcrumb mixture to make "redfish cakes." To finish out a meal, try our light and delicious buttermilk coffee cake made with lowfat Kleinpeter buttermilk.
Week of 8/20/05
Outdoors: Panfishing with J.B. Salter (Salter's Jiggin' Poles, 225-627-5151) out of Bayou Pigeon landing in the Atchafalaya Basin. Give Mr. J.B. a call for a guided trip or to talk about how the fish are biting in the Basin!
Kitchen: Mr. J.B. gave us his secrets to the best fried and grilled fish - mustard and worcestershire sauce.
Marissa cooks it up in her kitchen in a little deep fryer and on the grill. For an added treat, Marissa fries up some mushrooms (shiitake and regular) in a little egg wash and seasoned fish fry. Then for dessert, a tropical fruit puree (mango, pineapple, strawberry in the blender) over vanilla ice cream. For the recipes, click:
Useful information:
To book a trip with J.B. Salter or to order his famous jiggin' pole, give him a call at (225) 627-5151.
Commercial quality cookware provided by Ducote's Restaurant & Bar Equipment, 4433 Florida Blvd.
Week of 8/13 - 8/15/05
Outdoor Segment: More footage from our trip with Capt. Brent Roy of Venice Charters. Kevin Boudreaux of KTB Properties and Chris Gonzales of Ascension Granite & Marble catch some nice redfish and trout. We're still not sure if Kevin's superstition about rubbing a ladyfish on your head really works on growing hair...
Kitchen Segment: Marissa cooks up some of those nice redfish by grilling it on the half shell, then folding the fish into a breadcrumb mixture to make "redfish cakes." To finish out a meal, try our light and delicious buttermilk coffee cake made with lowfat Kleinpeter buttermilk.
Week of 8/6 - 8/8/05:
Outdoor Segment:
Franklin goes with some of our sponsors to bowfish in Leeville with Marsh Masters Guide Service. They got a box full of redfish and sheephead. In this show, we feature Brandon Blades of Tiger Town Transmission. He had so much fun, he decided to give our viewers a great deal: FREE computer diagnostics and $100 off an internal repair (if you stop by and talk fishing with him!) Also on this trip is Trent Leach of Screen Shop of SE LA. If you want to keep the mosquitos off your pool/porch/patio, he's the guy to call.
Kitchen Segment: EASY CAMP RECIPES! The guys brought back lots of redfish, so Marissa makes an awesome country version of Redfish Courtbouillon. You gotta love the combination of cast iron, dark roux and redfish. This is a simple recipe that you can do at your camp over a propane burner. Add with it Lemon Herb Bread and a Strawberry Spinach Salad and the folks at your camp (and the ones next door) will be wondering where you learned to make all that good food! Click on the name for the recipe:
Useful information:
The cast iron Dutch oven we used is available in-store at Ed's Shenandoah Hardware. He has pots from 1 quart all the way to the monster 20-quart.
Week of 7/23/05: "Summertime Blues"
Outdoor Segment:
Kitchen Segment:
Marissa fires up the grill for some "Black-n-Blue Burgers." For some more "blue" recipes, she makes "Blue Moon Grapes" - a great little party appetizer, especially with a fruit tray. Tomato and blue cheese salad is great on the side or even as a topping for the burgers. Finish it off with a summertime frozen drink made from rum-soaked melon and blueberries.
Week of 7/16/05:
Outdoor Segment:
Franklin goes out to Venice with Capt. Brent Roy of Venice Charters and his buddy on the Redfish Tour, Gerry Glueck. They catch lots of reds, both eaters and bulls, lots of trout and a rare treat - a pompano! This is the first time a camera has ever caught a pompano on Capt. Brent's boat. We're so glad it was ours!
Kitchen Segment: CLASSIC NEW ORLEANS
Since we had that good pompano, we thought it would be a shame to cook it any other way than "en papillote." This recipe is THE classic New Orleans dish. Baked in parchment paper with sauce that's good enough to sop up on its own, this pompano was absolutely incredible. Brad Dixon and Ryan Villemarette from Ralph's Supermarket were on hand to try it out. It really is a rare treat. To go with such a special dish, Marissa makes a crawfish cardinal appetizer and the best bread pudding ever. If you hate mushy bread pudding, try this "fluffy" version with brandy sauce. For the recipes:
WEEK OF 7/9:
Kitchen Segment: We decided to take a road trip to the "frozen nawth" of Ruston in north Louisiana. We toured Mitcham's Peach Orchard, chatted with the mayor of the City of Ruston at the Peach Festival and then had the folks at Maxwell's Restaurant show us how they make their famous peach cobbler.
This is a special memorial edition of Hookin' & Cookin' to honor the memory of Mike Rabalais (1952-2005). The idea for an outdoor/cooking show was his and he gave us our wings to fly.
The Memorial Service will be held Thursday, June 30 from 6:30pm to 8:30 pm at the Holiday Inn South in Baton Rouge at Airline & I-12. Bring your best fish stories and happy memories of Mike.
Week of 6/6 - 6/12/05
Kitchen Segment: We're at Kevin Boudreaux's house cooking "surf & turf" in his custom kitchen. Kevin is the owner of KTB Properties and builds custom homes all over the Baton Rouge/Ascension/Livingston area. To contact him about any of his properties, call him at (225) 810-2228. Leah Salsbury showed us the new Dodge Charger and it is fine! See it at Salsbury's Dodge City, 9550 Airline Hwy, Baton Rouge.
Week of 5/30 - 6/5/05:
Kitchen Segment: Stuffed Backstrap, Sheephead on the grill
Ed Beard takes us to his personal outdoor kitchen and cooks up a deer backstrap stuffed with jalapenos and cream cheese and wrapped in bacon. With this, he serves fresh squash and zucchini from his garden. All they need is a little butter flavor spray and Cavender's seasoning. Then, he takes sheephead fillets, brushes them with a little crab boil and tops them with crawfish tails. He wraps all that in foil and lets it cook on the grill in the packet. Tastes like crabmeat and crawfish deluxe! Try Ed's honey-glazed corn with that!
For the recipes, click below:
Useful information:
Week of 5/23-29:
Our fishing trip was great! We went with Capt. Brent Roy of Venice Charters, www.venicecharters.com. To book a trip for speckled trout or reds, give him a call at (225) 268-8420.
Week of 5/16 - 5/21/05:
Outdoor Segment:
We all head out to the Global Wildlife Center in Folsom, Louisiana. With us are my stylist, Michele Crawford of Asteria Salon & Spa, and her youngest daughter, Lindsey Crawford (age 3). We had a great time petting giraffes, camels, llamas and all kinds of wild animals. It was only a 45-minute drive from Prairieville and it was so worth it. I loved the funny stories about the animals. For more information, click here: www.globalwildlife.com
Kitchen Segment: KID-FRIENDLY RECIPES
Michele and Lindsey join us in the kitchen along with Blake and Haylie Crawford. We cook a lasagna that leaves out what most kids don't like about the dish - we substitute cream cheese (1/3 less fat) for ricotta and omit italian sausage. You can add veggies if you want - the kids won't mind with this one! We also make chicken fingers breaded with crushed goldfish crackers served with pineapple barbecue dip. This one was as fun to make as it was to eat. The great thing about this dish is that you can use whatever you want on the chicken - potato chips, crackers, bread crumbs - let your kids use their imagination. Also try easy cucumbers in dip or frozen banana pops. For the recipes:
Useful information:
If you're going to the Global Wildlife Center, make sure you buy the $20 bucket of feed for your family. It will save you money over buying the $1 cups, which go in the blink of an eye! Also, call ahead and make sure to pick a tour that won't be overcrowded with a big group or school field trip. Also make sure the kids are rested, fed and been to the potty before the tour. No pit stops and no snacking for the 2-hour tour. But trust me, they have so much fun, the kids won't have time to even think about complaining.
Week of 5/9 - 5/16/05:
Outdoor Segment:
Franklin goes out to Venice with Capt. Brent Roy of Venice Charters and his buddy on the Redfish Tour, Gerry Glueck. They catch lots of reds, both eaters and bulls, lots of trout and a rare treat - a pompano! This is the first time a camera has ever caught a pompano on Capt. Brent's boat. We're so glad it was ours!
Kitchen Segment: CLASSIC NEW ORLEANS
Since we had that good pompano, we thought it would be a shame to cook it any other way than "en papillote." This recipe is THE classic New Orleans dish. Baked in parchment paper with sauce that's good enough to sop up on its own, this pompano was absolutely incredible. Brad Dixon and Ryan Villemarette from Ralph's Supermarket were on hand to try it out. It really is a rare treat. To go with such a special dish, Marissa makes a crawfish cardinal appetizer and the best bread pudding ever. If you hate mushy bread pudding, try this "fluffy" version with brandy sauce. For the recipes:
Useful information:
To book a trip with Capt. Brent Roy, call him at (225) 268-8420 or check out his website at www.venicecharters.com.
All of the ingredients used in the show (except the pompano) are available at Ralph's Supermarket. And yes, they will take care of all your special requests, too.
Week of 5/2 - 5/7/05:
Outdoor Segment:
Franklin goes with some of our sponsors to bowfish in Leeville with Marsh Masters Guide Service. They got a box full of redfish and sheephead. In this show, we feature Brandon Blades of Tiger Town Transmission. He had so much fun, he decided to give our viewers a great deal: FREE computer diagnostics and $100 off an internal repair (if you stop by and talk fishing with him!) Also on this trip is Trent Leach of Screen Shop of SE LA. If you want to keep the mosquitos off your pool/porch/patio, he's the guy to call.
Kitchen Segment: EASY CAMP RECIPES! The guys brought back lots of redfish, so Marissa makes an awesome country version of Redfish Courtbouillon. You gotta love the combination of cast iron, dark roux and redfish. This is a simple recipe that you can do at your camp over a propane burner. Add with it Lemon Herb Bread and a Strawberry Spinach Salad and the folks at your camp (and the ones next door) will be wondering where you learned to make all that good food! Click on the name for the recipe:
Useful information:
The cast iron Dutch oven we used is available in-store at Ed's Shenandoah Hardware. He has pots from 1 quart all the way to the monster 20-quart.
Week of 4/25 - 4/30/05:
In the Great Outdoors:
Evan Gonzales takes a day away from his Granite shop to go fishing with Capt. Bobby Bryan of Marsh Masters Guide Service. They head to the west end of East Timbalier Island and catch monster reds. (Since very large bull reds are released, we had a shrimp recipe for our cooking segment :)
Useful information:
The portable butane burner used in the cooking segment is from Ducote's Restaurant & Bar Equipment. You can cook anywhere with one of those!
Week of 4/18 - 4/23/05:
In the Kitchen: We're on location at Boudreaux's house on the bayou, but not the way it sounds. We're cooking in Kevin Boudreaux's custom kitchen in his beautiful home in Santa Maria (and yes, the bayou is right behind his back yard). Kevin has a great recipe for both Turtle Sauce Piquant and White Beans and rice. For more information on KTB Properties custom-built homes (and that beautiful custom kitchen!) call or click here for Rick Gautreau at Rick Gautreau and Associates Real Estate (225) 644-5468.
In the Great Outdoors:
In our first segment, we visit with Dr. Robert Romaire of the LSU AgCenter. AgMagic is going on this week and it is a great educational opportunity for kids to find out where their food comes from. There's a wonderful exhibit on "Farming the Waters" of Louisiana, with displays of commercially farmed fish, alligators, crawfish, oysters and, of course, turtles. For more information, visit the AgCenter's website.
Useful information:
Recreational take of reptiles and amphibians is regulated by the Dept. of Wildlife & Fisheries:
www.wlf.louisiana.gov. In order to collect non-protected reptiles for non-commercial purposes, you must possess a Basic Fishing License.
Week of 4/11 - 4/16/05
Janie and Troy Kinnison of Mattress Warehouse stop by for some great steak and potatoes.
In the Kitchen:
In the Great Outdoors: Salsbury's Dodge City/La. Cattlemen's Association Celebrity Steak Cookoff 2005
winner: Austin James of WYNK with a filet mignon
Week of April 4-9, 2005:
Our fishing trip was great! We went with Capt. Brent Roy of Venice Charters, www.venicecharters.com. To book a trip for speckled trout or reds, give him a call at (225) 268-8420.