Stovetop Crawfish Boil for Two

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Dan and I love a good crawfish boil feast, but we’ve always gone to restaurants to get our mudbug fix. My parents told me the local grocery store had live crawfish on sale, so we decided to give it a shot ourselves. While most recipes call for 35 pounds of crawfish, we scaled the ratios back to feed just the two of us, and to do it on the stovetop rather than outside on a big burner. However, you could easily multiply this to feed a crowd. Just make sure you have plenty of paper towels handy, because you’re gonna get messy!

Ingredients:

  • 3 pounds live crawfish (count on about 1.5 pounds per person if you’re going to multiply up)
  • 10 quarts water, divided use (depending on the size of your pot — we had to use two smaller pots)
  • 1/4 cup salt
  • 1/2 cup crawfish boil seasoning
  • 4 red potatoes
  • 1 ear of corn, cut into quarters
  • 6 oz sausage, cut into 2″ pieces
  • 1 onion, peeled and cut in half
  • 1 lemon, cut in half

In a large bowl, sprinkle the salt on top of the crawfish and add 2 quarts of water. Stir gently and let sit for about 3 minutes. This helps the crawfish purge mud a bit. Drain and rinse with clean water. Remove any floating (dead) crawfish, then drain again. (Don’t let the crawfish sit in water too long, because they need air to breathe.) Make sure any dead crawfish are discarded.

In a large pot over high heat, add the remaining water and bring to a rolling boil. Add the crawfish boil seasoning and allow to boil for 3-5 minutes. Squeeze the lemon juice directly into the water, and add the lemon halves in the water as well. Add in the potatoes, corn, sausage, and onion, and allow to boil for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes begin to get tender. Maintain a vigorous rolling boil.

Add the crawfish carefully into the pot — be careful! They will probably be rather ornery and may jump on you. Stir the pot gently, and maintain a rolling boil for about 5 minutes. Then, turn off the heat and cover the pot. Leave the pot on the burner for 30 minutes to allow the crawfish to soak up the spices.

Drain the pot well. Pile the crawfish and veggies into a large bowl, or do it the old-fashioned way by dumping it all onto a newspaper-covered table. Dig in!

Stovetop Crawfish Boil for Two

Spicy Guacamole

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I am late to the guacamole party — I never tried it until about three years ago. Now, I love the stuff. This guacamole takes about 5 minutes to make, and about 5 seconds to devour. Feel free to adjust the spiciness level to your liking.

Ingredients:

  • 2 avocados, peeled and pitted
  • 1 serrano pepper, finely minced
  • 1 shallot (or 1/2 small onion), finely minced
  • 1 clove garlic, finely minced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp lemon or lime juice
  • 1/4 tsp ancho chile powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl, mash the avocados with the olive oil and lime juice. Add in the serrano pepper, shallot, garlic, ancho chile powder, salt, and pepper. Stir well to combine. Take a piece of plastic wrap and place directly on the surface of the guacamole to prevent it from turning brown. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Slow-Cooker Enchilada Casserole

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I am trying to do more with my slow cooker, since I enjoy coming home to the aroma of something delicious wafting through the air. Here, savory chicken and pork get layered with tortillas and cheese, and cook away happily all day. It’s perfect for a busy weekday meal, as it can be prepared the night before, refrigerated, then put in the slow cooker before you head to work.

Ingredients:

  • 8-10 corn tortillas (depends on the size of your slow cooker)
  • One 10 oz can enchilada sauce
  • 1 cup shredded cheese (we used sharp cheddar)
  • One small can sliced olives
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 8 oz chicken, diced
  • 8 oz pork loin, diced
  • One bell pepper, diced
  • One onion, diced
  • One pasilla chile, diced
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp Southwest or taco seasoning
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Season the chicken and pork with the olive oil, paprika, Southwest seasoning, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate and let marinate for at least an hour.

Spray a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Over medium heat, sauté the chicken and pork until cooked through, about 5-8 minutes. Add in the pasilla chile, onion, and bell pepper and sauté until the veggies begin to soften, about 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Spray the inside of the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Spread about 2 tbsp of the enchilada sauce evenly on the bottom. Layer 2 tortillas on the bottom, cutting another one to fill in the gaps if needed. Sprinkle 1/3 cup cheese over the tortillas, then evenly layer 1/3 of the chicken and pork mixture over the cheese. Sprinkle half the olives on top of the meat, then spoon 2 more tbsp sauce over the olives. Repeat this step once more to make the second layer. Finish by placing 2 more tortillas on top (again filling the gaps as needed), then evenly spread the rest of the sauce over the tortillas. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve with tortilla chips and sour cream.

Asparagus Puffs

Posted by & filed under appetizers, brunch, food to stella, party ideas, side dish.

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I was in search of something fun to make as a side dish for Easter dinner. While I generally like asparagus on its own, I thought the humble spears needed a little bit extra. Here, flaky puff pastry enrobes tender asparagus spears and savory cream cheese for an easy, impressive side dish. We experimented with different shapes to see what worked the best; the good news is that they all worked nicely, so you really can’t go wrong.

Ingredients:

  • 24 asparagus spears, trimmed
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 package (17 1/4 oz) puff pastry dough
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 egg white

Place the asparagus spears and the water in a microwave-safe dish. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Microwave on high power for 5 minutes. Drain, pat dry, and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder until smooth.

Sprinkle some of the flour onto a cutting board or clean countertop. Unfold the puff pastry dough on the floured surface. Cut each sheet in half, making 4 rectangles. On each rectangle, spread the cream cheese mixture, leaving a 1/2″ border around the edges. Arrange asparagus spears evenly in a single layer over the cream cheese.

Brush the edges of the puff pastry with the egg white. Fold the dough over the filling and press the edges together firmly to seal. Cut into smaller pieces, or leave them intact. Brush the tops with more egg white. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the puffs on the baking sheet and bake for 8-12 minutes or until golden. Serve warm. 

Lemon Bars with Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting

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I was looking for a good, Springtime-y dessert for this year’s Easter dinner. My whole family is populated with chocoholics, but I thought it would be neat to try something new. These lemon bars are the perfect balance of tart-sweet, complemented beautifully with a buttery crust and a luscious cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients for the crust:

  • 1 stick cold butter, cut into 1/2″ cubes
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp ice water

Ingredients for the filling:

  • 2 lemons, zested and juiced
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder

Ingredients for the frosting:

  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tsp powdered sugar (divided use)
  • 1 tsp lemon extract

 

First, let’s tackle the crust:

Preheat oven to 325F. Put the butter, flour, and sugar into a food processor and pulse in short intervals until it looks like coarse sand. Add the egg yolk, salt, and water and pulse to combine. If the dough is too sticky, add a small amount of flour until it comes together in a ball. Place the dough in the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ baking pan lined with foil. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from oven to cool slightly.

 

Next, let’s make the lemon filling:

In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice and the eggs and whisk until well mixed. In a separate bowl, combine the lemon zest with the sugar, flour, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients into the egg mixture and whisk thoroughly. Pour on top of the pre-baked crust and bake for 30 minutes, or until the center is set.

 

Now, let’s go for the lemon-cream cheese frosting:

In a bowl, mix the cream cheese and 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar with a mixer until smooth. Add the lemon extract and beat until well combined.

 

To put it all together:

Cut the bars into squares. Using a strainer, dust 2 tsp powdered sugar evenly over the bars. Use a spatula or a piping bag to decorate the bars with the frosting.