HERE'S TO GOOD EATIN' Y'ALL - LOUISIANA SHRIMP CORNBREAD #RECIPESHARE

#RECIPESHARE - This recipe has a southern country twang to it so I thought I'd share it. If you have any recipes that would fit into the "twang" category, please by all means email them to us at lovinlyrics@gmail.com so we can share them with everyone! Here's to good eatin' ya'll!

LOUISIANA SHRIMP CORNBREAD

RECIPE SOURCE: BRIGTSEN'S RESTAURANT - NEW ORLEANS
ORIGINALLY PRINTED  IN THE WASHINGTON POST

INGREDIENTS

SERVES 12

SHRIMP

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups raw, peeled shrimp (any size; deveined; may also substitute peeled, cooked crawfish tails or diced, roasted andouille sausage)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
3/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1 1/2 teaspoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic seasoning or cajun seasoning of your choice

CORNBREAD

1/4 cup unsalted softened butter for greasing the pan
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup yellow corn flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons finely chopped, unseeded jalapeño pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups whole or low-fat buttermilk

DIRECTIONS

For the shrimp: Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring constantly, until the shrimp just turn pink on the outside.

Add the garlic, scallions and seafood seasoning. Reduce the heat to medium-low; cook for about 3 minutes or just until the shrimp are cooked through. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into small dice. Transfer the shrimp and any pan juices to a bowl and refrigerate until fully chilled.

For the cornbread: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Use softened butter to liberally grease a 9-by-12 1/2-inch baking pan.

Combine the flour, corn flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, jalapeno and scallions in a mixing bowl, stirring until well blended.

Whisk the eggs in a separate mixing bowl until frothy, then whisk in the melted butter and buttermilk.

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix, stirring to incorporate, then stir in the chilled, diced shrimp and their pan juices. Pour the cornbread batter into the baking pan, spreading it evenly; bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is evenly browned and a knife inserted into the middle of the cornbread comes out clean.

Cut into 12 equal pieces; serve warm.

COUNTRY COOKIN': STEVE AZAR'S SHRIMP AND SAUSAGE GUMBO

Photos and recipe credit: Steve Azar

Steve Azar is at it again ... he's outstanding behind the mic and phenomenal in the kitchen! Whew doggie this looks delish! To keep up with his latest mouth watering culinary creations, go to www.steveazar.com and join his mailing list! Follow him on Twitter too at @SteveAzar.

There was a recent article in Country Weekly featuring Steve and Delta Soul. Read it here

Photo Credit: Steve Azar

Ingredients

½ C vegetable oil
½ C flour
1 C diced green bell pepper (1 medium)
2 C diced onion (1 large)
1 C diced celery (3 stalks)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 fresh jalapeno, diced
4 C shrimp stock* or chicken stock
2 C water
2 T Cajun seasoning**, or more as needed
1 T chicken base
2 bay leaves
2 T fresh-chopped parsley
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 large can chopped tomatoes w/ juice
4 C chopped frozen okra
4 cups sliced andouille sausage or smoked sausage
2.5 lbs shrimp, shells on
File Powder (a few shakes or so)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation

Shell and devein shrimp, reserving shells for stock.  Cut shrimp into bite size pieces. Keep in refrigerator until ready to use.  Prepare your shrimp stock. (See recipe below)

In a large heavy pot, heat oil over medium heat, add flour and whisk – reduce heat to right between medium and low and stir constantly until it becomes a light brown chocolate color.  (You want it between a caramel and chocolate color -This will take about 20 minutes or so)  Next add diced onions, bell pepper, celery, garlic and jalapeno.  Sauté about 3 minutes.  Slowly add stock and whisk in.  Then add water and rest of ingredients except for shrimp.  Bring to a boil and reduce to low and simmer for about an hour.  You can add more water if you like a thinner consistency. Also add more Cajun seasoning if needed.  Add chopped shrimp and file powder and cook for another 15 minutes or so. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve w/ rice.

*Shrimp Stock

Shrimp shells
1 onion, cut into quarters
2 stalks celery, cut into halves
2 bay leaves
1 T salt
1 T black pepper corns
1 carrot, cut in half

Fill a large pot with water and add above ingredients.  Bring to boil on stove then reduce and let simmer for about an hour.  Strain out and discard the shells and vegetables.


**Homemade Cajun Seasoning

3 T Paprika
2 T Salt
2 T garlic powder
1 T onion powder
1 T cayenne powder
1 T dried oregano
1 T dried thyme

Mix all ingredients together and store in airtight container.

COUNTRY COOKIN': LEE BRICE'S CHICKEN ROLL UPS

Photo credit: www.cmt.com

You know Lee Brice loves a parking lot party! Here's a recipe of Lee's that will liven up any party! Check out his favorite Chicken Roll ups. With the recent addition to his family, I'm sure he'll be making many more of these good lookin' chow downs.

Find out all you wanna know about Lee at www.leebrice.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at @LeeBrice

Ingredients

1 chicken breast, cut into 8 small cubes
Salt and pepper to taste
4 pieces bacon, cut in half
8 slices jalapeño pepper
Toothpicks
Ranch dressing
Parsley, chopped

Preparation

Cover toothpicks with water for a half hour to prevent burning.

Salt and pepper chicken to taste.

Place a chicken cube on a half piece of bacon with a jalapeño slice on top.

Wrap bacon around chicken and jalapeño and secure with a toothpick. Repeat with all chicken pieces.

Place the pieces on a hot grill and cook each side 7–8 minutes.

While cooking the chicken, fill a small heat-resistant dish with ranch dressing and place close to the heat to warm it up.

When the chicken pieces are almost done, drizzle ranch dressing on them. Continue cooking for another 2–3 minutes.

Remove from flame and serve with the remainder of the warm ranch dressing.

Garnish with parsley.

Note: The roll-ups can also be cooked in a hot skillet in a small amount of cooking oil.

Photo credit: www.cmt.com

COUNTRY COOKING: THIS WEEK'S RECIPE - KIMBERLY SCHLAPMAN'S "SPAGHETTI CASSEROLE"

Country fans know Kimberly Schlapman as the blonde with the amazing vocals in the country super group Little Big Town, but not everyone may realize she's also a superstar in the kitchen. She has her own cooking show called "Kimberly's Simply Southern" on Great American Country. Check your local listings for air times and channels in your area and find out some great recipes from Kimberly such as the one we're featuring this week:

Kimberly Schlapman's Spaghetti Casserole

Photo credit: GAC TV

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 cup fennel, thinly sliced
3 cups homemade tomato sauce
1 pound spaghetti, broken into 2 inch pieces, par-cooked and tossed in olive oil
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons parsley, minced
Directions

In a Dutch oven heat olive oil and cook the onions for 5 minutes until they soften. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and fennel and cook until vegetables are soft about 7 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and cooked spaghetti. Stir to mix well. Pour the mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Top the casserole with mozzarella, parmesan cheese and parsley. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes until cheese is golden brown.

Recipe courtesy: http://www.gactv.com/gac/shows_gckim/

For more on Kimberly Schlapman, go to www.littlebigtown.com, follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
You can also find Kimberly on Great American Country's "Kimberly's Simply Southern".

COUNTRY COOKING: THIS WEEK'S RECIPE - STEVE AZAR'S CORN CHOWDER

We're starting a new weekly feature: Country Cooking

We'll feature delicious recipes, some from your favorite country artists. Country music listeners nothing better than good music and good food. This is our way of introducing you to great music while sharing good recipes at the same time.

Our first featured recipe is Steve Azar's Corn Chowder. You can find out more about Steve on his official website at www.steveazar.com and you can follow him on Twitter at @steveazar or you can "like" him on Facebook where he is always good recipes! You can purchase his music on iTunes and Amazon.

STEVE AZAR'S CORN CHOWDER

Serves 10-12

Ingredients

8 ounces bacon, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil 

5 cups chopped yellow onions (about 4 onions) 

1 chopped red bell pepper

1 poblano pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter 

1/2 cup flour 

2 teaspoons kosher salt 

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon curry 

12 cups chicken stock 

6 cups medium-diced yukon gold potoatoes, unpeeled (2 pounds) 

10 cups corn kernels, fresh (10 ears) or frozen (3 pounds) 

2 cups half-and-half 

1 bunch cilantro chopped

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook the bacon and olive oil until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. (I usually pour out some of the grease leaving maybe 1/4 cup) Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions, peppers , garlic and butter to the fat, and cook for 10 minutes, until the tender.  Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, cayenne, curry and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob and blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. Add the corn and a handful of chopped cilantro to the soup, then add the half-and- half.  Cook for 5 more minutes, until heated. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Top with crumbled bacon and any of the other below toppings!  

Optional Toppings:

Grated Cheddar Cheese

Fresh jalapenos (my fav!)

Sour Cream

Diced Avocados

Chopped Cilantro

Lime wedges for squeezing

Tabasco

Chopped Scallions

Steve Azar

Photo credit: CMT.com