GEAUX LSU!!!!!!!!!!!

LSU dominated last night at the Cotton Bowl!!! The final score was 41-24! I'm proud of my Tigers and am excited for next year's season. Hopefully Shaun and I will be able to go to the season opener which will be at Cowboys stadium. I've always been a huge LSU fan even though I didn't go there for college. It seems like being from Louisiana automatically makes you an LSU fan no matter which university you attend. I've cheered for the Tigers as long as I can remember. My mother was a majorette in the LSU band in college. My dad went to undergrad and law school at LSU. Sometimes I live vicariously through my friends that did go to LSU (Lauren! haha!). However, I wouldn't change where I am today because I can see how God has directed my path over the years.

One of the best aspects of LSU football is how it brings family and friends together. Yea, some people get too wrapped up in a game but I don't think there is anything wrong with having pride in where you are from and the tradition to spend time with loved ones while cheering for your team. Of course one of the best parts of LSU football is that it gives us an excuse to cook something yummy! Which is why I felt the need to cook red beans and rice, crawfish dip, and a LSU king cake for dessert!

Red beans and rice is another famous Louisiana dish. It is fairly simple and cheap to make. The crawfish cheese dip has been a party favorite for the last several years. Shaun and I have made it many times and everyone always enjoys it! Shaun's cousins in Baton Rouge gave us the delicious recipe.The king cake was quite an experience. It didn't turn out as pretty as I had hoped. I wanted to make a king cake for the game but also to have a run through before I try to make one for mardi gras. One thing I learned is to always double check the recipe. I did not realize till after it was cooked that the recipe said it would make 2 cakes...oops! I made one (no wonder it looked gigantic and was overflowing!). But what is most important is that it tasted delicious!

Calloway Crawfish Dip

1 lb crawfish tails (rinse and drain)
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 lb pepper jack cheese
1/2 lb of velveeta cheese
8 green onions chopped
1 tbsp parsley
1 stick of butter
Tony Chachere's seasoning

1. Saute crawfish tails, green onions, and parsley in butter until onions are tender.
2. Add cheeses until completely melted. Add Tony's seasoning if desired. Serve hot.

sauteing the crawfish, butter, green onions, and parsley

crawfish cheese dip!

Red Beans and Rice

1 lb red kidney beans
1 onion
3 stalks of celery
1 green bell pepper
3 pieces of bacon
3 smoked ham hocks
Tony Chachere's
2 tbsp of minced garlic
2 cups of chicken broth
rice

1. Soak the beans as directed on the package. In a pot fry bacon then add chopped onions, bell pepper, and celery. Cook till onions and bell pepper are caramelized and celery are soft.
2. Add beans, chicken broth, minced garlic, and ham hocks. Add water or chicken broth until the beans are covered. Add some Tony's seasoning. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium low to simmer for 2-3 hours.
3. Serve over rice with some cornbread!

Beans never tasted this good!

King Cake

1 (16 oz) container of sour cream
1/3 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of butter
1 tsp of salt
2 (1/4 oz) envelopes active dry yeast
1/2 cup of warm water
1 tbsp sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
6 cups of bread flour

Cream cheese filling:
1/3 cup of butter, softened
3/4 cup of sugar
2 8 oz packages of cream cheese, softened
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
crushed strawberries or raspberries (optional)

1. Cook first 4 ingredients in a saucepan over low heat until butter melts, set aside and cool mixture slightly.
2. mix yeast, 1/2 cup of warm water, 1 tbsp sugar in a 1 cup glass, let stand for 5 min.
3. Beat sour cream mixture, yeast mixture, eggs, and 2 cups of flour until smooth, add remaining 4 cups of flour (this almost broke my electric hand mixer, I need a heavy duty electric mixer... one of these days!).
4. Once a soft dough forms turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead dough for 10 min until smooth.
5. Place in a well greased large bowl, turning to grease the top. Cover and let rise for in the oven for 1 hour.
6. Punch down dough and divide in half. Roll each portion into a 22 x 12 inch rectangle.
7. Spread cream cheese filling mixture evenly, leave an inch border. Roll starting at the long side, like a jelly roll. Pinch together seams. Place one dough roll onto a greased pan and join/pinch the ends to make a circle. Repeat with 2nd dough and place on a separate pan.
8. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Slightly cool cakes then drizzle creamy glaze on warm cakes and sprinkle sugars. Let it cool completely then serve!

Cream Cheese Filling:
1. Beat 3/4 cup of sugar, 2 packages of cream cheese, 1 egg, and 1 tsp vanilla extract at medium speed until smooth.

Creamy Glaze:
3 cups of powdered sugar
3 tbsp butter, melted
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2-4 tbsp of milk
1. stir together first 4 ingredients. Stir in 2-4 tbsp of milk adding one at a time until spreadable.

After kneading the dough

After the dough has risen

The strawberry cream cheese filling spread on the rolled out dough

This is where I made the mistake, I should have put one roll on a pan and joined the ends instead of both on the same pan. I'll know for next time! 

The massive king cake!

so yummy!

  
^{Luke 12:22-31
22}And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. ²³For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. ²⁴ Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! ²⁵And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? ²⁶If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? ²⁷Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ²⁸But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! ²⁹And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. ³⁰For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

Yay LSU!!!!