It's Finally Here!

Strawberry Romaine Salad by St. Bernard School Board Office

1 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 lg head Romaine lettuce
1 head Boston lettuce
1 pt strawberries sliced
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted.

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large jar. Cover tightly and shake vigorously. Refridgerate for up to 1 week. Chop Romaine and Boston lettuce. Toss lettuce, strawberries, cheese, walnuts and refridgerated mixture together. Optional: Sesame seeds, raisins or cucumbers.

Spicy Snack Crackers by Betsy Blasser

1 box Nabisco Saltines
1 cup canola oil
1 pkg powdered ranch dressing mix
2 tblsp red pepper flakes (or cayenne)
Lg Ziploc gallon size bag

Put canola oil, ranch dressing powder and red pepper flakes in ziploc bag; mix well. Pour crackers into bag. Mix gently to coat. Lay for 10 minutes on one side. Flip over on the other side for 10 minutes.

Mirliton (Chayote)/Shrimp Casserole by Beluah McNarin

6 Mirlitons (Chayotes)
1 med. yellow onion, chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
2 sticks of celery chopped
6 cloves garlic minced
2 lbs peeled shrimp
1 lb polish sausage
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp of thyme
1/2 tsp blk pepper
2 eggs well beaten
1/4 cup butter
1 box jiffy corn bread mix

Bake a box of Jiffy cornbread mix and let cool. Boil whole mirlitons (chayote) until tender. Set aside to cool. Saute onions, bell pepper, celery and garlic until tender. After mirlitons (chayotes) are cooled, slice and discard the seed pods. Peel outer skin discard. Dice mirliton meat and set aside. Mix cornbread with eggs and sauteed seasonings stir over medium heat. Add parsley, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Saute shrimp in teaspoon of butter until shrimp turn lightly pink add diced mirliton (chayote). Mix Mirliton and shrimp with cornbread mixture. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Glenn's Jambalaya by Judy Williams

1 pkg. hickory smoked pork (Tasso), diced
1/2 lb hickory smoked sausage cut in 1/4 inch slices
12 red bell pepper, chopped big
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped big
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
2 med onions chopped
1 lb crawfish tails
1 1/2 cup of un-cooked rice
3 cups chicken broth


In large frying pan, coat bottom with cooking oil then add bell peppers and 1/2 the package of mushrooms and diced tasso. Simmer for 10-14 minutes then add smoked sausage and onion. On another burner, cook the rice in the chicken broth with the other 1/2 package of mushrooms. Simmer meat and seasoning another 10-15 minutes then add crawfish tails. Simmer 5-10 minutes then 3-4 minutes before rice is cooked add the meat and seasoning mix well. Remove from heat and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Variations: This dish can also be made with shrimp and chicken. It is often made with a mixture of sausage and some other meat such as shrimp, crawfish or chicken. Some people also add tomatoes to theirs. Spice it up with some red pepper! You can also add other seasonings such as garlic and green onions.

Pralines by Mary Rivero

This pecan candy is a New Orleans Favorite. Using a thermometer helps you get this melt in your mouth treat perfect!

34 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup pecan halves
Candy thermometer
Wax paper

Cook sugar, brown sugar and milk until 235 degrees stirring constantly. Remove from heat; add butter and vanilla. Stir until butter is melted. Stir in pecans. Spoon spoonfuls of mixture onto wax paper. Allow to cool. Should puddle slightly.