Crisco Olive Oils - Free Recipes and Free Mobile App!

Through the Tastemaker's program from Foodbuzz, I recently had the opportunity to try Crisco's line of olive oils, available in three varieties — 100% Extra Virgin, Pure, and Light Tasting. Most of us know the benefits of including a good extra virgin olive oil in our diets to occasionally replace some of the other fats we love. Olive oil is a healthy fat, a cholesterol-free food and is high in antioxidants. But frankly sometimes the flavor is a bit too heavy for some dishes, or we need an oil that can hold up to heat.

If you've been around here long, you already know that I use a good bit of olive oil, and with Crisco's lighter versions, it's easy to transition in the places where extra virgin oils just won't fit. With the lighter versions, you can also try replacing butter with olive oil in favorite dishes like mashed potatoes, or drizzled on baked potatoes.

Keep olive oil in a small cruet right on the dinner table to encourage family members to use it for drizzling on salads, in soups, stews, for dipping bread, and even drizzling over pastas. And you can use it for one of my favorite tips, as a kitchen helper for easy clean up of sticky things like honey, mustard, and syrups.

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Old fashioned broccoli salad, with red onion, celery, carrots, raisins, nuts and bacon, is served here on leaves of romaine lettuce.

Old Fashioned Broccoli Salad

This poor ole broccoli salad has been languishing around for me to showcase it on the blog forever. Very patience little green veggie. Truth is, while The Cajun won't even give it a fair run, broccoli is one of my favorite veggies. I love to eat it most just simply steamed to be honest, though I've been known to fry it on occasion too. What can I say?

I adore this salad a lot too though and I can certainly make a meal of it. One thing is for sure - broccoli salad has been a southern potluck and party favorite for as long as I've been around, and it'll be a great addition to your Labor Day cookout too.

Broccoli Salad is most often served with a sweetened, basic mayonnaise and vinegar dressing, but I love, love it with a tangy old fashioned boiled dressing. Never tried that? It is super easy to make, and so delicious I'd be willing to bet you and your guests will find yourselves drawn to it too.

Intended mostly as a dressing for vegetable salads, cabbage slaws and potato salads, it's fairly thick, sort of like a homemade mayonnaise, but can easily be thinned down with a little milk to use on good ole garden salads too. I hope you try it sometime, but I've included the more traditional dressing, just in case you prefer that.

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This old fashioned, creamy, boiled dressing has a unique, tangy flavor that is excellent on coleslaw, potato salads and vegetable salads, like Old Fashioned Broccoli Salad.

Old Fashioned Southern Boiled Dressing

Another one of those classic heritage recipes, old fashioned boiled dressing has sort of fallen out of favor with the convenience of commercially bottled dressings. It's history was one of the common folk, dating back to the the time prior to the late 19th century, when only the wealthy were able to afford the finer cooking oils for fancy vinaigrettes and creamy dressings.

I guess you could say that it sort of falls somewhere between a hollandaise sauce and homemade mayonnaise, but with the familiar tangy, sweet and sour flavor we southerners love. It's one of my favorites and it really takes next to nothing to whip it together either. Despite the name, just like Boiled Drinking Custard, it should never actually be boiled, but only simmered slowly in a saucepan or in the top of a double boiler until thickened.

Most commonly used as dressing for pasta salads, potato salads or plain boiled potatoes, in coleslaw, in deviled eggs, drizzled over meats, or tossed in vegetable salads, like Broccoli Salad. It can also be thinned down with milk to make a fabulous salad dressing for lettuce wedges.

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Make a jump from beefed up barbecue baked beans with beef, bacon and spicy andouille - add other leftover smoked meats if you like too. Jazz that up with hot sauce, Creole mustard, Cajun seasoning and jalapeno and you have one fine pot of beans y'all. 

Spicy Meat Trio Barbecue Baked Beans

Move over Beefy Baked Beans cuz there's a new Baked Bean King in town with a beefed up trio of meat - and a spicy kick. And if you happen to have some leftover smoked meat, it's right at home here.

Speaking of smoking... {pulls out soapbox} I'm calling these barbecue beans because of the use of barbecue sauce, not because they are smoked. I know some of y'all smoke BBQ purists get all up in arms over us crockpot cookin', rib boilin', propane grillin', "FauxQ folks" using the word barbecue. Don't worry, we still love ya anyway. So no..., these are not smoked BBQ beans, though if I had the patience for a smoker they probably would be! I say relax. Kinda like that whole Boooordain v. Paula Deen, et al. thing, it's really just food y'all. Let's just enjoy it and eat! {tucks away soapbox}

Anyway, this is one of those recipes that started out as one thing, and ended as another. I have been meaning to make a version of beefed up barbecue baked beans for the cookout page for some time anyway, and as it happened, I was working through my upright freezer, sort of taking inventory and seeing what all was in there. I mentioned having a bunch of smoked sausage over on the Facebook page, having in mind making a sort of bean and sausage skillet meal. In the end though I experimented with this baked bean dish and made grilled burgers instead.

I missed the chance to feature it for Memorial Day though, because I decided that I wanted to work on it some more. I'm glad I waited because the second round was even better, and just in time for Labor Day. Yes! Can y'all believe that Labor Day cookin' is just around the corner? By the way, there were some great suggestions for using smoked sausage mentioned too, if you'd like to check them out too.

So here's how to make these meaty baked beans!

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Old fashioned peanut butter balls are a rich dessert, both in its heritage and its taste. A classic Christmas confection, peanut butter, butter and powdered sugar are rolled into balls and dipped in chocolate. If you remember these from your childhood, one bite will take you right back.

Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Balls

Raise your hand if you have memories of these peanut butter balls at Christmastime. I certainly do.

Mama made these every Christmas for as long as I can remember and back in the day she used the recipe for chocolate chips melted with the edible paraffin wax over a double boiler to make them. As a young gal I always thought it was odd to be consuming wax, but hey, they were so tasty that it really didn't make much never mind to us kids. You can just use your favorite chocolate candy coating, whatever you usually work with, though I have to admit, nothing really seems to work as well as the old paraffin method did.

While I realize that it's not Christmas quite yet, I recently made these for my grandson's pirate-themed birthday party - calling them cannonballs - and of course they were a hit as always, though I think they were more of a hit with the adults than the kids! Might have a bit to do with that whole nostalgia thing.

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Garlic Chicken from Birds Eye Voila!

Authoring a full time food blog, I don't buy a lot of frozen food products, but as you know, they are handy to have for a hurry up meal. I love opportunities to try them though and to share my opinion with readers, many of whom do live a much more harried life than me. Based on the crowd in the frozen food aisle the day I purchased this, I'd say a lot of us are super busy these days and looking for food that is both convenient and satisfying.

Birds Eye has always had good quality frozen vegetables, but now they've moved into a line of complete frozen dinners, and through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program I recently had the opportunity to give Birds Eye Voila! complete meal kits a taste test.

I decided to try tried the Garlic Chicken. Soon as you open the bag, you smell the garlic and this gal loves her garlic so that made me happy!

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Crawfish, simmered in a very simple butter roux, seasoned with a basic trinity, garlic, stock and Cajun seasoning, and finished with a little fresh parsley and green onion. Serve over hot rice with fresh French bread for dipping.

Crawfish Etouffée

There are so many schools of thought on how to prepare a proper crawfish etouffée. Some say with a roux, others think not. Some add tomatoes, others say there is no place for tomatoes in it. Some use the Trinity, others only part of it. One thing I think that we all can agree on is that it should be uncomplicated.

For a seafood etouffée, crawfish is traditional, although shrimp can be substituted. It is a totally different taste experience from crawfish, however, since the fat from the crawfish do contribute both a distinct flavor and a bit of color. I would suggest giving it a taste after you've added the shrimp and maybe bump up the seasonings a bit. Maybe even add a bit of Old Bay, or just a dab of tomato paste also.

Etouffée is also always best made with freshly boiled crawfish of course, but peak crawfish season is rather short-lived, and generally they are consumed at big boils, so rarely are there any leftover. Even for our access to them, crawfish etouffée is often made with frozen crawfish tails, rather than fresh. That's perfectly acceptable, however, avoid the imports. They are frankly pretty bad and don't do justice to a good etouffée. You just can't beat the taste of Louisiana tails, so you should always look for this seal on a package of frozen crawfish when possible.

If you are forced to use imports, try the tip at the bottom of the recipe. It won't be like quality Louisiana crawfish, but it may help.

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The Next Food Network Star!

Yeah, y'all weren't thinking I was gonna audition for the next Food Network Star show were you? No, not me! Heavens no.

I am not a competitive person. Never have been. I don't like performing, I have no desire for fame, to be a celebrity, to put my mug on video much less a cooking show, or anything like that. Okay, I might do a video... someday. My goal with my website is to simply put out an authentic product that hopefully readers will enjoy, that will stir up some memories from days past, and that will nudge you back to the kitchen. I spent most of my pre-blogging life in a highly competitive legal career, but the growth of my site has been pretty organic, and I kinda like it that way.

I do, however, love watching, from the stress-free comfort of my cushy chair, competition cooking shows and Food Network Star is my favorite. I've been watching that one for several seasons now, believe it or not, even with The Cajun who I think enjoys it as much as I do. The next star I'm talking about here, is the brand new, just released today, Food Network Star: The Official Insiders Guide, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity for a sneak peek I could share with you. Y'all know I love my cookbooks, but this is one of those cookbooks that is much more than just a collection of recipes. Yes there are recipes, of course, like this one.

Carissa Steward's Shrimp Puffs from Season Two. 

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A simple flour fritter featuring corn. Cream corn adds such a nice creamy texture, but fresh corn milked from the cob is excellent too.

Corn Fritters

A reader on the Facebook page recently asked for a corn fritter recipe, and I thought that it'd be a good time to get mine up on the site. Cornmeal is often used for corn fritters, but I like to reserve that for hushpuppies and hoecakes myself, since I prefer a corn fritter to be more, well, light and fluffy, almost a corn puff really.

I use a pretty standard fritter batter not at all unique to me, and for corn fritters, you can definitely use fresh corn when it's in season. Once cooked and scraped from the cob, I prefer to mince it up, but use it whole if you don't mind the whole kernels in the fritter. I didn't happen to have any fresh corn on the cob when I decided to make these though, so I used canned cream corn that I had on hand. My husband loves that stuff so I almost always have a couple cans in the pantry, and it actually works very well for this recipe anyway, making the fritters moist and tender. You'll only need half of the can for a batch, unless you double it, so save the other half for some more fritters tomorrow, because frankly, you'll probably be wanting them again. They are a little bit addictive.

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Southern Caramel Cake - A Tribute to The Help Movie

A light, tender yellow butter cake with a classic boiled icing, traditionally made from burnt sugar or for more modern versions, with boiled brown sugar.

Southern Caramel Cake

As soon as I knew they were making a movie from the book The Help, I knew I wanted to make a caramel cake for the website. Really, from the first time I read about Minny's caramel cake in the book in 2009, I knew I'd be making one. There is just something about this book that makes you want a caramel cake... and maybe never want to eat a chocolate pie - at least for awhile. You'll know what I mean on all of the above counts if you read the book.

My intention had been to make this cake over the past weekend, but I was dragging my tail-end here recently thanks to fighting off a summer cold while simultaneously pulling a muscle in my back and found my motivation lacking. With the film making its debut at the theater Wednesday, I decided to make the cake anyway, and found myself up at 2:00 a.m. that morning icing a cake!

When I got up later, I decided I wanted to go see the movie on it's opening day after all, and I'm so glad that I did.  As I mentioned over on Facebook, I literally cried in the very opening scene, then I laughed till I cried, and even got a headache from trying not to cry. It was a hilariously funny movie, that touched just about every possible emotion including, as a native Mississippian, moments of shame, sadness and heartbreak. It was the best movie and very true to the book, and while I rarely read any book more than once, I am on my fourth read of this one. I not only own it on audio, but I have it as an e-book and in a regular paper book I can hold in my hand. That is how much I love this book that is now being referred to everywhere as a new classic.

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Godiva Coffee Punch Float

Scoops of vanilla ice cream, topped with chocolate syrup and a coffee punch, made with Godiva chocolate truffle coffee blended with more ice cream and homemade whipped cream, makes for a decadent and refreshing coffee punch float.

Coffee Punch Float

Coffee punch is an old-fashioned, familiar and popular adult party punch in the south, that often shows up at wedding and baby showers, ladies teas, potlucks, cookouts, or really any other party or gathering. Ice cream is scooped into a punch bowl, topped with homemade whipped cream and covered in sweetened coffee. Through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, I recently had a chance to try out Godiva coffees, and thought that it would be a good time to transform this familiar southern punch into individual coffee floats, for a refreshing summer treat to serve anytime.

I received samples of both Godiva Chocolate Truffle and Godiva Hazelnut Creme. Both coffees are a medium roast, pre-ground blend, made from 100% Arabica coffee beans, and inspired by signature Godiva chocolates. The inspiration for these two featured coffees is Godiva's rich Milk Chocolate truffle and Open Oyster hazelnut praline truffles - both giving a wonderfully sweet and creamy finish. Godiva coffees are so incredibly fragrant that I gotta say, it was really difficult to settle on one to use for the punch float!

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Jumbo shrimp, marinated in a spicy Buffalo sauce then grilled and served on a bed of Cajun Rice Pilaf.

Buffalo Grilled Shrimp

I recently had the chance to give KC Masterpiece Buffalo Marinade a try and instead of going with the typical chicken or wings, using it on grilled shrimp was the first thing that came to mind.

The next time that The Cajun headed out to shrimp with Dad, I put out my request for some proper grilling jumbos.

Right off the boat, caught in our Gulf in the mornin', cooked that same day- now that's as fresh as it gets y'all!

I usually grill shrimp shelled, simply because they are much easier to eat that way. I thought that I would try them shell and head-on this time though, just to see if it really made any major difference in the texture or cooking of the shrimp. I carefully ran a paring knife along the backs of the shell to open them up, both to remove any veins and to loosen the shells to rub a bit of oil up underneath to help prevent the shells from sticking and let the marinade get in.

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A garden fresh casserole featuring sweet summer corn and tomatoes, onion, sweet bell pepper and garden fresh herbs.

Fresh Corn Casserole

I don't watch QVC much, well except during Christmas time, not because I don't love it, but because I do. I would be flat broke is all! At any rate, Terresa Ray was recently filling in as on-air host for two of my favorite Mississippi "Cookbook Ladies" Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley of the Best of the Best cookbook series fame. She was on the 'In the Kitchen with David' segment to do a pre-sell on their upcoming and QVC exclusive August release, Recipe Hall of Fame Fresh from the Farmers Market cookbook.

They sold out thousands of cookbooks on that show very quickly but will be back on QVC August 10th for another presentation if you're interested in that cookbook. Check your local listing for times.

Anyway, on the table of all that delicious looking featured food, was a gorgeous casserole of fresh corn that I just could not get out of my mind. Y'all know by now that my mind stays focused on food most all the time, and frankly I get my inspiration from just about everywhere these days!

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Salsa made with fresh off the cob corn and summer garden tomatoes, black beans, lime and cilantro. Just add some chips.

Fresh Corn and Black Bean Salsa

One of my favorite snacks is tortilla chips and salsa, and one of my favorite salsas is the corn and black bean variety.  I sort of fiddled around a bit with the basics of my restaurant style salsa and came up with this homemade version, both making and plowing through it several times already, all on my little own.

With summer corn and tomatoes at peak right now, it's a perfect time for using fresh, but frankly I've already used both fresh and canned products for this recipe, and both produce a delicious salsa. With canned products you'll need less added salt and sugar, and with fresh, you'll need more of both, so as always, start small, adding a little, then taste and adjust. Either way, do try it with the Mexican style canned Rotel with lime and cilantro, if at all possible. It really just enhances this salsa.

It's also important for me to mention here in this season of canning, that this is a eatin' salsa, not a canning salsa and should be stored in the refrigerator. Consult a canning resource for a canning version of salsa.

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