Bmycurlfriend
  • Home
  • BMyCurlfriend Lifestyle Blog
  • BmyCurlfriend Makeup Artistry
  • What I'm Wearing
  • Tutorials and Blog Posts
  • Product Blog
  • Homemade Product Recipes

BMYCURLFRIEND®

Lifestyle Blog

Cajun Dirty Rice

5/31/2023

0 Comments

 
Here’s another side dish that you can bring to the cookout. Look, that box dirty rice is alright on a weekday but that ain’t gonna slide when you’re trying to make an impression. 😏

This recipe is pretty easy because I didn’t boil chicken livers and what not. Did y’all know that’s what really makes the rice “dirty”?

I used good old Savoie’s dressing mix and this still tasted amazing! Recipe on bmycurlfriend.com and linked in stories/bio. Save it for your next cookout!

Show your age…do you call it dirty rice or rice dressing? 🙃
Ingredients
2 cups of uncooked, long grain white rice (to make 6 cups of cooked rice)
1 lb of ground pork
1 lb of ground beef chuck
1 16oz container of Savoie’s Dressing Mix
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
2-3 tbs/to taste Louisiana Concentrated Crab and Shrimp Boil (liquid)
6 strips of cooked bacon (for bacon grease only)
1 16oz container of raw seasoning blend
2 bunches of green onions, chopped
3 tbs minced garlic
3 cups of beef broth
3 tbs of Worcestershire sauce

1. Prepare the 2 cups of white rice per packaging and set aside.
2. Using a 6 quart pot, cook bacon. Remove bacon and set aside.
3. Add both ground meats to the bacon grease in the pot and cook completely.
4. Season meat to taste using dry seasonings.
5. Drain the excess grease from the meat and return it to the pot.
6. On medium heat, add the dressing mix to the ground meat and mix well
7. Add raw seasonings to the ground meat and saute 5-6 minutes.
8. Add garlic and saute 3 mins longer.
9. Stir in liquid crab boil, Worcestershire sauce and beef stock.
10. Season with dry seasonings to taste.
11. Allow to simmer at least 30 minutes.
12. Stir in white rice until all is coated with the meat mixture.
13. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Check out the reel!
​
www.instagram.com/reel/Cs7czMMJOQy/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
0 Comments

Smoked Bacon Spaghetti & Cheese

5/30/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
I love Mac and Cheese and any version of it.  This flavorful, spaghetti and cheese made with smoked applewood bacon and sharp cheddar is no exception. Pro tip:  Shred your own cheese.  It;s so much better than the bagged stuff.  If you don’t have time, the bagged cheese will still work.  This dish is guaranteed to get you invited to the cookout over and over again—not without bringing the dish, of course lol.

Ingredients
1 lb of spaghetti
Salt (to taste)
Black Pepper (to taste)
Garlic Powder (to taste)
Onion Powder (to taste)
Slap Ya Mama Seasoning (to taste)

Chef Paul Prudhomme Magic Seasoning Salt (to taste)
Badia Adobo with Complete Seasoning (to taste)
1 16 oz block of velveeta cheese (cubed)
1 stick of butter
2 12 oz cans of evaporated milk

1-2 8 oz block of cheese ( I used sharp cheddar  and mild cheddar)
3-6 slices of cooked applewood bacon, chopped finely.

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.
1.  Prepare spaghetti according to package instructions.
2. Add cooked and drained spaghetti to cooking spray coated pan.
3.  Season noodles to taste with all dry seasonings listed above.
4.  Cook bacon in skillet. Remove bacon from pan and pat away the excess grease with a paper towel.  Chop the bacon finely and set aside.
5.  Shred the sharp and mild cheddars.  I used two 8oz blocks to make it extra cheesy, I think one still would be good.  I shredded mine in a food processor.
6.  In a large saucepan, on medium heat, add butter and allow to melt.  Add evaporated milk and cubed velveeta cheese.
7. Add in about half a cup of shredded cheeses. Season to taste with all dry seasonings above and stir continuously until melted.  Do not turn up the heat and scorch the sauce.  It takes about 10-15 mins to melt completely.
8.  Pour melted cheese sauce over spaghetti and mix well with a pasta spoon.
9.  Add about half of the shredded cheese and mix in well with the pasta spoon.
10. Sprinkle chopped bacon on top.
11.  Top off with the remaining shredded cheese.
12. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 mins.

​Enjoy!

0 Comments

Sunday Dinner Part 2: Candied Yams

5/22/2023

0 Comments

 
I’m back with Part 2 of yesterday’s Sunday Dinner.  This candied yams recipe is EVERYTHING and so incredibly easy to make.  If you’re looking for something healthy, exit this post lol!

Ingredients
7-8 small to medium sweet potatoes, sliced (or cut however you prefer)
1/2 stick of butter
1 cup of sugar
Nutmeg (to taste)
Cinnamon (to taste)
2 tsps of lemon juice

1.  On medium heat, melt the butter in a medium, sauce pan or heavy, deep skillet.
2. Add your sliced sweet potatoes and stir well to mix.
3.  Add the sugar and mix well.
4.  Cover and allow the sweet potatoes to come to a slow simmer.  You should also see a liquid, syrup start to form.
5.  Add nutmeg and cinnamon and mix well.
6. Allow the potatoes to continue to simmer.
7.  Stir in the lemon juice.
8.  Allow the potatoes to continue to simmer on low to medium heat until potatoes are tender.
Remove from heat and enjoy!

​View the instagram reel.

​


0 Comments

Sunday Dinner Pt.1: Smothered Turkey Wings

5/22/2023

0 Comments

 
I am still in a comfort food kind of mood. Try these fall off the bone smothered turkey wings for size.  The gravy is sooooo flavorful with the added turkey drippings.  This is one of my favorite additions to any Sunday dinner. Enjoy!

Smothered Turkey Wings
3-4 lbs of turkey wings (I bought a package that was split into smaller pieces)
1 large yellow onion (cut coarsely)
2 Bell Peppers (cut coarsely)
Garlic Bulb (peeled and chopped)
Garlic Powder (to taste)
Onion Powder (to taste)
Chef Paul Prudhomme Magic Seasoning Salt (to taste)
Black Pepper (to taste)
Badia Adobo with Complete Seasoning (to taste)
Turkey Gravy
1 small onion (sliced)
2-3 Garlic cloves (diced)
¼ cup of flour
4 tbs of butter
2.5 cups of chicken broth or stock
1 tsp Ground sage seasoning
Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning (to taste)
  1. Preheat Oven to 375°C.
  2. Rinse turkey wings and pat dry with a paper towel.
  3. Place in a non-stick spray coated pan.
  4. Season both sides with all dry seasonings.
  5. Add all cut seasonings on top and cover with foil.
  6. Bake for 1 hour and 30 mins.
  7. Remove pan with turkey wings from oven.
Turkey Gravy
  1.  Pour the drippings from the baked turkey wings into a small container and set aside.
  2. Melt butter in a large skillet.
  3. Add onions and garlic to skillet and cook 1-2 minutes (until soft)
  4. Add flour, ground Sage and Tony’s and stir until a smooth consistency is obtained (3-4 minutes)
  5. Add turkey wing drippings and continue to stir (1-2 minutes)
  6. Add chicken broth or stock and stir. 
  7. Allow to simmer and thicken 3-4 minutes.
  8. Pour gravy over baked turkey wings.
  9. Place turkey wings back in the oven 30-40 minutes.  (This step is critical in making your turkey wings tender.)  Continue to check them.  Do not let them dry out! Add chicken broth if necessary. 
  10. Serve over warm rice!


View the reel on instagram!
 

0 Comments

Hamburger Steak

5/18/2023

0 Comments

 
Sometimes I just want an old fashioned meal that tastes like my grandma’s kitchen back in the day. Hamburger steaks smothered in gravy and onions scratch that itch.  I love to serve it over mashed potatoes and with a veggie.  Prep time is minimal and the recipe is simple.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 lbs of ground beef
2 Beaten Eggs
2 cups bread crumbs
1 white onion (thinly sliced in rings)
Garlic Powder (to taste)
Onion Powder (to taste)
Basil
Parsley
Black Pepper (to taste)
Salt (to taste)
3 tbs flour
2 cups of beef broth
2 tbs of olive oil
1 tbs of butter

1. Combine ground beef, eggs, bread crumbs and seasonings.  Mix well and form into individual hamburger patties.

2. Heat olive oil in heavy bottomed skillet and brown hamburger patties on both sides for about 4 minutes.

3. Remove browned patties from skillet.  Pat off excess grease with a paper towel and set aside.

4.  Add a tbs of butter to the same skillet on medium heat and allow butter to melt.

5.  Add sliced onions to skillet and sauté until soft. 

6.  Add flour and stir to make a light roux.  Once browned and blended, add beef broth and stir to blend.

7.  Allow gravy and onions to come to a simmer and add patties back into skillet with gravy.

8. Cover the patties with gravy and allow them to cook about 15 mins on low heat in the covered skillet.

9.  Serve over mashed potatoes or warm rice.

Click the link to see the instagram reel!
0 Comments

Crawfish (Not) Monica

5/12/2023

0 Comments

 
I made this rendition of Crawfish Monica because I’m still not over missing Jazz Fest in New Orleans and you won’t find the official recipe anywhere online. This one was still was BOMB!! I added shrimp to mine. ⁣I’m calling it Crawfish (Not) Monica because I don’t want no problems lol.

1.  Cook your pasta according to packaging. Drain and set aside.
2.  In a large skillet, melt the butter and sauté the chopped onions for about 5 mins.

3. Add the garlic, Cajun seasoning, salt and black pepper and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
4. Add the cooking white wine and cook over high heat until nearly all evaporated.
5. Add the cream lemon juice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to simmer. You will notice the color of the sauce become more golden.
6. Add the crawfish tails and cook, stirring, to warm through.
7.  Add the shrimp and allow to cook until pink.
8. Add the green onions and parsley and cook for 1 minute.
9.  Stir in the cooked pasta and toss to coat with the sauce. Cook until the pasta is warmed through, about 1 minute.
10. Remove from the heat and add 1/2 cup of the cheese


⁣
  • 1 pound rotini ⁣
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter⁣
  •  1 large chopped yellow onion⁣
  •  2 tablespoons minced garlic⁣
  •  Cajun seasoning to taste ⁣(I used Slap Ya Mama)
  • Salt to Taste
  •  Black Pepper to Taste
  •  1/4 cup of white cooking wine⁣
  •  2 cups heavy cream⁣
  •  1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice⁣
  • 1 pound crawfish tails ⁣
  • 1 lb shrimp ⁣(peeled and deveined)
  •  1/2 cup chopped green onions⁣
  •  1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves⁣ or dried parsley
  •  1 cup grated Parmesan
View the instagram reel here!
0 Comments

Lasagna Roll-Ups

3/19/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
I wanted something Italian-ish but also something my kids would like.  My 1 year old is PICKY. He absolutely loved this!  There are tons of variations online and I pretty much just added and took away what I thought would make it taste best.  Here is my remix lol.

Ingredients
1 lb of ground beef
1 lb of italian sausage (remove from casing)
1 white onion
Fresh or freeze dried parsley, basil and oregano
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Slap Ya Mama (to taste)
Garlic Powder (to taste)
Onion Powder (to taste)
Italian Seasoning (to taste)
16 lasagna noodles
2 16 oz jars of spaghetti sauce
1 16 oz jar of ricotta cheese
2 large eggs, beaten
1 16 Oz pack Shredded Mozzarella
2 cups of Shredded Parmesan
3 tablespoons of sugar and/or a dash of balsamic vinegar to cut the bitterness

Directions
1. Brown ground beef and Italian sausage in a skillet.  Season with dry seasonings and fresh ones to taste.  Add chopped onion and sauté under tender. Drain grease from meet in a colander and return to skillet.
2.  Add tomato sauce, sugar and balsamic vinegar and heat about 10 mins.
3.  Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Cook  lasagna and stir occasionally util cooked through and firm (8-10 mins).  Drain.
4.  Pre heat oven to 350 F.  Grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
5.  Mix Ricotta cheese, parsley, egg and 1 cup of Parmesan together in a bowl.
6.  Lay out the lasagna noodles on a work surface.  I used a baking sheet.  Spoon a layer of ricotta cheese, spread it.  Add a spoon of meat mixture and spread it.  Top off with a layer of mozzarella.  Add another lasagna noodle on top and roll it up.  This gets messy lol.  Tip.  Don't use heaping spoonfuls for an easier roll up. 
7.  Add the roll to the greased pan. Repeat step 6 until finished.
8.  Spread of spoonful of meat sauce on top of each roll and top it with the remaining cheeses.  Add fresh parsley and basil to the top.
9.  Bake in preheated oven, uncovered for about 30 mins.  Cheese should be melted and bubbling.  Enjoy!

How do you like this spin on traditional lasagna? Let me know here or in my instagram comments! I linked the reel below.

www.instagram.com/reel/Cp_cphUNBz9/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= (https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cp_cphUNBz9/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=)
Click to set custom HTML
0 Comments

Express Seafood Gumbo

2/13/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture

If you’ve never tried my seafood gumbo because you didn’t feel like making a seafood stock or peeling and deveining tons of shrimp, you’re in luck! Here is the express version of my seafood gumbo that will take you half the time.

You will start with a roux (sorry, I’m not cutting that part out lol) but instead of using a homemade seafood stock, I boiled water with chicken bouillon cubes added. 

- Since I didn’t make stock, there was no need to peel shrimp. I used peeled and deveined shrimp. 


-I used precut seasonings (2 containers of Guidry’s) , 1 rotisserie chicken and 2 bags of precut okra. Normally I use fresh seasonings and I bake chicken wings to add to the gumbo. 

Basically, you will follow my original recipe (fave-christmas-foods-pt-1louisiana-seafood-gumbo-recipe.html) but replace the seafood stock, chicken wings and fresh seasonings with the ingredients below. This is a much smaller batch than I typically make therefore the roux is also condensed.  It took me about 15-20 mins to make the roux vs. 45 mins. I used this 15 inch roaster to make the gumbo (https://www.goodwoodhardware.com/15-mcware-oval-roaster/).

Roux: 2 cups of flour
1 and 1/4  cup of corn oil

Homemade Stock Replacement:

4 bouillon cubes and water in 5 quart pot. Bring to a boil and add ladle by ladle once roux is completed and seasonings are added.
So what’s the verdict on the express version of my gumbo? It still tasted BOMB. I noticed the missing seafood stock but my family didn’t.

How do you speed up your gumbo recipe? Let me know if you use this recipe!! Tag me on instagram (@bmycurlfriend)





veining tons of shrimp, you’re in luck! R e version of my seafood gumbo that will take you half the time.

You will start with a roux (sorry, I’m not cutting that part out lol) but instead of using a homemade seafood stock, I boiled water with chicken bouillon cubes adde

Roux: 2 cups of flour
1 and 1/4  cup of corn oil

Homemade Stock Replacement:
4 bouillon cubes and water in 5 quart pot. Bring to a boil and add ladle by ladle once roux is completed and seasonings are added.

Let me know if you use this recipe!! Tag me on instagram (@bmycurlfriend)



0 Comments

Quick Spaghetti and Meatballs

2/7/2023

0 Comments

 
My daughter has basically decided that spaghetti isn’t worth having unless meatballs are involved lol.  Spaghetti and meat sauce is unacceptable and we all know that 4 year olds run the world.  Because of this, I have found myself making meatballs during the week when I’d rather put it all in the pot and go! 
Here’s a quick spaghetti and meatballs recipe that I like to use on weeknights.  The meatballs taste amazing and the store bought spaghetti is doctored up to make it taste like it was made from scratch.  Enjoy!

1lb of lean ground beef
1 lb of ground pork
2 eggs
1 cup of Panko Bread Crumbs
Garlic Powder (to taste)
Onion Powder (to taste)
Tony Chachere’s (to taste)
2 tbs Basil 
2 tbs Oregano 
Sea Salt (to taste)
Black Pepper (to taste)
2 tbs Parsley 
1 cup combinedof onions, celery, bell pepper (trinity)
Tbs of minced garlic
2 tbs of balsamic vinegar
2 tbs of red cooking wine
2 jars of  24 oz Rao Spaghetti Sauce
2 8 oz cans of diced tomatoes
3 tbs of olive oil
1 lb Thin Spaghetti


Meatball Prep
​Makes 25-30 meatballs

Pre-heat oven to 350 C

  1. In a large bowl, Combine both meats, all seasonings except the chopped trinity, eggs, Panko Bread Crumbs and mix well.
  2. On a lined pan, form meatballs to a size of your liking.
  3. Bake for approximately 40 mins.  
  4. Drain excess grease using a paper towel and set aside.
-Cook spaghetti according to package instructions.
-Prep the Spaghetti Sauce while the meatballs are baking.
Spaghetti Sauce
  1. Add olive oil to large pot at medium heat and add Italian seasonings, chopped trinity and sauté about 5 mins. 
  2. Add minced garlic and sauce another minute or until fragrant.
  3. Add diced tomatoes and bring to a steady simmer.
  4. Add spaghetti sauce and red cooking wine.
  5. Add balsamic vinegar.
  6. Allow sauce to simmer about 45 mins or so.  Diced tomatoes should be cooked down.  The longer the better.
  7. Add sugar to taste, if sauce is too bitter.
  8. Stir in meatballs.
  9. Simmer an additional 15 mins.


Serve sauce over warm spaghetti.  Garnish with parmesan cheese.

www.instagram.com/reel/CoYwVorOnC_/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=

0 Comments

Cajun Shrimp and Sausage Pasta

8/9/2022

0 Comments

 
Who loves cooking Sunday meals more than a church girl? I’ll wait.  Try this super easy recipe that I found on facebook.  

1 lb. large shrimp (peeled and deveined)

Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper (to taste)
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (or Creole seasoning)
½ teaspoon dried Oregano
2 tablespoons Olive oil
6 oz andouille sausage or smoked sausage (thinly sliced)
10 ounces fettuccine pasta
½ yellow onion (thinly sliced)
1 red bell pepper (thinly sliced)
4 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (or Creole seasoning)
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2-3 cloves garlic (chopped)
½ cup crushed tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth sodium free
1 cup heavy cream
⅔ cup Grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
1 tablespoon green onions (chopped)


Toss shrimp with salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and Oregano, and coat well. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and drizzle bottom of pan with olive oil. Add shrimp and cook for 2 minutes. Flip shrimp over and cook another minute or two. Then remove to a plate and set aside. Drizzle pan with a little more olive oil, add sausage and brown until nicely caramelized, about 4 - 5 minutes. Remove to set plate aside. 


Add pasta to salted boiling water and cook until al dente. Lower heat to medium and add a bit more olive oil to the pan, add the onion, red bell pepper, Cajun seasoning, brown sugar, and a generous pinch of salt. Sauté until onion and pepper have softened a bit, scraping up any browned bits that you can. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.


Add crushed tomatoes, chicken broth and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pan, simmer a couple minutes.


Once simmering, add Parmesan and stir into sauce. When Parmesan is blended in, add cooked pasta and sausage and stir to combine and heat through, 2 - 3 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste and then lastly, add shrimp. Add chopped green onions.
Serve with chopped parsley.

Let me know if you try this and be sure to check out on my reel on insta!

www.instagram.com/reel/ChD1v7ZlqCz/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=​

​
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Author

    Brandy, creator of BMyCurlfriend


    Archives

    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2020
    August 2020
    December 2019

    RSS Feed

  • Home
  • BMyCurlfriend Lifestyle Blog
  • BmyCurlfriend Makeup Artistry
  • What I'm Wearing
  • Tutorials and Blog Posts
  • Product Blog
  • Homemade Product Recipes