This fried chicken is so crispy, yet so juicy! We have the buttermilk brine that I soaked it in to thank for that.  If you like your chicken with a perfect, crisp outside and juicy flavorful inside, this is the recipe for you.  Check out the Instagram reel here!

​Ingredients
​8-10 pieces of chicken (I used thighs, drumsticks and wings)
Onion Powder, to taste
Garlic Powder, to taste
Slap Ya Mama Creole Seasoning, to taste
Culture Creole Seasoning, to taste
Poultry Seasoning, to taste
Badia Complete Seasoning, to taste
2 eggs
4 cups of all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil for frying
Buttermilk Brine
2 cups of buttermilk
2 tbs of Dijon mustard
Black Pepper
Salt
Cayenne Pepper
Egg Wash
2 eggs beaten
¼ cup of buttermilk
Directions

1.  In a bowl, rinse/clean the chicken with water and a little lemon juice.
2. In another bowl or measuring cup, mix the buttermilk brine together and pour over the chicken.  Mix well.
3. Cover the bowl containing the chicken with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
4.  Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and drain the buttermilk.
5.   Season the chicken with all remaining dry seasonings.
6. Add two beaten eggs. Pour half of the flour on top and toss the chicken in the flour/egg mixture.
7. Heat the oil to 350 F, in a large cast iron skillet or a deep fryer.
8. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, and ¼ cup of buttermilk to make an egg wash.
9. Put the remaining 2 cups of flour in a separate bowl.
10. Season the flour with the dry seasonings.
11. Submerge each chicken piece into the egg wash.  Shake off the excess and then dredge the same piece of chicken in the seasoned flour.
12. Fry the chicken in small batches until a safe internal temperature is reached.
13. Place fried chicken on a paper towel lined pan. 

 

It's no secret that we love red beans and rice in Louisiana, but have you ever had butter beans? I don't cook them often, but I love them!  I basically cook them the same way I do red beans.  I just used smoked turkey necks instead of pork neckbones.  Check out my Instagram reel here!

1 lb of frozen or fresh speckled butter beans
1 tbs of bacon up or cooking oil of choice
1-2 yellow onions, diced finely
3 stalks of celery, diced finely
1 bell pepper, diced finely
1 tbs of minced garlic
5-6 smoked turkey necks
Chicken Broth (Keep on hand to keep liquid levels adequate)
Slap Ya Mama (to taste)
1 tbs Smoked Paprika 
Badia Complete Seasoning (to taste)
Black Pepper (to taste)
Garlic Powder (to taste)
Onion Powder (to taste)
1 Tbs Thyme 
2 Tbs Oregano
2 Tbs of Parsley
2-3 bay leaves

1. In a 6-quart pot, on medium-high heat, add the Bacon Up or oil to the pot.
2. Sauté diced onions, celery and bell peppers for about 5 minutes.
3. Add garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes.
4. Add about 3 cups of chicken broth along with the turkey necks to the pot and bring to a boil.
5. Add the butter beans to the pot and reduce the heat to medium.
6. Season with dry seasonings. Liquid should remain about an inch above the beans.  As the liquid starts to recede, add chicken broth to return liquid levels to the proper level.
7. Reduce the heat to a simmer and allow the beans to cook for at least 2 hours or until the beans have softened. 
8. Taste the gravy and add more dry seasonings, if necessary.

Pro tip: If you want to thicken your gravy.  Mix about a tablespoon of corn starch with water and add to beans. Continue to cook on low.
9. Remove the bay leaves from the pot and discard.
10. Serve over warm rice.

I had this dish at a local restaurant and decided to recreate it.  I nailed it! I'm normally a seafood pasta girlie but the chicken and sausage was amazing together! Also, I was today years old when I discovered that Manda's has an "After the Boil" crab boil seasoned sausage!! Check out the Instagram reel here!

This is the perfect, one-pot dish that is full of flavor! This is the pasta spin on jambalaya.  Check out the instagram reel here!

Ok, so we've already done the fancy cabbage with shrimp and sausage (click here for that recipe) but what about traditional smothered cabbage?
In my opinion, traditionally cooked cabbage is still the G.O.A.T.  Use whatever meat you like.  I used bacon but you can even do smoked turkey necks or another pork variety.  I like to sauté the bacon, add finely diced yellow onion, a little Better than Bouillon chicken base and dry seasonings to make the perfect flavor.  Add in the cabbage and water, let it cook down and that's it! This is beyond easy to make.  If your cabbage has green and white leaves, separate them and cook the green ones a little while, then add the white. Check out the instagram reel here!

Ingredients
12 oz package of thick cut bacon, diced (You can use half of the pack or the entire pack)
2 yellow onions, diced finely
1 head of cabbage (washed and sliced)
Better than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base
Garlic Powder, to taste
Onion Powder, to taste
Slap Ya Mama Creole Seasoning, to taste
Badia Complete Seasoning, to taste
Smoked Paprika, to taste
Culture Creole Seasoning, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste
Directions
1. Add diced bacon into a 5-quart pot and cook on medium high heat.
2. Stir the bacon and cook until it starts to brown and produce bacon grease.
3. Stir in the diced onions and sauté for about 3-4 minutes.
4. Stir in a tbs of Better than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base.
5. Add the sliced cabbage and mix well with the onion, bacon and Bouillon Base.
Note: It will seem like the pot is too full. Once you complete step 6, just pack it in and cover the pot.
The cabbage will cook down and fit just fine. You can use a bigger pot, if that makes you feel more
comfortable, there just will be a lot of unused space once the cabbage is cooked.
6. Once the bacon and onions are mixed well with the cabbage, add about 1 cup of water.
Note: The pot does not have to be filled with water nor does the cabbage have to be covered
with water. The cabbage will produce more liquid as it cooks down.
7. Season the cabbage with dry seasonings to taste.
8. Cover and simmer on low-medium until cabbage reaches desired tenderness.

​Enjoy!

Turkey necks have entered the chat.  I have been hearing everybody talking about oxtails lately but turkey necks have always been my fave.  Trimming the fat and excess skin before cooking them was a game changer! They were beyond tender! After I seasoned them and seared all sides, I made brown gravy and simmered the turkey necks for a minimum of 3 hours.  Check out the Instagram reel here!

Ingredients
2-3 lbs of turkey necks (fat and excess skin trimmed)
2 tbs of oil (I used Bacon-Up rendered bacon fat)
1/3 cup of corn or vegetable oil (for roux/gravy)
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
4 cups of chicken broth
2 yellow onions, diced finely
4 stalks of celer, diced finely
1 bell pepper, diced finely
2 tbs of minced garlic
Garlic Powder, to taste
Onion Powder, to taste
Badia Complete Seasoning, to taste
Adobo with Complete Seasoning, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste
Poultry Seasoning, to taste
Thyme, to taste
Parsley, to garnish
Kitchen bouquet
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
2. Wash the turkey necks with water and a tsp of lemon juice.
3.  Trim the excess fat and skin from the turkey necks, using kitchen shears.
4. Repeat step 2.
5. Pat the turkey necks dry with a paper towel.
6. Add the Bacon-up or 2tbs of oil to a large, heavy bottomed roaster on medium-high heat.
7. Sear the turkey necks on all sides.
8.  Remove the turkey necks from the roaster and set aside.
9.  Add the remaining oil to the roaster and stir in the flour.
10. Continue to stir until the roux becomes dark brown in color.
11.  Stir in all of the raw seasonings, except the garlic.  Cook 2-3 minutes.
12. Stir in the garlic and cook an additional minute.
13.  Season the roux with the dry seasonings.
14.  Add the turkey necks back to the roaster.
15. Stir in the chicken broth until the gravy is uniform (meaning all of the roux is completely blended with the liquid). Optional: Add a tbs of kitchen bouquet to darken the gravy further.
16. Season the gravy with dry seasonings, to taste.
17.  Cover the roaster and bake for at least 3 hours.
18. Garnish the turkey necks with parsley.
19.  Serve over warm rice.

These are the juiciest fried pork chops EVER.  They are double battered with an egg wash in between.  This made the outside extra crispy.  I don’t fry pork chops often but when I do, I use a cast iron skillet.  Be sure to check out the IG reel here!

Ingredients
3-4 Center Cut pork chop
Garlic Powder, to taste
Onion Powder, to taste
Slap Ya Mama Seasoning, to taste
Seasoned Salt, to taste
Smoked Paprika, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste
Badia Complete Seasoning, to taste
Badia Adobo with Complete Seasoning, to taste
1 ½ Cup of All Purpose Flour
Egg Wash
2 eggs
Tbs of half/half
¾ cup of evaporated Milk
Vegetable Oil for frying
Directions:

1.  Rinse the pork chops and pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Season the pork chops in a bowl with all of the dry seasonings. Set them aside.
3. In a shallow dish, mix the flour with dry seasonings.
4. In another bowl, mix the eggs, milk and half and half together.
5. In large cast iron skillet, add enough oil to reach about the 1-inch level of the skillet.
6. Heat the oil on medium high heat.
7. Coat the porkchops with the flour mixture, shake off the excess flour.
8. Dip the flour coated porkchop in the egg wash. 
9. Shake off the excess egg wash and coat again with flour.
10. Drop a little flour in the hot oil, if it sizzles and floats to the top, the oil is ready.
11. Using tongs, gently place the porkchop in the oil.
12. Fry the porkchop for 3 minutes on one side.
13. Use the tongs to flip the porkchop and fry another 2-3 minutes.
14. Check the porkchop for safe internal temperature and enjoy.

Meatloaf is one of the best comfort meals.  I like to serve this with mashed potatoes and cover it with brown gravy.  Add a veggie like green beans or corn for a complete meal.  My favorite tip is to add milk into the meat mixture to ensure that the meat loaf is moist and tender. Check out this simple recipe below.

​Ingredients
2 lbs of ground chuck
1 yellow onion, diced finely
2 tbs of minced garlic
1/3 cup of milk
1 cup of Italian Breadcrumbs
1 tbs of Worcestershire sauce
2 eggs
Onion Powder, to taste
Garlic Powder, to taste
Badia Complete Seasoning, to taste
Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning, to taste
Smoked Paprika, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste
Parsley, to garnish
Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9”x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper
2.  In a large bowl, mix the meat, eggs, onions, milk, breadcrumbs, dried seasonings, onions, garlic and Worcestershire Sauce.

Note: Be very careful to not overmix.  This can make the meatloaf dense and tough.

1.  Add the mixed meat to the loaf pan and gently shape it evenly. Garnish with parsley.
2. Bake the meatloaf for 50 minutes to an hour or to a safe internal temperature. I recommend putting a pan on the rack underneath the loaf pan because the meatloaf will produce juices as it cooks.
3. Allow meatloaf to stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

It's no secret that we love fried catfish in Louisiana but we don't have to limit ourselves to fried fish. Blackened fish is quick and easy to make.
First, I lightly seasoned the filets and doused the fish in lemon juice.  I covered them with plastic wrap and placed them in the refrigerator overnight. Don't worry, if you don't have that much time, do this for about 30 minutes to an hour.  I then coated the filets with melted butter, seasoned them and pan fried the filets on both sides in a seasoned cast iron skillet.  The result was perfectly, blackened catfish.  Make sure you watch the instagram reel here if you want to see exactly how I did it!

Ingredients
2 lbs of catfish filets
1 lemon (cut in halves)
Tony Chachere’s Cajun Seasoning
Zatarrain’s Blackened Seasoning
Garlic Powder, to taste
Onion Powder, to taste
Slap Ya Mama Seasoning, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste
2 tbs butter (melted)
Canola Oil (2 tbs, adding in 2 tbs intervals as needed)
Parsely, to garnish
Directions

1.  Lay the catfish on a cutting board and pat dry with a paper towel.  Lightly season them with the Tony Chachere’s Seasoning.  Squeeze the lemon halve to release lemon juice all over the fish and rub it into each filet.
2. Flip the fish over to the other side and repeat step 1 using the other lemon halve.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour.
4. In a small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave.
5. Remove the fish from the refrigerator and use a small brush to spread the melted butter all over the fish on both sides.
6. Add the canola oil to a cast iron skillet and heat over medium high heat for about 4 minutes.  Your skillet should start to smoke.
7. Use tongs or a spatula to add one catfish filet to the skillet.  Allow it to cook for 4-5 minutes and then flip it on the other side and repeat. Remove the cooked filet and set it aside on a clean plate.
8. Add more canola oil to the skillet, in 2 tbs intervals, as it becomes consumed by the fish.
9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 until all of the fish is blackened.  Garnish the fish with parsley.

This spicy, crawfish cream sauce is simple to make and so delicious! I mixed the sauce with linguine pasta and I used a blend of freshly shredded grated pepper jack and Smoky cheddar cheeses.  Check out the instagram reel here!