• 1 part fresh garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 part fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
• 1 part fresh horseradish, peeled and grated
• 1 part fresh HOT peppers, chopped (use a variety of the hottest peppers you can find like Habeneros, Jalepenos, Serranos, etc.)
• ¼ part fresh lemon grass, chopped
• Raw organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg)

Add two cups of the flour, sweet potatoes, cardamom, salt, and orange peel to the yeast mixture and beat well. Add the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. (Alternately, add 3 cups of the flour right away and just use the dough hook on your mixer to knead the dough for about five minutes).

Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a clean damp towel. Allow dough to rise until double, about 1 hour. In the mean time, in a small bowl, mix together the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and 3 tablespoons sweet potatoes.

Roll out the dough into a 12X9 inch rectangle (I like to do this on my Silpat). Spread the dough with the cinnamon/sugar mixture.  Roll up the dough and pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 equal sized pieces and place into a greased 9X13 inch pan. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Bake at 375 ° F. for 25 to 30 minutes or until browned. Remove from oven and frost while warm.

For icing, combine cream cheese, butter, vanilla, orange juice and orange peel in a medium sized bowl. Beat well with a hand mixer. Slowly beat in enough of the powdered sugar to make the desired consistency.

*Learn how to make a Basic Simple Syrup Recipe.

Chill an old-fashioned glass by filling with crushed ice or refrigerate or freeze for at least 30 minutes.

Add the Herbsaint, absinthe, or Pernod to the glass; swirl it around to coat the entire sides and bottom of the glass. Discard the excess.

In a cocktail shaker, add 4 or 5 small ice cubes, sugar, rye whiskey, and bitters. Shake gently for about 30 seconds; strain into the prepared old-fashioned glass.

Twist lemon peel over the drink and then place in the drink.

Makes 1 serving.

* Italian bread may be substituted. Check out my Muffuletta Bread recipe.

Make Muffuletta Bread and make Olive Salad. Cut bread in half crosswise and scoop out about half of the soft dough from top and bottom pieces (this is to provide more room for the sandwich ingredients). Brush the inside bottom of loaf with olive oil or juice from the Olive Salad marinade. Layer salami, Italian ham and Provolone cheese on the bottom piece. Top with as much Olive Salad as will fit without spilling out. Add top of loaf and press down slightly. Slice in quarters and serve. Always serve the Muffuletta Sandwich at room temperature, never toasted.

Makes 1 to 4 servings, depending on the appetite.

OLIVE SALAD:
2/3 cup pitted and coarsely-chopped green olives
2/3 cup pitted and coarsely-chopped kalamata olives
1/2 cup chopped pimiento
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 anchovy fillet, mashed
1 tablespoon capers, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon finely-chopped fresh oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and then allow the flavors to mingle for at least 1 hour prior to serving. Store, covered, in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Tear or cut French bread into 1-inch pieces (about 6 to 7 cups); place in a large bowl. Add milk and let bread pieces soak; crush with your hands until well mixed. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, allspice, and cinnamon until smooth; stir in raisins. Stir into the bread/milk mixture. Let the mixture sit for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

When ready to bake, pour melted butter into a 13×9-inch baking pan or dish. Coat the bottom and the sides of the pan well with the butter.

Pour bread pudding mixture into prepared pan or dish. Bake, uncovered, approximately 45 to 50 minutes, until set in the center, and the edges start getting a bit brown and pull away from the edge of the pan. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.

To serve, cut into squares and put into individual serving dishes.

Serve with warm Bourbon Sauce. NOTE: Best fresh and eaten the day it is made.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Bourbon Sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons bourbon (whiskey) or to your taste

In a medium-size saucepan over low heat, melt butter; add sugar and beaten egg, whisking to blend well. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and whisk in bourbon to taste; let cool. Whisk and reheat before serving. The sauce should be soft, creamy, and smooth.

1 # crawfish tails (fat pack if available)
1/4 # butter
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 medium onion – diced
1/2 bell pepper- diced
3 stalks celery- diced
2 pods garlic or 1 tsp- minced
1 tsp sweet basil
1 tsp leaf thyme
1/4 c. diced parsley
1/4 c. diced onion tops
1/2 c. shrimp or seafood stock, water if unavailable
Red, white, black pepper, and salt to taste

Sauté flour and butter together to form a blonde roux. Add celery, onion, bell pepper and garlic, sauté until the onions clear. Add shrimp stock and fat if available. Add basil and thyme, some pepper. Simmer 20 minutes minimum. Ten minutes before serving, add crawfish tails and bring back to a light simmer. Adjust salt and peppers to taste. Immediately before serving, stir in onion tops and parsley. Serve on hot Louisiana rice.  Serves up to 4 people.

You may also use this recipe to fill a Crawfish Pie:

Let cool and add to puff pastry or other pastry squares, about 5″ square, fold over as an apple turnover, crimp two edges and eggwash. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Serve with extra Etouffee over or under pies.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup Pace® Picante Sauce
• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions

1. Stir the picante sauce and barbecue sauce in a small bowl. Reserve all but 1/2 cup picante sauce mixture to serve with the chicken.
2. Lightly oil the grill rack and heat the grill to medium. Grill the chicken for 15 minutes or until cooked through, turning and brushing often with the remaining picante sauce mixture. Discard the remaining picante sauce mixture.
3. Serve the chicken with the reserved picante sauce mixture.

• Tip: This simple basting sauce also makes a zesty dipping sauce for chicken wings or nuggets.
  

Cookie Mix

1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup nuts
2 cups of dried fruit
1 bottle Jose Cuervo Tequilla

Sample the Cuervo to check quality. Take a large bowl, check the Cuervo
again, to be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and
drink. Turn on the electric mixer…Beat one cup of butter in a large
fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar…Beat again.

At this point it’s best to make sure the Cuervo is still OK, try another
cup… just in case. Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 leggs and add
to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit, Pick the frigging fruit
off floor… Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the
beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver. Sample the Cuervo to
check for tonsisticity.

Next, sift two cups of salt, or something. Who giveshz a sheet.
Check the Jose Cuervo. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.
Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find.
Greash the oven.

Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don’t forget to
beat off the turner. Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish
the Cose Juervo and make sure to put the stove in the dishwasher.

Place crushed ice in glass, with mint sprig. Add whiskey, top with iced tea. Enjoy.

8oz unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon cream of tartar
¾ teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 and ¼ cup sour cream
2 and ¼ cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon mixed together for rolling

Directions

1.Cream the butter and sugar until soft about 3 to 5 minutes. Add in the vanilla. Add in the eggs one at a time and mix until each is incorporated.
2.In a separate, mix together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder and cream of tarter.
3.Add the flour mixture and the sour cream alternately to the egg-butter mixture in the additions. Start with the flour and end with the flour. Scrape the bowl occasionally.
4. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out muffin batter one at a time and drop into a shallow bowl filled with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll the muffin around in the mixture until it is covered completely in cinnamon sugar.. Place muffin into a greased muffin tin.. Depending on the size of your tins, you should get about 12 to 14 muffins. Bake them for approx. 20-22 minutes in a 350°F oven or until they are golden brown.