I am originally from Biloxi, Mississippi (just a hop, skip, and a jump from the Louisiana border) my grandparents are from Abbeville Louisiana and pure cajun coon-asses. My entire childhood I grew up with every cajun dish imaginable, things like dirty rice, gumbo, crawfish etouffee, andouille, hogs head cheese, and cracklins and as far as I'm concerned my grandma was one of the best cooks around (though I'm sure everyone says this about their own grandmother) The greatest gift my grandma ever gave me was the ability to cook and cook well. Now living in Texas when I am given the opportunity to cook for others I love making them cajun dishes that I loved as a child. Alot of the people around here have never experienced cajun food or seafood. I made this jambalaya once for a potluck at my work and I really enjoyed my co-workers reactions the first time they tried andouille and crawfish. So here is my recipe for Jambalaya just like MawMaw used to make :)
MawMaw's Jambalaya
Ingredients
2 tbs butter
8 oz Andouille sausage cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 boneless chicken breasts cubed
1 lb crawfish tails
1 lb peeled shrimp
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1 large green bell pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 cup uncooked rice
2 cups chicken stock
1 tbs paprika
1 tbs old bay seasoning
1 tbs chili powder
1 tbs cayenne pepper
1 tbs garlic
1 tbs brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Melt butter in frying pan
2. Sautee bell pepper and onion until soft and put aside
3. Sautee sausage, chicken, shrimp, and crawfish until slightly brown
4. Combine sauteed veggies and meat in large pot.
5. Add chicken stock, tomatoes, rice and seasoning to pot
6. Stir mixture Cover pot turn heat to medium high until stock starts to bubble
7. Turn heat down to low and let simmer for 45 mins- 1 hr until thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste
Monday, June 25, 2012
So pretty much the only exciting thing that happened today was the new True Blood came on. Hello nerd moment. I'm totally obsessed with that show even though I think Sookie is a complete retard for dumping Eric. Bill I can totally understand, sorry Bill fans but I just don't find him attractive. Now Eric, thats a different story. Or hell, even Alcide is pretty hot. I cannot wait for the next one to come out. Which just makes me think of how excited I am for season 4 of Vampire Diaries. I mean, whew that ending *sigh* I cannot wait. I am team Damon all the way, screw Stephen. He totally blew it with Elena. Before I keep rambling about hot vampires and such I need to put a totally awesome recipe I found. Looks super yummy. This is definately on my list for Thanksgiving.
Pumpkin Dip
Ingredients
1 tub Cool Whip
1 package Vanilla Pudding
1 can Pumpkin
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
Directions
1. Make vanilla pudding according to directions on box
2.. Mix together pudding, cool whip, pumpkin, and seasonings
3. Serve inside pumpkin for decoration
4. You can use apples, nilla wafers, cookies, or anything else to dip
Super easy huh?
Pumpkin Dip
Ingredients
1 tub Cool Whip
1 package Vanilla Pudding
1 can Pumpkin
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
Directions
1. Make vanilla pudding according to directions on box
2.. Mix together pudding, cool whip, pumpkin, and seasonings
3. Serve inside pumpkin for decoration
4. You can use apples, nilla wafers, cookies, or anything else to dip
Super easy huh?
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Lemon Cake Batter Cookies
Lemon Cake Batter Recipe
I was sifting through a bunch of unused boxes in the back of my cabinet that I'd forgotten were there searching for something sweet and I stumbled on a box of lemon cake mix. I didn't have any frosting, so I started looking for an alternative. I found a very simple recipe online for Cake Batter Cookies. I have to admit, if you love lemons (like me) you will really enjoy this recipe. They are super yummy.
Ingredients
1 Box lemon cake mix (mine was Betty Crocker brand)
2 large eggs
1/3 cup of vegetable oil
1/3 cup of powdered sugar (for decoration)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix in large bowl lemon batter, eggs, and vegetable oil
3. Drop teaspoon of mixture in powdered sugar, roll around until lightly coated
4. Once coated put on ungreased baking sheet
5. Bake for 6-9 minutes
6. Enjoy!

1 Box lemon cake mix (mine was Betty Crocker brand)
2 large eggs
1/3 cup of vegetable oil
1/3 cup of powdered sugar (for decoration)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix in large bowl lemon batter, eggs, and vegetable oil
3. Drop teaspoon of mixture in powdered sugar, roll around until lightly coated
4. Once coated put on ungreased baking sheet
5. Bake for 6-9 minutes
6. Enjoy!
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Welcome-Weight Loss
Welcome to my first blog post. My name is Nikki Phillips and I am a 23 yr old housewife.
So to jump in I am pretty new to this blogging thing, but this is a personal blog to keep up with my weight loss/goals and a few other things. Right now I am currently 249. I've been struggling with weight loss for a long time (since I was around 13) and my journey has been up and down. I weighed myself about a month and a half ago and I was 264. I have been heavier and I have been less than what I am currently. But this is where I am starting to keep track. So, right now 249. My diet is a simple one, usually 1 or 2 meals a day, mostly consisting of ramen noodles. Oh, the poor peoples diet. No ones friend, but never the less it is what I have. But I do plan on eating healthier foods including tons of fruits, veggies, and protein. I am not the type of girl that as soon as I decide to go on a diet goes out and buys a ton of FAT FREE or diet crap. Sorry, thats not me. I refuse to substitute real Ranch dressing for fat free dressing that DOES NOT taste the same and is more expensive. I think that portion control is crucial in weight loss. Everything is ok in moderation. The only thing that I do get that is considered "diet food" is crystal light, because I am unfortunately a diabetic and I think this is a more healthy alternative to kool-aid. The less sugar I consume the better. Hopefully once my fridge is restored to it's maximum capacity I will be able to update weekly/daily meals, and weekly weigh-ins.
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