Crawfish and Corn Chowder

My grandmother made the best corn and crawfish chowder, period!  Many times I sat at her kitchen table peeling Belle River crawfish, pulling husks and silk from the freshly picked corn. She would then remove the kernels from the cobs and the secret to her tasty recipe was revealed. She would boil the corn cobs with the crawfish heads in a large pot, seasoned with a little crab boil, yellow onions, celery, garlic and one hot pepper. This amazing aroma wafted through her house! She would strain this succulent stock through an old bent up strainer…so many memories.  I am now taking the liberty of trying to re-create one of her most special dishes, only I am using store bought seafood stock.

1 lb. crawfish tails with fat

3 cups fresh kernel corn

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup diced celery

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1-1/2 cups cubes russet potatoes

¼ cup all-purpose flour

6 cups seafood stock

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ cup heavy cream

1 can (10 ounce) Original Rotel

Sea Salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Chopped chives (optional)

In a large pot, melt butter. Add onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic and sauté until onions are transparent, about 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add the corn to the pot and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often.  Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 3 minutes.  Add the seafood stock and potatoes, stir to thoroughly combine, season with the cayenne pepper.  Simmer for about 20 minutes to soften the potatoes. Add crawfish tails, crawfish fat and heavy cream and Rotel tomatoes, simmer for another 10 minutes, just to heat the crawfish tails through. Garnish with the chives and adjust seasonings if necessary.

 Make your own chowder memories tonight!

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Chicken Noodle Soup

I was checking out some Thanksgiving recipes at Food Network's website and happened upon Tyler Florence's Chicken Noodle Soup recipe. 

In my book, anything by Tyler Florence is a winner and this soup is an absolute winner.  Did you know this my first time making chicken noodle soup?

 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic minced
2 medium carrots cut in half lengthwise and then cut diagonally in 1/2 inch thick strips
2 stalks of celery, cut in half lengthwise and then cut diagonally in 1/2 inch thick strips
4 fresh sprigs of thyme
1 bay leaf
2 quarts of chicken stock
8 ounces dried egg noodles
1-1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 handful finely chopped Italian parsley

Place soup pot over medium heat and coat the bottom with oil.  Add onions, garlic, celery, carrots, bay leaf and thyme.  Saute for about 6 minutes, until the vegetables have softened but now browned.  Add in the chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Add in the egg noodles and allow soup to simmer for 5 minutes.  Fold in the chicken and continue simmering for a couple of more minutes to heat the chicken through.  Season with salt and pepper and garnish with freshly chopped parsley.

Just what the doctor ordered on a damp, chilly night!

I wish all of you a bountiful, safe and Happy Thanksgiving.  I am truly thankful for all of you who stop by and visit each day, for your wonderful and encouraging comments and emails, for all the pins on Pinterest and "Likes" on Smoky Mountain Cafe's Facebook page!  Thank you!

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Nat'ly's Grilled Brats with Beer Cheese Soup



We have been extremely lucky this fall, the past few weeks, the evenings have been just warm enough to fire up the grill. We have been taking advantage of the last few weeks of "grilling season".

Since we have been so fortunate, I have a real treat to share with all you! 

1 package (5 links) Johnsonville Original or Beer Brats

2 Foil bread pans

2 12 oz. bottles pale ale (I used Blue Moon)

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

1 medium red onion, chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

2 medium size carrots peeled and chopped (approx. 1 cup)

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups Half-n-half

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded

8 ounces Gruyere (or Swiss) cheese shredded

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Frank's Hot Sauce

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Heat grill to medium heat, grill brats, low and slow, turning about every 10 ten minutes.  After the first complete turn piece each brats.  The idea is to let the juices drain out while they are cooking so they will begin to shrivel and dry out a bit.

After about 20 minutes, place the foil loaf tins on the grill away from direct heat.  Empty a beer into each one.  Allow the beer to slowly warm while the brats are drying out.  Once the brats shrivel a bit, place them in the beer (2 brats in pan, 3 in the other), close the lid to the grill and leave them for 10 more minutes.  the brats will re-hydrate and soak up some of the beer. 

Remove the brats from the grill leaving them in the beer bath.  DO NOT discard the beer, we need it for the soup, plus it's alcohol abuse!

Melt butter in a dutch oven over medium heat.  Once the butter is melted, add in the chopped onions, celery and carrots and saute until the vegetables begin to soften.

Add in the flour and continue cooking for another 7 minutes, stirring often.

Remove the brats from the beer to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm, remember, reserve the beer.

Slowly stir in the chicken broth, stirring to combine.

Add in the reserved beer.  Bring to a boil and then slowly add in the cheese, stirring until smooth and almost comes to a boil.  Reduce heat to low add in the half-n-half, hot sauce, cayenne, salt, mustard and Worcestershire.  Continue cooking until soup has thickened.

Serve garnished with a freshly baked pretzel and a side of brats.

Nat'ly says this is going in the tail-gating hall of fame.

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Grilled Buffalo Chicken Soup

Several weeks ago I joined Pinterest because I was finding several of my pictures getting "pinned" and I as wondering, "What the hell?".

So I made a couple of boards and found it pretty boring.  Then I saw a gorgeous picture of Buffalo Chicken Soup.  The photograph had been pinned so many times, after clicking and clicking, I could not find the food blog it came from or the recipe.  Talk about bummed.

The silver lining was, I was given the challenge to figure it out my own way instead of being lazy.

If you're a die-hard for the buffalo chicken flavor and can handle the heat, this is the soup for you!

1 package (1 lb.) chicken tenderloins
1 bottle (12 oz.) Frank's Hot Sauce, Original
1 tablespoon Canola oil
1 small-medium onion, minced
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
40 ounces chicken stock
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
2 tablespoons shredded goat cheese
2 teaspoons Ranch salad Dressing
Celery stalk slices (optional)
Salt and pepper

Liberally season the chicken tenderloins with your favorite dry rub or Cajun seasoning.  Heat a grill pan over medium heat or the outdoor grill.  Grill the chicken tenderloins until thoroughly cooked.  Remove to a platter dice and reserve.

While the chicken is grilling, crumble the goat cheese into a small bowl and add the Ranch salad dressing.  Stir with a fork until smooth, cover and refrigerate. 

Heat the Canola oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onions  and saute for about 7 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add in the garlic and saute for about 2 minutes.  Sprinkle in the flour, stir to combine.  Stir continuously for 5 minutes to make sure the flour doesn't stick and burn and to cook off the flour.  Slowly whisk in the stock 1 cup at a time.  Thoroughly blend in the stock with the veggies and roux before adding more stock.  Stir in the chicken, Worcestershire sauce and Frank's Hot Sauce and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.  Lower heat to simmer and add in the cheddar cheese and stir occasionally.  Allow soup to simmer for  20 minutes.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls or crocks.  Dab a generous dollop of the goat cheese/Ranch mixture on top and sprinkle with the dried dill weed.  Serve with a toasted baguette sliced "buttered with goat cheese and a sprinkle of dill weed. 

Oh yeah baby, just call me iron guts, but you better say it with a smile = )

This is a picture of my mother when she was 19 years old.  She passed away Friday after a long and brave battle with lung cancer.  I will be out of pocket for a few days to travel to New Orleans to bury her next to my dad, the love of her life so I won't be around be commenting much this week. 

She would have been all over this soup....she LOVED spicy!  Keep her in you prayers ya'll.

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Corn Chowder

I don't know how the weather is in your neck of the woods, but here in East Tennessee, it's cold and rainy, downright miserable.  I should be curled up with a good book or a good movie!

Did I ever tell you that when I first met my husband the only "vegetable" he would eat was corn?  Well A.J. now knows corn is not a vegetable, plus he has many new favorite real vegetables.  I now know if I serve ANYTHING with the word "corn" in it, he's the first one at the table when dinner is ready.  So from here on out, every recipe, be it salad or brownies is going to be called "corn" something or other...nah, that's just plain boring.

Well, let me tell you that this soup is anything but boring!

4 strips hickory smoked bacon
1 tablespoon butter

Extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups heavy cream
3 Yukon gold or russet potatoes, peeled and diced
6 ears of fresh corn cut from the cob or 2lbs. frozen kernel corn
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cayenne (optional)
1/4 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese

Cook the bacon in a large stock pot until crisp.  Remove from pot with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on a paper towel lined plate and reserve.  Remove all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat from the pot and add one tablespoon of butter to the pot, lower the heat to medium and add the onion and saute until translucent then add the garlic and saute 1 more minute.. Dust the vegetables with flour and stir to coat everything well.  Cook the flour off for about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly to make sure nothing sticks and burns on the bottom of the pot.

Whisk in the stock one cup at a time and bring to a boil.

Add the potatoes, bring to a boil.  Boil for about 5 minutes, until the potatoes soften and are almost to the point of breaking down.  The broken-down potatoes will give the soup body and a smooth texture and the potatoes that remain in tact with the the soup a little something-something.

Add the cream to the soup, gently stir to blend.  Once the soup begins to bubble, lower the heat to simmer and cook for about 15 minutes; enough time for the corn to soften up a bit.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and a little splash of extra virgin olive oil and maybe even a little dash of cayenne.

 Ladle a generous helping of this hearty chowder into a bowl and garnish with the sharp cheddar cheese and the reserved bacon.

Does anyone know who got kicked off "Dancing with the Stars" this week?  Wait, don't tell me, I want to be surprised!

Stay warm, dry and well-fed!

Minestrone di Cipolline (Country Onion Soup)

Sometimes Spring likes to tease us.  We think, "Yay, warm weather; no more bulky coats!".  Then a cold front blows through behind a terrible storm and it's cold, gray and windy outside.

The upside, yes, there is an upside; is you get to make and eat some delicious soup!

I found this amazing soup recipe in Ciao Tuscany by Johnny Carrabba and Damian Mandola, the owner and head chef, respectively of Carrabba's Restuarant.


This was a very simple soup to prepare and I loved the Italian version of an onion soup (and pasta) and its  departure from a typical minestrone.

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup tomator puree'
6 cups beef broth (vegetable broth can be substituted)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 to 2 teaspoons sugar (optional)
8 ounces spaghetti, vermicelli or angel hair pasta
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

In a large pot or Dutch oven, saute the onions over medium-high heat in the olive oil until they start to carmelize, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Add in the garlic and cook one more minute.  Stir in the tomato puree' and cook for about 5 minutes.  Slowly add in the broth, stirring to thoroughly blend.  Bring soup up to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

While the soup is simmering,  break the pasta in half and reserve.  Once the soup has simmered for 30 minutes, uncover and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in the sugar 1 teaspoon at time and taste.  The sugar will neutralize the acid taste of the tomato puree'.  It's important to taste in between so you don't change to flavor of the soup.

Bring soup back up to a boil and stir in the pasta. Cook until al dente.  Add more broth if necessary to achieve desired consistancy.

Serve with some crusty bread and have plenty of Parmigiano Reggiano to pass around.

French Onion Soup

I am in the process of doing a cookbook review and did I hit paydirt with this book, Simple Suppers by Jennifer Chandler.  Have any of you checked out this book?   It is loaded with great recipes; so much so, I couldn't choose which ones to try.

Kaitlin picked out two she really wants me to make and I will post them.  Jennifer's French Onion Soup recipe was calling my name.  I've been looking for a good French Onion Soup recipe and this was was amazing!

So simple to make, A.J. is still talking about it.  This French Onion Soup recipe is now an Aucoin family favorite.  It has a wonderful but not poverpowring onion flavor and a gooey, cheesy topping.  How could anyone turn down something so comforting no matter if the weather is cold or just a little bit chilly out?

Check out the picture of the soup from the book!

 Talk about food porn.  The picture first enticed me, then I read the list of ingredients and the cooking method and was sold.

Okay enough babbling, let's cook some French Onion Soup.








Cast of Characters:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
6 cups thinly sliced yellow onions (about 4 large onions)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons cognac
1 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
8 cups beef stock
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 baguette, thinly sliced into at least 8 rounds
1-1/2 cups grated Gruyere cheese

In a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat, melt butter.  Add onion, garlic bay leaves, and thyme and cook, stirring often, until soft and caramel colored, bout 20 to 30 minutes.

Add cognac and cook until the liquid is almost evaporated, a bout 2 minutes.  Add the white wine and simmer uncovered until the wine has almost evaporated, about 8 minutes.  Dust the onion mixtures with the flour and stir to coat.  Cook until thickened, about 2 minutes.

Pour the beef stock and raise heat to high.  Bring the mixture to a boil .  Lower the temperature to medium and simmer uncovered, until the flavors have melded, about 15 minutes. 

Season with salt and pepper to taste, discard the bay leaves and the thyme sprigs.

Preheat the broiler.  Toast the bread lightly.  Ladle the soup into ovenproof bowls.  Top each bowl with 2 slices of the toasted bread and 1/4 cup of cheese.  Broil until the cheese is melted, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Serve hot, enjoy, smile and moan and watch the face of sweetie light up as he enjoys this comforting treat!

I'll post a couple more from this book this week.

Chicken Fajita Tortilla Soup

There once was a girl that loved soup so much, she had to share it with...you!

This is one easy and very quick soup to prepare and one you can feel good about eating and sharing with your family and friends.  Just don't tell them how easy this soup is to make.

YUM!!! Check out that picture; do I have your attention?

Here's what you need:


2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1-1/2 to 2 pounds of chicken tenders or three boneless, skinless chicken breasts
       (cut into healthy size chunks)
1 tablespoon coriander
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 jalapeno, seeded and thinly sliced
1 (14 ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 (14 ounce) can low-sodium diced tomatoes
1 (32 ounce) box chicken broth
3 to 4 fajita size white tortilla or your favorite white tortilla chips
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 ripe avocado, (cut each half into quarters)
1 lime, juiced
4 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Place tortilla on a foil lined baking sheet.  Spray foil with non-stick cook spray.  Place three to four tortillas on the baking sheet, brush the tortillas with extra virgin olive oil one the side facing up.  Sprinkle some Emeril's Essence or your favorite Cajun seasoning over the tortillas.   Place tortillas in the oven for five minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely, then break into chips and set aside.

Heat a large pot with extra virgin olive oil, over medium-high heat. Add chicken, once the chicken begins to brown after about 5 minutes, add coriander, thyme, salt and pepper, to taste, onions, bell pepper and jalapeno, season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add tomatoes and stock, simmer for about 20 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, cut up the avocado and toss it in the lime juice so it won't turn brown and set aside.  Then place a handful of the tortillas chips into soup bowls.  Toss some of the cheddar cheese over the tortilla chips.  Now you're ready for the big finale'!  Ladle the piping hot soup over the cheese and the tortilla chips. Garnish with green onions cilantro and the avocados. 

You won't need to serve anything on the side, because this delicious soups is quite filling all by itself!

Roasted Root Vegetable Soup

Please continue to vote, vote everyday at the Kelly Ripa Cake off for a Cause.  Support the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund!

Our poor little cake is in last place with no hope of gaining any steam.  I appreciate all of your votes!

Hope all of you had a Happy Mardi Gras!  You must be sluggish from all that partying and you need something warm and healthy and meat-free today, Ash Wednesday.  You came to the right place, I have a soup for you that is going to knock your socks off!

The method of this soup is so handy for any vegetables you you want to use up plus you can switch vegetables to suit your taste. 

I started off with a couple of russet potatoes, a yellow onion, a turnip, celery root, carrots and parsnips.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, peel and dice the vegetables.  Season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.  Toss vegetables to evenly coat with oil. 

Roast the vegetables for 30 to 45 minutes.  Until vegetbles are "mashable" and slightly golden brown.  The roasting really enhances the flavors of the vegetables as opposed to sauteing them in the pot.  Also, you will use a lot less oil. 

Place vegetables in a large pot or stock pot over medium heat and mash with a potato masher.  This is a rustic, country soup so you want it to have a thick, chunky consistency.

Add approximately 2-1/2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock 1/2 cup at a time to the vegetables.  You can add a cup more stock to thn it out. Thoroughly combine.  Season with salt, pepper, coriander and red pepper flakes to taste.

The soup will be thick.  If you prefer a smoother soup, feel free to run your emersion blender in the pot ot achieve a velvety consistency.

Top the soup off with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of freshly chopped parsley.

Just for the record, I AM NOT the person that keeps praying for snow!  = )

Shitake and Miso Soup

Do you see this child over here to the left? The one in the white jersey, number sixteen. She doesn't like soup. Seriously, where did she come from? That's like saying I don't like cookies, cake, ice cream. There are just too many kinds of each to make such a broad statement as this.

(For the soccer fans, Lauren was fouled, got a penalty kick and got the point.)

I've seen miso featured on one or two blogs that i read. It's so mysterious, I didn't know what it was. I looked it up, simply put, it's fermented soybeans. When i was offered the opportunity from Foodbuzz to order from Asian Food Grocer, I had to order miso and see if it was something i would like and would be able to use in my cooking.

The answer is "yes" and "yes".

The tub of miso I received, had the consistency and color of peanut butter. It had a sesame/salty taste. Being a salt fan and also loving Asian flavors, I could eat this as a dip. I did have to figure out what I was going to do with the miso. How was I going to make it a star?

Tyler Florence had a recipe for a Shitake and Miso Soup. A few of the ingredients he listed, I hadn't heard of and some others I knew I was going to find at the local grocery store. Here is how I adapted his recipe to fit the ingredients I had on hand.

This wound up being a very hearty and flavorful soup. I have a huge container in the freezer and can't wait to heat it up and enjoy this soup again.

The major players, 8 ounce tub of miso, Oriental Style Noodles (wait until you read about these), Dried Shitake mushrooms and pungent minced garlic.

1 bunch scallions, sliced thin, white and green parts separated
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

3 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
8 cups water
1 ounce dried shitake mushrooms
1 cup miso
1 pound Oriental Style Noodles

In a large soup pot over medium heat add the scallion white parts, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil.

Cook for a minute or two.

Add 8 cups water. Bring it to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes - do not let it boil.

Add the crushed red pepper flakes, dried mushrooms and miso to the pot and let it simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the mushrooms are hydrated and tender.

These noodles ~sigh~, they are amazing. I know we're not supposed to say "Oriental" anymore, but it's written on the package. These are described on the Asian Food Grocer site as Orchid noodles. How could I not order these? The noodles do not have a strong flavor, but they have a certain "something, something" that I really like.

Add the noodles simmer until it is tender, about 15 minutes.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with the reserved green parts of scallions.