Food Friday - Cécile - New Orleans Food


Cécile was American Gir's second African American doll. Her era was 1853 New Orleans. To describe her in a sentence - she's the total opposite of Addy. She's a rich girl who can speak both French and English and gets homeschooled by her parents. Not saying any of that is a bad thing, it is just something that almost everyone has to point out. She was the shortest historical character doll made, along with her friend and collection sharer Marie-Grace. Cécile was available from 2011 - 2014.

In the first book of their series, Marie-Grace and Cécile go to a children's ball for Mardi Gras. And guess what this Tuesday is? Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras literally translates from French to mean Fat Tuesday. It is a celebration of the beginning of forced fasting for Lent (a Christian tradition which used to be followed mostly by Anglican and Catholic areas). There are many traditions that go along with it - the beads, the colors, the festivals... And the food! This Food Friday will focus on New Orleans food fit for any day of the week or a massive Mardi Gras celebration!

Entree - Jambalaya [1]


I can't help but think/remember that fun New Orleans episode of 'Suite Life on Deck' where this word gets pronounced. A lot... This is a little snippet of the episode where it gets pronounced. There are videos of the full episode available on YouTube, but I'm not going to post it here. If you like the way Disney channel used to be, then I suggest you watch it, especially if you loved 'Zack and Cody Suite Life' or whatever it is called. Sorry for the low quality but I only wanted a snippet of this part of the show.



Jambalaya is definitely not a jambaloser. It is a very good dish, very versatile, you can change it up in a myriad of ways. The name comes from the first chef, Jean, being told to 'bayaez' or throw something together for a weary traveler to eat. When Jean did so, the dish was called Jambalaya.

The meats can be changed in regards to its seafood, chicken or sausage contents if you prefer. You can spice it in different ways and test out the cooking waters with it. It is also perfect for those of us who don't like standing over a stove for a long period of time since you can slow cook this.

Ingredients 
  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1/2 pound andouille sausage, diced
  • 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped
  • 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 pound frozen peeled and cooked shrimp, thawed
  • 2 cups cooked rice
Directions

  1. In a slow cooker, put the first 7 ingredients (chicken, sausage, tomatoes, bell pepper, celery, and broth) together.
  2. Stir in oregano, seasoning, hot sauce, bay leaves and thyme. 
  3. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours. 
  4. Stir in thawed shrimp until they are heated through (about 5 minutes). 
  5. Take out bay leaves and serve over cooked rice. 

SIDE - French Bread



Oh yeah, those classic baguettes. You can buy them ready made at your local grocery store. And if you can't, go for croissants (Pillsbury Dough Boy might as well be a drug dealer...). I'm not going to include recipes for these since I myself have never made any kind of bread. Heck, the first time I tried to make French Toast (not french bread), I burnt them. I was NOT happy with myself. The recipe for french bread can be found here if you want to give it a try. I am just going to talk about the history of these bread and why we think of them as so French!

The word 'baguette' was not used until 1920. Long and wide loaves were in vogue in the late 1600s to early 1700s. They evolved into thin ones then extremely long ones during Cécile's times. In France, they tend to eat them either as the main course or an appetizer. Usually, just a slice of a baguette and a slice of cheese is a Frenchman's perfect start to a long day!

Dessert - King Cake




What you have all been waiting for, I'm sure, in a tradition directly tied to Mardi Gras - KING CAKE. You can't have a prince cake, it HAS to be the KING. The 'king' in the title of this recipe refers to the 'king of kings', of course - Jesus. A little baby Jesus is hidden in the cake, and whoever finds it has to buy next year's King Cake and/or host the next year's party. Like the baguette, I will not be posting the recipe directly here. The tradition dictates that the cake must be bought by the baby finder. Here is the recipe but be warned you will be spending over 4 hours making it and here is an authentic New Orleanian place to buy your own king cake and. have. it. shipped. to. you. The Internet is a wonderful thing, isn't it?!

I hope you guys have a wonderful time enjoying Mardi Gras, no matter how/when/why you do it! 


Sources

  1. http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/cuisine/traditionalfoods/jambalaya.html

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