The Catholic Foodie

CF143 - The Year of Faith: 3 Ways To Grow In Faith This Year

FAITH IS A GIFT - We can’t earn it. We can’t buy it. We can’t make ourselves grow in it. We can only do things that dispose us to receive the gift of Faith from God. But, WHAT IS FAITH?

CF142 - Chicken Stock: Dem Bones Are Good!

Chicken stock is an absolute necessity in our house. For years I bought cans of chicken stock at the grocery store. Then I discovered how easy and inexpensive it is to make a far better chicken stock right in my own kitchen.

CF141 - A Louisiana Classic - Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

This is the real deal, folks. This is authentic gumbo. This isn’t store-bought. This isn’t frozen. This isn’t pre-packaged. This is something you make with your own hands in your own kitchen in your own house. Or maybe at a friend’s house. There’s nothing like the warm nuttiness of a roux pervading the rooms of a house in the late afternoon. Gumbo-making is a community event (which is something we’ll talk about a bit more later in this post). Not only can everybody smell it, but you need a big pot to make it in. I can still think back to my days as child of 7 or 8, and I can recall the smell of my mom making roux and the happiness that smell brought me. My mom used to make chicken and sausage gumbo regularly. umbo is a dish of smells. Roux. Sauteing onions, celery and bell pepper. Fresh garlic. And after all of those delicious smells comes yet another delicious smell: sausage cooking in a skillet (because you have to de-grease the sausage before adding it to the gumbo).

CF140 - The Catholic Foodie - Lebanese Stuffed Squash: Kousa Mahshi

I hated squash as a child. And during the summers we used to get a lot of it. My grandfather grew it in his garden, along with corn, tomatoes, and string beans. I loved the corn and tomatoes, but you could keep the squash and beans. I am very happy to say that my palate developed quite nicely as I grew up, and I now enjoy both squash and beans. And this dish is one of my favorite ways to prepare squash. Kousa Mahshi has been handed down by generations of Lebanese families. The recipe here is our version of this classic dish. The mahshi (or mihshi… or filling) for this recipe is about the same as it is for the Lebanese Grape Leaves, except here we are using beef instead of lamb.

CF139 - Shrimp Masala: A Delicious Experiment in Cajun-Indian Fusion

OK. I’m gonna say it… This dish is INSANE. So insane that I made it two weeks in a row. I just couldn’t help myself. Masala is a combination of dry and roasted spices, typical in Indian and Pakistani cuisines, and they are used to add spice and flavor. I call this a Cajun-Indian fusion because I used fresh Gulf shrimp and lots of cayenne (and crushed red pepper flakes!). And, of course, this Shrimp Masala was served over a bed of Louisiana Jasmine rice. This recipe is a keeper. If you try it, you just gotta let me know!

CF138 - Gluten-Free Round Steak Grillades

I grew up eating round steak at least once a week. My dad used to buy the whole round steak and cut it up into small cutlets. Then he would dredge the cutlets in flour seasoned with salt and black pepper, fry them up in a pan, and then deglaze the pan and make a rich brown gravy that we would pour over rice. The look and the smell bring back so many memories for me. It wasn’t until I was almost married that I first had grillades (pronounced gree-yahds).

CF137 - To Be Gluten-Free Or Not To Be Gluten-Free? That Is The Question.

On the show today… Today we are talking Shrimp and Okra Gumbo and the whole gluten-free phenomena. Are you gluten-free or not? Why or why not?

CF136 - Kids in the Kitchen for #SundaySupper

On the show today… #SundaySupper and Kids in the Kitchen. What are the benefits of getting your kids into the kitchen? We will talk about that today. And what is the #SundaySupper movement all about? Join me as I talk about FamilyFoodie.com and the #SundaySupper movement… and as I reach into the archives of the Catholic Foodie to bring you an interview with Rebecca Lindamood of FoodieWithFamily.com. All this, and more, right here at the Catholic Foodie… where food meets faith!

CF135 - Summer Salads: A Healthy and Delicious Way to Stay Cool This Summer

It’s HOT! I don’t know about you, but summer means two things to me: heat and busyness. Summer in south Louisiana is HOT! We definitely do not want to turn on the oven, if possible. Grill outside instead? Sure. But that's HOT too! How about fresh, cool, delicious salads for supper on those hot summer evenings? I love fresh veggies! There’s nothing like fresh summer tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuces! On this episode I talk about a FREE eCookbook that contains a "family secret" recipe of one of our favorite salads… Tabouli! This episode also includes: a shoutout to Fr. Roderick and SQPN, a reminder abou the upcoming CNMC, and my recipe for Greek Salad with Fresh Spinach and Kalamata Olives. All this, and more, right here at the Catholic Foodie… where food meets faith!

CF134 - Easter Crawfish and The French Quarter Festival

What exactly do I mean by “Easter Crawfish?” Well, crawfish season and Easter coincide each year since the high point of crawfish season spans the months of March, April and May. And, by the way, Easter is not over. Nope, not at all! We are now in the Easter Season… Looking forward to the Gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Anyway, it’s no coincidence that there are crawfish boils all across south Louisiana on Easter Sunday… And on Good Friday too. But more on that later in the show. Why are crawfish are such a big deal down here? I tell you in this episode. I also have some tips for you on boiling your own crawfish and a quick tutorial on how to peel a crawfish. This past weekend was French Quarter Fest in New Orleans and we spent the day there Friday. I’ll tell you more about the history, the music and the food of what has been called the “kickoff to festival season in New Orleans.” All this and more right here, at the Catholic Foodie, where food meets faith!