Destinations Diva

I decided to make a special treat for my daughter's birthday.  She loves shrimp cooked with a little garlic but I decided to kick the recipe up a few notches.  New Orleans style "barbecue" shrimp has nothing to do with an outdoor grill (although you nothing is stopping you from putting your pan on the grill).  For this recipe, you want shrimp with the shells and even heads still on.  There is something the shells do to the sauce.  It seems to make the butter sauce emulsify and creates a great flavor.  I snipped some rosemary from my garden and added some Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce.  This sauce is also delicious for cooking any white fish like catfish or tilapia and it is also good with chicken. Easy New Orleans Style Barbecue Shrimp Ingredients: 1 1/2 sticks butter 1/4 cup olive oil 4 cloves garlic chopped 1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce 1 tablespoon Louisiana hot sauce Juice of 2 lemons chopped parsley 2 springs of fresh rosem...

With the holidays approaching, it brings the temptation of holiday munching.  Here's a great little solution to keep the holiday munchies under control.  The best part is, a serving is only one Weight Watchers Smart Point! Crispy Cheesy Brussel Sprout Chips Serves 6 Weight Watchers Smart Points: 1 Ingredients: 1 pound Brussel Sprouts, trimmed and leaves separated 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 tablespoon Lemon Zest 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese Salt and Pepper Method: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large bowl, toss sprout leaves with olive oil, lemon zest, parmesan cheese and a little salt and pepper.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are browned and crisp. Enjoy!

I'm still on my Weight Watcher's journey which was inspired by my desire to be healthy and keep up with my family during my travels.  Being at a healthy weight can open up a whole realm of possibilities for travel.   Food is such a passion of mine.  I love cooking and teaching. In my cooking classes, I always try to be innovative with my recipes.  My Cajun background inspires me to add a little "Joie de Vive" or zest of life into each dish.  I'm now also adding a healthy element to all of my dishes.  Cooking healthy recipes doesn't mean sacrificing flavor.  In fact, it adds a whole new dimension of flavor! In my cooking classes, I had a request to make Shepherd's Pie.  This is usually a quite heavy dish with beef, gravy and mashed potatoes.  My version is lightened up considerably.  I've added a great mix of veggies which add a new depth of flavor while also  lightening up the calorie load.   Healthier S...

Crawfish and Pork Boudin Stuffed Omelet I love stopping at The Best Stop or Billy's in Scott, Louisiana whenever I'm nearby to stock up on frozen pork boudin.  Scott is known as "The Boudin Capitol of the World" and even has a boudin festival each Spring. Check out my previous blog article by clicking  here. Yesterday, I took out a pound of boudin, but it turned out that we wouldn't be home so we didn't get to eat the wonderful stuff.  Since it would be a sin to let it go to waste, for breakfast I sautéed a three inch piece which I sliced open and served with a fried egg on top.  Now, what to do with the rest of it?  I decided that it would marry nicely with some packaged crawfish tails I had on hand.  Here's the result: I sautéed a little onion and garlic in extra virgin olive oil, then added the crawfish tails.  I added a just a touch of creole seasoning.  Next I added the boudin, freed from its casing. Make...