Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #30 - Build-A-Bear Workshop

Time for another Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party!  I'm so glad you're here.  And I'm so excited to share with you that we had 198 recipes linked up last week!  Let's see if we can beat that number this week.

Welcome to Foodie Friends Friday!

Please take a moment to read through the rules before getting started, Thank You!

*By linking up you agree that you read these rules and all photos/recipes are original and belong to you. You agree to allow Foodie Friends Friday and any of it's affiliated websites or publications (Social Girls Media, LLC) to use photos, links, and recipes for reprint and/or republishing and distribution without monetary compensation to you. If photos & recipes are used, proper link backs to you will be included.

Adding Links back to Foodie Friends Friday and our Button is our only form of advertising to bring in more people to see YOUR recipes.

Please remember to do this. It benefits you! To thank you, we will continue to feature those with links throughout the year on various outlets.

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Meet our Co-Hosts at Foodie Friends Friday:

Now Let's meet our sponsor this week!

This week's sponsor is Build-a-Bear Workshop!  They will be giving away a Chef Curly Teddy and a $25 gift card to one lucky winner.   This master chef stuffed animal will make the perfect gift for your favorite cook. It comes dressed in a Chef Outfit and Black Dress Shoes.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Giveaway Disclaimer: Facebook is in no way associated with this website or giveaway and holds no liability for this giveaway. "Liking" facebook pages is optional, not mandatory for entry. Sponsors will be responsible for shipping- if there is a delay or problem with prize, you must communicate directly with sponsor.

Last week's winners:

1.  Chocolate Covered Cherries by Hun What's for Dinner

2.  White Chai Concentrate by This and That

3.  Love Bug Cake Pops Delivery by Pint Sized Baker

1.  Chocolate Covered Cherries by Hun What's for Dinner

2.  Dilly Casserole Bread by Cozycakes Cottage

3.  White Chai Concentrate by This and That

Two weeks ago we began sponsoring a Host Favorite post on Foodie Friends Friday Daily Dish every Monday.  Make sure to visit Daily Dish each week to see which recipes caught your hosts' attention.  In order to be selected, make sure that you have linked your recipe back to us!

Here are last week's Host Favorites:

Corn and Crab Chowder

If you have been following my posts lately, you have figured out by now that I've been featuring some Cajun recipes and Mardi Gras stories.

I have a recipe for a corn and crawfish chowder that I absolutely love.  Only two problems. . .a few of the ingredients are difficult to find in St. Louis at this time of the year, and the recipe is not very healthy.  So I decided to remake the recipe into a healthier version.

Hope you enjoy the healthy version of this as much as I did!

Ingredients:

1 - 2.8 oz package of real bacon pieces (about 40% less fat than cooking bacon)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp thyme
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c. finely chopped cured ham
1/2 lb chopped carrots
1/2 lb peeled red potatoes cut into 1/4" diced pieces
1 lb of frozen or fresh corn
2 - 15 oz cans of creamed corn
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup fat free half and half
1 lb imitation crab flakes
1/2 cup green onions, chopped (optional)

Directions:

1.  Heat dutch oven and olive oil over medium heat.  

2.  Add onions and bell peppers and saute until tender.

3.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute.

4.  Add pepper (white, black and cayenne), bay leaves, thyme and salt.

5.  Stir in the bacon and ham and cook for 1 minute.

6.  Add the carrots, potatoes and corn kernels.  Mix well and cook for 2 - 3 minutes.

7.  Add the creamed corn and cook 1 minute.

8.  Stir in the chicken stock and bring to a slow boil.

9.  Reduce heat to medium low, cover & simmer 20 minutes or until carrots and potatoes are tender.

10.  Blend in fat free half and half and add crab flakes, breaking them up into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon.

11.  Return to a gentle simmer.

12.  Adjust seasonings and cook 5 minutes.

13.  Serve in a bowl and top with green onions, if desired.

This will have a nice peppery heat to it.  If you don't like your foods quite so spicy, just reduce the amount of white, black and cayenne pepper you use in your recipe.

Serves:  10
Weight Watchers Points Plus:  7

This recipe is linked:

History of the King Cake

The tradition of the King Cake is part of a celebration of the New Orleans' Christian faith and believed to have started somewhere around 1870.  It revolves around when the wise men brought gifts to Baby Jesus after his birth.   It was a time of celebration with lots of food and gifts and was known as the "Twelfth Night Celebration" or the "The Feast of the Epiphany".

This celebration begins about 12 days after Christmas (January 6th), which is about 47 days prior to Easter Sunday and is known as Mardi Gras.  Fat Tuesday closes the Mardi Gras celebration as it is always celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday (Lent).  

During the Mardi Gras season, a special cake is baked in honor of the three wise kings. . .which is how the King Cake gets its name.  Inside each cake is a small baby, usually made of plastic, and is suppose to represent the Baby Jesus.  Historically, the baby was sometimes made of porcelain or gold.  

The cake is typically a ring of dough in an oval shape that is decorated with green, purple and gold icing and decoration.  That would be your basic King Cake.  Many bakeries these days make much more elaborate cakes that are filled with anything from praline, cream cheese and/or fruit.  Once the cinnamon dough has been braided and baked, the plastic baby is inserted prior to the decorative icing and sugar sprinkles being applied.

Ever wonder what the Mardi Gras colors represent?  Purple represents justice, green represents faith and gold represents power.  

Each person who attends a King Cake "Party" gets a slice of the cake.  The person who receives the piece with the baby in it is suppose to be blessed with luck during the coming year and is asked to host the next year's King Cake Party and to supply the King Cake.

Don't live in the Louisiana area and still want a king cake?  No worries!  Most bakeries will ship them for you.  You can even get a King Cake themed UPS box for the shipment!  This one was iced prior to shipping, so the icing doesn't look great, but it still tastes good.  I understand they will now ship them without the icing already on it and you can apply it once you receive your package.

This is my friend, Lindsey.  She is from the New Orleans area.  Her mom, Leslie, shipped this to her while she was away at college so she could still participate in her home town tradition.  Isn't that sweet?  She even received a boa, Mardi Gras beads and mask to go with her King Cake!

Foodie Friends Friday Host Favorites #2

Once again we bring you our Host Favorites from this weeks Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party!

Take a minute to visit Foodie Friends Friday Daily Dish to see the Recipes that Caught Our Attention.  All 18 hosts have selected one recipe each as their favorite.  Each host favorite recipe will be listed on the Daily Dish post above along with a link to each recipe.  What a great way to see a collection of what we consider to be the "best of the best" recipes from this week!

My favorite this week?  Creamy Rosemary Corn from Country Pickins!  Doesn't this just look delicious?

Please take a minute to stop by Country Pickins blog to say hi. . .and let Lacy know I sent you over!

Chicken & Andouille Gumbo Recipe

Today I bring you "Cooking with a Coon-Ass. . ."

Sorry, but its a Cajun expression.  And today that's exactly what I did!  My friend, Phillip was making gumbo so I went to watch him cook and partake a few hours later when it was finished.  It was extremely tasty, but the company of Phillip and his girlfriend, Amy, was even better!

Phillip agreed to be my guest chef today.  Phillip was born in Northern Louisiana and is a true Cajun boy.  He happens to be a fine cook too!  Here is his recipe and some photos of the gumbo makin' process.  It was mighty good.  Y'all missed out, you hear dat?

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups flour
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large onion, minced
1 large bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 bag frozen okra
3 lbs andouille sausage cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 whole chicken, cooked and shredded
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning (our pick is Slap Ya Mama)
1 tsp. salt
12 cups chicken stock
1/4 tsp. filé plus extra for each bowl
French Bread
cooked rice

Directions:

Prep:

1.  According to Phillip, the first step is to open a beer of your choice

and have a drink.

2.  In a small skillet, add a drizzle of oil and the frozen okra.  This step is necessary as okra has a tendency to have a "slimy" texture if this step is skipped.  Heat over

medium heat until okra has been thawed and heated through

(about 5 - 7 minutes).

3.  Make sure to chop/mince/shred/slice all vegetables and meat in advance. 
It is extremely helpful if you can find someone to assist you as your
sous chef while you start on the next section. 

*note:  If you are time restricted or just want a shortcut, you can always buy a rotisserie chicken if you don't want to take the time to cook your own, and you can buy the vegetables from the produce department or salad bar of your local market already chopped for you. 

The Roux:

4.  In a pre-warmed, large (at least 5 quart) dutch oven
(preferably cast iron), add the oil. 

5.  Once the oil has heated up, add the flour.

6.  Using a whisk, mix constantly over medium-low to medium temperature. 

7.  Once the roux has reach a dark color (slightly darker than milk chocolate, but not
quite as dark as dark chocolate) proceed to the next set of directions. 
Be patient as this takes some time.

This is how your roux will look when you first begin

.

After a short time your roux will begin to darken.

   

Once your roux gets to this color you are ready to continue.

*Extremely important: It is key not to walk away during this process. You must tend to this and stir constantly while making the roux as it will scorch or burn very easily.

Cooking the Gumbo:

8.  Add the prepped vegetables and spices to the roux.

9.  Add chicken stock to dutch oven.

10.  Cook over medium high heat until it starts to simmer then reduce to
medium-low to medium heat.

11.  Add meat and additional seasoning (if desired).  It may be necessary to transfer mixture to a larger stock pot at this point as this makes a fairly large recipe.

12.  Cook over medium low heat for a minimum of 1 hour.  Best if left to simmer closer to 2 hours.  The vegetables will soften and cook down during this time.

13.  Skim off any oil that has risen to the top of the gumbo and discard.

14.  Add approximately 1/4 tsp of filé and mix well.

  

15.  Serve over rice with a sprinkle of filé on top and a thick chunk of French bread on the side.  We used brown rice and it was quite delicious!  My recommendation, 5 minute rice just doesn't cut it.  Take the time and cook the traditional long cook rice.  You will be glad you did!

FYI - Filé came to us from the American Indians.  It is made from the leaves of the sassafras tree and is used to thicken and add a delicate flavor to gumbo and other Cajun dishes.

 It will help get you in the mood for gumbo if you happen to have a Saints hat and wear it while preparing this dish.  See how it helped put Phillip in the mood for Gumbo?

A special thanks to Chef Phillip and Amy for having me as a guest today and
for Phillip sharing his recipe with us!

This recipe shared on:

Shared on:

Tropical Fruit Spice Cake - Egg and Oil Free

I started Weight Watchers a week and a half ago.  I have been highly successful on the program in the past. . .mainly because no food is off limits, its just about eating what you like in moderation.  I also try to make some healthy substitutions to my meals and recipes.

This recipe does not use any eggs or oil, instead I used a healthy Greek yogurt along with fruit and fruit juice to make the cake moist and delicious.

I hope you enjoy it!  It is still possible to have your cake and eat it too!  :)

Ingredients:

1 box of ultra moist spice cake mix, dry/unprepared
1 5.3 oz container Yoplait Greek Yogurt, Tropical Fruit (100 calorie size)
1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple in juice
1/4 cup coconut flakes
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 small apples, peeled and chopped finely

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Prepare a 9" x 13" pan by spraying with cooking spray.

3.  Mix all ingredients with a stand or hand mixer until well blended.

4.  Pour batter into prepared pan.

5.  Bake for 35 - 40 minutes until middle of cake springs back when lightly touched 

     or inserted toothpick comes out clean.

6.  Allow to cool slightly before serving.

7.  Serve with a light dusting of powdered sugar or fat free whipped topping.

Serves 18
Points Plus value = 5

Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #29 - Growing up Gabel & Shared Joy

Its time for another Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party! Please share up to 3 recipes with us that you haven't shared yet by linking them to the bottom of this post.  I hope you find some great new recipes again this week. 

Please visit our sponsor's pages to share some Adorned Well and Foodie Friends Friday love.

This week's prizes are from Camille Gabel at Growing up Gabel:

Growing Up Gabel's Website

Growing Up Gabel's Facebook Page 

Growing Up Gabel's Google+ Page

Growing Up Gabel's Pinterest Page

Growing Up Gabel's Twitter Page

 

And

 

Jennifer Broadway at Shared Joy:

                                  Shared Joy's Facebook Page                                    

Shared Joy'sTwitter Page

Shared Joy's Etsy Page

Camille is providing 2 knitted dish clothes and Jennifer is providing a pair of Fabric Red Lace Button Earrings & a Pink Fun Flowers Reversible Headband

Make sure to enter here for a chance to win one of these great prizes:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

LAST WEEK'S WINNERS:

Our sponsor winners last week were:

Last week we began featuring the "Host Favorites" on our Blogs, Facebook pages, Pinterest and on Foodie Friends Friday Daily Dish.  BUT, in order to qualify and receive all this promotion from your hosts, you must have linked your recipe back to either your host (http://www.AdornedWell.blogspot.com) or back to Foodie Friends Friday.  Please don't forget to link back so you can qualify to be selected as a host favorite!

Top 3 voted recipes from last week:

1. Apple Pie Bars at Rediscovering Lost Arts from our Mothers

2. Homemade Ravioli  at Rediscovering Lost Arts from our Mothers

3. Gnocchi  at Rediscovering Lost Arts from our Mothers

Recipes receiving the most clicks last week:

1. Pecan Pie Oatmeal at From Calculus to Cupcakes

2. Wild Berry Turnovers at Crumbs in my Mustachio

3. Creamy Jalapeno Chicken Enchiladas at Who Needs a Cape

In exchange for advertising your recipe at our Foodie Friends Friday party on multiple websites, we would appreciate you sending some love back to your hosts.  Please show your thanks by "liking" the foodie friends who put so much work into putting this party together every week.  All the hosts' Facebook links can be found on the Foodie Friends Friday Daily Dish website!

Disclaimer: Facebook is in no way associated with this page and is not liable for any giveaways on Foodie Friends Friday and partner websites. "Liking" our pages is optional.

Here are this week's hosts.  Make sure to stop by each of the host's blogs and say "hi"! 

Foodie Friends Friday

Tracy at Busy Vegetarian Mom

Robyn at Robyn's View

Marlys at This and That 

Lois at  Walking on Sunshine

Michelle at Calculus to Cupcakes

Cynthia at Feeding Big  

Jodie at Binomial Baker

R Dawn at Spatulas on Parade

Angie at A lil Country Sugar

Kelly at Adorned Well

Cindy at Cindy's Recipes and Writings

Joanne at Winelady Cooks

Marlene at Nosh My Way

Jutta at Hungry Little Girl

Erica at Chef Picky Kid
Beth at Honey Locust Hills

When you link a recipe on Adorned Well, it will also 

show up on all of the above blogs. 

That's a lot of visibility!

If you are having ANY problems linking up your recipes on my blog, please go to Foodie Friends Friday and link up!

 Show some love and link the recipe you are submitting back to 

Adorned Well (http://www.AdornedWell.blogspot.com)

and

Foodie Friends Friday (http://www.foodiefriendsfriday.com).

If you forget, we will "gently" remind you!

* for example:

This recipe is featured on http://www.AdornedWell.blogspot.com 
and 
http://www.foodiefriendsfriday.com Linky Party

Come back on Sunday and vote for your favorite recipes by clicking on the star under the recipe. You only get 3 Votes so use them wisely!