A Crafty Chick: Princess and the Frog Tiana's Cookbook

When Bug-a-boo was about 3 years old she was obsessed with The Princess and The Frog. She watched it probably every day and wanted her 3rd birthday to be Tiana. For that party I bought The Princess and the Frog Tiana's Cookbook and have made several recipes from it over the years.

It should be fun. We are going to watch the movie tonight and enjoy New Orleans style cooking all week long.

The menu is set...

Jammin' Jambalaya

Skillet Cornbread

Tiana's Famous Beignets

JAMMIN' JAMBALAYA

serves 6 to 8

Like many Cajun and Creole recipes, jambalaya is a delicious mix of seasoned meats and vegetables. One of the things that makes jambalaya different is that you stir raw rice right into the pot to simmer in the flavorful liquid.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks

1/2 lb Andouille sausage, cooked and thinly sliced

1 medium onion, chopped

2 large Clery stalks, chopped

1 small bell pepper, seeded and chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1 cup canned chopped tomatoes, undrained

2 cups uncooked white rice

4 cups chicken broth

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp hot pepper sauce

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or pot over medium-high heat. Saute the chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium.

2. Stir in the sausage, onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic. Sprinkle on the salt and ground black pepper, and stir again. Cook the mixture for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and the uncooked rice. Then stir in the chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil.

4. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. Simmer the jambalaya until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the Worcestershire and hot pepper sauces.

TIP: If you like your food on the mild side, add less Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce than the recipe calls for.

SKILLET CORNBREAD

Serves 8 to 10

This slightly sweetened quick bread is a cinch to whip up, and theres's hardly a southern supper it doesn't go well with. It makes a tasty breakfast, too, served warm with butter and honey

INGREDIENTS:

3 Tbsp butter

1 cup flour

1 cup fine yellow cornmeal

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups buttermilk

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Use a pat of the butter to great a 10-inch cast-iron skillet (or a 10-inch deep-dish pie pan). Melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove the pan from the stove and set it aside.

2. Sift the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk. Pour the melted butter into the buttermilk mixture.

3. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk mixture. Stir the batter just until every blended. Then pour it into the buttered skillet.

4. Bake the cornbread until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before slicing it.

TIANA'S FAMOUS BEIGNETS

serves 14 to 16

You know you're in New Orleans if the doughnuts are square and don't have holes. These pillow-shaped French pastries are called beignets.

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup water

1 egg, beaten

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Vegetable oil, for frying

Confectioner's sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium bowl, combine 2-3/4 cups of the flour with the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Whisk everything together.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, water egg, and vanilla extract. Stir in the flour mixture from Step 1.

3. Use some of the remains flour to dust your work surface. Place the dough on it and pat it into a large 1/2 inch thick square. Dust the top with more flour if it gets sticky. Next, slice the dough into 2-1/2 inch squares.

4. Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a heavy saucepan on the stovetop until the temperature reaches 325 degrees on a deep-fat thermometer. Check the temperature every so often while cooking. If it gets too hot, temporarily turn the heat down, or off.

5. Carefully drop 3 dough squares at a time into the hot oil. Fry them for 3 minutes, turn them over, and continue frying for 3 more minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the beignets to a wire rack set atop paper towels to drain. Dust the beignets with confectioners' sugar and enjoy!