Norm and Lyman were here before 6 this morning to fire up the pit.

By the time most of us got to work at 8 am, we were greeted with the wonderful smell of chicken on the grill. (I bet you wish you had a scratch and sniff monitor right about now!)

At 11:00 everything was ready and we started fixing our plates. We have all of the good stuff: barbecued chicken and sausage, creole mashed potatoes (recipe below), baked beans, salad, and garlic bread.

And the day wouldn’t be complete without some ice cream!

Now for Creole Mashed Potatoes seasoned with Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning.

This is a very simple and tasty recipe that will wow your family. You can make as much or as little as you need and add all of the extras to taste.

Start by making your preferred brand of instant mashed potatoes as directed on the box, just omit the salt. Now add as much or as little as you would like of the following:

• Sour Cream
• Bacon bits
• Swiss Cheese
• Onion tops
• Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning
• Mix well and enjoy!

I hope you all have a very safe and happy Independence Day and just want to close with a few words from the great men who fought so hard to make this a free country:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” — The Declaration of Independence

Samantha

Sales and Marketing Assistant

Follow Samantha on Twitter!

After a little research and asking for suggestions on the Tony Chachere’s Facebook, we decided the first cake should be chocolate. The recent trends in combining peppers and chocolate were not lost on this chocolate fanatic! I searched through my many recipe books and online sources, but found no cake that I thought would do justice until I went back to old trusty – Red Velvet.  I do have to give credit where it is due and this recipe was not my own, but from a co-worker’s mother. Obviously, there need to be changes to turn the cake from “Red Velvet Cake” to “Tony’s Velvet Cake” but the only change in this recipe was to take out the salt and replace it with Tony Chachere’s More Spice Seasoning.

Here is the recipe:

1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 2 eggs, 2 cups flour, 1 1/2 tsp More Spice Seasoning, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tbs cocoa, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 cup buttermilk

Cream sugar and shortening, add eggs and beat well. Sift flour, Tony Chachere’s More Spice, soda, powder and cocoa 3 times and add alternately to creamed mixture with buttermilk. Add vanilla and coloring. Bake in 3 pans at 350 for about 25 minutes. Let cool and frost with the icing of your choice (we used butter-cream).

Finished and decorated Tony's Velvet Cake

Now, the cake alone (without the icing) started out sweet and amazing, like you would expect of any Red Velvet Cake, but the surprise came just as you were about to swallow…. there it is, the spicy kick of Tony’s! Me and my husband loved it! So I iced it and brought it to work for testing. Celeste liked it and we decided to make the cake again and decorated it for presentation to you guys.

I brought all of my supplies to the office and started baking in our break room, then assembling, and decorating. We cut the cake and tasted. We were disappointed to not have the same cascade of flavors as before. The best we can figure is that the contrast in icing was too much. Next time I think I would do a 2 layer cake and spread the icing a little thinner, but otherwise it was a decent first attempt at the Tony’s Cake.

I had a lot of fun with this cake and hope to continue the fun with other varieties of sweets and Tony’s. Don’t be afraid to try this at home, have fun with it and let us know what you think. We are anxious to hear your thoughts and suggestions on our first attempt.

Samantha
Sales and Marketing Assistant

Follow Samantha on Twitter!

We are often asked to donate product to non-profit organizations, and we almost always do; but every so often we are able to go the extra mile. This was one of those situations. I quickly typed up a short email and asked for approval to go out and cook for the Camp and help them in their mission to make everyone feel special. With no hesitation I got my answer, approved.

Camp Cajun was great! We cooked Jambalaya and Creole Fries, both a huge hit! The Camp also included face painting, a band, sno-balls and a petting zoo (complete with ponies and baby tortoises).

We want to thank Julie and the Pre-Professional Society of ULL for inviting us to participate in Camp Cajun. We had a great time with everyone. The opportunity also opened the door for us to do more in our community and we are very excited to announce that we will be the Food Sponsor for the Great Strides walk in our area on May 1st. We are excited to be included and can’t wait to tell you all about it.

Samantha Moreau

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First up is  Tony’s Crawfish Etouffee.  I recently fixed a large helping of etouffee for some friends in Florida.  Many people were quite amazed at just how easy and simple it is to make etouffee.  Etouffee literally means “to smoother.”  Take it from this Cajun girl, don’t complicate it with a bunch of crazy ingredients, just stick to the basics, sometimes perfection is simple!

Now, let’s talk some crab recipes.  If you are thinking breakfast or brunch, you need to try this Crab and Mushroom Omelet.  What a great way to introduce crab to your kids by incorporating it with scrambled eggs.  Of course, no adult in their right mind would need any convincing.   Did you say you need a Cajun friendly appetizer?  Do not think twice and try out our Crab Meat Dip for your next gathering…Lent or not!

If shrimp is your favorite seafood of choice (as is mine!), I just love a comforting bowl of Shrimp and Corn Soup to warm my heart and soul.  Young and old love this filling dish that may be served as either an appetizer or main dish with a salad and warm French bread.  Combining two Louisiana classics or making each separately, Shimp and Crawfish Fettucine fuses Cajun and Italian culinary delights.  This hearty, rich dish is a favorite of my stepkids.

Luckily, catfish is now available to almost all markets.  For a special treat or date night, try out this Crawfish Palmetto recipe.  If you do not have access to crawfish, shrimp or bay scallops can easily be substituted.

These are just a few of my seafood favorites available at the Tony Chachere’s recipe section of our website.  I thank all of you for stopping by my blog, being fans of Tony Chachere’s, and taking time out of your day to read my little stories.  Take time this Lenten season to reflect on sacrifices others have made for you and try to give back a little to those less fortunate.

Cindy Adams-Ardoin

Food Scientist

Tony Chachere’s

So if you are looking for some Lenten meals to add to your collection, I am here to help.  It does not matter to me whether you are Catholic or not, please try these delightful seafood meals with your family!

Fried Catfish

Fresh Louisiana Catfish

2 1/2 lbs. fresh fillets

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1 tablespoon Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning

1 (10 oz.) box Tony Chachere’s Seasoned Fish Fry

Marinating thinly sliced catfish

To prepare your fillets, rinse well and pat dry.  I like my catfish thinly sliced.  Feel free to cut into nuggets or keep in whole fillets.  No matter how you cut your fish, please make sure to remove any blood line that remains on the fish.  Beat your eggs in a large bowl.  Add milk and seasoning and combine.  Add fish and cover.  Refrigerate for up to 4 hours.  When ready to fry, preheat oil to 350. Coat fish in fish fry evenly.  Gently add to hot oil.  When fish floats to the top and is light brown it is ready.  Usually about 4-5 minutes.  Serve with French fries seasoned with Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning.

Simple Tartar Sauce

2 cups mayo

2 tsp. mustard

1/3 cup sweet pickle relish

1/4 of a medium onion, grated

1/2 tablespoon Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning

In a bowl, combine all ingredients.  Cover and refrigerate. Will remain good for about 4 days.

Why buy it pre-made, this is too easy!

I know this is suppose to be a sacrifice on all our parts, but you will hear no complaints from me. Gotta go folks, I’m hungry and there is hot fish.  Check back with me over these 40 days of Lent for some more seafood specialities of our area.

Could you ask for more? I think NOT!

Cindy Adams-Ardoin

Food Scientist

Tony Chachere’s

This holiday season will be the biggest in our company’s history.  We’ve introduced several new items, as well as expanded our distribution across the entire U.S. of A.  We work hard all year long producing quality products  to make sure we’ve got everything in the stores for you, come the holiday season.  We’ve purchased nearly 350,000 chickens, 40,000 whole turkeys, and 40,000 pounds of duck.  Yeah, that’s a lot of bird!  To top it all off, we still hand process each and every fine fowl to ensure that you get the delicious foods you’ve come to enjoy.

Turduchen or turducken? Both taste GREAT!

It’s an exciting time for turduchen, too!  The turduchens (which you may know as “tur-duc-hen” or “turducken” – whatever floats your boat!) are being introduced to all new customers in the Northeast area based on our participation in the Fancy Food Show in New York City.  We know; those Yankees won’t know what hit ‘em!  In an effort to share Tony Chachere’s with dinner tables across the country, we’ve also worked with The Kroger Co. to put our product in their stores.  This, combined with our new website rollout, makes getting your hands on a Turduchen even easier.

Our new feature-packed website has been a great asset to the company.  Along with the new Online Store, we have recipes, photos, videos, stories, history, and of course, this blog that’s overflowing with information!

We’ve also taken this opportunity to make the ordering process easier on our wonderful customers.  You can now select ground or 3-Day shipping, bringing costs down for our customers considerably.  Our products are shipped in insulated chests with dry ice, meaning you can rest assured that your package will arrive frozen and ready for cooking.  Now, our fans across the United States can enjoy our items every day of the year, but especially during the holiday season.

Cornbread stuffed with seafood is heaven.

Don’t forget the crowd favorites during the holidays!  Everyone loves our new Crawfish Cornbread.  This side dish is just another example of creative Creole cooking, and will no doubt spark conversation around the dinner table. For those throughout the north that don’t get into the traditional seafood side of Louisiana cooking, we’ve added three new boneless stuffed chickens to our lineup.  The creamed spinach, broccoli & cheese, and pork sausage & potato-stuffed chickens are seasoned with our own Tony Chachere’s Creole spices and have just the kick your looking for.   Look for them in stores in your area, or pick some up online.

Another exciting and fast growing line that we’re proud of is the Fresh Caught Gulf Shrimp.  We’ve added two new headless shell-on sizes (perfect for boiling, hint hint) and a peeled and de-veined option (great for pasta, nudge nudge).  The new sizes are individually frozen for convenience and come in one-pound bags.  Pick up a few sizes and check out Tony Chachere’s Recipes section for some new ideas!

Phew!  We’re tuckered out from telling you about everything we have to offer this holiday season.  We think we’ll have ourselves a sneak peak bite before the holidays hit.  In the meantime, from the entire Tony Chachere’s team, we hope you’ll think of us this holiday season.  Here’s wishing a very spicy holidays to you and yours!

In my test kitchen, playing with some flavors and my scale

Some of my favorite words to hear from my boss are, “I had a dream!”  Well, now I know here it comes and I must tell myself, “listen with an open mind.”  This is very simply how all good products are born.  Someone has to think it, dream it or want it and then believe in it.  But trust me, not all ideas ever make it to the shelf, sometimes all that happens is I get to play with “whatever” in my test kitchen and then the test sample goes on a shelf to be disposed of a year later with the crazy notion of “What were we thinking?”

Now, please do not misunderstand me here, product development is by far my most favorite part of my job (trust me, there is no glamor in quality assurance, important yes, fun…well, that’s a whole other blog topic).  Trying to recreate a favorite recipe to a shelf stable product or attempting to develop what lies in the depth of my boss’ mind is quite challenging and frankly something I enjoy doing.

That's me (Cindy), evaluating samples by smell and taste

I come to love my projects and treat them like my offspring.  I take pride in them and cherish them like only a mother could.  The problem with this obsession of mine comes in letting go of the failures and sending off the successes to the hard knocks world of the food industry.  Success rates of new products are not very high.  But oh when they succeed and a customer compliments it, my chest is up high and I do my happy dance.  Once in a while, I will pass by a product on a store shelf or in a customer’s basket and think, “Man, I developed that product!”  The sense of pride is quite rewarding.

I have been at this game now 14 years and it is still fun and exciting.  My test kitchen is “the place to be” or like in high school, “the bench where the cool kids hang out.” And yes, I bask in the glory of it!  I feel for the people who update their facebook status with bile like commentaries of their work day.  Yes, I have days where I rather be at my camp (ok, I have that thought all the time), but I do love what I do and Tony Chachere’s has been my home to practice my love of science, creating, and cooking.

Cindy Adams-Ardoin

Food Scientist

Tony Chachere’s

Mr. Tony dancing with Miss Yambilee 1995, Shannon Dickson

Tony Chachere’s Creole Foods is located in Opelousas, LA.  We are in a small community internationally known for the Yambilee Festival held the last weekend in October.  Our founder, The “Ole Master” himself, Tony Chachere sat on the board of the very first Yambilee in 1946.

In honor of our Yambilee, I would like to share with one of our most requested recipes from my test kitchen.

Oven Fried Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes

Olive oil

Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning

Preheat your oven to 400F.  Peel and slice sweet potatoes into thin fries.  Toss with olive oil and seasoning.  Place on a well sprayed cookie sheet into a single layer.  Bake for 15 minutes and gently toss.  Bake another 10 minutes or until the edges of fries start to brown.  Serve as a treat or side dish to your favorite meal.

As good as it is beautiful!

If you happen to be around our area of Louisiana, come on by to the Yambilee.

Cindy Adams-Ardoin

Food Scientist

Tony Chachere’s

My husband, Todd (creative director, Tony Chachere's) and his 2 new friends!

In January of this year, my husband (Todd, creative director) and I purchased his family “camp.” OK, for those of you not from Louisiana, a “camp” is the same as a vacation home or second home in other parts of the world. Our little slice of heaven rests in the Atchafalaya Basin in St. Martin Parish on the Butte LaRose Canal. All winter we worked hard remodeling and updating our camp we named “Bobbin’ Jo’s.” The sweat and tears were all for one main reason, which we have been enjoying for several weeks now….FISHING!!

Todd loves to fish anything and everything and I love to cook them for him! And what goes better with fresh fish filleted or scaled on the bone? Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning, of course. But let’s not leave out our fabulously simple Tony Chachere’s Fish Fry to batter those babies up! I have already been through 2 cases of fish fry in 3 months. Count, that is 24 (10 oz.) boxes of fish fry, already! Thank goodness I have an endless supply just outside my office door. I love living in Louisiana and I love working for Tony Chachere’s.

Fresh Louisiana fish, fried to perfection with Tony Chachere's Fish Fry

My favorite way to fix fresh fried fish is the same no matter whether it is salt water or fresh water fish. I simply marinate in Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning and Italian Dressing for about one hour. Right before dropping in the oil, I batter in Tony Chachere’s Fish Fry. Fry until fish turns light brown. Dip in your favorite tartar sauce, ketchup, or just pop them in your mouth.

Cindy Adams-Ardoin
Food Scientist
Tony Chachere’s