Quick Cooking Is My Passion

This is truly a bayou style dinner idea that will impress your family or friends. If you can manage to make the olive salad a few days in advance, the flavors will have time to blend and be more tasteful. This salad mixture can be stored in the refrigerator, in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, for up to 3 weeks. It can be served for more than one meal, or as a wonderful topping to an Italian sandwich. You can also prepare the pecan pie in advance, but save the topping for the last minute.

Serves 6

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Olive Salad

Peppered Shrimp

Sweet Potato Pecan Pie

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

40 Medium or large mushrooms
1 Pound lump crab meat
3/4 Cup dry bread crumbs
6 Green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 Cup Minced parsley
1 Tsp salt
1 Tsp cayenne pepper
1-1/2 Cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 Cup unsalted butter or margarine

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Remove stems from mushrooms (save for later use or discard). Rinse

mushrooms under running water and place upside down on paper towels to
drain. Gently pat dry and set aside.

3. Remove any visible cartilage or shell from crab meat. Place meat in a large bowl.
4. Add bread crumbs, green onions, parsley, salt, cheese, and cayenne pepper.
5. In a saucepan, melt 3/4 cup of the butter and pour it over the crab meat mixture.
Toss to combine.
6. Melt remaining butter in a shallow baking pan, large enough to hold all the
mushrooms. Tilt pan to evenly coat the entire surface.
7. Fill each mushroom cap with the stuffing, round off stuffing above the top of
the cap. (About 1/2 inch)

8. Place stuffed mushrooms in the pan and bake for 10-15 minutes. The mushrooms
will be dark and juicy and stuffing is slightly brown.

9. Serve on a platter with toothpicks.

Olive Salad

1 (32 oz) Jar green olives (broken and not stuffed)
6 Garlic cloves, minced
2 (3-1/4 oz) Jars marinated cocktail onions, drained
4 Celery stalks, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 (4 oz) Jar chopped pimentos, drained
3 Tbsp chopped capers, drained (optional)
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tsp finely ground black pepper
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/3 Cup olive oil

1. Drain olives (reserve 3 tablespoons liquid).
2. In a medium bowl, combine olives, garlic, onions, celery, pimientos, and
capers, if using.
3. In a small bowl, whisk reserved liquid with the oregano, pepper, and
vinegar until combined. Add olive oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking
constantly.
4. Pour dressing over salad vegetables and toss.
5. Spoon mixture into a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Refrigerate until
served (up to 3 weeks)

Peppered Shrimp

3 Cups unsalted margarine
1 (8 oz) bottle of clam juice (may substitute other liquid or broth)
5 Garlic cloves, minced
4 Bay leaves
4 Tsp Rosemary
1 Tsp (each) dried basil, oregano, salt, nutmeg, and paprika
Several dashes Tabasco sauce
1/4 Cup very finely ground black pepper
1/4 Cup lemon juice
6 Pounds shrimp, unpeeled and uncooked
French bread (for sopping the sauce)

1. In a heavy 10-quart dutch oven, melt margarine over medium heat.
2. Add all the remaining ingredients except shrimp. Cook covered,
stirring occasionally, until margarine is a rich hazelnut brown.
(About 20 minutes)
3. Add shrimp to sauce and stir gently to coat.
4. Cook over medium heat just until all the shrimp are pink
(10-12 minutes)
5. Ladle shrimp into soup bowls or plates. Put a nice portion
of the sauce in each bowl.
6. Remove bay leaves before serving. Have plenty of french
bread and napkins handy.

Sweet Potato-Pecan Pie

1 9 inch deep dish pie crust (baked)
2 Tbsp unsalted margarine
1 Cup cooked and mashed sweet potato (1 large)
2 Eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 Cop firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 Tsp (each) ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt
1 Tsp vanilla
1/2 Cup dark corn syrup
1 Cup milk
1-1/2 Cups coarsely chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine butter (melted) and the sweet potatoes.
3. Add remaining ingredients, except pecans, and mix well.
4. Pour filling into cooled pie crust. Sprinkle top evenly with pecans.
5. Bake until filling is set and a knife comes out clean when inserted
in the middle. About 40-45  minutes.
6. Cool on wire rack until room temperature before slicing.

Topping

2 Cups whipping cream
3 Tbsp powdered sugar
1/4 Cup praline liqueur or Frangelico
Pecan halves

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer until
large peaks form.
2. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve the pie.
3. Just before serving, spoon whipped topping on pie and top with
pecan halves.

This is a casual and colorful meal and will capture the taste of the Louisiana bayou.