James Mazzuchi just posted a wonderful recipe on the Catholic Foodie Facebook page, and I HAVE to share it with you! Oh, and James & his lovely wife Jodi are the creative talent behind the Our Catholic Life Podcast. Please make sure to visit him. 

Char and I have made this a few times now. It is creamy, spicy with a bit of curry bite... and it is very yummy! A great soup to warm you up or clear your sinuses!

Oh... by the way, you can always hold back on some of the spice if this recipe carries too much heat for you.

Ingredients

Want a great brunch idea? Grillades and grits are perfect for Christmas or New Year's Day.

You're not going to believe how good these things are. Really. I mean that. Whew, I'm getting hungry just thinking about them!

Oysters. Those ugly little things that, once opened, yield such soft delicious goodness. They bite too. Well, the cocktail sauce that Char and I prepare and use when eating raw oysters... that bites. But it is oh-so-good.

Next to raw oysters, these are our favorites. Char-grilled oysters. You've got to try them to believe it!

INGREDIENTS

There's nothing like a good gumbo here in Louisiana, especially during the blistery cold winters we have.

OK. I'm kidding about the blistery cold winters (even though it did snow last year!). But I am serious about the gumbo.

A few years ago I came across a recipe by Emeril Lagasse for a turkey-bone gumbo. I made it once and we fell in love with it. It is now a staple dish in our family, especially during the holiday season. Over the last few years, I have made a number of adjustment to his recipe. I would like to share my version with you.

By Kate Daneluk

There's nothing like a good stock to add zap and zing to your soups and gumbos. And stocks are so easy to make!

Since this is Thanksgiving time, I have a special turkey stock that I want to share with you. I make this stock right after every Thanksgiving and Christmas. And I use it in my famous Turkey & Andouille Gumbo.

Here's how I do it:

INGREDIENTS

I made these a month ago or so when we were in Florida on vacation. They are so yummy!

By Anne Armistead - my Mom - she created this recipe (submitted by Eleanor Batson)

Makes about 5 1/2 cups

1/3 cup mayonnaise 
1/4 cup apricot preserves or peach preserves
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1/2 cup red grapes , halved
1/2 cup slivered almonds , toasted
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
Table salt 

Mix mayonnaise, preserves, lemon juice, and cayenne in small bowl until

Recipe by Deacon Tom Fox

Deacon Tom sez: From a Sunset Magazine recipe in 1976 (I was just an infant then... but it was passed down to me... and what time are Confessions held?)

Recipe from Sabine

Please note, that this is a European recipe, so spoons are real spoons and not the American measuring unit.

Recipe from Mary Noroski

I found this recipe today. We have been thinking about jalapeno poppers for about a week now. Char's godmother invited us over last week to BBQ. Poppers were an appetizer of sorts that was on the menu. And they were so good! We are going to grill our own version today. First I will show you the recipe I found online today, then I'll show you my own variation of it.

Enjoy!

GRILLED JALAPENO POPPERS 

I've been thinking about Mexican food ever since I got back from the CNMC in San Antonio. And I had Mexican food three times while I was there! Actually, it was authentic Tex-Mex.

Two days ago I made tacos for dinner. Anytime we make tacos, we always make fresh salsa. We have a recipe that we use every time, and it's good.