Comfort Food From Louisiana: Simple Appetizer From Chef Poppy Tooker: Andouille in Creole Mustard Cream Sauce

Comfort Food From Louisiana: Simple Appetizer From Chef Poppy Tooker: Andouille in Creole Mustard Cream Sauce: "From Denny: New Orleans food is known for its great tasting creative comfort food. It's also loaded with calories, usually from the sauces. This delectable appetizer qualifies for the High Calorie Club. But that's the beauty of Louisiana food as you can often choose to serve it in smaller portions to help reduce the calorie load while still enjoying great flavor!

Chef Poppy Tooker did just that. She sauced the andouille slices in heavy cream flavored with Creole mustard. If you can't find andouille sausage or Creole mustard in your area just substitute with your favorite sausage and a great deli mustard of full flavor."

Comfort Food From Louisiana: Chef Recipe: Crab Calas with Remoulade Sauce

Comfort Food From Louisiana: Chef Recipe: Crab Calas with Remoulade Sauce: "From Denny:  Chef Poppy Tooker is a New Orleans icon, much loved and respected as she is interesting.  She is like a walking trivia foodie encyclopedia and she sure does relish telling the tall tales of Louisiana food and history.

Check out some of her latest trivia offerings and appearances to tantalize your mind as much as your tastebuds:

* Louisiana's Crystal Hot Sauce was used in WWI Army field rations. I'm a bigger fan of Louisiana Hot Sauce.  It's milder than Tabasco and less vinegar.  Goes great on eggs in the morning.

* Camellia red beans are the finest grade of red beans.  Camellia buys up all the Hayward (finest top grade) beans, leaving grades A and B for the rest of the country.  Hayward grade beans are named for the family that founded Camellia in New Orleans back in 1923.  They still own it today.

Can we ever imagine the Monday wash day without Camellia red beans?  Life might never have been the same in New Orleans.  Even Louis Armstrong might not have been known for his endearing signature statement, 'Red beans and ricely yours.'"

Comfort Food From Louisiana: Chef Recipe: Crab Calas with Remoulade Sauce

Comfort Food From Louisiana: Chef Recipe: Crab Calas with Remoulade Sauce: "From Denny:  Chef Poppy Tooker is a New Orleans icon, much loved and respected as she is interesting.  She is like a walking trivia foodie encyclopedia and she sure does relish telling the tall tales of Louisiana food and history.

Check out some of her latest trivia offerings and appearances to tantalize your mind as much as your tastebuds:

* Louisiana's Crystal Hot Sauce was used in WWI Army field rations. I'm a bigger fan of Louisiana Hot Sauce.  It's milder than Tabasco and less vinegar.  Goes great on eggs in the morning.

* Camellia red beans are the finest grade of red beans.  Camellia buys up all the Hayward (finest top grade) beans, leaving grades A and B for the rest of the country.  Hayward grade beans are named for the family that founded Camellia in New Orleans back in 1923.  They still own it today.

Can we ever imagine the Monday wash day without Camellia red beans?  Life might never have been the same in New Orleans.  Even Louis Armstrong might not have been known for his endearing signature statement, 'Red beans and ricely yours.'"

Dennys Food and Recipes: Easy Dessert: Blueberry Yum Yum Cake

Dennys Food and Recipes: Easy Dessert: Blueberry Yum Yum Cake: "From Denny: What could better describe a trip to Heaven than fresh blueberries, sugar, real butter and a creamy whipped filling for this delectable cake? A simple recipe that is as easy to make as it is to eat!

We love pecans at our house so you might enjoy sprinkling a few more chopped pecans on top of the blueberries for more crunch. There is nothing like the flavor of a toasted pecan.

After you put this cake together it goes into the fridge for chilling time, about an hour. Make it before you start dinner and it should be properly cool by the time everyone finishes dinner. Try not to cheat and choose the dessert as the first course!"

Dennys Food and Recipes: Easy and Simple: How To Make The Best Key Lime Pie

Flounder's Key Lime Pie, in Pensacola, Florida, a stacked key lime pie

Dennys Food and Recipes: Easy and Simple: How To Make The Best Key Lime Pie: "From Denny: Making your own key lime pie is so simple - and rewarding! It's definitely one of my favorite desserts, especially in the heat of the summer. The tartness really cools you off. FYI, any tart food cools down your liver, which, in turn, cools off your body in hot weather. So, think apples, limes, grapefruit and blackberries if you want to cool off the healthy way.

Florida is known for their key lime pie and there are fans of it all over the country now. The real secret to making this simple and easy famous pie is to purchase real key limes for the recipe. Key limes are very small, very tart and thin-skinned. When ripe they turn from green to yellow.

Most limes in our American grocery stores are those large beautiful, neon green and thicker-skinned Persian limes. Persian limes are also much less tart so they don't deliver that full flavor to the pie cooks, and tasters alike, desire.

How simple is this pie recipe? Really simple: 100 percent key lime juice, sweetened condensed milk and a good graham cracker crust with a little melted butter, brown sugar and chopped nuts. At our house we make the chocolate graham cracker crust while others choose to use traditional pastry crust. It's your preference."