Monday, April 20, 2015

Comfort Food From Louisiana: Chef Recipe: Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Crawfish, Pepper Jack and Shrimp-Tomato Bisque Soup: April Is National Grilled Cheese Month



Photo provided by Loews Hotels --  April is grilled cheese month, the perfect time to make Cafe Adelaide's take on Louisiana Crawfish-Pepper Jack Grilled Cheese With Smoked Tomato-Shrimp Bisque and Pickled Charred Chile Salad.

Comfort Food From Louisiana: Chef Recipe: Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Crawfish, Pepper Jack and Shrimp-Tomato Bisque Soup: April Is National Grilled Cheese Month: From Denny:  Now this is an exotic version of the humble comfort food:  the American grilled cheese sandwich.

You have no idea how hard it was when visiting Austria a few years ago when I attempted to explain how to make a simple grilled cheese sandwich to a local chef.  It was a seriously foreign concept to them.  They didn't have a clue.  Lots of delicious local cheeses yet no Austrian version of a grilled cheese sandwich!  Imagine that.

This Louisiana version comes from executive chef Carl Schaubhut of CafĂ© Adelaide in New Orleans.  Of course, as seafood, this rich sandwich is considered Lenten season friendly.  Serve by pairing it with the shrimp-tomato bisque soup. Here in Louisiana we always look for an excuse to enjoy our bountiful seafood so why not go meat free on Fridays even when it isn't Lent?  (You know, that special time that arrives after Mardi Gras and before Easter.)  Our restaurants enjoy creating Lenten season menus, always topping themselves from the year previous!...


World's Awesome Mom Woven Throw Pillow


Remember Mother's Day - Check out who is top cat in this family tree: Mom!  
Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com  -  see what's new!  

* * *  Support Warriors Pearl Foundation - contributing to fund efforts to help homeless female military veterans come home.  Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com  -  see what's new!  


Monday, February 2, 2015

Beautiful Illustrated Quotations: 3 Joy Quotes: How Does Practicing JOY Bring Order and Harmony Into Your Life? Also, Joy Contagious Lip-Syncing Cop Viral Video

From Denny:  Now if everyone in politics and every CEO in Big Business would read this, think how much people would quit hating their jobs, their bosses and their politicians!


Joyful X 2 Bathmat
Joyful X 2 Bathmat


Beautiful Illustrated Quotations: 3 Joy Quotes: How Does Practicing JOY Bring Order and Harmony Into Your Life? Also, Joy Contagious Lip-Syncing Cop Viral Video: From Denny:  Have you ever noticed that when you are filled with Joy that your whole world is suddenly harmonious and everything just falls into place?  Joy is contagious too.  When you feel good, everyone around you feels good too!

While not everyone is called to enter into the decades long rigorous training to become a mystic for the benefit of humanity, a lot can be learned and practiced in everyday life to better enjoy life's journey.  Practicing Joy is practicing healthy spirituality, regardless of religion or no specific religious preferences at all.

Joy is a central principle for the human spirit.  Joy sustains us through life's sorrows   and disappointments.  Joy acts as a counter balance while climbing out of depression or grief, dealing with past trauma and the ensuing PTSD, keeping us from sinking down further into negative emotions and thoughts.  Joy is important to safeguard not just our mental, emotional and spiritual health but it has a direct positive benefit upon our physical health too.

Adults often develop habits that steer away from Joy.  Babies laugh hundreds of times a day.  How much have you laughed out loud today?  How much have you laughed in the past month?  Do you find your world crumbling around you, feeling out of sorts and grumpy, thinking limiting thoughts, focused upon how little is going your way? ...


Joyful X 2 Padfolio



Inspire: Keep your Joy up and flowing to attract order and harmony into your life all year long!  
Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com - see what's new!  Thank you to those who are supporting this effort.  You rock!  

Proceeds go to Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank (Louisiana) and to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital for all the awesome help they have given to the children of the Gulf Coast.  

Developing this online gift store is one of the ways of how I keep my Joy up, focusing upon creativity that creates proceeds for charities doing great work.

*** Joyful x 2 design found in the Denny Lyon Gifts store @ Cafe Press in these sections:  beddingstationery and inspiration (plenty of style choices for women, men, baby and kid's t-shirts and hoodies.)


Thursday, December 25, 2014

Dennys World of Quotes: Christmas: Funny and Thoughtful Christmas Quotes and Short Poems





Dennys World of Quotes: Christmas: Funny and Thoughtful Christmas Quotes and Short Poems: From Denny:  Well, now that we have finished Christmas breakfast at our house it's time to roll out these fun Christmas quotes and Christmas poems for you and yours to enjoy!

Oh, how rude of me not to give you the Christmas breakfast menu:  a Dutch Baby Oven Pancake with spiced cooked apples and a side of Honeysuckle Italian style ground Turkey made into a sausage which I spiced up extra with some seasoned brown rice, smokey paprika, garlic and extra virgin olive oil before shaping into small patties and cooking on the stovetop.  Yeah, it's a tough day at our house all right. :)

And, yes, I made the roast turkey yesterday since we like to celebrate Christmas Eve as well so that pressure is non-existent.  Made a wonderful wet rub for the turkey that sat a day uncovered in the fridge to marinate:  rubbed under the skin and on top with a mixture of red moscato wine, extra virgin oil, and lovely spices and herbs like marjoram, rosemary, sage, ginger, sea salt, black pepper, smokey paprika, garlic powder, a touch of lite soy sauce and more.  Blanched the green beans earlier in the week so all that needs to be done today is to heat them up in clarified butter and some spices as a side dish.  All the cooking left is to bake the Louisiana sweet potatoes which are a divine dish in themselves they are so sweet! .... Click on the title link above to view the funny quotes at my quotes blog...

For plenty of holiday recipes and recipes for the entire year you can check out my four food blogs where I collect the best of our local cooks, my own recipes and variations, as well as the news and food networks:







Joyful X 2 Rectangular Canvas Pillow

Inspire: Keep your Joy up and flowing to attract order and harmony into your life all year long!  Available in t-shirts for men, women, kids and baby along with bedding, pillows, dining, entertaining and technology like for your latest phone case!  Phone cases listed here.

Oh, and the ads are for my Cafe Press store, Denny Lyon Gifts, where the proceeds go to the local food bank, Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank - and to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital



Monday, November 3, 2014

A Truth Journal: VOTE! Political Fails, Missteps, Midterms, ISIS, NFL: Late Nite Jokes





A Truth Journal: VOTE! Political Fails, Missteps, Midterms, ISIS, NFL: Late Nite Jokes: From Denny:  Make sure you VOTE! to get your voice heard above the lying political campaign ads.  If we want to change out our politicians who refuse to attend to the needs of the American people and get this country going again, then VOTE! even if you did not intend to vote until 2016 for the presidential campaign.

Make sure you have a valid I.D. like a driver's license or other state issued I.D.  Republican legal teams will be out in full force nationally to challenge voters at the polls, intent upon throwing out millions of votes or preventing millions of voters from being able to exercise their right to vote at all.

Even here in Louisiana the Republican brand is so disliked by voters that the candidates refuse to acknowledge they are Republicans on all their yard signs and political literature.  The public may be almost as angry with the Democrats but less so than with the Republicans who are too lazy to work but 13 percent of the time in Congress.  Why are we paying these lazy fools $168,000 annually anyway?  Part time work should be rewarded with part time paychecks and no health care plans since they are temporary workers.  Works for me.

Meanwhile, enjoy the political jokes, poking our most greedy and clueless politicians.  Get out and VOTE! and create a tsunami to overwhelm Congress with how the middle class wants real change and real change now...



Holiday Message Greeting Cards (pk Of 10)


The perfect holiday season message: "may you have a happy, merry holiday season"
Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com  -  see what's new! 


Funny Normal Is Boring 15 Inch Laptop Sleeve


Check out this funny saying promoting the human race!
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Holiday Candy: Peppermint Crunch Bark

Recipe photo
Photo: King Arthur Flour




From Denny:  Looking for a holiday food gift idea?  Any kind of chocolate bark is fun and easy to make - and definitely much appreciated by your friends and family!  Have you noticed how the grocery stores have started stocking all the ingredients for holiday baking - and many at good prices?

Making holiday food gifts gives you an opportunity to grow your baking and cooking skills.  It's also more fun than chasing around the shopping malls - or online - looking for the best last minute holiday deals to save a few dollars.  The higher stress level is just not worth that dog and pony show.

This holiday recipe features both white and dark chocolate layers, a bright red and very festive looking candy cane crunch along with that refreshing peppermint flavor. You might be tempted not to give this candy away as gifts! :)

If you don't enjoy the peppermint flavor or candy canes try your favorite candy flavor in place of the peppermint candy canes.  You could use less of the candy canes and mix it with another candy you enjoy that would complement the peppermint flavor.  Or you could use a favorite nut.  In our house there are always options for experimentation to hit on a new twist of a favorite recipe!  Take a little time and experiment on part of the bark as you lay it out to see what your house enjoys the best.

Ingredients available in ounces and grams too if you live outside of the U. S. Of course, the King Arthur Flour site sells several of the products in the ingredient list - links included if you cannot find another version of the products in your area and you would like to purchase online. 

(FYI - I don't have any affiliation with King Arthur Flour - just enjoy many of their recipes. And, yes, the ads are from my Denny Lyon Gifts store at Cafe Press.  Be sure to check both the Denny Lyon Gifts store and the front page of Cafe Press for flash sales and discounts.  Proceeds go to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank and St. Jude's Hospital to benefit military families, military veterans and civilians too.)


Santa Music Necklace Circle Charm

Santa loves the music of the season!  Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com  -  see what's new!  


Happy Holidays Poinsettia Greeting Cards (10 pack)


Happy Holidays Poinsettia Greeting Cards (10 pack)

Christmas poinsettia vintage design updated in soft winter pales with Happy Holidays greeting suitable for the holiday season!  Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com  -  see what's new!