1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 lb fresh button mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil
1 roma tomato; seeded and diced
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of fresh flat-leaf parsley

Heat the oil on low in a frying pan, then gently fry the mushrooms
for 2-3 minutes. Do not overcook. Sprinkle in garlic and basil,
then toss the mixture for a minute or two so that mushrooms are
well coated. Add the tomato, lemon juice, water, salt, and pepper.
Stir together and cook until the tomato softens. Remove from heat
and let cool. Garnish with chopped herbs. Serve with hot garlic
bread.

14 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans; washed and drained
1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 cloves garlic; chopped
1/4 Cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 Cup water
1 teaspoon salt

Mix all of the ingredients in a food processer or blender until it has a creamy consistancy.

Note: You may add other spices such as cumin, cayenne pepper, fresh chiles, onion, or anything else you think might make a great addition.

Cajun Romantic Dinner Menu

Cajun country isn’t regarded as a romantic destination but why not add a little flair from the bayou for your next dinner. Whether you want to relive the experience of New Orleans through the foods you may have sampled on your visit or just plain experience a little taste of a destination you may never reach; this menu will help pave the way.

Pre-dinner cocktail:

No frozen hurricanes with this meal, enjoy sazerac cocktails, a classy mixed drink that originated in New Orleans.

What to drink with dinner:
Wine: Sémillon
Beer: Brown Ale

Appetizers:

Romantic dinners do not always have to be fanciful and delicate. Have some fun with Cajun peel-n-eat shrimp.

Main Course:

Feast on succulent Louisiana-style crab cakes with Remoulade Sauce.

Accompanied with Cajun Roasted Potatoes.

Dessert:

Dive into some Bananas Foster; a traditional classic New Orleans-style dessert. Accompany this with a nice rich coffee splashed with a touch of brandy.

1 old-fashioned style glass or simple small cocktail glass
1 glass to mix drink

1 shot rye whiskey
1 sugar cube
3 drops bitters; preferably Peychaud’s
2 dashes Pernod
1 lemon peel strip
Ice
Water

Add ice to the old fashion glasses to “chill” them. In the other glass drop in the sugar with a few drops of water to dissolve it a bit. Add the bitters and mix well with a spoon. Add whiskey and ice and mix a little more. Empty the ice from the old fashioned glass, not the one with the whiskey mixture, and add a couple dashes of Pernod. Swirl around and pour out any excess. Add the whiskey mixture into the old-fashioned glass and squeeze the lemon peel so that some of the oils drip into the glass.

2 bananas
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons banana liqueur

1/8 cup rum
2 scoops vanilla ice cream

Note: This recipes calls for the ignition of alcohol to “flambe” the food. If you are not comfortable with doing this you can slowly burn the alchohol away without igniting it. If using a gas range turn the heat on low and don’t swirl around the liquid. Or just leave the rum out altogether.

Peel and slice the bananas length-wise. Then half those slices; not length-wise.

Melt the butter over medium skillet on medium heat. Next add the sugar, cinnamon and the banana liqueur and mix well. Continue stirring until mixture has reduced a bit; about 3 minutes or so. Add bananas and cook until they are soft and slightly caramelized or browned.

Add rum and after it has heated well enough ignite the liquid. If you are using a gas range just swirl the pan a little and the outer flames should do the trick. If not, then use a long stemmed lighter or match. You only need to put the flame at the very edge of the skillet. The alcohol should burn away quickly.

Carefully lift the bananas out of the pan and onto plates. Spoon the sauce over them and top with ice cream.

Serves Two.

2 large potatoes
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 green bell pepper, finely minced
1/2 red bell pepper, finely minced
1 small onion, minced
1/2 tsp ground thyme
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
cayenne or chili powder to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Peel and cut potatoes into 1 inch cubes. In a large bowl or plastic bag mix the potatoes and remaining ingredients together. Add a little extra oil if it seems too “dry”.

Place mixture onto a very shallow baking pan or cookie sheet. Cook for about an hour and flip the mixture every 15 minutes so that most sides are golden and crispy.

Serves Two

12 jumbo shrimp; unpeeled
1 /2 cup water
1 can beer
2 teaspoons celery salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Place everything except the shrimp into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add shrimp and cover for about 5 minutes or until done.

Serve on the table with lemon wedges and/or melted butter.

Serves Two

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons green onions; finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons celery; finely chopped
2 teaspoons flat-leaf or Italian parsley; finely chopped
2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1/4 teaspoon garlic; minced
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix all of the ingredients well and chill before serving.

1 lb. lump crab meat
1 yellow onion; finely chopped
1 red bell pepper; finely chopped
2 celery stalks; finely chopped
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon garlic power
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon hot sauce
1 1/2 cups dried fine bread crumbs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Olive oil

In a small bowl mix together salt, cayenne, black pepper, and garlic powder.

Heat a splash of olive oil in a skillet and saute the onion, celery, and red pepper until soft. Set aside on a platter to cool.

Add mayonnaise, hot sauce, and thyme into a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the cooled vegetables along with 1/2 cup of bread crumbs and mix well.

Add crab meat to mixture and gently fold together. Set aside

In a shallow bowl add flour and half of the salt seasoning mixture. Toss until well blended.

In another shallow bowl add the remaing cup of bread crumbs as well as the remaing season salt. Mix well.

In another shallow bowl whisk together the egg and milk.

Take the crab meat mixture and form small hamburger like patties. Take each patty and drench them in the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, and finally cover them well with the breadcrumb mixture.

In a large deep skillet heat up the vegetable oil to medium high heat. Gently fry the patties for about 4 minutes on each side or until golden. Set aside on some paper towls to drain any excess oil.

Serves 2 - 4

Our site’s main focus is to help those who are dating or married to become romantic with their partners. A little romantic flair in a relationship can go a long way. Whether it be small special gifts that present heart-felt meaning or a full course gourmet dinner menu, we hope to help you set an impression that will warm anyone’s heart over.