I'm pondering the infinite question once again, "What will I fix for supper?" Well, I've got to run into the store, so I was surfing the net for a few good ideas. This one seems to fill the bill for sure.

Crawfish Andouille Fettuccini
Prep Time: 45 MinutesYields: 6 Servings
Comment:
Probably the two ingredients most associated with Louisiana cooking, crawfish and andouille, come together in this wonderful pasta dish. The light, smoky flavor of andouille adds the perfect touch to the fettuccini

Ingredients:
2 pounds crawfish tails, cooked
½ cup diced andouille sausage
1 pound fettuccini noodles, cooked
¼ pound butter
2 tbsps chopped garlic
½ cup diced onions
¼ cup diced celery
¼ cup diced red bell peppers
¼ cup diced green bell peppers
1 cup sliced mushrooms
½ cup diced tomatoes
¾ cup flour
1 quart crawfish stock or 1 quart water seasoned with chicken bouillon
¼ cup dry white wine
1 tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup tomato sauce
1½ cups heavy whipping cream
1 tsp chopped basil
1 tsp chopped tarragon
2 tbsps chopped parsley
¼ cup sliced green onions
salt and black pepper to taste
Method:In a heavy-bottomed 3½-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onions, celery, bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes and andouille. Sauté for 5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Sprinkle in flour and blend well. Whisk in crawfish stock, white wine, lemon juice and tomato sauce. Whisk well until all is blended. Bring to a simmer and hold for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add crawfish tails and cream. Return to simmer and cook 10 minutes. Add basil, tarragon, parsley and green onions. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and toss with pasta.

I'll just add my very own Angel touches to this one and it should make for a fantastic dinner with a green salad, and some whole wheat french bread.

Here's how I do a "speed up" on this long prep recipe! I learned early on in marriage-sometimes when you are under a time crunch you've got to look for a shortcut or two.

I'll omit the wine, mushrooms and tomatoes. Instead of the fresh veggies I may just opt for a package or two of seasoning blend found in the freezer aisle. I use PictSweet brand. It works out fine especially if you hate chopping as much as I do. I'll opt to not use the tomatoes or the tomatoe sauce and just throw in a small can of rotel, drained. Use the chicken bouillon in water instead of the crawfish stock( the sprinkle bouillon is great or remember 1 cube per cup) I always keep a jar of minced garlic in the fridge, so that cuts down on prep as well. I'll also add some grated Parmesan and Asiago cheese I keep on hand to the final sauce. A small block of velveta would push this over the top, but might not help if you are watching your diet. I'll use whole wheat fettucini instead of regular for a healthier option. Also if you not so crazy about crawfish you could throw in cubed chicken breasts and it would still be great.

While I am making the sauce I'll start the water to boiling, get the salad open and into the bowl so it can chill. As the sauce finishes up the girls will help me get the table set and were off to an easier night without so much work.

Hope that helps. Leave me a comment if you tried the recipe!

Also if you unload the dishes before you start cooking , just rinse and load directly into the dishwasher instead of throwing things into the sink while you are cooking. It takes sometime to form a habit of doing that but it really cuts down on clean up afterwards.

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