Hey, I like to cook but I’m not a chef. None of these recipes require any special skill. Some take time, but anybody that can turn on a burner and lift a pot, can cook these recipes. Pay attention to the notes and comments in the recipes. Most have been learned through the school of hard knocks. If something in the instructions is in bold print it’s probably important.

It seems like most Cajun recipes start with. "Make a Roux". If you've never done it, it may sound hard but it’s not really that difficult.

The most important thing to remember about a roux is it takes time and never stop stirring . Don’t stop stirring until it cools down. If you don’t keep stirring it will get black specks of burned flour. If this happens throw it out. Don’t splash any on you; it will burn the crap out of you. Roux’s don’t smell great while you are making them. Don’t worry; it all comes together in the end. Turn the burner on a notch below high. Pour in the oil and heat it until it just starts to smoke. Pour in about 1/3 of the flour. Watch out, it will release a lot of steam. Start stirring. After a minute or so add another 1/3 of the flour. Keep stirring. After another minute or two, add the last of the flour. Keep stirring until you get the desired color. Gumbos normally use a dark chocolate brown roux, etoufee’s a little lighter.

There are really only two food ingredients I can’t stand. Mayonnaise and green peppers. None of these recipes use green peppers and only one contains mayonnaise. You can add green peppers to all of the Cajun recipes if you’d like. Just use the same amount of green pepper and celery.

I don’t believe Cajun means hot. None of the recipes in this collection are terribly spicy. You can always add some pepper sauce later.

If ya ain’t got a cast iron frying pan and cast iron dutch oven (the bigger the better) ya can’t cook Cajun. Go get one, season it well, and come back. Truthfully, the only recipes that really need the cast iron are jambalayas and the ones that use a roux. Non-stick works for just about everything else.

Shrimp can substituted for crawfish in just about any recipe that doesn't call for both shrimp and crawfish.

If the recipe calls for crab boil, use Zatarain's^®. It really is better than the others.

If the recipe calls for Creole seasoning, I use Tony Chachere’s ^®. I like Zatarain's^®, but Tony’s is easy to find.

If the recipe doesn’t specify, use salted butter.