Shell shrimp, but leave tails on. De-vein shrimp. Wash and dry. Mix the beef, scallions. 1 t. salt and the pepper. Stuff the center of the shrimp and pierce with a toothpick to close. Mix flour and remaining salt; roll shrimp in the mixture. Heat the fat to 370 degrees and fry the shrimp in it for 5 minutes. Drain, remove toothpicks and serve hot. a first course or they make a marvelous hot hors d'oeuvre.

Cut out backbones of Cornish hens using kitchen shears and flatten. Put drumstick ends through skin near back of hen, fold wings 'akimbo' back of hens. Mix onions, tarragon, wine and salt to make a marinade. Pour over Cornish hens and let marinate for 1 to 8 hours or more. Clean garlic without puncturing inner skin of cloves. Drop garlic into boiling water for about 15 minutes. Remove hens from marinade. Strain marinade and add to brown sauce. Reduce brown sauce until thick. Place hens in greased baking dish. Pour on clarified butter. Add garlic cloves and sliced mushrooms. Cover hens with shredded Swiss cheese. Put under broiler at 450 degrees for 20 minutes and 325 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove hens and add juices to brown sauce mix and continue reducing. Serve hens over hash brown potato pancakes. Pour sauce over all.

Put the oil in a gumbo pot and heat it until it gets smoky. Add the flour and make a dark roux stirring constantly. Add the onions, garlic and green onions. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken breasts, chicken broth and water. Stir well. Add the celery, special seasoning and bay leaves. Bring to boil and simmer for about 45 minutes. Add the parsley, shrimps, oysters, Worcestershire sauce and gumbo file. Simmer for about 15 more minutes. Serve over steamed rice. More gumbo file can be added after serving. Serve with onion and cucumber salad and crisp French bread.

Mix well and use to season chicken. This seasoning mix was found in the Prudhomme Family Cookbook on page 76 and this recipe makes 6 times the amount found in that book, about 9 oz. Keeps well in a sealed jar.

Cook carrots in 1 inch boiling salted water about 5 minutes until just tender. Drain thoroughly. If you use canned carrots, open can and drain. In bowl, layer carrots, and onion and pepper rings. In a small jar combine remaining ingredients, shake well and pour over carrot mixture. Cover and chill at least 4 hours. Stir several times and serve. If you make this salad very often, it would be well to make a large amount of the dressing. A recipe called Carrot Salad Dressing is on Page 6 and it will make about 4 to 5 portions of this dressing. It keeps well in the refrigerator.

Wash hands thoroughly. You will need to use them to mix these ingredients. Use hands to thoroughly mix butter, sugar and flour together. Add vanilla and ground nuts. Use hands to mix this dough thoroughly. Use hands to form into cacoons and bake in slow oven (300 degrees) until lightly brown and crisp. Put the powdered sugar in a plastic bag. As soon as the cacoons are taken from the oven put them in a plastic bag with the sugar and shake the cookies until coated. Cool and serve. Makes 2 dozen. This recipe is from the Shadows on the Teche Cookbook.

Cook garlic, rosemary and chili in vegetable oil and let cool. Put tomatoes in boiling water and let soak for about 30 minutes. Drain and pack in a pint jar. Strain oil, garlic, rosemary and chili mixture. Reserve the oil and discard the rest of the mixture. To the strained oil add the parsley, oregano and olive oil. Pour this mixture over the tomatoes in the jar. Cover and keep in the refrigerator. Will keep 6 months in the refrigerator; up to a year in the freezer.

In a medium saucepan, boil sugar and water over high heat 2 minutes or until clear, stirring constantly. Set aside to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. For faster cooling, place bowl in a larger bowl of ice water and cool for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. In a large bowl, combine syrup, extract and vodka. Pour into a 750 milliliter (fifth) decanter, bottle or jar and a 2-cup jar that have been washed with hot soapy water.

In a 4-cup microwave-safe measure or large bowl, combine sugar and water. Microwave on high 4 to 5 minutes, or until boiling. Boil another 5 minutes. Watch closely; stir if necessary to prevent boiling over. For conventional cooking: Place sugar and water in small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil and boil another 5 minutes. Watch closely; stir if necessary to prevent boiling over. Cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Skim any foam from top. Stir in vodka or gin, mint extract and food coloring. Pour into a 750 milliliter (fifth) decanter, bottle or jar that has been washed with hot soapy water. Cap. Let stand in a cool, dark place at least one month before serving. Shake bottle occasionally to mix.

In a 4-cup microwave-safe measure or large bowl, combine sugar and water. Microwave on high 4 to 5 minutes, or until boiling. Boil another 5 minutes. Watch closely; stir if necessary to prevent boiling over. For conventional cooking: Place sugar and water in small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil and boil another 5 minutes. Watch closely; stir if necessary to prevent boiling over. Stir in coffee crystals until dissolved. Cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Skim any foam from top. Stir in vodka and vanilla bean or extract. Pour into a 750 milliliter (fifth) decanter, bottle or jar that has been washed with hot soapy water. Cap. Let stand in a cool, dark place at least one month before serving. Makes 2 1/2 cups.