Ms. Lucy’s Cajun Classroom

Ms. Lucy’s Cajun Classroom »»»Published: October 05, 2009

Bonjour, chers!

Ms. Lucy’s Cajun Classroom is a series designed to teach the very basics of Cajun cooking – Lucy style! With each program you’ll get complete explanations of how to cook basic Cajun dishes with recipes handed down to Lucy from her mother and grandmother – plus a few her family and friends have shared with her. She gives you simple lessons to help you recreate these delicious dishes, and shows you the ABC’s of how to select the best Louisiana products. Ms. Lucy welcomes you into her home resting on the banks of a bayou. So come on, chers. Just step into Ms. Lucy’s Cajun Cooking Classroom – her kitchen - and allons à l’école (let’s go to school)!

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Louisiana Public Broadcasting and Lucy Zaunbrecher have once again joined forces for a 13-part series of Louisiana home cooking and great stories.

The series not only features Lucy cooking her favorite recipes in the studio, but also traveling the state to show how to pick the best ingredients for those recipes. In this ABC’s of Cajun cooking, she also shows the basics like how to make a roux and which rice goes with each dish.

This is the fourth series that LPB and Ms. Lucy have produced. The three previous series have not only aired on LPB, but also throughout the country on other public television stations and the RFD network for satellite dish owners.

Rex Q. Fortenberry gets a close-up of the action.

Rita McKoin's Clever Creation Flowers EVERYWHERE - even in an old handbag!

Rita McKoin, Lucy Mckenzie, Ms. Lucy, and Mr. McKoin.

Ms. Lucy on the McKoin patio surrounded by the beauty of nature

Lucy McKenzie & Ms. Lucy relaxing at a bonfire after a hard day of cooking.

Ms. Lucy in her living room with birthday roses.

Ms. Lucy at the Morehouse Parish Farmer's Market.

Rex Q. Fortenberry taping in Lucy McKenzie's paddock.

Rex Q. Fortenberry moves in for close-up on ingredients.

Ms. Lucy and culinary assistant, Morgan Ober, setting up ingredients.

Rex Q. Fortenberry and Ms. Lucy preparing to tape.

Ms. Lucy riding The General's pride and joy.

Ms. Lucy with Jan Zaunbrecher McKoin's 4th of July masterpiece cake.

Ms. Lucy with son-in-law Bernard McKenzie author of the B roast recipe.

Enjoying the hospitality of Ms. Lucy's kitchen.

Ms. Lucy's portable Bar-B-Que pit, ready for the 4th of July brisket.

Ms. Lucy inspecting the plane from LAARK Air Services that was used for aerial shots.

Ms Lucy with Noah Martin and his father Kelly Martin and the 10 ft 2 in. alligator they caught.

Rex Q. Fortenberry taping Ms. Lucy as she heads down the bayou - going after gator.

Kelly Martin, Ms. Lucy, and Noah Martin with the alligator that was twice as long as Ms. Lucy is tall.

Lucy McKenzie riding and chatting wth Ms. Lucy.

Ms. Lucy and her granddaughter Lucy McKenzie.

5/12/07

We just watched your show for the first time today on WHUT-TV here in Washington, DC. We loved the show and love you. Our best friends just moved back to Louisiana last year (back to Lafayette) and we miss them and their cooking. Your show brought back good memories of friendship, family and food. Fortunately, we still have Louisiana friends as our immediate neighbors.

Thank you... We are hooked on your show and on your beautiful state!

Sincerely yours,

Doug van Wormer Payton & Eric Evans

Washington DC

Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2006 10:29 AM
Subject: I LOVE YOUR SHOW!

Dear Miss Lucy,

Your show is so terrific! I love the recipes and the fact that they're so easy even I can do them. I have tried recipes from a few different cooking shows, and even though the tv chef raves about how great a particular dish is going to be, it has never turned out that way for me. That is, not until I tried some of your recipes. The first time I made your roux and used it to thicken a stew, I knew that you are a real cook!

Now this morning I went to your web site for the first time and to my delight, there I found your Tete Rouge Cake. I have been wanting this recipe for years. A long time ago, a friend taught me to make it, but somewhere along the way I lost the written instructions. Needless to say, I have never been able to make it exactly right since then and that was a real loss since it is my son's favorite cake; to him New Year's Day is incomplete without it. So you can see that for several years getting that cake to taste even halfway right has been a struggle for me.

So I thank you. But Miss Lucy, mostly I wanted to say how delightful your personality is. Please don't ever change. I can see that you strive to make your show interesting and educational, and a little bit different for each episode, and for me, that is wonderful. After all, isn't that the way life is? A little bit different every day? Just please don't you ever change. You seem so real. You forget ingredients (for a moment), make messes in your kitchen, and cheat (bought pie crusts) just like me! I love it! If you ever get all slick and up-town it just won't be the same.

May God richly bless you and all your family,

Helen Crawford

4/12/06

Dear Ms. Lucy,

I enjoy your show so much. It reminds me of sitting in my grandmas’ kitchens, one grandma from Texas and one from Kentucky. Even though I’m a California girl my roots are in the south. All the dishes you make remind me so much of the love and comfort I felt as a child. Fried catfish, hush puppies, fluffy rice, all those tasty treats I want to pass on to my children. Thank you very much. Go bless you and take care.

Laura Latham
San Jose, CA

Sent: Saturday, April 15, 2006 11:48 AM
Subject: recipe question

I have been watching your show for the last several months. It is very enjoyable and has a really "down-home" feel to it. I love the way you really make your show entertaining instead of just seeming like you are tallking down to viewers, like some other cooking shows seem to do. I noticed a recipe you had on a week or so ago and was not able to get the recipe. It was for the fruit cocktail cake -at least thats what I believed you called it. Is there any way that I can get this recipe? Please reply.

Thanks,
David Nettles
Pineville, LA

3/17/06

Dear Ms. Lucy,

While visiting the George Hughs family in southern Louisiana we ate Cajun food and loved it. When we returned to Kentucky and saw your program on RFD-TV we were
hooked! We watch you every week and enjoy your program very much. You remind us of the wonderful time we had in Louisiana.
Keep the good work up. We love you and your show.

Louise Hicks
Sparta, KY

4/3/06

Dear Ms. Lucy:

My husband saw your show…and recorded it for (me) because he thought I would enjoy it. He was right – I loved it! In that show you were making Catfish Courtbouillion, and I have since downloaded the recipe so I could try it for myself.

Now I’m ready to try more of your delicious recipes…I can’t wait to…cook these wonderful meals for my husband!

Sincerely,

Tricia Green
San Jose, CA

3/17/06

Dear Ms. Lucy,

While visiting the George Hughs family in southern Louisiana, we ate Cajun food and loved it. When we returned to Kentucky and saw your program on RFD-TV we were hooked! We watch you every week and enjoy your program very much.

You remind us of the wonderful time we had in Louisiana.

Keep the good work up.

We love you and your show.

Louise Hicks

Sparta, KY

6/5/06

Dear Ms. Lucy,
We have been watching your fine cooking (and culture) show for a number of years on DirectTV. Darn them. They have you on during some strange hours out west. I had to buy one of those TIVO contraptions so that I wouldn't have the red eyes at work. For you Lucy, it was worth every dime.

I am married to a Cajun girl from Lake Charles. We have been vacationing in south Louisiana for over twenty years. In fact in just a few short years I will be returning my little Cajun gal to the Black Bayou swamp. But, I have found every episode of yours to be as authentic as they come! You have done a fine job of representing the Cajun people to the world.

I have bought your cook books and have made many recipies. I have cooked from your book both at home and at the firehouse (where I have worked for almost thirty years). We had a brush with a gal called Rita last fall. She delayed our move for a few more years.

I dream of living at our camp down at Black Bayou, catching shrimp, crawfish, crabs, and fish out back and putting on a good feed for all the family. Every time we see that another episode of your show it brings back memories of Louisiana.

To my knowledge, you are the only representative of Louisiana to the world. You have done a fine job.

Thank you Ms. Lucy!

Dan and Debbie Russ
Reno, Nevada

Ms. Lucy’s Cajun Classroom »»»Published: October 05, 2009

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