Archive for » April, 2011 «

Finger Food Friday: Mini Cajun Meat Pies

It’s JazzFest Friday and Finger Food Friday y’all!  The stars are aligned.  Finally!! If you’re heading down to the Fest today, there’s no doubt you’ll be eating some of the best finger food (and “fork food”) New Orleans has to offer.  But for those of you who can’t attend, I’ve got the perfect recipe to keep you from feeling left out, Mini Cajun Meat Pies.  These tiny, hand-held, savory bites are full of smoky andouille sausage and lots of Cajun spices and when made with frozen puff pastry sheets they can be prepared in less than an hour.  They’re much smaller [ ... ]

New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival 2011 — Planner!

We’re gearing up for JazzFest here at Raised on a Roux!  It’s one of our favorite times of the year and an annual date weekend for me and the hubby (thanks to wonderful babysitting grandparents my mom, John, V & Poppy).  Each year we visit the Fest with open minds and empty bellies and we always leave with at least one new piece of local art, one new musical artist to follow, full bellies and lots of fond memories. If you need any information on the Fest, I strongly suggest you visit their official website.  It covers everything from hotel accommodations [ ... ]
Category: New Orleans Classics  Tags:  Comments off

Finger Food Friday: Fried Calamari With Chili Garlic Dipping Sauce

It’s the end of the week already and time for another installment of Finger Food Fridays. One of the many food traditions in New Orleans surrounds the days of the week.  We eat Red Beans and Rice on Mondays, some sort of spaghetti dish with Red Gravy on Wednesdays and seafood on Fridays. Most of us carry out these eating habits without a second thought. But each tradition comes packaged with its own set of stories. “Seafood Fridays,” for instance, is tied to the deep-rooted Catholic practice of abstaining from meat on Fridays, especially during Lent (which ends [ ... ]

Grilled Lamb Chops with Lemon and Thyme

It’s early Thursday morning and luckily the house is still quiet. I’ve got about an hour before the kids’ feet hit the floor. I’ve been a little under the weather lately so the last thing I feel like doing is writing, cooking or eating (yeah, I know that’s hard to believe). But … the show must go on! Sunday is Easter and I want to prepare something special for the family. Since I’m lacking the energy to pull off a fancy five course holiday meal, I’m going to prepare something casually elegant. I’ll be [ ... ]
Category: Lamb, Main Dishes  Tags:  Comments off

Finger Food Friday: Hot Crab Dip

Did you know that today is NOT the 2010 tax deadline?  Nope.  It’s been extended to Monday the 18th because of Emancipation Day. While that’s clearly an important reason for an extension, I’ll bet the true intention behind pushing the date back is that the IRS didn’t want to interfere with Finger Food Friday! I’m showing my appreciation by preparing a throw-back finger food, Hot Crab Dip. Hot Crab Dip was the it “hors d’oeuvre” of my youth.  If you grew up in New Orleans or had a relative that did, you’ll probably recall the dip being [ ... ]

Chipotle Roasted Tilapia

I have a new addiction–chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.  Their smoky-spiciness has me hooked.  And lately I’ve been adding them to just about everything.  Of course, you’d never know that because until now I haven’t posted any of those recipes.  It’s just that one idea has lead to another and then another.  And when I’m cranking up the creativity in the kitchen, the recipe writing takes a back seat.  Not to worry, though.  I have all of the fiery hot details jotted down somewhere and I will get each one posted.  Eventually! The one recipe I have finished is for my [ ... ]
Category: Fish, Main Dishes, Seafood  Tags:  One Comment

Finger Food Friday: Marinated Cheese

Geez!  I’m just realizing I haven’t posted anything new since last Friday.  This crazy week just got away from me.  The kids are on Spring Break, so I’ve been trying to do fun things with them in between finishing a couple of big “mommy & daddy projects” that unfortunately spilled over from last week.  Those projects have also kept me away from the computer and out of the kitchen.  But I’m finally catching my breath.  Just in time for Finger Food Friday and the recipe du jour, Marinated Cheese. I love, love, love this picking food!  After all, cheese is my [ ... ]

Finger Food Friday: Grilled Stuffed Mini Peppers

The weather’s been funky around here this week and I have a bad case of cabin fever.  But the forecast calls for sun this afternoon (fingers crossed), so I’m heading outdoors!  This Finger Food Friday I’m going to be grilling a big platter of stuffed mini peppers and kicking back on the deck with a bunch of ice cold brews.  That should get me out of my funk.  I’m not sure what I’ll ultimately end up drinking this evening though, because I’ve just stumbled upon a couple of really good ales.  One’s a Double Red Ale (Shark Attack, Port Brewing, [ ... ]