Archive for » 2012 «
14
Feb 2012
Feb 2012
I’m sharing a special love letter with you on this Valentine’s Day. This is not your typical mushy, make-you-blush kind of letter. No, the love letter I’m posting for all the world to see is actually my great-grandmother’s recipe for Turtle Soup as written by her son, my grandfather. I cherish this piece of paper like I would a love letter because it captures not only a special family recipe but a part of my Grandma Kirn who, more than anything, loved to feed us. It’s also the only item I have in my possession with [ ... ]
Category: Christmas, Main Dishes, New Orleans Classics, Roux, Seafood, Soups, Stock
Tags: New Orleans Classics, Seafood, Seafood Stock Comments off
10
Feb 2012
Feb 2012
I never met a loaf of bread I didn’t like. That’s probably because I grew up in a City whose good eating depends on it. The poor boy and muffuletta, two casual sandwiches, were made famous by their bread. As were “Lost Bread” or Pain Perdu, our version of French toast, and bread pudding in all its many incarnations. Whether it’s used as the star of a meal, a mere vehicle to test the doneness of momma’s red gravy or as a prelude to an elegant dinner at a five star restaurant bread is always a welcome, if not expected, [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Poor Boys
Tags: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays 3 Comments
08
Feb 2012
Feb 2012
Let’s talk desserts. As in classic New Orleans desserts. Two in particular: Creole Bread Pudding and King Cake. Both have storied histories, are deeply rooted in New Orleans tradition and are equally delicious. Creole Bread Pudding is what I consider an everyday, homey dessert prepared by thrifty New Orleans cooks and restaurant chefs who have plenty of day-old French bread on hand. The stale bread is given new life when soaked in a creamy, cinnamon-infused custardy bath. The pudding is then baked plain or embellished with raisins, nuts, canned fruit salad or even [ ... ]
04
Feb 2012
Feb 2012
The big game is upon us! So I’m sharing my most successful playbook from the Raised on a Roux recipes archives. These tried and true crowd-pleasing favorites are sure to have your guests cheering for more.
PREGAME
Cajun Egg Rolls and Corn Dip
FIRST HALF
Andouille Baked Brie and Crescent City Sliders
HALFTIME
Chicken Andouille Gumbo
SECOND HALF
Crawfish Baskets and Oven Roasted Boudin
POST-GAME
Brownie Trifle
Here are a few more game-worthy recipes from some other incredibly talented food bloggers:
Spicy BBQ Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders from Dixie Chik Cooks,
Sweet Potato Nacho Fries from Lauren’s Latest, and
Queso Fundido from Annie’s Eats.
With so many good eats, you better hope for [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Crawfish, Finger Food Fridays, Gumbo, New Orleans Classics, Roux, Seafood
Tags: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Roux, Seafood, Super Bowl One Comment
03
Feb 2012
Feb 2012
Trust me on this quirky and casual reinterpretation of the classic New Orleans roast beef poor boy. I know it sounds weird and may even look a little off (there’s no French bread loaf), but it tastes familiar and is embarrassingly addictive. You see, I was looking to create a new dip with a hometown twist. And this happened. If you’re having a hard time with the whole deconstructed poor boy thing, think of this finger food as a spin on the old school chipped beef or dried beef dip. I had that once at a M*A*S*H finale party. Do [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Beef, Finger Food Fridays, Poor Boys, Snacks
Tags: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays One Comment
01
Feb 2012
Feb 2012
I’m settling back into the grove after what turned out to be a fantastic weekend in Birmingham attending the Food Blog South 2012 conference. This was my first food blog conference and one that I won’t soon forget. To be surrounded by people who eat, drink and sleep food is a wonderful thing. Their passion is undeniable, their knowledge unsurpassable and their willingness to share incredibly generous. I learned so much and made plenty of new friends. I feel refreshed, re-energized and psyched about the future and what it holds for food bloggers and anyone [ ... ]
Category: Main Dishes, New Orleans Classics, Pork, Sauces, Seafood, Vegetables
2 Comments
27
Jan 2012
Jan 2012
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Happy Friday to you! Today I’m heading to Birmingham to attend my first ever food blog conference, Food Blog South. I’m so excited! I can’t wait to meet other food bloggers from the South (and beyond) and learn the finer points of, among other things, recipe development, food styling and food photography. I also hear the conference meals are phenomenal and the pre- and post-parties are a blast. And this conference? It could not have come at a better time! You see, I had every intention of leaving you with a lovely finger food. But I failed. Well, sort of. [ ... ]
Category: Miscellaneous
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25
Jan 2012
Jan 2012
In case you missed my tweets yesterday, the 2012 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival daily schedules have been posted. The lineup is crazy good this year. Almost as crazy good as this Jazzy Crawfish Pasta–my take on Crawfish Monica. Crawfish Monica has been a festival-goer favorite for some 30 years now. It consists of a mesmerizing bowl of rotini pasta drenched in a deliciously spicy crawfish cream sauce. This dish became so popular at Jazz Fest that back in 2009, its creator Chef Pierre Hilzim (who named the seafood specialty after his wife Monica) trademarked the name and began [ ... ]
Category: Crawfish, Main Dishes, New Orleans Classics, Pasta, Seafood
Tags: crawfish, creole, New Orleans Cooking, New Orleans Recipes, Seafood 9 Comments
20
Jan 2012
Jan 2012
There is no Party Cheese Ball in my recipe lineage. Lots of other wonderful family food. But no cheese ball. The only kind I ate as a kid was the prepackaged, almond coated ones from Hickory Farms. Do you remember Hickory Farms? Their stores and kiosks used to rock the malls during the holidays with all those fancy (or so I thought) summer sausage and cheese gift boxes. Maybe they still do. Just not around here. How would I know? I don’t mall shop. Anyway, growing up I never [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Snacks
Tags: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Snacks Comments off
19
Jan 2012
Jan 2012
One of the easiest ways to dress up everyday dinners is with a marinade. A good marinade can be thrown together in minutes with generous amount of herbs, spices and other seasonings, some form of acid to carry those flavors into the meat and help tenderize it and oil to keep the meat moist and prevent it from sticking while cooking. For maximum flavor, it’s best to plan a day ahead and marinate whatever you’re cooking (except seafood) overnight. But if you don’t have that luxury, a bold marinade can work its magic in thirty minutes. [ ... ]
