Archive for » March, 2013 «

Carrot Cake

Of all the family recipes that have been handed down to me through the years, there are two I cherish most.  One is The Turtle Soup, which I wrote about last February, and the other is this Carrot Cake.  Both are nostalgic nods to my childhood.  Both flood my thoughts with warm memories of Sunday suppers, birthday dinners and holiday gatherings (especially Easter) shared with my mom’s large and loving family.  Both remind me of Grandma Kirn, my great-grandmother, who started these wonderful food traditions and of Papa, my maternal grandfather, as well as my mom, who have carried them [ ... ]
Category: Desserts, Miscellaneous, New Orleans Classics  Tags:  Comments off

Finger Food Friday: Egg Salad Toasts

I have certain simple finger foods I adore. Simple in that they require little to no cooking. Let me tell you about three of them. The first is canned sardines on Triscuits (Garden Herb being my number one choice) with yellow mustard. Not a fan of sardines? Too bad, because these are fast food heaven. And, as far as I’m concerned, the only way to eat canned sardines. This is also a very special finger food. Special because my late maternal grandfather, Papa, introduced me to sardines (on saltines) and special because the only other person that [ ... ]

Italian Seed Cookies and St. Joseph Altars

New Orleans is celebrating yet again.  Today, the City comes together to honor St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus and the patron saint of many including Sicilians, laborers, travelers, house hunters, the persecuted, the poor, the aged and the dying.  Locals express their devotion through the centuries-old Sicilian tradition of building elaborate food altars to commemorate the relief St. Joseph provided them during the famine back in the Middle Ages, to give thanks for answering a special prayer and to express gratitude for his constant guidance and intercession.  These altars are erected in private homes, parish halls, churches, schools, Italian [ ... ]
Category: Desserts  10 Comments

Finger Food Friday: Fried Oysters

In New Orleans, dining out on Friday nights during Lent at any restaurant that serves seafood is, for lack of a better term, a sport.  That’s because the crowds are large, the waits are long and the weather is oftentimes questionable (a big issue when you’re forced to wait out in a shell parking lot).  A finely tuned playbook, complete with the abilities, expectations and limitations of each person in your party, is a must.  So are sandwich bags full of Cheerios (if you have little ones), cell phones with fun games (if you have middle ones) and a padded [ ... ]

Potato and Leek Soup

New Orleans is gearing up for another busy weekend! The City is pulling out all the stops to honor its Irish heritage. There are the annual block parties at Parasol’s and Tracey’s, the Molly’s at the Market Irish Parade in the Quarter, the Irish Channel Parade Uptown, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Old Metairie, the Downtown Irish Club Parade, the Louisiana Irish-Italian Parade in Metairie and holiday happenings at many of the neighborhood Irish hangouts like Flanagan’s, Finn McCool’s, The Irish House, Fahy’s, The Kerry and Ryan’s. Whew! I’m exhausted just writing about all that! [ ... ]
Category: Soups, Vegetables  Tags:  Comments off

Finger Food Friday: Mixed Grill Grilled Provolone

Although the name of this recipe sounds redundant. It’s not. This finger food is one part “mixed grill” and one part “grilled provolone.” Put the two together and you’ve got an outrageously rocking herbaceously spicy, cheesy, Cajun meets Italian meets Argentinian masterpiece, if I must say so myself. Now I’m not one to toot my own horn. Really, I’m not! But if you love the fab trio of andouille, shrimp and chicken (think jambalaya and gumbo), the smoky goodness of roasted poblano peppers and grilled onions, the tang and bite of an almost-chimichurri sauce and the pronounced flavor of a [ ... ]