Archive for the Category » Vegetables «
06
Oct 2014
Oct 2014
Here’s the recipe for the potato salad I made last week to go along with my Grilled Skillet Steak. The potatoes, like the steak, are cooked twice. They are first parboiled then grilled making this side dish just as flavorful and exciting as the main. If you plan on serving the two together like I did, put the potatoes on to boil right before you throw the steaks on the grill. After you remove the steaks from the grill, place a grill pan next to the preheated cast iron skillet and finish both the steaks and the potato medley at [ ... ]
17
Aug 2014
Aug 2014
While a warm bowl of bisque may not appeal to many of you this time of year, I can’t think of a better way to bring together two of the summer’s most appealing ingredients, Louisiana blue crab and corn. Each serving just screams, “ Sweet sunshine!” And if you already have some rich seafood stock socked away, it will come together quickly.
Like most soups, this Crab and Corn Bisque will improve in the fridge for a day or two. And because it can be successfully frozen, I highly recommend doubling the recipe so a few months down [ ... ]
29
Jun 2014
Jun 2014
I often make big batch salads on the weekends to kick off Sunday suppers with my family and feed me lunch throughout the week. In order for these types of salads to work, they need to be made with tasty and tough ingredients. You know, foods that won’t wilt or spoil before I’ve reached the bottom of the bowl later in the week. Pastas and potatoes are obvious choices for these types of salads, but they tend to leave me sluggish–a feeling I’d rather not fight every afternoon. So I lean more towards hearty greens and [ ... ]
02
May 2014
May 2014
A couple of weeks back, we made our annual pilgrimage to Pike’s, our local gardening center, for some colorful annuals to brighten up our patio, a wide assortment of herbs for warm-weather cooking and several vegetable and fruit plants for the kids’ garden. This springtime ritual is always an adventure. If we’d let them, the kids would spend hours and thousands of dollars filling our carts with everything edible. That sounds great, but their enthusiasm and lack of understanding of just how difficult it is for their mother–me–to successfully grow anything always leads to disappointment. One of many tough [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Beverages, Finger Food Fridays, Vegetables
Tags: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Vegetables 2 Comments
26
Mar 2014
Mar 2014
Are there certain vegetables you prepare the same way over and over again? I can name several and until a few years ago green beans was one of them. I kept defaulting to that same old family recipe where we cook them down with new potatoes and pickled meat (I need to get you that recipe) because it was familiar, comforting and flat-out delicious. But when I first introduced that dish to my kids, they wouldn’t touch it. Maybe my timing was off since they all went through that weird stage where they wouldn’t eat potatoes [ ... ]
Category: Side Dishes, Vegetables
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13
Mar 2014
Mar 2014
Hello Shrimp and Okra Gumbo! What do you think of the new photo size? Too big maybe? I can’t decide. I told the hubby I wanted bigger photos on the site, but I just don’t know if they should be this large. Please, tell me what you think! The gumbo, on the other hand, it’s a keeper. No indecisiveness there. This recipe is awesome through and through–oh how I wish I could hand you a spoon and invite you to dig it. It’s earthy and aromatic and an essential part of [ ... ]
Category: Gumbo, Main Dishes, New Orleans Classics, Roux, Seafood, Shrimp, Vegetables
Tags: Gumbo, Roux, Seafood, Shrimp Recipes, Vegetables 2 Comments
27
Feb 2014
Feb 2014
Whenever I mention Creole Onion Soup in circles outside of New Orleans, I’m often asked how it differs from French Onion Soup. Well, like many New Orleans recipes, that depends on whose Creole Onion Soup you’re eating. If you’re savoring a bowl prepared by an old-school Creole or anyone carrying those traditions forward, the soup will likely contain some form of dairy and may even be puréed to a thick, velvety consistency. Several references to this style of onion soup can be found in various New Orleans cookbooks. The earliest references I discovered were in my mother-in-law’s 1901 edition of [ ... ]
Category: Beef, Main Dishes, New Orleans Classics, Roux, Side Dishes, Soups, Stock, Vegetables
Tags: Beef Stock, Roux, Soup 4 Comments
31
Dec 2013
Dec 2013
Do you have your New Year’s Day menu worked out? I’m preparing my Black-Eyed Peas with Jalapeño Oil along with cabbage and pork. I just haven’t decided on what cabbage and pork dishes to make. On the cabbage front, I’m debating between Smothered Cabbage and Cabbage Casserole. Both call for sausage and cheese, but the Cabbage Casserole also includes rice and boat loads of cheese–it’s a meal in itself. The Smothered Cabbage is on the lighter side with its turkey sausage and tangy kick of feta cheese. As for the pork, I’m craving my [ ... ]
05
Dec 2013
Dec 2013
I make Vegetable Soup three to four times a year on average. When I cook it, the soup fills my home with fond memories and the comforting aromas of my grandparents’ Franklin Avenue kitchen, which was around the corner from my childhood home. My grandfather, Papa, was the family vegetable soup steward. He’d make a huge pot to share with those of us who lived close by. After a half-day of slicing, dicing and simmering, Papa would ladle loving portions into a handful of the empty, glass Sanka Instant Coffee jars that lined their kitchen counters and deliver a couple [ ... ]
20
Nov 2013
Nov 2013
Even during a food-centric holiday like Thanksgiving where huge platters of food are squeezed onto an already crowded table and everyone eats family-style, I think it’s nice to create one savory dish that’s individually portioned. Gratins are the perfect candidates. Baking them in single-serve ramekins or mini-pie pans ensures that each recipient gets a balance of that velvety smooth interior and cheesy, crusty exterior that defines any good gratin. If you’re stressed over washing extra dishes, you can always opt for those disposable aluminum foil cups or pans. Gratins can also be assembled a day or [ ... ]
Category: Side Dishes, Thanksgiving, Vegetables
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