Tag-Archive for » Finger Food Fridays «
02
Mar 2012
Mar 2012
In New Orleans, we have this sauce called bordelaise. It bears the same name as, but is much different than the classic French sauce. The French version is all about red wine and bone marrow. Ours is garlic-centric. We like to toss it with pasta, spoon it over sizzling seafood and steaks and splash it on steamed veggies. Believe me when I say, this sauce is delicious on everything and anything … including pizza! Yes, pizza. I use it as both the sauce, in place of the traditional red gravy/marinara base, and to amp up the flavor of my mild [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, New Orleans Classics, Pasta, Snacks
Tags: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays 2 Comments
24
Feb 2012
Feb 2012
I’m sharing a bit of food nostalgia with you on this Friday. It centers on Mock Oyster Dip, a glorious concoction of garlicky, cheesy goodness containing chopped broccoli and mushrooms meant to imitate the flavor and texture of oysters. Mind you, this is not French-Creole haute cuisine. It’s comforting New Orleans family finger food made with processed cheese and canned soup. It’s special because each bite awakens wonderful distant memories and important milestones. Over countless servings of warm Mock Oyster Dip that my family dished up at birthday parties, graduation parties and holiday dinners, I observed the various ways food [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Vegetables
Tags: Finger Food Fridays, Vegetables 7 Comments
17
Feb 2012
Feb 2012
Back when I was sporting my 19-year-old metabolism, fried vegetables were my go-to finger food. Almost every weekend, I’d prepare a batch of deep fried cauliflower, mushrooms or eggplant. I’d make them in much the same way I would panee (New Orleans lingo for battered and pan fried) veal or pork chops–soaked in an egg wash, rolled in Italian bread crumbs and submerged in hot oil. I could easily get an entire week’s worth of vegetable servings in one sitting with those crispy hunks of Deep South love. Now that I’m a little older and question whether I still have [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Side Dishes, Vegetables
Tags: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, New Orleans Cooking 2 Comments
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
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
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
13
Jan 2012
Jan 2012
I used to think Houston’s had the best spinach dip. I liked the saucy spinach with the salsa and sour cream toppings far better than the chunky, cheesy kind usually found on restaurant menus. Then, back in 2008, I met another spinach dip worthy of my affection. A creamier, more flavorful one. Hands down, it was the best spinach dip I had ever tasted. And well, I haven’t thought much about Houston’s Chicago-Style version since. My girlfriend Brenda introduced me to it at one of our sadly-long-gone neighborhood Happy Hours. She likes to entertain as much as I do so [ ... ]
06
Jan 2012
Jan 2012
I spent the better part of this week implementing my annual holiday recovery plan. That entailed purging the fridge and pantry of any lingering Christmas goodies, shopping for lots of fresh fruits and veggies and planning lighter, cleaner meals. Don’t ask me why I decided to make the transition back to normal eating this week, considering the weekend is full of family and friend birthdays (including my daughter Chandler’s today and mine on Monday) and major football games! But in any respect, I’m attempting to carry out my ambitious plan through the next few days and beyond [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Sauces, Vegetables
Tags: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays Comments off
30
Dec 2011
Dec 2011
Since today is not only Finger Food Friday but New Year’s Eve Eve, I thought I’d make something that could transition nicely between a casual Happy Hour and a fancy New Year’s Eve bash. These stuffed artichoke bottoms do just that. The filling consists of a humble combination of greens and pork, in this instance spinach and pancetta, that get dressed up with a rich-tasting (I avoid the calorie bomb here by using skim milk) Creole Bechamel thickened with Parmesan cheese. The artichoke bottoms? Yet another fun vehicle to transport all that creamy filling to your [ ... ]
