Archive for » May, 2012 «
30
May 2012
May 2012
As I’ve mentioned before, I have a large cookbook collection. My current index (yes, I alphabetize my addiction) stands at around 240, with 18 more waiting to be added. The majority of those are regional recipe collections from New Orleans and South Louisiana that I frequently turn to for inspiration and research. Coincidentally, I rarely cook straight from those books. I have more fun when I borrow an idea from one recipe and pair it with another. I also like using traditional ingredients in unconventional and fun ways. Recently, though, I made a commitment to myself to make at least [ ... ]
24
May 2012
May 2012
Are you looking for a new crawfish recipe to add to your repetoire? If so, this Savory Cajun Crawfish Cheesecake with Roasted Red Pepper Hollandaise is sure to please. It’s a recipe I recently developed for my friends over at Cajun Crawfish–head on over to their blog and check it out. You’re gonna love it! You’re also gonna love the fact that you can order the crawfish tails you need for this recipe while you’re there! You see, Cajun Crawfish is one of the largest crawfish farmers and shippers in Louisiana. They’re also a [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Crawfish, Main Dishes, Seafood, Side Dishes
Tags: Appetizers, crawfish, Seafood 2 Comments
18
May 2012
May 2012
When I’m waiting ever so impatiently for my order at the deli counter at Kroger, I tend to rummage through the prepared food and cheese counters for free samples and interesting food finds. That’s a dangerous thing when I’m hungry, because it’s during those weak “I’ve gotta have it now” moments that I tend to buy items that disappoint (more so with the prepared foods than the cheeses). But recently, I snagged a container of this Buffalo Blue Cheese Dip that turned out to be delicious. In fact, it was so good my girls begged me to learn how to [ ... ]
16
May 2012
May 2012
The week before last I made my monthly run to BJ’s, our mammoth wholesale club, where I stumbled upon these adorable gourmet baby carrots. I had to have them. They were so cute. They were the real McCoy too–as in true baby carrots. Not those mature, often tasteless “baby-cut” imposters they sell in damp plastic bags at the grocery store. As soon as I got home and before I even unloaded the car, I grabbed the two pound bag of carrots and ran inside to get them going. Within a few seconds, I had those babies perfectly aligned on a [ ... ]
11
May 2012
May 2012
Globe artichokes get a lot of table time in the Crescent City thanks to the French settlers who brought them to Louisiana from the Mediterranean back in the 1800s and the Creole-Italians (among many others) who knew how to cook them. Interestingly, it’s been said that Louisiana was home to the first commercial artichokes fields. They flourished in and around various parts of South Louisiana including a small patch of land in New Orleans currently known as the Warehouse District. In the early 1940s, the crop mysteriously disappeared from these parts and today nearly 100% of all the country’s globe [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Sauces, Side Dishes, Vegetables
Tags: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Sauces Comments off
09
May 2012
May 2012
In the current edition of New Orleans Magazine, Dale Curry writes about “Daily Devotion[s],” those local classics that make their way onto restaurant chalk boards and family dinner tables week after week. I giggled as I read through her list, because five out of the seven dishes she mentioned were constants with my family. Like many New Orleanians, we always started the week with Red Beans and Rice usually had Meatballs and Spaghetti (or some other red gravy-based dish) on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, paneed something or other after that, seafood on Fridays and pot roasts on Sundays. I [ ... ]
Category: Chicken, Main Dishes, New Orleans Classics
4 Comments
04
May 2012
May 2012
Have you all missed me? I’ve certainly missed you. The pass few weeks have been challenging. First there were all those renovations which, by the way, are not completely done but far enough along to bring some level of normalcy back to the Hogan residence. From there, I found myself ushering repairmen and furniture deliverers out and weekend company in for a 50th Anniversary party I was hosting for my wonderful in-laws. Then my dearest grandmother, my last living grandparent and the matriarch of our family passed away. So I dropped everything and abandoned my house guests to fly [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Beef, Christmas, Finger Food Fridays, Main Dishes, Po-Boys
Tags: Appetizers, Beef Stock, Finger Food Fridays, Po-Boy Comments off
