Blog Archives
01
May 2013
May 2013
The inspiration for this succulent pork shoulder comes from two sources. The first is a recipe I came across in Crescent City Cooking, Chef Susan Spicer’s cookbook, that highlighted jalapeno peppers. The second is a citrusy pork dish the hubby’s cousin’s wife prepared for us several years back. The sauce on that pork was mojo-style. Mine borrows ingredients and ideas from both. It marries good old Southern pig parts with bold and bright Caribbean flavors, those same Caribbean flavors that have been influencing New Orleans cooking for decades. We’re talking aromatic spices, fresh fruit juices, plenty of garlic and [ ... ]
25
Apr 2013
Apr 2013
Time to share one of my warm weather entertaining essentials, Rémoulade Sauce. For you curious non-New Orleanians out there, Rémoulade Sauce originated in France and found its way across the pond to New Orleans via our early French inhabitants. That French version consisted of a cold white sauce of mayonnaise spiked with the likes of mustard, gherkins, capers, anchovies, hard-boiled eggs and chopped herbs. The sauce was used primarily as an accompaniment to cold meat, fish and shellfish. It was unique and tasty but, over time, was enhanced by local ingredients and emerging cooking styles. [ ... ]
17
Apr 2013
Apr 2013
It’s Burger Week over at Eater.com, the popular blog network that covers restaurant, bar and nightlife news across 15 metropolitan areas including New Orleans. And on Monday during my daily visit to the Nola.Eater page, I came across a post on Bud’s Broiler. Reading that piece had me thinking back to 1970-something and left me craving a big, juicy burger with a milkshake and fries.
Bud’s Broiler is a New Orleans institution and anyone who grew up in the City has vivid memories of meals eaten there. Whether they frequented the old Gentilly location on Pelopidas (with a not-so-memorable view of [ ... ]
10
Apr 2013
Apr 2013
We’re enjoying spring weather here in Atlanta. Finally! I was really starting to wonder if it would ever arrive, considering we were in the low-40s just last Thursday. Because it’s been so gloomy and cold, I’ve been digging deep into my recipe files (actually, that would be two large plastic bins) and notebooks for slow cooked, familiar eats. The kind of cooking that filled my childhood home with welcoming aromas that greeted me at the door after school or warmed me from the inside out after playing all afternoon in the damp cold. One such dish that came to mind [ ... ]
04
Apr 2013
Apr 2013
Here’s the Finger Food Friday that wasn’t. As I mentioned on Facebook at the end of last week, I had planned to make Crawfish Mac and Cheese Bites for that day’s post. But, well, let’s just say the recipe in my head was flawed for this purpose. The creamy mac and cheese, which I spooned into muffin tins and baked, didn’t set up enough to produce the nifty little single-serving, hand held morsels I was hoping for. I knew going into it there could be problems considering I choose a sauce base void of either [ ... ]
27
Mar 2013
Mar 2013
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 [ ... ]
22
Mar 2013
Mar 2013
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 [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Breakfast, Finger Food Fridays, Snacks
Tags: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays Comments off
19
Mar 2013
Mar 2013
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
15
Mar 2013
Mar 2013
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 [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Main Dishes, New Orleans Classics, Oysters, Poor Boys, Seafood
Tags: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Oysters, Seafood 2 Comments
14
Mar 2013
Mar 2013
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! [ ... ]
