Blog Archives
21
Nov 2012
Nov 2012
Hey! Got a few minutes to talk about Black Friday? Not shopping. Cooking. I know you’re busy finishing up your Thanksgiving menu, planning that inevitable last minute grocery run and cooking make-ahead sides and sauces. And the last thing on your mind is what’s for dinner on Friday. But this is important, especially if your Turkey Day celebration extends through the weekend like ours does. If you need to plan additional meals for visiting family and want to make the most of leftovers, then save that turkey carcass (or beg the hostess for it) [ ... ]
Category: Gumbo, Pork, Roux, Soups, Stock, Thanksgiving
Tags: Finger Food Fridays, Gumbo, New Orleans Classics, New Orleans Cooking, New Orleans Recipes, Pork, Roux 5 Comments
19
Nov 2012
Nov 2012
Every year around this time, I get the urge to experiment with canned pumpkin. I like working it into both savory and sweet dishes. This year, I took the dessert route and ended up cranking out this Pumpkin Pound Cake. In true pound cake fashion, this version is dense and subtlety sweet. Those are the two things I love most about pound cakes. I did, however, drain the pumpkin first because I was afraid the cake might otherwise end up too firm. The texture turned out perfect as did the seasonally spiced flavor. [ ... ]
Category: Breakfast, Desserts, Thanksgiving
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16
Nov 2012
Nov 2012
Since this is the last Friday before Thanksgiving, I thought this recipe for Mini Blue Cheese Popovers would be a good one to share since it works well as a finger food and can also fill in nicely on Thanksgiving Day as a pre-meal snack, a salad course escort or a petite dinner roll. The crisp edges, airy insides and punchy blue cheese bite make these popovers extra-special. You know I’m not much on baking and I’ve never made traditional popovers. But I do like to occasionally play around with these types of recipes and I somewhat understand what makes [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Thanksgiving
Tags: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays Comments off
13
Nov 2012
Nov 2012
These are my mom’s sweet potatoes. Her recipe is simply the best! No fuss or fanciness. Just smashed sweet potatoes “candied” ever so perfectly. During the holidays, they’re a must. It’s a family tradition my mom has carried out for as long as I can remember. And at every Thanksgiving and Christmas meal, I strategically spoon a generous serving onto my plate between the gravy-laden turkey slices and the Le Sueur green peas. That way, I can easily scoop up all those flavors into one forkful. Weird, I know. But that’s [ ... ]
Category: New Orleans Classics, Side Dishes, Thanksgiving, Vegetables
Tags: New Orleans Classics, Vegetables Comments off
09
Nov 2012
Nov 2012
On this gorgeous day, at least where I am, I’m serving up another holiday helper. Yeah, I know. Artichoke Dip. Been there, done that. But mine is different. Well, a little. More importantly, I have to blog about it because it forces me to write down my recipe for my kiddos (and anyone else) so they can enjoy it for years to come. So here it is. My spin on this classic Southern staple. My recipe starts with the universal artichoke dip base: artichoke hearts, mayo and Parmesan cheese. From there, I kick it up with roasted red peppers, jalapenos, [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays
Tags: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Vegetables Comments off
07
Nov 2012
Nov 2012
Do you all realize there are only two Thursdays between now and Thanksgiving? How did that happen? Why isn’t Thanksgiving on November 29, instead of November 22? I’m well aware of the fourth Thursday of November tradition, but we’re losing an entire week here! Can’t we buck the system just once? For that reason alone, I’m glad I’m not hosting dinner this year. That takes some pressure off. But I still need to make two side dishes that can be prepared in advance and travel well (as in 500 miles well) or that can be made with little time and [ ... ]
Category: Breakfast, Christmas, Main Dishes, New Orleans Classics, Pork, Side Dishes, Thanksgiving, Vegetables
Tags: New Orleans Classics, Pork, Vegetables 2 Comments
02
Nov 2012
Nov 2012
I’ve been making this recipe with some variation of chicken for years now. It’s one of my favorite weekday lunches. And it all started with leftover chicken and a hodgepodge of fridge finds. Some of my off-the-cuff lunch creations like this are worth repeating. Others are not. This one’s been in constant rotation since day one because it’s quick and flavorful and the entire family likes it. But because the sauce is made with Greek yogurt, I had to give it a code name so my kids wouldn’t snub it–they were weird about that stuff when I first started [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Chicken, Finger Food Fridays, Sauces
Tags: Appetizers, Chicken, Finger Food Fridays, Sauces One Comment
29
Oct 2012
Oct 2012
My neighborhood rocks on Halloween. How can it not? On my street alone, which is exactly a half mile long, we have at least 30 children under 13 and a rock-band-leader teenager who lives at the top. Parents stroll along with “well-stocked” wagons in tow while live music pours onto the road. The kids, decked out in the latest costume trends, run freely from house to house racking up on what ultimately ends up being pillowcases full of treats.
When my kids were younger, I used to host a Halloween open house complete with a spooktacular spread of heavy picking food [ ... ]
26
Oct 2012
Oct 2012
Today’s finger food is for the kids. It was inspired by my neighbor’s youngest son who, several months back, starting referring to my Finger Food Fridays as “Fun Fridays.” My neighbor has three boys around the same ages as my gang. They are always together, unless one of her boys has ball practice or a game. On sports-free Friday evenings, she’ll typically mosey on down to share a beer and finger food out on my patio. Our children love it because they know those impromtu visits mean they’ll get to play outside until after dark. We love it because we [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Pork
Tags: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Pork 3 Comments
24
Oct 2012
Oct 2012
I love roast chicken. During the week, I pull together a simple family meal by roasting legs or legs and boneless thighs. For those quick dinners, all I do is sprinkle the chicken with Creole seasoning, salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. I then stick the pan in the oven and roast until all the fat has melted away and the skin is deep golden brown and crispy. It’s a simple process for dark meat perfection. I approach a whole chicken a little differently. Because it contains both dark and white meat, I punch it up with more [ ... ]
