Blog Archives
22
Mar 2011
Mar 2011
I was introduced to moo shu at Jade East, a friendly, neighborhood Chinese restaurant situated in New Orleans East. They closed their doors several years back; I believe it was pre-Katrina. But during their heyday, when I was in high school, my mom and stepdad would eat there once or twice a week following their “fishing dates.” There were even times when my folks would exchange their catch-of-the-day, usually croaker or drum from the brackish waters of Lake Pontchartrain, for a smorgasbord of the restaurant’s best dishes. Inevitably, they’d return home from those dinners with containers full of delicious and [ ... ]
18
Mar 2011
Mar 2011
In case you woke up in a fog today, which is normally how our first week of Daylight Savings Time ends, it’s Finger Food Friday! And since tomorrow is St. Joseph’s Day and St. Joseph is one of the most beloved saints among Italian-Americans, I’m stuffing artichokes. This peculiar looking vegetable is an integral part of the New Orleans diet thanks to the huge population of Sicilians who settled in the City many moons ago and stuffing them is one of my favorite ways to pay homage to my other roots–my Italian roots. Remember yesterday? I mentioned I was half [ ... ]
17
Mar 2011
Mar 2011
Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all my Irish kith and kin and to all of you out there pretending to be Irish for a day (you’re in good company)! I don’t need to pretend, although you’d never guess I was Irish by my first name. Genêt is obviously French. But I’m at least fifty-percent Irish by blood and fifty-percent Irish by marriage. More importantly, green is my favorite color, I can down several pints of Guinness with the best of them and I have pointy ears (okay, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration–depends on who you ask). Regardless of [ ... ]
11
Mar 2011
Mar 2011
Hey guys! Welcome back to Finger Food Fridays ! I hope you had a great week. Mine was mundane. Oh, I take that back! There actually was some drama, slight family drama, this week. My 8-year-old daughter broke her arm. Nothing major. Just cracked enough to earn her a bright green cast for autographing. I’m still not sure what happened, but it involved a basketball, a basketball goal and a wooden bike ramp (thankfully, no bike). Needless to say, I’m glad it’s Friday!
Today I’m going to be chilling out with Taco Bread and a few lime-choked Dos Equis Ambers (Mexico). [ ... ]
08
Mar 2011
Mar 2011
Happy Mardi Gras everyone! I’m so bummed that we couldn’t get home this year for the parades, but the kids’ school schedule wouldn’t permit it. We’re there in spirit, however, and are celebrating in our own way by listening to some funky tunes–think Mardi Gras Mambo and Hey Pocky Away by The Meters, Carnival Time by Al Johnson, Mardi Gras in New Orleans by Professor Longhair and Second Line by Stop, Inc.–eating bowl-after-bowl of Chicken and Andouille Gumbo, over-indulging in King Cake and reminiscing over a bunch of family photos from Mardi Gras’ past. Here are several of my favorites [ ... ]
04
Mar 2011
Mar 2011
Happy Friday! I’m so excited today because I’m kicking off my very first recurring blog series: Finger Food Fridays. Through my weekly posts, I’ll be introducing you to all my favorite finger foods (which I refer to more affectionately as “picking foods”) and the TGIF liquid refreshments that accompany them. These are my go-to comfort foods–recipes that reflect what I enjoy cooking, eating and serving to my family and friends at the end of a hectic week. The spread is broad. Great fun to make. More fun to eat. Mainly simple. Occasionally ambitious. Always interesting. Best of all, each dish [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays
Tags: andouille sausage, Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Shrimp Creole 13 Comments
16
Feb 2011
Feb 2011
My children arrive home from school around four o’clock in the afternoon tired and famished. And every afternoon, I’m faced with the same challenges: homework (there’s way too much of it), playtime (there’s never enough of it) and snacks (there are only so many satisfying and appealing options that won’t interfere with dinner). Enter Peanut Butter Balls. While these perfectly portioned, outrageously enjoyable treats won’t lighten the heavy homework load or extend play time, they will give my kids the extra kick they need to complete their assignments and enjoy a big game of hide-and-go-seek-tag. A couple of these hearty [ ... ]
12
Feb 2011
Feb 2011
My mom cooked Seven Steaks in Brown Gravy quite often when we were growing up. But no one in my family, including her, prepares them anymore. The dish would have been all but forgotten had I not undertaken a family cookbook project several months back (more on that in future posts). Through the process of collecting recipes for the book, I’ve reacquainted myself with this and a bunch of other almost forgotten family favorites. I called mom to share my excitement and we got to talking about how much we enjoyed seven steaks and how sad it was that this [ ... ]
08
Feb 2011
Feb 2011
This jalapeno-spiked vegetable medley is one of my summer essentials. But I can’t wait another four months to enjoy it, especially when Kroger’s zucchini and peppers are looking so good. So I’m sharing it with you now. I just hope you don’t forget about it when the warmer months roll around.
For this quick saute I borrowed some delicious ideas from the good old, all-American chopped salad and our local butcher shop that sells a similar side dish in its prepared foods section. The key here is uniformity. Cut all the vegetables the same size. I use the corn kernel as [ ... ]
05
Feb 2011
Feb 2011
Are you ready for some football? I’m not. Truth be told, I didn’t plan on doing a Super Bowl post or even watching the game this year. I guess I’ve been trying to avoid the event altogether, because come Sunday our beloved Saints will no longer be the reigning Super Bowl champs. I get the once a champion, always a champion thing. But when you’re the reigning champs you get 12 months of extra attention. And I’ve loved every minute of it–the post-game interviews, the victory parade, the Super Bowl ring ceremony, the extensive and glowing sports coverage, inspiring news articles, [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, New Orleans Classics
Tags: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Super Bowl 2 Comments
