Blog Archives
24
Apr 2015
Apr 2015
Popcorn Crawfish, also known as Cajun Popcorn, is simply precooked crawfish tails that have been battered and deep-fried. At one point in time, Popcorn Crawfish dominated the appetizer section of local menus. These days, not so much. But I still enjoy them and the kids really love them. They’re the perfect fried seafood snack. Each morsel is small—like a popped kernel of corn—which makes them super fun and easy to eat. They’re also very addictive, again like popcorn. I usually serve them straight up. But they also take kindly to any number [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Beverages, Cocktails, Craft Beer, Crawfish, Finger Food Fridays, Main Dishes, Seafood
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22
Apr 2015
Apr 2015
This is the time of year when my household shifts into high gear and my calendar overflows with sports and related activities and end-of-the-year school commitments. And with the majority of those obligations taking place between five and eight, getting a proper meal on the table can be a challenge. So what I typically do during these hectic months is make one or two “Big Easy” meals early in the week and serve the leftovers again later in the week. Red Beans and Rice certainly fits within my Big Easy plan. So too does this Baked Rigatoni. I know many [ ... ]
20
Apr 2015
Apr 2015
Did you know that as of today, there are over 1,400 sit-down restaurants in the Greater New Orleans Area? Fourteen-hundred! One dash four dash zero zero! And that doesn’t include fast food joints or most national chains. Oh, and there are at least 500 bars occupying the same zip codes. Isn’t that astonishing? I’m totally amazed and so proud of this post-Katrina renaissance. But I’m also sensitive to the fact that those numbers can be quite overwhelming to anyone looking for a traditional dining and drinking experience. By traditional, I mean restaurants and bars that turn out classic New Orleans [ ... ]
Category: Book Review
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17
Apr 2015
Apr 2015
I introduced you all to this salsa last May when I was celebrating Cinco de Mayo South Louisiana-style. Remember my Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Tostadas? This salsa was one of the garnishments. But since it’s finally spring and one of the sweetest signs of spring in the GNO (Greater New Orleans Area) is the appearance of fresh, Louisiana strawberries at local farmer’s markets and grocery stores, I thought it was only right to give this salsa its own time in the spotlight. Because besides being the perfect sidekick to shrimp tostadas, Ponchatoula Strawberry Salsa is also [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Crab, Craft Beer, Crawfish, Finger Food Fridays, Fruit, Main Dishes, Salad, Sauces, Seafood, Shrimp
Tags: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Seafood, Shrimp Creole, Snacks Comments off
04
Apr 2015
Apr 2015
Throughout South Louisiana, many families hold large crawfish boils on Good Friday then spend the better part of Holy Saturday working elbow-to-elbow preparing what is known around the region as the most time-consuming and labor-intensive dish that’s ever come out of a Cajun or Creole kitchen—Crawfish Bisque. This impressive meal is an Easter Sunday tradition for many. And there’s no better time than Holy Week to bring grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins together to share in its preparation. If you are like me, however, and don’t have an army of relatives nearby, you start [ ... ]
Category: Crawfish, Main Dishes, New Orleans Classics, Roux, Soups, Stock
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25
Mar 2015
Mar 2015
Preserving family recipes goes beyond collecting and deciphering faded handwritten notes or stained and splattered index cards and patching together these bits and pieces of the past into legible lists of ingredients and sensible instructions. The process also includes the more meaningful task of tracing the recipe’s origin back to a special person or place in time then tying all the elements together with a string of well-told stories punctuated with lots of passion and pride (as well as the occasional reference to a crazy relative or catastrophic kitchen mishap). It’s these associations that remind us of experiences [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Crab, Finger Food Fridays, Main Dishes, New Orleans Classics, Sauces, Seafood
Tags: Appetizers, Crabmeat, Finger Food Fridays, Sauces, Seafood Comments off
12
Mar 2015
Mar 2015
When most people hear the word etouffée, their minds immediately jump to crawfish. That’s fair, considering this method of cooking is made most frequently with crawfish. But other shellfish, poultry and wild game can also be cooked successfully in this fashion. After all, etouffée is nothing more than a fancy word for smothered. Well, smothered South Louisiana-style. And by now you all know what that means–cooked in a deeply flavored sauce that’s made with a roux, the Holy Trinity, a small amount of homemade stock and a delectable combination of spices. When broken down this [ ... ]
Category: Main Dishes, New Orleans Classics, Seafood, Shrimp
Tags: New Orleans Classics, Shrimp Recipes 2 Comments
27
Feb 2015
Feb 2015
If you’ve tuned into the Weather Channel at all since my last post, you’re probably privy to the fact that it’s still cold up here in the Northwest Quadrant of the ATL. Yes, we were among the “lucky” ones—those above “that ridge.” So since Tuesday, we have been dealing with snow and ice and snow and ice. And although today is absolutely gorgeous and all the snow and ice has melted (at least on our side of the street), the kids are enjoying their fourth snow day this week (lest you forget, they were off ALL last [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Crab, Crawfish, Finger Food Fridays, Roux, Sauces, Seafood, Shrimp, Snacks
Tags: Appetizers, Crabmeat, crawfish, Finger Food Fridays, Seafood 2 Comments
24
Feb 2015
Feb 2015
So we’re back on “the road to routine” following an incredibly fun and fast-paced week in New Orleans. Fortunately this year, the kids’ winter break coincided with Mardi Gras. So we spent last week back home frolicking about. It was awesome! But, as expected, we all ate too much and spent way too many days going to bed late and waking up early. Such is the life of a bunch of New Orleans Carnival revelers.
Now that we’re settled back in Atlanta, we’re all craving normalcy and lots of veggies (after eight days, “dressed” poor boys are simply not enough). But [ ... ]
13
Feb 2015
Feb 2015
Valentine’s Day is tomorrow. The Saturday before Mardi Gras. That means this year that Hallmark holiday is not going to receive a whole lotta love in the Crescent City–at least not from me and several thousand of my closet friends who will be hanging out on the parade route. Nope. For us, purple, green and gold will trump red and pink. And we will toast our sweethearts and the Olympian God of Fertility and Eternal Youth–Endymion–with Mardi Gras go-cups full of beer and Carnival cocktails while indulging in sexy street food consisting of mini-muffulettas, mini-poor [ ... ]
Category: Desserts, Finger Food Fridays, Mardi Gras
Tags: Desserts, Finger Food Fridays, Mardi Gras, Snacks One Comment
