Blog Archives
22
May 2014
May 2014
Memorial Day Weekend is upon us. The unofficial start of summer is here. And while most of you will be frolicking about in bathing suits on boats or beaches or hanging with your besties at barbecues or boils, I’ll be hold up inside with two very unhappy children who need to study for final exams. I think this is the first year since my kids have been in school that they have to return after Memorial Day. It has certainly put a damper on our holiday plans. Maybe we’ll be able to squeeze in a [ ... ]
15
May 2014
May 2014
I wake most mornings before dawn. Four-thirty to be exact. That’s when my internal clock starts ticking. Has been that way for as long as I can remember. On those occasions when I’ve stayed up way past my eighty-thirty bedtime or have had one too many craft beers, I may force myself back to sleep for an additional hour or so. But for the most part you can bank on the fact that I’ve downed my second cup of Dark Roast Community Coffee before even the most ambitious of roosters has crowed, “Cock-a-doodle-doo.”
I love the dark stillness of those wee [ ... ]
Category: Chicken, Main Dishes, Sauces
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05
May 2014
May 2014
Have I told you how much I love Mexican food? In my world, it comes in a strong second behind my hometown favorites. I love margaritas. “Big Texas Rocks Salt” is how I order mine at our favorite neighborhood Mexican joint which I affectionately call “The Ranch” (El Ranchero). I love chips and salsa. Thin chips. Smooth and spicy salsa. The Ranch does that right too. I also adore everything on their menu. And if you ask me for recommendations, I’ll usually suggest The Ranch’s Chicken Soup if you’re looking for [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Fruit, Main Dishes, Sauces, Seafood, Shrimp, Side Dishes
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02
May 2014
May 2014
A couple of weeks back, we made our annual pilgrimage to Pike’s, our local gardening center, for some colorful annuals to brighten up our patio, a wide assortment of herbs for warm-weather cooking and several vegetable and fruit plants for the kids’ garden. This springtime ritual is always an adventure. If we’d let them, the kids would spend hours and thousands of dollars filling our carts with everything edible. That sounds great, but their enthusiasm and lack of understanding of just how difficult it is for their mother–me–to successfully grow anything always leads to disappointment. One of many tough [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Beverages, Finger Food Fridays, Vegetables
Tags: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Vegetables 2 Comments
30
Apr 2014
Apr 2014
The hubby and I just returned from our annual New Orleans Jazz Fest date weekend. We had an awesome time and the weather was absolutely amazing–a far cry from last year’s cold, rainy and muddy event. We spent two glorious days frolicking around the Fair Grounds eating, drinking, craft shopping, soaking up some rays, taking in a couple of cool cooking demonstrations and–of course–enjoying some of the finest music on earth. Anyone who loves listening to live music and eating the finest fest food around in an environment enhanced by local culture and interesting people watching needs [ ... ]
22
Apr 2014
Apr 2014
While most of the country is welcoming the arrival of spring, New Orleanians are welcoming the arrival of crawfish. In my hometown, the two are a package deal. And when Mother Nature messes with the calendar and cool temps linger, both spring and crawfish season get delayed. That was the case this year (and last, if I recall correctly). Although there were a few sightings of crawfish before Mardi Gras (which was also late), the temperamental crustaceans didn’t start running consistently until a couple of weeks ago. Now everyone’s going crazy. Finally, seafood markets [ ... ]
Category: Crawfish, Main Dishes, New Orleans Classics, Seafood, Side Dishes, Soups
Tags: crawfish, Seafood, Soup 2 Comments
14
Apr 2014
Apr 2014
This is my mom’s holiday ham recipe. This amazing ham has been an important part of every Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner I’ve been fortunate enough to share with my family. So you can imagine my surprise last week when I called my mom with a recipe instruction question only to find out that she no longer prepares her ham this way (unfortunately, I haven’t had a holiday meal at mom’s house in a couple of years so I wasn’t aware of this little fact). She said more recently, she’s been buying the spiral cut hams [ ... ]
09
Apr 2014
Apr 2014
Last summer, my girls spent many mornings home alone while I travelled around the city caddying (I use that term VERY lightly) for my son in his junior golf tournaments. Although I felt bad leaving them behind, they actually enjoyed their alone time and took full advantage of having the kitchen all to themselves. While I didn’t allow them to cook on the gas stovetop while I was away, they had my blessing to microwave and bake to their hearts’ content. And bake they did! Each day, Brennan and I would return home to find mass [ ... ]
03
Apr 2014
Apr 2014
Pork chops seasoned with the perfect mix of earthy herbs and spices, browned in hot oil then slowly cooked in a roux-based sauce blessed with the Holy Trinity (and fresh mushrooms) to fork-tender perfection. Always served over white rice–my Baked Rice. Those are my Smothered Pork Chops. Smothering the pork in a rich gravy guarantees tender chops every time and cooking the meat on the bone makes them extra tasty and moist. Smothered Pork Chops make frequent appearances at the Hogan dinner table. They’re also popular among many other New Orleans families and are a highly sought-after daily lunch special [ ... ]
26
Mar 2014
Mar 2014
Are there certain vegetables you prepare the same way over and over again? I can name several and until a few years ago green beans was one of them. I kept defaulting to that same old family recipe where we cook them down with new potatoes and pickled meat (I need to get you that recipe) because it was familiar, comforting and flat-out delicious. But when I first introduced that dish to my kids, they wouldn’t touch it. Maybe my timing was off since they all went through that weird stage where they wouldn’t eat potatoes [ ... ]
Category: Side Dishes, Vegetables
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