Tag-Archive for » Appetizers «
13
Jul 2012
Jul 2012
The hubby and I both come from large families. And it’s not uncommon for family visits to Atlanta to include upwards of 20 relatives at one time. So to take the stress out of feeding that many people three squares times however many days plus snacks, I prepare a lot of food in advance. One of those make-ahead items, one I’ve been making since we first moved away from home, is this Sausage in Puff Pastry. It’s two ingredients–puff pastry and sausage–that bake up into these fabulously flaky pastries. Because the recipe makes plenty plenty, [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Pork
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06
Jul 2012
Jul 2012
Do you ever notice how some of your best kitchen creations are made on the fly? Pulled together spontaneously with whatever’s lurking in the fridge or lingering in the pantry? That’s the story behind this finger food. Because I hate to waste, especially real food … good food, I was stressed out about using up some leftover boiled shrimp and ripe and ready avocados I had on hand. My initial thought was to simply toss them in a salad with greens and a lemon vinaigrette. But as I was cleaning the greens, I remembered that I had a fresh loaf [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Seafood, Vegetables
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29
Jun 2012
Jun 2012
Okay guys. It’s time to clean out your pantries. Dig deep, way in the back, and pull out one of the many jars of pepper jelly that was gifted to you back in December–six long months ago. Don’t worry. It’s still good as long as you haven’t opened it. If you don’t have any, contact your nearest relative or friend in New Orleans (or from New Orleans) and ask them for a jar–it’s quite popular in NOLA! Or pick up one from the grocery store. Because today, I’m sharing an entirely new and scrumptious way to serve that red/green gelatinous gem. [ ... ]
22
Jun 2012
Jun 2012
Marinating crabs is a time-honored way to breathe new life into and extend the enjoyment of leftover boiled crabs. My grandmother’s dear friend Josie, who was like an aunt to us, began making this glorious finger food for my family decades ago. It’s a happy mess of highly seasoned boiled crabs drenched in what is best described as a chunky olive oil-based vinaigrette and eaten in the same manner as boiled crabs–with your hands. Most of us will jump at the chance to host a backyard crab boil just so we can set aside a dozen or so crabs for [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Crab, Finger Food Fridays, Main Dishes, New Orleans Classics, Seafood
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15
Jun 2012
Jun 2012
Years ago, when I first started working, I used to make batches of sweet and savory nuts for my co-workers for Christmas. I’d gift them in decorative glass jars adorned with fancy holiday ribbons. It was an easy and economical way for me to give a little something to a lot people. For the life of me, I can’t find that recipe. Maybe it’s all for the better. Because, as I recall, it was edgy. The initial bite was a super-sweet sugary, cinnamon rush followed by a brief pause of plain toasted nuts and then an onslaught of extreme heat–from [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Snacks
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08
Jun 2012
Jun 2012
Fest fever continues this weekend in New Orleans with the Creole Tomato Festival. This one’s held at the French Market and celebrates one of our favorite local crops, the Creole Tomato. Creole Tomatoes are juicy, meaty and firm thanks to South Louisiana’s rich soil and subtropical (hot and humid) climate. Unfortunately, the season for these bright red beauties is short and local consumption is high. So you have to travel to the Greater New Orleans area or neighboring river parishes to get them. To fully appreciate all that a Creole Tomato is, it’s best to eat them like a local. [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Pork, Vegetables
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01
Jun 2012
Jun 2012
In Louisiana, we define the four seasons by Crawfish, Shrimp, Crab and Oyster. It’s a unique and appetizing way to get through the year. As one delicious season ends, another much-anticipated one begins. Currently, crawfish season is winding down and shrimp season is gearing up. Plump, juicy, sweet Louisiana shrimp. There’s nothing like them! And this season, however young, is already proving to be grand. I know because I had the good fortune of receiving a pound of wild jumbo Louisiana shrimp straight from the deck of the Anna Marie (a South Louisiana fishing vessel) through the efforts of the [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Seafood, Shrimp
Tags: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Seafood, Shrimp Recipes 2 Comments
24
May 2012
May 2012
Are you looking for a new crawfish recipe to add to your repetoire? If so, this Savory Cajun Crawfish Cheesecake with Roasted Red Pepper Hollandaise is sure to please. It’s a recipe I recently developed for my friends over at Cajun Crawfish–head on over to their blog and check it out. You’re gonna love it! You’re also gonna love the fact that you can order the crawfish tails you need for this recipe while you’re there! You see, Cajun Crawfish is one of the largest crawfish farmers and shippers in Louisiana. They’re also a [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Crawfish, Main Dishes, Seafood, Side Dishes
Tags: Appetizers, crawfish, Seafood 2 Comments
18
May 2012
May 2012
When I’m waiting ever so impatiently for my order at the deli counter at Kroger, I tend to rummage through the prepared food and cheese counters for free samples and interesting food finds. That’s a dangerous thing when I’m hungry, because it’s during those weak “I’ve gotta have it now” moments that I tend to buy items that disappoint (more so with the prepared foods than the cheeses). But recently, I snagged a container of this Buffalo Blue Cheese Dip that turned out to be delicious. In fact, it was so good my girls begged me to learn how to [ ... ]
11
May 2012
May 2012
Globe artichokes get a lot of table time in the Crescent City thanks to the French settlers who brought them to Louisiana from the Mediterranean back in the 1800s and the Creole-Italians (among many others) who knew how to cook them. Interestingly, it’s been said that Louisiana was home to the first commercial artichokes fields. They flourished in and around various parts of South Louisiana including a small patch of land in New Orleans currently known as the Warehouse District. In the early 1940s, the crop mysteriously disappeared from these parts and today nearly 100% of all the country’s globe [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Sauces, Side Dishes, Vegetables
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