Foods I Fancy

I tend to get on food kicks.  My latest obsession is raw oysters.  Forrest and I went on a date to a local oyster bar for my birthday earlier in the year and it was fabulous.  The oysters were perfection and I loved dining right up at the bar and talking with the "Shuckers".  Well I can't stop eating raw oysters since then, I have probably been back 6 times with anyone I can convince to tag along.  Six revisits is a lot considering my birthday was only three weeks ago and I have a two year old which makes family visits near impossible.

These little food crushes aren't new.  I can remember a time in college where I became infatuated with eating seafood gumbo and I had it for every meal for several weeks.  When I like something, I REALLY like it when it comes to food.  My Mom describes it as extreme, and she tends to believe it applies to other parts of my personality as well - but that is irrelevant (maybe).

This recipe came at a time when I was enamored with the idea of a poached or fried egg on everything.  I just can't get enough of the rich runny yolk and the flavor element it adds to a dish.  This meal was awesome and I loved the addition of the andouille sausage to the grits, oh so Southern!

Pigs in Poke
Adapted from Cooking Light November 2012

 

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons butter
• 1 ounce andouille sausage, diced and skin removed
• 3 cups 2% reduced-fat milk 
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 cup uncooked stone-ground grits
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 1/3 cup of shredded Gouda cheese
• 8 cups water
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 4 large eggs 
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

 

Preparation

1. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sausage; sauté 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.



Stir in 3 cups milk and 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Add grits; reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes



or until tender, stirring frequently.



Remove from heat; stir in 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cheese.




2. Bring 8 cups water and vinegar to a simmer in a large saucepan.   Crack each egg into a small bowl. Use the handle of a wooden spoon to spin the water into a little cyclone-like formation. Gently slide eggs into water;



cook 3 minutes or until whites are just set and the egg floats to the surface.



Remove eggs from water with a slotted spoon. Drain on a paper towel lined plate.

3. Divide grits evenly among 4 bowls. Top each serving with 1 poached egg; sprinkle eggs evenly with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and parsley.



 Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe.

Hot Liquid Food For Me

 We have been having some yucky weather in New Orleans, very yucky - I'm talking cold, grey, foggy and rainy - total soup weather.  I think I have made 3 soups in the last 5 days. I have never been a big tomato basil soup fan, but since I am on a soup roll I decided to give this one a try.  I like the creaminess that the cream cheese adds and I think next time I would blend for longer to ensure more of a smooth consistency, but overall this was a good starter recipe.

 

Tomato Basil Soup
Adapted from Cooking Light March 2012

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion 
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 (28-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, cut into cubes
• 2 cups 1% low-fat milk 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook for 1 minute.



 Add basil and tomatoes; bring to a boil.

 

2.  Stir in cheese



until melted.



Place mixture in blender or use an immersion blender (this is easier in my opinion), and blend until smooth.



Return to pan; stir in milk, salt, and pepper. Return to medium-high; cook 2 minutes.

Serve Immediatley.


Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

Across the Pond, and Back

I was fortunate to travel to the UK when I was fourteen and it happened to be the one and only time I had ever eaten Beef Stroganoff.  I actually remember it being a pretty pitiful experience.  I think I recall adjectives like gross, inedible and yucky.  As bad food experiences tend to do, it turned me off of the dish for the last 15 or so years.  I never desired to give Beef Stroganoff another try until I saw this recipe in the latest edition of my favorite magazine.  I considered that I was a picky 14 year old, it was a hotel banquet type dinner and I was in another country (one that isn't typically known for its cuisine).  And not to say that the dish wasn't actually bad, but all of these factors certainly could have contributed to my opinion at the time.  I love beef and mushrooms and sour cream, so I had high hopes that my first impression of this dish would be wrong.  And it was!  I really liked this; it was flavorful, hearty and comforting. 

Beef Stroganoff
Adapted from Cooking Light January 2013

Ingredients

• 6 1/2 cups water, divided
• 6 ounces uncooked egg noodles
• 1 pound sirloin steak, trimmed
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup chopped onion 
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon hot paprika
• 1 (6-ounce) package presliced cremini mushrooms
• 1 cup lower-sodium beef broth, divided
• 5 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup fat-free sour cream 
• 3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions 
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

 

Preparation

1. Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add noodles; cook 7 minutes or until al dente. Drain.

2. Cut beef across the grain into 1/4-inch-wide strips; cut strips into 2-inch pieces.



3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add beef to pan; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper; sauté 4 minutes or until browned.



Remove beef from pan leaving juices in the pan. Add 1 cup onion, remaining 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, paprika, and mushrooms to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Reduce heat to medium.




4. Combine 1/4 cup beef broth and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add broth mixture,



beef, remaining 3/4 cup broth, green onions and remaining 1/2 cup water to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.



Cover and cook 8 minutes or until sauce thickens. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and butter.



Serve beef mixture over egg noodles; sprinkle with parsley.


Click Here for My Printable Adapted Recipe.

"Rock"ing around the Christmas Tree

I was recently given the opportunity to receive some complimentary treats for Holiday baking from an awesome company called Oh Nuts.  I picked something a little less conventional than chocolate chips or pecans.  I was surely going to use my choice for the holidays, but it wouldn't be for baking.  I saw the image below on Pinterest and knew that I would have to recreate it on my own.  Rock Candy is such a fun and rarely seen treat and I LOVE champagne.  This picture is from the original source, as my pictures weren't nearly as gorgeous so I decided to share my inspiration picture instead.  Even though I don't have photographic evidence, this was still so pretty and fun in person.  The rock candy makes the champagne fizzle when you first drop it in and then as it sits in the champagne it slightly sweetens the bubbly.  This is a must do for Christmas or for New Year's Eve!

** Image Credit: Hostess with the Mostess

And since I didn't include my own picture of the champagne/rock candy concoction, enjoy some pictures below of my Casual Christmas Table Setting.

This is how I set my table in our breakfast area for our upcoming Christmas get togethers that are less formal.

I love to decorate for Christmas and had so much fun with this laid back theme using Christmas plaid and natural elements like burlap, fake snow and berries.

 

I love being able to use my white everyday china and mix it up to match the specified holiday and decor.

I am obsessed with the recently ubiquitous antlers in decorating right now, so I instantly fell in love with these deer silhouette glasses.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!  Merry Christmas!

Christmas Wishlist 2012

My last post got quite a bit of positive feedback.  Several of you expressed your pleasure with the "round-up" format I did earlier in the week so I decided to do one more similar post while people are still in shopping mode.  My last list was made up of things I own, love and can attest to their benefits.  This group is my Christmas Wish List.  I channeled my 7 year old self and made a long list of things I want Santa to bring me with zero regard for price, availability or practicality.  And since Santa no longer leaves this Momma gifts under the tree, this is pretty much just a list of amazing gift ideas for YOUR foodie friends and family.  Enjoy!

1./2./3./4./5./6./7./8.

1.   I have recently been bitten by the Blue and White China/Pottery bug.  I want to collect bunches of beautiful pieces and group them on top of my kitchen cabinets.  This ginger jar is very pricey, but insanely beautiful.  If you keep your eye out, you can find similar pieces at antique shops and on Etsy that are much more inexpensive.

2.  Gift cards are boring, but the latest gift card offering from Cleaver & Co. is pure genius.  Here is the explanation from their website "Explore your way through the animal with the Cleaver & Co. whole animal card. With this card you can get a tour of every section of the animal, sampling a cut from each primal. Cards are available for beef and pork and function as a punch card as you explore your way through the animal, picking up your cuts when you want them and in the order you want."  Amazing, no?!?!  I really think this is the coolest thing ever.  A gift card that just keeps giving, and when the giving comes in the form of meat..... I am sold!

3.  I love the look of these antique dough bowls.  They are so pretty and organic and I would love to have one as an everyday center piece on my long rectangular breakfast table.  I would have a blast changing out what I put inside.  

4.  In the last post I expressed my love of fancy salts.  And fancy salts deserve an equally fancy receptacle.  I would love this olive wood salt keeper to place next to my stove for quick access during cooking.  And you can get this version monogrammed.  Be still my heart!  This Southern girl loves a good monogram.  Absolutely geourgeous!

5.  Although I love my cookbooks, probably 80% of the recipes I cook from these days are accessed on my iPad.  When I saw this accessory I was immediately in love.  Sturdy, eye-level and in the precise most convenient location. 

6.  So this isn't an item you can order online or purchase at a Brick & Mortar store.  This is one of those gifts that require time, dedication and love. I.E. someone has to make it (Forrest, wink wink!).  I really really want my own herb garden, but I want something simple and low maintenance.  How about unique and eye pleasing too?  I saw this tiny herb garden on Pinterest about six months ago and I haven't stopped thinking about it since.  So clever!

7.  One thing I would love to receive as a gift anytime of year is another set of my formal china.  I was lucky enough to amass ten place settings as wedding gifts, but I have a large family on both sides and would love to have enough place settings to use my china for nice adult gatherings.  Twelve place settings would be ideal for my needs.  I don't plan on letting these pretties sit in a cabinet.  I use them and want to continue to every chance I can.  I think a good source of gift ideas is someone's old wedding registry.  What part of their registry was never complete?  It is a sure fire way to ensure they will love their gift, since they asked for it after all ;-)

8.  I love this Le Crueset Utensil Crock.  In fact, I already own one.  But mine is red and it doesn't match my kitchen decor.  I want it in white so I can retire my useful but out of place fire engine red version. 

**Note: I have not been compensated by any of these brands for this post.  These are simply products that I think would make lovely Christmas gifts for your loved ones or for me ;-)

Favorite Things 2012

One of my favorite features on some of my favorite blogs is when they do their "Favorite Things" round ups.  I don't have the opportunity to do that type of thing here since my blog is a recipe blog and I strive to stay true to that format.  However, I figured with the upcoming holidays that call for gift giving it would be a good opportunity for me to share some of my favorite kitchen/food related things from the last year.  This isn't a collection of my most used kitchen items (although I can do one of those too if you would like ;-).  These are some unique/specialty items that probably don't appear on a typical wedding registry, but have become very popular in my kitchen.  Any of these would be the perfect gift for the food enthusiast in your life and they span a range of price points too!

1./2./3./4./5./6./7./8./9./10.

1. I have wanted this cookbook for so long and finally ordered it a few weeks ago online.  I am a huge fan of Donald Link's restaurants here in New Orleans and I couldn't wait to own his cookbook.  It is awesome! I can't wait to make the Cajun Chicken and Dumpling recipe, it looks to die for!

2. This is a tablet/notepad of paper place mats - genius!  I can't get enough of these things.  We are a big place mat family, but they get so dirty and yucky that it is embarrassing to have them on our table after a couple of uses and in between washes.  But these you can use once, crumble and throw away - and they are so cute too!

3.  Ok, so I know I am late to the game on this one.  I remember when these things first started to become popular.  It was several years ago and I just wasn't interested.  I got one as a Christmas gift last year and have never looked back.  I have always loved coffee, but was never a morning coffee drinker.  Since I got my Keurig I can't function without my first cup.  I love trying new K-Cup flavors and I also use it to make mugs of hot water for my tea addiction.

4.  Forrest and I love using fancy salts to enhance normal everyday dishes or as a finishing touch to something that is already very special.  If you haven't dabbled in the world of fine salts yet I highly recommend it, you will notice a difference immediately!  We have become quite the salt snobs in our household.  And I mean how cute is this trio?  This is my idea of the perfect stocking stuffer!

5. Paper Straws are the new party hat in my opinion - the must have party supply.  They are so cute bunched together and displayed in a mason jar or already doled out into individual champagne flutes waiting to greet freshly poured cocktails.  They come in a variety of colors and patterns and I never host a get together anymore without a coordinating set.

6. I don't normally give pre-prepared packaged food items as gifts.  I like to cook and I know that freshly made goodies are always so much more delicious than the store-bought goods.  But if you aren't willing to spend time in the kitchen baking Christmas goodies and want to give an edible treat as a gift this year, these chocolate covered honey pecans are the way to go.  I first tasted these several years back when Forrest and I visited Pike's Place Market and I was instantly in love.  I still order them to this day for a special treat around our house.  The funny thing is that I don't really like chocolate OR pecans.  But it doesn't matter one bit, these are insanely delicious and would make anyone on the receiving end very happy.

7. The few people reading this that know me personally know that I am a HUGE champagne drinker.  Definitely my drink of choice.  The problem with being a champagne drinker is that lots of people aren't or only partake on celebratory occasions so I often don't have a partner to help me finish a bottle.  I love this little gadget and one little twist ensures a tight seal that will keep your bubbly bubbly.

8.  I love my Silpat baking mat and wish I had one for every cookie sheet I owned.  I normally bake in large batches and only having one makes me want to scream.  Cutting out parchment and trying to make it fit the pan is maddening.  This would be the perfect gift for the cook/baker in your life because even if they already own one, chances are they would love to have another one.

9. I never owned soup spoons until very recently.  I just didn't think to register for them and then once I realized I really needed them it was hard to find a good set.  I make soup a lot and was embarrassed to serve a bowl with a huge tablespoon.  I don't think my guest really minded, but I think eating soup with a proper soup spoon is so much more enjoyable and it irked me to not be able to provide that luxury to my guest.  Forrest and Rex gave me a proper set for Mother's Day this year and I couldn't have asked for anything better!

10. And last but not least is another local New Orleans cookbook.  Some of my most requested recipes have come from this book and once you read the premise it will be no surprise why.  "After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, thousands of people lost their keepsakes and family treasures forever. As residents started to rebuild their lives, The Times-Picayune of New Orleans became a post-hurricane swapping place for old recipes that were washed away in the storm. The newspaper has compiled 250 of these delicious, authentic recipes along with the stories about how they came to be and who created them."

**Note: I have not been compensated by any of these brands for this post.  These are simply products that I use frequently in my day to day life and happen to love. 

Honey Do!

We have been suffering through a series of sore throats in our house. I have taken to hot tea and honey for relief.  The huge honey jar on my counter left me thinking of other honey uses.  And I know this really seems too easy to be considered a recipe, but it is a nice way to dress up some fresh bread.  I have been known to always balance out my sweet with salty, so enters the sea salt!  Give this one a try, you won't be disappointed.

Salted Honey Butter

Ingredients: 

• 1 stick of Unsalted Butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon of Grade A Honey
• 1/4 teaspoon of Sea Salt

Preparation:

1.  Whip the unsalted butter using an electric mixer for about 2 minutes until soft and fluffy.  Make sure the butter is already room temperature, this will help make the whipping process faster.



2.  Add Honey and Salt with the mixer running and whip for another 1 minute until all of the honey is fully incorporated.

 3.  Place whipped butter in a ramekin and top with a sprinkle of sea salt.  Serve at room temperature with fresh bread or cornbread.




Click Here for My Printable Recipe