I’m sharing a recipe from a fellow blogger today.  Is there anything better than warm yeast rolls with butter?  There is something so comforting about the flavor.  My step daughter served these delicious rolls at Easter and I had to have the recipe.  She surfs the web as much as I do and quickly told me “Baker Bettie”.  Never having heard of this blog I could not wait to get home and look it up.  I was not disappointed!

You can find this blog at www.bakerbettie.com.  There is so much deliciousness to be found on the site you’ll love taking your time, browsing through recipes and the many other things you’ll find there.

BakerBettie.com

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Melissa | food & entertaining | 04 7th, 2016 | No Comments »

While visiting friends on St. Simons Island I had the pleasure to have dinner with some of my closest friends and neighbors.  We are all into preparing good, fresh food and enjoying a great time together.  I’m featuring a sauce today that has many uses.  I first tasted it when it was used to baste grilled chicken and then served on the side for those who wanted more.  It is simple to prepare and so delicious.  It would be delicious with pork tenderloin or grilled fish as well.  I actually ate a spoonful of it and loved the flavors as they popped in my mouth.  Toss a mixed green salad and you’ve got a great meal.  Scroll down and see what I served with this as well!  Yum!

WHITE SAUCE PIQUANT

2 cups good mayonnaise (I like Blue Plate)

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup apple juice

2 teaspoons horseradish

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and seal tightly.  You can use this as a marinade, to baste grilled meat as well as a sauce on the side.  It keeps for two weeks when sealed and refrigerated.

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PARMESAN STACKED POTATOES

I saw a recipe for Parmesan Stacked Potatoes and knew they would be the perfect accompaniment to the grilled chicken I served with the white sauce.  This is easy and delicious!

6 medium Yukon Gold Potatoes

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Slice the potatoes thinly with a mandolin or a very sharp knife.  Place the sliced potatoes in a large bowl and toss with the butter, salt, pepper, garlic and cheese.  Grease a muffin tin that makes larger muffins.  Stack the sliced potatoes in each muffin space, filling to the top, bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour.  Remove from the muffin tins and place on a pan lined with parchment paper.  Broil on medium until the potatoes are golden brown and crisp.  Garnish with chopped parsley or fresh thyme and serve.

Melissa | food & entertaining | 03 31st, 2016 | 2 Comments »

For me, being a “foodie” means that I have an overwhelming amount of cookbooks and printed recipes from various on-line sites. One of my notebooks is full of recipes from so many years ago I’m not going to say but it’s around 40! I’m on a cleaning out mission as Spring arrives.  I’m sorting through, deleting, and categorizing ….making life simpler!  This recipe/menu is definitely one of our favorites and one I’m keeping!  I’m substituting Louisiana shrimp for the crab meat that is called for.  This is simple, delicious and something you can proudly serve guests!

Bronzed Red Snapper with Wild Shrimp Sauce

Sauteed String Beans with Grape Tomatoes and Almonds

Grilled Pineapple with Mascarpone and Nutella

Sauvignon Blanc

Bronzed Red Snapper with Wild Shrimp Sauce

For 2

1 Red Snapper, fileted and bones removed

1 tablespoon Zatarain’s Cajun Spice

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 pound fresh shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 teaspoon Zatarain’s Cajun Spice

juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 clove garlic finely minced

a splash of heavy cream

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives

Sprinkle the fish with the cajun spice blend.  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet until the oil is just smoking.  Quickly “bronze” the fish, about 3 minutes on each side.  Remove the fish from the pan and deglaze with the white wine.  Simmer for a couple of minutes, then add the shrimp, lemon juice and garlic.  Simmer until the shrimp are cooked through, about five minutes.  Add the heavy cream.  Place a fish filet on each plate and top with the shrimp sauce.  Sprinkle with fresh chives and serve.

Sauteed String Beans with Grape Tomatoes and Almonds

1/2 pound fresh string beans, ends snapped

1 handful grape tomatoes

1/3 cup sliced almonds

1 tablespoon butter

Melt the butter in a saute pan.  Add the string beans and cook over medium heat until just tender, about five minutes.  Add the tomatoes and almonds and continue to cook over low heat until the almonds have browned.  Season with pink salt and a bit of freshly ground pepper.

Grilled Pineapple with Mascarpone and Nutella

1 whole pineapple, peeled and cored, cut into 1/2 inch slices

coconut oil spray

1 small container mascarpone cheese

1 tablespoon honey

1 jar nutella

1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts

Heat the grill to medium heat, spray the pineapple with coconut oil spray and grill for a couple of minutes on each side.  Mix the mascarpone with the honey and heat the nutella a bit so it will be “runny” (I do this by boiling water in a saucepan and placing the jar of nutella in the hot water for about five minutes.  Toast the hazelnuts in a 350 degree oven for about five minutes.  To assemble, place to pineapple slices on each plate.  Put a dollop of the mascarpone mixture on top and drizzle with nutella.  Sprinkle the hazelnuts on top and garnish with a fresh mint leaf if you’d like.  SO DELICIOUS!!!

Melissa | Finally Friday!, food & entertaining | 03 24th, 2016 | 2 Comments »

It’s St. Patrick’s Day and I’m wearing and serving the traditional green!  I would feature Corned Beef, but it’s not one of my favorites….I’ll leave the preparation of that to you!  What I am sharing is a recipe from Bon Appetit.  Colcannon is one of my favorite Irish dishes.  I think you’ll enjoy making and serving this delicious traditional recipe.  Scroll down a bit for a tasty addition to your meal as well!

Mrs. O’Callaghan’s Irish Soda Bread:

Melissa | food & entertaining | 03 17th, 2016 | 2 Comments »

This pot is one of my favorite things….I love this pot it makes me happy!  Yes, it is a “thing”, but from this pot have come some of the most delicious meals you can imagine.  It is a “Staub”, French “La Cocotte”.  White Coq au Vin, my family’s Texas Chili recipe, every kind of soup you can imagine and stews have been prepared in this cast iron, enamel pot.  The house is always filled with the rich aroma of herbs and other ingredients gently simmering.  Last week, when I would normally have made red beans and rice, the Louisiana Monday night staple supper, I found no red beans in the pantry.  Not wanting to go to the store I took a look at what I DID have and used French lentils instead.  I figure Creole and French go well together. After all, I’m living in a place settled by the French who created the delicious cuisine we now enjoy.

I had a package of what has become my favorite locally made chicken sausage with green onions, “Manda” is the brand.  It is slightly spicy and full of subtle flavors that add a delicious flavor to any dish calling for sausage.

After browning the sausage and draining it on paper toweling I added the absolute basis of most cooking in Louisiana, the Cajun Trinity.  Although called the Trinity, which would mean “three”, it is actually chopped onion, celery, green pepper, scallions and parsley.  Most of the time I buy the veggies and chop them myself, but since moving here I have discovered “Guidry’s” trinity, already chopped, preservative free and so easy to use.

I added lentils, rinsed and picked, through to the softened vegetables and a box of organic chicken broth.  A couple of bay leaves and a tablespoon or so of Tony’s Cajun Spice blend and Voila!

After covering and simmering for an hour I added another half box of broth and placed the sausage back into the pot to reheat for about fifteen minutes.  We enjoyed homemade cornbread muffins and a large tossed salad for a delicious meal.  Of course, a glass of good red wine was a must!  Here’s the recipe!  I hope you’ll try it and enjoy it as much as we all did.

Lentils and Green Onion Sausage

1 tablespoon good olive oil

2 links Manda green onion sausage

2 cups Cajun trinity

1 bag lentils

2-3 bay leaves

1 heaping tablespoon Tony’s Cajun Spice

2 boxes organic chicken broth

Salt and pepper to taste (the Tony’s is fairly salty so be sure to taste before adding.)

Brown the sausage and drain on paper toweling.  Saute the trinity in the same pot until the onion is transparent.  Add the bag of rinsed lentils and stir.  Add the seasoning and one box of broth.  Cover and simmer on low heat for about an hour.  You don’t want the lentils to get mushy.  Add another half box of broth and more if needed.  Return the cooked sausage to the pot and heat through for about fifteen minutes.  Easy and delicious!  Enjoy!!!

Melissa | food & entertaining | 03 8th, 2016 | No Comments »

‘Tis the season for these delectable little creatures!  Boiled with plenty of Cajun spice they are one of my favorite things!  If you don’t know what they are, and, no, they are not lobster, they are Crawfish.  These freshwater shellfish are considered a delicacy throughout Louisiana.

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Now is the time for Crawfish Etoufee, Crawfish Jambalaya, Crawfish boils and gumbo….the list goes on and on.  Our favorite way to enjoy them is boiled, spicy enough to leave a burn on your lips, with plenty of ice cold beer.  In a boil, like the picture above, you’ll find corn and small new potatoes.  I prefer to have just the crawfish and forego the carbs!  They may look like lobster but the sweet piece of meat you’ll find in the tail has a flavor all its own.

Columbia Street Seafood in Covington, LA is becoming one of our favorite places.  They boil up some of the best crawfish I have ever eaten in the entire state.  It’s not a large place but it is packed with a steady clientele enjoying trays piled with fresh boiled crawfish, crab and even lobster.  It is nothing out of the ordinary to see a line out the door and three deep at the counter.  We prefer to bring our order home, spread the table outdoors with newspaper and pour them out with plenty of sturdy paper towels.

In 1983 the governor of Louisiana named these little bits of deliciousness the state Crustacean.  People are serious about their crawfish in this state and I’m one of them.  If you’re interested in what goes in to a crawfish boil scroll down for a recipe.  If you are interested in ordering a few pounds on line go here:  http://www.lacrawfish.com/

Zatarain’s Crawfish Boil

Melissa | food & entertaining | 02 23rd, 2016 | 2 Comments »

Comfort food is always one of my favorite things.  Food that makes you feel warm inside and satisfied.  The recipe for Cauliflower Cheese Pie from Mollie Katzen’s original Moosewood Cookbook has been at the top of my list for over thirty years now.  It always turns out perfectly!  A crunchy shredded potato crust and cheesy cauliflower provide the perfect combination.  Add a tossed green salad and you’ve got a great meal.  And don’t forget a good red wine to complete the menu!  The recipe may look like a lot of work but it goes together very quickly so don’t be shy…put it on the menu!

Cauliflower Cheese Pie with Potato Crust Recipe:
Yields: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

Potato Crust (see recipe below)
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
2 eggs (or 1 whole egg plus 1 egg white)
1/4 cup milk
Freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon butter or vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
Black Pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 medium-size cauliflower
1 3/4 cups grated Cheddar cheese, divided
Paprika

Tip: Use your food processor with grating attachment to grate cheese, potato, and onion (In that order). No need to clean your food processor in between ingredients.
Preparation:

Make Potato Crust and bake while you are preparing pie filling mixture.  See below.

Wash, remove core and leaves, trim, and coarsely chop the cauliflower.
In a frying pan over medium heat, heat butter or vegetable oil and then sauté onions, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt for 5 minutes. Add thyme, basil, parsley and cauliflower pieces; cook, covered, for approximately 9 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until cauliflower is tender. Remove from heat.In a small bowl, beat together 1/2 teaspoon salt, eggs, milk, pepper, and paprika: set aside.

Layer the baked potato crust with 1/2 of the grated cheese. Spoon cauliflower mixture over the top of the cheese, then sprinkle with remaining cheese over the top. Pour the milk/egg mixture over the top and lightly dust with paprika.

Bake approximately 35 to 40 minutes until a knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean or until the internal temperature registers 170 to 175 degrees F. on your cooking thermometer.

Remove from oven and serve. Serve either hot or warm.

Makes 1 (9-inch pie) – 4 to 6 servings.

Potato Crust:

2 firmly-packed cups grated raw potatoes
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated onion
Vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Adjust a rack to the middle position and either oil or spray a 9-inch pie pan with nonstick spray.

Place raw potatoes in a colander over a large bowl or your sink. Salt potatoes and let set for 10 minutes. Squeeze out the excess water.

In a medium bowl, combine grated grated potatoes, egg white, and onion; mix well. With lightly-floured fingers, pat potato mixture into prepared pie pan, building up the sides of the crust.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown (after the first 20 minutes brush the crust with vegetable oil to crisped it). Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

Melissa | food & entertaining | 02 15th, 2016 | No Comments »

It’s time to make a menu for Christmas Eve or day!  This is a wonderful selection of yummy dishes sure to please!  I hope you enjoy and have a safe and very merry celebration!

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Prunes and Shallots in a White Balsamic Reduction

Potato and Turnip Gratin

Fresh Organic Green Salad with Honey Crisp Apple and Toasted Pecans

Assorted Christmas Cookies

Bordeaux, your choice

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Roast Pork Tenderloin with Prunes and Shallots in a White Balsamic Reduction

Serves 6

1 boneless pork tenderloin

French gray sea salt and cracked black pepper

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon Sangre de Cristo Spice Company Herbes de Provence

1 cup pitted prunes

6 shallots peeled and halved, lengthwise

1/4 cup White Balsamic Vinegar with Fig Infusion (I use Alessi)

1/2 cup chicken broth

Rinse and pat the tenderloin dry.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a deep oven proof pan, preferably with a lid, heat the olive oil, sprinkle the tenderloin with salt and pepper.  Seer all sides of the meat in the heated oil.  Add the herbs, prunes, shallots vinegar and broth.  Let simmer for a couple of minutes then cover and place in the preheated oven for 1 hour.  I like to open the oven every fifteen minutes and spoon some of the juice over the meat, then replace the cover and continue cooking.  Insert a meat thermometer to insure you have a reading of 145 degrees.  Remove the meat from the oven and let it stand for about ten minutes before slicing and serving with the sauce spooned over or served on the side.

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Potato and Turnip Gratin

Serves 6

This recipe is so delicious!  I used an old Bon Apetit recipe to begin then wandered off, as I always do, finding my own path with it.

2 large russet potatoes, washed

4 large turnips, peeled

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup chicken broth

1 teaspoon herbes de provence

1 bayleaf

gray salt and pepper to taste

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

a dash of cayenne pepper and one of raw sugar

Topping:

1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese

1/2 cup shredded gruyere cheese

In a sauce pan, heat the cream, broth and remaining ingredients.  Bring the mixture to a simmer and let cook at very low heat for about 1/2 hour.  The mixture will have reduced a bit.  Pour this through a seive, into a large mixing bowl.

Slice the potatoes and turnips with a mandoline so that they are very thin.  If you are using a knife, be sure it is VERY sharp and make the slices as “paper” thin as possible.  Place the slices into the mixing bowl with the sauce then spoon out into an oblong, glass baking dish.  Cover the dish with foil and bake for one hour, with the pork, at 350 degrees.  After the hour is up, remove the foil.  Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the top and bake uncovered for another 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and golden.  NOTE:  You may want to begin baking this dish a half hour before the pork tenderloin.

Fresh Organic Green Salad with Honey Crisp Apple and Toasted Pecans

My neighbors have the most awesome garden.  I got a very welcome phone call asking if I’d be interested in some greens they had just picked from their garden.  YES….was my reply.  I tossed the greens, after washing them and spinning them dry, with on organic Honey Crisp apple and about a cup of slice, toasted pecans.  A simple vinaigrette completed the job.  Here’s my tried and true vinaigrette recipe:

1/4 cup good olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

gray salt and pepper to task

Whisk together and pour over the salad….then toss.

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Assorted Christmas Cookies

Whatever your favorites are, offer them up for dessert and make it easy on yourself!  A bit of the bubbly or a nice, strong espresso…..or both!  These are some of my favorites.

Melissa | Finally Friday!, food & entertaining | 12 18th, 2015 | No Comments »

It’s Finally Friday and I’m back with a great recipe that is quick to make and oh so delicious!  When a family is moving it is easy to grab something from a fast food establishment or food market than to cook.  Add to that the fact that just after we moved here I underwent a full left knee replacement and that explains why I have not been posting about food very much.  I was concerned about gaining weight while off my feet but the opposite has happened.  I’m feeling better and more fit than I have in a very long time.  So I’m back in the kitchen, getting creative and coming up with recipes I think you’ll love!  Today’s recipe works as an easy weekend meal that even guests will love!  Pair it with a cold Corona and you’ve got it going!

Black Bean Enchiladas

Makes 10 enchiladas

1 package of white corn tortillas

1 can organic black beans, drained and rinsed

1 fresh, red bell pepper chopped

1 sweet onion finely chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon good quality chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

2 cans “Hatches” Green Chili enchilada sauce

3 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Heat the enchilada sauce in a pot until just simmering.  Heat the olive oil in a medium size skillet over medium heat and add the onion, cooking until it is just transparent.  Add the chopped bell pepper, rinsed black beans and garlic and heat through.  Grease an oblong pyrex or other pan and pour 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce into the bottom and spread to cover.  Take one tortilla and dip it into the remaining sauce to soften it.  Place it in the baking dish and spoon the black bean mixture  down the middle and sprinkle with a bit of cheese.  Gently fold one side of the tortilla over the other and place seam side down in the baking dish.  Repeat this method until you have made 10 enchiladas.  Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle the rest of the shredded cheese over the top.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Uncover and back for ten more minutes, the cheese will be melted and the sauce should be bubbly around the sides.

Guacamole Salsa

2 large, ripe avocados

1 bunch of scallions finely chopped, including the green ends

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced

1/2 cup fresh cilantro washed and chopped

juice of one fresh lime

salt and pepper to taste

Optional:

Shredded Iceberg Lettuce

Sour cream

To serve the enchiladas:

Place two enchiladas on each plate.  Top with shredded lettuce then guacamole salsa and sour cream.  Serve with tortilla chips if desired and don’t forget that icy cold beer!  Enjoy!

Melissa | Finally Friday!, food & entertaining, Home&Garden | 12 11th, 2015 | No Comments »

New Orleans is known for good food.  Even the smallest cafe will offer a delicious gumbo or blackened steak.  But most well known when it comes to delicious Creole food is the Brennan family and it’s famous restaurant, Commander’s Palace, in the city’s Garden District.  Having worked at Commander’s for years our son-in-law is now general manager at their sister restaurant, Cafe Adelaide.  I was eager to try it out so off we went!

Named after their aunt, Adelaide, her nieces and nephew began this cafe as a tribute to her joie de vivre and her habit of always looking on the bright side and living the good life.  The restaurant is located on the main floor of the Loew’s Hotel at the corner of Poydras and St. Peter, just across the boulevard from the famous French Quarter.

When you visit the Cafe on the weekend you’ll want to don your best hat!  Entering into this fine eating establishment with your fanciest chapeau will provide you a choice of free signature martinis to accompany your meal.  The menu clearly says a limit of three (cause that’s enough!).  Aunt Adelaide loved fine food and libations, she would certainly be pleased!  Our sweet Em got a little carried away with the hats, but don’t worry, no martinis passed her lips!

I am a brunch lover so having heard of Cafe Adelaide’s “Brunch With Hat-itude!” I knew I was in for a treat.  I was not disappointed.  Chef Carl has put together a menu of such delectable items it’s enough to make a foodies head spin!  His take on corndogs, made with whole Gulf shrimp and Tasso, lightly battered and served on a pool of five pepper jelly with pickled okra garnish is simply heaven!

You might also find paradise in The Boucherie Biscuit.  A light as air buttermilk biscuit split and topped with braised pork shoulder, topped with two poached eggs, Andouille country gravy and a generous dollop of Creole slaw.  When you visit Cafe Adelaide you’ll find out for yourself!

I, personally, cannot resist Shrimp Remoulade.  Large, succulent Gulf shrimp, bathed in remoulade sauce and presented atop the freshest, crispest greens and raw veggies.  Local produce plays a big role in the menu items as well as fresh caught fish and seafood.  You’ll find only the best….not a surprise to me.

Did anyone mention dessert?  Lift me up to the heavens!  A delectable Meyer lemon trifle topped with homemade candied ginger ice cream….

A luscious dense chocolate brownie with freshly made coconut sorbet…..

Or the Cafe’s fabulous cheesecake, made with their very own house made Creole cream cheese.  It’s drizzled with a bit of blackberry liqueur and garnished with the freshest berries to be found.  You have to save room for dessert, don’t even think of leaving without it.

My trip to Cafe Adelaide was memorable leaving me yearning to go back for more!  Aunt Adelaide is surely smiling down from a fluffy cloud, wearing one of her signature fur coats, red hair blazing in the sun.  Or maybe she’s wandering through the tables, with a wink and a smile as she enjoys seeing diner’s enjoy this wonderful eatery named in her honor.  I’m sure she would say “Cheers” to all!

And Miss Em?  She was completely tuckered out from all of the fun!  Brunch at Cafe Adelaide is “kid friendly”, a wonderful way to spend a Saturday or Sunday morning!

Cafe Adelaide | 300 Poydras Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 | 504.595.3305

Melissa | food & entertaining | 10 14th, 2015 | 1 Comment »