Pilgrimage with Brown Gravy

For many, intense devotion leads to pilgrimage.   With a singular focus, the faithful travel long distances to bow in reverence and pay homage.  And so, today my family made our journey, our pilgrimage, all the way to Chalmette and the 'Mecca of Macaroni.'  With our fast underway (well, since breakfast), we headed to a place so sacred that it could only exist in a parish named after a saint.

At Rocky & Carlo's in St. Bernard Parish ("Da Parish"), life is really quite simple.  There are no deep issues, smoldering grievances, or political ploys.  It all  boils down to this:  red gravy or brown gravy.  You either go one way or the other.  No one is 'bi' gravy at Rocky's.  For me?  Sliced Roast with brown gravy on my macaroni.  My husband?  Definitely red gravy.  My kids?  Hamburgers.  I know... I'm sure they should go to confession for that.

You've got to love a place like this.  I mean, heck, Ladies are invited... it says so right on the window!  And, better yet, Father Time and the Surgeon General have passed them by.  You can go in, order a WOP salad and no one is offended in the least.  And I guarantee you that an entree for "one" is only truly "for one" if that "one" is Andre The Giant.

The patrons? They're part of the feast!  There's the lady all dolled up in sequins - at lunch.  She's seated one table down from the men who are covered in paint  - a reflection of the area's ongoing recovery from Katrina.  Then there's the 'newbies' (read: tourists) trying to decipher the menu beside those who, by the size of their jeans, have been to Rocky's a little too often.  Then there's the two deaf guys, signing away (with 'yat' accents, I suppose?) who had ordered poboys for lunch.  No worries about talking and eating at the same time, I guess.

All I know is, I am grateful that I can sit at Rocky & Carlo's and enjoy something so much more than lunch with my kids.  I can tell them stories of when I used to go there with my parents, siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins. It's a chance to share part of my family history and our area's culture and heritage.  And, the way we've been losing local icons in the last decade or two, I'm just glad Rocky's is still here!

Wherever you live, there is a 'Rocky & Carlo's' - a small, family-owned restaurant with the grease and smoke of generations clinging to the ceiling tiles.  (And I mean that in the best possible way!)  So, the next time you and your kids get hungry, take a drive to the old neighborhood, right past the chain restaurants and fast food joints.  In times like this, the little family joints could really use the business and, besides, they've got real food.  If eating has a religion, each one is a cathedral.

Questions?  Comments?  Please email me at aintjuliachild@gmail.com

P.S. 'Hola' to my new friends in Columbia!

MAID IN CHINA

There's a lot of science in what I do around here.  No, I'm not talking about the chemistry of how little flour and fat molecules come together - with lots of heat and stirring - to thicken my gumbo.  I'm talking about Behavioral Science, real psycho stuff.  For instance, here's one of my favorite experiments:  How long will my family walk past that one lonely sock on the hallway floor before someone actually bends over and picks it up? A day?  Three?  A week?

Of course, the answer is:  They will ignore the sock for as long as it takes for me to lose my mind and/or give in and bring it to the laundry basket.  So, you see what I'm up against?

Hence, there are days when I must shut down everything else that is otherwise productive (writing, exercising, researching opportunities, running a million errands for "them") and strictly be "The Maid."  And I'm not talking about some cute costume with an apron and a feather duster.  We're talking, torn t-shirt, hair like Carrot Top (on a bad hair day) with dirty underwear under one arm and a dustpan under the other.

So, on days like this, I turn to my trusty stockpile of leftovers to throw something together.  Like "they" deserve it, right?   Tonight's menu makes use of the pork loin of a few days ago.  I think I saw some carrots in a bag so I'll use that.  And I know I've got rice.  Hmmmm.....Pork Curry, anyone?  Let's get cooking....

Pork Curry:  Maid In China
1.5 lb leftover pork loin
1.5 cups leftover pork loin gravy (see Tuesday's blog)
4 cups fresh carrots, peeled and bias cut
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 cups leftover broccoli
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 tbsp red curry (in a jar at the grocery store on the international aisle)
water as needed
olive oil
This takes five minutes of prep and five minutes of cooking - aside from the rice, of course.  I'll be a hero in a flash! First, cook some white rice and set it on the side.  How much?  How much do you want?  Just do it.  How?  Read the bag of rice.  Now.  Wash, peel and slice your carrots.  Slice and julienne your pork into bite-sized pieces.  Get a big, deep fry pan.  Drizzle about 2 tbsp olive (or sesame, if you prefer) oil on the bottom of the pan.  Add the carrots and saute them until they start to get a little carmelization (browning) on the edges.  Now add the garlic.  Stir briefly.  Now add the sherry.  Now the pork.  Stir.  Add some water if you need a little liquid.  Now add the broccoli and the red curry paste.  Toss gently.  Add your leftover gravy.  Toss again.  (You can also use packaged gravy if you don't have any.)  Now let the whole thing simmer for a few minutes till the pork is heated.  Adjust the flavor.  I like mine with a spicy kick. 

Voila! (How do you say that in Chinese??)  So, you see, with the right leftovers (RIGHTovers?), a few fresh ingredients and an imagination - dinner is served.  The Maid's got it Made....in China.  Why not, everything ELSE is.....

Questions?  Comments?  Please email me at aintjuliachild@gmail.com

P.S.  Bon Jour, Belgium!

Oxy Moron - Party of Five

Down here in the Deep South, we're in the throws of Winter.  That, of course, amounts to a few weeks of cold, rainy weather - nothing you'd ever have to shovel.  I know, hard to find anyone who'll feel sorry for us, right?  Well, we earned this, dammit, for suffering through 100 degree heat factors with 100 percent humidity last August.  It's a kind of trade-off.  And I realize just how lucky we are as I watch the news and see cars turned into ice sculptures in their driveways.  Yikes!

Anywho, since it's Winter, I've pulled out all my heartiest recipes to fortify the troops around here.  These are the kinds of things we eat to fuel the inner furnace for our Winter activities.   We're no strangers to the chill, you know.  We get out there and 'rough it' too doing things like, oh, standing around on the street for several hours catching Mardi Gras beads or carousing the French Quarter, sampling great music from one club to  another.  Takes a stout heart - and full belly - to brave those kinds of hardships!

To wit, I picked up a lean pork loin to roast in the oven.  Seems like "lean" and "pork" don't belong together, right?  It's rather like "jumbo shrimp" and "stay-at-home Mom."  But, in any event, to feed my Oxy Morons (the lengths I won't go for a grin), I'm taking that pork loin and smothering it in onions and apples.  Let's get cookin'....

PORK LOIN WITH ONIONS AND APPLES
1/2 pork loin (about 3 lbs)
olive oil
2 tbsp pork seasoning (I used McCormick's)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp thyme
1 onion, sliced into rings
1 apple sliced into thin wedges
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Mix the last four ingredients into a dry rub.  Wash the loin and pat dry with paper towels.  Place it into a deep oven-proof dish.  Rub it all over with olive oil.  Then sprinkle it with the rub you made, reserving 1/4.  In a bowl, toss the apples and onions with a drizzle of olive oil and the remaining rub.  Distribute the onions and apples evenly on either side of the pork loin.  Add a little water, sherry or wine to the bottom of the pan and put it in the oven.  Bake for app. 1.5 hours - checking the temperature at 1 hour with a meat thermometer.

When the loin is done, remove it to a platter.  Put the pan with juices, onions and apples over a low flame on the stove.  Thicken with corn starch (1 tsp corn starch + 1 cup cold water) and simmer till it thickens.  Taste and season your gravy.  Slice the loin and serve each piece with onion/apple gravy and mint jelly on the side.

For side dishes, I made wild rice and broccoli au gratin.  Many full and happy tummies around here!  I might make them go shovel some rainwater after all.  Hmmm.....

P.S.  Want to send a shout out to our newest friends in Switzerland!

Questions?  Comments?  Please email me at aintjuliachild@gmail.com

Secret From Hell's Kitchen

I've got a delicious secret.  If you're a fan of television's "Hell's Kitchen," you're going to eat this UP!  Or maybe not.  Either way, be forewarned....spoiler alert!  Stop reading now if you don't want to know possibly the best kept secret in the entire culinary world.  Ok, I warned you.  Here goes.....

CHEF GORDON RAMSAY is a totally nice guy.  A homeboy.  A mensch.  A pussycat.  Can you believe it??  Even my daughter (the one in the wolf hat) was blown away.  Just last night, when she and I were watching "Kitchen Nightmares," she said, "Mommy, I don't like this mean man.  All he does is get people really PO'd."  And just look at her now!  He won her over when he scratched behind the wolf hat's ear.

"Kitchen Nightmares" is in town shooting at our friends' restaurant.  Predictably, he brought them 'to hell and back' but, I can tell you, the result is heavenly!  So, starting Tuesday, you can go experience the new "Zeke's Family Restaurant" ala Chef "Sweetiepie" Ramsay!

Oh, and here's the best part!  No recipe tonight, y'all.  I'm going OUT to eat for Zeke's official re-launch!  I suggest you take a break from cooking too.

Questions?  Comments?  Please email me at aintjuliachild@gmail.com

Ode To A Toad

Raising children is a journey and the road is way too short.  Sometimes I look across the table at the three 'youngsters' sitting there and ache for the three 'babies' I used to know.  I've learned that the 'pitter-patter' of little feet is real and that its sweet music is fleeting.  Now I hear the shuffle of middle schoolers dragging untied high-tops to the breakfast table every morning.

Even the 'baby' stumbles in looking for her coffee (mostly milk and sugar, of course) to start the day.  And then the tug-of-war begins over who gets the paper first.  Thank God, it's still the 'funnies' they're after and not the Editorial page -- yet.  My babies are gone.  That door is closed.  And yet, there are still a few keys that can open a small crack for reminiscence to pour through.

Did I mention that my husband is King Of Breakfast?  Every day, His Awesomeness wakes up way before anyone else.  He gets the paper, starts the coffee and gets breakfast going.  Today, he made one of our favorites - a real throwback to mornings of Mr. Rogers,  Barney and The Teletubbies.  And, for just a moment, I looked across the table at my three babies again.

This is the easiest, most delicious way to eat an egg that I've ever had.  It's really for people who aren't good "flippers."  You know, those of us who break the yolk while trying to flip the egg?  Thos for whom "over easy" is "overly hard."  It's kind of like "Fried Eggs for Dummies."

TOAD IN A HOLE (with a bonnet)
1 slice of bread
1 egg
1 tbsp of butter
Take your slice of bread and place it on a flat surface.  Get a small juice glass or biscuit cutter (it's fun to use shaped cookie cutters) and cut the center out of the bread slice.  Save the center (The Bonnet).  Now, melt the butter in a fry pan.  Place the bread on top the butter.  Break the egg (The Toad) into the hole you cut in the slice.  Place the piece you cut out of the hole along side the slice - hopefully soaking up some of the melted butter.  Let the egg cook halfway (use your judgement, ok?).  Now, flip the whole thing over - bonnet too.  When the egg is cooked to your liking, slide the Toad In A Hole onto a plate.  Top off the egg with the toasted "bonnet."  YUM!  Flip on Mr. Rogers, fill a sippie-cup and enjoy.  (Oh, nevermind.)

Do you really need to see a picture of this?  Sorry, we ate them all too fast.  OK.  Here's a picture I found that looks a lot like ours.  They must have eaten The Bonnet already.  Can't blame them.

And so, my babies finished breakfast and I watched three 'big kids' head out the door for school.  For now, I'll cherish these small glimpses back to when they needed us more.  And, for now, I'll enjoy brushing big kid hair, helping with homework, unsnagging stuck zippers and kisses goodnight (while they last).

Questions?  Comments?  Please email at aintjuliachild@gmail.com

The Roast That Wouldn't Die

If they made a movie about my kitchen exploits, that would have to be the title.  I have this knack for buying humongous hunks of dead animal (mostly cows and pigs) at really cheap prices.  Then, I cook them and re-cook them and re-cook them till they're unrecognizable - and, yet, still delicious!

And so, remember the roast my husband made on Sunday when I was making movies?  The roast that turned into Roastbeef Hash on Monday, then Goulash on Tuesday?  Well, guess what?  It's here again!  This time, I'm taking the goulash and working that into Shepherd's Pie.  I'm adding some ground beef and chopped mushrooms but that leftover roast/hash/goulash is really going to kick up the flavor.  Let's get cookin'......

Shepherd's Pie
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp bacon fat (just 'cause I had some around)
1 chopped onion
2 cups chopped mushrooms
2 tbsp chopped garlic
2.5 pounds of ground beef (85/15 lean to fat ratio)
1 cup of leftover goulash
1/2 cup of wine
mashed potatoes
grated cheddar cheese
Take a large fry pan and add olive oil and bacon fat to it.  Turn on to medium heat and add onion.  When they start to turn translucent, add the ground beef.  Chop it up with your spoon to crumble.  Fry all this down for 5 minutes till the beef starts to turn brown.  Add the mushrooms.  I chopped mine up fine in the processor so my kids would get some fiber and not know they were eating mushrooms.  You can leave yours chunky if you want to.  Now add the garlic being careful not to let it burn because it will get bitter if you do.  Stir all that around for a minute or two.  Now add whatever seasonings you like and the wine.  This now should be the consistency of meat sauce.  Separately, prepare mashed potatoes (either homemade or from a box according to your taste).  You'll need about 10 servings of potatoes.  To assemble, take a 9 x 12 oven-proof dish and fill the bottom of it halfway up with your meat mixture (You may have extra. Don't worry, we'll use it, right?  Chili, anyone?).  Top the meat layer with potatoes and spread them out evenly to cover leaving a little room at the top.  Now complete the dish with grated cheese sprinkled all over.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10  minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.  When done, remove it from the oven and let it sit for about five minutes.

This is one of my kids' favorite dishes.  And, I have to say that my version is waaaay better than the one served at 'Our Lady of Perpetual Misery School' when I was a kid.  Not sure why it's called "Shepherd's Pie" except maybe that it gets the kids running to the kitchen like a cute little herd of noisy, smelly sheep.  I dunno.  Can't really 'see' shepherds out on the desert with a box of potato flakes....  One of the 'mysteries' we learned about in Catholic school, I guess.

Questions? Comments? Recipe request?  Please email me at aintjuliachild@gmail.com

Around The World In 30 Bites

The internet is a wonderful thing!  I have no idea how it works, but it's wonderful and I have proof!  It's amazing to me that I can sit here in my cozy little cottage, writing about a bunch of nothing with some favorite food thrown in and people are reading it all over the world.  It's just CRAZY!  It makes me giggle when I think of it. 

Right now, I want to send a shout out to all my 'friends' who (according to my 'stats') are reading my blog all over the world.  So, to everyone all over the USA, Canada, Australia, South Africa, United Kingdom, Thailand, China, Germany, Ireland, France, Italy, Russia and (added just today) Slovenia, "Hey y'all!"  There I go, giggling again.

So, in honor of my newest friends in Slovenia, tonight I turned my husband's roast/hash into You GO Goulash!  I dunno, it just felt sorta Eastern European in my limited Louisiana/Cajun/Irish/Yat mind.  Here's what I did:

You GO Goulash!
8 cups of leftover roast beef hash (see earlier blogs)
1 crock pot
1/2 can stewed tomatoes with peppers
1 cup of wine
1 cup of raw, sliced mushrooms
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp caraway seed (smashed)
sour cream garnish
So, today I had a long-ish meeting to attend.  This morning, I put everything - except the wine - in the crock pot on LOW.  When I got home (wow! did the house smell nice), I transferred the goulash to a pot on the stove.  To thicken the sauce, I added one teaspoon of cornstarch that had been dissolved in a cup of water.  Then I added the wine.  Just brought it up to a boil and it thickened nicely.  That's it!  You can put this over egg noodles or not.

I served this with a nice beet and onion salad and some celery sticks.  It was a nice counter of sweet and spicy to balance with the hearty meat goulash.  To finish, I whipped up some savory drop biscuits with cheddar cheese and dill weed.  A dollop of sour cream to top the goulash and "voila!" 

Do they even have goulash in Slovenia?  Somebody let me know.  Anyway, it's the best "howdy" I could come up with on short notice.  (How do you say "howdy" in Slovenian???)

Questions?  Comments?  Please write me at aintjuliachild@gmail.com

Lights! Camera! Roastbeef Hash!

Did you miss me?  I've been absent for two days because of the whirlwind surrounding shooting a movie down here in "Hollywood South."  Mind you, it wasn't a part that I got this time, but my daughter.  I have to tell you, it was a little weird just being "Mom" on the set this time.  But my girl did great and I am so proud of her!  That's her on the right, in a scene with Samuel L. Jackson and Luke Wilson.

As with most movies, we were gone for what seemed like a month - out the door before light and back home after dark.  In our absence, my dear husband watched the other two kids and installed a whole new wall of shelves and hanging  space in my closet.  What a great guy!  And, as if that weren't enough, he cooked a huge sirloin roast I had left in the fridge.  It was a kick giving him cooking tips from the set by cell phone!

Now, movie sets are notorious for abundant, delicious food.  This set, unfortunately, was a real stinker.  Maybe the cook should have read a blog or two to get a few pointers. ;0)  Hence, it was a real treat to come home to some real food after a long day making movies.

Anyway, the roast was huge (like that one in the Flintstones credits, remember?) and there's a chunk 'o beef left over.  Today, I'm going to cube it, make a roux, add cubed potatoes and make some Roastbeef Hash with a thick, brown gravy.  My Mom would serve that over grits.  Awesome for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  Let's get cookin'.

ROASTBEEF HASH
4-6  cups of leftover roastbeef cut into 1 inch cubes
2 cups of chopped onion
2-3 cups of white potatoes cut into 2 inch cubes
1 thick bottom soup pot
olive oil to coat bottom of pot
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups of beef stock (canned or water + bullion cubes)
Take a thick pot and pour olive oil in to coat bottom. You should have about 1/4 inch of oil in the bottom of the pot.  Now, add flour (half at first) to make a paste a little thinner than peanut butter.  You may not use all the flour.  Once you've got that paste thoroughly mixed together, crank up the heat!  Now stir and stir over medium high heat as it gradually browns to the color of a brown paper bag.  If it starts to smoke, TURN IT DOWN.  If you burn it, you've got to start all over so you don't want that to happen.  Just be patient and STIR constantly.  It's best to have a stir buddy who's willing to take a turn.

Have your onions chopped and ready.  Once the roux reaches 'brown paper bag,' throw in the onions, which will stop the browning.  It will get 'gloppy' momentarily.  Don't panic.  Just stir it all together.  Stir until the onions start to wilt and turn transparent - about a minute or two.  Then add the beef stock.  Stir to incorporate all the goodness.  Now, add the beef and potato cubes.   Cover the pot and let this go on simmer over medium heat for about ten minutes.  Then, uncover the pot and continue to simmer for another 20-30 minutes until the sauce thickens and the potatoes are completely cooked.  If the sauce gets too thick, just add some more stock - or wine or water. 

Of course, add whatever seasonings you like to the whole shebang (what IS a 'shebang'?).  Anywho, you can serve this over hot grits or it's also yummy over buttered toast.

The other great thing about this is that you can prepare it all and then leave it over a slow fire while you do other things....like the mountain of laundry that appeared while I was gone.  Aaaah, movie magic!

Questions?  Comments?  Please email me at aintjuliachild@gmail.com

Is It Lent Yet?

One of the greatest things about being Catholic in New Orleans (redundant?) is that, once a year, we Catholics experience that built-in reducing plan called "Lent."  It's great when Mardi Gras comes early so that Lent gives us a nice head-start on our trim Springtime physiques.  Unfortunately, Mardi Gras is super late this year (March 8th) which means Lent won't start until March 9th.  And, personally speaking, my waistline could use a little Lent about now.

So, since I was feeling rather, shall we say, "puffy," and since it is Friday, tonight we had fish!  Delicious fish, I might add.  Admittedly, I always feel a little guilty about how 'abstaining from meat' on Fridays in Lent usually means 'suffering' with something like Sauteed Shrimp, Seafood Gumbo or Trout Almondine.  Makes a girl want to head straight to Confession.  Well, Confession aside, tonight our Friday 'sacrifice' took the shape of Pan Seared Salmon.

First, I found a gorgeous piece of salmon as long as my leg.  After it was washed and patted dry, I cut it by hand into six nice steaks (got to have leftovers!).   Let's get cooking...

PAN SEARED SALMON
6 tuna steaks
Marinade:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp New Orleans creole mustard
Place salmon steaks in a glass dish.  Pour marinade over them and let them rest for 20-30 minutes.  When ready to cook, spray a non stick pan with oil spray.  Heat the pan to high heat.  Carefully place steaks in pan.  Sear for 4 minutes on each side.  Cook till the steaks feel firm to the touch and/or flake with a fork.  The outside of the steaks should have a bit of burn on them.  That's the yummy part!  I did my 6 steaks in two batches of three.  Piled them high on a platter and drizzled the whole mess with balsamic reduction.

I served my salmon atop a bed of baby lettuces, cucumber and tomatoes that had been lightly tossed in pepper jelly vinaigrette.  On the side, I served a medley of roasted cauliflower, carrots and broccoli.  It was so healthy and so delicious!  Even my kids raved!

So, of course, now that we've enjoyed something truly light and nutritious (first since before Thanksgiving, maybe?), we're all going to wake up tomorrow filled with boundless energy and 10 pounds lighter, right?

Somebody lie to me! (See you at Confession.)

Easy Peasy....All About MEasy

When you live in a house with five people, it's often hard to reach a consensus on just about anything.  You know what I mean:   toilet lid up or down, chicken or the egg, paper or plastic.  But, in our house, there's at least one thing that everyone agrees upon:  NO SPLIT PEA SOUP.  Everyone, except me, that is.

I love Split Pea Soup.  It reminds me of cold days of my childhood when we would come home from school with the smells of soup and fresh, buttery toasted french bread croutons filling the house.  I'd sit next to my Dad and watch as he delicately dotted his bowl with droplets of Tobasco.  I felt so 'big' when he let me add some to mine.  And, of course, half the fun was helping my Mom cook the soup!  That's me on the right....

And so, tonight, the rest of the family can eat leftovers for all I care.  Tonight, it's all about ME and my Split Pea Soup.  It's a thick, bowl of goodness filled with smokey ham and topped with slightly-burned french bread croutons.  YUM!  I like to make the croutons at the last minute and listen to them 'sizzle' when added to the soup.  And, the best part, this soup is sooo simple.  Way easier than last night!  Let's get cookin'....

SPLIT PEA SOUP
1 lb of split peas
1/2 pound chopped ham
1 large chopped onion
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 large carrots, chopped
2 bay leaves
8 cups of water
herbs de provence
1/2 cup of milk or cream

Place peas in pot and rinse.  Remove any weird-looking peas.  Rinse again.  Now add everything else, except the herbs and cream, to the pot.  Is that easy or WHAT??  Simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring now and then to make sure it's not sticking.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  (Is it just me, or is that pot smiling??)

Add herbs, if you like them, I do.  My Mom, however, would have never added herbs.  Suit yourself.  When all the peas have broken down into a 'mush,' I whip out my Magic Wand (read: immersion blender) and blend the soup smooth right there in the pot.  If you don't have an immersion blender (get one!), you can do it in batches in your countertop blender.  Once the soup is smooth, stir in cream being careful not to boil it.  Serve with Tobasco at the table.  Top each bowl with croutons.

FRENCH BREAD CROUTONS
1 french bread (preferably stale) cut into 1-2 inch cubes
1 stick of butter
Melt the butter in a large skillet.  Add the cubes and toss to coat them all.  Continue turning the cubes (now and then), over medium heat.  These taste best with a little 'burn' on them, in my opinion.  Add the hot croutons to your soup.

I feel so rebellious!  This pot of green goodness is sure to please me, while producing many wrinkled noses and cries of "Ewwww" from 'the troops.'  (Think Linda Blair in The Exorcist).  But, some days, you just have to say, "tough luck." 

This guy would never make it at my house!

So, go ahead, try some something easy peasy for dinner tonight!  Now, maybe I'll go get a pedicure.....

Company's Comin'!

You know, ever since I've known my husband (going on 17 years), he's always had a bachelor friend or two.  Every time one of them comes over for dinner, I feel compelled to cook something extra hearty, healthy and filling - to make up for all the nights they've eaten a Lean Pocket for dinner.  I guess I'm just the ultimate 'mother hen.'  Time to load up our friend with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants - the stuff he probably never gets.

So, tonight I'm cooking hot-and-hearty for our friend, Mr. Perry (as the kids call him).  And, since he's from 'down the bayou' I'm going to keep it spicy and savory.  And, while we're at it, I'll show you a cool way to use some leftover coffee (which I had in the fridge in a jar).  Let's get cookin'.

I've been freezing today, so I'm thinking soup.  One of my absolute favorites is Mulligatawny Soup which you may have had at your favorite Indian restaurant.  It's a very satisfying blend of savory ingredients with just a hint of sweetness.  I'm going to make my own Cajun version.

MO'S MULLIGATAWNY SOUP
2 lbs boneless chicken thighs, washed and cut up
1 lb crawfish tails
1/2 stick  butter
1/4 cup olive oil
2 diced, peeled medium size sweet potatoes
2 diced, peeled medium size white potatoes
1/2 cup diced celery
1 cup sliced onion
1 cup peeled, diced tart apple
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
8 cups chicken stock
2 cups cooked rice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp clove
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp curry (more if you like it a lot)

Looks complicated, doesn't it?  It's not really.  Just a lot of ingredients to make a very complex and delicious soup. Use a heavy bottom pot and turn on your stove to medium. Melt the butter and oil together.  Add the cut up chicken.  (You DID wash the chicken, right?)  Add onion, celery, carrot and bell pepper. Stir.  Wait a minute. Stir.  Add potatoes. Stir. Let the potatoes start to get a little trace of brown.  Now add the apples and garlic.  Stir.  Wait a minute.  Stir.  Now add all the spices.  Stir.  Enjoy the aroma!  Stir.  Now add all the stock and the rice.  Stir.  Add the crawfish. Let the soup simmer vigorously (adjust heat if you have to) for about 15 minutes - stirring often to make sure it's not sticking at the bottom.  Finally, add coconut milk.  You may not use the whole can.  Add half and assess the taste and thickness according to your taste.  Add salt and pepper if you like.

I'm going to serve this with my Momma's Smothered Snapbeans (smothered in bacon fat from breakfast) and Cappuccino Chocolate Cake.   For the cake, I simply used a regular cake mix but I substituted coffee for the water called for.  I had some leftover flavored coffee in the fridge.  It smells soooo good in here!!

I hope you try this soup - or your favorite - to stay nice and toasty in this chilly weather!  Enjoy!

Comfy Cozy Cuisine

I love comfort food.  There.  I said it.  I would much prefer something bubbly-hot and rib sticking to something that looks more like art you hang on the wall than dinner to put in my mouth.  My brain may be all educated, and I may travel in nice circles, but my tastebuds?  Definitely plain as an old shoe.

When it's cold outside, I look for any excuse to keep the oven running all day long.  Makes the house all cozy and the smells bring me back to a time when my stacked afternoon schedule included really stressful things like homework, rollerskating and watching the Flintstones while my mom made dinner.  Trying to give my kids those same sorts of memories.

Anywho, chilly weather calls for hearty fare and so, today I'm cooking Beef Bourguignyat - kinda like my own white-trash version of Julia's famous beef stew.  Let's get cookin'.

BEEF BOURGUIGNYAT  (GLUTEN FREE)

4 lbs eye of round roast cut into 1-2 inch cubes
1.5 cups brown rice "bread" crumbs (or your favorite bread crumbs if you're not gluten free)

2 tbsp seasoning powder ( I like Cavendar's Greek)

1 tbsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
6 dashes of  Lea & Perrin's worcestershire sauce
1 cup of wine

4 cups of water

1/2 can or Rotelle tomatoes

4 cups of mixed stew veggies: carrots, pearl onions, celery, potatoes

olive oil

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Rinse the whole eye of round roast.  Cut into 1-2 inch cubes.  Place rice (or bread) crumbs and dry seasoning in a plastic storage bad.  Add cubes of meat and toss to coat - may have to do this in batches.

Cover bottom of a large, heavy-bottomed, oven-proof pot with olive oil.  Add cubes of meat and fry them down over medium heat, turning frequently to get 'browning' on the majority of pieces.  Add dashes of Lea & Perrin, wine and water.  Now add the mixed veggies, Rotelle tomatoes, thyme and bay leaf.  Stir the whole mix.  Turn up the flame till it just starts to boil.

Cover the pot and place in the oven on middle rack.  Bake at 325 for app. 4 hours.  Check every hour to see if it needs more liquid.  Can serve over rice.  A nice glass of red wine would sure 'hit the spot' too!  And don't forget bread (check the archive for my gluten free bread machine loaf) to sop up all that delicious sauce!

Suggested dinner attire:  sweatsuit and fuzzy slippers.  Enjoy!

Questions?  Comments?  Please write me at aintjuliachild@gmail.com

Let Me Count The Ways...To Serve Leftovers

So, I think we're about to set an all-time record for getting the most possible plates of food off of one session of cooking.  Remember the pork butt??  (go ahead, giggle)  We are now on day four of eating off of $18.90 worth of pork.  Scroll back in the archive to see how we made Jerk Pork Butt.  Here's how we've eaten it so far:

Day One - Friday
I prepared the butts (I made two) a day ahead of my son's birthday party.  That night, we sliced a little off and had:  Pork Roast with pecan rice and peas.  Delicious!  Put butts in the fridge, in the pans in which they were cooked.

Day Two - Saturday
Party time!  We had twenty people over to the house - my son's friends, neighbors etc.  Skimmed the fat that had congealed on top of the pan, then I put the pork butt in the crock pot early in the morning and shredded it using two forks to pull the meat apart.  Created a 'sandwich bar' with buns, grated cheese, sliced onion, pickles, condiments, even cole slaw to pile on the sandwich.  Awesome! 

Day Three - Sunday
Had half a butt left.  Heated it in the oven.  Then, removed the butt from the pan and created gravy using the pan juices - by now, very little fat in the juices,  just savory sauce!  Served pork slices and gravy with red pepper risotto and steamed broccoli.  Wow!

Day Four - Monday
And so, that brings us to today.  Tonight, I will take what's left of the pork and create one of my favorite dishes:  ENCHILADA LASAGNA.  Let's get cooking!

ENCHILADA LASAGNA (Gluten Free)
2 lbs of leftover pork (or chicken or beef - whatever you're got)
2 packs of small corn tortillas
enchilada sauce - you can buy it in the can or make your own, just google 'enchilada sauce'
1 can of corn, drained
1 chopped onion
chopped cilantro
ground cumin
mojo criollo - marinade, available at most grocery stores
2-3 cups of grated cheese (your favorite)
avocados - sliced
sour cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put the shredded meat in a frying pan.  Add mojo criollo to moisten and heat it up.  Get a 9 x 12 casserole dish ready by spraying with canola oil spray.  Now, start with your enchilada sauce - just spread 1/4 cup over the bottom of the pan.  Cover the pan with corn tortillas - overlapping the edges as needed.  Add a layer of meat loosely broken up over the tortillas.  Now sprinkle corn about - as much as you like.  Same with the chopped onion and cilantro.  Sprinkle the whole works with ground cumin. Finish that layer with a sprinkling of cheese.

Now start a new layer:  tortillas, sauce, meat, corn, onion, cilantro, cumin, cheese etc... until you run out of stuff or the pan gets filled.  Finish off with sauce and cheese. (You can also sneak in some frozen mixed veggies as I did here.  Your kids will never know they're eating them!!)  Bake for about 15-20 minutes until the sauce and cheese are bubbly.  When it's done, remove from the oven and let it sit for about 5 minutes before you try to slice it.

Serve garnished with avocado slices and sour cream.  Also put out a bowl of salsa and maybe more chopped cilantro.  Chihuahua!!

By the way, I figure, by the time we're finished eating those two pork butts (in their many incarnations), we will have spent about 20 cents a serving!  How 'bout DAT???  Yeah you right!

Wow!  Just writing this is making me hungry!  What's for lunch????

Questions? Comments?  Write me at aintjuliachild@gmail.com

Shake (Up) Your B-U-T-T

I remember when I was a kid, how much fun we had in the kitchen on days when my mom would cook a whole chicken or frog legs.  We'd sit the chick up on the side of the sink and cross its legs like a lady then see how long it took for it to fall off.  Or, with frog legs, we'd each grab a pair a launch into the Can-Can.

Nowadays, nothing brings giggles to the kitchen quite like the very mention of our topic today.  I just have to say the words:  Pork Butt.  My kids laugh and laugh.  Something about those two words together, you know?  Reminds me of when my youngest was learning to spell.  She and I would spell all day long.  "Baby, did you see the b-i-r-d?"  She's a quick learner, that one, and soon was spelling everywhere.  But she thought she and I were the only two people in the whole world to do this 'spelling thing.'  One day, she turned to me in line at the K-Mart - proclaiming loudly and spelling proudly - "Mommy that lady has a huge b-u-t-t."  I don't shop at that location anymore.

Anywho, nobody laughs when I bring my JAMAICAN JERK PORK BUTT to the table, I'll tell ya that!  My kids quit giggling long enough to devour their serving and ask for more.  That is, if they can get Dad out of the way long enough!

This could not be easier to do, dawlin!  And, as always, I have a few tricks up my sleeve!  The first trick is, wait till it goes on sale at the grocery. 

Yesterday, I got a 2-fer:  two nice, big pork butts (go ahead, giggle), packaged together,  for 98 cents a pound.  Totals almost 20 pounds of meat for $18.90.  Pretty good.  Awesome if you're having a party and serving pulled pork sandwiches, which is what I'm doing.  I'm going to roast them both today then shred them and hold them in a crock pot during the party tomorrow.  Let's get cooking!

JAMAICAN JERK PORK BUTT - based on cooking one at a time
1 roughly 10 pound Pork Butt
3/4 cup Jamaican Jerk marinade (I like Walkerswood brand,just ask for jerk marinade at the grocery)
2 beers - any kind, or you can just use water, chicken stock, apple juice, whatever liquid you like (2 cups)

Rinse the pork well.  You'll notice that the roast had a big slab of fat on the bottom.  Now, this is key:  cook the butt UPSIDEDOWN with that fat slab on top.  It will crisp up like the most delicious bacon you ever had. (Yes, you wouldn't want to eat this every day, folks.  Just for parties and the like.)  Now, after you've flipped it over and place it in a nice, deep roasting pan, rub your butt with the jerk.  (This is funny stuff, y'all!)  Rub the marinade all over the roast to completely cover it and work it into any crevices in the meat. (Be very careful not to get this in your eyes.  It contains scotch peppers which are very hot!)

Now, pour the beers into the bottom of the pan.  You can use whatever brand you like, maybe try this one.  Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.  Place it in the oven.  Cook the living heck out of it - at 375 for about four hours.

At that point, remove the pan.  Very carefully, lift the foil off (wear a glove so the steam doesn't burn you).  You can check the temperature with a meat thermometer - needs to be at least 170 degrees to be done.  However, even if it's reached 170, you'll return the butt to the oven, uncovered, for another hour so that the fat on top can crisp up and the meat reaches 'shredding' stage.

You cannot over-cook it; it only gets better and better.  Keep an eye on the liquid at the bottom of the pan.  If it all dries up, add a little water now and then. (By the way, don't worry about the alcohol in the beer - it all evaporates at that high temperature for 4-6 hours.) Having that liquid at the bottom steams the meat - cooking it thoroughly, keeping it moist and making it fall apart.  This is the best doggone butt you'll ever put in your mouth.  (Go ahead....I'll wait.)

Now, at party time, I serve the shredded butt in a crock pot.  Along side, I set up a "build your own sandwich" bar with a huge basket of bread (cut to size), mayo, mustard, bbq sauce, shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, sliced onion, pickles, grated cheese etc.  The kids, in particular, love building their sandwich their way.  In the words of Scarlett O'Hara (or somebody like her),  "As God is my witness, you'll never go Subway again!"

By the way, this Jerk Butt sandwich goes great with Sweet Spud Andouille Bisque!  FYI.  I'm making a big green salad with mixed baby greens, thinly sliced red onion, blueberries, walnut, a light sprinkling of gorgonzola cheese and tossed with a creamy vidalia onion dressing.  I might even pile that salad right onto my sandwich.  Hungry yet?

Now, I think I'll let my husband take me out to lunch!

If you have any questions or comments, please email me at aintjuliachild@gmail.com.

Glutton for Gluten-Free Kingcake

For years I, like many of you, bought into the notion that anything "whole wheat" or "whole grain" would add years to my life, make me heart healthy and, if you listen to popular opinion and media, do everything but prevent waxy build-up on my floors.  And so, for years, I ate and ate whole grain EVERYTHING:  bread, biscuits, pasta (much to my husband's dismay) etc.

Well, it turns out, that I am allergic to "wheat" and I was slowly poisoning  myself all along.  Go figure.  According to the Surgeon General's pyramid, I was supposed to be stuffing myself with the stuff several times a day! 

So, about a year ago, I discovered the wonderful world of gluten-free products and started feeling a whole lot better immediately.  Turns out, people of Celtic decent (Irish etc.) are often afflicted with wheat allergy and, even worse, full-blown Celiac disease.  If you are of Celtic lineage, and have unexplained digestive symptoms, you might want to look this one up.  That "healthy" turkey sandwich on whole wheat could be killing you!

Anywho, having to cut out all bread products can be tricky - especially in a town where the PoBoy is king of sandwiches and has its own festival.  I've discovered some ways to enjoy bread and baked goods while avoiding gluten.  And so, to my GF brethren (GF= gluten free, to the 'enlightened'), here is my standard loaf recipe. And keep reading for my GLUTEN-FREE KINGCAKE!! By the way, my family LOVES this loaf of bread just because it tastes so good.  Makes great sandwiches too!

GLUTEN-FREE LOAF ala BREAD MACHINE
3 eggs
1/4 melted butter (or olive oil)
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup water
4 cups of PAMELA'S GF BAKING MIX
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 package of yeast
In a large mixing cup, whisk the eggs.  Add butter or olive oil, milk and water.  Whisk to mix thoroughly.  Now, microwave at 10 second intervals - checking to whisk and make sure egg is not cooking - until the mixture is warm (about 30-40 seconds total).  You want to warm it up to make the yeast happy so it will grow properly and the bread will rise. Pour egg mixture into your bread machine's bread pan.  Now, right on top of the egg mixture, pour your 4 cups of baking mix - trying to distribute it evenly.  On top of that, pour your sugar, salt and yeast.  (At this point, you can also add flavoring to the bread if you like.  Ex:  3 tbsp of Italian dried seasonings, or perhaps, dried dill weed or some other favorite herbs.)  Set your machine to "2 lb loaf" on the "sweet bread" cycle and push "start."  It's that easy.  In about three hours, you should have a delicious loaf.  If you choose to add the Italian seasonings, try dragging that through some olive oil as a snack.  Bella!

And, here's another great recipe that's great for Mardi Gras:

GLUTEN FREE KING CAKE
Dough
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup water
3 large eggs
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 ground nutmeg
3 1/2 cups PAMELA'S GF BAKING MIX
3 tbsp sugar
1 package rapid rise yeast
Filling
1/4 melted butter
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1.5 tsp (or more if you like) cinnamon
Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp almond extract
1-2 tbsp milk
Purple, green, gold food coloring

Mix egg, butter and liquids together.  Heat to warm in microwave - being careful not to cook the eggs - about 40 seconds total.  Add to bread machine pan.  Add flour atop liquids and then other dry ingredients.  Select the "dough" cycle on the machine and push "start."  When the machine is done, remove the dough from the machine to a lightly floured surface.  If necessary, knead in enough baking mix to make it easy to handle.  If it is too elastic, cover and let it 'rest' for 10 minutes.

Roll dough to a app. 30 x 9 inch rectangle.  Brush with melted butter, then sprinkle cinnamon/sugar mixture to within 1 inch of edges.  Roll up the rectangle, starting from the long end.  Take a sharp knife and cut this long roll in half lengthwise.  Then, 'braid' the two halves together (not too tight) so that the cut side and filling are showing.  Transfer the dough to a greased baking sheet.  Shape into a circle.  You can hide a red bean or pecan in the dough now if you want to.  Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place until it has doubled in size - about 20-40 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until done.  Remove from the oven and let it cool somewhat before icing.  Mix icing ingredients together.  Divide into three bowls and tint them individually:  purple, green, gold.  Drizzle over the cake.  You can also add any colorful sprinkles etc. that your kids might like.

Voila!  Better get going!  You've only got a few more hours to celebrate King's Day - the official start of Mardi Gras 2011!  Here's what's going on in New Orleans tonight!  You better believe they'll be eating some king cake!

Now, what's for breakfast????

Food Recycling, Cajun-Style

I figured out what it is that I do in my kitchen.  It's recycling.  No, I'm not referring to crushing cans or separating paper from plastic, I'm talking turning last night's mashed potatoes into tomorrow morning's potato pancakes.  It's a way of life.  I learned it from my parents who were trying to feed six (and usually more) kids while keeping it interesting and affordable.

It's really no surprise, when you grow up in the land where rock-hard bread becomes gorgeous Bread Pudding and stripped turkey bones become Turkey Gumbo with some boiling water and browned flour added.  And, after all, my Mother was Cajun - Prairie Cajun, to be exact, from the plains of Avoyelles Parish.  In Bunkie, they didn't have the daily abundance of the Gulf to enjoy, so they got realllly creative - recycling every part of a pig into something delicious.  I remember Momma coming home from a visit to 'the country' proudly holding a big, greasy paper grocery-store bag full of fried pig skin - cracklin'.   Think Cajun potato chips.  But don't think about the cholesterol!

So, as the daughter of a tribe of food recyclers, it is my quest, nay, my DUTY, to continue the grand tradition of getting every morsel out of everything you cook.  In my  house, we really don't have "leftovers" because that would imply that you just reheat what you cooked yesterday.  Simply won't do.  Rather, I take what we had yesterday and turn into something more fascinating today.

Let's take an inventory of the fridge, shall we?  I've got leftover Mock Oyster Dip (broccoli, cheese etc.), half of the Sweet Spud Andouille Bisque (what wouldn't fit in the 'to go' container I sent my friend Di) and my turkey bones from Sunday's turkey dinner.  You didn't think I threw those turkey bones away, did you?  What?  And be haunted by my Cajun grandma, Lessie?  No way!!

OK, then, here's what's cooking at my house today!

SOUPS 1-1-1 (just like at the fancy restaurants)
I'll give each family member three cups of soup and some homemade bread.  Let's get started.

SOUP #1 - Cream of Broccoli
2 cups of leftover Broccoli Cheese dip (or you can make your favorite recipe fresh)
1 cup of Half 'n Half (go lighter, if you want to)
grated cheese for garnish (your favorite)
chopped green onion for garnish
Place the dip in a heavy-bottomed pot on low heat.  Add the Half 'n Half and heat slowly - don't want to scorch it.  When it's heated, pull out your stick blender (my Magic Wand!) and blend in the pot.  Or blend in batches in the blender or processor.  Serve in small coffee cups.  Garnish with cheese and chopped green onion.

SOUP #2 - Sweet Spud Andouille Bisque
See yesterday's blog.  Assuming you didn't eat it all at once, heat up the leftovers slowly.  Serve in small coffee cup, topped with a dollop of sour cream.

SOUP #3 - Turkey Andouille Gumbo
Turkey Bones
Leftover turkey gravy (from Sunday dinner, remember? See January 1st)
Andouille sausage - sliced into roulettes (or your favorite smoked sausage)
Roux (or you can use instant roux, if you like)
cooked rice
chopped green onion for garnish
First, put your bones to boil and let them roll for about half an hour.  Turn off the heat and let them cool.  Then, transfer the bones only from the pot.  Keep the stock in the pot.  Place the bones on a plate and pick any and all meat that's left from them.  Now, you can throw the bones away (unless your Cajun mama taught you to use them further??).  Turn on the flame on the stock pot again.  Now, add your roux.  If you're using one of the fine instant rouxs available (like Oak Grove or Zatarain's), just whisk it into the stock until it's thoroughly mixed.  If you've made a fresh roux (good for you!!  for instructions, check Sunday's blog under Groovy Gravy), add it now.  Also throw in any leftover turkey gravy you may have.  Now let this all boil, thicken, reduce...whatever....till it gets nice and thick.  Add your andouille and turkey meat.  Sometimes, I even add some crawfish tails because they work with the "gaminess" of turkey gumbo, in my mind.  Serve in small coffee cup, over rice, topped with chopped green onion.

So, that's it. An absolute gourmet's delight and I didn't travel any farther than my own fridge for all the ingredients.  FOOD RECYCLING, Cajun-style! You should be able to throw this all together within an hour or so, and your family will eat like they're at a fancy, Uptown restaurant.  I'm going to make some homemade, Gluten Free bread to go with mine.  Serve whatever bread YOU like.

Now, for lunch....I've got those grilled chicken breasts, some pepper-jelly vinaigrette and a bucket of washed baby lettuces....hmmm......    While I fix my lunch, you enjoy this.  Doesn't get any more authentic Cajun than THIS guy......

Feeding The Soul.

Of course, we've all heard it said that it is better to give than receive.  I find that this is particularly true when it comes to cooking.  Nothing gives me more pleasure than to whip something up and then watch the happy faces of my family as they enjoy.  I had a ball over the holidays creating homemade pralines for just that same reason. 

I can always tell when Spud really likes something because, every time he takes a bite, he knocks on the table.  Such a joyful noise!  Today's recipe is one that gets him a-knockin' till it sounds like a drumroll.  We only make this for special occasions like Christmas Eve.  Today, however I'm making it for another special reason. 

A dear friend of mine, who I've known for over thirty years, recently had serious surgery.  And, while prayers and cards and flowers are nice, I wanted to send her something to warm her from the inside out.  And so, to my dear Di, I'm sending Sweet Spud Andouille Bisque.  I hope it makes her knock on the table.

SWEET SPUD ANDOUILLE BISQUE
1/2 lb andouille sausage (peel off the casing)
1/2 stick butter
1 medium chopped white onion
1 tsp thyme
1.5 lbs sweet potatoes
1/4 cup praline liqueur
7 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp of butter
First, wash your potatoes and put them to boil.  When they are soft, turn them off and let them cool.  Then, under running faucet water, peel off the skins.  Believe me, this is the best way to peel sweet potatoes!  My mom taught me.  Place the peeled potatoes in a bowl and set aside.  Peel casing off the andouille and then cut it up into pieces - don't have to be exact because you're going to blend it all later.  Fry down the andouille with the chopped onion over medium heat until the onions are transparent.  Add thyme, liqueur and brown sugar.  Stir.  Now add the sweet potatoes - mashing them roughly as you add them.  Now add the chicken stock and stir.  If you've got a wand blender, simply stick it in the pot and blend the soup till smooth.  It will take some effort to make sure the andouille gets ground up.  If you don't have a wand blender (get one!!), you can use your blender and do it in batches.  Once the soup is blended, warm it but DO NOT BOIL.  Finally, add the cream and 2 tbsp of butter.  You can garnish each bowl with sour cream or croutons.  This Christmas, I made french bread croutons by frying cubes of bread in butter and tossing the whole thing with herbs.  Outstanding!

Of course, the real trick is going to be getting this soup out of the house before my family finds out!  If they get ahold of it, I'm afraid Di won't be doing much knocking!

One lady tried my recipe.  Wrote a song about it.  Here it is.  (I think maybe she used a little 'extra' praline liqueur. :o) 

Every day I am so grateful for the gift of being able to cook.  It sustains my family and brings us joy.  I guess it's no mistake that we thank God for "our daily bread" huh?  Making something for an ailing loved one is really quite selfish.  My soul is being fed richly today!  As my husband (or Huey P.) would say, I hope you "share the wealth."  But, definitely, share the blog!!

Now, what's for lunch???

Rise & Dine!

I awakened this morning (had to be 4am) to the sound of my dear husband, downstairs in the kitchen, playing The 1812 Overture on cast iron pots.  At least, that's what it sounded like after 2 weeks of sleeping late during the holidays.  What was he doing down there???  I mean, it couldn't be fixing breakfast because breakfast was cooked yesterday. (Scroll down to previous blog.)

It's gotten to the point where my husband gets more excited the day after a holiday meal of turkey and all the fixins.  That's because, a few years ago, I figured out a new way to use the turkey and gravy leftovers.  And, since we had turkey and gravy yesterday, today's breakfast was in the fridge, waiting to flip on the gas.  I tell ya, they're not eating this well in the French Quarter this morning!

TURKEY GRILLADES & GRITS
leftover turkey meat
leftover gravy
fresh grits
That's it!  Just pull off as much turkey as you need to feed your crew.  Throw that in a pan and cover it with the gravy you made yesterday (Aren't you glad you went to all that trouble???  Told ya.), bring to a simmer, and voila!  Breakfast is served.  Well, of course, you do have to slave over a boiling pot of grits first.  Don't know how to make grits?  READ THE PACKAGE.  It's amazing what culinary secrets lie therein.  You'll find little-known tidbits from Le Cordon Bleu like:  bring water to a boil, add grits and stir.  If you can read, you can cook.  Just DO it.

Doesn't that look good? 

And, while we're on the subject of grits....  Chef Michael Murphy of the Ritz Carlton last year introduced us to the most awesome grits.  They're yellow, unlike the white stuff you get from Uncle Ben and the like.  The stuff Michael uses comes from Baton Rouge but I've seen similar products available at the regular grocery stores here.  In short, here's the difference:  the yellow grits are less processed (like brown rice vs. white rice) and, therefore, maintain more nutritional value and, most importantly, they taste amazing!  The cooking process takes just a bit longer than the processed stuff but, believe me, it's worth it.  We didn't have any today (ate them all) but I sure wish we would have!  I highly recommend you try yellow grits next time and try to buy LOCAL.

Now, the big question of the day:  What's for dinner tonight?  Hmmmm.......  I'll ponder that while I undo the aftermath of the "tinsel bomb" that went off in my house over the holidays.  Yikes!!

I think I need another cup of tea......

This Bird Is Cooked!

Well, stick a fork in the holidays, they're done.  Sigh.  Can we rewind and do it all over again??  The older I get, the faster it all seems to go.  I'm still finding bits of wrapping paper from Christmas Eve around the house and tomorrow morning we'll be packing lunch kits again.  CAN WE JUST SLOW DOWN??

And, to that end, we're having one last, old-fashioned slow cooking holiday meal at our house today.  We've got the cutest little baby turkey (11 lbs) and we're fixing 'most' of the trimmings to go with it.  'Most' means whatever we've got around here that tastes good with turkey.  By game time, we'll be eating like royalty!  (GO SAINTS!)

So, because we slept totally late today (9:30, can you believe it???), I actually had to put my bird on CONVECT to make sure it's done around 1pm.  It already smells heavenly in here.  I'm stopping to write this down and then it's off to make the roux for my gravy.  We make tons of gravy to make sure we've got loft of leftovers for Turkey Grillades (more on that tomorrow!).

Spud and I have this turkey thing down to a science.  We do it as a team.  That way, one person's hands remain dry (and untouched by the dreaded turkey 'cooties') and the other's get wet and funky.  Guess who is who?  I hand Spud the ingredients and he stuffs my bird. (.....pause for snickers......)  We'll, I've never written down how we do this so, here goes.....

(END OF THE) HOLIDAY BIRD
1 turkey (cook according to weight, don't know?  read the package and watch the timer)
1/2 cup total of your favorite dry seasonings (I mix Greek and Latin or whatever I have)
celery (washed stalks to stuff your bird)
rosemary (mine is fresh from my garden)
1 orange
1 apple
olive oil (to mix with dry ingredients and form a paste
PREHEAT OVEN:  350 (or convect 325)

First WASH THE TURKEY and remove the giblets & neck from the cavity - wash them too.  It drives me NUTS when people don't thoroughly rinse poultry before cooking!  That stuff is funky, y'all!  Place the giblets etc. in a bowl and put them in the fridge for gravy later.  Place the turkey in a sufficiently-large pan that has sides high enough to contain all the inevitable (and desired) drippings.  Put your dry seasonings in a bowl.  Cut the orange and apple in half.  Dredge the cut side in the seasonings to coat and set the fruit aside.  Now, take the olive oil and mix enough into the seasonings to form a thick paste.  Once this is done, take that paste and give the turkey a good massage.  Rub it all over, including deep inside the cavity and up under the skin - where you can loosen it, but especially on the breasts.  (Am I writing a romance novel??  Insert photo of Fabio here.  Check out them giblets!!)

Anyway.....once you've used up all the paste and evenly rubbed it all over, insert the celery and fruit into the cavity of the bird.  Last, but not least, lift the breast skin and insert the rosemary up under there.  If you care to, you can actually get artsy and make that look really nice.  Otherwise, just shove it in and be done!

That's it!  On convect, our little bird will be done in about 2.5-3 hours.

Now, for the gravy!  It is a thing of beauty, y'all.  I'm amazed when people either approach gravy as an afterthought or, gasp, don't make any at all.  At our house, gravy is a major food group!

GROOVY GRAVY
1 thick bottom soup pot
1 deep stock pot filled with water and simmering
olive oil to coat bottom of pot
turkey gizzards, livers, neck etc.
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chopped 'trinity' - onions, celery, bell pepper

Take thick pot and pour olive oil in to coat bottom.  Add turkey parts and fry them over medium heat till the skin starts to brown and little bits of brown get stuck on the bottom of the pot.  Be careful because they will 'splatter' lots of hot grease!  Keep the kids away, for sure.  At the same time, have your stock pot going on simmer.  It's best to have the two pots next to each other on the stove. 

Once the turkey parts are rather browned on the outside, transfer them carefully into the stock pot where they will boil endlessly.  This accomplishes two things:  it cooks the pieces all the way through and makes you a nice pot of turkey stock to use for the gravy.  Back to the heavy bottom pot.  Now that the turkey parts are removed, it's time to make your roux.  You should have about 1/4 inch of oil in the bottom of the pot (add some if you don't).  Now, add flour (half at first) to make a paste a little thinner than peanut butter.  You may not use all the flour.  Once you've got that past thoroughly mixed together, crank up the heat!  Now, stir and stir and stir until your kids are all grown and off to college.  You want the roux to cook over medium heat until it's the color of a brown paper bag.  If it starts to smoke, TURN IT DOWN.  If you burn it, you've got to start all over so you don't want that to happen.  Just be patient.  Visit with whomever is in the kitchen.  Have a drink.  Listen to the radio.  It will take some time.

Have your trinity nearby.  Once the roux reaches 'brown paper bag,' throw in the trinity which will stop the browning.  It will get 'gloppy' momentarily.  Don't panic.  Just stir it all together.  Stir until the veggies start to wilt and turn transparent - about a minute or two.  Then, start to add the stock.  Add four large soup ladles to begin with.  Stir until the veggie glop and stock incorporate.  Now, let this go on a slow boil over medium heat until it starts to thicken and reduce.  This will go on forever....add stock, stir, let reduce....add stock, stir, let reduce....until you use up all the stock and then add the gizzards etc to the gravy pot itself.  Believe me, it's well worth the effort!  And, as the gravy goes through this process (takes an hour or two), all the ingredients will break down and meld into the most divine gravy!  Save the leftovers, because you'll need them tomorrow morning for Turkey Grillades and Grits.  More on that tomorrow.

I hope this is clear.  It's so much like second nature to me.  I really hope you can understand the instructions.  Let me know if you have any questions.

I took some pictures of the turkey prep.  It remains to be seen if I can figure out how to actually get them on here.  Learning every day, you know!  I'll get it eventually.  Check back later, there might be visuals!

Well, got to go make gravy now.  Meanwhile....what's for breakfast???

Crank Up The Flame! Clean Out The Fridge!

Well, here goes.  This is something I've wanted to do for a long time.  Some of my earliest, fondest memories were in the kitchen serving as "groundhog" for my mom or dad.  In New Orleans, kids learn to eat (and drink) early! The whole process of cooking has always created a time for bonding and sharing in our family.  In a modest, middle-class upbringing, it was the time when our only "family heirlooms" were passed along from one generation to the next - one recipe at a time.

But more than the specific dish being created in any one session, it was the LOVE of cooking that I learned.  I can't understand people who either don't like to cook or are so intimidated by it that they won't even try.  In my mind, FOOD IS ART.  There are no mistakes - well, as long as it's not burned beyond hope or simply toxic.  Just get in there, IMPROVISE, and toss some pots around.  Sometimes, mistakes are the real keepers!

And, speaking of improvising, here's what's cooking at my house on 1/1/11:

NEW YEAR'S DAY BREAD PUDDING
9x12 glass casserole dish
4 cups of holiday breads cut into 1 inch cubes
6 eggs
4 cups of leftover eggnog (ours has lots of booze in it - we used Pennsylvania Dutch brand)
ground nutmeg
Spread bread cubes evenly in the dish.  Whisk eggs and eggnog together and pour over the cubes.  You want the cubes to just barely be covered by the liquid.  If they aren't, whip up another egg or two with equal parts of nog and pour over the top.  Finally, sprinkle LIGHTLY with ground nutmeg.  Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until set.  You can serve a big square for dessert (or even breakfast) sprinkled with confectioner's sugar.  Maple syrup would be good too!  Or you can make whiskey sauce.  I haven't decided yet.  If I go with whiskey sauce, I'll post my recipe here.  If you can't wait, just google whiskey sauce. 

So, over the holidays, several folks gave us sweet breads - pumpkin bread, a lovely sweet Italian bread with currants, another raisin bread.  I wanted to use them all up before they just sat on the counter and turned into a science project.  This is what I came up with.  The bonus is that, now, we won't have that big bottle of eggnog clogging up the fridge either - till we throw it out when we discover it in the back, oh, sometime around July 4th.

Anywho, time to finish up the holiday goodies and start the New Year fresh!  I hope you'll join me on this great blogging adventure.  Meanwhile, let's eat!!