New Orleans Back In Style

Yesterday's New York Times Dining section featured an interesting article by
Sam Sifton, about New Orleans. Thanks to the HBO series Treme , people, especially foodies are becoming interested again in this amazing town. It's about time people got back to it and rediscovered the great melange of creole and Cajun cooking.

The city is vibrant as ever with old stand bys like Maldina's still serving a good mix of Italian and regional cooking. There is also the Vietnamese influence. They came here as refugees after the fall of Saigon in 1975 and like the Cajuns adapted the area and brought their own spin to the local foods. Now there are many shops featuring the Vietnamese sandwiches,sort of similar to po' boys. Of course New Orleans is nothing without Emeril Lagasse and his restaurant is still thriving. Some people felt he had abandoned the city after Hurricane Katrina but he is back generating good meals and money for recovering New Orleans

If you have the time, visit this grand dame of Southern Cities. The atmosphere is phenomenal. So is the food.

Yes, I Did It

Last night's Eggs Benedict turned out to be not bad. The eggs were little dry but that's because I fried them instead of poaching. They and the fakin" bacon had a better taste and were crisper. This was a nice contrast to the Hollandaise which was uber creamy. I was surprised that I pulled it off.

Tonight I'm just going to reheat Chinese .(it's been a rough day here) and just sit back.I will be writing about the Times Dining tomorrow. It has a lot of interesting stuff in it that's worth discussing .

Now tonight go and did what I did. Conquer your culinary fears

Making The Impossible

Even though I've made Eggs Benedict before I always see it as a challenge. Why, you ask? it should be easy. It's not .It's poaching eggs, microwaving fake bacon along with whipping up Hollandaise sauce and toasting the English muffins.There's four cooking processes at once acting here and it all has to come together to form one perfect dish.

Funny how individually the four techniques are the easiest in the world.Yet combined - it has to be a strict ballet with every step orchestrated to go with the next.Poach the eggs to long and the yolks will solidify. Leave the muffins in the toaster too long and wind up with a burned mess. Don't whisk the sauce too much and yuck - lump city. That's why I meet this dish with trepidation.

I can't spend too much time on today;s entry. I have a whopper of a dinner to prepare. Making Eggs Benedict may seem simple enough. Yet it's more complicated than roasting or baking.
Wish me luck

Never Underestimate A Sandwich

WIth so much going on at my house these days I find it hard to cook. Right now I have a plumber snaking out my kitchen drain and trying to get rid of gook from hell. There's no way I can try to make a decent hot lunch. Besides I have to sort through a million things of junk that was stored underneath the sink. What to do?

Sandwiches. Luckily there are two sandwich shops in my area where I can pick up a hot or cold sandwich. I can get either bacon and eggs or a hot pastrami. There's also the chance of a hot roast beef or turkey ,with gravy in the cards too. That's what I love about sandwiches. They may belittle but they're just as filling as a regular dish of pasta or stew. Plus they're also easy to pick up and grab.

These times are crazy for me. I'm relying more and more on my local fast foods and grocery stores for quick easy help. Luckily I can also rely on my local sandwich shops to give me a hot, decent lunch. They 're easy to get to and easy to pick up. That's right up my alley.

When In Doubt - Microwave!

Lately I havne;t had any real time to cook. As much as I would like to make scratch meals involving fresh veggies and meats, I just can't. That's when I resort to microwave dinners. Yes some of them have more salt than the Dead Sea or as much nutrients as a Twinkie but they are fast. Not to mention tasty too. Stouffer's or Marie Callendar's provides me with that hint of home cooking without all the fuss.

Tonight I seriously thought about making home made baked mac and cheese. This would be ideal if I didn't have to shop, launder cook and a variety of other little things that eat up my time. I'll just opt for something that can be popped into the microwave, nuked and will provide a satisfying dinner.Maybe if I feel like it I'll add a green salad with a homemade thyme dressing.

Yes, thank heavens for microwave dinners. I can toast up paninis in seconds, heat up pot pies in minutes and create a full blown meal within half an hour. Don't be ashamed if you have to resort to microwave dinners. They;'re a blessing to anyone with a busy schedule.

Cleaning Out

Now that I'm home a lot more I can get to that dreaded task of cleaning out my fridge. Ugh. it's not the best job but someone has to do it. I realize I keep way too many Jello cups and bottles of everything. It's hard for me to just throw out stuff. Imagine getting attached to a bottle of marinade or barbecue sauce.

OI am a pack rat by nature and inheritance. I have kept perfumes and make up for years before checking it ( I still have some paraben laced stuff before I went all natural and all mineral)Food is the same way. I have cookies that I ordered on line from January. They're as hard as rocks and stale as anything yet I can't seem to part with them. One of these nights they definitely going to be raccoon snacks. I feel the same way about pudding cups I have one or two left from last summer. Those are way past the eating stage and into the botulism or something like that stage. Luckily jams and jellies seem to last forever (I'm hoping).

I hate tossing stuff out yet with food it's a must. After all I can't keep those Jello cups forever.

Veggie Snacks For Dinner

If you're having trouble with picky eaters and vegetables then it's time to turn that healthy harvest into fun snacks. That's what I did tonight with my dinner. It's hard dealing with picky eaters and making them eat what's good for them. That's when I bought a ton of mixed veggies from my local A&P's salad bar and made a heart healthy vinaigrette. It's like a no brainer. Everyone loves finger foods especially at dinner when they're usually forbidden.Have a plate with sliced red and green peppers, broccoli and cauliflower florettes along with grape tomatoes. I just made a simple Italian dressing with a good dose of flavorful rosemary.

Veggie snacks are also good on picnics. I plan on bringing dishes of them with me on days trips to the beach this summer. I may make my own dressings as well. Let's face it , pepper strips and tomatoes are healthier and less dehydrating than fries and chips.They're also easy to pack as well.

Picky eaters? no problem. Serve them fresh veggies with a dipping sauce. They're fun and nutritious!!!