If I were the same me four, five, ten years ago, I would be getting ready to go out with my friends and sorority sisters for an epic NYE night. Now, I am snuggled up by the fire with my husband, baby, and our husky. I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. In lieu of the many traditions that many people follow today, the one that is my favorite is eating black eyed peas on NYE. My mom always made us eat them!! Today was actually our first “snow” of the year, so I knew I wanted to make something to warm our bones. I decided to make gumbo and add in my black eyed peas! Alas I give you New Year Gumbo! This was the best gumbo I have had on this side of the LA/TX border. The shrimp literally fell apart in your mouth, the broth was savory, and the veggies absorbed all that flavor. Even my husband made the comment that he was excited to eat it over the next few days! Throw a little bit of olive oil in your Dutch oven and add in your the onion, garlic, green bell pepper, celery, and spices. Cook them until they are tender. Throw everything else in bring to a rolling boil, and let it simmer until you are ready to eat it! I let it simmer for about 4 hours. Everything was luscious and tender! Ingredients:
1 Large onion chopped 3 minced garlic cloves 1 green bell pepper chopped 3 celery ribs chopped 3 cups of black eyed peas 14 okra chopped 1 14.5 oz can diced petite tomatoes 12 oz. sausage sliced( I used sausage links but you can use any kind. andouille is traditionally used.) 1 lb shrimp peeled, deveined, and tail removed 6-8 cups of chicken broth 2 Tbs of hot sauce 1 tsp cayenne pepper 2 tsp Italian seasoning 3 tsp gumbo file salt and pepper to taste Directions: 1. On med-high heat sauté onion, garlic, bell pepper, celery, and add in your spices. 2. Add in everything else, and cover with the broth. 3. Bring to a boil, and then cover and simmer until ready to serve. 4. Serve over rice!
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This weeks blog is extra special! Instead of a segment on a special recipe, I am devoting this blog to an entire trip to New Orleans this past week. My husband and I try to go a few times a year! We are usually accompanied by friends, but this time around, we decided to go alone and enjoy the city at our own pace, find a few new things to do, and just enjoy some time alone before the holiday hustle. Because we go so much, people always ask us what we do and we have even inspired some friends and family to plan their own trip. A lot of people are turned off because of Bourbon Street and they don’t want to be around a crowd of drunk people, and theives. Well, New Orleans has so much more to offer and I am here to tell you there is a whole other world out there! There is so much history, phenomenal food, and shopping. To start art off your virtual tour of New Orleans, I’m taking right to the best ( in my opinion,) Po’ Boy Shop in NOLA. Located in Mid-Cities, Parkway Bakery and Tavern has a unique charm about it and everyone is friendly! This is usually our first stop, and we have found it not as busy during the afternoon. They have many different varieties, but our favorite is the “Surf and Turf.” It is a fresh baked French baguette smothered in roast beef and fried shrimp and of course the usual trimmings! This is sure to get your trip started off right! Our next stop in the Ruby Slipper! There are several of these around NOLA, but the best one is tucked away under the Pelham hotel. Located on Magazine St. in the central business district the Ruby Slipper is famous for thier eye opening cocktails and amazing eggs Benedict! I always order the bacon infused vodka Bloody Mary, and The Peacmaker. With the Peacemaker, you get to mix and match two different eggs Benedict! I always get the Eggs Cochon and Chicken St. Charles! Also featured is the strawberry cream cheese stuffed pancake! So worth every bite! We love coming to this Mid- Cities gem as well. Katie’s was introduced to us by my husbands friend who lives in NOLA. Katie’s is actually featured on a famous show on The Food Network but when you walk in, you’d never know because everyone that works there is so down to earth. The food is amazing! Every time we come here I always get the Jalapeño BlackBerry ribs, and my husband gets some sort of pizza! He usually makes his own combination, and they always look tasty. You have to get there early or they will sell out of the ribs! This happened to me last week, but the waitress came in with save by offering my the Beef short ribs with seasonal veggies and a stuffed sweet potato! I was not dissapointed!! Across the lake are some not-so-busy towns! We usually try to visit the Abita brewery when we are feeling adventurous and want to step away from the city! The Abita brewery has great staff, brewery tours, special events, food trucks, and of course amazing beer! I’m pretty sure we tried all of them this time and really enjoyed the rainy afternoon cozied up in Abita Springs. Also the 25 mi Causeway is totally worth it!! When in NOLA, you have to go to Bourbon Street! But during happy hour in the quarter!! They always offer 3 for 1 and that is the only time we go! Featured are our favorite places to go! Be sure to visit one of the oldest bars in the USA, Lafitte’s. This bar was Jean Lafitte’s pirate bar. Still built around the original floors and hearth, get the frozen purple drink! Tropical Isle is also among the few places that we enjoy! Pat O’Brien’s and Razoo is also a must! We also like to hit the side street bars, and by that time we are usually a little hungry. We love going to 801 Royal and getting these morsels of goodness. They are a mixture of hush puppies and crawfish! So good and so worth it! We also love getting a few slices at Vieux Carre pizza before making our way into Jackson Square! It is the best pizza on Bourbon! When you hear Jackson square people think about the beautiful church, Cafe du Monde, and the French Market. There is also an awesome little bar called Molly’s in the Market! I love their frozen coffee!! The last place we visit in Mid-Cities is called The Vessel. This converted church is great to have a few drinks before or after dinner. We usually go here and then walk next door to Katie’s. We love their Old Fashioneds with the ice sphere. This is the best Creole- Italian cuisine on Frenchmen Street. With its cozy dining room and the live jazz music coming from the bar on the first floor, Aldolfo’s is one of the best kept secrets NOLA has to offer! They have seasonal specials, but our favorites are the stuffed flounder with ocean sauce and the New York strip smothered in ocean sauce! The next part of NOLA we love to visit is Magazine Street! Accompanied with it’s great shopping and atmosphere, this is where you will find the best spots the locals won’t tell you about! Featured here is the Rum House with their bar full of different rums and excellent Caribbean cuisine. We also stop at La Boulangerie with their exquisite pastries, Reginellis for their superb pizza and pasta, and District Donuts for their unique combinations! La Boulangerie Reginelli’s District Donuts Don’t worry, we usually lose weight when we come to town. There is so much walking and exploring to do! So be sure to bring your comfy shoes and pants!! Enjoy and Heaux Heaux Heaux!
Seriously though....this dish is on everyone's list. Every time we are invited over to a friend's house, or when we are hosting, I always ask what do I need to bring, ( that's the polite thing to do,) or ask our guests for any special requests, ( also a poet and didn't know it.) The dish that keeps them coming back, and for us to keep being invited over has many names. Special potatoes, Mir's potatoes, THOSE potatoes, but I personally call them Twice Baked Potato Casserole. As usual, these are so easy to make, and jammed packed with lots of flavor and goodness! For this time, we were invited over to our friends house for an early Christmas get together before we all scatter to the wind for the holiday. Our friend made a beautiful and tasty pulled pork shoulder, and I brought the potatoes. Earlier that day we were in my hometown for my granny's "Thanksmas" party. So I knew that I wouldn't have a lot of time for the preparation of the casserole. Luckily my mom came in clutch and had some mashed potatoes left over that I so graciously took with me to save some time! Thank you mom!! Usually, I would peel, cut, and boil 4 large russet potatoes, and then mash them and add in my milk and butter to make smooth. Since I took a shortcut, all I added at this time was my cheese, sour cream, bacon bits, cream cheese, seasonings, and green onions. Mix it up well and pour into a greased 13x9 baking dish. Then sprinkle remaining cheese, bacon bits, and green onions on top. Bake for about 20-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
Twice Baked Potato Casserole Ingredients: 4 russet potatoes peeled, chopped, and cooked. 1 8oz block of softened cream cheese 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese plus extra for topping 8 oz of sour cream 10 slices of cooked and chopped bacon save some for topping 1 bunch of green onions sliced save some for topping salt and pepper to taste Directions: 1. preheat oven to 350 degrees 2. mash your cooked potatoes with the cream cheese and sour cream 3. add in the cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and green onions 4. add your salt and pepper to taste 5. pour mixture into a greased 13x9 baking dish 6. sprinkle the extra cheddar, bacon bits, and green onions on top 7. Bake for 20-30 minutes - until cheese is melted and bubbly When I go to the grocery store, the aroma from bananas gets me every time. So I pick up a bunch of them and get them home. Then forget about them or only eat a few off the bunch. Then I have these random bruised bananas just hanging out. Usually, I will make some banana bread with them, but on the occasion I will make banana cake. My mom always made this growing up. Sometimes I would purposely not eat the bananas just so that we could indulge in this sweet treat! However, we never iced them, but on this occasion, I did. Since my fluke last week landed me with so much icing, I saved it, and used it to top off these little beauties. Yes, it literally was the icing on the cake! First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and then cream the eggs sugar and shortening together until it is light and fluffy. Then mix in the mashed bananas and vanilla. You will then alternate the buttermilk and dry ingredients, and mix after each drop. I never buy buttermilk because I use it one time and then I waste it. So what I do, is just put in a little bit of vinegar into the milk that you have in your fridge, and it works just as well. This is where you would add in the nuts. I forgot them when I was at the store, but my icing that I used has plenty of them in there, so it evens out right? After it is all mixed nicely.... Grease and lightly flour a 9x13 pan or any other pan of your choosing. Just a forewarning, different sizes pans will alter the cook times obviously. Pour your batter into your pan, and I baked these mini bundts for 30 minutes. Let the cake sit in the pan for about 5 minutes, and then dump them over onto a cooling pan until completely cool. You can add icing to them or leave them as is. Trust me they will be eaten either way! Banana Cake Ingredients: 3/4 c. shortening 2c. Sugar 2 eggs 3 bananas 1 tsp. vanilla 2 c. flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 c. buttermilk 1/2 c. nuts ( any of your choosing, I like pecans) Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a 13x9 baking pan. 2.Cream sugar, shortening, and eggs 3. Stir in mashed bananas and vanilla 4. Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk. Mix well and add nuts. 5. Bake 40 to 45 minutes No one was hurt during the making of this cake. The bananas however, have seen better days. Enjoy!!
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