Grazing Across Louisiana

A cow wearing heart shaped glasses There’s a saying, “You know you’re from Louisiana when the topic of dinner conversation is food you’ve recently eaten, food you’re eating now, and food you plan to eat in the future.” Food IS life if you’re in Louisiana. How could it not be when you’re surrounded by some of the best cooking in the world? Not only that, but the state motto is “The Sportsman’s Paradise” because of all the wonderful hunting and fishing that’s available. Holly and I grew up with this culture and if there’s one thing that we miss, besides friends and family of course, it’s the food. When we went back last weekend, we did what we always do – we grazed across Louisiana.

If you’ve ever been to Louisiana, you know how good the food is, but if you haven’t I’ll try and paint a picture. For starters, the majority of the restaurants are not chains, the are family owned businesses. If they have been around awhile, it’s because they are known for their good cooking. There are a few chains that people frequent, but normally that is because the restaurant started as one business and expanded. So places like Ralph & Kacoo’s and Piccadilly are chains now, but that’s not how they started. Oh and don’t think just because you branch means the new location will succeed. If it’s not as good as the first one, the location will fail. That’s becoming the case with the Jambalaya Shoppe. The original location is the best and people will drive out of their way to go to that one, even if a closer one is nearby. Suffice to say, Louisianaians take their food seriously.

3039 days ago • food

FoodTV Reprogrammed My Mind

Food Network Clearly I’ve been bitten by the cooking bug. The dinner that I cooked for Christmas, my failed attempts at French Bread and my success with Madeleines are clear indications that I’ve fallen in love with cooking. I don’t know the cause of it, or where this desire came from. Granted, I love to eat, but eating and cooking are two completely different animals. I’ve been trying to come up with how this new hobby came to be and my only answer is that Food TV reprogrammed me.

My tastes in TV have changed and I find myself getting captivated by home improvement shows. Trading Spaces, While You Were Out, Curb Appeal, you name it, if it’s a home improvement show, I’ll watch it. My rationale is that because some of the channels that air home improvement shows also air cooking shows, it was a natural progression to start watching those. However, I thought that watching a show about cooking was nothing more than a passive interest. Little did I know that it would change the way I thought about food and pull me into the kitchen with mad plans of cooking and preparing big meals. Just look at my wish list for Kitchen Stuff and you’ll see that I’ve gone mad.

3057 days ago • food

When Recipes Go Wild

Madeleines and Coffee I have fallen in love with the French cookie/cake called a Madeleine. They are small shell shaped cookies, but instead of the hard crunch of a cookie, or biscuit, they are made with light fluffy cake. I understand that you can get them in many flavors, but the only ones I’ve found have a hint of vanilla, or lemon flavor which is barely discernible on your pallet. I came across the DonSueMor Brand one day at Starbucks and they go so well with coffee that I can’t seem to keep from buying them whenever I’m there. At $2.00 for a bag of three, I thought it might be best if I learned how to make them to have around the house. Of course, this wasn’t a conscious thought that lead immediately to action mind you. This was one of those “wouldn’t it be great” thoughts that you tuck away and recall from time-to-time.

It wasn’t until I was watching the DVD of The Transporter that my little nurturing thought was moved into action. I was watching the movie when Lai bakes some Madeleines for our hero Frank Martin. As the two action stars sat there eating them and discussing their next move, I thought, “Man, wouldn’t that be great to enjoy a Madeline with my coffee?” I could just picture myself sitting at the kitchen table, overlooking the pasture that rests behind our home. Dotting the landscape are grazing cattle, some nursing their young, while I type away on my Alphasmart Dana. Every so often, I pause for a sip of coffee and a nibble of this French cake delicacy and look down at Gracie sleeping at my feet. Even now, this idea makes me close my eyes so I can savor the thought in my mind as if it were suckling a rich piece of chocolate, letting it melt and soothe my body.

3081 days ago • food

Stroopwafel

I stumbled upon the stroopwafel some 10 years ago back in Baton Rouge. Coffee shops where just beginning to blossom around the United States and people weren’t quite sure what to make of them. In fact, I remember the first time I walked into Perks Coffee and Tea Shop and was shocked that I couldn’t order bacon and eggs. :O Like I said, people (including myself) were just learning what a coffee shop was all about. The idea of going someplace just for coffee seemed a bit strange.

Needless to say, I quickly got the hang of it and began visiting Perks on a frequent basis. What I discovered is that there was food to eat, just not the kind that comes off the griddle. Bagels, muffins and other pastries were quite plentiful and good and made for a nice start on the day. There was also something new that I had never tried before – the Stroopwafel.

3188 days ago • food

The Perfect Cup

Bodum French Press Coffee Maker A couple of weeks ago I dropped my thermal carafe from my much beloved coffee maker. As a result, it began a small leak. Faced with having to buy a new carafe, or even I whole new coffee maker, I remembered that I was given a french press coffee maker as a gift from my Mom. I opted to break it out and make coffee with it and boy and I glad that I did!

Some folks may think that the Capresso MT500 is the best coffee maker, but I have to say I don’t know if I can go back to drip coffee after experiencing the french press. It’s so smooth and rich that it has to be tasted to be believed. I’ve been drinking this method exclusively for the past week or so and I’m in coffee heaven. In fact, I met a colleague for lunch last week at a coffee shop and I ordered a french press. I’m hooked!

For more information on the french press method, select this link.

3196 days ago • food

Getting Pucked

After my late afternoon coffee siesta on Friday a few weeks back, Holly showed up to hook up for dinner. Originally we were thinking about going to a little Greek cafe that was nearby, but as we sat there in dimming sun, relaxed and content, we noticed that there was a new restaurant right across the way. It was a Wolfgang Puck Express. I had eaten at one a month or so ago in the Chicago O’ Hare airport and found it to be quite good, so with that recommendation Holly and I decided to at least go look at the menu. A few glances at the menu and it was clear that we were going to eat dinner there. There were simply too many good dishes to pass up.

The part of town that Wolfgang Puck Express is located is fairly trendy and we expected the look and feel of the restaurant to be in that same vein. It was, but as soon as we stepped into the restaurant it was like stepping into a funky little wrinkle in time. I instantly felt off center and I couldn’t figure out why. It wasn’t until we were sitting down, waiting for our food, that I started to piece it together. Wolfgang Puck has combined a wide array of dining “experiences” into one experience and then cranked up the speed.

3252 days ago • food

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