patti

Bacon wrapped cheese stuffed chicken, from Costco frozen section. Better than I expected, although I had to bake it longer than the directions said to. Didn’t get dry, and it’s tender. Decent, but not fabulous. Great for a night when I didn’t feel like making much effort. Beet and goat cheese salad with toasted pecans and balsamic vinaigrette.

When my son called me and asked me how I cooked rice, “in my rice cooker” was not the answer he wanted. He called me back later to report that YouTube taught him how. (But now he uses a rice cooker, just like his mom.)

Best Stop definitely has good stuff. I wonder if cracklins travel well? There are now three other shops in the vicinity of Best Stop that are giving them stiff competition. My husband and I disagree on who makes the best boudin. If I’m picking it up, it’s from Billeaud’s. If my husband is picking it up, it’s from Chops. Have you tried crawfish boudin?

Someone mentioned headcheese. I bet I’d love it if I ever actually tasted it, but I can’t get past my childhood memory of seeing it regularly in a grocery store display case and seeing what I was quite sure were toenail clippings in it. My husband’s family is a family of picky eaters. Cooking for them is not enjoyable because of how narrow their likes are. I recall showing up to a holiday dinner (many years ago) with cute little mini cheesecakes, some topped with blueberries and some with strawberries. Not a single one was eaten. Cheese? In cake?! Another time, my B-I-L’s third wife was over for the first time. She hollered out to her husband, in another room, “You’re not going to like anything she’s making!” Oy vey.

Oh my! Strawberry shortcake! And I’ve never heard of lemon posset, but it looks very tempting.

@Kim Shook- Thanks! I hope you have a chance to have your shrimp and grits soon. Chicken livers with pomegranate syrup, potatoes, and peas. My husband eats two out of three of these, so he made a hamburger steak for himself.

I don’t use our instant pot often enough to feel confident using it, but my son swears by it. And if he can do it, certainly I can do it? I did IP pulled pork yesterday. Last night, pulled pork in brioche bun, topped with homemade coleslaw and pickles. Tonight pulled pork tacos with pico de gallo. Trio of noodle desserts I made for a noodle cooking challenge. A little fancy for a follow up of humble pulled pork. 😂 ETA: Lately my photos seem duller upon upload. Is anyone else experiencing that?

Fried catfish and asparagus.

Sandwich night.

Pork noodle soup with gochujang, black vinegar and soy sauce. I usually use fresh spinach but only had frozen. A little chili crunch on the eggs.

In the Before Times, we had a crawfish boil on Easter Sunday. Not as much fun when you aren’t having people over. We (my husband and I, my son and his wife) won’t have our second shots till the week after Easter. Two weeks after that, we’ll get together. All that to say I have not yet planned an Easter dinner.

I bought mine on Etsy. The kits looked the same, so I looked for the best price. Next time I make it I’ll try to make sure I have some limes, fried garlic, and scallions (which I thought I had on hand). I chose the spicy and it had a nice kick to it.

Ours was too small, as well! Will definitely make it again. Tonight’s dinner was a huge clash of cultures! Tea leaf salad and a cheeseburger, anyone? 🤪 I had a tea leaf salad at a Burmese restaurant a few years ago and it was so delicious that I couldn’t forget it. Unfortunately, I’ve never had an opportunity to have one again. I recently discovered that you could buy kits online, and so I did. While it’s not as good as the one in my memory, it’s still very good. I think having had it only once before I wasn’t sure about proportions. We had some ground beef that we needed to use immediately, hence, the odd pairing.

Your “carats” are such jewels!😍

Shrimp and grits.

My first time to make corned beef and cabbage. I must say, after tasting the vegetables, the desire to spice them up with a few shakes of Tony’s was great. Maybe a little too plain for me. Next time I do corned beef maybe I won’t use the seasoning packet that came with the brisket but will make my own.

@DuvelThose plates are great, but I’ve noticed your table is often set with interesting and beautiful pieces. @Kim ShookThat char siu looks so good! I bowed to peer pressure and tried a Fresh Market meal kit. It was easy, that’s for sure, and everything tasted nice, but I’m not completely sold on it. Bourbon peppercorn steak with mashed sweet potatoes and green beans.

It all looks so delicious, but that assortment of stuffed wings and shrimp and egg rolls and wontons! Oh my!

Shrimp and Pesto Pasta. Costco Pesto is pretty tasty, which makes for a quick and easy meal.

I’ve only eaten at two of the restaurants on that list, Pêche and Toup’s Meatery. I’ve heard raves about Blue Oak BBQ. I hope someday I’ll be hitting up NOLA restaurants again. With regard to your question, I don’t even know anything about current Lenten specials! Shame on me.

I had to find a way to use the over salted boiled crawfish, so I made a quinoa salad. Mixed in enough things that it balanced out the seasoning pretty well.

@ShelbyDoesn’t make me feel faint at all. If I lived away from here, I’d pay that! We paid $60 for ten pounds of boiled crawfish and didn’t love them. You can bet I will still be using the leftovers, though! Right now, live crawfish are $3.00 a pound. A sack usually runs between 30 and 35 pounds. I hope we get a sack soon.

Me too!

I was so looking forward to boiled crawfish. These were picked up at a drive through crawfish joint that we’ve ordered from any number of times and enjoyed, but it’s been awhile. They’ve changed their seasoning blend and I didn’t love it. Not only that, but they’re too salty. I’ll be glad when we buy a sack and boil them ourselves. And by “boil them ourselves” I mean my husband does all the work. 😉

That is one gorgeous salad! Frites and prawns aren’t too shabby, either. 😉 Tonight, quesadilla, guacamole, and bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers.