highchef

I would absolutely love to do this. I have Les Halles, and need to check the recipe and see how it compares to my old recipe..this is a good dish for that giant le cruset pot! when are we starting???

ground sassafrass leaves. It's a thickener, usually put a bit on my bowl after serving. It's not absolutely necessary, but is usually the icing on the cake for me. Turkey is a fine (and traditional) gumbo recipe w/sausage. Make the roux (or buy it and don't tell), add the trinity and cook until soft (adding the veggies to the browning roux stops the browning). slowly add a good stock, chicken or turkey if you made some w/the carcass. let it simmer w/ a bay leaf for an hour or so, then add the 1/2" sliced, browned sausage. let it cook another 15 minutes or so and add the pulled off leftovers from your turkey, ground thyme, sage, rosemary to taste. add some chopped (depends on how big a pot you're making) green onions at the end, and file if you have it. Salt and pepper to taste.

It's really good in 'upscale' brownies. I made mexican brownies (www.epicuirous.com) that have a hint of cinnamon in them and a ganache topping...so good. A quality chocolate makes a huge difference in the quality of the brownies...I've made these before w/Giaradelli (sp) and while they were great, the one's with the 99% unsweetened choc. were far superior.

Mmmm, shrimp and mirliton casserole, one of my faves. Yep, listen to highchef, he knows of what he speaks. Marlene, you are a far braver and more hard working woman than I. I can't believe how many new things you're tackling, not only for the holidays, but also for a blog in front of everybody. You rock! Merry Christmas! ← Thanks, but he's a she! I couldnt' figure out how to alter my profile, I'll get to it after the holidays, and add from Louisiana. Mirlton's are 2 for a dollar! so guess what I'm cooking tomorrow!

Marlene..a stack of crackers is one wax paper wrapper from the box of 4 or 2, however you buy them. I think it's a couple of dozen, but haven't gotton around to counting them. Substitute mirltons in that recipe and you have another southern fav. with shrimp...lovely! Good luck, btw your assumptions about that saute thing were good...we saute veggies down while we're making a roux...it's the first things you do when you start damn near any recipe from Louisiana. Merry Christmas everyone...

THAT is soooo cool.

Glad the food is going well, I'd have done more cooking today if I didn't have to deal with the deep CANADIAN cold front coming in...had to protect the plants, pick the satsuma's and the lemons, and the kumquats...ya'll couldn't have kept that stuff up there?? We're looking at SNOW (well, not yet but they're calling for some!) honey, here..well that's NOT a good thing. but, the kids will enjoy, and I'll get more laundry. Now, what about that pecan pie? and the gumbo????

Ya'll work too hard, I'm going back to bed...great pizza's !.. When my 3 boys wake up it'll be ham and bisquits, eggs and gravy. Man talk about eat! The oldest is 6'2 and going and the 14 year old is about to shoot.. I can tell by his eating. The little un is 'only' 10 and is already bigger than the middle kid...all boys. man.. the best deal in the world is the school lunch program!

I'll be interested to learn how to use the pizza stone as well! Great blog! Making donuts?? Beniets? I made killer shortbread last night...3 cups of flour, 1teaspoon salt, sifted w/1 cup rice flour, whip 1lb softend usbutter w/1 cup superfine (i used regular) sugar. Add sifted, dry ingred. about a quarter at a time. I added 8 tablespoons of finely chopped candied ginger at the end. Baked in parchment lined pans. about 325 for 30 minutes. when light golden brown, take out of pan CAREFULLY... the rice flour that gives that delicate crumb also makes them well...delicate. they harden as they cool, but you have to cut them warm. get someone (Ryan, dear!) to help you and pull them up with the parchment paper straight up out of the pan (in other words lift on all 4 sides). This way they don't bend in the middle. Slice on parchment, use wide spatula to lift to cooling rack. Later when they were stable, I brushed them off w/pastry brush and drizzled melted white chocolate over them. I was afraid to dip cause I didn't want crumbs in the chocolate (however, the first one would've looked great!). Base recipe is from 'In the Sweet Kitchen' and there are other variations. I love candied ginger. I bought a large can of it from Tues. Morning (they had pizza stones as well) and it chopped like a dream. Usually the stuff I get is like trying to dice carmel. Good luck today, I'll be following that pizza experiment...another thread suggest onion confit for a topping (man, I learn something new EVERY day on this site!!)

There are 3 steamboat bill's in lake chuck...across from the casino's, down on broad st. (hwy 90) and an 'express' on ryan st, before you get to prien lake rd. the grocery/boudin/sausage maker in Iowa is Rabideaux's and it's the same exit as the kinder casino, only you go south about 1/2 mile and it'll be right there on the left. great boudin, really good sausage. good pork rinds. As far as kinder is concerned all I know is the casino...

Well, if you're not committed to that damn pie yet, I sure am...let me make sure the bourbon's fresh...no wait, that's wrong...the PECANS are fresh. he he he (I know the bourbon's ok!)

What's the menu for the rest of the week? Gumbo is a traditional Christmas Eve dinner in Louisiana and a lot of people make tamales as well. I can't answer what you're thinking on that one. On the pie issue. I use lard. it just does better. cold. Dark Karo syrup and whatever recipe you use, add an egg. makes it less dense, which I think is what bothers some people about pecan pie. (there was a thread on this recently) Bourbon is a must, if you really want over the top use Southern comfort..... Don't forget to try some dirty rice, or oyster pie, or cornbread dressing. good luck!

you mean freezing isn't the same as setting up?

Looks like you've had a good day! Only in Louisiana....

I agree with the mayhawman...it's just gumbo weather here. clear, cool..perfect for making christmas treats, candies and gingerbread. I do like hot bowls of beef stew when it's cold out though, with hot french bread. This close to Christmas I'll just work on the goodies. Pralines anyone?

lump of cream cheese. jar of sweet halapeno rings. pour peppers on cheese. serve with crackers. like cheese and fruit!

I am surrounded by men, sons, husband, single brothers. Sundays I do a Rachel Ray thing and they think it's the perfect breakfast...what they'd order if they were eating at Cracker Barrel. Frozen (20 min. to table) buttermilk bisquits. A pound of sliced Jimmy Dean's sausage, Red eye gravy (made w/milk and coffee, ham base.) perfectly undercooked scrambled eggs. If they've been good, there might be some mini muffins. (albertson's). cleaning up is the hardest part.

I go back to the economics..did it meet it's value and my expectations? There is a point of diminishing returns and it's usually the little things that push it there. The meal should be perfect, but the experience should be without any unpleasentness, and if there is any it should be quickly and generously compensated for. I won't go back if something pissed me off and was ignored. I like nice...

That description fits what I'm thinking of. The photos in the Asian thread are exactly what I'm talking about. (I never knew you could grill them!) So, getting back to the artillery question: hanging is too good for those fruit-wasting kids! ← If you don't mind, I'll just lock mine the the closet until they're grown!. The oranges and just like the picture of the satsuma mandarin oranges pictured in the farm link above. I'm going to try to peel them with out getting the pith, and try marmalade. I'm also going to try an orange flavored pound type cake, if I can find a recipe that I can tweak. Thanks for the advice. I'll check out grilling them as well, must be a neat flavor there.

I don't think Louisiana satsumas peels are what you think. They come off as soon as you pull them from the tree. While they have good color, they are mostly white, it would be hard to get the color from the zest...If they could have possibly been used for 'putting by', one of my old neighbor ladies would have let me in on the secret by now.. I just don't think the rind can do the trick. I'm willing to learn, if the rinds have value, let me know my Louisiana friends...(or anyone else) need to edit...the satsuma's arn't white, they have a thick peel and only the very thinnest is green to the outside so it's mostly white Pith. that's why I don't think they'd do well in a marmalade. but thinking about it, the zest may be useable either candied or dried. I'll try to candy some and see how it does. sorry about the misunderstanding. Zipper peels, and good flavor, and I'd like to use them in recipes. I just don't know what.

I don't think so, our peels are spongy, and not as thick skinned as most oranges..I don't know..MayHay man. need help with this. I just don't think these are the same as manderins at all. help.

My sons and friends, the current neighborhood tribe of ruffians have taken to lobbing my satsuma's at each other...in between eating them. I'd like to do something with them before they become ant food. since the peels don't seem to lend themselves to marmalade (just can't see it) or anything else I can think of, I think the juice might be my only way to go. Do you think I could sub for lemon juice in a pie?? Anyone have any thing special they can suggest?? Cranberry relish is the only other thing that comes to mind. Thanks.

I've been wanting to make my own marshmallows for a while now...the idea began with thinking of Thanksgiving, and doing all the comfort foods my set in their ways family is used to, but doing them all from scratch. fresh green beans in the cassarole, with homemade onion rings..and then the sweet potato's whipped with sugar using fresh potatoes and homemade marshmallows. I've been hesitant because of the humidity down here. does that affect the end result??? I've been taught not to try sugar based candies (divinity, pralines etc) when the humidity is high, and lately it has just stayed that way. also..I have a ton of satsuma's and have been seeking ways to use them. think I could use the juice in marshmallows like ya'll have been using other flavorings???? thanks.

good = "make you want to slap your mama" I've heard this all my life, and quite honestly I don't know why it's a compliment, but it is.. now that I AM a moma...I just say "I dare you, but thanks!"

These sweet potato pancakes (with shrimp) are divine, especially with the chipolte mayo. I like the chaote slaw with it for a main luncheon dish, but make small ones for teasers. the latin spice mix is good in chilli and as a dry rub. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/102840