Dana

I hope you'll be including some basic instructions for your etouffee, etc. I can make a mean gumbo, but my etouffee sucks. We're boiling crawfish on Sunday. Got to take advantage of the season!!!! A million dollars worth of crab is my idea of heaven!!!

We liked Acme, but the best oysters are always the freshest.

Hands down, Popeye's. their biscuits and red beans and rice are the best, and the spicy chicken is delish. The Church's here use chickens that are too large, so the pieces are too large, and sometimes kinda tough.

Only that I wish I could drop by for supper!!! How are you cooking your chix breasts? Breasts are hard to keep moist if making ahead, and 20 plus breasts sounds (to me) like quite a few unless you've got several pans going. Maybe you're baking them?

Seared Scallops Snapper with butter/lemon/caper sauce Roasted Cauliflower, tomatoes, onion, red bells and chick peas tossed with graden-fresh herbs and EVOO Eroica reisling

Pound Cake is a standard in my part of the South. Any flavor, lemon, plain, chocolate, whatever. I really don't like them, they are so dense. I prefer a lighter cake. I know several families that make no other kind of cake other than pound. As for Red Velvet, I grew up in Kansas, which is decidedly NOT the south, and we had it a lot - it was my sister's requested B-day cake. The recipe called for 2 bottles of red food coloring, and my frugel mother used one, then filled the bottle with water to wash it out for the other. No noticeable difference.

We boiled crawfish last Sunday, and they were terrific. I paid $1.59 per pound and they were all good sized - med to large - for this early in the season. Our Albertsons' gets them locally (SE TX). We're looking forward to a good season this year, if this first batch was any indication!!! Sounds like you're going to have a terrific week-end, MM!!!

I second the recommendation for Angelo's on White Settlement. MY hubby and I made a detour from Dallas to eat there last summer, and the Q is delish, and the atmosphere is very 'Texas'. We enjoyed it a lot, and would go there again.

The only thing I have to add about the NO WHINNING rule is this: If you don't like something, keep your mouth SHUT. Either pick out what you don't like, ie, the peas, and leave them on the plate while eating the rest, or don't eat it at all, but DON'T COMPLAIN ABOUT IT. After hearing my nephews holler "I don't like______", I vowed my kids would never embarrass me like that, and they never did. Today, my kids, now adults will try just about anything.

I use a locally (SE TX) grown rice called Doguets. I'm not sure how widely distributed it is but, there are so many flavors going on in jambalya that any rice will probably work. The standard ratio is 2 parts water to 1 part rice. I think overcooking is the key to getting it to split. Don't give up on it yet!! Try again!!

The plate presentation in the photos is very interesting to me. Salad ingredients strewn all over the plate in a single layer is very different than salads I am used to seeing. Was that intentional to showcase the individual components or is that the normal way they are served in the UK? I love an element of sweetness in a salad - the carmelized apples, etc. I often add 'trail mix' to a salad simple lettuce salad. The touch sweetness from the raisins, dried cranberries and nuts really make a salad sing.

To me, the worst is just a 'vegetable medley' and those vegetables were frozen. Broccoli cooked to mush, cauliflower, carrot coins, and sometimes green beans. Frozen carrots and green beans are intolerable. No amount of butter can save them.

my homefries: Peel potatoes and cut into bite sized pieces. I usually quarter them, then slice into 1/4 inch pieces. Heat oil in large skillet. Add potatoes, s&p, and cook, covered,over med-low heat till about half done, about 10 min. Dice onion, and sprinkle on top. Leave cover off and continue to fry till potatoes are brown and crispy, about 7-10 more minutes. (if you put the onions in at the beginning they burn). Serve promptly. Variation: when adding the onion, add some diced venison smoked sausage. This is lovingly known at my house as: Potato Sausage Don't we have a way with words?

I was VERY young when we married, and the first meal I cooked for us was fried chicken. I had fried many chickens at home in my mom's fry pan, and was confident that all would go well. I used an electric skillet that was a wedding gift. During the frying, everything seemed to be fine, however, when Steve took the first bite of his drumstick, blood dripped out. He was aghast, as was I. He razzed me about that for many years. I guess I've made up for it, he hasn't mentioned it for a long time!!!!

I've had my confit in the crock pot on high since about 10 this morning (lid cocked so some of the steam escaped.) It's pretty brown, but not as deep mahogany as the photo in this thread, so I removed it from the pot (the edges were looking black) and will cook it some more tomorrow on the low setting. I'm afraid if I left it on all night, the whole thing would be black. I added the demi-glace, but no port. It's pretty awsome right now. Will report back.

grilled bread with fresh herb butter broiled salmon with balsamic glaze cheezy red potatoes green beans blue bell ice cream

Grilled chicken with garden fresh meyer lemon juice and oregano. Roasted cauliflower green salad with homemade cilantro dressing deviled eggs Albarnio to drink

One of my favorite breakfasts is: Cold pizza Diet Coke I call it: Breakfast of champions Although, tomorrow I'm having the avocado scramble as described by ludja. It sounds awsome.

Just served my family Jaymes Coctele Camerones. DELISH. I served them in a large bowl, long stemmed goblet, with three slices of avocado on top. They looked very pretty and very professional!!! thanks so much, Jaymes.

Jaymes Coctele Camarones Grilled strip steaks Boursin Potatoes Grilled Asparagus Ricotta cheesecake with poached pears Rancho Zabaco Zin

Growing up in Kansas, we always said "pop", however, since moving to TX, we now have cokes, although mine is always diet coke. My St. Louis born SIL says "soda", althought it's more like "sooda". Never heard the term "bubbler" before. It's a water fountain. I'm so confused. I need a coke.

Drain a can of San Marzano tomatoes. Add a couple of glugs of evoo, salt and pepper and a big pinch of oregano. Buzz with the handy dandy hand blender. Spoon it thinly on the crust. Keep it simple.

I made Jaymes yummy salsa yesterday. Served it over beef and bean tostadas, and again this morning on my scrambled eggs with cheddar. Super delish!! Thanks so much

One of the best successes I had was last summer. We had rented a beach house and both my siblings and their families along with my mom were there. (I rarely cook for that many people) My hubby was in charge of the grilled cornish hens that I had marinated in lemon and garlic. I made a risotto, sauteed cherry tomatoes, bruschetta and a tirimisu. Everything turned out great, and everybody thought I was a genius. The best part, to me, are the complements, and requests for recipes and methods. Those are the highest forms of flattery.

Tamales are a long process, but doable if you've got a couple of days and some helpers. I have used the recipe on the back of the corn husk package (Fiesta Brand, from San Antonio, I think) for the last two years with great results. If you do the meat the day before, and have a good stand mixer for the masa, you can do it!!! Make the whole batch, freeze in packages of a dozen each, and enjoy.