The Nifty Foodie

“Hey, uh, Amy? You’ve posted this picture before. You know that, right?” I’m sure you guys are thinking that, but this time I’m going to rave about what’s on the right side of that plate. Oh yes, those potatoes.

These aren’t your ordinary mashed potatoes. They are spicy, flavorful and make you want to start peeling crawfish at a newspaper-lined dinner table. Delicious!

I had a similar tasting dish at a local chain that, as a Louisianian, had me thinking, “Why didn’t I think of doing this?” It’s so simple and such a great idea!

Basically, at a crawfish boil, there is more than crawfish there. You have boiled veggies, like corn, potatoes, onions, garlic, etc. This recipe takes those potatoes to a dinner plate-worthy level, if you get my drift. Oh, and you can easily make these in the kitchen. No need for the 100 gallon pots here, folks!

Crawfish Boiled Mashed Potatoes
Source: an original

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs. small red potatoes
• 1/8 cup crawfish boil seasoning
• 4 tbsp. butter
• Milk (as needed)

Directions:

1. Fill a pot with water and add pre-washed red potatoes and seasoning.
2. Bring to a boil for about 20-25 minutes or until fork tender.
3. Let the potatoes sit in the water for 5-10 minutes to absorb the seasoning. (We did 10 minutes. Husband loved them…I thought WAY too spicy, but I’m a wuss!)
4. Take the potatoes out and put them in a large bowl. Mash them with the butter added in. If you find this too thick, add milk, a little at a time until you reach the desired consistency.

Whew! This is the last post about the party we held. I’m sure you all are ready to move on with blog entries, so I’ll keep this one quick. There are no recipes, because these kabobs are very simple to put together, and most of the ingredients are from a bottle.

First of all, I always soak my skewers in water for a good hour. You don’t want flare-ups in the wood, and this helps to avoid it.

For the steak, we basically marinated the steak overnight in store-bought marinade (specifically this one) and then cut them into smallish square pieces and skewered them (about 5 pieces per skewer). We then seasoned with salt/pepper and threw them on the grill, flipping after a couple minutes to get a good sear,  until the steak is cooked.

Vegetable kabobs are very versatile. You can include/exclude whatever you want. For ours, I used red onion, yellow/red bell peppers, zucchini and mushrooms. After they are skewered, lightly brush on some Italian dressing or just plain olive oil and then grill. This will ensure that they don’t stick to the grill. Just be sure not to drizzle or brush with a heavy hand, because that would cause major flare-ups and you don’t want burnt mushroom, do you? That’s what I thought.

On a side note: I like to keep my meat/vegetable skewers separated, because some vegetables take longer to cook than the steak does (especially if you like them cooked less than well done) and also raw meat on vegetables just grosses me out.

Summer officially started last Monday. However, being in Louisiana, we’ve been feeling summer-like weather since May. With the heat index hitting 110 degrees sometimes, we wanted to throw a summer party that was most definitely indoors!

I watch entirely too much Food Network. If it wasn’t for Food Network and reading food blogs, I’m fairly certain my husband and I would be living off of Hamburger Helper and take-out. One of my favorite shows lately has been The Best Thing I Ever Ate. Every show has a theme, and it features the cooks/hosts on Food Network and their favorite eats in that theme. So, when Foodbuzz emailed about this month’s 24×24 proposals, I figured it would be a fun party to feature the best things our families have eaten! Thanks so much to Foodbuzz for sponsoring this party!

To come up with the menu, I sent out an email to our families asking for their favorites in each category.

• On the Grill (recipes that are done on the BBQ)
• Dangerously Cheesy (major cheese in a dish)
• No Utensils (finger foods/apps)
• Keep it Comfy (comfort food)
• Frozen Treats (any dessert from the freezer)
• Mix it Up (a food that requires using a mixer—doesn’t have to be a sweet)
• Louisiana’s Best (Louisiana food)
• Cold and Colorful (like a salad or cold app with lots of veggies or fruit)
• Under the Sea (favorite seafood dish)
• Classic American (with 4th of July approaching, tell me a dish that screams American)

After getting many responses, here is the menu we came up with:

Drinks:
Strawberry Lemonade
Strawberry Daiquiris

Appetizers:
Cheese Fondue with Vegetables/Bread*
Bruschetta*
Boudin Balls

Entrees:
Steak Skewers with Chimichurri, Onion Cheese Sauce and Compound Butter*
Spicy BBQ Shrimp Skewers*

Sides:
Crawfish Fettuccine
Macaroni and Cheese
Vegetable Skewers*
Grilled Corn
Lettuce Greens with Honey Lime Vinaigrette

Desserts:
Strawberry Cake*
Assorted Cupcakes
Cinnamon Crumb Apple Pie
Fresh Berries with Ice Cream

* recipes will be featured in the blog in future posts

I will admit, I’m still getting the hang of entertaining for a large number of people. Despite doing a lot of prep, I felt fairly stressed in the last hour. Since the party was for family, though, I had loads of help at the last minute. Whew!

The fondue was an absolute hit. I was nervous to make this myself, but this recipe came together beautifully! I served the fondue with day old po’boy bread, carrots and broccoli.

We purchased the boudin balls at a local joint, since they are pretty much my husband’s favorite. The bruschetta was a lighter alternative to the other appetizers. I was super excited to use basil from our garden for this dish!

I need to thank the hubs for braving the sweltering disgusting heat to cook up this magic on the grill. The steak, especially was a real winner to family!

We made 3 sauces available for people to dip/cover their skewers in: a chimichurri, onion blue cheese (not pictured) and a worchestershire chive butter. The chimichurri ended up being a huge hit (and I used parsley from the garden for it)!

Here is some lovely grilled corn that survived a few flare-ups on the grill.

Here is a semi-decent picture of the crawfish fettuccine before everyone digged in. The hubs’ parents made this dish and it was delicious. Perfect flavor with a little Louisiana kick!

This is some macaroni and cheese that is my mother-in-law’s favorite. It was definitely pretty tasty (not to mention, cheesy).

After enjoying some serious eats, we waited a good while before putting out desserts and just chatted, watched TV and played some games.

I will say the desserts were absolutely amazing.

Fresh berries (and ice cream, not pictured)

Strawberry Cake (inspired by a local bakery). I would have just purchased one, but I had no idea an 8″ cake was over $30. What the heck?! I guess I’m just used to baking my own cakes to realize how expensive cakes have gotten!

This was a welcomed surprise. A local cupcake bakery occasionally has giveaways on Twitter, and I won some cupcakes! They were seriously delish! Thank you Sweet Wishes Cafe!

Here is the cinnamon crumb apple pie. This is one of those frozen pies you can find in the grocery store, but has quickly become a favorite with my hubs’ family.

Of course, our puppy was very excited to get all of the attention she got at the party, and thanks to my mom, she tried a piece of steak for the first time. I think she enjoyed it.

And of course, it wouldn’t be a party without family! Here are some pictures of our family.

It was a great time to be had by everyone, especially in the milder indoors. Thank you so much to Foodbuzz again for the party! Everyone had a blast!

Oh yes, the classic burger and fries. It reminds me so much of when I was a kid. Dad would grill the burgers and Mom would fry the fries. Mom would always make sure we had a good TV show playing since we liked to usually run around the house and accidents were normal during those times. Mom didn’t want grease burn accidents, so it was either Nickelodeon or our favorite Disney movie. It kept us 4 kids quiet long enough.

When dinner was ready, we used to race to the plates and get our fix. Burger night was awesome!

Now that the hubs and I are trying to eat better, burgers and fries just weren’t on our mind. I’ve tried the whole oven fries thing before, but with tasty but mushed up results. After reading a few raves about a recipe that Annie of Annie’s Eats featured, I decided to try this technique. What would it hurt, right?

The results? The crispy flavorful fries that I remember, except, well Ore-Ida didn’t make these. This recipe was easy and just plain delicious. Best of all? Only 5 tablespoons of oil are used for the whole recipe! Awesome. Definitely Weight Watchers friendly.

Another great thing about this meal? The burger buns. These were provided to me for free by Nature’s Pride and Foodbuzz as a part of the Tastemaker program. My husband and I were sent a pack of these to sample, and we were thrilled to get something whole wheat. They were delicious!

Baked Oven Fries
Source: adapted from Annie’s Eats (originally by Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients:

• 3 russet potatoes (about 24 oz. total), peeled and cut lengthwise into even sized wedges
• 5 tbsp. vegetable, canola or peanut oil, divided
• 3/4 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1 tsp. cajun seasoning, plus more to taste (like Tony Chachere’s)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 475˚ F.  Place the potato wedges in a large mixing bowl.  Cover with hot water; soak for 10-30 minutes.  Put 4 tablespoons of the oil onto a heavy, rimmed baking sheet.  Tilt the sheet side to side to evenly coat the pan with oil (a pastry brush can also help with this).  Sprinkle the pan evenly with the salt and pepper.  Set aside.
2. Drain the potatoes.  Spread the wedges out on layers of paper towels or on clean kitchen towels.  Pat dry with additional towels.  Wipe out the now empty bowl so it is dry.  Return the potatoes to the bowl and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil.  Arrange the potato wedges on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.  Cover tightly with foil and bake for 5 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue to bake until the bottoms of the potatoes are spotty golden brown, 15-20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 10 minutes.  Using a metal spatula and tongs, flip each potato wedge keeping them in a single layer.  Continue baking until the fries are golden and crisp, 5 -15 minutes.  Rotate the pan as needed to ensure even browning.
3. When the fries are finished baking, transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain some of the grease.  Season with the cajun seasoning, to taste.  Serve warm.

I am a big time fan of Mexican food. I can eat quesadillas, fajitas, queso and rice until my stomach wants to explode. I could probably eat this stuff everyday, but if I did, I’m sure my jeans would tell me to take a hike! One of my favorite things is Mexican rice, especially at this local Mexican joint. I’ve never found an adequate at-home replacement, and I thought I would give this a shot.

I’m so sad that this stuff turned out bland bland bland. I worked on this darn side dish on a work night, only to be disappointed. Maybe it needed more salt? Anyway, I will say it was dynamite when mixed with some carmelized onions and veggies that I cooked for the fajitas.

I don’t even know what went wrong (anyone have tips?), but the search continues….

EDIT: After making this again, I realized I must not have rinsed the rice long enough. The recipe turned out spectacular!

Mexican Rice
Source: Annie’s Eats (originally from Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered
• 1 medium white onion, peeled, trimmed and quartered
• 2 cups long grain white rice
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
• 3 medium jalapenos, ribbed, seeded and minced
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro (optional)
• 1 lime, cut into wedges for serving

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and move a rack to the middle position.  Process tomatoes and onions in the food processor until smooth and thoroughly pureed, about 15 seconds, scraping down the bowl if necessary.  Transfer the mixture a liquid measuring cup; you should have 2 cups (if necessary, spoon off excess or add water so that the volume equals 2 cups).   
2. Place the rice in a large fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until the water runs clear, about 1 1/2 minutes.  Shake rice vigorously in strainer to remove all excess water.
3. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed oven-safe Dutch oven or straight-sided sauté pan with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat, 1 to 2 minutes.  Add the rice and fry, stirring frequently, until it is golden and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes.  Reduce the heat to medium; add the garlic and minced jalapenos; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes.  Stir in pureed tomatoes and onions, chicken broth, tomato paste and salt; increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.  Cover the pan an transfer to the oven; bake until the liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 30 to 35 minutes, stirring well after 15 minutes.