Monthly Archives: October 2011

What’s Cooking: PumpkinPalooza! Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

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Happy Halloween!  It’s pumpkin carving time and that means you’re going to have a big mess of pumpkin seeds left over.  I don’t love gutting a pumpkin, but the reward of these spicy seeds at the finish line made it worthwhile.  This recipe is really spicy, so you may want to dial it down if you’re serving them to kids*.  But for the grown-ups, they do make a nice snack or appetizer.

Here’s what you need:

4 tbsp butter

1 tsp chili powder

1/8 tsp cayenne

1/8 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon sugar

2 cups raw pumpkin seeds (clean and dry)

Preheat the oven to 375.  Melt the butter and mix in all of the spices.  Coat the pumpkin seeds with the spice mixture and spread them evenly over a baking sheet.  Bake for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.  You may need to add a little more salt when you pull them out of the oven.

Ready for Roasting

Oh, and check out a picture of my pumpkin, post carving:

Happy Halloween!

*For kids, or if you have a sweet tooth, try just cinnamon, sugar, and a little bit of sea salt instad of the spices.  DELICIOUS!

Party on the Patio: Benefit at Commander’s Palace

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I, like many of you, lost my home to Hurricane Katrina. I/we can certainly sympathize with how brutal an unexpected displacement can be. In my time of need I relied upon the kindness of strangers for food, clothing and basic necessities until I could start picking up the pieces. The amazing outpouring of support I received from so many strangers has filled me with a strong sense of responsibility to pay it forward. Well, here is one such chance: This past weekend, the Sous Chef at Commander’s Palace, Jay Wells, and his wife lost their home to fire. To help them pick up the pieces, the folks at Commander’s are setting up a wine tasting benefit this coming Tuesday (November 1). Here are more details from Commander’s:

Enjoy an evening of passed hors d’oeuvres and the wines of
Far Niente and Nickel & Nickel – all served on our beautiful courtyard patio to benefit our Sous Chef Jay Wells and his wife Cindy who lost their home to a fire last weekend.

Date: Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Time: 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm

Minimum donation of
$25 per person requested

Please enter through the Patio Gate

All proceeds will go towards gift cards for Stein Mart and Macy’s to help Jay and Cindy rebuild their lives.

Please call 504-207-1349 to make a donation or purchase advance tickets.

Hope to see you all out there on Tuesday.

Spot at the Bar: “Champagne” Cocktails

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This past Sunday, the Saints were kind enough to delay their whipping of the Colts until 7:20 pm (If you wish to relive that, video here). Problematic for work the next day, excellent for tailgating. Not having to be out at the Dome for 10:00 am meant Cupcake and I could take our time in the morning and even pop a bottle of prosecco* that has been hiding in the wine fridge for too long. After a round of mimosas, I figured this was the perfect opportunity to break into some “champagne” cocktails since we rarely ever have sparkling wine.

First up was the Champagne Cocktail, a classic cocktail from way back:

Soak a sugar cube with Angostura bitters
Dump the sugar cube in your glass and fill

Angostura soaked cubed in the bottom of the glass

The bitters are released into the prosecco as the sugar dissolves

Verdict: This was an ok drink, but I think I’d use this to salvage sparkling wine that was too sweet for my tastes.

Next drink up was the Elderflower Spritz from Speakeasy:

4 ounces [my cheapy prosecco]
2 ounces St-Germain elderflower liqueur
2 ounces club soda
3 thinly sliced lemon wheels

The Elderflower Spritz (Thanks to Speakeasy, with minor alterations)

Verdict: This drink delivers a great first sip, it is cool and refreshing. Unfortunately, the drink tends to sweeten up on you and becomes a bit much. However, we both agreed that this would be the perfect drink for a spring or summer shower or similar gathering. Mix up a big batch in a pitcher or cooler and have at it.

Final cocktail was the Le Perroquet (the Parrot) from my newest acquisition, The Craft of the Cocktail by Dale Degroff.

Generous dash of Campari
dash of gin
2 ounces fresh orange juice
4 ounces [my cheapy prosecco]
twist of lemon peel
twist of orange peel

The making of a Le Perroquet

Verdict: Not bad, but before I draw any conclusions I think I’d need to redo this drink. I was a bit heavy on the gin and the Campari and my twists look like crap.

*The La Marca isn’t a bad deal, as you’ll be able to score a bottle for $12-15. The poor label was ripped as it was just a hair thick for the shelf it was on.

Around Town: NOLA Brewing Can Release Party

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NOLA Cans coming Thursday!

If you’ve stopped by here before, you know we’re high on NOLA’s beers.  Our biggest problem with NOLA is that home consumption can be challenging.  The Fridge Pigs are cool and all, but they don’t fit in my beer fridge and I think it is a little bit of overkill unless we’re having people over (yes I know they save for a few months, but still).  Fortunately, this one little problem will be cured on Thursday at 8:00 when NOLA debuts the first of their cans at Tip’s.

More details, straight from the presser:

New Orleans Lager and Ale Brewing Company will be releasing their long awaited cans on Thursday, October 27 at Uptown New Orleans music venue Tipitina’s. This first release of NOLA beer in cans will be the flagship ale, NOLA Blonde – followed by NOLA Brown and Hopitoulas in the coming months.

The Can Release Party will start at 8:00 pm and feature music from Colin Lake, Flow Tribe and Big Sam’s Funky Nation.

Tickets will be $15 which includes your first can of NOLA Blonde ale and the award winning coozie from the NOLA Brewing coozie contest from earlier this year.

Tipitina’s will be offering specials on NOLA Brewing cans all weekend.

Hopefully we’ll see you there!

Weekend Wrap Up

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This weekend $1.25 and I did a lot of good eating and drinking.  We managed to get some house projects going too, so all in all it was a pretty perfect October weekend.

We started things off Friday night with a second look at the Smoky Mary from NOLA Brewing at Up on the Roof, a fundraiser for the EJGH foundation.  I’m really loving this beer and will definitely take any opportunity to enjoy a taste!  And if you missed it, you should try to hit Up on the Roof next year.  We’ve been a couple years in a row now and it’s a great event that is a lot of fun.

On Saturday we made another batch of this White Bean Soup from Emeril’s new cookbook, but modified it a little with things we had on hand.  Saturday night we had a lovely date night at Dominique’s.  If you go any time this fall, be sure someone in your party gets the pork chop…YUM!  Then we had a few nightcaps at Twleve Mile Limit (which put me a little OVER my limit…ugh).

Last but not least, Sunday we rounded things out with a pot of $1.25′s favorite chili and drowned our sorrows from the Saints loss.  The spicy chili was the perfect antidote to the sad game and it wiped out any vestiges of pain from the night before.

What did you do for the weekend NOLA?

Around Town: The Weekend’s Events

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(AP Photo/Margaret Bowles)

This weekend is packed with things to do.  There’s so much stuff going on the only thing I’m sure to be doing is watching the Saints take on the Bucs (don’t forget we’ve got the late game this week!) and gain a commanding grip on the NFC South and close out a lengthy road swing with back-to-back divisional games.  As for the rest of the days, I think I’ll have to see how the wind is blowing before I commit.

Daiquiri Days:  We highlighted this two-day long celebration earlier in the week.  Undoubtedly one of the more unique events of the weekend.

The Crescent City Blues & BBQ Fest: Lafayette Square gets invaded starting at 5:30 on Friday for three days of almost non-stop blues and plenty of BBQ and free admission.  You’ll certainly recognize a lot of the food vendors, including Love at First Bite and the Joint.  The full festival menu is available here.  Want to go, but don’t want to miss any football?  Your covered at the Abita Sports bar.  Not sure how that will all work, but I’m assuming it will be a tent with a bunch of TVs.

New Orleans Film Festival:  Need a bit more film culture in your life or want to be able to whip out references to some obscure films?  You’ll be able to take care of that for the next week.  From today through the 20th, there is a full slate of films to check out in theaters all over town.

A Midsummer’s Night Dream: Enjoy the great outdoors and one of the better known Shakespeare plays, A Midsummer’s Night Dream is performed out in NOMA’s sculpture garden.  Shows tonight and Sunday at 7.  Tickets are available here.

And that’s all in addition to the normal craziness we’ve got going on around town.  Enjoy the weekend.

Around Town: Daiquiri Days

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Cupcake and I have a confession to make. We really enjoy heading out to some off-the-beaten path bars. You know, places where the music skips a beat because “outsiders” have come through the door. We find that a lot of these bars have a pretty fantastic clientele (once you get them used to the idea of you being there), some amazingly quirky features (i.e., pink sinks and 1950′s era condom machines) and undeniably cheap booze ($1.50 Abita, yes please).

I have a separate confession to make. Every now and then I enjoy myself a daiquiri. Usually a White Russian, because most of the other stuff is too sweet for me. There is just something so very New Orleans about a daiquiri on a hot afternoon that fits better than any Aviation, Corpse Reviver or other fancy cocktail they could dream up at Bar Tonique.

Apparently there is someone else who shares these quirks. However, instead of seeing them as something to hide, they are to be celebrated. Thanks to this article by Todd Price, I’ve learned that someone is celebrating not only the daiquiri, but also the daiquiri bar! Daiquiri Days is offering up two days worth of events and celebrations, including a daiquiri bar bus tour, Who Daiq? dance party and French Quarter daiquiri bar crawl. With access to events on both days a mere $30, this may be a spectacle too good to miss. That is, of course, assuming that your stomach can handle that many daiquiris.

Daiquiri Days
October 14-15
Ticket Info

Co-Op comes to St. Claude

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Really love your organic, healthy and responsible items, but not digging Whole Foods corporate vibe or the pain at the checkout? Well, it looks like you’ve got an alternative, as the New Orleans Food Co-Op opened its doors to the public yesterday. The Co-Op aims to be a community-owned grocery store that:

* provides access to healthy food at a fair price
* is a center of community activity
* promotes local and regional food production
* keeps capital and jobs in our community
* practices environmental responsibility and sustainability
* reflects our unique and diverse community

Unlike any other grocery store, you have an option to invest in the Co-Op and take charge. Feeling active? Get yourself on the board and help guide the future of the Co-Op. Also, unlike other grocery stores, the Co-Op runs a rewards program that really pays, as members are eligible to participate in the Patronage Refund System. The Patronage Refund System is like a dividend program and grocery loyalty club combined into one.

In addition to the unique ownership structure of the Co-Op, they also promise to feature more local and regional fruits and veggies. With more places for our local producers to sell their product (and us to get it), our local producers can make more money and hopefully bring us even more produce. With such a local focus in ownership and stock, shopping at the Co-Op means that making groceries in the neighborhood is helping your neighborhood. While the Co-Op opened yesterday, the grand opening celebration will be next month. November 12 promises to be a fun day filled with live music, free food and meet and greets with some of your favorite local growers.

New Orleans Food Co-Op
2372 St. Claude Avenue

Check them out on Facebook or Twitter

Gnarly Barley Brewing: Coming Soon!?

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New Orleans On Tap was this past weekend.  If you didn’t get there, you missed one of the great fall events in town.  Dogs, beer and charity is a pretty good threesome for a perfect Saturday Afternoon.  Tons of beers you know and a good handful of beers you don’t.  Beers on tap and beers in bottles, big brewers and little brewers and home brewers.  So much beer to choose from and not enough space in my liver stomach for it all.

As impressed as I was with the NOLA Smoky Mary or how much fun I had getting into a Chimay Grande Reserve, neither was the highlight of the day.  No, completing the Around the World card and getting my free t-shirt wasn’t it either (although it fits nice).  Stumbling into the Gnarly Barley booth was tops for the day.  A craft brewery pulling it together in Ponchatoula, they are yet another entry into the exploding Southeast Louisiana brewery scene.  They featured two beers at NOOT, the Lazy IPA and the Korova Coffee Porter.  The Lazy IPA was good, but the Korova was a masterpiece.  A fantastic porter that brought me back to my delinquent days of learning to appreciate great beer, particularly dark beers.


Unfortunately for everyone involved, I was not able to work out a better timeline for the Korova to hit the shelves other than “soon.”  While, that’s all I’ve got for you right now, I’ll let you know as soon as I find anything else out. Until then you can follow up on their progress on Facebook and Twitter.

And for those that care, Korova is the Russian word for milk.  Which works, because the Korova is a milk porter.  But that isn’t where it comes from, not directly anyway.  Korova is the name of the milk bar in A Clockwork Orange and inspiration of the name (confirmed by those working NOOT and reflected in the picture above).

Contests: zak! Serving Bowls Winner

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Congrats to commenter Meghan for scoring your own set of Emeril by zak! Table Art serving dishes.

And that will officially finish off all of our duties for Emeril and his newly released cookbook, Sizzling Skillets and Other One Pot Wonders (if you haven’t gotten yours yet, it is available here).

We now return to our regularly schedule content of eating, drinking and hang out in New Orleans. In case you haven’t had enough of all this, we’ve got a piece in the works that looks back at this whole experience.  In the mean time, head on over to any of the other Emeril bloggers to check out their journey through Sizzling Skillets and Other One Pot Wonders.  All 19 others are listed to the right. 

Full disclosure details available here.