Food Lush

Mardi Gras Party Ideas

Editor's note: For our last week at Food Lush, I've asked the writers to share both a favorite post by another writer, from over the last three years, and a favorite post of their own. You'll see these posts linked to at the top of their new post for the week. Enjoy a stroll down Lush memory lane!

By Ariel

I'm sad to be saying goodbye for awhile, but thankful to the Lush editors for letting me in on this wonderful website. I learned a lot about food around here (like not everyone is ACTUALLY a gourmet chef in their spare time. Everyone loves a shortcut!) The first post that came to mind when I was asked to throwback a favorite was Carrie's cauliflower pizza crust!  I had never heard of such a thing before but the genius is astounding. I've used it several times and actually find myself craving it more often than regular pizza, go figure. My own favorite of mine is one of the first ones I wrote here at Food Lush, and continues to be my most-requested party food, my Bacon and Cheese Tartlets.  I make these for every. Single. Group. Gathering. And still people need confirmation that yes, I am bringing them, don't worry.

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For my last post around these parts for awhile I thought it would be appropriate to send off with some Mardi Gras party ideas. Fat Tuesday is coming up February 12th, and while I'm a little too far north for the real party, my people and I never like to pass up an excuse to eat and drink in the name of a theme!

First and most important, the drinks:

[Photo credit Chicago Tribune]

The Mardi Gras Hurricane!  Rum, rum, and some other stuff, this is a staple and a favorite of mine.  Whenever I find these on vacation I'll usually down enough so that I won't notice a hurricane going on around me, but what a delicious drink!

Or, if you want to get everyone involved in some fun, how about a Virgin Hurricane?

[ Photo credit Taste of Home]

To spice up your appetizers with some theme fun, how cute are these claw picks?
 

 
[Picture from nolaimports.com] 

My husband and I are going to the beach for a week with a few other couples, I'm thinking I need a beach-themed party before we go and these little claw picks are just so cute I can't stand it.

Of course, you also need some Mardi Gras COOKIES!  You can pick up a set of your own Mardi Gras cookie cutters at Mardigrasoutlet.com for only $12 or browse all their cookie cutter shapes here.
 

For snacks, how about Mardi Gras Pretzels, King Cake Bars, or these Apple Beignets (which I am DROOLING OVER)

[Image from Babble.com]

For the main attraction (ah, who am I kidding, the booze up top is the main attraction!) how about this amazing looking citrus marinated shrimp dish from Southern Living?



[Photo credit Southern living]

And one of my absolute favorite things to eat in the entire world, the Shrimp Po' Boy:

 

[Image from cooking channel tv]

I recently discovered  restaurant nearby that made the most excellent shrimp po' boy I've ever found in this part of the country.  I'm so excited to go back I can't even tell you.

Hopefully I've put everyone in a party mood.  Rather than a Hurricane I'll probably be tipping back a few champane cocktails this weekend (today's my birthday!).  Thanks for two great years, you guys!  We truly couldn't ask for a better crowd around here.

Homemade Shrimp Cocktail

Editor's note: For our last week at Food Lush, I've asked the writers to share both a favorite post by another writer, from over the last two years, and a favorite post of their own. You'll see these posts linked to at the top of their new post for the week. Enjoy a stroll down Lush memory lane!

by Maura

I'm so sad that Food Lush and Style Lush are shutting their internet doors, but I'm so proud to have been a part of these sites. My favorite posts are very hard to choose, but the ones I chose are:

My post on my Favorite Wines from Marlborough, New Zealand. If you are yearning for summer, pick up one of these wines. Their crisp citrus flavors will bring a little sunshine to your dark winter evenings.

There are so many posts from my colleagues and friends that I love, but as I was perusing the site tonight, I stopped on one and said to myself, HOW haven't I made this yet? I'm definitely going to be eating this delicious Chicken Tortilla Soup from Sarah this week!

***

For my parting post, I made shrimp cocktail. As my journey on Whole 30 comes to a close, I was struggling to find tasty alternatives to beef and veggies. I don't know what made me think of shrimp cocktail, but once the idea got in my head, I just couldn't get it out. Unfortunately, most shrimp cocktail sauce is loaded with sugar, so I had to make my own.

I started with a basic idea of the ingredients of shrimp cocktail, and modified the sauce by taste.You may have to adjust your seasonings for your particular tastes!

18 oz tomato sauce
4-5 T. horseradish
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 t. Dijon Mustard
2-3 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
2-3 dashes of hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste

The only drawback to this cocktail sauce is that it is not thick. It was tasty, though, and creamy because of the mustard.

For the shrimp, I looked at a bunch of shrimp boil recipes and put my own together with what I had on hand and without the beer that is usually in a shrimp boil. Before you start, prepare an ice bath for the shrimp.

2-3 T. Barbecue shrimp seasonings (or Old Bay)
1/2 lemon
1 t. garlic, minced
1 t. salt
1/2 t. chili powder
~24 frozen shrimp, defrosted, tails on

I put all the ingredients in a pot and brought it up to a boil. When it was at a rolling boil, I added the shrimp. Once the shrimp started to boil, I let it cook for 1 minute, then strained and dumped into an ice bath. Serve with cocktail sauce and enjoy!

For Your Holiday Entertaining: Dinner Shrimp

By Ariel

A couple months ago my husband and I were making our monthly pilgrimage to Sam's Club and they had the sample carts out in full force. One sample we both loved and bought is the Daily Chef Dinner Shrimp:

We are HUGE seafood lovers. We like the ocean more for the cuisine than the view (although the view is great with a lobster tail!) and love trying new seafood recipes we can make at home. Something I've never mastered and pretty much have given up on is fried shrimp. I love fried shrimp, but I just don't know if I'll ever be able to recreate it in my own kitchen. This Daily Chef shrimp is perfect. It tastes like the fried shrimp you order when you go out and the sizes are large and terrific for parties or dinner.  

The only downside is I really cannot recommend baking them, they need to be fried. I get away with using a skillet and think it works just fine. We're having people over for New Year's Eve, and I'll be frying these up ahead of time and keeping them warm in the roaster oven for snacking throughout the night.  

I've tried many, many, many different kinds of fried shrimp, including working in a restaurant, and this is the best, hands down. Go grab some for your holiday get together!

(Photo from Samsclub.com)

Blackened Mahi Mahi

by Maura

As the lovely and charming Caitlin mentioned last week, we bought some local spices when we were in New Orleans. (I am definitely going to try her recommendation of blackened shrimp caesar salad this week!) I have not tried all the spices I bought, but I have cooked with the River Road Blackened Seasoning a few times.

This spice was really tasty on mahi mahi and salmon. It is spicy and a little goes a long way. It adds a nice kick to a blandish fish like mahi mahi and is a nice contrast to a fatty fish like salmon. Served with a side of roasted broccoli, it is a nice, easy, and healthy meal. I think it would also be good on a well marbled cut of beef.

If you aren't going to be around New Orleans any time soon, you can order this spice mix from World Famous Nawlins Cafe and Spice Market. You can also mix up your own (salt-free) version from this Seattle Times Food and Wine recipe. I've never tried that one, but you can generally trust the Seattle Times.

Do you have a favorite blackening seasoning? Is there a particular food you like to use blackening seasoning with?

Adventures in Seafood: Grilled Branzino

by Elissa

I am much more likely to order fish at a restaurant than I am to try cooking it at home. But I'm trying to become more adventurous about preparing fish in my own kitchen.

I usually walk right by the display of whole fish at the fish counter, but a few weeks ago my son was fascinated by them. I decided to try to capitalize on his interest and I brought home a couple of whole branzino (also known as Mediterranean sea bass). I'd had it in restaurants before but had never cooked it myself. Our store will clean the fish for you, which involves gutting and descaling. This is what they looked like when we got them home:

I looked around online for a recipe, and ended up going with this one from Simply Recipes, although we skipped the vinaigrette and just squeezed some lemon over the fish.  After a few minutes of grilling on each side at medium-high heat, here's what we had for dinner:

They were really delicious. The flesh is mild and not fishy-tasting, the skin got crispy, and it wasn't too hard to avoid the bones. Each fish is about a pound, and these two fed two adults and two small children comfortably. I've made them a couple of times now and remain impressed by how easy it is (although I think the fishmonger is probably doing most of the hard work).

Moral of the story: don't be scared by the whole fish!

Sweet and Spicy Salmon

by Maura

I wasn't exaggerating when I said we eat salmon a few times a month. Although I found a good recipe that Will and I both like, I won't rest until I find the PERFECT salmon recipe.

I'm kidding. I just get bored making the same things over and over.

This time I started looking for a spice rub for salmon. I came across this recipe from Ellie Krieger on the Food Network website and gave it a try. This recipe appealed to me because it had ingredients I already have in my pantry and included two of my favorite spices: chili and cumin. I am not a fan of sweet-savory combinations, but I thought that this might be okay since I have made spice rubs with brown sugar before.

[Imagine that there is a pretty picture of salmon with all the ingredients here. Pretend that I didn't accidentally delete it off my camera.]

I halved the recipe and still had plenty of spice, so I put it in a baggie with a little reminder of what it is.

Since I don't have a grill pan, I cooked the salmon, spice side down, for about 3-4 minutes in a teaspoon of olive oil. I flipped it when it started to look cooked, and finished it off on the other side for an additional minute, sort of like cooking an over-easy egg. I served with roasted broccoli (tossed with salt, pepper, EVOO and garlic powder) and corn on the cob.

We both enjoyed the salmon, although it was a little too sweet for me. Next time, I'll cut back the brown sugar (or add more cumin and chili to the leftover seasoning mix). In all, though, this is a recipe I see myself making again.

Perfect Shrimp Pasta

by Elissa

Shrimp with pasta is a great weeknight dinner solution (assuming you get shrimp that are already peeled and deveined). But I always had a hard time getting the shrimp/pasta/sauce ratios correct. Enter this recipe for Linguine with Shrimp Scampi. There's a reason the Barefoot Contessa is so popular--her recipes deliver reliably great food that's delicious but never boring. When I first read the recipe I thought it called for an excessive amount of lemon juice (1/4 cup), but I'm glad I made the recipe as directed because the lemon juice really balances the garlic and shrimp and makes the sauce taste fresh and lively. I should have known better than to second-guess Ina!

Add a tomato and basil salad and you've got an ideal summer dinner!

Grand Junction: No Coast Sushi

by Elsha

When you think of eating out in western Colorado, I'm guessing sushi isn't the first thing that comes to mind. So it's a good thing I'm here to tell you that No Coast is worth going to, otherwise you'd never know! Lest you think my perception has been skewed by living in a small town for most of my life, even my friends and relatives who live on the coast make it a point to eat at No Coast when they're here. I've enjoyed everything I've ever ordered there, sushi and non-sushi dishes alike.

Usually when Brian and I go with family, everyone orders something different and we all share. The menu includes vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. You can also substitute soy paper for nori in most of the rolls, if you prefer.

If you ever find yourself driving through Grand Junction (I know nobody actually stays here) call me up and we'll go!

Salmon for People Who Don't Love Salmon

Editor's note: Welcome Maura back to the Food Lush family! You might remember her from awesome Food Lush posts of the past, and we're thrilled to have her return. You can see her new bio on the staff page.

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by Maura

Hi Food Lush! I'm really excited to be back here writing about all things food. Last week I came across a fantastic recipe for a food I do not care for all that much: salmon. Now, you may ask yourself why I make food I do not like. That is a very reasonable question! I happen to be dating a man who loves his salmon. (He's from Michigan and I'm pretty sure loving salmon is in the state constitution.) Because I love him, and he loves salmon, I make salmon. (Awwwww.)

Salmon is also a healthy source of protein, vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids, and I often find frozen, wild-caught salmon filets on sale at my local grocery store. For all of these reasons, but mostly because of the compliments I get for making it, we eat salmon a few times a month. I've tried a variety of cooking methods, including broiling, poaching, marinating and making salmon burgers, but it still has that distinctively fishy taste that does not do much for me. Finally, I found a recipe that I like.

This is Ina Garten's Roasted Salmon with Green Herbs, which I found on the Food Network website. My favorite feature of this recipe is that the salmon is juicy, flavorful and very mild tasting. The herbs, lemon juice, olive oil and white wine make a delightful, delicate broth that infuses the salmon with flavor. The second reason I like this recipe is that the ingredients are usually something I have lying around. I pullled dill out of the freezer and picked up some fresh parsley at the store, but I usually have green onions, lemon, olive oil and white wine on hand.

Although the recipe calls for marinating the salmon for fifteen minutes, resulting in 47-minutes of total prep time, I marinated the salmon for just as long as it took me to prepare the other parts of the meal. Aside from some prep I did earlier in the day for the side dish, I had everything on the table in 30 minutes. A meal in 30 minutes is a winner for me.

Check back next week for the story behind those cute zucchini fritters that we ate with the salmon!

Mandarin and Almond Shrimp Salad

By Ariel

This is a timely recipe, as Elsha was just talking about all the random places to get recipes. I happened to find this one in my Sunday paper while I was happily clipping my coupons. I talked about my love of Almond Accents just a little over a year ago (and really? A year already?) and I love when I find coupons for them. The original recipe is currently attached to the side of my refrigerator, but I found the original here.

I'm usually more of a chicken salad person, but shrimp might be my new favorite. I tweaked the recipe very slightly by omitting the dressing they called for and creating my own shrimp marinade. I also decided to forgo buying uncooked shrimp in favor of the lazy, already shelled and devined way. I didn't want the shrimp hot, so I defrosted them and plucked them straight into the marinade. 

(For one pound of shrimp)
1/4 Cup Orange Juice
1.5 Tbs. Cocktail Sauce
1 Tbs. Raspberry Vinaigrette
1 tsp. Soy Sauce

I mixed the marinade together and covered the shrimp for about 45 minutes. As for the rest of the salad I stuck pretty close to the original recipe, but added a lot of fresh baby spinach.  
 
3 cups baby spinach
2 cups bagged Spring Mix
1 cup red pepper, diced
1/4 cup chopped green pepper (about 4-5 stalks)
1 cup Mandarin Oranges
1/2 cup Almond Accents
1/2 tsp. black pepper 

This makes two very generous dinner-sized servings, or four side dish sized servings. According to My Fitness Pal, the generous size will set you back about 280-300 calories. For a dressing, I just drizzled some lemon juice over everything, it really didn't need anything more. This was perfect for warm weather and filling enough for a post-workout dinner. Next time I'm going to add avacados and maybe a little turkey bacon for a more savory swing.  

What else sounds good?