Food Lush

Mother's Restaurant, New Orleans

by Tara

Have you ever had the World's Best Ham? You're missing out. I had some the other day.*

At The Blathering I went on a "ham date" with some lovely ladies to Mother's Restaurant, a delightfully hole-in-the-wall restaurant on Restaurant Row in New Orleans, LA.

I ordered the Famous Ferdi Special because it is famous. And also because I wasn't sure what debris was and I was feeling adventurous (it's the stuff that falls off the meat while it's roasting). So I had a Po' Boy sandwich of the World's Best Ham, plus roast beef, debris, and gravy. The bread had creole and yellow mustard, and I added tabasco. So good. SO good. (I got the 2/3 size and couldn't finish it.)

Then I also ordered some fries and it was a huge order and I barely ate any because my sandwich was so good. They were also good, though!

I didn't try the World's Best Bloody Mary, but Maura said that it was, indeed, very good.

Photos by me. Of delicious food. Right before I inhaled it.

*"You did it! Congratulations! World's best [ham]! Great job, everybody! It's great to be here." -Buddy the Elf

Have you ever eaten the World's Best Anything?

Eating Around Nashville

by Tara

I went to Nashville last weekend to meet up with three friends/former coworkers, and I highly recommend going to Nashville, if just for the food. The problem with good food, though, is that sometimes it looks so good you forget to take a picture. So there are a few half-eaten food pictures in the following post.

Friday night we went to Big River Grille where I got a Hummus and Goat Cheese Salad, which was incredible.

Saturday night we went to Merchants. Y’all. Get on a plane right now and fly to Nashville to eat at Merchants. We dined upstairs, which is the fancier part of the restaurant, and nothing was bad. We started with duck fat fries, which are served with ketchup (tasted homemade!) and hollandaise. Wow, so good! The waiter brought tiny corn muffins and Dijon-butter. Delicious. There were also in-house pickled vegetables served in teeny little jars. The vegetables were gone too fast for a picture.

I had a delicious greens and radish salad that was super fresh. My friend M had beets, which I didn’t try, but that looked pretty.

My friend A had fried green tomatoes which were delicious! For dinner I ate the pan-roasted chicken with gnocci mac & cheese, swiss chard, and wild mushrooms. I ate it all. It was delicious.

For dessert we shared two desserts. The first was a chocolate tart and was gone before I even thought to take a picture. The second was pumpkin caramel cheesecake and was absolutely delicious. I took a picture halfway through that one.

Sunday we went to brunch at Fido, which was great! 

I had Pete's Torta with chorizo, and it was the perfect way to start the day and end the vacation.

Highly, highly recommend you visit Nashville and eat a lot. 
Have you been to Nashville? Where did you eat?

 

Pistachio Rum Cake

by Tara

This recipe was  passed to me by a former coworker, and it is seriously the most delicious cake I’ve ever had. And I don’t even like pistachios. It’s so easy but tastes difficult. Good for warm or cool weather, but I like it warm in the winter.

Pistachio Rum Cake

Ingredients:

Cake: 
-butter for greasing pan
-flour for sprinkling pan
-1 pkg instant pistachio pudding mix
-1 pkg yellow cake mix
-1/2 cup light rum
-1/2 cup water
-1/2 cup vegetable oil
-4 eggs

Glaze:
-1 cup sugar
-1/2 cup butter
-1/4 cup rum
-1/4 cup water
-powdered sugar for topping, if desired

Directions:

Cake:
-Preheat oven to 325
-Mix all ingredients (after the butter and flour for the pan) at medium speed for two minutes
-Pour into greased and floured Bundt pan
-Bake 55 minutes at 325
-During last 10 minutes of baking, combine glaze ingredients in medium saucepan
-Cook over medium heat and bring to a boil, let boil for 2-3 minutes
-Prick cake while still in pan with a toothpick, fork, or skewer, and pour ¾ of the glaze over the bottom
-Let cool 45 minutes
-Turn to remove from pan, and pour the remaining ¼ glaze over the top
-Top with powdered sugar, if desired

(Pro tip: If you have a mischevious dog make sure you don't leave this delicious cake where he can jump up and taste it.)

What's your favorite cake?

Japanese Curry and Rice

by Tara

One of the things I miss very most about living in Japan is the food. You could get any type of food you wanted, any time of day or night (except Mexican. Good Mexican was hard to find there). A great reason to visit Japan, however, is the Japanese food. Ramen (NOT AT ALL the same as 12-cent ramen), tonkatsu, sushi, oh my! But a favorite of many is Japanese-style curry. The largest curry chain (in Japan? In the Tokyo area? I don't know) we frequented was Coco Ichibanya, or Coco's as it is affectionately known, is delicious, amazing Japanese curry, fast-food Japanese-style, and excellent drinking food. (Our favorite location was at the closest train station, which was really handy coming home late from a bar or trip downtown.)

It's impossible to duplicate the deliciousness of Coco's, but making Japanese curry and rice is a task I've taken on and something that I love even if it isn't the same. This is a SUPER versatile dish, depending upon what you like.

Japanese Curry and Rice
Makes about 4-6 servings, depending upon how much you devour. 

Ingredients:

-Vegetables (common: spinach, onions, garlic, potatoes (any variety), carrots, parsnips, corn, squash, celery, tomatoes... really anything you like, probably about 1 chopped cup of each, more the fewer veggies you choose)
-Protein (pork, chicken, beef (breaded, fried, however you like), tofu, or skip it)
-Curry roux (S&B Golden Curry Sauce or similar)*
-2-3 cups of some sort of stock or broth (or just water, really), to your desired thickness (we like it soupy but not watery)
-White, sticky rice (about 2 cups) 
-Jack cheese (if desired) 

Directions:

-Chop vegetables into similarly-sized cubes or pieces (not the corn or the spinach of course, but the choppable veggies). Saute until beginning to soften.
-Meanwhile cook meat to your liking.
-Combine vegetables and meat, break apart roux and add it to the mixture, and add broth/stock/water.
-Cook over medium-low at a simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring often, until roux is fully broken apart and everything is easily mixed together.**
-Meanwhile, cook white, sticky rice in a rice cooker or on the stovetop.
-Shred cheese.
-Serve curry over rice, top with cheese, and eat with a big spoon. 

Photo by my husband.

The only caveat to making this delicious meal is that your whole home will smell like curry. Until the next day. But you guys, it's worth it.

*In my area I have to go to Walmart to find this, which seems ridiculous. But at a regular, well-stocked grocery store, a commissary (if you have access to a military base), or international store you shouldn't have trouble finding it.
**Once I threw everything into a slow cooker, went home at lunch and stirred it, and it cooked on low all day and was delicious. 

Do you have a favorite international food?

Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss

by Tara

I adore wine, as has been documented, but sometimes I'm just in the mood for a beer. The problem is that my husband's favorite beers are all REALLY dark and often I just want something sweet. I'm not a huge fan of apples, though, so I really have to be in the mood for a hard cider. I know, I'm difficult.

Anyway, on one trip to the liquor store I actually asked for help (gasp!) and the guy led me to Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss. My husband tried it and made a funny face, a sure sign of a fruity drink. I loved it. If one bottle wasn't 6 WeightWatchers PointsPlus Points, I would have them more often.

Plus, in my head I pronounce both "Leinenkugel" and "Weiss" with a strong German accent, which is really fun for me.

Do you like fruity beer? Any recommendations?

Restaurant Spotlight: Beggars Pizza

by Tara

Last week my family flew to the Chicago suburbs to see family. My primary goals in Chicago (besides seeing family and having a good time): meet up with online friends, see the Bean, and eat famous pizza. I accomplished all three!

The famous pizza our family members swear by is Beggars, which has been around for several decades and touts THICK toppings. 

We ate it twice in six days. (It was really good.) The second time I remembered to take pictures.

This is deep dish pepperoni.

One piece was like two servings of a casserole. It was so filling. And so good.

What's your favorite famous food?

(Pictures by my shaky hand with my phone.)

Italian Meatball Soup

by Tara

It's fall! WOOHOO! It's finally felt like fall around my area, dipping into the low 80s this week in Oklahoma, with lots of rain over the last few days. Makes me want to snuggle up with my Kindle and a mug of mulled wine. It also makes me want to make soup. "Mmmm, noodle soup."*

My absolute favorite soup is Italian Meatball Soup, which is from Pampered Chef's 29 Minutes to Dinner cookbook.

Italian Meatball Soup

Ingredients:

Spray oil
2 medium carrots**
2 stalks celery 
1 small onion 
2 tbsp tomato paste 
4 garlic cloves, pressed 
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning 
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes in puree 
2 cups beef broth 
1 1/2 cups water 
16 frozen meatballs (fully cooked) 
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper 
Croutons (optional - recipe below for Ciabatta Croutons or you can use store bought) 

Instructions:

1. Peel carrots; finely chop carrots, celery and onion 
2. Lightly spray large (4qt./4-L) skillet or stove-top casserole with oil and add carrots, celery and onion. Cook over medium heat 4-5 minutes or until vegetables begin to brown, stirring occasionally. 
3. Push vegetables to one side of skillet. Add tomato paste; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until tomato paste begins to caramelize. 
4. Add pressed garlic and seasoning mix; mix all well. Stir in tomatoes, broth and water; bring to a simmer. 
5. Cut meatballs in half; add to soup. Simmer an additional 10-12 minutes; season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve hot and garnish with croutons if desired. 

Yield 4 servings; takes approx. 27 minutes. 

Ciabatta Croutons 
Olive oil
6-oz loaf of Ciabatta or other crusty Italian bread 

1. Preheat oven to 425. 
2. Slice one 6-oz ciabatta loaf or other crusty Italian bread into 1-in. cubes. 
3. Toss bread cubes with 1 tbsp olive oil and arrange in an even layer on a cookie sheet or bar pan. 
4. Bake 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.

*Joey Tribiani
**I don't like cooked carrots, so I sub parsnips.

So good, and SO easy. Also, I tend to wind up with extra meatballs that I freeze when I make them for an entree, so it works out great to use homemade, premade meatballs.

What's your favorite soup recipe?

Grocery List App

by Tara

I am a meal-planning person. If I don't plan my family's meals, then plan my grocery list according to the ingredients we need, then add the random things we need above that (dog food, deodorant, goldfish crackers, almond milk), we wind up throwing out a LOT of food, and it's really frustrating. I have always had a list-making system, and for years I've organized my lists according to the aisles at my store(s) of choice. I used to write out my list of needed items, then make a new list going by aisle and crossing out the old list, so I knew I got everything. Minimum 2 pieces of paper. Then I did it on the computer, and printed it out. But I would often lose or forget the list and then be SOL at the store.

For years now I've used the Grocery IQ app. The coolest thing about this app is (in my limited opinion) is the fact that I can add things from the Internet as well as from my phone. So if I'm thinking about something we need I can add it from my phone, but when I meal plan on my laptop Sunday evenings I can make my list of recipes and groceries on my computer and then add the items to my Grocery IQ list and it will update the list on my phone.

Screen shot from the computer.

Screen shot from my phone's app.

Grocery IQ lets you organize your aisles in your store, and make several lists at once with drop-downs. I can add things I need at Target, the butcher shop, and the produce I buy at a separate grocery store, all in one go, without worrying about several paper lists or wasting paper. You can scan items to store and budget, download electronic coupons, and favorite items you regularly buy. Plus, BONUS, the app is free. SCORE!

What's your favorite way to make grocery lists?

Weight Watchers Winners

by Tara

In my unending endeavor to lose weight, I recently joined Weight Watchers. Since I joined I've been on a quest for low-points recipes so I can save my points for wine. I've found some amazing and delicious recipes I'd like to share with you here.

Photo by me of Southwestern Chicken-Bean Salad.

Greek-Style Cheeseburgers: 8 PointsPlus points per serving prepared as directed. (I saved some points by foregoing my bun and double or tripling my spinach. So worth it!)

Baked Turkey and Jack Cheese Chimichangas: 6 PointsPlus points per serving prepared as directed.

Three Bean and Pork Slow-Cooker Chili: 6 PointsPlus points per serving prepared as directed.

Beef, Blue Cheese and Spinach Quesadillas: 3 PointsPlus points per serving prepared as directed.

Baked Shrimp in Lemony Garlic Sauce: 5 PointsPlus points per serving prepared as directed.

Chicken, Black Bean, and Corn Enchilada Casserole: 8 PointsPlus points per serving prepared as directed.

Southwestern Chicken-Bean Salad: 7 PointsPlus points per serving prepared as directed. Pictured above! I served it over salad greens with fat free sour cream and salsa verde. 

 

What's your favorite healthy diet-friendly recipe?

Zucchini Noodles

by Tara

I adore pasta. But how many of us can eat as much pasta as we'd like? (Well, maybe you. But not me!) Enter zucchini noodles!

I've seen several recipes for these, and I've tried two. There's one in Well Fed by Melissa Joulwan that's delicious, but involves sweating the noodles in salt and I can never seem to rinse them well enough after they sweat, so they taste way too salty. There's also one on Melissa's blog that doesn't involve sweating. The method I found on Kalyn's Kitchen is the one I like best.

I don't have a Julienne cutter, so I make zucchini ribbons with my vegetable peeler.

Beautiful noodles, ready to cook!

Last time I made them I sauteed them with red onions and garlic and added salt and pepper. They were simply delicious.

Ready to eat. (Pictured with Sweet N Tangy BBQ Meatballs from Life as a Plate.)

It's not the same as devouring a plate of delicious pasta, but zucchini noodles are a healthier alternative, and are so easy to make!

What's your favorite healthier alternative food?