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Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Happy Mardi Gras!!
Or "Happy Fat Tuesday," as I have been told numerous times by my not-from-New-Orleans
friends. Yes, it is Fat Tuesday, but the phrase is one that I never really heard in NOLA. In Tampa, it was just
another Tuesday. The biggest difference was that I had a King Cake delivered to my desk - overnighted from Manny Randazzo's
in Metairie. I just couldn't go all season without a King Cake, so I ordered one to be delivered just in time.
Everyone at work enjoyed it, and so did I. After four straight years of week-long blowout parties we threw at 1300 Milan,
I needed a break. Now I am ready for next year's Mardi Gras! In New Orleans, that is...
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
My Virtual Valentine's Day Cooking
If I would have had a "special someone to cook for last night", I would
have cooked her some lamb chops, roasted garlic mashed potatoes and broiled asparagus.
We would've started with a couple of martinis and paired the dinner with a nice fruity shiraz, and finished with some port
or a dessert wine. And for dessert, maybe a martini glass filled with some strawberries, and chocolate
sauce for dipping. And this morning I would be doing laundry to get the chocolate out of the sheets....
Ok, so that is what WOULD have taken place. As it happens, I ended
up hanging out with a friend of mine at the bar of a mediocre (I'm being nice) Mexican/ Tex-Mex restaurant near my home in
Tampa. My friend was supposed to have drinks with a female friend of his, and although he wanted to bail on her
and have drinks with friends, I convinced him otherwise. As it turns out, she make up a lame excuse about hanging out
with her friend and ditched him instead. Oh well, we had a good time anyway.
My Valentine's Day 2006, long story short: Went to work, got a haircut,
got a phone call from a friend, had a few Dos Equis beers, some beef fajitas, then finished off the night with some cookies
and cream ice cream and went to sleep. Not bad for a Tuesday.
Sunday, February 5, 2006
Super Bowl Sunday - What Are You Eating?
I'll be cooking Cajun jambalaya today at a party hosted by my friend Jason. The recipe is super easy and was written by my friend David Jacobs.
He's been kind enough to share a couple of his recipes, and you can find them on my site in the Recipe section.
Speaking of David, he's become quite a celebrity while in exile in Baton
Rouge. A while back he started a company called Louisiana Sausagemaker and has turned his hobby of "sausagemaking" into
a business. You can read an article about him here.
Thursday, February 2, 2006
Simple Ways to Live the Good Life - Food
No matter what happens to me in a workday, the one thing I enjoy looking
forward to at the end of the day is a great meal. If I hear someone in the elevator on a Tuesday mention that they
can't wait for the weekend, I begin to wonder how boring their life must be. Why not just enjoy Tuesday?
I do my best to enjoy EVERY day, and my favorite time of the day is dinner. Sometimes that just means a cheese pizza
or sushi from down the street, but if often entails something a little more, well, gourmet.
The other day I was thinking to myself about the reason I tend
to always want to eat a "gourmet" dinner. Even if I am dining alone, when it comes to dinner I prefer to
make it an enjoyable experience. Taste is one of the five senses, and just as the sight of an intriguing photograph or the
feel and smell of a beautiful woman may turn me on, I tend to exploit the fact that I gain so much pleasure from taste.
I
am not a fan of breakfast or lunch, as they tend to consist of breakfast cereal bars or peanut butter sandwiches, I will go
to great lenghths to have a tasty dinner, even if it is simple. There are times when I am in the mood to spend time preparing
dinner (usually on the weekends), and there are times when I get home from work and am not in the mood to cook. Some may settle
for a frozen dinner or a bowl of cereal, but I can't miss out on a great experience because of my lack of time.
A
couple of weeks ago, I had a wedge salad, with big chunks of blue cheese, fresh sliced red onions and beautiful ripe
red tomatoes, paired with a couple of glasses of red wine; simple, easy and it only took me ten minutes to make.
This week I went one step further and added a choice ribeye and a couple Bombay Saphire martinis to the equation (with blue
cheese stuffed olives).
On a recent Saturday evening (after playing v-ball on the beach all day),
I seared a piece of fresh tuna and topped it with a tomato and avocado relish and a lime cilantro vinaigrette;
total prep and cook time was about fifteen minutes.
Baked salmon paired with roasted potatoes and veggies
can be prepped in a few minutes and cook in the oven while sipping on a glass of wine; Last night I had my salmon with
a giant Caesar salad.
If am in the mood for nachos, on top of tortilla chips I pile on some cheese,
jalapenos, black beans and after heating, garnish with chopped green onion and sour cream. Pair that with a margarita made
with fresh squeezed juice and you don't just have a meal, but an experience. Why settle for less?
It doesn't have to be complex to be "gourmet;" it's the little things that
matter. Having wine with dinner, using fresh ingredients, or even adding stuffed olives to that martini can make all
of the difference in the world. Turn off the TV and listen to music. Take your time and enjoy the experience of
eating; slow down! So now, go to your freezer, throw out all of the frozen dinners, and start thinking about simple
ways you can live the good life.
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