Coconut Cake

This cake is a gluten and dairy free version of a coconut cake that Katie's mom makes a lot. It looks like quite the monolith in this picture.

Delicious Chicken!

So Katie's sister created this great chicken recipe. Here's what it looks like!

The Ice Cream Maker!

So, after three summers of wanting an ice cream, I finally purchased one. Here's what we've been eating:

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Vanilla Gelato (I omitted the heavy cream but didn't use more milk in it's place so I got a super rich, but very small batch)

Mango Coconut Sorbet

Mint Chocolate Chip Gelato (less fat and I used cornstarch instead off eggs)

Things I've learned about making ice cream:

Patience really pays off, waiting for the maker to churn longer makes it easier to take the ice cream out and gives a nicer consistency.

Real mint leaves to make mint chocolate chip ice cream is so much better than what you usually find at the supermarket, the real mint seems to hit more flavor notes (is this a real concept? I'm taking the idea from perfume) than mint extract.

Much Love to Stephanie for the beautiful ice cream bowls which have enhanced the ice cream eating experience!

What Charlene's Been Eating-Sashimi

Since Katie and I are separated for the summer, I thought it might be fun to post pictures of what I've been eating outside of New Orleans

Coming Up Next: What Charlene ate aboard the Carnival Pride

The one where Katie and Charlene try to make pita

So Katie and I both independently were thinking about making pita for quite some time. When we realized that we both wanted to make pita, we got right to it.

Above is a picture of the dough rising and below are the final results!!

So, the results were not as fruitful as we hoped. We made this earlier, when the weather would switch between warm days and really cold days. As the sun fell, out pita dough was rising. Unfortunately because it was colder, the dough didn't rise enough to make the pocket which is absolutely essential to pita so our results were more like flat bread.

Homemade Tortellini!

Long time no update! I recently made homemade tortellini following this recipe http://www.weareneverfull.com/homemade-stuffed-pasta-yes-we-can/.

Here are the results!

TUMAC Spring BBQ

In an effort to use our gym memberships (happily included in our tuition), and promote the importance of a healthy lifestyle & exercise... we joined the Tulane University Martial Arts Club aka TUMAC, last fall.

This past weekend I ventured down to Dorignacs in Metairie with our fearless leader, Tom. While Charlene was enjoying delicious crawfish and good music at Tulane's Crawfest 2010... I was occupied in Tom's kitchen assisting in the creation of grilled veggies (asparagus, scallions, onions, zucchini, squash, etc), lamb burgers, and beef burgers. In addition to the chicken (marinated in thyme, lemon, and olive oil), we had smoked sausage, avacado salad, baked beans, strawberry pie, and a vanilla ice cream dessert.

No BBQ is complete without the endless supply of beer, wine, and horseradish infused vodka. Yes, horseradish infused vodka to cleanse your palate and prepare the stomach for dessert. There's nothing quite like the feel of burning and the 'whoa what did i just put in my mouth' factor. If you've never tried it, I recommend having your camera's action ready for some great reactions! Unfortunately, due to technical errors, our video of 'horseradish infused vodka' shots was accidentally deleted. Instead, please enjoy the photos our festivities near Audubon park. Pictures courtesy of our very own Treasurer, Adrianna!

Shattered Dreams

This weekend was supposed to be the weekend. An official END to the lemon (2010) saga. But alas, the end came to a sudden and violent end for the limoncello. The jar, I had so carefully and diligently tended to these past few months... shattered.

There I was, admiring my jar of limoncello... sitting peacefully in my closet. I bent down to pick it up thinking, "This weekend you will be in bottles. And I will be able to drink you." But as I carefully picked it, not a foot from the ground, an insect (cockroach) appeared on the jar and attempted to crawl on my hand. I screamed, startled by the unwelcome presence.... and watched the jar slip from my hands and shatter on my closet floor. Still the smell of lemon vodka lingers. Memories of a shattered dream.

Thanksgiving: Florida vs Maryland.

Charlene and I come from two very different cultural backgrounds. Mine with a Greek/ Scottish/Swedish thing going on, and Charlene's from a Taiwanese/East Asia heritage.

My arrival in Florida heralded mostly my mom cooking and complaining we never help her. (A montage, I feel, that happens every year--- thanks Mom!). With a full menu planned, the preparation for Thanksgiving Day commenced!

Thanksgiving in the Sunshine State:



Thanksgiving in Maryland:A few days before Thanksgiving, my mom calls and the following conversation ensues: mom: "do you want duck or turkey for Thanksgiving?"me: "Oooh, duck sounds good and interesting." mom: "somebody* wants turkey, but your aunts and cousins**don't really care for it" me: "well then, let's have both"And that is how my family makes a holiday full of excess and gluttony even more fattening. Because we can't agree on what to eat, we just bring everything we like. Here's a sample:

*my brother is a staunch traditionalist when it comes to the holidays

**some of my family members didn't grow up celebrating Thanksgiving

On the Joy of Meyer's Lemons

Katie has a lemon tree back in Florida. After winter break, she came back with a bounty of Meyer Lemons. A note from Katie: "Over the Christmas holidays (2009) I picked a ton of Meyer's Lemons from my mother's yard in Florida. Upon my return to the Big Easy I had accumulated TOO many lemons. What was I going to do with them all?! All my friends were still home for the holidays, and these lemons were taking up far too much space in my humble kitchen/ dining area. Something had to be done."

Adventures with the Meyer Lemon:

Our Evening with Betty Fussell

Way back in November, Katie and I had an opportunity to attend a salon with Betty Fussell. You know, those salons where you talk about stuff but don't get your hair done. The salon took place at Cafe Amelie and here's what we got to eat:

Des Allemands Crab Cakes

Mini Wild Catfish and Cochon de Lait Sandwiches

Amelie Oysters

Bordelon Sweet Potato and Andouille Soup

Delacroix Shrimp and Grits with Corn and Andouille Sausage Macque Choux

Cherry Almond Bread Pudding with Brandied Cherry Sauce

also a delightful Satsuma cocktail named after Betty herself!

Everything was absolutely delicious.We're definitely going back for brunch when the Cherry Almond Bread Pudding is being served.

Katie got to meet the chef and sample the soup early. It was very awkward when I tried to get some soup and found out that they weren't serving it yet. But the wait staff were very kind to make sure I got some soup when it was being served.

The salon took place in the courtyard of Cafe Amelie and was illuminated by candles which was absolutely beautiful but made food photography difficult. You'll just have to trust us that the food was beautiful.

At the salon, there was a lot of talk about food in America and it was a delight to be in the presence of Betty. When the host mentioned that Betty writes about corn and beef, I thought back to my American Food class where we read articles about corn and beef and wondered if I had read some of Betty's work in class. When we got a chance to talk to Betty, we found out that she knows Dr. Belasco who taught my food class. It was exciting. Here's a picture of me and Betty on her chaise.

*it turned out that Betty was one of those people who wrote nice things about Dr. Belasco's book that went on the back of the book.

Posts to Look Forward to in 2010

This post is a promise to readers that there will be more to come in 2010!
Here's what to look forward to:
Our Evening with Betty Fussell
Thanksgiving in Maryland and Florida
Port of Call for Katie's Birthday
A special section on: Meyer's Lemons!
ST. Patty's Day adventures
TUMAC BBQ

and any other places where we took pictures of Food!

((also, a few updates on our "List"))

LOTS to look forward to!

Cafe Amelie

I wrote this back on August 30, 2009:

I went for brunch and got the Black and Blue Roast Beef sandwich. After eating this sandwich, I realized I'd never had good roast beef before. The meat was tender and easy to bite into, and cut well. The sauce was delicious, it had a healthy amount of blue cheese and was smooth and creamy, (I personally love the combination of blue cheese and beef). The fresh greens were good and tasted great with the sauce. The bread was delicious, it tasted fresh, it had a golden crust and the "mie" (or crumb) was soft and chewy (in a delicious way,not a gross way). I appreciated how every part of the sandwich was made well. Cafe Amelie has great ambiance, the outside courtyard is quite charming with their fountains and wrought iron benches and dining furniture. The inside has these sumptuous chaise lounges with luxurious fabrics draped over them and cozy wooden tables and chairs. The Cafe is tucked in on Royal Street.

La Divina Cafe e Gelateria (French Quarter)

I'm trying to consolidate the stuff I write about food. Here's a review of La Dvina I wrote in August:

I got half vanilla and half milk chocolate con panna (with whipped cream). I was a little sad that they didn't have the flavors I wanted to try when I read their menu online, I suppose I'll have to go again....but I absolutely loved the vanilla, it reminded me of vanilla ice cream I had in France and hadn't been able to find in the U.S. until now. The vanilla gelato has tiny black vanilla specks that pop in your mouth when you eat the ice cream. The whipped cream was a free addition and the server gave me a generous amount, it was delicious but too sweet for me when combined with the gelato, but I imagine that it would be absolutely perfect with espresso.La Divina lets you try samples with reusable metal spoons that they disinfect after you're done which I thought was a cool way to cut down on waste. Also, La Divina is in a cute area with a lot of antique shops which are nice to stroll through.

Shirley Valentine at the Milk Bar

So the Milk Bar is only open on weekdays and we haven't had time lately for a weekday meal. This Tuesday, we were expecting to meet Chef John Besh at Borders- unfortunately he had a previous engagement and wasn't able to make it. So what do we do when plans don't work out? Make better ones! The Milk Bar is practically right next to Borders, so a quick drive later, we were staring at the menu deciding which sandwich to get. We had already seen the menu earlier and had decided to eat everything on it, but what would be our first sandwich at the Milk Bar?

We settled on the Shirley Valentine. What makes Shirley Valentine so special? Let's count the ways:

Delicious bread that's lightly fried on the outside so it has a bit of crunch but a wonderful soft crumb
Fresh greens that haven't wilted
Artichoke hearts!
Feta cheese and a good amount of melted mozzarella cheese

Also, the sandwich was huge!!! We each only ate half and were completely full afterward. Of course, we did have some milkshakes to wash down the sandwich with. I (Charlene) got the Chocolate Thunder Down Under and Katie got the Strawberry Fields. Both were delicious. We also got chupa chup lollipops to go with our sandwich. Unfortunately I dropped mine outside my apartment before I went inside and did not feel so comfortable eating it, if you've smelled the area near my apartment, you know what I mean. Still, it was very nice to get a chupa chup lollipop.

We will definitely be visiting the Milk Bar again!

Willie Mae's Scotch House

After many thwarted events, we finally made it to the world famous Willie Mae's Scotch House. For scotch? No! In fact, alcohol is not even served here! What we were in the mood for was a classic southern home-style meal! (If you are interested in scotch, please try Ms. Mae's... a sneaky name to lure you in. But be warned, no food is served there)

Thanks to our coupon we found in The Gambit, (PS. I have recently obtained a new edition... and guess what I found in it! -KT)

We got 2 house salads... romaine lettuce, topped with crispy croutons!

2 entrees which both came with sides

We chose the world famous fried chicken and fried pork chops for out entrees, and red beans and rice(a Louisiana classic!) and potato salad with peas for our sides.

and 2 drinks, we both chose the homemade lemonade which was sweet and delicious
all for just 20 dollars!!

As always, we ended our lunch with dessert: the silky and smooth bread pudding, which was warm and comforting, and embodied all the subtle flavors of autumn!

Not only did the food remind you of being in your neighbor's kitchen, the friendliness of the staff made you feel like you were right at home! Thank you Willie Mae's! We will be back!

Sweet Gal's Crepe Suzette

It started at La Boulangerie

C is for Casamento's and Creole Creamery

Casamento's is a bright happy place. The whole place is tiled and hanging with Halloween decorations, reminding me of what dinner would look like if a child hosted it it in their bathroom (this is a compliment). At Casamento's, it is simply assumed that if you enter, oysters on the half shell will be consumed. After we sat down at our table and before we even looked at our menus, the waitress asked if we wanted oysters on the half shell and then left us to ponder the rest of our meal after it was determined we would go with the dozen.

They oysters were delicious, just very fresh and clean. After sprtizing them with lemon juice, we paired them with hot sauce or Worcestershire or horseradish and sometimes some of them together. I think I liked the horseradish best, partly because I had never thought of it as a companion to oysters. After the oysters were quickly consumed, I started to learn more about Katie's shellfish allergy.....fortunately, it turns out Katie is fine with oysters but clams are another story. The rest of our dinner was an absolutely fried and delicious shrimp dinner. The shrimp had this little extra flavor we couldn't put our finger on but we'll call it lemon for now.

After Casamentos, we went to Creole Creamery on Prytannia. After an exhaustive sampling of their flavors where we discovered
they're very good at making ice cream taste like other desserts (cheesecakes, cookies, cake batter), we settled on pumpkin pie and monster oatmeal raisin cookie. They complemented each other well, like a crime fighting duo. The monster oatmeal raisin cookie packs a flavor and spice punch with the pumpkin pie, it's more understated but still as delicious sidekick by it's side.

LATER THAT NIGHT...

(reported by Katie) After I took a shower and fell asleep. I woke up again around 12 with a very upset stomach. And then (to leave out the gory details) proceeded to vomit the contents of my stomach! I will not be eating shellfish for a while.... sad day.

Introduction

Two strangers from two separate lands came together on a fateful day in August 2009. From that moment on, they would set out in pursuit of culinary indulgences, cultural influences and festivities, endeavor to create pleasing culinary masterpieces, and the overall general enjoyment of food(and life). Was it fate that brought them together? Perhaps. Was is it the failing economy? I don’t have an answer to this one. Was is the mutual need for an imaginative and calming study break—in addition to an excuse to explore their new city? Ah. This is more like it! No matter the reason, we can be sure that if these two young ladies had not set out for The Land of Chew and Swallow (or Tulane University SPH&TM) to continue on their journey’s called “life,” they would not have had that fateful chance encounter.

Follow their adventures here.