New Orleans, Part Two

Last week I showed photos of a trip my husband and I took in February to New Orleans, Louisiana, right after the Mardi Gras celebration. If you missed that you can see part one at this link.  Thank you for all your comments! It seems New Orleans is a favorite town for many. If I have not replied back as yet it is because I have been ill this past week with a bad case of bronchitis.  I was wheezing so badly I had to use an inhaler for the first time!  Thankfully, I feel almost back to normal and I'm busy catching up.  I seem to have little resistance this year, and I have been getting ill a lot.  I think it is one of the only downfalls of being close to my grandchildren. I catch almost all of their illnesses!

(All photos and photo collages in this post will enlarge for easier viewing if clicked on)

One of the things my husband and I were most looking forward to in New Orleans was enjoying all of the city's fabulous Creole and Cajun cuisine! Click on the links to read about these cuisines. One of the places we were looking forward to eating was the famous Commander's Palace, in the beautiful Garden District of New Orleans.  This restaurant has been a landmark since 1880!

We could see why their Haute Creole food was a favorite of many visitors and locals. The portions were generous and the service was impeccable.  The Commander's Palace menu changes frequently, according to the fresh ingredients available.  I enjoyed a Shrimp and Tasso Henican appetizer and a Seafood Risotto, while my husband had a Confit Beef Belly and a Chargrilled Cowboy Ribeye.  We forgot to photograph the dessert we shared--the famous Commander's Palace Bread Pudding Souffle.  It was the perfect ending to the perfect meal!

Another evening we ate at Acme Oyster House, on the recommendation of a woman and her daughter who were on a tour we were on.   This popular restaurant does not take reservations, and there was a long line to get in, but it was worth the wait. It had a casual atmosphere, and, again, the portions were enormous! I was happy to see soft shell crab on the menu -- one of my favorites and nearly impossible to find in the Denver area. The original restaurant was established in 1910, and serves over 10,000 raw oysters a day!

Another place we made sure to make reservations for was The Court of Two Sisters, for their Jazz Brunch, held outside in the courtyard during good weather. We enjoyed their remarkable selection of sumptuous hot and cold buffet items, as well as freshly prepared Egg Benedict and pancakes. while we listened to the jazz band play.

Even as casual lunch in a little cafe was unique!  I had a Shrimp Po'boy and my husband had a Muffaletta sandwich. We also treated ourselves to a couple of New Orleans signature drinks--a Hurricane and a Cajun Bloody Mary.

One of the most beautiful and iconic hotels in NOLA (New Orleans, Louisiana) is the Hotel Monteleone.  This luxurious hotel has a long and interesting history.  It has housed so many famous writers that it was designated as a literary landmark by the Friends of the Library Association, a distinction shared by only two other hotels in the United States.

It is also famous for its very unique Carousel Bar and Lounge! Sit at one of the 25 seats on the slowly revolving bar, and you will join over 65 years of customers who have enjoyed a drink here.

Among the many nicknames, New Orleans has earned over the years, "The Big Easy," conjures up its musical past and present. We saw many street musicians everywhere we walked. Bands and solo artists, the music of all genres, all artists hoping to be heard and discovered for their distinctive sound and talent.

We went of an interesting walk and talk held by a ranger from the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, where we learned about the beginnings of musical jazz  The ranger recommended that we visit the Old New Orleans Mint building which is now one of the Louisiana State Museums. This free museum holds many historical and rare photographs of the beginnings of jazz, and the instruments of many famous jazz musicians, such as Fats Domino's piano, Louis Armstrong's cornet, Emile "Stalebread" Lacoumbe's banjo, and Louis Prima's trumpet.

Fortunately for us, there was a special program going on at the Old Mint Museum the day we visited. It was the 250 anniversary of the arrival of the french-speaking Arcadians' arrival in Louisiana after they were driven out of Canada's Maritime Provinces by the British.  We enjoyed learning about the beginnings of New Orleans Cajun culture through the talk, songs, and dances. More photos and stories about this very touching and informative event can be seen on this link.  We really felt privileged to attend this event and learn the story if these displaced people who added so much richness to the culture of Louisiana.

New Orleans is a city so rich in history, culture, music, and good food that I could never tire of visiting it!  If you visited New Orleans, what was your favorite experience?

In my next post, I'll show a couple beautiful Louisiana antebellum sugar cane plantations we visited, along with a fun swamp tour!  I hope you will join me then!

Italian Easter Cookies

Both my mother-in-law and my husband's oldest sister, made these Calabrian-style Italian Easter cookies every year and would give us many of them to enjoy. They are called "i'nguti" in their Reggio Calabria town's dialect.  If you are Italian, you may know them by another name, as it seems almost every southern Italian town or district has another name for them. My mother-in-law passed away many years ago, and we no longer live near my husband's sister, so we have not had these cookies in a few years and felt nostalgic for them. Years ago, I watched my mother-in-law make them, and I copied down the recipe.  After a quick phone call to my sister-in-law, to make sure I had all the ingredients and methods right, I decided to finally tackle making them myself.  Was I glad I did!  The recipe makes a lot of cookies, but they keep well and the plain ones are wonderful with a cup of coffee or tea at any time of the year. I imagine you could halve the recipe if you'd like to make less, but they are light and not too sweet, so you will find you can enjoy eating quite a few at a time.  (All photos, and photo collages, will increase in size for easier viewing if clicked on)

Italian Easter Cookies

Ingredients:

12 cups of flour, divided into 6 cups and 6 cups -- have more flour available if needed--it is almost an entire 5-pound bag of flour.

3 cups of sugar

12 extra-large eggs for the batter

12 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons vanilla 

1 pound butter or margarine.

1 tablespoon cooking oil

Have extra egg yolks beaten, for the glaze--I used 4 egg yolks in total.

If you desire to make the bunny shape, holding the egg, clean as many eggs as you like (I used one dozen), and dye them if you desire. 

*Important: The eggs used in the bunny shapes are raw --they will fully cook in the oven along with the cookie holding them.

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and then lower to 375 F

Melt butter or margarine and let it cool.

In a mixing bowl with the beater blade, add 12 eggs and mix --do not overbeat.

Then add sugar, vanilla, baking powder, and butter or margarine to the egg mixture and mix well.

Then add 2 cups of flour and mix

Add 2 more cups of flour and mix

Add two more cups of flour and mix until the entire mixture is smooth. 

Place the remaining 6 cups of flour on a clean board or counter and make a well in the middle. Pour in the mixing bowl mixture into the center of the flour. Using clean hands, mix the wet and dry ingredients together, kneading until it forms a smooth ball.  You may have to add a small amount of flour if the mixture is too wet. I did not need to do this.

Clean your hands, pour 1 tablespoon of oil on your hands, and rub the oil all over the ball of dough--this helps to keep it from drying out as you make the cookie shapes.

Cut a piece of the dough off the dough ball and roll it into a rope about ten inches long and about 3/4 inch wide (see photo above).  Loop once to hold the egg and twist the top around twice to form Bunny ears (see photo). Place a raw egg in the bottom loop.  Flatten out a small amount of dough, about a quarter-inch thick, and cut two strips, which you then crisscross over the egg. pressing the ends into the loop to hold the egg in place. Using a thin spatula, pick up the cookie and place it on a lightly greased cookie sheet, then brush lightly with egg yolk.  Do not crowd cookie sheets as the cookies will rise.

You can also cut pieces of dough and roll them into shapes.  I made "S" shapes. circles, and twisted (See photo above). Brush lightly with egg yolk to glaze them.  

*Important: make sure to add the non-egg holding shapes to a separate cookie sheet, as they will cook faster than the Bunny shape.

Place the egg-holding bunnies in the 375 F oven. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until edges are turning lightly brown. The raw eggs will cook inside the cookies. If you place two cookie sheets in the oven at the same time, switch the sheet positions midway through the baking time. 

Place the non-egg-holding cookies in a 375 F oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until edges lightly brown.

Cool on a rack.  Enjoy!

My mother-in-law did not refrigerate the bunny egg-holding cookies, but you can if you'd like. The non-egg-holding cookies store well in a cookie jar.

I am having Easter dinner at my house this year and it will be nice to have the cookies as part of our dessert, along with my New York Cheesecake that I will make with a gluten-free crust for the members of my family that must-eat gluten-free.

Our community held its annual Easter Egg Hunt last Sunday, and our granddaughter, our daughter and son-in-law, and Grandma and Pop-Pop all attended.  Unfortunately, my son and daughter-in-law, and grandsons could not attend, as they have all been passing around colds to each other.

The park lawn was studded with over 7,000 candy-filled plastic Easter Eggs!  There were different divisions and charting times according to age, and our granddaughter was in the 0-2-year-old group that went first.  The Big Carrot announced the start and egg gathering began!  The Easter Bunny was in the area for photo taking, and a local children's gym had some mats and play equipment available for the children to enjoy. The community playground was also in the area.  As you can see from the photos my granddaughter had a wonderful time!  She likes running as much as picking up eggs.  It was a beautiful sunny 70-degree day, so we could not have asked for anything better!

 I wish you all a very Happy and Blessed Easter!

Celebrations!

Isn't this Elmo face cute? I made Elmo, from the Children's TV show Sesame Street, out of berries, for my granddaughter's second birthday party this past weekend. He is one of her favorite characters from the show, and I knew she and my grandsons would enjoy eating the berries along with "J's" ice cream cake. I used a small orange for his nose, two large marshmallows with chocolate kisses in them as the eyes, blackberries as the mouth, and raspberries as the face.  I would imagine you could substitute other red and blue fruits such as cut strawberries and blueberries if you'd like.  It was easy to assemble!

Our little "J" had a very happy 2nd birthday party! She wanted another favorite character, Minnie Mouse, to be her party decorations, and wore a pink Minnie bow hairband instead of a party hat. Our son also celebrated his birthday this weekend, as he and "J" share the same birthday!  His two sons enjoyed the ice cream cake and berry Elmo with gusto!

Can you see my granddaughter playing with her party balloons? 

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It was such a beautiful day here in the Denver area--in the low 70's--that my daughter was able to keep her front door open!

Another fun grandchildren event that we watched recently was a "Bike-a-Thon" fundraiser that our younger grandson's preschool sponsored as a fundraiser.  The children rode with tricycles or bicycles around a local high school gym while music played in the background.  It was a fun way to have the children participate in raising funds, as family and friends donated to the school on their behalf, and purchase refreshments, that were also donated by the parents. Our older grandson joined in on a borrowed tricycle when he saw how much fun the event was!

I know our life in our community nestled along the foothills of the Front Range of Colorado is very different from our prior lives in New York City, but I am so happy to have all these opportunities to spend time with our children and grandchildren.

We are also enjoying the very nice winter we are having here so far!  It may snow and be below 30 for a few days, but then the temperatures slowly rise up to the high 50's '60s and even '70s, and all the snow quickly melts. It is nice to be able to spend time outdoors because of this mild winter climate.

I've been the lucky winner of a few blogs giveaways the past few months!. 

I won the charming book "A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts: Stories to Warm Your Heart from the blog Terra Garden.  Terra is one of the authors of this book full of wonderful Christmas memories, recipes, holiday organization tips, and scriptures.  I enjoyed reading it very much when I was ill with the flu this past Christmas and I know I will be sharing it with my family for many Christmases ahead!

The hand-sewn dream cloud shaped pillow was made by the blogger Miss Red Fox,  The pillow is backed with terrycloth It has a removal liner filled with spelled grain that can be heated in the microwave so that it can be placed back inside the pillow and used as a heating pad. My granddaughter likes to use the pillow at nap time in her crib.

The beautifully illustrated book Dream of Venice was a give away from Diane Hales from the blog La Bella Lingua--Becoming Italian Word by Word  Diane wrote a fabulous book with the same title of her blog.  I enjoyed  Dianne's book very much, and her book, blog, and e-mail newsletter helps me to learn more about the Italian language and Italian culture.
Venice is one of the favorites places I visited in Italy, and I was thrilled to win this beautiful book! The book Dream of Venice, edited by Joann Loctov of Bella Figura Publications, brings back memories of what I loved about this unique city. It has a forward written by Francis Mayes, is full of evocative photography by Charles Christopher, and has essays and anecdotes by contemporary writers on what the city of Venice means to them.  A portion of the sale of each book will be donated to Save Venice Inc, to support vital art and architecture restoration in Venice.

The Newlywed Cookbook by Roxanne Wyss and Kathy Moore, was a recent win from the blog Cookbooks 365, by bloggers Shelly Peppel and Fran Brennan. The profile recipes from many different genres of cookbooks, on their blog, and I'm always learning something new from them!  The recipe in a blog post for Winter Chicken Cassoulet, which is in the Newlywed Cookbook, caught my eye.  I wanted to see more recipes from this book and entered their give away.  Even though I've been married 40 plus years, I feel like a newlywed again,  as my husband and I are now retired and I am cooking for two and not a family any longer.  I am enjoying the over 70 smaller portion recipes and the recipes incorporating modern conveniences and equipment in this cookbook.

I want to thank again all the blogs that gave away such wonderful prizes.  I feel very lucky to have won and also to know you through your blogs. and I hope I've encouraged a few of my Dear Readers into visit these wonderful blogs and to learn more about the books and products I won

 

Classic Cookbooks and a Classic Apple Tart with Frangipane

My husband and I were invited to a casual "Joyeux Noel" party that friends were having at their home the first weekend of the Christmas season.  The hosts have a cookbook that they enjoy using entitled in English, "I Know How To Cook," or "Je Sais Cuisiner," in French, by author Genette Mathiot. They used a favorite recipes from this cookbook as their inspiration for their party menu. This cookbook has sold over six million copies in France, since it was published in 1932, and is one of the most popular cookbooks in French households.  In Italy, "Il Cucchiaio d' Argento" or in English, "The Silver Spoon" cookbook is that nation's most popular cookbook.  What both cookbooks have in common, is that the thousand plus recipes that are within, are basic home cooking and written in simple succinct terms without illustrations. There are very few "step by step instructions" in both cookbooks, as cooking techniques are understood, and not described. They are probably not cookbooks for a true novice, but the recipes work and are delicious! I'm not sure we have a cookbook equivalent in the US of these two cookbooks?  What would you nominate for the honor of a cookbook every American household probably has on their shelves?   In my early marriage, I relied on "Better Homes and Gardens" cookbook, but perhaps the bride of today likes Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything" cookbook?   I have many favorite cookbooks, in fact, I blogged about some of them quite a while ago in 2008, that helped me to learn how to cook southern Italian food that my husband grew up eating.  Unfortunately, the blog that inspired me to write the post no longer exists, but many many more food blogs exist today that are a wealth of inspiration and most likely the recipes most of us turn to when we are searching online about how to make something pleasing.  I have so many favorite food blogs that I would not know where to begin to list them, but one of my favorite websites to turn to is the Williams Sonoma Recipes web site, as I have never been disappointed by one of their recipes!

I wanted to bring a French style dessert to our friends' party and a tart came to mind.  A quick search leads me to a selection of wonderful looking apple tarts, and the one I chose to make was the Classic Apple Tart with Frangipane.  I knew there would be quite a few people at the Joyeux Noel party, so instead of using a regular size 9-inch tart pan I used a larger 12-inch pan and increased the recipe ingredients by one third.

If you are looking for a light and delicious apple tart for a holiday dessert I think you'll be pleased with this recipe, or a similar Williams Sonoma Apple Frangipane Tart recipe using a purchased puff pastry crust in a rectangular shaped tart pan. I may make that next time!

We had a wonderful time at the party and enjoyed the French theme! The hosts might do a German-themed Christmas party next year, on the suggestion of another friend, and perhaps the year after I can collaborate with them to have an Italian themed Christmas party? There is no doubt that no matter what the party theme will be it is fun to celebrate the holidays with friends!

My Christmas tree is decorated (come back to see it in my next post!), my Christmas shopping is completed, and my Christmas cards are mailed.  Now to begin baking some of my favorite Christmas cookies for the holidays!  I look forward to searching your blog for a few new cookies to try!

* In full disclosure I was NOT compensated in any way for this post by any of the cookbooks mentioned or web links. provided. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread

Happy St. Patrick's Day! My last year's holiday feast is pictured above. I still prepare the Irish American tradition of a boiled Corned Beef and Cabbage, Potatoes and Carrots blend, and Irish Soda Bread.  The past two years I've also included a Shepard's Pie at our holiday feast, because my entire family is now able to dine together, since my husband and I moved to Colorado from New York City. We have a full table again!

Last year my Shepard's Pie was topped with sweet potatoes for a change up. 

This year I went back to regular potato topping with grated Dubliner brand Irish cheddar cheese on top. Both versions are fabulous!  I make Shepard's Pie quite a bit all year long,  and also change up the mix from ground beef, ground lamb, to ground turkey -- we like all mixes equally well.  It is a complete and delicious meal! If you don't already have your own favorite recipe for Shepard's Pie, I promise to share my recipe the next time I prepare it.

My grandchildren have just a drop of Irish in their heritage. They are also part Italian, Ukrainian, German, English, Scottish, Dutch ......and who knows what!  True Americans! The baby loved the soda bread this year and the boys loved playing with their Daddy's vintage Star Wars toys more than eating. Both boys have been ill with a croupy cough the past week, so I babysat the little grandson a few days so my daughter-in-law could still teach her pre-school classes. The other days of the week I babysat my granddaughter.  I'm a busy grandmother all week long, but I love to help out whenever I can.

I gave my Irish Soda Bread recipe a few years ago on this post. Even though I am cooking it at the high altitude, now that I live at 6,200 feet, it came out delicious as always without any alterations -- a big relief!

This year I added an extra Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread to our holiday dinner so that my daughter-in-law and younger grandson, who both  must eat gluten free, could also enjoy it.  It was another relief as it came out wonderful!   I'm sharing the recipe so that all who need to eat gluten free can enjoy it this St. Patrick's Day, and all year round.

Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose Gluten Free Flour Mix--I used King Arthur Flour Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Mix

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon gluten free baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/2 cup raisins

1 tablespoon caraway seeds (optional)

1/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1 egg

I cup buttermilk

Directions:

Heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a cookie sheet with butter, oil, shortening  or non stick GF spray 

In a bowl mix well GF flour mix, baking soda, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, caraway seeds, raisins

In electric mixer bowl add butter, sugar and whip until blended.  Add egg and beat until light and fluffy.  Add the flour mixture a little at a time, mixing slowly, alternating with buttermilk, until both are all added, ending with the flour mix.

Remove dough from mixing bowl to a well gluten free floured surface and knead gently a few times until the mixture comes together as a ball.  Place the ball on the greased cookie sheet. With a knife, cut a cross into the dough across the top. Place in 450 F oven for five minutes, then reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees F for another 25 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown in color and sounds hollow when you tap on it. Remove from oven and pan to a cooling rack and cool. Wrap in aluminum foil and keep refrigerated, if not serving right away. You can re-heat in a low oven before serving.  

The loaf rose beautifully, and held its shape well when cut into slices. My son said that the taste was almost exactly the same as my regular soda bread!  Success! Leftover slices are wonderful toasted and served with butter and jam.

Of course St. Patrick's Day means more than food, or parades or wearing green or any of the other traditions that have evolved around the holiday.  It is really about blessed Saint Patrick himself. We honor him as the saint who converted many of Ireland's pagans to Christianity through his mission in the early part of the Fifth Century.  I visited his grave in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland, a few years ago, as you can see in the photo above. I also visited the St. Patrick Centre in Downpatrick that told the story of his life in beautiful exhibits.  You can click here to read the post I did for both sights. 

One of the exhibits in the Saint Patrick Centre, Downpatrick, Northern Ireland.