Gumbo Experiment #1

This is actually 3 experiments in 1: testing out new dutch oven, new chorizo & shrimp gumbo recipe, and taking pics with iPhone.

How did it taste? M gave it her seal of approval.

Sweets for the sweet…

Have you ever had a chocolate chip cookie from Jacques Torres? It’s sheets of chocolate separated by a thin layer of cookie.  It’s sinful as is, but if you get a warmed cookie…

Funerals & Fried Chicken

M’s mom passed away last week and the funeral was Friday. I’ve been thinking about the funerals that I’ve gone to over the years. I’ve been to many…

In the late 70′s / early 80′s, my grandmother was on the Senior Usher board of our church. Whenever a senior usher from another church in Baltimore died, she’d put on her uniform and represent our church at the funeral. When members of our own church passed, we had to go to those funerals too.

As a young-un, I preferred services that took place in funeral homes. Instead of being confined to a pew (sit there and be quiet!), I could roam around a little to the other viewing rooms. I’d look at the different people and wonder why some of the signature books were blank.

It probably sounds morbid, but I had no concept of death other than what the pastor said: the people were sleeping and would wake up in that great getting up morning. Plus, if you stare at a body long enough, the chest almost looks like it’s raising up and down (slightly).

My grandmother’s funeral (in the early ’90s) was the first funeral that I went to for a close family member. I don’t remember that actual service. However, I do remember that for a week leading up to the funeral–everyone and their mother dropped by our house to offer their condolences. We lived near a Popeye’s, so most of the visitors showed up with a box of fried chicken. And biscuits.

We had so much fried chicken that I swore off of it–for about a week.

Now, M’s family had an assortment of food there. I wasn’t going to have anything. I was just going to sit back on the fringe while the family interacted. Then, M’s brother–with his deep voice–called my name and said, “We’ve got fried chicken.” It was more of a command than a suggestion…

I used plenty of napkins; didn’t get any grease on my suit.

One of the things I got for Christmas…

is a food processor. Not just any old food processor–a Cuisinart 14 cup can chop/puree/grind anything (mind your fingers!) food processor.

Between this, my subscription to Cooks Illustrated, and my copy of the Joy Of Cooking–2010 should be full of culinary experiments.

Food & Whine

If I can re-create Tandoori Chicken in my own oven, my subscription to Cooks Illustrated online will be more than worth it. So far, I’ve made biscuits and cranberry sauce from scratch–and no one got hurt! Maybe this weekend I’ll work my way up to a pasta dish . . .

Lessons Of The Day

1) Sauted spinach is fine. Burned spinach is nasty. If you make a spinach omlette and put the flame too high . . . .

2) I can play poker pretty well–against drunk distracted people.