Big Cooking Weekend!

I had a big weekend filled with great cooking and baking projects mixed in with adventures with friends on a beautiful Maine fall day.

It started with an inspiration from Tastespotting: a breakfast casserole. Layers of potatoes, cheddar cheese, eggs and bacon baked with cream until bubbly.

I then spent a rainy afternoon watching movies and looking up recipes online to use up some chicken in the fridge. The solution was my first and really yummy attempt at General Tao's Chicken

The next morning was a canoe trip to the cranberry bog where we mucked around in cold water up to our knees and picked oodles of wild cranberries

To help ward off the chill of cranberry picking we put together a huge seafood chowder. We had the meat of five lobsters leftover in the freezer as well as some shrimp and haddock to use up. It fed six of us and we had enough for lunch the next day. We followed this with a campfire in the backyard.

Finally, I had to bake something using the cranberries! I made some awesome brownies a la Dorie Greenspan and a cranberry hazelnut sauce. They were awesome. I was so excited to try these that I was pulling bowls of chowder away from people still chewing and demanding we start desert!

Creme Brulee With Dorie

We had a great time making Creme Brulee and watching the VP debates. We also really like drinking and playing with the blow torch...





They were quite good. We never managed to eat any like civilized people, rather we tested each one to determine just the right amount of sugar and depth of browning needed to create the best crust. Four spoons sharing individual cups until we were filled to the gills.

Eating Through New Orleans

We did our best to eat all things quintessentially New Orleans...and it was delicious! Clockwise starting at the top left: Daily Special from the Praline Connection: fried catfish, jambalaya, collard greens and cornbread; James and his first oyster shooter at the French Market; One Fancy Hurricane (Meyers dark rum, pineapple, orange and cranberry juice) I drank several others on Bourbon St. that didn't look or taste at as nice as this, jambalaya and sausage from French Market, fried shrimp and what are they called? at French Market; Collard Greens at The Praline Connection; room serviced oyster po'boy; the best roasted oysters from Acme Seafood; shrimp gumbo and red beans and rice from Acme Seafood; me with a frozen coffee and beignets at Cafe Du Monde; alligator sausage from the Praline Connection.

We certainly ate more than this but these are the things I was able to photograph. James grew impatient about having his food grow cold while I took 30 pictures in varying arrangements!

Home again and about to embark on Creme Brulee. I made a special trip to the local chef's store and bought tiny little cups to make this in and my ordered family over this evening to enjoy.

James and the Oyster Shooter

Some baking in between excursions

Unfortunately (well not really) I am traveling to Montreal and then New Orleans on a business trip. I will be out of the kitchen for a whole 7 days! I did make World Peace Cookies before I left. I loved the story of those cookies and was both nervous and interested in this salty, chocolate experience. It was more mellow than I had expected. And I think they are may be placed on the short list of favorite cookies.

I plan to take pictures of my favorite meals on my travels and will be able to update all about the wonderful dishes of these two French districts. I've already had crepes stuffed with mushrooms and shrimp and a croissant for my breakfast. I'm looking forward to gumbo and Po'boys as I head to New Orleans in the morning!

P.S. The dog is fine. I didn't even get a hint of remorse out of her!

9 ounces of Chocolate Chunkers down the gullet

So this week's TWD could have been a success. To get any feed back about this weeks baking experiment you will have to ask the big dog, who, while I went up to dye my hair for the first time since I was in high school, ate all 35 super chocolate cookies. After spending the evening monitoring her for whatever it is that happens to dogs when they eat chocolate, I have posted all I have left of this baking project!

Sunday

Our Traditional Sunday consists of breakfast with the whole family at the grandparents house. This Sunday included the big dog, Mesa and the little dog, Lily in addition to all the grandkids and their significant others. Following this excursion I set my mind to using up ingredients in the fridge with mushroom tarts and a quick pasta mix of aspagarus (our favorite) shells and goat cheese. A rather delightful, easy meal that even my picky eater enjoyed.