Mother's Day Brunch Menu

Mother's Day is this Sunday. You better buy a card now-- all the good ones will be gone and you'll be left with something like this:

I don't know about you, but there are two days I really don't want to go out to eat-- Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. It's not that I don't want to celebrate both those days, but being in an over-stuffed restaurant surrounded by people at other tables whose faces hold all the joy of folks having foot surgery just under the table... it's not my idea of a good time.

So we're having a Mother's Day Brunch at our place. My parents are coming, Patrick's parents are coming and my grandmother is coming too. Here's the menu so far:

Asparagus Galette
Deviled Eggs
Potato Salad with Lots of Dill

Baby-Back Ribs
Grilled Shrimp
Brownies
Little Lemon Tarts
Prosecco & Bloody Marys

We're still open to suggestions and will flip some things around but this seems like a nice, spring-time menu.

Home at last...

...and bitter about it! Good thing I have grip of pictures and lots of food to write about. I think I'll console myself by making stock this week, eating strawberries, and reliving many good meals by writing about them. Thank goodness one of the colleges I teach for is on spring break. And remember...

Five For Friday: Five Ways To Eat Good Away From Home

I've been sitting here, trying to come up with a line that sums up how amazing New Orleans has been so far and I can only come up with that tired, over-used superlative "amazing". But it is. It's everything a city ought to be. I love it here.

1. Talk to people.

This is the most basic advice and often the least used. People often feel awkward talking to strangers and to do so while traveling? To look like (gasp!) a tourist? But looking like a fool for a few seconds might yield you one of the best meals of your life and people love to talk about food, especially the foods that make their city great. Just asking "where should I eat?" is a good way to start, though you might get directed to the tourist traps. Try, "It's your birthday, where would you go? It's your last meal before you move away for a year. What are you having?"

2. Go to the Grocery Store.

You learn a lot about a place by wandering the halls of the local Piggly Wiggly, Acme, Tom Thumb, Howie's or whatever the heck is the dominate chain. You'll learn what's expensive and what's cheap and what they have that you don't have and what you have that they don't have. Be sure to check out the candy and chips-- ever part of the world has their own preference for junk food and may even make good souvenirs for the folks back home.

3. Go to a Dive.

If you're only eating at places where there are cloth napkins and nobody calls you "hun", you're missing out.

4. Try the Local "Delicacies".

In Philadelphia, it's cheesesteaks and scrapple. In Hawaii, it's seafood and tropical fruit and plate lunch. Often, these treats a served at the above-mentioned dives and they're also great fodder for conversation with the locals. Ask someone where you should eat in New Orleans and you'll get an answer, but ask where the best oysters in town are, and you're in a whole other ball park.

5. Visit a Farmer's Market.

Like visiting a grocery store, you'll learn a lot about where you are by seeing what they grow and what it's worth to them. Sure, you probably don't have access to a kitchen and can't pick up a pound of muchrooms, but all you need is a little water to rinse off a peach or some strawberries. Lots of farmers' market have hot food vendors too, which is another way to take care of good ol' #4 (which I considered making #1 and then I wanted to reorder everything and then I said screw it because New Orleans is outside my door and I need to get off the computer and go eat some things.)

Adventure!

The suitcases are being brought in from the garage. The cat knows something is up (don't worry, kitty, grandma and grandpa will take care of you.) We've bought books to read on the plane and I bought a ridiculous hat that I will probably only wear in the hotel room. Patrick and I will be on our way to New Orleans tomorrow! I've never been but Patrick went to Tulane and even worked at a waiter in the French Quarter.

We have reservations at Cochon, Commander's Palace, and NOLA. While we're there, the French Quarter Festival will take place and Patrick has plans for us. Big plans. Excel spreadsheet plans. I still have to teach my online classes, so I'm hoping to fit in some updates here.

Oh boy! Good eating on the horizon!

I Love Weekends

Saturday mornings are meant for careful breakfasts. Warm the maple syrup, put a celery stalk in the Bloody Mary...

... and give the kitty that little bit of bacon she's begging for.

Agra Hadig

My sister-in-law is Armenian and over the years, I've had many amazing meals with her and her family and have gotten to enjoy other interesting aspects of Armenian culture. This Sunday, my niece Ruby was dedicated at her family church and afterward there was an agra hadig at my brother and sister-in-law's home.

An agra hadig is a celebration of a baby's first tooth. Ruby has two great little chompers on the bottom row.Check out the tooth-shaped cake (note-- if any of your teeth turn green with yellow spots, see a doctor and get rid of it) :

This isn't just a great excuse for a feast... and it was a feast, check out my plate. Nom nom nom:

It's also a time to sprinkle the baby with hadig, a wheat dish cooked with dried fruits and candies:

The baby is seated on a blanket with objects all around her, covered with a scarf, and sprinkled with hadig. Everyone then watches carefully to see what object she selects, as that object will predict her future career. Ruby was surrounded by drum sticks (musician), a pen (writer), a tube of paint (artist), a spatula (chef), a ruler (architect), stethoscope (doctor), scissors (seamstress), lipstick (fashion), a camera (photographer), a bible (minister), a little Shakespeare (scholar), money (finance), and a little Eiffel Tower sculpture (adventurer).

Ruby very methodically went for the tube of paint, though my brother swears up and down she touched the drum sticks too.

Then it was time for dessert!

"An art major with a minor in music" was the final prediction. Rock on, Ruby!

Totally Unrefined

The task of beating the bad bacteria in my guts continues. Another round of antibiotics, more probiotics, and my doctor has advised me to eliminate all refined carbohydrates from my daily diet, especially sugar.

Of course, this means my cooking is going to have to change somewhat, though not in the direction of using lots of Splenda or other artificial sweeteners. Right now, I'm working with agave nectar and barley malt. White flour will have to go too, though I've been using King Aurthur's White Whole Wheat Flour for a long while in recipes that call for refined white flour and have liked it quite a bit (it's terrific in pancakes.) In general, whole grains are what I go for. It's the sugar I'll miss!