Change Is The Theme of This Year!

And I like it...

Honestly, I don't really feel bad about the fact that I haven't written since the beginning of January. It's becoming very clear that 2013 is going to be a year of moving forward, and it's something that I'm embracing with open arms.

First of all, I got engaged! And, I feel that this is important to share here because it was actually food related. Leave it to Casey to help with that aspect! I got home from work, and I saw a box of chocolates sitting on the bar. This was no ordinary box of chocolates - I recognized the box immediately. It was from Chocolat du Monde - an amazing chocolate shop in the village. They literally fly in their chocolates from Belgium. My first thought was - Did Casey buy me an early Valentine's Day gift? It's February 12th, and we aren't really into the whole sappy V Day crap, so what is this all about? After all the curious questions, I opened the box, and the card was perfect. The ring was perfect. And of course, the chocolates were perfect. It took us all of 1 week to finish off $100 in chocolate. PLUS, it was great timing on his part. That night, we were already planning on going to a Mardi Gras party. So, we celebrated with an awesome party with amazing crawfish and Abita at BB's in the Heights!

In the midst of all this, I've started a new job! I absolutely love it. I actually interveiwed for this job over 5 years ago. I applied again, and I've been working here for almost 3 months. The company is call Patrick Henry Creative Promotions. I work with restaurants to develop their beverage menus, and basically coordinate with the clients and partners to create awesome beverage promotions. We actually have a bar in our office, utilized by the very talented mixologists we have on staff. This job has been a dream come true, literally. And I'm thankful everyday for it.

A New Year, and new traditions

Black Eyed Peas aren't the only thing on OUR menu!

We decided to do a little something different for New Year's Day 2013. Shrimp sounded good, so Casey stopped by the seafood market in Seabrook. After he asked for 5 pounds, he noticed they were selling 30 pound sacks of Louisiana oysters for $9. What a steal! How could he resist?

We had some raw (for Mom and me) and the rest grilled. If you have never tried grilled oysters, please do! I can understand why some people have an aversion to the raw ones, but grilled oysters are realllly good. Especially with the amount of butter and garlic we put on them. After Mark and Casey shucked all the little guys, we were in business.

AMAZING Grilled Oysters:

Mix up a sauce with equal parts olive oil and butter, salt, pepper, cayenne (we like it hot), minced garlic and Tony Chachere's. You really can put whatever you want in here. Casey just threw this together. Mix it all with a hand mixer - makes it much easier.

Put a dab of this on each oyster, and then put oysters on a hot grill. When they get nice and bubbly hot, they are finished. I think I ate 2 dozen of these myself!

This is what the final dish looks like.We literally ate them off the pan.

The shrimp turned out great too! We used pretty much the same sauce on the shrimp, and threw them on the grill. Shrimp only take a few minutes to cook. Just cook them until they turn pink. And be sure to keep the shells on! Here's what they looked like pre-grilled.

And of course I can't forget the Black-Eyed Peas! This was probably the easiest thing we made, so I did it all on my own :) You have to have them on New Year's Day, right?

All you need is: Pre-packaged Cubed Pancetta, Diced Shallot, 1 Package of Fresh Black-Eyed Peas, Cayenne Pepper, Salt & Pepper.

Pancetta is Italy's answer to bacon. You can use cubed ham, bacon, or any salty pork product.

Brown the Pancetta in a medium pot on medium heat. Throw in the diced shallot after about 3 minutes, and continue to brown. After everything is all fragrant and smelling wonderful (about 5 minutes total), add the peas and stir, then immediately add enough water to completely cover the peas. There should be about an inch of water on top of them. Add salt, pepper and cayenne. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover with lid and simmer for 2-3 hours. You really can't over cook these.

Do you have any New Year's Day unconventional traditions?