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?

Just Dinner, and a memory.

A restaurant review, then and now.

The beautiful dining area.

My 29th Birthday at Just Dinner

Just Dinner on Dunlavy has a special place in my heart. I wrote the review below when I went for the first time. The friendly owner, Andrew Rebori, who we got to know over the years, sadly passed away a year ago. I cried when I read the article Katharine Schilcutt wrote. At the time, it surprised me how upset I got. Then I realized how rare it is to come across a person so warm, humble, and welcoming. Just Dinner still has the same warmth and amazing food, and I think of Andrew every time I pass by or dine there.

Rebori will be remembered by his family and friends as the epitome of a restaurateur who loved his life. "He started each day thinking about food, shopping and gardening," said Lisa. "He daily met all his customers. He was always concerned about their comfort and satisfaction. He took tremendous pride in creating opportunities for people to talk to each other and to share a good meal."

Read the touching story about Andrew Rebori.

And now my original review...

Cajun Pizza

Or Boudin "Big Bread" 

I'm not sure if we made up this recipe, or if people make it all the time. I certainly have never heard of it. Casey made it a few days ago when we were in a pinch. It's easy to make, and it's a great lunch or dinner. I wouldn't say it's the healthiest recipe in the world, but throw some sautéed veggies on the side, and you're good to go.

Boudin is a cajun style pork sausage. Find it where you would find sausage. 

Ingredients

• 1 package of boudin
• 1 loaf of crusty french bread 
• 2 tbsp butter
• Minced garlic
• Shredded cheese (we used cheddar & pepper jack)

Turn the oven on to 350º. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Boil boudin according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small sautée pan, melt the butter and add garlic. Cut the french bread in half (you should have 4 pieces total), and place them onto a baking sheet. Once butter and garlic smells fragrant, use a basting brush to spread butter and garlic onto bread. When boudin is cooked, carefully cut casings off and spread boudin on top of the bread (you do not want to eat casings!). Sprinkle as much cheese as you would like, and place baking sheet in the oven. Bake until cheese is melted and bread is nice and toasty.

Santa went to Sur La Table.

We take kitchen gadgets and accessories to a new level.

Santa knows that the Murphrees love kitchen gadgets. This year was no different. Casey and I bought a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker with a gift certificate we got from Aunt Ann and Uncle Dave. After scouring the interwebs for the perfect ice cream recipe, Casey finally picked one. And he didn't shut up about it for DAYS. I'm glad he loves food as much as I do, but sometimes he gets OBSESSED. He picked Goat Cheese & Strawberry.

Courtesy of Heather Homemade

When Christmas Day (finally) came, we got to work on the ice cream. Well, actually, Casey did most of the work, and I did the taste testing. It turned out awesome! It's an almost cheesecake consistency with perfectly sweet strawberries mixed in. I think the secret is adding a little balsamic vinegar to the strawberry mixture after roasting them. YUM!    Here's the recipe.

Santa also brought us a Crock-Pot. It was technically for me, but I’m sure Casey will get some good use out of it. It also came with a bonus small crock-pot for dips! We haven’t used the it yet, but here are some of the recipes I want to try.

Crock Pot Super Garlic Chicken Legs - 20 cloves of garlic!

Grillades and Cheese Grits - This is a dish served at BB's Cafe in Houston. I'm interested to see if this version is as good!

Crock Pot Puttanesca- This lovely Italian word literally translates to "Whore Style." Sailors would come into port, and the various "Houses of Ill-Repute" would cook this sauce with pasta. It smells so incredible, they couldn't resist.

French Dip Roast Beef - Thought this was an interesting thing to make in a Crock-Pot!

Slow Cooker Chicken with Rosemary, Apples and Onions - Great flavor combo.

Corned Beef and Cabbage - One of my all-time favorite dishes.

The gadget giving didn’t stop with Casey and Me. We all pitched in and got a new Waring Comercial Deep Fryer for Dad. He’s awesome at making fries, and the deep fryer he had was on the small side. The new one is a nice size - Paula Deen would approve. 

His recipe is a mixture of different techniques he has tried over the years. I will post it as soon as he can get it to me!

And for the woman who started this family on the Foodie Adventure - Mom got a bunch of little things for the kitchen, including an olive oil mister, OXO mixing bowls, and silicone berry colanders. 

There's only so much we can fit in her kitchen at this point!

Do you have any great Crock-Pot, Ice Cream or Deep Fryer recipes? Please share!

Sounded Like a Good Idea at the Time

I already have a blog. It's on myspace. Would you even call that a blog? Maybe not... especially since I haven't posted anything in the past 4 months. So, I'll just move the handful of entries from there to here. I'm rescuing them from the god-awful horror that myspace has become. They'll thank me for that.

So, I don't know what possessed me to start this "random babbling" back up again. I've been on a break from pretty much anything creative. Pretty much the entire summer. Pretty much because I've been side-tracked by the beginnings of a relationship. It takes up a lot of time! Not in a bad way of course... just in the way that I don't really have as much time to do the things I usually do when I am by myself. Because I'm not by myself very often. The difference now, however, is that I can feel a difference. When I'm alone now, I get bored much easier. Usually, I'll end up at my parents' house or out with a friend. I enjoy having him around. We know how to have fun together, and how to relax together. We motivate each other. But more on that later...

I recently went on a couple of road trips. Dallas for 2 days and St. Louis for 4. Dallas was amazing. We mostly chilled at The W and enjoyed our bad ass hotel room, ate 3 times in the restaurant, and entertained the cocktail waitresses at the hotel bar. Oh, and Texas de Brazil was even better than I expected. I could've just had the buffet and would've been totally satisfied. You will RARELY EVER hear me say that about a buffet. 

The next weekend, I skipped out on ACL to go to STL. I sold my tickets because Lilly Allen, Beastie Boys and Sonic Youth all bailed. I was pissed! So, why not journey on a 13-hour car ride to Missouri? Sounded like a good idea at the the time! It was BY FAR, totally worth the endless hours of driving. I got to see my Stephie! She was a great hostess, of course. We went to The Loop for some shopping, the beautiful Forrest Park for lunch, Taste of St. Louis, and Creepy World... the biggest haunted house in the USA. It seriously lasted an hour. At first I was scared out of my mind. That actually shocked me. I really thought I could handle it. But, after the 5th dude with a chainsaw chased me, I got pretty used to it. The weather was fantastic the whole time... then we got back to Houston at 10pm, and it was 85 and 100% humidity. 

Dammit Houston, it's October. Come on! 

MEL