Week 7 = Pistolettes

I know, I know. I'm so late again. But in my defense, is has been one bitch of a week. I didn't have a single free night until Thursday, and I dedicated that night to sleeping.

The game last Sunday was Green Bay @ New Orleans. Rob and I went to the Groo's Football and Turkey Party. Once a year, they invite a bunch of people over, and Dave deep fries something like a thousand turkeys while everyone watches football.

I love this party. So good.

The game, however, was shitty. Luckily, my snacker was awesome! My first plan was to make beignets stuffed with brats - which I thought was possibly the best idea ever. Then I read a couple of recipes and realized that beignets were way beyond my capabilities.

But looking for easy recipes led me to a sandwich I had never heard of before - The Pistolette. I used this recipe from Real Cajun Recipes, obviously substituting brats for the shrimp and crawfish but also using Merkt's Beer Cheese (brilliant!) and some cajun seasoning. Here's what it looked like before I stuffed the dinner rolls...

Okay, so it looks a little like cheesy pooh, but I ate it straight from the pot. Yummy, I promise.

Rob has used our one big pot to make his party contribution, so I decided bake rather than deep fry.

I don't think any one in Louisiana would have recognized these as pistolettes, but I don't care. I liked them and will probably make them again.

This Sunday is a bit of a problem for me - Baltimore vs. Pitt. I want to make crab pierogi, but Rob is over the dough stuffed with stuff. Send some better suggestions, ASAP!

Thanks!
VA

P.S. One gratuitous puppy shot:

Week 6 = I'm so late!!

Don't worry - not the scary kind of late. Just really, really slow to finally write this up.  Working at Le Cordon Bleu is kicking my ass, but at least the class is almost halfway done.

Last Sunday was Giants @ Eagles, so I made Philly Cheesesteak Calzones!

I can already hear people complaining - "Calzones? What's so New York about calzones?" But before anyone gets all bent out of shape, I kind of agree. The problem is soooooo many foods represent New York, but very few represent Philadelphia. At least very few that I wanted to make. (Scrapple anyone?) But who doesn't love a cheesesteak. And Wikipedia lists calzones as "New York Street Food."

Winner, winner!

Rob pointed out that traditional calzones don't have marinara, at least not inside, so I tried to make a white cheese sauce. I made a mess of it, but it ended up being delicious.

Just in case, I added marinara, too. The white sauce was better, but I think the red makes for  prettier picture.

Well, pretty if you ignore the fact that I wiped up sauce with my finger. Don't look at that. And don't judge me, but I used Pillsbury pizza dough for the calzones.

There's only so much a woman can do on a Sunday afternoon.

Next week? SF @ Denver. I got nothing. Help!

Week 5 = Try Everything at Least Once

Clam chili? Really? That's a thing?

It's a thing. You can get at least one recipe here. And there were others - most of them kind of weird, but they are out there. Someone must be eating them. 

And since I was stuck for something to represent New England and Cincinnati, I became one of them. Originally, I thought I'd take my sister-in-laws suggestion to make a thick New England clam chowder and pour it over spaghetti, like Cincinnati chili,  but I was afraid that was too much of one and not enough of the other. Hence...

Note the Sam Adams. 

Could've been brewed in Cincinnati. 

Could've been brewed in Boston. Clever, right? 

Thanks, Chuck!

I am pleased to report that clam chili does not suck. In fact, I just had the leftovers for lunch, and they were really good. 

I followed the recipe from Sea Watch International - at least I kinda did. That recipe makes 16-20 servings, so I cut it in halfish. I used bacon instead of Italian sausage, dried cilantro instead of fresh, and dumped in maybe double the chili powder. The bacon was probably the most important addition, but I also threw on some Cholula hot sauce, the green kind. That was probably my favorite part.

This is just an extra picture. Didn't want it to go to waste.

So the lesson this week is keep an open mind...clam chili is easy, healthy, and not horrific. Give it a shot...

As for me, I hope I never have to do Cincinnati or New England again.

Guest Blogger Sue Hamill's Final Product

Like I said, Sue got an ear infection and couldn't finish her meal on Sunday night. She finished on Monday, making Tex-Mex Jambalaya and Cajun T-bone Steak.  Unfortunately,  I just started a new job teaching at 6 am (Seriously. That's not a type. 6 am. Every day.) so I'm a little behind.

Here's the finished product:

Pretty, but take a close up look. Yum!

By the way, did I mention there was shrimp, too?

So good!

Here's my brother Barry's review:

All in all the meal was tasty, but a little mild - probably because we had to accommodate not only a nine-year-old (who, while generally an adventurous eater, does not care for things "spicy"), but also one of our step-nieces-in-law who is having stomach problems.  So, the seasoning was light, and at least on one of the steaks, non-existent.  But the black beans and corn in the "Tex-Mex jambalaya" is a path worth pursuing, and I liked the less-soupy version that Mrs. Hamill made here.   And Cajun rub on a t-bone?  Nothing wrong with that.

Sue gets major points for creativity, and she's given me a good idea for this Sunday Night Cin v. NE - assuming I don't sleep through the weekend.

Week 4 = Guest Blogger #2: Sue Hamill

So my sister-in-law wanted to play this week, too. She went to the store, got T-bones and jambalaya fixings, and then came down with an ear infection.

Looks good right? Here's part of the email from my brother:

Jambalaya mix, to which corn and black beans would be added, as well as diced tomatoes with green chiles; shrimp and Andouille sausage; a salt-free Cajun seasoning as the basis of a rub for the steaks.   Sounds good, huh?  Well, we can't have it either!

Pretty sad, right? 

Don't fret...Sue felt better on Monday and cooked the meal. I'll post pictures soon.