Welcome Home, Shawn - April 10, 2014

Tuesday night, my oldest son, Shawn Smith, who is with the USAF Reserves, landed at the 
Sacramento airport, with part of his squadron of the AFRC 945th, based at Travis AFB,
California.  Shawn, who is a master sergeant, has been a reservist almost twenty
years now and had been deployed with his group to Kuwait for six months.  I
hadn't seen him in nearly a year, though, since I went to India in June.

We often miss each other like that.  In fact, Shawn, who was supposed to be best
man at his brother, Alex's wedding, was deployed to Germany one week prior and,
since the whole unit had to fly together, he wasn't allowed to delay for that special
occasion.  That's life, however, in the military - and he has spent a lot of his reserve
life on active duty - not that he's complained.  He likes the Air Force and has
enjoyed his years there, moving up the ladder to his present rank.

This is a photo of all three of my sons taken a year ago the night

Harper Ann was born.  Shawn, who some think resembles George

Clooney, is the shortest of the three.

I didn't get any pictures Tuesday night as they landed about 10:40PM.  Alex picked them
up at the airport while I stayed home to fix one of his favorite cocktails - also, my
favorite from New Orleans nursing school days: the Sazerac.  Before I moved out
of the house we shared when my job ended, it was often enjoyed when we weren't 
planning on driving anywhere.  One Sazerac is best when one doesn't have to 
drive and a good night's sleep is soon to follow!!!

Laura made chocolate chip cookies which were a perfect accompaniment to the
drinks and Shawn presented his niece with her gift from Kuwait:  a stuffed camel!!
Harper Ann woke up when she heard all the commotion.

For those of you who have never had a Sazerac, I am including the recipe I use.
One should really use rye whiskey, NEVER bourbon

I've adapted several recipes to my taste and this is how I make my Sazerac.  I
normally use Old Overholt Rye Whiskey ( 4 yr old ).  Another good rye is 
Rittenhouse.

-1 teaspoon absinthe or more, or Herbsaint (a New Orleans brand of anise liqueur)

  Two good absinthe brands are St George, Kubler from Switzerland and St.

   George from San Francisco.  Avoid absinthe from the Czech Republic.
-1 teaspoon of simple syrup (or 1 sugar cube or 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar) -

  I prefer the simple syrup since it dissolves completely - 1-1/2 parts of sugar to 1

  part of water brought to a boil and cooled - can be stored in the refrigerator for

  future use )
-4 dashes Peychaud's bitters
-1 small dash, a scant drop, of Angostura bitters (extremely optional; some feel it 

 helps open the flavors, but traditionalists may leave it out).
-2 ounces rye whiskey.
-Strip of lemon peel

Fill old fashioned glasses with ice to chill.  Discard ice and swirl absinthe in glass to

coat completely, then discard.  Blend with whiskey, bitters, simple syrup and an ice 
cube and stir.  Twist the lemon peel over the glass so that lemon oil cascades into the 
drink, then rub the peel over the rim.  The twist should NOT be put into the drink or as 
Stanley Clisby Arthur says, "Do not commit the sacrilege of dropping the peel into the 
drink." ( funny, but, most of the time, when I get a Sazerac in a restaurant, the lemon
peel is IN the drink! ).  Remember that the flavor of the absinthe should be there, but in 
the background.  It should not dominate.  If mixing ingredients in a cocktail shaker, stir 
gently but don't shake!!!

We enjoyed a couple of rounds of these and sent Shawn on his way back 

to Travis AFB, with a designated driver.  I had no problem sleeping Tuesday

night and dreamt of long ago student nurse days, Dixieland jazz, raw oysters,

and good times in New Orleans.

The following morning, Harper Ann was up bright and early, enjoying her Kuwaiti

camel from Uncle Shawn.

Good grief, Nana, isn't that enough pictures!!!

Ruby Tuesday Too - Louisiana Crawfish - March 24, 2014

My month long trip to the South in January was a wonderful visit to friends and family.

I was also delighted to feast on some of my favorite foods, from grits to barbecue to 

raw oysters to catfish and, of course, as I had hoped, Louisiana crawfish were in

season when I arrived in New Orleans.

Crawfish prices have certainly gone up!!  Nearly fifty years ago, when I started

nursing school at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, you could buy boiled crawfish,

three pounds for a dollar.  This past weekend, because of recent cold temperatures,

crawfish cost six dollars a pound at the Louisiana Crawfish Festival!

Crawfish, or crayfish, or "mudbugs" as some call them are freshwater crustaceans

that look like small lobsters.  They are found mainly in brooks and streams with

fresh water running through, to meet the huge demand, the main source is through

aquaculture.  Lousiana produces most of the world's crawfish.

With the tail being the only really edible part ( the claws provide barely any meat ),

you have to eat quite a bit to feel full.  Crawfish are GOOD eating, though,

and it is easy to consume several pounds!

In case you've got crawfish handy, here's a recipe from the Food Network,

compliments of Emeril Lagasse.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/crawfish-etouffee-recipe2.html

Crawfish Etouffee

21 Reviews 

Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2001SHOW:  The Essence of Emeril

EPISODE:  CAST IRON

Total Time:  1 hr 50 min    Prep:   30 min     Cook:    1 hr 20 min

Yield:8 servings

Level:Intermediate 

CATEGORIES 

Crawfish Main Dish Southern

Ingredients

6 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

2 cups chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 1/2 cups fish or shrimp stock

1 cup peeled, seeded and diced tomatoes

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Hot pepper sauce

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 pounds crawfish tails, with the fat

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Cooked white rice, for serving

Directions

In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter and whisk in flour to combine well

. 

Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until roux is a peanut butter color.

Add onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme and cook until vegetables are

soft, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add stock, tomatoes, salt, red pepper, hot sauce, and

 Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil.

Skim surface, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring

occasionally.

Add crawfish tails and fat, lemon juice, green onions, and parsley and cook for 15 to 20

 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining butter and stir to combine well. Taste and adjust

 seasoning if necessary. Serve over hot rice

.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/crawfish-etouffee-

recipe2.html?oc=linkback

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crayfish

I am participating in

Ruby Tuesday Too

Add your red photo to 

join in the fun!

Cooking, Baking, Eating - Delights of a Lifetime - February 26, 2014

I have to admit, in recent years, my time in the kitchen has certainly waned.  I have
always loved to cook, though I didn't really begin in earnest until I was out of nursing
school.  Living in New Orleans as a young RN, I delighted in Creole concoctions,
practicing on my classmates and began acquiring what was to become a collection
of nearly five hundred cookbooks from all over the world.  Bananas Foster became
a signature dessert and one most requested by my three sons.  Perhaps this is 
what instilled the desire to become firefighters in Alex and Jeremy though I never
set our homestead ablaze.

Of course, I also enjoyed dining in restaurants as I traveled and added their 
cookbooks to my collection.  Notebooks of recipes clipped from the pages of 
Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Southern Living, Sunset, the Wednesday food newspaper
section, and the treasured recipes of friends were added to my files. 

In my mid-twenties, while living in Tampa, Florida, I took a Wilton cake decorating
course and, weekly, brought home my creations.  That grew a little tiresome when
people started requesting cake "donations" and didn't even provide the ingredients.
I had to learn to say no but learn I did.

For about six months, after moving to the San Francisco area, I even started a
catering business.  Following my back surgery, it just became too much physically.

Once I became a forensic nurse, with call for two different agencies, my time in the
kitchen became less in less.  As one of my colleagues said, "You can make toast
but you can't bake a cake."  Waiting for the dreaded beeper to go off interfered with
a lot of activities.

Once my job ended in budget cuts nearly five years ago, I got rid of nearly all my
cookbooks and other belongs.  Home now from India for a few months and helping
take care of my sweet granddaughter while Laura is going through the fire academy
( she is a paramedic ), I am enjoying cooking dinner many nights.  Most of my 
recipes are in storage but some I find on the computer.

Tonight, for dessert, I'm making a Pillsbury cookoff favorite of my sons, one I've
made for over twenty-five years.  I always loved the bake-off recipes, quick and easy,
from only a few ingredients.  

This for Chocolate Cherry Bars was created by Francis I Jerzak, of Porter, MN
for the Bake-Off® Contest 25, 1974.  

·         prep time 15 min

·         total time 2 hr 0 min

·         ingredients  8

·         servings  48

 

Ingredients

Cake Bars

1     (18.25-oz.) pkg. Pillsbury® Moist Supreme® Devil's Food Cake Mix

1     (21-oz.) can cherry pie filling

1     teaspoon almond extract

3     eggs, beaten

Frosting

1   cup sugar

1/3   cup milk

5      tablespoons margarine or butter

1     (6-oz.) pkg. (1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips

Steps

·         1    Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 15x10x1-inch baking pan or 13x9-inch pan. In large bowl, combine all cake bar ingredients; stir until well blended. Pour into greased and floured pan.

·         2     Bake at 350°F. until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. For 15x10x1-inch pan, bake 20 to 30 minutes; for 13x9-inch pan, bake 25 to 35 minutes.

·         3     In small saucepan, combine sugar, milk and margarine. Bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate chips until smooth. Pour and spread over warm bars. Cool 1 1/4 hours or until completely cooled. Cut into bars.

 

Nutritional information                Serving Size: 1 Bar    Calories  110      Calories from Fat    35

Total Fat      4g       Saturated Fat     1g              Cholesterol      15mg      Sodium     105mg

Total  Carbohydrate    18g      Dietary Fiber    1g         Sugars  14g        Protein    1g

% Daily Value*:

Vitamin A   0%        Vitamin C    0%      Calcium     0%      Iron    4%

Exchanges:

1/2 Starch; 1/2 Fruit; 1 Fat;

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

 http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/chocolate-cherry-bars/15d6f3ce-21b3-43fb-8cb0-

b33fb4177d3e

Thank you, Francis and Pillsbury!!!

Alphabe Thursday - "N" Is For New Orleans - July 21, 2011

Yesterday, I said a sad farewell to Martha Meaux Genin at San Francisco International
Airport as she headed home to New Orleans.  We met in that exciting city in September
of 1962 as we began our nursing studies at Charity Hospital and we have remained
friends for nearly 50 years now.  Our two week visit passed all too quickly, in a flurry of
long hours spent catching up on life, reminiscing on "the old days", dining out all over
San Francisco and nearby cities, and just cherishing our precious time together, knowing
that we might not ever again have the opportunity to spend so many days with each
other.  Somehow, once you reach the second half of your sixties, you really do come
face to face with your mortality. 

The day Meaux arrived, we started our culinary adventures with lunch in Daly City at
a lovely, peaceful spot called the Burma Cafe.  It is decorated with my favorite animal,
elephants, and all their dishes, that I have tried, are delicious.

This was my second visit to Burma Cafe.  We had two of the dishes I'd eaten previously
 - the wonderful lamb curry and their tea leaf salad, a crunchy delight of marinated and
fermented tea leaves, lettuce, tomato, peanuts, fried onion, sesame seeds, fried broad
beans and split pea.  We also had a stir fried prawn dish that was also superb.

The second night of Meaux's stay, I took her to eat at Zingari, a wonderful Italian

restaurant at the Hotel Donatello in San Francisco and, afterwards, we got to see my

favorite piano player, Shota Osabe, and vocalist Anne O'Brien.  Both had been informed

ahead of time that my friend would be in town so Anne sang one of our nursing school

favorites, "Scotch and Soda" - I can't remember how many of those we drank during our

three years at Charity - and Shota played, "Do You Know What It Means To Miss New

Orleans", as only he can.  It was such a terrific evening!

We went up to West Sacramento for a three day visit with my middle son, Alex, and

his lovely wife, Laura, and, of course, my two granddogs.  The first day, while Alex

had classes, we met Laura's mom, Christine, at a gourmet spot called Pizza Rock, for

dinner.  That was really fun.

This pizza trio we shared was an interesting combo - the first was arugula, tomatoes,

and proscuitto, the second was a scrumptious meatball pizza and the third, a dessert

offering, had apples, brown sugar, goat cheese and a caramel glaze.  We also had a

wonderful vegetarian Neopolitan pizza.  Their menu has all sorts of unusual combos.

Here's my son, Alex, with Taffy.  All he got for dinner was pizza leftovers but the study

paid off -  he got an 87 ( B ) on his linear algebra exam!

Bucky and Taffy HATE being relegated to the rug while we eat!  They try to inch

forward but don't make it far before a stern glance sends them back.  They really are

pretty well trained dogs!

Another night, we went to dinner at Manivanh, my all time favorite restaurant

( Thai ) in San Franicsco.  It's located near San Francisco General Hospital and I don't

exaggerate when I say I've probably eaten there at least 1000 times in the past 15 years. 

The Douangpanya family, originally from Laos, who own Manivanh, are like family to me. 

I've eaten at their home, am often invited to their family gatherings and even have a dish,

"the Carmen's Special" ( I concocted it ) , named after me!

This is me with my "baby" - Jeremy will be 27 in November.  He is a Cal Poly

graduate where he was a decathlete and he constantly is trying to get me to lose a

hundred pounds and to become healthier.

Meaux is the godmother of my oldest son ( 40 ).  She was the maid of honor at my
wedding to his father and practically did all of our wedding arrangements for the event
which took place in New Orleans.  My folks lived in Georgia and Ed and I were living in
the Boston area at the time.  Guess where we honeymooned?  SAN FRANCISCO!  I've
always loved this place!

This is one of my favorites, Manivanh's duck salad and the picture below is the Carmen's Special.

This past Monday, my dear friend, Silvia Solorzano, joined me and Meaux for lunch.  We

went to San Francisco's Richmond District to India Clay Oven for their wonderful buffet. 

I should have taken more pictures there but I was too focused on the good food!

Before we headed home, Silvia took us to the most amazing place in San Francisco's

Mission District, near Mission Mental Health where she used to work.  She'd been

asking me, for years, to go see this Buddhist temple.  I was so totally suprised to see

this serene and lovely place of worship in the city's Hispanic district.  I will do a post

on it another time so I'm only going to show a picture of one of the Buddhas inside. 

The nuns and staff we so wonderful and I left there with such a sense of peace.

To end Meaux's visit, we drove to Palo Alto where she lived as a young RN.  We tried to

find her apartment, without success, but we drove to El Camino Hospital in Mountain

View where she was a pediatric RN.  Afterwards, we went back to Palo Alto for lunch at

Staits Singapore Restaurant, one of my favorite spots.  I had a ginger drop martini ( I've

since perfected their recipe and, on special occasion, make a batch of them ) and we had

a fabulous meal. 

 Entrance to Straits

All Straits restaurants have a Buddha, placed prominently.  I suppose Chris Yeo must be

Buddhist.  He certainly shows his love for the world in the fine dishes he prepares.

Tuesday night, we stayed home and planned our next get together.  Hopefully, there will

be another one.  I am still hoping to make that six month visit to India in mid-October but,

as soon as I can after I return home, I'll head to New Orleans to see Meaux.  We can't let

too much time pass between visits.  Life is too short, especially for those of us over sixty!

I am participating in Jenny Matlock's wonderful Alphabe Thursday ( though Thursday is

drawing to a close ).