In Good Taste

Fourth of July Recipes

2010-07-10T15:04:00.001-07:00

This is the perfect day of the year to reflect on the state of our country: so start this holiday by remembering the significance of the day, and by delivering the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Most of us learned it in school and other than at the beginning of a ball game, how often do we recite it and think about its meaning?
While standing at attention and facing a U.S.flag, with the right hand over the heart, recite the following words: I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Note: When not in uniform, men should remove any non-religious headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Military in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render a salute.
With those words in our heads and our hearts, it’s time to party! And what is the Fourth of July without a barbecue.
Hot dogs and hamburgers are traditional on this day, but if you want to include something different, make it barbecue brisket. This recipe is made in the oven and leaves your pit free to cook other meats and vegetables.
Cole slaw on the fourth is a given and maybe a great summer tomato salad and the rest of the meal is cooked on the pit. Depending on what other meats you choose, if any, the combination of roasting potatoes and seasoned vegetables go with everything. Get your vegetables at one of the local Farmer’s Market’s and you know you are serving your family the freshest produce available.
Everyone craves watermelon on the fourth, so pick out a ripe one and serve it ice cold.
Barbecue Brisket

4 to 5 pound beef brisket, trimmed
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Combine all ingredients and rub over the surface if the brisket. Wrap tightly in aluminum foil and place in a roasting pan. Refrigerate overnight allowing seasoning to marinate meat. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Poke a couple of holes in the foil. Cook for 4 hours. Remove from foil and let sit for about 10 minutes before carving. Slice thin.
Roasted Potatoes and Vegetables

Cube potatoes as well as summer squash, eggplant, zucchini, sweet onion, tomatoes and mushrooms. Toss potatoes and vegetables in olive oil and season with fresh ground pepper, seasoned salt, and granulated garlic. Sprinkle dried rosemary or your favorite herb mixture over all and toss well to coat every piece. Pour into a perforated wok and place on the grill. It is smart to hold back the tomatoes and mushrooms till the last ten minutes of grilling, as they do not need as much time to cook. Grill woks and grids are available at Sur la Table and Cook’s Warehouse.

Fourth of July Desserts

2010-07-10T15:02:00.000-07:00

Desserts should be colorful on the 4th of July and guess what those colors should be? You guessed it, red, white and blue… It is very simple to achieve that goal and the following are two delicious recipes that everyone will love. The first dessert is an ice-cream cookie sandwich. This one is for the kids and the next is a delicious cheese cake with a nutty graham cracker crust and topped with strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.
Chocolate Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich

1 pint vanilla ice cream
1 pint strawberry ice cream
1 pint blueberry ice cream
1 box chocolate wafer cookies

The first tip for assembling the ice cream sandwich is to do it quickly. It can be made in stages over a few days, but each time it is out of the freezer, work quickly to avoid melting, and re-cover it tightly with plastic wrap before refreezing. Chocolate wafer cookies are perfect in size and shape for holding the confection together.
Start by softening the pint of strawberry ice cream. Depending on how thick you want the sandwich to be, determines how many tablespoons of ice cream to pile on the cookie: to repeat… work quickly. For a more stable sandwich, top the ice cream with another chocolate wafer. Roll the sides of each layer as you make them in red, white or blue non -perils, stars or jimmies. You can purchase these edible candies at Cake Art in Atlanta. Wrap in plastic and put in the freezer to harden. The next day or when the ice cream has hardened, repeat the process with the vanilla and then blueberry ice creams.

Fourth of July Cheesecake
Cut and place parchment paper in the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Easy to find the parchment paper at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Prepare the crust:

1 ½ C graham cracker crumbs
2 T sugar
¼ C finely chopped pecans
2 T flour
4 T melted butter
Combine all ingredients and press crumbs into the bottom of the springform, edging the crust up the sides of the pan. Use the heel of your hand.

Filling

32 ozs. of cream cheese softened
1 ½ C sugar
4 large eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
1 C sour cream ( 8 oz. container)
Beat the softened cream cheese on medium high for 2 minutes. Add sugar and beat for 4 additional minutes, continually scraping down the sides of the bowl. Incorporate eggs one at a time. Next add vanilla and sour cream. Mixture should be smooth with no lumps.
Pour into spring form ,place in a baking tray with side, in case springform leaks and bake for 60 minutes until the middle ripples slightly. Remove from oven and let cake cool. Refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours.

Fruit Topping

1 container raspberries
1 basket strawberries hulled
1 container blueberries
2 t blueberry or raspberry preserves
Remove cake from refrigerator and spread 2 t preserves over top of cake. Do not remove spring form ring. Make your own design with blueberries and strawberries. Idea # 1: Place strawberries to make a five point star and fill middle with either blueberries or strawberries. Idea #2: Create a flag using blueberries as stars and rows of halved strawberries as stripes. Idea #3: Get creative!

Cold Summer Soups

2010-07-10T14:59:00.000-07:00

You come home from a work feeling hot and sticky from the humidity and heat of the day and all you can think about is stepping in the shower, putting on some comfortable clothes and having a light cold dinner. What about a delicious cold soup. These recipes are quick and easy and fill the bill.
Visit one of the exciting Farmers Markets in your area of the city to get the freshest vegtables and fruits for these and all your recipes.
Tomato and Avocado Soup

1 lb. (about 4 tomatoes) tomatoes, chopped
¼ cup red onion, chopped
¼ cup seedless cucumber, chopped
¼ cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 T red wine vinegar
1 C water
¾ t salt
½ t cumin
1/8 t cayenne pepper
2 avocados, diced (about 2 cups)
Combine all ingredients except avocado in a large bowl. Mash lightly with a potato masher, stir in 1 cup water, cover, and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 6. Stir in the avocado and serve immediately.

Cantaloupe Soup

1 lg., ripe cantaloupe
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. lime juice
Fresh mint sprigs
2 c. orange juice
Remove seeds from melon and cube the pulp. Place pulp and cinnamon in the electric blender and puree. Combine orange and lime juices and stir into the puree. Chill and serve in chilled soup bowls or ½ of an avocado. Garnish with mint sprigs.

Fish in Papillote

2010-07-10T14:55:00.000-07:00

If you have never cooked a piece of fish in paper, parchment or fata, or a brown bag or even in foil, then you are in for a treat as well as a new taste. This method is easy and its presentation unique.

En papillote is a method of cooking in which the food is put into a folded pouch or parcel and then baked or steamed. A parcel is typically made from folded parchment paper or fata paper, but other material such as a paper bag or aluminum foil can be used. The parcel holds in moisture to steam the food. Fata paper is a clear looking cellophane paper that can hold up to 400 degrees of heat.

The following is an additional delicious recipe for fish en papillote. Both recipes are similar and you can see that whatever combination of seafood you use is acceptable. Be creative and try different combos.

One 4-ounce fresh red snapper filet, speckled trout, flounder or salmon
2 shrimp (21–25 count)(this is a medium size shrimp)
2 ounces jumbo lump crab meat
1 tomato slice
large pat of butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 fresh chives
12 leaves of basil

Use a piece of Fata paper 20 X 20 inches, brush with olive oil, and place in a small soup bowl to create a cup. Place a slice of tomato in the bottom of the paper cup. Top it with a small filet of fresh redfish (fold if necessary), the shrimp, and crabmeat. Add the salt, pepper, and a few fresh chives and chervil leaves. Gather up the edges, twist, and secure them with a twist tie or a piece of string. Bake the paper pouch in a pre-heated 400ºF oven for about 15 minutes or until it’s hot all the way through. Remove the seafood package from the oven and serve it on a very hot plate. This will help the steam stay in the package on the way to the table. Grab a pair of scissors and cut the top off the paper, fold back, and enjoy.
You may also cook this dish in parchment paper sealing it with tight folds. If you choose Parchment paper cut the parchment into a large heart.
Fold the parchment in half over the fish. Beginning at the seam, make a small fold and press the crease. Make the next fold by folding the previous fold in half. Continue along the edges creating a continuing seam. When you get to the end, fold the last piece under the fish. Turn the fish over so the presentation side is facing up. Bake in a preheated over at 400 degrees for fifteen minutes. The parchment pouch should be puffed up and not leaking and beginning to brown slightly. Serve immediately.
Start the meal with a cold soup. A cold tomato and avocado, soup which is always easy and quick to make is a great starter.. The fish is the star and sides are stringbean and artichoke cassarole plus spears of potatoes roasted in the oven with rosemary and olive oil. Your guests go home with smiles on their faces.

Where you can find me

2010-07-10T08:38:00.000-07:00

I am currently writing in a few places and plan on posting those articles on this blog. If you miss me in one place, you can find me in another. My current URL's are:
Examiner.com
http://www.examiner.com/x-27290-Buckhead-Cooking-Examiner

Examiner.com
http://www.examiner.com/x-47779-Sandy-Springs-Examiner

Examiner.com
http://www.examiner.com/x-55008-Seafood-Industry-Examiner

AssociatedContent.com
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/772052/lynda_mahana.html

HBO Series TREME-Another Review

2010-04-28T04:32:00.000-07:00

Last night I watched the third episode of the new HBO series Treme. My original objections were premature, I admit. Sadly, I must stay with my original negative feelings about the show but now for totally different reasons. If you have never lived in New Orleans and if you don’t know the culture of the city, you are missing the meaning of half the dialogue and to know and understand it, is what makes this series exciting.

The music is killer and when I heard A Certain Girl by Ernie K-doe, a song I grew up with, I got excited. To see Dr. John perform was great and even to watch the Mardi Gras Indians due their rap was interesting. If a producer of the show happens to read this, please let us hear some Benny Spellman, Clarence “Frogman” Henry, The Meters, “Who Shot the La La “ Morgan, some Irma Thomas and oh yes, much more Ernie K-doe!

The thing is…you have or had to have lived there. The New Orleans culture is so different than any place else: not to mention, and very important… the innuendo is being lost on anyone not from there, as well as the reference to songs, musicians, politicians, visuals. You must be aware of these things to fully understand what these people are going through and why this disaster has affected them in the manner in which they act and think. By the way, I did not miss the class distinction in the diatribe between Davis and his neighbors.

Excluding those who have an association with the city, in my opinion the storyline does not have enough action to keep a general viewer tuned in week after week. And with the addition of not having a clue what the characters are referring, to, TREME doesn’t have a shot.

I realize it was renewed for a second season after only one episode, which is unheard of. The numbers it pulled were huge after its first showing. I figure it was because every person who either lives there or who has had any association with the city, ever, is watching it….me included!

I have been wrong before. Maybe the music will be enough. Time will tell………

HBO Series TREME-Follow up Review

2010-04-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago I wrote a passionate but negative review of the new HBO series TREME. Since that time the feedback I have received did not agree at all with my opinions of the show. In fact I was referred to as an elitist, unfair and narrow minded. No matter how I have tried to justify my thinking, my detractors have been very vocal. In fact my own children, all now adults, all born in New Orleans made our weekly Friday night dinner quite lively, expounding their views on the show and telling me I was way off base!
Comments from readers stated everything from: I may have employed blacks, but certainly never lived among them, so how could I possibly understand their dialogue….to the Mardi Gras Indians are part of the fabric of New Orleans. I say go back and reread my review. At no time did I say anything condescending about the Indians or for that matter anything about the blacks, other than I did not understand the dialogue of the show during the first five minutes..
I was told to get off my high horse! The basic premise of my review was that the show was narrow in scope and that it did not portray other segments of the population that experienced the catastrophe of Katrina in many of the same ways. I think one of my comments sums it up, and I quote, “I think if there is anything to be agreed upon, it’s that the show affects people on a personal level, especially if they know New Orleans on a personal level.”
I cry “UNCLE!” I will give it another look see. After all, as I have been told numerous times, it was only the first. I can only hope the show producers portray the others I speak about at some point, so that its viewers can get a broader accounting of what the inhabitants of this great city went through and for some, are still.

New HBO Series-TREME--Very Dissapointing!

2010-04-12T09:31:00.000-07:00

As a former New Orleanian, I really was anxious to watch it and looked forward to viewing with much anticipation. Unfortunately, unless the coming episodes change dramatically, I will not be watching it too many more times.
I understand the premise. I also understand that the main purpose of a TV show is to entertain and the focus of TREME is to show how the catastrophe of Katrina changed peoples’ lives showcasing a cross section of the population. In my opinion, the focus is way too narrow and in some cases focuses on some, way too much.
During the first five minutes of the episode, which normally would attract the viewers attention, to continue watching…..I couldn’t even understand what the actors were saying.
Although, a large majority of those affected during Katrina were black, it seems you are discounting the fact that there are thousands that lost everything in every racial and socio economic group across the board. Additionally, if I am not wrong, to me you are trying to portray only your definition of the middle classes through the entire theme. The character who ran a bar and is trying to resurrect his Mardi Gras Indian group, to give and take him back to some semblance of a normal life: the John Goodman character who really tells it like it is with no pretentiousness, , as they say in New Orleans” is where it’s at!” But the black musician, who may be a fine actor, is a boring and a useless character to the theme. How does a character like the disc jockey, which is a dope smoking, thief degenerate, garner such a prominent role?
Spike Lee only showed the degenerate of the New Orleans population. The New Orleans population is much more then you deem the middle class to be. What about the lawyer friend of mine in his forties who shot himself in his devastated home because after Katrina he had no more clients? How did his wife and children cope? Lots of stories like that. What about the men and women who started groups like the Horizon Initiative to work with big business and city officials to help build the city? What about the fact that that alcohol sales went through the roof for years after, cause so many couldn’t deal at all with losing everything.
A friend lived on one of the two million dollar streets in the city lost her house. How did people like these cope? Don’t you think those people should be represented in your story as well?
TREME is only one small area of the city. What a disservice you are doing to the city but most of all to your viewers to lead them to believe that what you are putting out there is what it is all about…is where it’s at……because it isn’t!

New Orleans Saints Fans

2010-01-23T08:01:00.000-08:00

Today I received a great email from a very close friend in New Orleans. I am positive she would not mind if I shared her words with you. Just as it is so very hard to describe the culture of New Orleans to someone, it is just as hard to explain a New Orleans Saints fan. Her email is pretty right on!
Hi Lynda,
Tommy checks Facebook and showed me your menu for the game tomorrow. You and your guests will feast.

I have not heard one negative thing about this glorious ride that the Saints’ success has given New Orleans and all of the Saints fans. The games are so much fun and you hug and kiss all the people you sit with. You do high fives and jump and strut and yell. I don’t know how any people will be at work Monday.

One of my coworkers lives on Minnesota Ave in Kenner. A news team was knocking on doors to see if there were any Minnesota fans living on Minnesota Ave. Her neighbor said that could not find any.

It’s a great time! I think about my daddy and yours. I’m sure the Saints fans are marching in heaven!

Go Saints!

Love,
Joe Ann

Wednesdays with Mahjong

2010-01-22T12:07:00.000-08:00

I look forward to Wednesdays. I go to one of four of my friends houses each Wednesday and I am assured of fun and laughter… friendship…and very good food!
I first began playing Mahjong in my twenties. The girls I played with were some of my closest friends and with their husbands and mine, often socialized on the weekends.
I have started playing again forty years later and I am enjoying it immensely. We start at eleven and end at three. We stop for lunch and all the girls are very good cooks. I would recommend this game to you no matter what your age and for those who live close, I would love to teach you how to play. I think you would love it.
Mahjong is a game for four players that originated in China. As explained by Wikipedia, the game was imported to the U.S.in the 1920s. The first mahjong sets sold in the U.S. were sold by Abercrombie & Fitch starting in 1920. It became a success in New York, and the owner of the company, Ezra Fitch, sent emissaries to Chinese villages to buy every set of mahjong they could find. Abercrombie & Fitch sold a total of 12,000 sets.
Also in 1920, Joseph Babcock published his book Rules of Mah-Jongg, also known as the "red book". This was the earliest version of mahjong known in America. Babcock had learned mahjong while living in China. Babcock's rules simplified the game to make it easier for Americans to take up, and his version was common through the mahjong fad of the 1920s. Later, when the 1920s fad died out, many of Babcock's simplifications were abandoned.
While mahjong was accepted by U.S. players of all ethnic backgrounds during the Babcock era, many consider the modern American version a Jewish game, as many American mahjong players are of Jewish descent. The National Mahjong League was founded by Jewish players and is considered a Jewish organization. In addition, players usually use the American game as a family-friendly social activity, not as gambling.
In recent years, a second organization has formed, the American Mah Jongg Association. The AMJA currently hosts tournaments all across North America, with their signature event being at the Trump Casino Resort in Atlantic City.

Who Dat?

2009-12-07T10:30:00.000-08:00

Who dat says they gunna beat them Saints? Nobody, absolutely nobody!
Saints fans, of which I am one, have been waiting since 1967, the year New Orleans was awarded the Saints franchise, to go to the Super Bowl. For forty two years fans have been as loyal as possible to a team that continually disappointed. But hopefully, that thought is in the past and they are positioned to now be a contender.
Yesterday was a very fun day! My husband and I spent the day with our family at a sports bar, drinking beer and eating wings and watching the Saints beat the Washington Redskins to add one more victory to their 12 and 0 record.
I have friends who have already booked their airline tickets to go and watch the Saints in the Super Bowl. If it is going to happen, it looks like this is their year to shine.
Yesterday I reminisced about the first few years of the franchise. My father had box seats on the 45 yard line, two boxes away from Al Hirt’s box. He was on the 50 yard line and with his band entertained the crowd every week. New Orleans is “the party town” and a Saints game was the biggest party of the week. Eighty thousand people filled Tulane stadium where the first year’s games were played. The Superdome was not built until 1975.
I remember one Sunday when two brothers got into a fist fight in the box across from us. I knew those people very well and they were scratching each other’s eyes out, enough to draw blood. The game was stopped and all eyes in the stadium were on that box. It was totally wild!
Even if you are not a Saints fan or even a football fan, please say a little prayer for a team that has been a big part of the New Orleans culture for a long time. They need the win!
Geaux Saints!

Pandora's Box

2009-11-29T08:42:00.000-08:00

I have looked into Pandora’s Box and found a place of immense pleasure….Pandora.com! You type in the artist or song you want to listen to and voilla, there it is. Streaming through my computer, I am enjoying a world I like to live in. A world where everything is possible! My mind can drift to all its hidden recesses, from the past to the future, to the pleasures that the grind of everyday do not allow. For those who know me, music, is where it’s at! Music is my catatylist for dance.
I can get up and dance… by myself and I am happy as a lark! I liken the pleasure to that I arrive from looking into my children’s faces or that intimate moment with my husband. Music and dance is that physical, spiritual and emotional extra in our lives that I personally can’t get enough of.

Sixties versus Sixty!

2009-11-16T07:17:00.000-08:00

Who would have thunk! Me in my sixties….why do people consider this decade as old age? Am I really considered old? I know the world classifies me that way. I signed up to participate in surveys and focus groups on line. I have only been offered one focus group that even cares what “my age thinks” and after filling out the questionnaire to see if I even qualify to participate in the survey, I was told no; thank you anyway. The world must really not care what I think at all.

In the 1960’s, I was in high school and college; in fact, it was in the sixties that I married. I basically lived life the same as I do now. I am busy helping plan a forty-five year reunion for my high school class. I think I will pose the question to them, “Do you basically live your life the way you always have?”

I don’t think of myself as old. I am reconnecting with friends back when I was a teenager. They are all happy and vibrant adults. They still do the things we did when we were younger… dance, go to ball games, have an occasional cocktail, go out to eat and generally live their life and have a good time just like always. The day I brought home a sports car to drive, my children commented that maybe I was too old to be driving such a fast and snazzy car! My answer was, “you are only as old as you feel” I enjoy driving that car now, just as much as I would have if I were in my twenties. In fact, I have wanted that car since my twenties! The perception that the world has that an older person shouldn’t enjoy certain parts of life anymore is screwy!

OK, the only thing that is objectionable to me is that the body does not look like it used to. When I look in the mirror, my face shows a tiredness it never used to have and lines that don’t go away. Only recently did I notice circles under my eyes every day, instead of occasionally. I look at an old picture of me that shows a perfect figure and a flawless face. I realize, I didn’t feel any different then, than I do now…I just look different! I know what my limitations are now. I can’t wear a lot of the clothes, I used to wear….inappropriate for my age. I get it! I understand! I can’t run as fast as I used too, but so what! Do you get my drift?

The grocery store, the movie theatre and the cruise lines have been giving me discounts for seven years already and all because I reached that magical golden senior stage. Of course, I realize it is a marketing tool, but somehow I think it cast a negative spin on the age group. OK, we don’t have babies anymore, so don’t send us coupons for baby food, but seriously….we live everyday just like every age….we look forward to things, we dream, we live……one day at a time!

2009-10-16T13:42:00.000-07:00

My Mother

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!

My Mother was a star and it wasn’t till she died that I realized it. Her life was her children. She wanted everything for us.
When I was Homecoming Queen she not only had my suit made, but we were off to Meyer the Hatter to get my hat covered in the same material as the suit and she even talked them into covering the shoes as well. Unheard of!
We picked a beautiful couture gown off the pages of Vogue and she had it made for my high school graduation. The top was polished cotton with delicate baby crystals and the skirt was a balloon of bellowing quilted cotton with satin bows with crystals at the apex of the bows. It was amazing.
When I was a freshman at LSU, I was invited to the Kappa Alpha Ole South Ball. Otis Redding was the entertainment that night. Are you listening, I said “Otis Redding”
What to wear! Plantation dresses of that time period were pretty pastels with big hoop skirts and most of the girls who had been invited, rented their dresses. Not I… my Mother had a dress made for me. It was very special. She hated Jerry my date, but if I was going, I had to look special! She thought we were getting too close and I was not allowed to go back to LSU for my sophomore year. Those were the days we listened to our parents. What happened to those days? He was so cute with his blond hair and rosiolla of the cheeks! I heard years later that he had become a multi millionaire. He was so cute!
My Mother entertained beautifully with the finest linens and silverware. Whenever I am complimented on a dinner or function I have executed, I always give credit to my Mother. She taught me everything I know. I often hope my girls will pick up on some of my teachings. Maybe through osmosis!

This is a perfect place to tell the story I wrote for “The Jewish Women’s Archives” about my Mother and the miraculous story of her escape from New Orleans during Katrina.

It was the Wednesday after Katrina hit and the levees had destroyed the city. The TV had shown pictures of Memorial Hospital. The commentator had said that the hospital had been evacuated and that the hospital was empty. My mother had needed a procedure done and she had been admitted to the hospital on the preceding Saturday. When the word came on Sunday that the city must evacuate, my mothers’ doctor, had told the family she would be more comfortable and safer at the hospital versus taking a long road trip.

Our family was dispersed all over the south and the children of, Margaret Buring were calling each other frantically asking, “Have you heard from her?” The four of us waited and waited; but, by Wednesday afternoon, we started to really worry. Where was our Mother? Surely if the hospital had been evacuated, she would have reached at least one of us.

We called every hospital we could find from Texas to Florida and heard the same refrain, ‘we are supposed to get evacuees, but so far none have come in!” My brother-in-law even got Michael Brown (the head of FEMA) on the phone and he couldn’t help. Panic started to set in.

All day Thursday we heard nothing… and then, at six that evening, the phone rang. I ran to get it and the gentleman at the other end said “This is Delta airlines calling. I said, Yes sir, what can I do for you?” After what seemed like the longest pause and in a voice that was filled with pride, he says, “We Have Your Mother!” I screamed, rushed to the car and called my siblings.

I spied her sitting on a bench. My first thought was that she looked like a Holocaust survivor. My mother was a woman who prided herself on always looking immaculate and here sat our Mother with disheveled hair wearing nothing but shorty pajamas, socks that Delta Airlines had given her and the look of an eighty plus year old woman that said “I am a survivor! I jumped out of the car to hug her and she whispered in my ear, “you have a very smart mother!’

And smart she was as she told us the grueling story of her survival. She had been in the hospital for five days with temperatures reaching 106 degrees and no food, other then water. How all the patients had been moved to higher floors using the stairwell to avoid rising waters. She said that she slept in the hallways with people screaming all around her. She spoke of the amazing doctors and nurses and volunteers who had stayed behind to take care of the infirmed.

Finally on Thursday morning she was told that boats had finally come to the hospital to evacuate the patients. She gathered the only belongings she could carry and put them in a small plastic bag. They consisted of her wallet, her eyeglasses and her medicine. She had on shorty pajamas, a matching robe and a pair of slippers. Besides her plastic bag she had her walker. As the line moved forward to get on the boat, the security guard told the patients, “You are not allowed to take anything on the boat except yourselves. Every person dropped their little plastic bags. Now she had nothing, but herself and her wits. She did keep her walker.
The doors opened and she stepped into the dirty water almost to her waist. She was lifted on to the boat. As it moved down what used to be a double lane street with a pretty median with trees and flowers down the middle, she thought now I am safe. No sooner had this thought crossed her mind, when the person driving the boat said that she would have to get off. The water at that point was not high enough to sustain the weight of the boat and its passengers. She walked to higher ground though the murky waters for three long blocks. She thought to herself, I am not going to die here. I want to see my children again. She lost her house shoes and discarded her robe as it was sopping wet and grimy.

She found an ambulance and was driven to the airport. She was told that the Air Force was sending planes for all evacuees. A lady lent her some coins to use the phone to call us, but nothing worked. She walked over to the information desk and asked when would the planes be coming? The woman had no idea, but told her that the president of Delta Airlines had flown in a group of Delta employee volunteers from Atlanta that day and that his plane was leaving in ten minutes and taking back evacuees. My Mother walked as quickly as she could to the gate and saw that the line to get on the plane was far out the door. She spied a man in a wheelchair at the back of the line and approached him. “Sir, I know you want to get on this plane, she said, “Stick with me!” She escorted him to the front of the line and entered the area for handicapped patients. Needless to say, our mother got on that plane!

I was fortunate enough to spend the last year of my Mothers life together with her in Atlanta. Last weekend my family was here to celebrate the marriage of my oldest son. It was also the anniversary of of the date my Mother passed away one year ago. To honor her we all went to services on Saturday morning. As I waited at the synagogue for the services to begin I was telling a total stranger about my mothers Katrina story and he summed it up beautifully.; no matter what trials G-d puts before us the human spirit will prevail.

G-d rests her soul. We miss her terribly…..

2009-08-19T14:55:00.000-07:00

Jerry Springer

It has been so much fun telling my Jerry Springer story. Yes, I am talking about the man who has become an American icon as the host of the pop culture “Jerry Springer Show", and as of yesterday has made his Broadway debut as the lead in the long running play "Chicago".

It all started a few years back from an interview with Jerry Springer that was in the New Orleans newspaper, The Times Picayune. My husband and I have lived in Atlanta for the past twenty years: about ten years ago, my sister Sandra called me from New Orleans, my hometown to say that my name, my maiden name, was in the Times Picayune that day. The article was on Jerry Springer who was in New Orleans being interviewed about his college days at Tulane. Among the questions asked him were, “Do you remember any girls you dated during your days at Tulane?” Lo and behold, he named two girls and one of them was me!

Currently, he was the emcee of “America’s Got Talent” and he and the judges of the show were coming to Atlanta to audition talent for the next season. When I heard he was coming, I decided to email him thru the “fan” email address for the Jerry Springer Show, knowing full well this was a shot in the dark. I wrote that if he had remembered my name after forty years that possibly he might like to join my husband and I for dinner during his visit to Atlanta.

He actually called! My husband Steve and I took him to the restaurant, Hal’s on Old Ivy. Hal, not only is a New Orleans native but, is my ex husband. We all are friends and I knew Jerry would be comfortable there. (This night could have been a real “Jerry Springer Show”!) Of course it wasn’t: it was great fun and Hal graciously picked up the bill.

Jerry told me he had had a crush on me, but never really asked me out….but always remembered my name.

I must say our dinner together was very special. He was amazingly kind and charming and totally a down to earth real human being. Well.... he is coming back in a couple of weeks. "Chicago" will be playing in Atlanta and he called and we will get together. Gosh where will I take him this time?

2009-08-05T08:55:00.000-07:00

Crawfish

I have been called on the rug! I actually got phone calls reprimanding me for spelling the word crawfish...crayfish! I was told being from the South, the only way to spell this crustacean is "crawfish". They were actually embarrassed for me. I have now done some research and found that anything goes.
The name "crayfish" comes from the Old French word escrevisse (Modern French écrevisse) from Old Frankish *krebitja (cf. crab), from the same root as crawl. The word has been modified to "crayfish" by association with "fish" (folk etymology). The largely American variant "crawfish" is similarly derived.
Some kinds of crayfish are known locally as lobsters, crawdads, mudbugs and yabbies. In the Eastern United States, "crayfish" is more common in the north, while "crawdad" is heard more in central and western regions, and "crawfish" further south, although there are considerable overlaps.
The only thing I know for sure is that no matter how the word is spelled, they taste great!

2009-08-03T06:59:00.000-07:00

SEAFOOD

Growing up in New Orleans, one of the most fun experiences of my youth was going to the seafood restaurants on Lake Pontchartrain. You walked from the waters edge down a wooden ramp over the water and entered a building held up on pilings. We always requested a table next to the windows so that we could see the water. My father would start our meal and order a dozen and a half hard shell crabs, two dozen boiled shrimp and three dozen crayfish. We ordered Barq's Root Beer or Cream Soda which New Orleanians called "Red Drink" and then we opened and ate all the treasures of the sea in front of us. Our waitress would then scoop up all the debris and take our orders for fried seafood platters. I always ordered the fried shrimp plate which consisted of a dozen shrimp, expertly fried, french fries and two pieces of toast that no one ate. Other times I ordered a fried oyster Po boy . I requested only butter on the french bread; no lettuce and tomato, and tarter sauce, lemon, ketchup, hot sauce and lots of sliced dills on the side. Yummy! My favorite place was called Brunings and when I became eighteen (the legal age to drink then), I ordered the most divine specialty drink they were known for, called a "Dreamsickle". It consisted of nectar liqueur and cream and it was so good! Unfortunately Brunings along with all those wonderful seafood establishments on the water are now gone, swept away during Katrina.

Last weekend we had a seafood boil and all the memories came flooding back. We had crabs and crayfish and although the setting was different, the eating experience was the same. My grandchild laughed and laughed when a couple of the live crayfish climbed out of the box and took a dip in the swimming pool, before being rescued
and sent to their fiery end.

If you have not tried sea bass in a while I recently made a dish at home that my husband thought was delicious. He doesn't often put such a glorious description on my cooking, but we both thought the dish extremely good. To begin,I shaved a few strips of fresh ginger and chopped a little green onion. I wilted fresh spinach by sauteing fresh garlic and olive oil with it. I steamed the sea bass until it was flaky and I made a sauce of soy, dry sherry, sugar and water and warmed it. I cooked some Jasmine rice and then assembled the dish. I placed a generous spoon full of the fresh spinach in a wide bowl. I placed a couple of ginger shavings on the spinach and sprinkled the green onion over the top. I then placed the fish over the vegetable and brushed the fish with a mixture of vegetable oil and sesame oil. I put two heaping tablespoons of rice next to the fish and spooned three to four tablespoons of the soy mixture over the entire dish. So good! The dish is a meal all by itself and is very rich: but, if you want a starter, I would suggest either a cold Asian cucumber salad or a mixture of iceberg lettuce, tomato, cucumber and carrot tossed in a good ginger dressing.
I am laboriously , but having fun with it, still working on my cookbook. Additionally, I love writing this blog. I get to remember and share with others my life experiences and if you find something interesting in my diatribes, please use and enjoy.

2009-06-15T07:34:00.000-07:00

Midday Gourmet

I have started the cookbook I always wanted to write. It will not be one of those family recipes copied and bound at Kinko's. Nothing against them, but I want a wider audience and I believe that the end result will be one others will be interested in purchasing.

Over ten years ago I started a small business in the carriage house on our property. I made salads and sandwiches every day and had college kids deliver and sell them to businesses in my area. I called it Midday Gourmet. The sell period was between eleven and two in the afternoon and this business was the springboard for a larger catering venture that I still run on a part time basis. Through the years I have jotted down all the favorite recipes that I have either served and or sold. These recipes along with menus and table scapes using these recipes will be my focus. I visualize it as more of a coffee table book then one that is shelved in the kitchen.

Good food starts with planning. Some people have a knack for putting a pretty table together, others naturally throw a meal together in an hour and it is terrific; still others don't have a clue and have no interest in even trying. This book will cover the planning, implementing and final result of this effort.

Stay tuned...

2009-04-18T07:18:00.000-07:00

Passover 2009

Passover was fun this year! We had thirty at our table and I even did my own flowers. The menu is always the traditional one of brisket and chicken ; but, for the very first time we made our own gefilte fish. I must admit it was a process, but if your son is a fish wholesaler, well why not? Any white fish will do and I used halibut. It was a treat and one hundred percent better then doctored up fish from a jar.

We also made homemade horseradish and it was a real treat. I bought six jars of Gold's red horseradish, but at the last minute, decided to make our own. By the way, Gold's turned out to be be real gold! My husband was at the grocery picking up some last minute items and while standing at the counter where the bottled horseradish is kept, he encountered a man looking for some. Not one bottle was left. My husband casually mentioned we had six bottles at our house that we would not be using and he was welcome to them. He actually followed my husband the five miles to our house and got two jars. I said to my husband latter, "who was that masked man?". He said,"I don't know, I didn't catch his name!" That was random!

I always try to do an interesting dessert for Passover. Store bought cookies for Passover are taboo in my house. One year I did individual meringue shells filled with chocolate mousse and topped with strawberries, kuwi and whipped cream This year I made a blackberry topped cheese cake with a matzo cake meal and almond crust. Pick-up desserts were handmade mandel bread, chocolate and pecan meringues and brownies with pecans and without for one of my daughters-in-law.

Passover is always a wonderful and joyous occassion in our home. Not only do we retell the story of the enslavement of our ancestors and their passage to freedom; but being with family and friends makes for a comforting, peaceful and down right fun time in our lives.

2009-03-21T06:51:00.000-07:00

Girls Night Out

It is not often I go out without my husband, but sometimes to kibbitz with the girls can be fun.
It was a friends birthday and we met at the beautiful home of one of the honorees friends and supped on selections from Whole Foods. Being a cook myself, I have never really been that interested in store bought prepared foods; but I must admit the selection was quite tasty. The ravioli was stuffed with artichokes and a sandwich of fontina cheese and potobella mushrooms on forccacia bread was delish. The buffet also included a chicken kabob and three kinds of sushi. Our host has an extensive wine collection and the red I drank was wonderful. Dessert was a real treat. It was a chocolate ice from a new outlet of Rita's Ices. It tasted just like a chocolate snowball from New Orleans and I was in heaven.
I was invited to join the girls to go out dancing and I was game. It was a place that people over forty congregate, mostly singles; but I didn't care if I danced with the girls, as long as I danced. Dancing is a passion of mine. It allows me to feel good, it releases any stress I may be having and it is just plain fun. I ordered a drink and got on the dance floor with my girlfriends. I had a ball. I drove home with the top down and thought, I need to do that more often.

2009-03-09T10:58:00.000-07:00

Great Weekend 3/09/09

Friday night my family is usually all here.

Except for one daughter, everyone else was out of town. One son and daughter-in-law were gallivanting with the likes of Robert Duval, Bill Murray and Sissy Spacek at a film wrap party, another son marched in a college roomies wedding, another daughter away for a fun weekend in Miami and my grandchild in LA with her Mom!
Not to worry: turned it into a weekend of really good friends.

With everyone feeling the bad economy, friends are who we turn to .Friends are crucial to ones lives and I adore ours.
Friday night we had dinner here with a fav couple! Grilled chicken topped with sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese, my own special Alfredo pasta and string bean -artichoke casserole (tastes similar to a New Orleans style stuffed artichoke).

On Saturday we were invited to the mountains and oh what a showplace. It is called Waterfall at Lake Burton, here in Georgia. I don’t believe I have ever seen views on trips to the mountains quite like these! On our arrival we sat on one of the three levels of screened porches and sipped wine. I promptly fell asleep and our host nudged me as I was on the verge of snoring! I promptly excused myself and I was escorted to my private suite, opened the windows facing the lake and took a long nap before dinner.
Hor dourves of a wonderful spinach dip and hummus with fresh pita were next as we sat in front of a blazing fire. Is this heaven? Dinner was fresh grouper; roasted asparagus and a wonderful potato gratin with onions. We ate in the media room watching a Peter Gabriel concert and then watched “Burn before Reading” which was hysterical!
Dessert-chocolate roulade-decadent On Sunday we ate at a very cute café in downtown Clayton and then drove the one plus hours home with the top down. Got home at 5:15 and not a minute too soon as our next engagement was at six.

Another wonderful house filled with good friends and good food. We ate a wonderful vegetarian dip made with peas and walnuts and camelized onions followed by a buffet of Southern fried chicken, a spicy squash casserole, grilled vegetables and corn muffins. Lemon squares, brownies and blackberries filled in for sweets and we were all extremely satisfied.

Don’t think we could have fit in one more activity or another morsel of food.
Great weekend!

I am invited this week to a girlfriend’s birthday party that includes going out dancing…which I love! Stay tuned…

Market at the W-Atlanta, Georgia

2009-03-06T08:35:00.001-08:00

Hi Friends,
Yesterday I had lunch with friends at the "Market" which is in the new W Hotel on Peachtree. When ever I go to a new place that I think is special, I like to pass on the good word.
Ladies we have now found a new lunch place. It certainly fits most of our criteria: It is in a convenient location, not too expensive, has excellent food and is a very cool place. Valet parking is free when validated after your meal by the restaurant.
We were three in our group and ordered three different entrees. We had a skate fish sitting in a divine broth, a salad with shrimp dressed in champagne vinaigrette, a sirloin hamburger with handmade fries which was excellent and an appetizer which the three of us split. It was a shaved truffle pizza which we thought was outstanding. Each item was large enough to share. We all dug into a mini cheesecake topped with black cherries with a scoop of red wine ice cream. Whoa!
The piece de resistance was chatting with the chef after the meal. One of the girls in my group was totally carried away with his good looks and actually told him how good looking he was. Like he didn’t know!
I love Jolie Kobe, but for a change this is my new favorite place for lunch.
Enjoy…
Lynda
PS My son, Blaiss has been there for dinner and thought it was excellent as well.