Getcha Gras On...again

Last week, I kicked off my annual month of Mardi Gras with a family-friendly punch and a good ole New Orleans Second Line.


This week, let's get some good ole New Orleans food in us.
Yall know one of my favorites out of NOLA is the muffuletta.
Those great muffuletta flavors don't have to be in traditional form. Muffuletta pasta salad, muffuletta burgers, and muffuletta pinwheels also hit the spot.

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Something else that hits the spot, helping ya getcha gras on, is another New Orleans classic: Pete Fountain & his Half-Fast Walking Club.



Pete Fountian and his walking club have been walking the streets of NOLA, heading out early every Mardi Gras morning, for what will be 52 years this year. They play their Dixieland-style music, led by Mr. Fountain on clarinet, throughout their route--which starts at Commander's Palace Restaurant and ends in the French Quarter.


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Thinking about how many miles The Half-Fast walkers have covered is making me hungry. How 'bout some food?


For anything having to do with muffulettas, first you need olive salad. It can be purchased (cajungrocer.com is a good source if you aren't local), but you know me. I like to make things with my own little hands.

Tortillas would be another option, but I wanted to treat yall to something fancy. Anyone object to puff pastry? You're worth, it, ya know.

Follow the thawing and prep instructions on the puff pastry package. Then scatter a generous layer of olive salad over the pastry. Layer on deli ham, salami, and provolone. Roll up as tightly as you can. Slice into 12 portions and bake.


Muffuletta Pinwheels, pictured with Corn Maque Choux Dip & crackers,
...perfect for any Mardi Gras party.

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Mufuletta Pinwheels

For the olive salad:
1/2 c chopped green olives
1/4 c chopped giardiniera
1/2-1 Tbsp capers
1/2 tsp dried oregano
splash of olive oil


For the pinwheels:
1/2 package puff pastry (1 sheet)
4-6 thin slices deli ham
8-9 slices salami
4-6 slices provolone cheese


Combine the ingredients for the olive salad. If you can make this the day before, even better.


Thaw and prepare the puff pastry according to package directions.
Preheat oven to 375.


Scatter the olive salad evenly on the surface of the pastry, leaving a border of about 1/2".


Layer on the ham, salami, and provolone. Roll jelly-roll style, as tightly as you can. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes to make cutting easier.


Slice the roll into 12 portions. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, until pastry is golden. Note: I used a silpat on my baking sheet.


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Looking for See Ya In the Gumbo? Link up here!
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linking with:

See Ya In the Gumbo! # 16 (Potluck)

See ya in the gumbo!

My great grandpa said this instead of "good-bye."  It means see ya out there in the mix.

Gumbo is a mix of various ingredients.  And no two people make it the same way.

To "make a gumbo" means much more than cooking.  When someone says "I'm making a gumbo," it means family and friends are invited.

I invite you to join this POTLUCK PARTY every Sunday night.
Bring whatever mix of ingredients you'd like.

~~Thank you to everyone who linked up last week!~~

All featured entries will be Pinned here.

Last week's top-viewed links were:

Spiced Oatmeal Cupcakes w/ Caramel Buttercream
from The Kitchen Cookie.
Doesn't the title lure you in?

Spinach Salad w/ Fresh Berries
from The Blest Nest.
This colorful salad has my name on it.

The Bon Ton's Bread Pudding
from The Mouth of the South.
What could be better after a big, hot bowl of gumbo?

       

<a href="http://msenplace.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src=" http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v473/mm73/potluck%20badge/gumbobadge.jpg " border="0" alt=" Ms. enPlace "></a>

* Please link your post, not your homepage.
* In your post, please link back to my site or add a button.
* Try to visit 2 or more participants
* Food-related posts only, please.

Thanks for coming!  Hope to see you back next week.

1. Creamy Chive Rolls	2. Creamy Potato Soup w/Ham	3. Mini Lemon Blueberry Muffins
4. Nigella's Mac & Cheese	5. Spicy Fried Rice with Cashews	6. Nine Pepper Soup
7. Lamb Burgers, Tzatziki Sauce, & Greek Salad	8. 10 Minute Chocolate Pudding	9. Mardi Gras Shrimp Mold
10. Baked Partridge Fingers	11. Sloppy Joes	12. Valentine Pop Tarts

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IHCC: January Potluck

We're in the final stretch at I Heart Cooking Clubs. Roughy two months left with Tessa Kiros.


I've enjoyed her food so much that I decided to go big for Potluck Week. Pulled out one I've been dying to try, but haven't found the time.


Because I decided my time cooking from Tessa Kiros' Food From Many Greek Kitchens wouldn't be complete without a huge Greek feast.


And feasts take time to prepare, my friends.


Time as in all day.
Time as in this is the only meal I'm cooking today.


But everyone enjoyed this pigged out (let's just be honest here) so much that they didn't notice supper was never made.

Kebabs from Tessa Kiros

Our feast consisted of Cucumber Meze and Lemon Roast Potatoes--both will be featured at later dates.


And continued with filling Tessa Kiros's pita bread (which we're in love with) with homemade hummus, Tessa Kiros's Kebabs (which may be our favorite so far), tomato, and a lovely fresh salad of red onion and parsley.

This entire meal was truly a winner. Lots of lemon from the cucumbers, potatoes, and kebabs, lots of garlic from the hummus. Lots of just plain good.


Happy plates for all.

Still hungry?  There's a potluck going on...


Also linking with Cookbook Sundays


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Kebab
adapted from Tessa Kiros's Food From Many Greek Kitchens
1 pound ground pork
1/2 lb ground beef
1 small red onion, grated
2 TBSP chopped parsley
1/2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
a sprinkle of ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1/2 lemon

for serving:
pita bread
1 small red onion, sliced in rings
handful chopped parsley
paprika
crumbled feta
chopped tomato
hummus
Mix the ingredients--ground pork through lemon juice--in a large bowl. Divide into 8 portions. Shape each portion into a tightly packed sausage about 6" long. (If using skewers, tightly pack the meat mixture around 8 metal skewers.) Place in the fridge to firm up while you prepare a grill for high heat.

Combine the onion rings and parsley. Place on a small platter and dust lightly with paprika. Prepare the rest of the ingredients for serving, having them ready for when the meat is done.

Grill the meat until crusty and slightly charred on the outside, but moist on the inside and cooked to desired doneness.

Serve in pitas with onion-parsley salad, chopped tomato, hummus, and a shake or two of paprika.

Getcha Gras On

Are you counting the days? I am.
27 days until Mardi Gras.


As a child, I thought the time between New Year's Day and Mardi Gras took forever. Now it seems that Mardi Gras gets a move on right quick.


But back then King Cake wasn't available until January 6th (Twelfth Night). Now it's year round. The parade schedules also seem to start earlier and earlier.


So how 'bout we kick it off nice and easy.
With a party punch that's good for adults and kids alike.
Gerry's Favorite Punch comes from The Husband's aunt and has been made for family gatherings since he was a child.

It's sweet. Yet tart. Refreshing. Yet leaves you thirsty for more.
It's a mystery.
Kinda like who's behind these masks.

Let's also do things nice and slow with a traditional New Orleans second line.



A second line is a jazz parade, most often a street parade, led by a jazz band. Participants fall in line behind the band, and the procession winds its way around the streets of New Orleans--or through the VFW hall in the case of weddings. Second line members follow the band, dancing and waving decorated umbrellas or handkerchiefs to the beat of the music.


According to Richard Brent Turner, in his book Jazz Religion: the Second Line and Black New Orleans,


"For some a second line is 'nothin' but a party goin' on;' for others, however, it is a profound expression of New Orleanians' African Diaspora past, an experience of communal meditation or even trance that recreated the historic nineteenth-century performances in Congo Square*, where Black New Orleanians had reinterpreted the sacred music and dances of Vodou in weekly public African festivals every Sunday until the Civil War."


Turner, Richard Brent. Jazz Religion: the Second Line and Black New Orleans. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2009.


*Congo Square, in Louis Armstrong Park just outside the French Quarter, was a meeting place for slaves. Here they performed traditional and religious ceremonies, music, drumming, and dances.


Today, second lines are part of jazz funeral processions, festivals, Mardi Gras Indian performances, and often spontaneously snake their way through wedding reception halls.


Grab an umbrella. Or a handkerchief. And get your Gras on.


Menu ideas:
Beignets
Calas
Milk Punch
Voodoo Bourbon Slush
Crab Dip
Crawfish Pies
Red Bean Gumbo
Cream Cheese Filled King Cake
Blueberry King Cake


Info on Mardi Gras:
King Cake & Mardi Gras origins
Courir de Mardi Gras (Cajun Mardi Gras)

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Gerry's Favorite Punch
1 quart cranberry juice
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup lime juice
sugar to taste
2 quarts ginger ale


Combine the juices. Sweeten to taste with sugar. Chill for at least an hour. Add the ginger ale just before serving.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Looking for See Ya In the Gumbo? Link up here!


linking with:
<><><>

See Ya In the Gumbo #15 (Potluck)

See ya in the gumbo!

My great grandpa said this instead of "good-bye."  It means see ya out there in the mix.

Gumbo is a mix of various ingredients.  And no two people make it the same way.

To "make a gumbo" means much more than cooking.  When someone says "I'm making a gumbo," it means family and friends are invited.

I invite you to join this POTLUCK PARTY every Sunday night.
Bring whatever mix of ingredients you'd like.

Thank you to everyone who linked up last week!

All featured entries will be Pinned here.
Last week's top-viewed links were:

Creamy Chicken Divan Over Rice @ Drick's Rambling Cafe

Easy Beefy Pasta One Pot @ The 21st Century Housewife

<a href="http://msenplace.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src=" http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v473/mm73/potluck%20badge/gumbobadge.jpg " border="0" alt=" Ms. enPlace "></a>

* Please link your post, not your homepage.
* In your post, please link back to my site or add a button.
* Try to visit 2 or more participants
* Food-related posts only, please.

Thanks for coming!  Hope to see you back next week.

1. Almond Chicken Salad	2. Spiced Oatmeal Cupcakes w/Caramel Buttercream	3. Kasha with Butternut Squash Cubes
4. 4 C cookies chocolate cinnamon coffee ca	5. Spinach Salad w/Fresh Berries	6. The Bon Ton's Bread Pudding
7. Steamed Asparagus with Lemon Yogurt Sauce	8. Losing Creek Farm - Pepsi Pigs Ribs	9. Hearty Veggie & Turkey Sausage Frittata
10. Steamed Cod with Gingered Tomatoes	11. avocado grilled cheese	12. Pork Tenderloin with Roast Vegetable Couscous

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Steel Trap

When it comes to recipes & food ideas, my mind is a steel trap. Capturing. Ensnaring the details. I have a knack for remembering which page in which cookbook our favorite dinners can be found. Or who posted a certain recipe 6 years ago to the cooking forum I belong to.

Storing all this trivia...it's a gift.
(Or not that big of a deal at all. Just let me have my moment, ok?)

And don't go gettin' all jealous.
My steel trap is a selective one. Food trivia only.

How many times have I pitched a big ole hissy because I couldn't find my keys? (Which were in my pocket.)
More times than you need to know. Thankyouverymuch.

How many times have I asked accused, "who moved my shoes" because I couldn't find them? (Which were not on my feet, smarty pants.) Um...lots.

How often do I find myself stuffing my son's underwear into the dish towel drawer when I'm putting away laundry?
Way more than you'd think.

You're laughing, I know. Laughing with me. I know that too.

When I made Fusilli con Cavolfiore (Fusilli w/ Cauliflower) from Tessa Kiros's Twelve, so much food trivia swished around my brain (because not much else lives there).

I immediately thought of roasted cauliflower with 16 cloves of garlic and rosemary, shared by Barbara.

A chili oil recipe from one of our favorite Giada pasta dishes also came to mind.

And since I was skipping the anchovies and tomato paste from the original recipe, I'd better lift this dish up with something.

How about the spicy, lemony crumbs that topped a Spicy Roast Chicken from Food & Wine Magazine, January 2008? So glad I remembered those.

We're simply not going to discuss the fact that I forgot to toss some parsley on top.

Notes:
I enjoyed the dish, made for this week's I Heart Cooking Clubs "White as Snow" theme.


I thought the garlicky roasted cauliflower w/ rosemary, pasta, and lemony crumb topping all played nice together. This is a pasta. And roasted garlic. So The Boy was in heaven. When we sat down to eat, The Husband commented about the dish looking bland since it was so white.

Yeah, yeah. Little Miss remember everything forgot the dang parsley. Why does everyone keep bringing that up? This is White as Snow week. Just sayin'. Anyway, he couldn't get past the pale look of the dish to enjoy it as much as I did.

Also linking with:
Cookbook Sundays


For a version closer to the original recipe, visit Natashya.

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Farfalle w/ Roasted Cauliflower
adapted from Twelve by Tessa Kiros

cauliflower:
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
olive oil
16 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary
salt & pepper

pasta:
1 lb farfalle pasta
about 1/8 cup olive oil
2 good pinches red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
cooking liquid

topping:
handful of Ritz crackers or breadcrumbs
1/2 Tbsp reserved olive oil & red pepper flakes
zest of half a lemon
chopped parsley, unless you forget (like me)

Preheat oven to 425. Toss the cauliflower with enough olive oil to coat in a large baking dish. Sprinkle in the rosemary, garlic cloves, salt, and pepper and toss again. Roast for about 20-25 minutes, turning occasionally.

While the cauliflower roasts, cook the pasta according to the package directions, reserving some of the pasta water.

In a skillet, warm the 1/8 cup of olive oil with the red pepper flakes over low heat. Reserve about 1/2 Tbsp for the topping. When the cauliflower and garlic are done, toss them, along with the olive oil & red pepper flakes and the pasta. If the mixture seems dry, add a small amount of pasta water. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add the reserved oil back to the same skillet you used. Stir in the cracker crumbs to coat. Cook briefly to toast, then add the lemon zest. Sprinkle over individual servings of pasta. Garnish with parsley.