Foodie Friday

This week is my older sister.  She has long been the family cook, known for her tasty and comforting meals.  Her specialty is everything as nothing she makes ever turns out weird, bad or anything else negative.  (She has the golden spoon of cooking.)  Thus we all found it ironic when it was I who landed the Italian husband with non-english speaking Italian mother in law who I have learned to cook from....go figure.

Name:            Jeanne 

Affiliation:     Sister

Occupation:      Ex-accountant/counselor/housewife

Location:        Seattle, WA

Birthplace:      Louisiana

1.) What recipe do you consistently make at home?

I have two awesome boys so my go to kid friendly meal would

have to be Bolognese Sauce with rigatoni (their favorite type

of pasta).  I always turn the leftovers into a baked ziti or

lasagna for another family favorite meal later in the week.

This works great for soccer practice nights!

2.) Name three items you have in your refrigerator?

I always have the much needed items like eggs, butter and

various cheeses.  However, it is the three items not in my

refrigerator that define my style of cooking.  I always have

onions, garlic and cayenne pepper in my kitchen.

3.) Tell me about your most memorable meal.

My husband and I went to Italy for our honeymoon and we had a

most romantic lunch sitting in front of Mediterranean.  The

view was beautiful, the local people all around us were so

charming, and the food was incredible. The dish we had was

pasta with scampi in a spicy red sauce.  And, of course, we

shared a wonderful bottle of wine.           

4.) What are your favorite restaurants and what do you order there?

I am really torn between two loves.  I love to eat at Italian

food and Tex Mex restaurants.  If we are looking for a more

formal occasion, my choice would be Italian and I love just

about anything there.  However, for a more relaxed, fun loving

evening there is nothing better than salsa, chips and

margaritas.  I usually order seafood enchiladas or fajitas, it

depends on the particular restaurant.  To be a truly good

Italian restaurant I would say they would have to make fresh

pasta and likewise, for a truly great Tex Mex restaurant, they

must make their own tortillas.  Both of these things make a

huge difference!

5.) What is the most unusual thing you have ever eaten?

If you read this section from two weeks ago, you heard from my

mother about Cowboy stew.  Yes, I used to have to eat that

stuff when I was a child and I have to say that it was never

enjoyable to me. 

6.) Of all the places you have traveled, which has the best food?

Well, I loved the food in Italy so it deserves mentioning, but

I have to say that I really adored the boulangeries and

patisseries in Paris.  I could walk into either one of these

places and find something delicious to eat for breakfast, lunch

or dinner.  They are divine.  French baguette is my all-time

favorite thing to eat.

7.) What is your drink of choice (alcoholic)?

I really enjoy a good margarita, on the rocks with salt.  It

must be made with fresh lime juice.  I also prefer Patron

Silver….

8.) What is your ultimate dessert?

My sister and I grew up around Louisiana women that were

wonderful cooks.  Our mother, my grandmother and our cousin,

Adeline, are just the greatest cooks.  I am always asking for

any recipes that come from Adeline.  She shared with us a

recipe for a homemade cake that is so delicious.  It is her

Pecan Cake.  The cake is a sweet white cake and the filling is

made of ground pecans, sugar, butter and evaporated milk.  The

cream cheese frosting finishes it off perfectly.  This dessert

just speaks to me in a way that the moss does when dangles from

the oak trees in Louisiana.  It is a truly southern delight.

9.) What is a food/dish that reminds you of your childhood?

Any Cajun dish reminds me of my childhood.  In particular,

seafood dishes because members of my family would bring home

freshly caught crawfish, catfish, shrimp, snapper and blue

crab.  My grandmother would cook it up and usually prepare what

came in several different ways to please everyone.  I must

mention that it was always wonderfully seasoned -not over done,

but enjoyably spicy. 

10.) What is your go to meal for a dinner party?

I like to serve a roasted beef tenderloin with a horseradish

sauce and a vegetable gratin.  And, if my guests are lucky,

they will get Adeline’s Pecan Cake for dessert with coffee.

I often will have guests request that I make some Cajun dishes. 

I like to make gumbo, shrimp etouffee or jambalaya for friends.

Bon Appetit!