I have never set myself the task of making a real King Cake, as I figure there are enough people who do that already. My brother used to send me delicious King Cakes from a bakery in New Orleans when I was in college. Those cakes were moist and tender with a cream cheese filling, with a brightly colored, but simple, frosting. The cake was packaged with beads and doubloons and … [Read more...] about King Cake Bars
Snacks And Starters
Mardi Crawfish Spread
As Mardi Gras time comes around, I start to get a good craving for some Louisiana cooking. And what is more Louisiana than crawdads? This creamy crawfish spread is perfect for a Mardi Gras party, or any time you need a little Creole kick. I like to serve this as an appetizer or on the buffet with some thick rounds of baguette, but it ain’t bad over … [Read more...] about Mardi Crawfish Spread
Chocolate Biscuits
I love biscuits in all forms, and have myself developed many permutations, from fresh corn, to blueberry, to pimento cheese. But with the sweetheart holiday coming up, I thought I’d try my hand at a rich, chocolate version. Bake up a batch of these babies for someone special and you’ll make your way onto their heart. These biscuits don’t rise as high a standard buttermilk … [Read more...] about Chocolate Biscuits
Italian Sausage Dip with Fontina and Sage
It's nice to have a really hearty, hot dip as part of the spread when the ravenous football hordes are hungry. This is a jazzed up version of a classic sausage dip recipe, with warm, winter flavor. Zesty Italian sausage with the bite of fennel is paired with woodsy sage and creamy, nutty fontina cheese, with a little kick of salty Parmesan to round it out. Don’t skimp on the … [Read more...] about Italian Sausage Dip with Fontina and Sage
Bacon Crackers
Making homemade crackers is one of the little culinary secrets I love so much. It never occurs to most people that making your own is something that can or would be done. But it is easy to do and pretty impressive when you serve homemade crackers. It took me awhile to get where I wanted to go with making my own crackers. I read and sampled a lot of … [Read more...] about Bacon Crackers
