Birthday Vacation!

Apologies for the writing hiatus, as I mentioned in my last post, Wednesday the 13th happened to be my birthday! So of course, along with all the birthday shenanigans (including a surprise trip to Florida) I was unable to get much work done. But no fear, I am back in the land of internet access and here to share all my b-day food finds with yall! Get ready to get hungry.

To start off my birthday shenanigans I whipped up some incredible red velvet cupcakes with my roommate Mackenzie. I won't lie, though we are good cooks and not bad at baking, these were not from scratch, but they weren't any old Duncan Hines mix either! This was a fancy shmancy kit from Sprinkles cupcake (all the way in L.A.). Although I'm from L.A., we actually were able to find this lovely cupcake helper at William Sanoma. The directions were super easy to follow (although you do need a hand held mixer) and the cream cheese frosting was incredible!!!! I think I actually liked these homemade Sprinkles cupcakes better than the ones from the store, still rich and sweet, but not a sugar/butter overload.

After the cupcakes I was taken on a surprise picnic to a park near my house. Aside from the lovely destination, I was thrilled to find out what food had been packed for this secret outing. 1. We had pink Champagne aka Rose (pronounced Rose-AY) thanks to Whole Foods (of course) 2. We had brie, green apple, and honey pressed sandwiches, which are one my favorite summer time snacks 3. We had nutella dream cookies!!!!!! These cookies are some of the richest bite sized treats I've ever had but sooooo good! If you like nutella you will LOVE this.

Eric found the recipe from Serious Eats (one of my favorite food blogs) a little while back and knew they would be perfect for my birthday. He was right. They are AWESOME! But so filling, beware. Click on the link above to check out the recipe!

If you're more interested in making the sandwich it's pretty easy. All you need is brie, french bread, honey, and green apples. Simply slice the apples and brie and layer thick onto the french bread, then drizzle with honey (I like to use local Acadiana Honey) and pop it on to a hot pan/ panini press/ George Foreman and watch it melt. Leave it there till the bread is crispy and the brie is warm and shazaam: awesome sandwich. Happy Birthday me and happy eating to everyone else!

Coquette Happy Hour!

Tomorrow is Wednesday (Wednesday) and Thursday comes after...wards We-We-We We so excited, We so excited, We gonna go to Coquette Happy Hou-errrrr! It's Wednesday (Wednesday), gotta get down on Wednesday, lookin forward to some cocktails. Which one should I pick????

Yes, that was a shout-out to Rebecca Black's super overplayed "Friday"... I was actually starting to miss it! But seriously, tomorrow is Wednesday, aka hump-day, and July 13th, my birthday! Among the many fun shenanigans I may find myself doing tomorrow on my celebratory day I may in fact end up at Coquette for one of their two incredible Happy Hour specials! Unlike most bars that only reserve a few hours for drink specials, Coquette hosts day-long Happy Hours! Every Wednesday from open till close they serve 5 dollar glasses of wine, and every Thursday offers any of their specialty cocktails for just 5 bucks also!

But wait, there's more! Aside from their incredible variety of affordable fancy beverages they also serve delicious food. Awesome, right?! You can read more about their food here in my newest article for OffBeat magazine. Enjoy!

Burger Pallooza!!!!

With July 4th festivities still lingering in our memories, many people (myself included) are having pangs of burger cravings. Because as we all know, July 4th is about more than just independence, it’s about BURGERS. Whether you’re from Oklahoma or Ponchatoula, the tradition remains the same. Backyard BBQ with all the fixins, beer, burgers, corn on the cob, and maybe even some good old fashioned hot dogs.

If you’re not the grilling type or just don't have the patience to throw another BBQ have no fear, New Orleans has just the solution for you! Unlike the nostalgic chain 50’s diners found in most cities across the US, we have something more unique (and delicious) than your average Johnny Rockets. Of course, many readers probably already know what I’m talking about. Camellia Grill of course! This 50’s style diner serves up food of that kind for a reason…it opened in 1946. So it’s no surprise that they have this shtick down to a t. Although they serve much more than just burgers, if you ask any local what to get at least 9 out of 10 will say a Double Bacon Cheeseburger dressed.

These miraculous grill masters somehow manage to make a slightly crispy crust on a medium rare burger. Not too pink on the inside, and never burnt on the outside. It’s truly an art form that they have perfected. Between the crunch of the bacon, the chewiness of the bun, and the diverse texture of the burger, your mouth will be wondering how all burgers don’t have such a wonderfully complex physical structure.

Aside from the chomp-worthy texture, the flavor of these burgers is mind-boggling. Cameasy Greasy (as my friends like to call it) definitely serves up a salty burger, in the best way possible of course. I’m convinced the secret ingredient is the grease on the stove that has been building up for over 60 years. Although that may not sound appetizing, it’s the only thing I can think of to explain why everything that graces that grill is truly mouthwatering, especially the grilled pecan pie! Yes, I did write grilled. That is no joke, they heat their pie up right on the grill next to your burger. That may sound odd to those who have never tried this spectacular local delicacy, but rest assured, it is phenomenal. The added butter and warmth somehow make an already fantastic pie even better.

Camellia Grill also serves up omelets, waffles and even chili cheese dogs (as seen at the top of the page), but their burgers really win the gold for me.

If the line is too long for the uptown Cameasy Greasy you can always go to their new downtown location! But if plan B fails, and the line is too long there, we have a plan C! Clover Grill, another 50's diner in the quarter claims to have "The World's Best Hamburgers." They fall a bit short of that claim, but are pretty good if you cant squeeze into a Camellia Grill bar stool. These burgers are cooked in a similar way on an old fashioned flat grilling stove, but come with some fancy extras, including a fried egg!

The combo of the beef and yolk was awesome! I highly recommend trying it out! and don't pass up their onion rings or french fries, which are better than the downtown Camellia grill fries.

Though these two diners have been operating in tandem since the 1940’s, they have never been in such close proximity. With the brand new Camellia Grill walking distance from Clover Grill these competitors now have somewhat more of a competition. With such similar menus, prices, and décor I have to wonder what the fate of these restaurants will be. Is the French Quarter really big enough for two old fashioned diners? Who will be victorious in this burger joint showdown? I guess only time will tell.

So in honor of the recent July 4th holiday, celebrate the freedom to get your grub on!

Chef Eric Shares: Fried Fish Tacos

Apparently none of my readers like to make tacos, or they at least are too shy to send in photos and recipes of their own concoctions so I have no choice but to give the Taco Week award to Eric's Fried Fish Tacos. I feel super lame giving the award to my boyfriend so I'm actually going to give it to his mom (since it's her recipe anyway)!

Whether or not they won by default, these tacos really are incredible. These tacos are filled with home fried catfish, coleslaw, and a delicious sauce. To make this scrumptious dinner all you really have to do is fry the catfish and mix together the sauce. The idea of deep frying at home may seem scary to some people but it's super easy, I promise! The first step is buying small pieces of catfish (or chopping up the fish to two inch strips) then simply dust with flour, dip in a mixture of eggs and milk and coat with fish fry (available in the seafood section at the grocery). Then simply drop the fish in hot oil that is at least one inch deep and hot enough that it sizzles when it drops but cool enough that its not boiling and splattering (350 to 375 degrees F). Then just let the fish cool down on paper towels (to remove excess oil) and you just fried yourself some catfish!

To make the sauce here is all you have to do first gather these ingredients:

1/2 cup plain yogurt (or Greek yogurt, which I like better!)

1/2 cup mayo
1 lime, juiced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 tsp minced capers
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper

Then simply mix together yogurt and mayo in a medium bowl, gradually stirring in fresh lime juice until consistency is slightly runny. Finally season with jalapeno, capers, oregano, dill, cumin, and cayenne and you have yourself a meal. This one does take longer than 30 minutes, but I think this makes it 3 to 1 Jenny vs. Rachel Ray... She's going down!!!!