I’m back from a 2-week hiatus! I was at a conference in New Orleans, LA and then on vacation with my family. I had intended to still get a post or 2 up, but of course a crazy schedule and other events prevented that from happening.
I was so excited to go back to New Orleans – I briefly lived there 14 years ago and have only been back twice since moving away. I made the most of my short time there and visited a few of my favorite places as well as discovered some new great restaurants as well. The first was a fabulous brunch at Atchafalaya Restaurant where some strangers took pity on me and invited me to join them for brunch. I couldn’t resist their version of eggs benedict with fried green tomatoes rather than the traditional English muffin and topped with fresh crab meat. The next evening I tried La Petite Grocery, which was new to me and it was outstanding. I started with the blue crab beignets and followed it up with rabbit over wilted greens and gnocchi. My inner foodie was in heaven.
Our vacation food wasn’t nearly as remarkable, except for 2 nights where we enjoyed the fresh fish my brother-in-law caught for us. Not only is he an amazing chef, but he loves to fish. And there is nothing better than eating fresh fish caught that morning! We had ceviche made with mackerel, avocado, and serrano peppers. Normally a strong flavored fish, it was so fresh that it was quite mild, which surprised us all. Then roasted snapper with fennel and lemon – check out those teeth in the photo above! Another night I pan sauteed the snapper and served it alongside an amazing soup my brother-in-law made of bok choy, shiitake mushrooms and Thai basil. Vacationing with a chef definitely has its perks.
And now back to reality, though I must say I’m very happy to be back in my own kitchen again. Here is what we’ll be eating this week:
Meal 1: Tofu and Broccoli Noodle Bowl (no real recipe, but will make up as I go)
Meal 2: Slow Cooker Maple Country Style Ribs over Freekeh and Roasted Butternut Squash
Meal 3: Hamburger Buddy with a Blueberry Peach Spinach Salad
Meal 4: Chicken Apple Sausage Quesadillas with a Cucumber Salad
Have a great week!
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