Who's your mama, are you Catholic, and can you make a roux?

Hi guys! Yeah, I'm still here. Doing not much so it seems on paper, but in reality, we've been busy surviving stomach flu, working a few weekend days for my sister, putting on concerts (it's that time again) and well, just generally surviving. The garden is doing well, you know it's getting good when it take about 45 minutes each night to water (dear Santa, for Christmas, I would like an underground sprinkling system... I've been a very good girl).

So output has been minimal, but the hamster is still running on the old wheel, and I've got things in my brain. Elio's 3rd (WHAT??!) birthday is coming up, so I'm ruminating on ideas for a Bob the Builder celebration. But I've got another month to stage that one, so for now, I'm getting excited for summer.

We've had a couple of hot and sunny days. It gives me the summer itch. Yesterday we stained the deck and fertilized the lawn, today I invited my sis, her hubby and my Auntie Cathy for dinner. SUMMER BBQ. Yumm.... the menu is nothing fancy, homemade hamburgers, BBQ'd veggies in a Baja Citrus marinade, corn on the cob, and something new to me, Potato Croquettes.



Back in April, Ethan took his band to New Orleans on a trip, and lucky me got to tag along as a chaperone. Honestly, I've never had such a great time on a trip. What a city! The architecture, the music, the weather, and Lord have mercy, THE FOOD. We happened to be there during the French Quarter festival- about 15 stages were set up offering the most fantastic free musical smorgasbord, and countless tents were on the streets with incredible local cuisine to offer. I've never smelled anything quite like it. I ate crocodile po'boy sandwiches (yes I did and hmmm-mmm it was good), and praline creme brulee which still haunts my dreams. I had beignes from Cafe du Monde, got an icing sugar mustache in the process. It's all part of the experience.
The people were fantastic and I would go back in an instant. I cannot wait to go again.













In an effort to bring New Orleans home with me, I bought a cookbook. Hang on, after about an hour of deliberating over which cookbook to buy, I finally purchased one- more for its stories and anecdotes about southern living than for the recipes, but nonetheless I'm enjoying it. The selection?
Who's Your Mama, Are You Catholic, and Can You Make a Roux (Book 1) by Marcelle Bienvenu.



I was thumbing through it, as I'm going through my quarter annual crisis of "I'm sick of our usual!". I came across a recipe for Potato Croquettes that sounded simple and interesting. So I thought I'd give it a whirl. Maybe you'd like to give it a shot too?
Here is Marcelle Bienvenu's recipe for Potato Croquettes

Makes 6 servings
3-4 pounds of red potatoes
1 cup of chopped onions
1 cup of chopped green bell peppers
Salt and pepper to taste
Tabasco to taste
3 eggs beaten
2 1/2 cups of bacon drippings or peanut oil
All purpose flour for dredging

Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water until fork tender. Remove from the heat and drain. Cool, then peel and put them in a large bowl. Mash the potatoes, leaving some lumps. Add the onions and bell peppers, and season with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Fold in the eggs, mix well.
With your hands, shape the potato mixture into balls about 2 inches in diameter, or if you prefer, shape into 3 inch pancakes. Heat the oil in a skillet. Dredge the balls in flour and drop them into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown and drain on a paper towel.


I almost never leave well enough alone. So I used a mixture of green and red bell pepper, and they're super pretty. I also used chives instead of onion. I added my own seasonings in addition to the tabasco: Slap Ya Mama (a spice I brought back with me from NOLA), some paprika and seasoning salt. We've just finished cooking them (I found my hands were so mucky from rolling the balls that I needed Ethan's help to roll them in the oil). By the way, bacon fat???! Uh-uh. I used veggie oil.

Here they are.... maybe you'll like them too. Happy Trails!

Fun and games!

Well, the week started off so lovely, but dreary it has become once again. I hate the rain. You can take a girl out of the interior, but you can't take the interior out of the girl. That being said, there is lots to look forward to. I'm counting down until Saturday. We're almost there- how bad can it be right?

Saturday is Canasta Night. Yes, I know, despite being 30 years old, I sound like a card carrying member of the Kiwanis club when I talk about playing canasta. But believe me, it is super fun. We have very wonderful friends, Brian and Adriana. I first met them as I taught their daughter at my first school. It was a high school, and I was co-directing a production of Fiddler on the Roof. I needed a props master- someone who was crafty and clever. Instinct told me Adriana was the right choice. And boy, was I right! She's never short on good ideas, and clever plans to make things. And with the help of her equally crafty and clever hubby Brian, we had the best props ever for that show. Anyway, we got to know them very well. So well in fact, they are Elio's god parents. Somehow, and how on earth this happens I will never know, canasta came up in conversation. (I know, it really is shocking- who talks about canasta anyway?!)

Italian playing cards

I've always liked playing cards. This stems from my Nonno Giovanni who taught me to play good old Italian classics like Scoppa and Briscola. Playing with him, using those beautiful Trevigiane cards, was my favourite thing to do. He taught me the names of all the suits in Italian (Coppi, Bastoni, Dinari, Spade). It's been years since I've played those games, but I will sit my dad down to refresh my memory one of these days. Would be nice to pass these game on to my kids too.

Ethan and I first learned to play canasta from his parents. They in turn learned from their parents. I suppose when one lives on a farm in small town Saskatchewan, prior to fascinating technology and Facebook, people used to visit. Imagine that! And they'd play cards. We picked this up from them while Ethan and I were still dating, and have been playing ever since.The version we play is a hand and foot version (meaning you get a hand of cards and a foot of cards, both which need to be played). The game takes a good hour and half or so to play out. We picked this up from them while Ethan and I were still dating, and have been playing ever since.

Imagine our delight when we discovered that Brian and Adriana played too. Our versions of the game had ever so slight differences, but  the bones were the same. It is going on 5 or so years since we've met, usually monthly or so, to play canasta. Sometimes we do dinner first, other times, snacks and cards only. In any case, it is always fun. We always have a great time- no one is overly competitive (we play boys versus girls), although we keep track of who is leading. One particularly memorable canasta night, we decided to surprise our friends with a trophy. Ethan went down to the trophy store in search of the tackiest trophy he could find. He came home with the  Canasta Cup (a hideous little monstrosity featuring a hand holding playing cards). We were all excited when Brian and Adriana arrived, to present the prize. They looked at the thing and burst out laughing. Adriana promptly reached into her bag and pulled out an identical hideous little monstrosity. They had had the same brain wave too. It was pretty funny- guess great minds think alike. Inevitably during the course of a canasta night, (which is now branching into canasta/hearts night) something is said that is so funny that I end up sucking my drink up through my nose. And laughing that hard feels so good. Amazing that all this technology that we now have to keep us in touch sort of does the opposite. I love Facebook don't get me wrong, but it is isolating. Why leave the house to socialize when you can do it at home by yourself in your pajamas? Canasta night keeps us together. Love lifts us up where we belong. This is starting to get schmalzy. I know. I'll stop.

Suffice it to say, I highly recommend Canasta. And the snacks and drinks that it brings. Here's a little bonus recipe for you, introduced to us by Brian and Adriana. It's our favourite drink (particularly good in hot weather). But be careful, they sneak up on you. Let me say, none of these ingredients are things I like in isolation, but mix them together in a pitcher and I am in trouble.

Beergaritas
3 Corona
1 cup tequila
1 can frozen limeade concentrate

Mix together in a pitcher and serve cold (I like to float lime slices in them. Also, salt or sugar on the rim of the glass is nice too).



Off I go... kids are napping and I'm plotting my next trip to the fabric store.
Stay dry.
Happy Trails!