Foodie Finds

Hang out by the wine at a party and you are guaranteed a good time with some great revelations that we will leave for another post, but hang out by the food and you are in for an auditory treat! You find out who wears the apron in the relationship; great shopping hints; but most of all great recipes....and if you're staying away from the wine bar, you can usually remember them. BONUS: If you have an iphone you can use the notepad to jot it down; or the record button to capture it or some app I have yet to purchase. Here are my favorite overheard recipes that I have made my own - totally ripped off from way better cooks than me - best read and made with a glass of wine in hand:

FIG APPETIZERS - these are a guaranteed hit - easy to make when figs are in season; healthy, pretty and mmmmmmmmm good. Fresh Figs (any kind - I like to get a variety) - cut in half, spread fresh chevre cheese on top of the figs (the expensive fresh stuff is better and spreads nicely but if you really must use the kind in the "tube", please put it in a little bowl, mix in some olive oil and add spice of your choice like basil, and mix it all together before spreading on top of figs). Just prior to serving, lightly sprinkle balsamic vinegar on top. If you want to be fancy, get some seasonsed sea salt and sprinkle lightly on top too. If you've got a fig tree and a bumper crop, give me a call!

CRAWDAD DIP - OK with the Saints winning the Superbowl and all - it's time the whole world went cajun. This dip was shamelessly stolen from a Mardi Gras party from a friend who claimed it was her Aunt Ruby's secret dip. Of course, she spent a lot of time at her own wine bar, so loose lips revealed the secret before the evening ended and All Ears was there to capture this recipe. She has since tried it out on her own neighbors to smashing success. WARNING: It is not on your Dear Food Diary diet. The secret to this recipe is finding Crawdads - for those that don't live in Nawlins, can be a hunt. Tipsy friend said that she got them at Central Market in the freezer section - you want to find the frozen ones because trust me on this one - no one wants to get 1000 pounds of crawdads and spend an evening shucking tails to get 21 oz of them. All ears went to Central Market, couldn't find them but then learned you have to ask and they go to the secret freezer vault to get them. However, when this was revealed at neighborhood Superbowl party, it was later learned that you can get them at Wal-Mart in the regular freezer section for about half the price. For my yankee friends, I'm sure you could substitute crab but then it wouldn't be Aunt Ruby's crawdad dip. Just saying.

2 T. Butter (no cheating with butter subtitutes)
1/3 to 1/2 cup chopped green onion
2 cloves garlic - minced
2 packages (8 oz) creamed cheese (again, not the light variety)
5-8 oz. boursin cheese
1 - 1 1/2 T Ground Cayenne pepper to taste (my yankee friends you might want to substitute black pepper or leave out if you don't like a kick. But trust me - the kick is good! I think Cayenne pepper has some antioxidant properties also!)
2 packages (10.5 oz each) frozen Crawdads, thawed (see above for where you can get them)

Saute the green onion and garlic in BUTTER (no cheating with healthy substitutes); Add cream cheese and boursin cheese and melt both in skillet; stir in cayenne. Add thawed Crawdads. Stir well, put in a chafing dish and serve with....(OK here's the part where you can be healthier) - Fritos, Tortilla Chips, Pita, celery or the crunch of your choice.

EVERYTHING BUT THE KITCHEN SINK SALAD
As everyone probably knows, we moved out of the burbs and into the country. The closest grocery store is 30 minutes away. We used to have 5 grocery stores within a 5 mile radius of us, so this has been an adjustment but makes us creative in our cooking. We were at our neighbor's home and he had this amazing salad and the real beauty it is that it requires NO DRESSING! The vegetables marinating in their own juices create what tastes like a salad dressing. All ears heard many whispers of disbelief, thinking said neighbor was just trying to keep the salad dressing a secret as he is a major foodie - evidenced by running into him (surprisingly) competing at the HICO steak cook off last year. After all, competitive people don't like to give up their recipes. Well, I'm here to tell you we tried the overheard recipe and it's true - no dressing required but tastes like it.

Chop up whatever salad vegetables you have in the refrigerator - he used cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and I don't remember what else. Then he just used coarse salt and pepper. The salt drew out the natural juices from the vegetables and it was wonderful!!! He learned this from a lady at the local Farmer's Market in Weatherford.

Which leads me to another way to find great recipes: Be NOSEY! Shop at the Upscale grocery store or Farmer's markets. Follow the guys and gals wearing Chef coats around the produce section and ask what they are making with all those exotic fruits and vegetables they are buying....amazing what you can learn!

BON APETIT! I'm not Julia Child...