Ceebu Jen

So on to the first of my international dish posts. The first dish I decided to do (as I explained here) the national dish of Senegal, Ceebu Jen (pronounced cheb-o-djin) - also called Thieboudienne. This comes from the words for fish (ceeb) and rice (jen). So no surprise on what the main parts of this dish are. Here is the Ceebu Jen recipe I worked up and devoured. Also, my camera was dead. We'll call the pictures rustic.

 

Been A Long Time

I don't suppose I have a great reason or story to tell you about why I disappeared. There are plenty of things I could say.... I started a new job. I started volunteering with a nonprofit I love. Working on a graduate degree. Never home. Always busy. But I won't even try. You get the truth.

Wordless Wednesday

The Best Restaurant in the History of Ever

We went to Atlanta for a Celtics-Hawks game a couple of weeks back (big haha to the overzealous guy in all blue yelling at us that the Hawks were clearly better). While we were there, we wanted to try out somewhere new to eat. We started at Taco Mac the night of the game, and it was good for a wings place - and had a very impressive tap listing. The next morning we hit up Hugh Acheson's creation Empire State South for brunch. Hugh recently took home TWO James Beard Foundation awards for his cookbook A New Turn in the South and also won as Top Chef in the Southeast (for his Five and Ten restaurant). 

Wordless Wednesday - Cobbler

Wordless Wednesday

Ugli Fruit

"Ugli Fruit"

Yesterday I posted a photo of a fruit I found at my local Publix labeled "Uniq Fruit". After a brief search today, I found it to be more commonly called "Ugli Fruit". I was curious. I bought it.

Wordless Wednesday

Little Donkey

Little Donkey Kitchen and Bar

Last night, Jennifer and I were invited out for a preview night at Little Donkey, the new Mexican restaurant in Homewood, just south of Birmingham. As if we needed another Mexican restaurant... But this is something fresh and new. It's not typical Tex-Mex. It's somewhere between Southern food and traditional Mexican fare. Nick Pihakis, a founder of local BBQ staple Jim n Nick's, is behind this bad boy. So after gorging ourselves and taking a few notes, here are my thoughts before it opens this Tuesday.

Pimento Cheese

Pimento Cheese

If you follow my tweets at all, you know I like pimento cheese. Not the store-bought, in a tub, fauxmento cheese. The creamy and bold homemade stuff. I put it on plenty of different things - a practice which only recently developed. Everything from sandwiches, to snacks, to tacos. It adds a completely unique flavor to things which call for other cheese. This is my mom's old recipe (gussied up a bit), which I wasn't a fan of as a kid. But hey, I wasn't a fan of steak either. You get wiser as you age.

Wordless Wednesday - Last Day

Buffalo Mac and Cheese

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

I promised myself when I started this I wouldn't just use other people's recipes and share them all the time - so far, so good. But then, Jennifer found this recipe for Buffalo Mac and Cheese over at Table for Two, which you should go check out. I hadn't seen it until she showed me this recipe - good stuff. Anyway, she wanted to cook it for me - and it ain't bad! She knows that I constantly joke to people that I'm a connoisseur of both Shrimp n Grits and Mac n Cheese. She also knows that I'm probably really not joking so much. But this is great stuff - a combination of a southern classic and something good and spicy? Hard to beat. And seriously, check out Table for Two.

Wordless Wednesday - Cue Shack

Southwest Salad w/ Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Southwest Salad

We had a birthday party for my mom at a family member's house a couple of weeks ago. It was southwestern/tex-mex themed, and I was asked to bring a salad. I've made a southwestern salad a few times before and thought it would be easy to do. Several people (surprisingly) told me it was their favorite part of the meal. So I decided to reproduce it here so they - and you all - could see it. It's colorful, hearty, and healthy. And it's great as a side - or if you want to use it as an easy meal, add some grilled or rotisserie chicken and you have a quick and easy meal.

Wordless Wednesday - FBS Lunch

Butts To Go

Ribs from 'Butts To Go'

It's March, which means it's officially grilling season in the South. Not that we weren't grilling anyway, what with the 70 degree winter days and all, but now it's official. And I love grilling. Meat, vegetables, everything. And I love barbeque. I love all the different styles. I really do. All of them are great. I like judging a city based on its BBQ.


Memphis dry rub style is probably my favorite - maybe because growing up near Memphis gives a lot of character to Birmingham Q. There is also a considerable amount of Carolina-style, vinegary Q around here. And of course, the Kansas City-style with lots of thick, sweet sauce is great too. As long as you start with a good meat, it's hard to beat. 

Wordless Wednesday

Bourbon Pecan Tarts

Bourbon Pecan Tarts

I've had several people ask me about the pecan tarts I mentioned in my post on what to think about when you want to use bourbon in dishes. They seem to be a simple version of a favorite Southern dessert - the pecan pie. Well, it's not really a pecan pie in the way we think of it down here. It's actually a lot more similar to a butter tart, a common Canadian dish. And even more similar to a buttermilk pie (one of my favorite desserts). The basic idea is melted butter or margarine, sugar, and egg. The standard version is definitely more of a custard than what we think of as pecan pie. Adding/changing other ingredients is what makes it a more Southern dish - buttermilk or the sweet, rich, and buttery pecan. 

Wordless Wednesday

Poblano Chicken Chowder

Poblano Chicken Chowder

I love southern food, and the various cultural influences on it. There is definitely an undeniable Hispanic influence on our food here - rich, earthy, robust, flavorful foods are a staple of that cuisine, and it fits well with our food here.  I've posted about liking spicy foods before - so when I developed my first recipe from a blank piece of paper, I decided to do something full of flavor with a little kick. Someone I was talking to mentioned wanting to make a chowder with poblano and corn. I've made plenty of soups before, but not chowders. Chowders can be incredibly flavorful and actually aren't too difficult. To start developing the recipe, all I needed to know was how to make a base for chowder. I read about that for a bit and began.