03 September 2015

Romancing The Chocolate: New Orleans Chef Competition Winner: Macadamia Nut Pineapple Up-Side Down Cake, New Orleans Restaurant Links

Photo by Cynthia Campbell -- Macadamia Nut Pineapple Up-Side Down Cake by Restaurant R'evolution pastry chef Erin Swanson is the silver-medal dessert at the 2014 New Orleans Wine & Food Experience's Grand Tastings.

Photo: Cynthia Campbell

Romancing The Chocolate: New Orleans Chef Competition Winner: Macadamia Nut Pineapple Up-Side Down Cake, New Orleans Restaurant Links: From Denny: Louisiana is fond of food competitions and New Orleans attracts the top chefs who are willing to compete for charity events and industry competition too. This tasty recipe competed in a New Orleans Wine and Food Experience competition, developed by Pastry Chef Erin Swanson, Restaurant R’evolution, located in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was the 2014 desserts category silver medal winner. All those lucky tasters were found returning for seconds of this delicious simple cake!...

... To satisfy your foodie curiosity here's what the other medal winners were cooking and the New Orleans restaurants from which they hail are linked so you can go visit and check out their stellar menus: ...

Romancing The Chocolate: New Orleans Chef Competition Winner: Macadamia Nut Pineapple Up-Side Down Cake, New Orleans Restaurant Links

Sleep Majesty King Duvet

Sleep Majesty: Restful, blissful, restorative sleep reigns supreme to pump up our attitude to take on a new day! Easy to coordinate with other patterns!

Check out what other products besides bedding are available in this design.

Visit Denny Lyon Gifts @ CafePress.com - see what's new! Also note that I leave up all my designs from year to year so you have the security knowing that you can purchase as your budget permits to coordinate a room.

02 September 2015

Dennys Food and Recipes: Labor Day, Football Tailgating: Check Out Some New Drinks, Appetizer Cheesy Zucchini No-Fry Fries with Smoked Paprika Dip Sauce

Associated Press photo by Matthew Mead -- Cutting a zucchini into frylike sticks then cooking them delivers a signature crunch without the deep-frying.

Photo: Matthew Mead/AP

Dennys Food and Recipes: Labor Day, Football Tailgating: Check Out Some New Drinks, Appetizer Cheesy Zucchini No-Fry Fries with Smoked Paprika Dip Sauce: From Denny: Ready to try something new for the Labor Day weekend and tailgating season? Audition it on Labor Day and check out your reviews, and, if all goes well, you have some winners for the tailgating season. I know. I know. The conventional wisdom is that you are not supposed to audition something new on your guests but my crowd likes to review. Come on; put a little risk into your life!

I usually cook up standards I know most people enjoy and then introduce a couple of new things for review and comment. It's a conversation starter and since my friends tend to be as opinionated as myself, well, they enjoy weighing in. They even make suggestions to kick it up, tone it down or variations that I might not have considered. Since I value their input it's all done in good fun. For my guests to take home I also make copies of the new recipes with space for them to make notes while we discuss the food.

The first two drinks up for consideration are old standards with new twists: a Planter's Punch and a Bloody Mary. The new twist for the Planter's Punch is that it has some added Camus Cognac with the apple cider, apple juice and pineapple juice. The new twist for the Bloody Mary is the addition of Lucid Absinthe with the spicy bloody mary mix, worchestershire sauce, horseradish, black pepper, celery salt and garlic salt. These two drinks come from Niccole Trzaska at The Liberty Bar in New York City.

This appetizer recipe is from Chef Sara Moulton, one of the busiest TV chefs. Check out this link to her site for online cooking classes, links to her TV shows and awesome easy recipes. Sara has enjoyed a long career: a 25-year stint at Gourmet magazine (which had a run from 1941 - 2009), hosted several Food Network shows for a decade, hosts public TV's "Sara's Weeknight Meals" and has written three cookbooks, one of which is "Sara Moulton's Everyday Family Dinners." Whew! All while raising her own family. It's no wonder she specializes in quick and easy food...

Dennys Food and Recipes: Labor Day, Football Tailgating: Check Out Some New Drinks, Appetizer Cheesy Zucchini No-Fry Fries with Smoked Paprika Dip Sauce

Louisiana Seafood Reusable Shopping Bag

Check out awesome Louisiana eating: oysters, shrimp, crawfish, gumbo, jambalaya

Visit Denny Lyon Gifts @ CafePress.com - see what's new!

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