A couple of weeks ago I was craving an Italian BMT from Subway. So off to Subway I went, a place I hadn’t been to in 8 or 9 years, to get the sandwich I so loved. Luckily, footlong subs were on special for $5, because I about had heart failure upon seeing the normal price was $9 (yes, apparently I’ve become the old person who can’t believe how much things cost now).

I came home, opened up my sandwich, and blech! While it wasn’t bad, it was tasteless. I’m not sure if my tastes have changed, or their food has become more bland, but needless to say, it’ll probably be more than another 8 years before I think about trying Subway again. However, I still had the nagging craving for a BMT, so I went to the store and procured the ingredients to make my own.

What does this have to do with the Pizza Sub? Well, the Pizza Sub was my other favorite Subway sandwich. If I wanted a cold sandwich, I went with the BMT; if I wanted a hot sandwich, the Pizza Sub was my go-to. The night after having a BMT, I realized I had all the makings for a Pizza Sub, so into the kitchen I went. (more…)

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Dinner, Lunch, Sandwiches by Courtney

As I was reading through the recipe for Smothered Rabbit yesterday, I decided I wanted to go beyond the basic white rice and try making dirty rice. Usually I fry the livers and giblets and serve them as an appetizer with a bit of creole mustard sauce, but since I had made rabbit stock and had 2 cups leftover (just the perfect amount for the dirty rice), I thought I’d try my hand at this Cajun classic.

Here’s a bit of a shocker — as much Cajun and Creole food as I’ve eaten over the years, I’m not sure I’ve ever had a homemade dirty rice made with the giblets. The old standbye was Zatarain’s dirty rice with sausage thrown in.

So back to the rice. If I don’t use parts of an animal, I tend to throw them back into the freezer for later use. (more…)

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Cajun & Creole, Dairy free, Dinner, Gluten free, Lunch by Courtney

Yesterday, I decided we were way overdue for a rabbit dinner. Rabbit is one of my favorite meats, probably because I don’t get it very often. Since we’re coming up on the Mardi Gras grand finale, I decided to pull out a Cajun recipe from Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen, Smothered Rabbit. The recipe was très simple – pan fry the rabbit, make a dark rous with the leftover oil and flour, add a bit of celery and onion, and mix it all into a boiling pot of stock. So off to the store I went to pick up the vegetables, along with a little TurboDog and Dixie beers to round out the perfect Cajun meal.

On the way back from the store, I decided instead of serving this with white rice or mashed potatoes as suggested, I would whip up a bit of dirty rice instead, which was out – of – this – world! (more…)

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Cajun & Creole, Comfort food, Dairy free, Dinner, Gourmet by Courtney

Between last week’s champagne bar and this week’s warm weather, I’m starting to develop a craving for strawberries. Last year I planted around 4 plants, which yielded my husband and I around 2 miniature strawberries every couple of weeks. While the sweet taste is worth it, I’m going to need a bit more than that to make one of my favorite desserts, Strawberries with Zabaione. This dessert isn’t too sweet, and the zabaione and balsamic complement the strawberries flavor without overwhelming it. It’s the perfect way to enjoy flavorful strawberries from the farmer’s market or your backyard when they start appearing. (more…)

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Dairy free, Dessert, Gluten free, In the Garden, Italian, Vegetarian by Courtney

A few years ago, I would have never guessed at my love for tinned tuna. It smelled to me like something a cat would eat. Then one day in Florence, my husband and I ducked into a little shop to grab a bite to eat. We speak no Italian, so I’m not quite sure what I thought the woman offered me, but I nodded. Tonno it was!

She warmed up my sandwich, and we were back out the door, eating as we walked toward the Duomo. “I’m not sure what this is, but it’s good!” A few more bites and I realized it was tuna, with a bit of tomato sauce, a hint of cheese, and some onion. It was like the Tonno Cippolle from La Pizzeria, only on a sandwich bun (and now one of my favorite pizzas). So that’s the story of how I came to love canned tuna, packed in olive oil.

The salad, however, is something I recently tried at Cafe Campbell, and I decided it would make a great lunch to take to work. Creamy cannellini beans mix with the tuna and onion and a sweet balsamic vinaigrette. Sweet, tangy, salty, delicious! (more…)

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Dairy free, Gluten free, Italian, Lunch, Salad by Courtney