The Fuzzy Chef & Friends

Ten New Orleans Cookbooks

Thanksgiving this year was a NOLA theme, and we had some fairly specific requirements in terms of food preferences and seasonal availablity (especially after the California crab harvest was delayed). So I borrowed all of the Cajun and Creole cookbooks the San Francisco Public Library had available and went through them. Here's a series of one-paragraph reviews of various New Orleans cookbooks, so that you'll know what you want for yourself. Click on through ...

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PG-13 Rice

Cajuns make a type of fried rice they call "Dirty Rice". It consists of cooked rice, fried with chicken gizzards & livers, sausage, peppers, onions and spices. Since I avoid meat, I developed a version which uses no meat products and, while not authentic, is still quite tasty. We call it "PG-13 Rice" since it's not quite "dirty".

Click through for recipe.

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Non-Traditional Thanksgiving, Part 4

I don't much like turkey, and neither do my in-laws. So for the last several years we've been doing something else entirely for American Thanksgiving ... and because I do most of the cooking, without meat. Usually I do something around a specific ethnic theme. Past Thanksgivings have included: Turkish food, Austrian food, and Cioppino.

This year, it was time for Cajun/Creole. Accordingly we requested every New Orleans cookbook available at the San Francisco Public Library, and I went browsing for recipes. I'll have cookbook reviews later; in the meantime, click through for pictures.

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Greek Islands: restaurant review

Best restaurant for the Chicago Greektown experience

Overall: 4
Food: 4.5
Service: 3.5
Atmosphere: 3.5
Wine List: 4 (see below)
Authenticity: 4
Noise: @@@
Price: $$
Paid: $50ea (see below)
Location: Chicago, Greek Town
Genre: Greek Traditional

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Belgian Calzone

I seldom get a chance to eat brussels sprouts because my sweetie doesn't like them. So for this recipe I sliced them thin and hid them within the dough of a calzone. The results were surprisingly delicious. And high in vitamins!

Click through for recipe.

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