Tour of Fifty States: Louisiana's meal

This weekend was our first visit to the pool!  With Bill's recent skin cancer, we knew we needed to lather everyone up with sunblock.  One of our young'uns didn't do a good job spreading the sunblock all over his/her back, so that one got a pretty good burn...lesson learned by all of us...we'll be doing a better job getting their backs covered. 

After the pool, we got this meal put together in about 2 hours.  The next meal might not be for another 3 or 4 weeks, due to schedule changes and a potential trip to Dollywood in Tennessee to see the kids' big sister Kirstin.

Menu: Jambalaya, Pepper Jack Cheesy Cornbread, New Orleans Style Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce
Outcome:  The jambalaya was a little bland, so I added an additional two teaspoons of the Cajun seasoning....just right.  I used brown rice instead of white rice, so after 20 minutes of simmering time it was nowhere near cooked -- I ended up letting it simmer for almost an hour for the rice to be cooked enough.    I made the cornbread into muffins and these were spicy yet really went well with the jambalaya. The bread pudding was a hit, although very rich.  No one could eat seconds of it, so we'll be having some for breakfast this week.  If I make it again, I'll half the recipe for the pudding and the sauce. 
Next up:  Ben chose Utah...mmm...comfort food here we come!
Be sure to click and get the recipes!

Tour of Fifty States: Ohio's meal

This state's meal was a huge success.  :)  Very easy to make and it met with rave reviews by everyone.  For years I have seen Cincinnati Chili on various food/travel tv shows, and I was hesitant about it.  Spaghetti noodles?  Topped with meat sauce?  And you put beans on top? And raw onions?  And a mountain of cheese?  And oyster crackers???? Hmm...


At first, when I read the recipe for Cincinnati Chili I was surprised to see that cinnamon, allspice, and chocolate were in the meat sauce. Then upon more research, I found that the recipe was created/modified repeatedly by Cincinnati's large immigrant community in the 1920s -- primarily Greek and Macedonian, which explains the interesting flavor profile.

I thought that the sauce was quite spicy by itself -- yet the spaghetti noodles, cheese, beans, and crackers all balance it out.  The oyster crackers and onions add a little crunch, resulting in a really satisfying meal.

Ohio, being the "Buckeye" state just begged for buckeye candy, which are peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate.  Easy and fast to make and just the perfect bite. 

Menu:  Cincinnati Chili, Buckeyes
Outcome: I thought that the sauce was quite spicy by itself -- yet the spaghetti noodles, cheese, beans, and crackers all balance it out.  The oyster crackers and onions add a little crunch, resulting in a really satisfying meal.
Next up:  Bridget chose Louisiana! 

Lumpia

Growing up in a community with a large Filipino presence, I have always been a fan of lumpia.  They aren't the typical eggrolls you see at a Chinese restaurant -- those are fat and are usually filled with cabbage. Lumpia are thin and filled with a combination of half meat and half vegetable.  I chose to use ground pork in mine, but ground beef is seen just as often.  I picked up a package of wrappers the other day at the grocery store and tossed it in my cart -- then when I got home, I saw that I had picked up wonton wrappers!!  They were only about 3" square so I made teeny little lumpias...and after a few minutes I just decided to fold them over wonton - style since they were so small.  I'm including the directions for lumpia as well as wontons.

Tour of Fifty States: Kansas's meal

We had the meal for Kansas last weekend and the Sunflower State's food was a huge success!  I decided on Kansas City-style ribs.  YES there are two Kansas Cities adjacent to each other and the "Kansas City" style of barbecue is really from the KC in neighboring Missouri.  Close enough for me.  :)

Kansas' Meal 

Menu: Kansas City-Style Ribs, Cauliflower "Mac and Cheese", Salad sprinkled with Sunflower seeds, and Sunflower Oatmeal Cookies. 

Outcome: The ribs were fall off the bone delicious and the sauce was so good.  The cookie recipe said "Makes about 36" but I made 55 using the heaping teaspoon of dough as described.  I've made the adjusted measurement in the recipe.  Very yummy.

Next up:  All six of us chose a state, oldest to youngest.  We decided that for this round, we will be choosing the states from youngest to oldest.  Brandi chose Ohio!