Festival of Nations

I knew it was going to be miserably hot on the weekend of Festival of Nations. An annual festival set in Tower Grove Park every year on the second to last weekend of August. This was my first year attending Festival of Nations and this time I had someone to share with me the experience. The festival is a culmination of culture. From the food to the atmosphere to the marketplace. Each booth whether in the marketplace bizarre or the food, is set up to represent a country. All throughout the day are various events such as Irish dancers, African drum music, are brought upon the various stages in the park to share that aspect of the culture. The Festival always draws hundreds of people from all over and the atmosphere buzzes with energy and spices and a variety of different tastes to breathe in and sate your wonder. And for a short while you can pretend your globe trotting and tasting the kind of foods you only read and hear on discovery shows, written in cookbooks with ingredients that are difficult to come by. As a foodie, being able to explore an international palette is the sole reason I venture to this festival every year.

I want to try something new each time I go. I stay away from the things I know all too well such as German, Mexican, Chinese. And become drawn toward more exotic fare such as the Israeli grape leaves with pine nuts, rice, and raisins; to the Malaysian stir fry with noodles, carrots, beans with a healthy squirt of sriracha sauce; to the bubble-gum flavor of Inca Cola from Peru. 

This year I was ready for more and the first booth I visited was Ethiopian. It was early in the morning, thirty minutes into the start of the festival, and it was the gentlemen who lured me in. I was invited to try doro wat, a signature dish made with marinated chicken in berbere sauce, which is a traditional Ethiopian spice (and it is spicy!) resting on a injera, a flatbread made from teff flour and typically found in most Ethiopian cuisine. The injera, itself, resembles mattress memory foam but the taste is sour. The marinated chicken, homemade curdled cheese, and lentils are placed upon the injera. By itself the injera, while pleasant to eat, goes much nicer with the blend of the berbere spice and soft, creamy texture of the cheese, and tender bit of chicken. 

Ethiopian - Doro Wat

Instantly this became my favorite, so much in fact, I went back the next day for more.

Stopping by Thailand, I purchased an actual coconut that was heaved and stuffed with a straw, before trying a curry chicken puff, and a dish known as kaow yum nham. Resting on a bed of rice was fried tofu mixed with shavings of carrots and whole peanuts and drizzled with a sweet-sour sauce that left an impression that has kept me searching for weeks in finding a restaurant that served something similar. The afghan booth kept me buzzing and I visited the only Afghan restaurant in Missouri (Sameem) for a repeat of Afghan muntoo; a helping of steamed dumpings with seasoned beef and onions tucked inside and dressed with a garlic-yogurt sauce with mint, with the additional of lentils in a mild orange sauce. From the Kurdish stand, we shared baba ganoush, a hummus-like dip made of eggplant with pita bread for dipping. 

Iranian - Saffron Chicken and Rice

(Left): Thailand - Curry Chicken Puff and Coconut
(Right): Kurdish - Baba Ganoush

Thailand - Kaow Yum Nham

Turkey - Kotfe (Beef/Lamb meatballs)

Afghanistan - Afghan Muntoo and Vegetable Fritter

And lastly, for something sweet, genuine Jamaican pineapple rum cake simply crumbling in your hand as you tore it apart and melded with sweet cake and the tang of pineapple. We visited others but the stand outs were the ones you wanted more of, and I ended up sharing the Ethiopian doro wat with my grandfather as he never had Ethiopian cuisine before. 

International and exotic cuisine is an adventure everyone should partake in, exploring the world a little closer to home. It is the best learning experience as it opens your mind to new things.

Wonton Fish Tacos

Sometimes my ideas come at a whim. I see something and I want to replicate it, or I think about it for an extended period of time before diving right into it. That or the suggestions of others were loud enough that they couldn’t be ignored. And I’m not even joking when I say that everyone has been demanding my fish tacos for months now. I finally relented and went through with it but this time I wanted them to be different than the usual amber-ale battered Tilapia stuffed side a soft tortilla shell and layered with mango salsa and homemade chipotle dressing. I wanted something different this time and that is when I decided to use wonton shells.

I chose to make that Monday night: Wonton Fish Tacos with Mango Coleslaw and Chili-Lime Dressing

Wonton shells are a healthier choice than soft tortillas. Found in the tofu section, to my surprise, were then folded triangular-wise onto the edges of a baking pan and left to harden in a 400 degree oven for a few minutes at a time to fully take on that somewhat crispy exterior. They were more than a little frail and some of them tended to have trouble stuffing anything inside of them without breaking them. Nonetheless they worked efficiently enough. 

The fish I left alone, baked in the  oven with a little seasoning of salt and pepper for seven minutes then I crumbled the soft white Tilapia. For the contents I mixed mango together with fresh coleslaw and seasoned it with a either a Sesame or Ginger-Sesame dressing. The chili-lime dressing was only to be a minor thing made with sour cream, mayonnaise, squirt of lime juice, pinch of chili powder and drizzled along the top of the tacos. Everything together created a very nice blend of an Asian fusion dinner that went over very well with everyone. 

I especially enjoyed the coleslaw with mango and the dressing and the chili-lime dressing. There was satisfaction in the crunch the taco presented when taking that very first bite.

Wonton Fish Tacos w/Mango Coleslaw and Chili-Lime Dressing

Microwavable Brownies - Video Blog

This recipe is short and sweet. A simple way of making brownies by using the microwave that only takes up to seven minutes to make. The videos below show what to use in making the brownies, how to make the brownies, and the final result.

Taking these videos and uploading them did not work as intended, as the files were too big. But the conclusion is that the brownies turned somewhat moist and with just the right amount of sweet. 

Pepperoni Casserole

We’re in the midst of trying to sell our house. Our realtor has expressed that it’s not a good idea to make anything with strong smells as that can often be a deterrent for prospective buyers. With this in mind, my grandmother and I wonder about buying out more than making anything out of fear that some kind of lingering smell might hang around like a buzzing insect.

Yesterday, Monday, the day my cousin comes over so that we can watch Teen Wolf together, I was prepared to order pizza. At the moment, I am unable to stomach the stuff anymore. We’ve ordered so much of it I’d be happy to never see a cheese-and-pepperoni-saturated pie again. Yet, while I was getting an oil change earlier in the day, and the only thing worthwhile to watch and engage my interest in (aside from my phone) was cooking shows on Food Network.

One show in particular struck me, I suppose, at the right time, at the right place, when I was in the right mood. I was not planning on making anything for dinner that night and had even texted my cousin to let her know we were ordering pizza (the bane of my existence) instead. She was fine with it. I was planning on getting extra cheese and pepperoni, and one of those pasta bread bowls from Dominos, and be done with it. But then, as I watched Sandra Lee, she was making pepperoni casserole and garlic bread. Looked easy enough, not overly complicated, only a few ingredients to keep it under about five dollars, making it about $1.50 per serving. I quickly jotted down the instructions on my phone’s notepad, saving it for a rainy day.

I milled around at home, imagining that humble pizza pie, and annoyed as hell by it. I really did not want pizza, but I also did not feel like cooking and stinking up the house – by an hour or so before she arrived I was standing at the crossroads of whether to charge forward and declare pizza as the main soul food for the night! Or take the less traveled path and make the casserole. Inwardly, hating pizza, felt that almighty pull toward the casserole. A few simple ingredients, no time spent prepping at all except to dice up onions and zucchini, and chose casserole as our poison for the evening with fresh garlic bread to tie it all together. We were having pizza without the dough and the mess of tomato sauce – but thrown together as a neat pasta dish.

Sauteed onion and zucchini, chopped up pepperoni, bit of basil, salt and pepper to taste, and let that soften up on the stove while the rotini pasta turned al dente. The rustic nature of the pepperoni against the zucchini really made it pop, turning it from dark red to a bright orange. It culminated all these little ingredients together, cutting the sweetness of the caramelized onion and zucchini with the hint of spice pepperoni is signature for. Rotini added and shredded mozzarella cheese (I added more than the cup requested – I’m a cheese fan, after all.)  Adding a layer of bread crumbs for an extra crunchy texture, the casserole went into the oven for 20.

I opened the oven once and motioned my cousin to come over and we breathed in the aroma. Such an easy dish to make with no time spent prepping an extreme amount of ingredients. No time at all and the garlic bread was a hit – my aunt demanded I sent some home to her, so unfortunately, I get a little bowl of leftovers for the next night.

In all, the whole thing cost less than ten dollars! Ordering pizza would’ve been double that! 

Pepperoni Casserole

Sushi Bistro

Sushi Bistro was an accidental adventure.

If anyone should know, I am a sushi connoisseur. Having dined on sushi for the past five-six years, I feel I know good sushi when I’ve tried it, and bad sushi when I’ve experienced it. Sushi is one of those trends that is up and coming. There are dozens of sushi restaurants across the region in St. Louis and the trick is knowing which ones to frequent and which ones to absolutely avoid altogether. You learn to read reviews, you learn to scour the websites, you learn which restaurants are the stars of the neighborhood and must be experienced, you learn which restaurants are like any other standard sushi place with all the ordinary offerings without glory.

At the time when I first encountered Sushi Bistro, I was working at my first real job at Scholastic Book Fairs. I was starting to make a little extra cash and decided that I was going to head across town to Target to purchase a few odds and ends to make my little cubicle feel like home away from home. I had several hours to kill before my class started that evening and chose afterward to find a place to eat. Having downloaded the Yelp app and getting used to its features, decided to see what kind of restaurants were currently nearby to grab a bite before heading to school.

I do have my favorite sushi restaurants – a little place known as Blue Ocean. They offer a rather in-expensive all you can eat sushi which practically offers you the entire menu to sample. Blue Ocean was clear in the other direction, a good twenty to thirty minutes from where I needed to be. I was needing something closer. Sushi was not on my agenda but an option. And as I scoured through the list of nearby places, checking times and reviews, gliding through pictures and salivating, I came across such a sushi place called Sushi Bistro. From where I was parked at the Target parking lot found it was only a five minute drive. The ratings were high, the reviews were extreme positive, the pictures were worth more than a thousand words: sushi was it.

Apprehensive, as usual, I made the brief journey and found the place nestled inside a plaza. The place looked small and intimate with not much to show for on the outside. It was in a heavy trafficked area with a Taco Bell sitting on its own upon its own lot, across the street from a McDonalds, and a post office next door, it was the prime place for a sushi place to be.

As I walked in I was greeted with a warm interior. Gleaming hardwood floors resonated the dimly lit intimate room—not very big but just right, it seemed. Tables were spaced evenly and were made of a heavy dark wood. Not only was the atmosphere humbly inviting but as I was quickly made welcome by the staff. I sat by the window to watch the traffic go by and peered through the various menu options and the descriptions were clear and the ingredients modest, the price a bit steep than what I was hoping for. I was not going to let the idea of cost deter me from enjoying a little time out and pampering you sometimes need.

Wanting the full experience I ordered the mango salad and several of the signature rolls. When the mango salad came out, it was far too pretty to eat. All the colors busting with bright orange from the julienned mango and a hint of green and pink from the cucumber and imitation crab. On top was a smattering of sesame seeds and lightly touched with a light sweet yet tangy dressing that was cold and refreshing and complimented the mango, cucumber, crab well.

mango salad

Instantly this became one of my favorite items on the menu. It was, might I say, delicious. More than delicious but an ideal first impression of what I was in store for when the rolls were brought out. The plate was neat and tidy. The rolls were sitting in a row at the perfect size. None of the ingredients were spilling out of it (like at some places) but tightly packed. A purple-pink-white hibiscus flower was placed delicately on the corner to provide flare. I was not expecting the kind of finesse shown but was quickly realizing this was not your average sushi restaurant, but an excellent destination that felt like a secret only I knew.

Sushi Bistro is warm and inviting and an exceptional restaurant to visit. I have to say the people who work there are friendly and kind and eager to make your stay even more welcoming. These are the kind of people you want to be friends with, the kind of people you want to learn more about, the kind of people you would love to see again. Sushi Bistro is a place I wanted to bring people knowing that even if the prices are a little higher than other area restaurants, by the time you sit down and take that first bite, you aren’t worried about the cost, but the quality and the patience and the time they spent on preparing something wonderful for you to enjoy.

Ice Cream Bread + Video

I am an avid user of Tumblr. I actually enjoy it more than Facebook (who even likes Facebook anymore?) A bit more anonymous, a lot more content to filter through, somewhat private if family members are unaware it even exists, not to mention, you have no idea what you’re going to find. Tumblr is as infinite as Facebook and not as personal. Some people use Tumblr as a place to blog, to collect various things that go along with the theme of what you like to follow, and you can follow other people. I go on Tumblr mostly to see new things and what’s out in the world, what is the latest craze that has everyone going nuts. You never know what you’ll find.

One such beauty I stumbled across recently is a video someone posted on how to make ice cream bread. That’s right, you heard me correctly. Ice. Cream. Bread.

Now you’re probably as curious as I am. How does one make ice cream bread? Is it actual ice bread made into loaves? Is it bread layered with ice cream in between? What in the world is it?

You can see the video for yourself here: 

A three minute video is all it took for me to hop onto this extraordinary find. It made me thinking that we no longer have to buy bread. We can make it ourselves out of ice cream! Not to mention there are only two ingredients in which to make it with? I’m sold!

All you need for ice cream bread:

-         -  Flavor of ice cream. Whatever your heart desires. I started with vanilla.

-          - Self-rising flour.

That is it. Two ingredients.

You mix everything together in a decent sized bowl until it comes together in a consistency of dough. Spread it evenly into a small bread pan lined with grease and you toss it in the oven at 350 degrees for a good 35-50 minutes depending on the type of oven and how it heats. It took me a good hour for the mixture to come together and rise, and when it did rise, formed a healthy looking brown crust across the top—reminiscent of a nice loaf of bread. Kitchen smelled as fresh as a bakery, too. Nothing beats the smell of freshly made bread.

Interesting part about it is that there is no taste of ice cream. The crust around the bread tastes just like any crust on bread, but bread part itself, almost tasted like cake. It was not as sweet as I thought it was going to be, and a little too dry to eat on its own. I added preserves with mine and it really made the taste of the bread burst. Next time I plan to use a different flavor of ice cream and add a little more ice cream than the recipe calls for to make it a little more moist.

Who needs to buy bread anymore when a gallon of ice cream and self-rising flour is all you need? 

Vanilla Ice Cream Bread

Final Cut Steakhouse - Hollywood Casino

I wouldn’t call myself an addicted gambler. I do, oftentimes nonetheless, attempt to exploit a little luck. Though, if I had to be perfectly honest, nothing has been the same since Harrah’s was bought out by Hollywood Casino and the entire interior of the casino took nearly a year to be transformed. Harrah’s was the place my grandmother and I would often go and spend our time and our precious money. Get out of the house for a few hours and indulge in the possibility of Lady Luck sending fortune our way.

Something about Harrah’s made it spellbinding when you walked into its front main entrance, greeted by cobblestone walkways and the layout reminiscent of a city scape, and craning back your head, gave the depiction of blue skies and white puffy clouds painted on the ceiling. It felt open and inviting; made you want to come in and forget the outside world existed while you gambled away hard earned money. Now, the magic of that is gone. Walking in, you are greeted with an epileptic flashes of moving light, enormous screens broadcasting movie trailers, current casino promotions, and sports programs. The floors are no longer cobblestone but concrete or marble. What used to be the depiction of building exteriors reminds you of an enormous movie theatre screen, or standing in a miniaturized version of Times Square—attempting to be something it is not. Black and white photographs of some of Hollywood’s legends adorn the walls as you enter into the mainstay of the casino. Everything is themed around movies (and as a movie buff, you would think I’d appreciate it) but it feels cheap and gaudy.

Sammy Hagar’s delicious restaurant sits dark over in its corner, waiting for its own malicious and uninviting transformation. At one time, the restaurant dished out some creative beach-themed dishes in a bar/pub like setting. The fare was fantastic in the few times I have eaten there. And now, Sammy’s familiar face is nowhere to be seen and a lone individual stands desolate behind an empty bar counter. Even the gift shop that used to have its rotation of different things, has now become a jewelry store, further grounding the Hollywood reality by warping every single thing to embellish this new dimension.

Tables are tight, slot machines tighter. I spent and lost twenty five dollars and decided it was enough. The real promising adventure for me that night was visiting what used to be Kelly English’s restaurant, now a place called Final Cut Steakhouse. The prices were steep, but reviews promised delicious food. Without the $20 off coupon the casino sent me in the mail, I probably wouldn’t have indulged like I did. I was planning on trying all I could beginning with an appetizer, an entree, and finishing off with a dessert.

The dark gray padded doors were opened, greeting all of us standing in line for the restaurants opening, and I was greeted to an elegant foyer that seemed like I was standing in the entrance of a haunted house, about to enter into an unknown dimension. It appeared cut off from the restaurant with circular walls, black and white fissured marble floors, two sets of crème-colored chairs positioned on either side, and a single square black box for the host stand. The gentlemen standing behind it gave off an air of someone energetic and happy to serve the line waiting to get in.

There were two entrances leading into the restaurant. On one side, tables for four, were scattered near the bar area, but I knew exactly where I wanted to sit and was led to the opposite side of the restaurant, where more tables for four and longer booths aligned the walls and clear glass windows overlooking the main area of the casino, the perfect place to eat, watch movie trailers, and above all else, the people. You walk by the restaurant from the outside and gaze in on clean white table cloths, single candle bouncing in an opaque candleholder, and even then, all you want to do is sit down and have a nice meal.

I should probably mention before anything else, how impressed I was at how knowledgeable my waitress, Lisa, was. You could ask her anything (and I did) and she explained what it was. I had never encountered a waitress or server who knew the menu incredibly well as she did. Already I could tell this was going to be worth the wait – after months of constant deliberation of whether or not I should really sit in at an upscale steakhouse – I was certainly glad I chose that night to do it. I wanted to indulge.

The ambience was elegant, classic music heard quietly over the speakers, gave a sense of calming. You weren’t in any rush to leave; it was welcoming.

I started with the jumbo lump crab cake with fraiche. Neatly rotund and delectable charred in all the right ways, sat on top of a pool of crème fraiche, topped with homemade potato crisps and garnished with sprouts and surrounded with a bright green chive oil. Easily the best crab cake I’ve had. It was soft, moist, seasoned impeccably well with just a hint of heat. I liked the texture the potato crisps offered it. I was pleased it appeared like the picture on the website – that was the moment I was inspired to try it. 

Lump Crab Cake w/creme fraiche

For the entrée, originally wanted to engage in Chilean Sea Bass, I chose the pork medallions over a bed of sage spaetzle and apple-mustard beurre blanc. Pork was cooked perfectly and melted in your mouth. The addition of the apples for sweetness and crunch, with the small dumplings added another element. 

Pork Tenderloin Medallions w/sage spaetzle and apple mustard

Lastly, I went with dessert, and chose the wonton cookies stuffed with chocolate chip cookie dough sitting in a broth of chilled anglaise. It was not too sweet and I loved bathing the crisp wonton wrappers before sliding into it, granting that dark brown rich chocolate and overriding sweetness of the cookie.

Cookie Dough Wonton Wrappers w/creme anglaise

Sometimes you need a night to have a dinner like this. Final Cut Steakhouse was a surprise. A hidden gem inside an otherwise dramatically altered environment. Even if the casino no longer holds an interest, and continues to take and take without a sense of reprieve, at least try Final Cut. Knowledgeable staff, comfortable ambience, and the food was remarkably good (even for the price), definitely worth the visit even if you go for the starters and desserts – which is what I plan next time.

Basil Tomato Cod + Teen Wolf

A few months ago, I was fortunate to get my cousin Mackenzie started on Teen Wolf. She would come over every now and then on a Thursday, and I would peel out my seasons of the MTV show and we’d sit in the living room and indulge in an episode or two or three or six. Eventually, whatever we couldn’t watch, she would take the season home and finish the rest on her own time. There came a time when we ran out of DVDs to watch and I suggested making it a thing every Monday when the show returned at the end of June. She agreed and thus began our little Monday night ritual.

I crave to cook. I need it like the air we breathe. While our kitchen was in the midst of a restoration, part of the ordeal of needing to fix up the house before its put up for sale, the itch was there. Nearly three weeks passed without a decent meal as we didn’t have a kitchen sink or much of a counter to use. Most our meals were straight from the freezer and anything my grandmother and I were able to boil, or a lot of dining out and ordering in. I was looking forward to the time when our kitchen was put back the way it was and I could dive in. I was already making notes as to what I wanted to make and expressed this to my cousin, who then said, “you can cook for me every Monday and I’ll gladly eat it!”

Challenge accepted.

As soon as the sink was put back in, counters nailed in place, I formulated the first meal. I wanted something easy, something inexpensive, and something tasteful. I perused the internet and finally chose to make something with five ingredients or less: Basil Tomato Cod. Now, I am not a fan of cod. It has a fishy flavor much like catfish; the taste of its natural habitat is a pungent flavor in my mouth. In wanting to clear out our flavor, cod was unfortunately, the only thing we had other than muscles; it had to do. Opening the package, I was insulted by the way the fish was peculiarly chopped. One very nice filet, and all the others appeared to be side thoughts, chopped and disfigured and thrown in an air tight bag. One filet was not even the size of my hand, not even big enough to accommodate a thick slice of tomato.

The fish, nonetheless, was topped with tomato and seasoned with basil. I wanted something else to join the fish to offset the taste cod often provides, and went with summertime veggies. I julienned them tediously, throwing in zucchini, yellow squash, and carrot onto the pan with a pat of butter and dousing of oil sprinkling in salt and pepper, lemon juice, and white wine. Lastly, to try something different, were the “hasselback” biscuits. Two rolls of biscuits with cheddar cheese sprinkled in the middle while brushed with a butter and garlic-salt mixture, and lastly, garnished with freshly sliced green onion.

Nothing could offset the taste of cod unless you tossed it back with a chunk of tomato and the basil, it did a nice job at least, covering the otherwise fishy taste. My cousin especially enjoyed the vegetables, but the biscuits I’ll leave in the dust. They never cooked all the way through, even after tossing it back in the oven about five different times. The ones we were able to taste were good enough but not something I would attempt again unless we were to use a different method.

We enjoyed each other’s company and even more so enjoyed the viewing of Teen Wolf. Fishy cod and doughy biscuits were the farthest thoughts on our mind. On to next Monday – let’s make it a good one.

Basil Tomato Cod w/Summer Vegetables

Stuffing Crusted Chicken and Braised Peaches

 

Inventing Something New 

Often enough, a new concept hits me and I'm unable to bat away. I like the idea of putting new spins on things, usually cooking something in a completely different and unorthodox way. Now, one thing I enjoy the most is putting fruit into my meals. I like the sweetness and vibrant color it adds to a dish, adding a sense of dimension for the eyes to drink in and mouth to taste.

Peaches and pineapple are among my favorite fruits to use. They are versatile and can be made in various ways, whether you pouch or braise or toss them on the grill for that smoky charred look, adds definition to a meal. This meal was all about the braised peaches, lathered in a succulent bourbon-maple, sauteed on the stove. Its natural golden hue was enlivened with the mixture, making it almost appear as if it were a mango (a peach can dream). There was something intimate about the richness of the bourbon paired with maple syrup; creating a complex peach without being complex at all. It added a little something extra to chicken, and while chicken is great, sometimes chicken can often being the most boring thing on the plate. 

Which is why I wanted to try something different with my chicken. Instead of dousing in chicken breasts in a dusty layer of flour and deep fried on an open stove, or rolled in crumbs of Parmesan cheese for a fine golden crust, I wanted to grasp onto the idea of Thanksgiving and chose to use Stove Top's Stuffing as the other layer. Who doesn't like the crumbly bits of stuffing on a plate, right, and why not coat it over the chicken breasts. It would cook all the same in the oven, giving you an imitation of Thanksgiving in each and every bite. The crust turned out thicker than I imagined but otherwise it was exceptional. 

Rich red and orange bell peppers were julienned and sauteed spinach served as a backdrop to dinner. The vegetables were sauteed and lightly seasoned, along with the spinach, livened with a hint of salt, pepper, garlic.

Overall, my creative prowess won out for the night. The stuffing turned out more difficult to slice through but the flavors were there in their rich, invigorating ways. The definition of the colors on the plate really brought our dinner to the next level in terms of appeal. The braised peaches, however, stood out among the rest as the real celebrities on the plate and I only wish I could have made more, and will have to do that next time.

 

Stuffing Crusted Chicken w/ Braised Peaches

Expanding My Tastes

BRINGING THE WORLD HOME

On my way to work one morning, I was listening to a new radio talk show broadcasted out of Los Angeles called the Bobby Bones Show. I forget now what the conversation was about but I remember thinking how fun it would be to travel to various places and taste the many different foods they had to offer. I'm quite the avid foodie, I relish in the thought of trying new things, and testing out new things. As it stands, there's no way for I could afford plane tickets plus the cost of lodging with the additional spending money. I thought to myself as I was nearing the off-ramp, about to head south on Highway 141, when a simple thought crossed my mind. "If I can't go to the country, why not bring the country home?" The internet is home to thousands upon thousands of different sites, and I'm sure that by doing a little research I could find recipes pertaining to any country, opening up possibilities of cooking things that are popular there. I backtracked a bit and decided, that instead of starting globally, I would begin this journey at home.

 The idea was set. Twice a month or so, I would choose a state from the United States and make dinner based on the kind of foods that are popular in that region. Not only would it be fun, but also educational, broadening my perspective in how to cook various cultural foods. I happen to love cooking, and while I may not be professional, by any means, this is the perfect way to learn and gain the experience. 

I also wanted a place to talk about my experiences at local places around the city. Part of the adventure is exploring the world with my palette from my own backyard, visiting places on the top 50 restaurants in St. Louis, pursuing through events of Festival of Nations or Taste of St. Louis, and then of course, sharing my own adventures through recipes. I love to cook and I love to cook for my friends and family.

And the first stop—Alabama. 

 I learned there are two distinct regions: Northern Alabama, and Southern Alabama. Each one boasts a palpable palette with seafood reigning near the gulf regions, and traditional "soul food/Southern Cookin" in the north with the very popular white barbecue sauce which was something I knew I had to try.

 For Alabama, I ended up making two different meals and one dessert. 

For the first dinner, I made "Summer Squash and Onion Casserole" with freshly baked cornbread, and for dessert Alabama Mud Pie.

The recipe called for small summer squash, zucchini, shredded cheese, onion, tablespoon of sweetened condensed milk and a pat of butter. I love fresh squash and zucchini, and of course, cheese. 

 

The casserole is layered with the zucchini and squash resting on the bottom, followed by the onions and shredded cheese and a drizzling of the condensed milk. Another layer of onions, cheese, milk. And so on, with an additional sprinkling of onions and cheese on the top. It went into the oven for about 45 minutes. During this time I went ahead and mixed the cornbread together, using one box of Jiffy. I popped the cornbread into the oven before the casserole, the bread was ready by the time the casserole was pulled out.

It was plated nicely. The cornbread was soft and decadent as expected. The only problem came when the casserole was simply too sweet. With the concoction of the melted onions and the cheese and the zucchini and squash all naturally sweet, combined with the condensed milk, made the meal way too rich to enjoy. It was not my favorite turn out. If I decide to attempt the casserole again, I would deplete the milk altogether and add other vegetables into the mix to balance out the rich flavors with something far more bold. 

As it would turn out our first state Alabama, was off to a rickety start. 

Next, after dinner I presented the Alabama Mud Pie. And making it was not only fun, but easy.

Alabama Mud Pie called for crushed pineapple with juice, cherry pie filling, chopped pecans, devil's food cake and chocolate chips, along with several pats of butter. This was also a layered combination. 

Beginning with the pineapple with the canned juice on the bottom, spread out to fill the dish. I love pineapples. I was left eagerly anticipating how the pineapple would end up bringing everything together.

The second layer, spread out on top of the crushed pineapple, is the cherry pie filling. I thought this was kind of an odd mixture, blending cherries and pineapple together. Tartness colliding with the pineapple's citrus. 

 In a separate bowl I mixed together the devil's food cake and once it was mixed, layered it on top of the fruit bottoms, distributing it nice and evenly around the dish. I had a feeling this was going to be a relatively rich dish with the contribution of the chocolate. Alas, I am finicky and would not deviate from the recipe until after we tasted the end result and from there, if I ever chose to make it again, would add and delete here and there to make it a bit more balanced and less on the sweet side.

 

On top of the chocolate cake mix was the chopped pecans. 

 Then a nice, healthy dose of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Finally, despite the recipe calling for more pats of butter than this, I eliminated several squares to save us from the pool of grease threatening to congeal into the already sweetened mass of fruit and cake mix.

 

After a good forty-five minutes in the oven, the cake rose beautifully with the nut-studded covering and semi-melted chocolate chips decorating the top layer. The devil's food cake hardened nicely with lovely fissures splitting across the center and near the corners of the dish. From my standpoint, I thought the dessert looked absolutely fabulous. I made this the night before the casserole dinner and served it chilled afterward.

Conclusion: As I stated before, very sweet. It helped little that the dinner was rich, also. I would definitely and honestly declare that Alabama dinner #1 was a complete and utter bust. Nonetheless, it was fun to make and I had a thrill making it. Many things will be added and subtracted if the recipes are attempted again. More than likely I will disregard the recipes and file them under "G" for good riddance and move on happily to the next Alabama-themed dinner—which had all the makings for one fine meal to make up for this one.