Week 9 - Florida

 

We've made it to sunny Florida... Allen and I spent a week in Key West and fell in love with Florida cuisine.  Allen was on a mission to find the best Key Lime Pie in Key West so he had a piece at every restaurant.  I am not sure whether he actually decided who had the best Key Lime Pie but he sure enjoyed the every piece. 


Florida Fruit Salad
Wild Rice Pilaf
Florida Strawberry Muffins
Oven Baked Pompano
Key Lime Pie
Orange Juice

Key Lime Pie

Conner and the Pompano Fish

Baked Pompano, Wild Rice,
Strawberry Muffins & Fruit Salad

The Pompano fish turned out to be simple to prepare and really delicious, we are so used to eating salmon this was a nice change.  Conner didn't like the rice (everyone else did), Will didn't like the muffins or salad (everyone else did).  The Key Lime Pie was wondeful, it reminde us of Key West.  We listened to Jimmy Buffet.  Georgia is next, Allen's home state.

Week 8 - Delaware

Having lived in NJ, MD, PA and VA I thought Delaware would have been easy to find recipes, I was proved wrong.  Blue crabs are popular in Delaware and Maryland so we decided so save the Chesapeake Bay crabs for Maryland (Allen and Sydney recently visited MD and feasted on crabs).  We are having crab puffs for Delaware, they are a traditional Delaware food and Allen loves to use the Fry Daddy.

Delaware Crab Puffs
Delaware Sweet Potato Biscuits
Marinated Asparagus
Spicy Corn on the Cob
Grapes (state fruit)

Delaware Peach Crisp

Delaware turned out to be a big hit.  The Crab Puffs were delicious, the Sweet Potato Biscuits were OK (the recipe forgot to mention how much flour to use so it was a guess), Asparagus and Corn were a good too.  I will definitely do everything but the biscuits again.  Everyone loved the Peach Crisp.

Week 7 - Connecticut

It turns out that Connecticut instant known for any specific cuisine.  It is the Nutmeg State.  We decided to go with some basic New England food.

Crock Pot Yankee Pot Roast
Anadama Bread

Crispy Connecticut Pear Tart

The Pot Roast turned out OK, a bit dry (as usual) but everybody seemed to enjoy it, especially with the gravy on it.  The Anadama Bread was really good (Conner didn't like it) except that it needed to be cooked a little bit longer.  The Pear Tart was delicious (Will was not a fan), I have never used phyllo dough before and it turned out well.

Week 6 - Colorado

It turns out the cheeseburger originated in Denver, so we are having Bison Burgers.  This will make everyone happy.  Colorado is also famous for melons and peaches.

Cantaloupe and Avocado Salad With Chili Dressing
Bison Burger
Colorado Potato Hash
Colorado Peach Cobbler
Ranger India Pale Ale (Brewed in Fort Collins) NOT Coors Light

This meal was a big hit adn we listened to John Denver as we ate.  Everyone loved the Bison Burgers.  The salad and potatoes were delicious too.  Will only ate the burger, Conner didn't like the salad.  Allen loved everything.  The Peach Cobbler was yummy, peaches are out of season so I had to use canned peaches, it was still good. 

We keep the Coors Light on hand to kill Slugs.  The Ranger IPA was wonderful

Week 5 - California

We are still at it, the kids look forward to each week's meal.  I thought California was going to be easy but it has been a bit of a struggle trying to figure out what to have as a main course.  Cobb Salad or Cioppini were the obvious choices but Allen can't have blue cheese and isn't a fan of fish soup.  I finally settled on California Chicken Pasta which I am planning on modifying by adding sun dried tomatoes.

This week is dedicated to my darling daughter Barb who lives in California, everything about her is golden.

California Roll
Sour Dough Bread
California Chicken Pasta
Lemonade / California White Wine

Fresh Fruit Pizza

Well tonight's meal was yummy.  Allen made homemade pasta, the sushi and the bread.  Everyone loved the sushi.  The pasta was wonderful, Conner didn't like the tomatoes.  The fruit pizza was delicious and was Will's favorite.  Sydney and I still like Alabama cuisine the best, Conner and Will are voting for Arizona, and Allen's favorite is the one he just ate.



Homemade Pasta


 

Week 4 - Arkansas "The Razorback State"

It turns out  is the Razorback State, which means we are having razorback (wild boar) stew.

Razorback Stew
Slow Cooked Collard Greens
Corn Bread
Arkansas Cumin Rice

Hattie's Applesauce Cake

Conner and Will only liked the corn bread (big surprise).  Sydney, Allen and I liked everything.  The greens were delicious, everything else was good.

We are all looking forward to California, we are definitely having California Roll and Sour Dough Bread and ....

Week 3 - Arizona

We are doing traditional Sonaran food this week for Arizona.
Carne Asada
Pico de Gallo
Mexican Corn
Sonoran Rice
Indian Fry Bread
Arizona Ice Tea
Cinnamon Sugar Fry Bread

Arizona ended up being a big hit with the family.  Everyone's favorite was the Indian fry bread.  The carne asada was a bit dry.  This was Conner and Will's favorite meal so far.  Sydney, Allen and I are still fans of Alabama so far.  Arkansas is next, I have promised not to do roadkill.

Week 2 - Alaska

 

I spent a week looking for caribou/ reindeer sausage locally for our Alaskan meal, we decided at the last minute on halibut and halibut cheeks. 

• Halibut with Balsamic Vinegar
• Panko Fried Halibut Cheeks
• Roasted Swiss Chard And Potato Cake
• Dilly Cucumber Salad
• Alaskan Sour Dough Bread
• Alaska Raspberry Mint Punch/ Alaska IPA Ale
• Baked Alaska (with Moose Tracks Ice Cream)

It looks like we will not be moving to Alaska any time soon after eating this meal.  Sydney said everything was OK except for the potatoes, Conner didn't really like anything except for the Baked Alaska.  Will tried everything and was a thumbs down on the potatoes and the cucumbers.  Chad said everything was delicious but didn't take a bite of anything except the Baked Alaska

Week 1: Alabama

The menu for Alabama Monday (8/30/10) is listed below. Thanks to my niece Leslie, who is a junior at Auburn for her insight on Alabama cuisine.  (mouse over menu for recipe links).

• Fried Green Tomatoes
• Blackened Catfish
• Collard Greens
• Sweet Potato Fries
• Sweet Tea
• Blueberry Buckle

Allen, Sydney, Conner and I enjoyed the meal. Syd loved the sweet potato fries, Conner's favorites were the fried green tomatoes and the catfish. My favorite was the blueberry buckle.  Allen had seconds of everything, except the sweet potato fries (Sydney ate all of them).

Will only liked the catfish and Will's friend Chad didn't like anything. Will and Chad opted for Top Ramen.