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Chocolate Chip Cookies
I've read that of all the five senses, smell is the one most tied to memory. It's hard to argue that when the smell of chocolate chip cookies comes wafting up out of the oven. The moment it hits me I'm instantly transported back to childhood. Where cookies, and potential acquisition of more cookies, were my primary interest. Even though my sweet tooth has faded over the years (I still love dessert, it's just not my primary culinary interest anymore) I still never can turn away from a good cookie... or cheesecake... or regular cake... ok, I'm getting distracted. The perfect cookies are really tough to get just right. To…
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BLT
There is something I love about life's simple pleasures: Sunsets, road trips, beer, etc. The perfect sandwich for simplicity? The BLT. Sure, one could argue PB and J is easier to make. While that may be true, one thing stands out. It doesn't have bacon on it. Although it's unclear when and where we started using the term BLT, the first recipe for this type of sandwich appeared in a 1903 cookbook entitled Good Housekeeping Everyday Cookbook. Only thing different from how we know it today is that the recipe called for a slice of turkey which really made it more of a club. But who cares? The BLT was…
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Chicken and Dumplings
Ah, comfort food. The culinary category that takes us to a nice, soft place with very little worry... and even less responsibility. A very broad-ranging category whose only membership requirements are that the dish takes you to another time and sets your mind at ease. Mac and cheese for some. Chicken noodle soup for the others. My comfort food list is fairly long. I guess nostalgia and gluttony go hand in hand for me. Explains a lot actually. But at or very near the top is chicken and dumplings. My ultimate comfort food.
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Fried Chicken Sandwich
During last year's fried chicken wars on social media, I remember thinking “I am so sick of this nonsense. I can't wait for this to be over.” Now, a mere year later, I would give my left arm if all we had to worry about was some stupid fast food marketing ploy. Amazing how much can change in a year. Anyways, fried chicken sandwiches are a secret obsession of mine. While I fully admit that there are better sandwiches out there, there is just something so delicious and simple about these things. The beautiful part is, they are really hard to mess up. If you've got even just a little…
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Tom Kha Gai
Tom Kha Gai is a spicy, coconut milk based soup that originated in Thailand and Laos. Translating to “galangal chicken soup” (galangal, by the way, is a root spice closely related to ginger). It has several different varieties, but the Gai version is my favorite. I think what I love the most about this soup is the way it perfectly balances the sweet (coconut cream/milk) and the savory (all other spices). It does so in a way that only Thai cuisine can accomplish.
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Black Eyed Peas
Black Eyed Peas are a New Year's Day tradition in the south. Although the name and recipe can change depending upon where in the south you find yourself (a lot of folks grew up knowing them as Hoppin' John but I always heard them referred to as Black Eyed Peas) the basics are still the same. This dish is one of several (cabbage and greens being a few others) that is supposed to bring you prosperity and good luck during the new year.
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Caramel Mocha Latte
In this hectic world, it can be hard to add steps to our already busy schedule. However, sometimes taking the long way around really pays off. There's one little thing I've found that doesn't require a great deal more effort but in turn, adds a great deal to my morning routine. If you have never had coffee from freshly ground coffee beans you do not know what you're missing.
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Peach and Habanero Hot Sauce
It's hard to think of the two words "Louisiana" and "condiment" together and not think of hot sauce. Although the idea of combining peppers and water didn't originate in Louisiana, (most agree the Aztecs were the first to develop some kind of hot sauce) it was a Louisiana man who first popularized hot sauce on a mass scale. Edmund McIlhenny founded the popular Tabasco brand on Avery Island in Louisiana and helped the rest of the world discover this perfect blend of rich, spicy, yumminess. I've spent many sleepless nights trying to figure out what in the hell people put on their oyster poboys and tossed their buffalo wings in…
