Creole Shrimp

Tonight we give you Creole Shrimp. This ends my continuing effort to explore foods James Monroe may have enjoyed as President. The first was chicken, the second was beef, the third is seafood. All this will end up in my final James Monroe Geocache, A Taste of History. Creole cooking has its origins in France (and as we has established, he was an ambassador to France), but tied with the influences of African origins in the West Indies, culminating in the establishment of creole and then Cajun styles of cooking, a wonderful (and my personal favorite) uniquely identified style of authentic American cuisine. So in my imagination, in a Colonial America, with its close ties to both France, the West Indies via trade and our burgeoning traditions in New Louisiana, I see...

Boeuf Stroganoff

Two things. First…RedMeatMonday® returns! Second, this is part of my research on what James Monroe might have enjoyed eating. This one is a bit of a reach, but bear with me. And yes, I checked, ‘bear’ is the proper ussage. Tonight I give you Boeuf Stroganoff. Usually known as a Russian meal, it is thought to have been prepared for the Stroganoff family (wealthy merchants) by a french chef who worked for them. I don’t think this is much of a stretch, having just made Poulet à la Chasseur, a classic French dinner which certainly has parallels to this meal. I found that Boeuf Stroganoff is one of the first meals taught in french culinary schools. So…Beef Stroganoff! This is a easy, fast, tasty meal. My only difference is that I...

Poulet à la Chasseur

While I prepare a history based Geocache for James Monroe Birthplace Park & Museum, I wanted to tie in a meal that James Monroe may have enjoyed upon his return. Thus we give you Poulet à la Chasseur, AKA: Chicken Chasseur, AKA: Hunter’s Chicken. The origin is that hunters, while out hunting their game, would collect mushrooms while on their way. These would be used in a stew along with shallots and tomatoes when they got back. About 4 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces, you can cut up a whole chicken, but we went with 4 thighs, bone-in, and removed the skin.1 lb fresh button mushrooms2 shallots2 carrots1 14 oz can of tomatoes (crushed, diced, pureed, etc), we used 4 garden fresh plum tomatoesflourRosemaryThymeGarlicchicken stock, we used chicken bone...

Don’s Irish Lazagna

This started off as a “Reuben Bake” but by the time I finished it, I decided to call it an “Irish Lazagna”. And is SOOO good, and I can only eat it once a year for health reasons. Apparently I can only get deli-cut corned beef at Halls, so my adventure begins there. The shopping list was… 1 lb of corned beef at the deli, sliced on a 2A bag of marbled rye breadA pouch of Swiss cheeseA jar of kosher dillsA jar of Thousand Island DressingA bag of fresh sauerkraut I had the oat milk and egg whites already, as well as Kerrygold butter. This recipe is an amalgamation of about 5 videos I saw on YouTube, plus a bit of my own innovation. First, I toasted six pieces of rye bread in my air fryer. In hind-sight I think I would have rolled these...

Mushroom Garlic Chicken

Sunday Night Dinner: Mushroom Garlic Chicken, so simple, so quick, so good. 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs around 6-8 fillets1 teaspoon onion powder1 teaspoon garlic powder½ teaspoon dried thyme½ teaspoon dried rosemary½ teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon cracked pepper2 tablespoons olive oil For The Sauce: 1 tablespoon butterMushrooms. We used one pack of Shiitake and one of Portabello4 cloves garlic minced, or 1 tablespoon minced garlic1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped½ – 1 teaspoon dried thyme adjust to your taste Instructions Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towel and trim off excess fat. Combine the onion powder, garlic powder, herbs, salt and pepper. Coat the chicken evenly with the combined seasoning. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil a large pan or...