Boiling Peanuts AKA Hoppers

There is a first time for everything...

Boiling your own "hoppers" is super easy and quite fun! All you need is

-crockpot
-seasonings
-raw peanuts
-electricity
-liquid to cover the hoppers

Q. Where do you find raw peanuts?
A. Farmers Market

Q. What is a good amount for a normal size crockopot?
A. 2 pounds

Here are the ingredients we used:

We used Jockamo IPA for our broth. Other non-conventional additions included truffle salt and hot sauce.

Cooking time: I recommend cooking the peanuts in the crockpot on high for 24 hours. Let those nuts soak in the flavor.

As you can see, this is a really fun process in which you can "set it & forget it."

These hoppers are perfect for game-day snacking and will stay good for up to two weeks if you keep the nuts in the fridge.

Make Your Own Pizza - Gangnam Style

How about them Who Dats? Worst game ever. Depressing at best...

Invention (idea) of the day - What if there was a doggy water bed that could be filled with ice. This would cool down big & hairy dogs during the dog days of summer. Thoughts?

So, when was the last time you made your own pizza?

Pizza dough can be bought at many local pizzerias & even at the great Whole Foods. Cost is about $2.99 per pizza. Whole Foods uses a wheat pizza dough that gives off bitter taste that most people really enjoy. I suggest sprinkling sugar on the flatend pie dough and then brushing butter on top. Can you say fat?

Check out the second pizza we made last night -- shaped like a football...

Even the football shaped pizza couldn't help our beloved terrible Saints. Worst defense in the history of football. Pizza's are similar to waffles & pancakes --- the first round is never best. The second batch was much better than the first.

Cooking tips in the oven: 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Can you spell delicious? I can't it without spell check.

Happy Monday! Go Hornets.

The Show Goes On...

Happy 28th Birthday Ashley Orr! You truly are a fantastic spice of life.

Congratulations as well to Austin Travis Lane who was this weeks lucky winner of GTD. The answers were:

1. Superior Seafood - Steak 'n Eggs
2. Superior Seafood - Couchon de Lait Po-boy
3. SoBou - Tuna Special

In an effort of keeping the fun guessing alive, can you guess where I had dinner last night?

Clues: This chain restaurant is relatively new to the NOLA dining scene. There were some items that were good value (vodka soda = $6.95 & redfish almondine $25) and there were others that made me scratch my head ( ie. 4 asparagus for $8 pretax and tip). Do you know how many happy meals I could buy for the same as the four asparagus? A LOT

So, where did I eat last night? Next week, I will be featuring a post on how to boil your own peanuts aka or as they call em in Alabama "hoppers." RTR

Guess that Dish - 7th Ward Style

Congrats to Scott Kushner. Last weeks lucky winner. What a man!

Random thought of the day: I am constantly over eating and eating too fast...and I think, how can I slow myself down? I have the solution: miniature silverware...I ate a meal the other night with a lobster fork & it really helped. Chop sticks also help slow me down.

Last week's featured restaurant was Sylvain which is truly something special. It can be done with Value in mind but can get out of control fast. Unbelievable atmosphere. BIG FAN!

This week is all about guessing both the restaurants and dishes featured. And, we're off....

Clues for Photo #1 - I bet you didn't know this uptown restaurant does brunch on Sundays... Oh and did I mention they do Happy Hour all day Sunday. Frozen mimosas (made with orange sherbet) are amazing.

Clues for Photo #2 - Same spot. Photo gives away the restaurant, but can you GTD?

Clues for Photo #3 - New french quarter restaurant to the NOLA scene. Value is not associated with this place, but can you say SPLURGE OF THE WEEK. Unbelievably cool and progressive atmosphere.

Ok - bring it on! And for bonus points, email me what ward each restaurant is located in...

Answers from this weeks GTD + a new NTR

Welcome back! As promised, the answers from Monday's Guess That Dish:

1. Mandina's on Canal - Seafood Platter = heart attack heaven
2. Fury's - Fried Chicken Plate = not that impressive
3. Crabby Jacks - Fish tacos = AMAZING & great value
4. Tartine - Tuna Nicoise salad = not for me
5. Herbsaint - Ribeye = overrated and too expensive

To keep the games rolling, below are three photos from last nights dinner. Can you guess this amazing french quarter restaurant?

Clues:

- this restaurant may have the best atmosphere in the city
- reminds me a little of restaurants in NYC
- You can go either way in terms of value here. It can be done on the cheap but can get expensive real fast
- dark interior
- fabulous courtyard
- very small dining room

Bring it on!

Week of October 15th: Guess that Dish!

A new week begins & another weekend is over! Happy Monday and good morning. I hope to engage all of you in this weeks edible delights and don't forget to check back in regularly for the answers!

Clues for dish #1: This New Orleans staple is not for those on a diet. Located right off the streetcar tracks, ValueNola approves of this menu! Fair prices and a great place to bring clients and/or out-of-towners!

Clues for dish #2: "The Franky & Johnny's of Metairie." This is an italian restaurant which happens to make great fried chicken. No glitz or glamour at this hole in wall that people call a "hidden gem." I dont know if I would go that far...

Clues for dish #3: My new go-to dish at one of my favorite lunch spots on the Hwy. Probably one of the healthier dishes on the menu & so F*&cking good. Grilled not fried. Also a huge fan of the huge to go cups they give their guests for water.

Clues for dish #4: This is how a salad should look. Enough to get even a man full for a little while. Unfortunately, this salad has too many components I disagree with, but perfect for a more adventuresome eater! An uptown destination.

Clues for dish #5: An expensive and salty steak at one of New Orleans most respected establishments. Apparently, Susan Spicer had some involvement with this warehouse district spot in its early days. But now it's just Donald Link. Right off the tracks as well!


More photos, more clues, answers coming soon! ValueNola is stepping it up!

Value Fixing with the GTD answers

Happy Friday crew!

It was brought to my attention that I should start releasing the answers to Guess That Dish / Name That Restaurant each week.

This weeks answers:
1. Antoine's - Soufflé Potatoes
2. Saints Tailgate - Jambalaya
3. Tartine - Steak Sandwich

Congratulations Bond Lengsfield - this weeks lucky winner of a jar of pickles. CONGRATS!

Bond is also this weeks Value Handyman aka Handy Man "Mazel"

Why the need for a handyman? Reuben locked himself into the bathroom last friday night after eating 7 ounces of M&M's. So, I kicked down the door at 11 pm. This cracked the door frame and door.

The above photo shows the before, during, and after of Handy Man Mazel's excellent work. Mazel uses all cookbooks to clamp the wall together with the wood glue.

As you can see, Mazel does excellent work and is available all day - everyday. You can reach him on his cell at 504.628.1188.

Ok. That's it. Have a great weekend.

Can you guess this dish / restaurant?

Happy Tuesday! Hope everyone is doing well. There has been a lot of positive responses to our favorite bi-monthly game: GUESS THAT DISH aka GTD! Past winners include BTL, AO, Mr. T, and Garfield.

So with that in mind, let's get started!

Clues for photo #1 - Possibly my favorite appetizer in the entire city / world. I have never understood why more places don't make these succulent treats. So good! Can we invent an infomercial type machine that allows regular people to make these at home? I would buy it.

Clues for photo #2 - A Louisiana tailgate tradition. This guy was more proud of this large cast iron than his entire family standing next to him. There was probably enough of this cajun dish to serve 100 people and I guarantee Boudreaux did not break the bank getting all the ingredients. ValueNola approves.

Clues for photo #3 - Probably the best sandwich I ate in the month of September. WOW! Gourmet and filling. Has anyone checked out the popup dinner at this uptown gem?

Alright, that should get all of you hungry for the week. Let's eat some food!

The Latest Round of Jerky - Venison

The third attempt at jerky proved to be the most successful trial yet. That said, there is still major room for improvement. This go around I used a venison back-strap provided and marinaded by Robert "Big Bob" Bronstein. This venison back-strap was lean and flavorful - My kind of jerky! To be noted, the most important part of the process is dehydration time ....& sure enough I messed this up! I left the meat in too long which resulted in a tough (over cooked) jerky.

Another quick tip: Don't cut that jerky too think or short. A good piece of jerky has some bulk and thickness to it.

The flavor of this round of jerky was excellent, but next go around, I will start the dehydration right before bed & turn off as soon as I wake up.

Making your own jerky is a very easy and a rewarding process that I will continue to pursue in the future! My next venture with Robert is boiling our own peanuts!

In other news, check out this feature in The New Orleans Magazine on my pickles:
http://www.myneworleans.com/New-Orleans-Magazine/October-2012/Guy-Things/