Mémère’s Tomato & Corn Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Just wanted something easy, so I went with my grandmother’s tomato and corn soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. You can find the recipe here.

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I decided to go with a bottle of the Flemish Kiss from The Commons Brewery.

Chicken & Sausage Gumbo and a Salad

With the cold weather, I’ve been having a hankering for this. Since I had the leftover chicken from Thanksgiving and some Andouille I had picked up – plus some roux I had in the freezer, this was quick and easy.

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To drink, I went with a bottle of the Tableau Rouge from De Garde.

Poulet en Cocotte Bonne Femme, Spinach Casserole

For Thanksgiving, I wanted to try an old family recipe: Poulet en Cocotte Bonne Femme. My grandmother cooked this dish for me once, and I’ve always wanted to try to make it myself. Luckily, my mother recently gave me the recipe. I decided to go with another family recipe – Spinach Casserole – to go with it, since it can be made hours in advance. And for dessert… My wife made Pouding Chômeur.

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As for what to drink… I went with a 2013 bottle of Sahalie from The Ale Apothecary followed by a 2012 bottle of the Bourbon Little Brother from The Commons.

Seared Scallops with Romesco, Lemony Swiss Chard with Fried Olives, Capers & Garlic

I had my first scallop only six months ago. But I knew that as soon as I tasted it, that I would have to learn how to cook them. I found this recipe in the Toro Bravo cookbook. I couldn’t make up my mind what to cook with this. I wanted something fairly simple. I deiced to go with the Lemony Swiss Chard recipe to use up the last of the chard from our garden before the freeze next week.

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I went with a bottle of the Citra Hose from De Garde.

Autumn Cabbage and Smoked Meat Borscht

I have been looking forward to revisiting this recipe again… Also, I got to use the pork stock that was a byproduct of the fried pig’s ears from a few weeks back.

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To drink, I went with a bottle of the Sour in the Rye from The Bruery Terreux.