Domenica

After a matinee performance of "Sister Act" at the Saenger Theatre yesterday, a group of us went to Domenica Restaurant, located in The Roosevelt Hotel. Our meal was fantastic!

To start, we ordered 2 small plates: the bruschetta with goat cheese & roasted beets and the roasted pork with pepper jelly.

Bruschetta with goat cheese and beets

Pork with pepper jelly

We also ordered for the table the wood-fired eggplant with olive oil, vegetables, and tahini. The perfectly roasted eggplant is topped with braised leeks, roasted carrots, dollops of tahini, and  fresh basil. It is served with toasted pieces of pastry chef Lisa White's delicious bread. It was divine!

Wood-fired roasted eggplant

For our entree, we ordered 2 pizzas:

The Calabrese - tomato, spicy salami, mozzarella, capers, and olives.

And the Roasted Carrot - with goat cheese, red onion, shaved brussel sprouts, beets and hazelnuts. What a wonderful burst of flavors and textures! I can't wait to get another one of these.

All pizzas and most wines by the glass are half price at Domenica between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., 7 days a week!  It's one of the best Happy Hours in town.

*Sorry for the poor picture quality. My group was starving and I had to move fast.

Mackie

Mackie

9 years ago I "rescued" this sweet boy. Turns out, he ended up rescuing me - we endured 3 evacuations, life on the road after Katrina, and all kinds of ups and downs together. He was my constant companion and just about perfect in every way. He brought love wherever he went.

Mackie 2007

Mackie loved our family and friends and was great with the kids.

Kathy, Carol, Rich & Mackie 2004

Mykah, Gabrielle, Ella & Mackie 2004

Mykah & Mackie 2007

Mackie & JJ 2008

Daddy, Lance, Blake & Mackie 2013

Mackie had a special bond with my dad and loved sitting on my dad's lap.

Daddy & Mackie 2004

Daddy &  Mackie 2013

Mackie was a good sport - and endured my holiday & Saints silliness.

Carol, Mackie, Santa, Rich & Colonel 2008

Me, Mackie & Santa 2008
 

 

Mackie & me 2006

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Mackie & me 2008

 One of his favorite past-times was sleeping - in his little bed and his big bed (aka my bed).

Mackie 2009

Mackie 2013

We moved into our new house in April 2013.

Mackie & me April 2013

He loved sitting on our new front porch for hours.

Mackie, August 2013

Mackie on the front porch with his buddies Colonel & Harry, August 2013

In June 2013, I adopted another Yorkie, Harry. He was Mackie's dog. But Mack, in the background, wasn't so sure about this new kid at first.

But, he warmed up to him and hopefully some of Mackie's perfection rubbed off on Harry. Time will tell.

Harry and Mackie, June 2013

Sadly, my sweet boy got sick in July and I lost him on August 19, 2013. He loved me with his whole being, and taught me so much about kindness, love, and joy.

As his final resting place, I put his ashes in his treat tin - I can't think of a place he would rather spend all eternity. Rest in peace, my sweet Mackie.

Amaizingly Sweet Corn

Summers in southern  Louisiana  bring the heat, humidity … and gorgeous bounties from the garden: luscious  Creole tomatoes; crisp & juicy corn; sweet watermelon. I can’t seem to get enough Creole tomatoes this year – so incredibly good!

A sometimes perk of being a food blogger is being solicited to sample products and write about them. I have never accepted those offers – till now. Why? Because this time I was asked to sample a new sweet corn to be sold at Rouses stores in the New Orleans area. 

According to it's web page, Amaize sweet corn is the "brain child of George Crookham and Bruce Hobdey. The pair began working on perfecting the taste and texture of Amaize sweet corn in 1989 after experiencing a type of corn with a crunch and a pop that differentiated itself from the textures of other corns, which tended to get mushy when cooked. In the 22 year development period, the duo tested well over 10,000 variations of corn and perfected the best sweet corn you’ll ever taste – Amaize_™ sweet corn!"

Recently, I received 4 ears of corn (for free) from Amaize. That same evening, I shucked the corn and placed the ears in a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes, turned the fire off, and let the corn sit in the hot water a few more minutes. After we slathered the ears with butter, we dove in.

The corn is crisp, plump, sweet & juicy – in other words, simply perfect! Some friends like corn on the cob uncooked. Corn has to be very fresh and juicy for me to like it that way.  Amaize sweet corn is so sweet and crisp, it would be good uncooked, too.

The grower for the New Orleans market is WP Rawl, based in South Carolina. Here is their website: www.rawl.net.

Amaize sweet corn is available exclusively at Rouses stores in the New Orleans area. Go get ya some – before the season is over!