A few weeks ago we went to see the Big Easy Rollergirls roller derby bout (which I highly recommend if you are ever in town), and when we arrived home, we discovered a copy of Ralph Brennan’s new cookbook on our front stoop. Since I was craving fish last weekend, I thought it was the perfect time to peruse this generous gift. The recipe for Sesame-Seared Tuna with Avocado-Horseradish Sauce sounded wonderful- light and cool with just a bit of kick. I decided I just wouldn’t tell Blake about the avocado part.
This recipe turned out to be easy and delicious– perfect for a light lunch. (And Blake even said the avocado sauce was good…pretty high praise for someone who usually detests avocado.)
Note- Ralph serves this as an appetizer. I just made bigger portions and skipped the fancy plating for a simple lunch.
Recipe courtesy of Ralph Brennan’s New Orleans Seafood Cookbook.
Today’s my dear Bridget’s (Beez’s) birthday. In addition to the flowers, the cookie cake and the many gifts (hundreds of Taco Bell Fire sauce packets – ha ha) I’m showering her with, I’ve also promised not to touch my computer today, or over the weekend.
I’m sure you had an idea before, but now you know how much time I spend online, on my laptop, with my eyes glued to its screen.
Tonight we’re making white-trash nachos (a guilty pleasure), eating cookie cake and watching the highly anticipated return of the Office and 30 Rock.
A promise is a promise, so I’ll see all you amazing people next week (and maybe a bit, just a bit over the weekend). Hum…she didn’t say anything about my BlackBerry. LOOPHOLE!
Ha Ha!
Happy Birthday, Beez! I love you more than…more than?…more than Blake Makes!
I’m not usually a fan of fried foods, but I love this recipe for fried shrimp. My parents have been making these shrimp since I was a kid, and I always enjoyed the airy crunchiness the batter produces. The shrimp are not greasy and heavy, but are instead wonderfully light and fluffy. This is also a super simple recipe and is great for warm spring nights. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/2-3/4 can beer
- Salt and pepper
- 1 lb shrimp for 2 people
Method:
- Mix flour and beer and allow to set 1-2 hours in fridge. (Batter and shrimp should be very cold.)
- Beat 2 egg whites and add to batter.
- Dry and season shrimp with salt and pepper and dredge through batter.
- Deep fry until golden brown.
Hello, Blake Makers. Try this one on for size. Introducing my latest idea: Meet Your Makers…(Blake Makers, that is).
Meet Your Makers (MYM) is a blog network that I am currently building (to feed the appetite of my exponentially expanding community). Like what you see on Blake Makes? Great! Now, let’s do it for everything else we find interesting. Like…
Blake Bakes – A baked goods blog
Blake Chocolates – A chocolate blog
Blake Cleans – a “green” cleaning products blog
Blake Reads – a book club blog
Blake Travels – a travel blog
You may be saying, “It can’t be done. At least not by one man.” And, you’re right. That’s where you come in.
I want Blake Makes to be big. Not just big, but a behemoth colossus, a kingdom, a universe.
Fair warning, this idea is still in its early stages, but Blake Makes started as a wisp of thought, a twinkle in my eye. There’s about 6 such ideas coming soon.
Starting now, I’ll be recruiting voices for each blog you see listed above. I’m also open to suggestions.
Here’s how (I think) it will work:
- Someone will come to me and say, “Blake, I love wine. I’d love to blog about it.”
- Me: “Great. Let’s call it BlakeSips.com.”
- I’ll design and launch it.
- I’ll lead and direct content for the blog.
- You’ll write the content and moderate the community.
- Then, I’ll turn on the “(Secret) Community Growing Machine.”
The bigger the networks become, the more revenue potential they’ll have. We can start selling ads and sponsorships and more. When we do, I’ll do a revenue split with my contributors.
So, just to be clear. I don’t make any money from Blake Makes right now, so any volunteers would be just that. But, if you like the direction I’m heading, and have a shared vision for where I’m going, let’s talk.
It’s going to be big. Express your interest in becoming a maker here.
Well, we made Blake Makes history. The chutney giveaway post got more comments than any other post in our history, so you all get a pat on the back, and a WOWSERS from me.
We had a really tough time deciding the winners. Bridget and I printed out all the comments, sat in our living room, and discussed them back and forth.
All of your ideas were great. They ranged from just plain yummy, to the innovative and creative, and some were quite unexpected.
We came to a decision late tonight, and were finally able to agree upon the final 24, which are listed below. The winners will be notified by e-mail over the weekend, and the chutney will be shipped out next week.
As we move forward, this post will shift down the page as it’s archived, but I’ll post an update to this post as the winners blog about their winnings.
THANK YOU to everyone that participated. If you didn’t win this time, don’t be blue. We’ve got tons more free food on the way. To all the winners, CONGRATULATIONS! Post when you can, and make sure you’re a registered Sooper Hero.
Check out the winners after the break:
Great day! Really great day! And the fact that we got more comments on the chutney post than any other post in Blake Makes history is so incredibly exciting (btw, you Sooper Heroes still have a few more hours to comment).
I’m not going to spill the beans, or reveal too much, too soon, but the wheels are already in motion. In the coming weeks, I’ll be planting seeds, dropping clues and leaving you a trail of bread crumbs to the new things I’ve got cooking.
LOOK FOR FOUR BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS THAT COULD HAPPEN AT ANYTIME… ANYWHERE… BAG BOY + BOX BOY + 007 + PURPLE CENTIPEDE …no, I haven’t lost my mind. Figure it out. I know some of you already know.
We’re getting a lot of attention…A LOT. Some are even calling it a kingdom.
I like the sound of that…
…stay tuned.
BTW, I’m trying to build a massive following on twitter. If you’re not on twitter, twit to it! Pretty soon, we’ll be doing some Sooper Exclusives for Blake Makes Twitter Bugs.
What is twitter? Finally, a sooper helpful video to explain it in plain english.
Twitter in Plain English from leelefever on Vimeo.
Ok, Sooper Heroes. You’ve got all day to sign up for a free jar of McQuade’s Celtic Chutney. Alison McQuade told me that the Fig ‘N Ginger is one of her most popular flavors, and she’s given me 24 jars to give away. I’m excited to see what you all come up with.
Comment on this post, and tell us what you’ll do (make) with the chutney. You don’t have to have a recipe. You don’t even have to have ever eaten chutney before. Tell us what you’re thinking; what you’d like to try; or that you’re just dying to try some of the good stuff.
We’ll pick 24 winners tomorrow night, and post them then.
Can’t wait? Buy McQuade’s Chutney on Blake Makes!
This payment gateway is a little something I’m testing (for a BIG little something we’ll be announcing soon). Stay tuned!
Hello, Sooper Heroes. Check your e-mail inboxes (and spam folders, just in case). We just sent you a message concerning this week’s free food giveaway.
BTW, I love clues, secrets and surprises….
Hello, Blake Makers, and a very special hello to you, Sooper Heroes. Why so special? There’s a giveaway this week!!! That’s right, they’re baaaack!
So, what are we giving away? More chocolate? Something sweet? Actually, no. In fact, this time, it’s something savory. It’s chutney!
Alison McQuade has been a loyal Blake Maker since the beginning. She makes some amazing chutney, and we’ve actually blogged about it before.
She wanted to share her most popular flavor with all of you, so she sent me a jar of the Fig & Ginger to try.
Like with all the free food we get to consider for the giveaways, I needed to taste it, cook with it and photograph it.
We’re always going to tell you the truth (whether good or bad), so I have a confession to make about chutney. I don’t have a lot of experience with chutney.
I rarely cook with it, and have eaten it less. Actually, I’ve only had it twice (and both times were from McQuade’s). That being said, I’ve enjoyed everything Alison’s sent me!
I made a crostata with it (here’s the recipe), and it turned out nice. It tasted like a big fig newton. I’m curious, however, to see what you guys will be able to do with it.
That brings us to this week’s giveaway.
Instead of a feeding frenzy, we’re going to do things a little differently this time. I’m going to post on Thursday, April 3, and you’ll have all day to sign up. We have 24 jars to give away, so here’s how you get one.
Tell us what you’ll do (make) with it. You don’t have to have a recipe, or any experience with chutney. Just give us what you’ve got; what you’re thinking of; what you’d like to try.
The 24 best ideas (chosen by us) will get a jar.
Keep an eye out for a Sooper Secret E-mail for further details. Comment with questions! Stay tuned!
Good morning, Blake Makers. It’s a beautiful Sunday here in New Orleans. I felt the crisp, Spring air leaving us when I took Chopper out this morning. No more chill, but an ominous hint of oppressive humidity.
Pretty soon, that hint will be replaced by a full out onslaught of heavy, hot, wet air; for now, I’ll let these Chocolate Waffles take me away.
Again, no need for syrup (at least not for us). Eat these lovelies right out of the waffle iron.
Sprinkle on some chocolate morsels while the waffles are still hot. That way, the chocolate will melt into the waffley crags (and, yes, the batter is chocolate and there are chocolate chips in it, too).
Dust on some powdered sugar, and you’re set.
Chopper’s crunching down some kibble. Bridget’s reading Pillars of the Earth. And I’m completely at peace. Chocolate seems to do that.
