The Opinionated Foodie: The Love (or Not) of Food and Everything That Goes with It

Book club this month was Randy Susan Meyers’s book The Murderer’s Daughters. While not everyone was amazed by the book, I liked it a lot. It was different from so many other books out there, and it gave me a lot to think about. I like that in a book. Our discussion was good, and, of course, the food was outstanding.

I chose two dishes to take the this month’s meeting: a crab bread pudding that I found in Food and Wine and Rachael Ray’s Caesar deviled eggs. 

I picked the deviled eggs since the Devil made him do it. Hardee har har.

I loved the eggs. I followed Rachael’s recipe exactly, even down to the hard-to-find-around-here anchovy paste. I loved them, and I was so impressed with myself.  They were very fancy for eggs, but they were beautiful and different.  I like that in an egg.

I was not so happy with the crab bread pudding. 

I make a French toast casserole very similar to this recipe-well, except for the crab part. That recipe has a lot better filling to bread ratio.  This recipe had way too much breading for the crab.  To make the match better, I would have had to buy at least two more containers of crab. At $14 a pop, that would be one expensive casserole.  Still, I like the thought, and as long as I can remember how to tweak it using a lot less bread, I’ll be making it again.

At book club, my dishes were well received.  They both could have been better for the group.  The eggs were well received, and the casserole was not touched enough for what it cost to make it.  Live and learn.

The star of the night was my friend who can out cook anybody or their mother.  She made the Krystal/White Castle burgers from Pinterest.

They were delicious-and I do mean outstanding.  I made them a few nights after using her recipe of onion soup, onions, smooth peanut butter, cheese whiz, and milk.  I do believe I embarrassed myself with my behavior about these burgers.

Problem is that I was too busy smashing them in my face to care.

They were way oniony.  I used a whole large onion on the top and piled them on to serve them.  We paid the price the next day.  Whew.  Onion playback-yuck.

Still, I would do it all over again. 

These burgers were also, though, so moist and full of flavor, cheap, and dang easy to make.  Gotta love that in anything. 

I liked all three recipes, and just like the book, they all three gave us something to think and talk about.