I’ve recently returned from 13-day, two-city, 4000+ mile business trip (and finally free from the upper respiratory infection that accompanied it and followed me home.)

And, yes, I counted before I departed. Thirteen days equated to 39 mealtimes on the road most of which was scheduled to be hotel banquet food; quite the challenge for someone whose hobby is cooking and who’d rather cook-in than eat-out.

I was feeling reticent about my time on the road from the moment my travel plans were settled until I checked into the Mirage on my first stop, Las Vegas.

I can remember the days when the draw to Vegas was cheap  (not good) food and free drinks.

Although you still get free drinks while you gamble (are they really free though if you lose your shirt on the casino floor?) the food is far from cheap.

But, as I discovered by taking a very necessary break from the conference-provided meals, the food is fantastic.

I had a full-flavored rib-eye at The Eiffel Tower Restaurant in the Paris Hotel; a melt-in-your-mouth filet mignon at Stack, and a delightful four-cheese eggplant rollatini at Onda.

Even the buffet-style food served during the conference was tasty and surprisingly interesting. One of my favorites was a Mediterranean-themed dinner buffet with a cumin-rubbed tenderloin served with a cumin-spiced mustard, grilled vegetables, and hummus to name a few of my favorites. Kudos to the Venetian on the conference food.

Orlando was my next stop.  It was a letdown to check into Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside hotel which felt a bit like a cheap motel after a week at the Mirage.

And the food, well, let’s just say it’s lacking. To be fair, the conference was headquartered at the Swan and the Dolphin hotels located on Disneyworld property, but you won’t find Mickey-themed soap in your bathroom there as neither hotel is operated by Disney (go figure).

The one good meal I did have in Orlando was at Fulton’s Crab House in Downtown Disney. My Texas roots were showing that evening, however, when after looking over all the wonderful seafood choices I chose a sumptuous steak instead.

I did manage to get one homemade pasta dinner on the road compliments of family who live in Vegas.

Although I was pleasantly surprised with the discovery of great food in Vegas, my sentiments align with Dorothy. There’s no place like home and I’m happy to be back in my kitchen.

So many recipes so little time.

 The Belo Mansion was rocking away to the powerful blues tunes from Dallas’ own Edwin Holt and his 12-piece Conspiracy Band at Dallas Mardi Gras (pictured left). The stage was packed for hours! He’s not in Dallas for long, though. In May he heads for the Gold Coast down under, headlining at the 2006 Broadbeach Blues Festival in Australia where thousands of blues fans gather on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
Visit the website for details: http://www.bluesonbroadbeach.com
Visit Edwin’s website for details about him: http://www.edwinholt.com

Everyone was celebrating the spirit of Mardi Gras, wearing crowns, hats, wacky make up; boas and feathers were everywhere. Surrounding the band’s stage and huge dance floor were tables with seating for guests, gambling, tarot card reader, bartenders pouring champagne, wines and everything else.

This is the perfect event for parents to enjoy with their adult children, friends and couples to make a fun night of complete partying: food, dancing, great silent auction items and the people watching is its own party.

(Pictured here: Meg Munson with her dad, Ben Munson and sister, Merry Munson Wyatt, chairman.)

Who was there: The  Munson family: Merry Munson Wyatt, chairman and her husband Brady; Meg Munson, Susie and Ben Munson (mom and dad. The Tabasco bar was named Ben’s Tabasco Bar, honoring his penchant for spicy foods).

Angela Choquette and Angela Jones, Underwriting Co-Chairs, along with Maggie Cooke and Hadley Hammonds, Silent Auction Co-Chairs and Sarah and Alan Losinger, Honorary Chairs with their son, John.

April Miller, the Dallasite who did not get the rose from the Bachelor in Paris, looking absolutely adorable with her friend, Paula Masters; Amy and Brent Carreker; Angela and Doug Nash; Don Hicks with Dr. and Mrs. J. L. La Manna; J.B. Hayes and Teffy Jacobs with her parents, Jack and Doris.

Patrons helped themselves at the well-stocked food stations. Menu: Jambalaya Station: Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya, White Rice, Southern Cornbread, Chicken & Baby Shrimp Sauces. Carving Station: Chef Cajun Blackened Beef Tenderloin , Mini Sliced French Baguettes , Zataran’s Mustard & Herbed Mayonnaise , Spicy Red Beans , Fried Okra. Dessert Station: White Chocolate Bread Pudding , Vanilla Sauce , Coffee and Tea.

 Décor: Choreogrpahed by the lovely Meg Munson & committee. People probably expect to hear Todd Fiscus or the like as designer because decorations were absolutely fabulous: huge Mardi Gras masks, red draping everywhere, with gold, black and white accents, mirrors and the big hit, one of the girl’s trainers covered himself completely in gold make up and wore nothing but a gold leather sash around his waist. He was the “live statue” of the evening.

Top Auction Item: Vacation at Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa and two roundtrip flights provided by American Airlines - $5,500.

Close Second: Vacation at Rosewood’s newest property – CordeValle in San Martin, California (also included two roundtrip flights provided by American Airlines) $4,800.
(Photo of Tracy Schnyder)

Final Stats: 392 in attendance.
The money raised the night of event (casino, raffle & auction) was $42,700 and combined with sponsorships and underwriting, the total NET donation to the American Red Cross: $164,950.

 The event: Dallas Mardi Gras happens every year and is the largest, single fundraising event organized by the Dallas Chapter. Unless specifically earmarked for other uses, donations made to the American Red Cross – Dallas Area Chapter stay in the Dallas metropolitan area to benefit its citizens. Tickets for Mardi Gras begin at $125 per person. For more information on next year’s event, contact Audra Russell, Development Associate, Special Events at 214.678.4402 or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Photos by Dana Driensky.

More Party Pics from this event will be on socialwhirl.com soon. We'll post a notice here.
See Party Pics from Dallas Mardi Gras 2005:
http://www.socialwhirl.com/SWARedCrossMardiGras05.htm

The irony of it all is that I pass by this little store on every visit to my parent’s house but I had to search to find it.

Several recipes in an Indian cookbook that Hannah had given me for Christmas mentioned a spice that I had never heard of and most certainly had never seen on the shelves of my local grocery store – fenugreek.

It's a necessary ingredient in homemade curry paste and since beef curry was on the menu at my house this week I couldn’t be without.  So I went on a hunt -- Internet hunt that is.

(I don’t keep a phone book or yellow pages anymore – they go straight from the front porch to my recycle bin. And I’m looking forward to the day that they stop printing those obscenely-huge-waste-of-paper books or, at the very least give me a chance to opt out of having one left at my door.)

A simple Google search, “Indian grocer, dallas”, produced the result I was looking for in 0.22 seconds -- a list of lndian grocers in Texas. 

That's how I found Star International Grocery.  While I was growing up it was a 7-11, but now this building is home to much more interesting food and spices.

Yes, they stocked fenugreek and other spices as well – cheap too. I bought a 7.5 oz bag of cinnamon sticks for $2.99.

I did the math.  That same quantity of cinnamon would cost $39.90 at my local grocer.  I know where I'll buy my cinnamon next time and at that price I can afford to toast it and freshly grind it when needed.

I also bought cumin seed, coriander seed, black mustard seed, fennel seed, cardamom pods, and dried red chili peppers.  And I discovered frozen naan bread. It warms well in the toaster and it’s a quick substitute for fresh baked naan with a meal; Ariel eats it like toast for breakfast.

What a treasure I had passed by on every visit to my parent’s house without even a glance or a second thought.  There's more to explore and spices to try.  I'll leave that for future visits.

I’m glad I went in search of fenugreek.

More on my Indian cooking adventures later.

I’d have to give back my “Native Southerner” card if I didn’t eat black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day for good luck.

Without fail my mom served them up every January 1 while I was growing up. Typically they were fresh peas acquired from the Dallas Farmer’s Market shortly after the harvest in the fall and laid away in her freezer. She simmered them on the stove with bacon and a little salt and pepper which is the traditional way to serve them. Yum.

I’d eat black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day whether they brought good luck or not.

But hey, if these little legumes can bring good luck on the first day of the year why limit their consumption to only that one day?

I eat them year round and they’re especially good served up in a non-traditional, spiced up way.

Give this recipe a try with your leftover black-eyed peas this week.

Marinated Rice, Black-Eyed Pea, and Corn Salad

2 cups cooked rice
2 cups cooked black-eyed peas
2 cups cooked corn kernels
6 green onions thinly sliced
2-3 pickled jalapenos, minced
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon unsulphured dark molasses
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ to 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
¼ teaspoon salt, or more to taste

In a large bowl, combine the rice, black-eyed peas, corn, onions, and jalapenos. In a lidded jar, mix together the remaining ingredients. Pour them over the rice mixture. Refrigerate the salad, covered at least 2 hours, preferably twice that long. The salad keeps well for several days.

Sandra’s Kitchen Notes:

• You can find this recipe in Texas Home Cooking by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison.
• This recipe is a little top-heavy on the rice. Next time I make it, I’d use 1-1 ½ cups.
• I’d increase the black-eyed peas by about a ¼ cup.
• I used 2 fresh jalapenos instead of the pickled ones.