Thursday: Suzi’s culinary adventures

Who doesn’t love a good debut?

Whether it’s blockbuster summer film, a Broadway spectacle or a heralded rookie, there’s nothing like that first look to see if there’s anything behind the hype.

But there are debuts, and then there’s the new arrival to our kitchen … a cast iron pot.

Suzi has been in an experimental mood in the cooking department lately. First it was making her own Bolognese sauce, followed by a new chicken Parmesan recipe and homemade sauce.

However, all of that was a prelude to the pot — so anticipated that Suzi said she wanted a parade once it reached our doorstep.

Unable to bring a marching band to our street, not even the band we saw rehearsing on the streets of New Orleans as we walked back from her 40th birthday dinner — why did I not bring my camera?!?!?! — the best I could do was a video of this year’s Tournament of Roses parade.

Much like the hype, the pot was heavy. In a fight, I’m pretty sure I could use the bowl as a weapon and the lid as a shield to take down any foe.

It was several days before Suzi could put the pot to the test, but the time finally came … the recipe, chicken tarragon, itself a debutant.

The event was so special, Suzi made a double batch of chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy with an eye to potential leftovers. Once the chopped onions started sizzling on the stove, it was only a matter of time.

The finished product looked great, but success or failure would come down to one question: “How did it taste?”

And on that score, I am happy to report that it tasted excellent. Seriously, it was really good.

Pleased to have scored another great success after her Bolognese and chicken parm, Suzi has already decided the next challenge she’ll tackle.

Bread.

To see the previous days of my project to write a story from each day this week —

Sunday: Lunch with friends

Monday: Greetings from the post office

Tuesday: Ugh … just ugh

Wednesday: Still trying to figure it out

 

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