Home Cooking
Hey y’all! (It always sounds more natural to write “y’all” on the blog when I’m writing from Louisiana.)
Well, after a long day of travel, I arrived home in Louisiana around 7:45 this evening. My mom was waiting for me at the airport, and quickly whisked me home!
My eats at the airport today were kind of (unsurprisingly) random. Lunch ended up being the snacks I packed (a BIG apple, a package of almonds, and a Think maple oats bar), plus a latte. When we landed in Detroit, I got another latte (hello, caffeine overload!) and a banana. I also couldn’t help myself from indulging in some Biscoff cookies on the flight (so good! They always make me think of Kath).
When we finally made it home, my stomach was growling. Luckily, my mom had a home-cooked meal waiting!
There was homemade wheat bread:
…and crackers and hummus (spinach and artichoke Sabra hummus…SO good!):
and wine!!!
We munched and chatted while we waited for dinner to reheat, and before too long, the main event was ready:
Mushroom and Okra Purloo, from the Simple, Fresh, Southern cookbook by the Lee brothers. My mom just bought this cookbook, and it looks great! I was flipping through it before dinner, and the recipes look really…well, simple, fresh, and Southern! The Lee brothers are from Charleston, South Carolina, home of my alma mater (College of Charleston), so I was automatically excited about it!
This purloo (which apparently also goes by the name perlu, pilau, and pilaf), contained shitake mushrooms, okra, poblano peppers, onions, tomatoes, and basmati rice…it was SO good!!! It really hit the spot after my long day of travel.
Today also marked the re-introduction into my life of…(sound the trumpets)…CHEESE!!!
Our salad had spinach, almonds, raspberries, and goat cheese, and I enjoyed every creamy, dreamy bite:
Hello, friend. I’ve missed you so:
Mmmm…this bread was great too (topped with Earth Balance):
My dad is in Argentina right now, so it’s just me, my mom and the dogs in the house! Just the girls! 
Sorry guys—I’m exhausted, so no sugar count for tonight. I can’t imagine that it was too high, but I did have two lattes and those biscoff cookies! I’m guessing maybe in the 30-40 range again?
Hope you’ve had a great day! Not sure what our plans are for tomorrow…there has been talk about going to a little nearby town called Natchitoches to stroll around (know how to pronounce that one? I know one blogger who does!).
Goodnight, guys y’all! 
Glad you make it home safely! What a delicious meal! Your salad looks so vibrant
Yay for cheese! I’ve been eating a ton of cheese lately!
OH MY GOSH GREAT DINNER!!
have fun with your momma girl!
raspberries on your salad….LOVE That
fruit on salads rocks.
“two lattes and those biscoff cookies! ” sounds like my kinda way to travel
And have fun w/ your mom!
xoxo
What delicious eats! I love traveling because it’s an excuse to buy coffee!
Have fun visiting and enjoy that delicious bread and cheese.
Dinner looks amazing! I love homemade bread. There’s something about it that makes it so delicious.. Maybe all that love in there?
I’ve never heard of purloo before, probably because we call it pilaf over here. Hehe.
Is your dad in Argentina for business? Where at? (Sorry, I’m a bit Argentina obsessed ever since I studied there a couple years ago
.)
He’s just there for fun, traveling around with a few friends! He’s going to Patagonia, Boliva, Paraguay, and Uraguay.
This sounds like a great time at home – just you, mom and the doggies.
What a great mom you have to help make such yummy dishes! I have heard of this cookbook and have wanted to give it a try!
Oh, p.s. – congratulations on you and cheese getting back together.
Bienvenue! Doesn’t Louisiana just feel good? Although I’ve got to say, I’m a little miffed at the weather right now. I have a 10k to run Saturday and it’s just been a-raining away all week. This isn’t going to be pretty!
I know!!! It’s always cold and gross when I come home
Good luck in the 10k! Wish I could run it with you, but my sister’s bebe shower is on Sautrday
mmm homemade bread-nothing better!! There’s something so wonderful about homecooking from mom
have fun with your madre! there is nothing better than girl time with mom in my book!
Hey y’all right back at you! Truth be told, I think y’all is just right. I’ve from the part of Virginia (the Piedmont) that, to my knowledge, never used “hey”. When I was transplanted to Charleston, S.C. via Texas, I added “hey” to my vocabulary. I’m still trying to get used to the “come with” and “go with” of the midwest but I’m getting there. Am I qualified to be multi-lingual? Your mom’s bread looks delicious! Have fun y’all.
We had a friend in grad school (a linguist) who based a large part of his dissertation on investigating the phrase “go with” and its midwestern roots
When we first moved to the midwest, people would ask me if I wanted to “come with” or “go with” and I kept waiting for them to tell me with what!
Have frun with your Mom! That salad is right up my alley…I love a salad with good cheese, fruit, nuts, and baby spinach!
Nothing like going home to a home cooked meal!!
Girls weekend with mom sounds great. I love it when Raymond is on business trip and my mom comes and visit… I won’t have to worry about sharing her with the sis
I want to come visit you in Louisiana so I can try your mom’s cooking. Everything looks delicious, especially the purloo! And I’m not even a big okra fan but this looks great!
have fun at home! what brought you to Altoona?
My husband got a job at Penn State (and then they hired me too!). It’s pretty far from home for both of us (he’s from Seattle), but we like it!
yay penn state! I’m a 2006 grad
What do you teach there?
Everything looks delicious! Glad you had a safe trip.
Your dinner looks great, esp the bread!
i feel ya on the “y’all” thing…i feel so much more at home and like I can almost write with my accent when I’m in Texas
How have I never heard of spinach-artichoke Sabra? Sounds amazing. And that salad is to die for! Enjoy your time with your mom!
Do you ever eat beans Anna? Beans + Rice + bread + tons of veggies with oil are a good idea too since you are a vegetarian (I am not…but starting to realize I probably need to start eating these beans and rice based dishes more often cause of money !
Cheese is back! Perfect one to start with too – I haven’t reintroduced that one yet … but I think I’m going with a hard manchego sheep’s milk, yum!