Sno-ball Bliss

The days are getting longer.  The weather is getting warmer.  Flowers are blooming all around.  Spring has sprung my friends, & with the changing seasons comes the appearance of the formidable sno-ball stand.  You can tell when you're in close proximity to one, as there are crowds of people - mostly eager children with syrup dripping down their faces and arms - standing in line waiting for a delicious sno-ball in the flavor of their choice.  I will scrape together all the spare change I can get my hands on just to put together enough coins for a kiddie size sno-ball.  That, my friends, is how much I enjoy this frozen treat.  For anyone not from the south, a 'sno-ball' is literally made from ice that is put through a machine to make it almost powder like, thus resembling snow.  It is served in a Styrofoam cup with a straw & a spoon so you don't miss any of the tasty, sugary mixture.  You may hear them referred to as a 'snow cone', but those of us who grew up on this hot weather classic call them sno-balls.  The most famous stands are in New Orleans.  You may as well pack a lunch if you head to Sal's or Plum Street Sno-balls.  Those crowds can get as thick as the condensed milk being poured into the middle of a dreamsicle.  My work travels bring me on so many country roads that I have literally mapped out my favorite sno-ball stands & the prices/hours at each. I remember that bubble gum was my go-to flavor as a kid.  My mouth would turn bright blue in a matter of seconds within taking my first bite.  Cotton candy flavor became my next obsession, followed by dreamsicle with cream when I realized I had enough change to add to it.  I never thought a sno-ball could get any better until the condensed milk/cream blew my mind.  These days, I find myself gravitating to the cake batter flavor.  I had my first sno-ball of the year on Monday.  It came from a roadside stand between Highway 1 & the Mississippi River in Brusly. Now that I'm older & wiser & understand that my favorite summer splurge is loaded with sugar, I order the kiddie size.   

This, my fellow foodies, is a wedding cake sno-ball.  It's as much of a 'snack' to me as it is a memory.  I act like such a kid when I indulge in this frozen delight.  I recall my mom telling me I could have a sno-ball if I cleaned my room & made my bed.  Now that I'm on my own, maybe I should invoke that same promise to myself to make me keep my house spotless!  Please tell me your favorite sno-ball flavor.  Where is your favorite stand located?  I've always got some spare change ready to try something new.....

Lazy Country Days

Driving 127 miles is a typical work day for me in my sales job, so when the weekend comes, I prefer to keep my miles to a minimum.  Yesterday, however, I drove exactly 127 miles through the beautiful country in the parishes that surround Baton Rouge.  The day's festivities started with a crawfish boil at an old plantation in Iberville Parish.  The antebellum home's sprawling gardens & moss-laden oak trees provided the perfect backdrop for 850 pounds of mud bugs to be boiled. 

After a few hours of visiting & devouring my share of goodies,  it was on to the next adventure:  the outdoor wedding of Cary Koch & Tyler Gordy in St. Francisville.  The ceremony took place at the beautiful home of the bride's parents & was certainly a nature-filled experience.  I've never been to a wedding where I was greeted at the entrance with a bottle of bug spray....until yesterday.  The bride & groom created an 'interactive walkway' of portraits & antiques through the woods leading to the ceremony site. 

The sweet, intimate ceremony was followed by a rockin' reception at the house & was complete with a buffet of bacon-wrapped fried oysters, fried gator, & duck strips.  I was concerned that a food coma was inevitable, but the band quickly got us grooving.  It was a magical evening for all in attendance.  I just can't get enough of the country....

Again, God was certainly smiling on us in south Louisiana with such picturesque weather for the weekend.  I predict mad heat by mid-May, so I plan to soak up as much outdoor play time as I can stand until then.  As most of you know, festival season is in full swing here. French Quarter Festivial (FQF) was held over the weekend, & I was lucky enough to take in Rebirth Brass Band, as well as Amanda Shaw & the Cute Guys on Thursday evening.  FQF is my favorite, & I'm glad I had the chance to get some jive time in on its opening day.  Send me your pictures from FQF or the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival or whatever outdoor activity you participated in.  What is your favorite festival?  I leave you with a clip of Rebirth doing what they do best.  Have a beautiful & blessed week, my friends. 







Crazy for Quinoa

I am completely fascinated by quinoa these days.  If you're not familiar with quinoa (pronounced 'keen-wah'), this post will hopefully change your life.  Quinoa is a grain-like crop & is a complete source of protein.  It resembles grains of sand & reminds me of couscous. Quinoa is sold at your local grocery typically on the same aisle as rice & other grains.  If you're a lucky soul who lives close to a Whole Foods store, you can find quinoa in the bulk section & try out a tiny bit before making the leap to buying a bag.  I love the versatility of this healthy grain.  I view quinoa much like I do rice or grits:  you have to add something to it to make it fun.  You see, buy itself, quinoa is very bland, albeit filling.  It is the type of dish that fills your belly without filling out your waistline. When you add simple ingredients to it like a chopped cucumber, red & yellow bell pepper, & parsley, you have yourself a California style quinoa salad.  You can literally add anything in your pantry or fridge to quinoa & have a sturdy side dish for dinner or an easily transportable lunch.  It is even great for breakfast in lieu of oatmeal.  I've had a fried quinoa cake at a restaurant before & was in total foodie euphoria.  Quinoa is prepared just like rice with a 2:1 ratio, meaning two cups of liquid to one cup of quinoa.  The only preparation you must do is rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a fine mesh strainer before cooking, as it has a very sandy residue.  No one wants to eat a mouthful of dirt.  :-)  Here's a super simple recipe just to get you started:


CAPRESE QUINOA

- one cup quinoa, thoroughly rinsed
- two cups chicken or vegetable stock (You can use water; I just like stock flavor.)
- one small white onion, chopped
- two cloves garlic, minced
- one pint cherry tomatoes, halved or chopped
- handful of fresh basil, chopped
- drizzle of balsamic vinegar (optional)

In a saucepan, bring the quinoa & stock to a boil.  When it hits the boiling point, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover & cook until the quinoa is translucent & has 'spiraled' from the grain (about 15 minutes). Transfer to a large bowl & add the onion, garlic, tomatoes, & basil.  Drizzle with balsamic for a delightful caprese-style side dish.  If you wish to serve it cold, simply let the quinoa cool in the large bowl & add the ingredients once it has cooled down.  I also like to add fresh lemon juice & capers because I *love* salt. 

Y'all are going to love this versatile superfood!!  Please send me your feedback & favorite quinoa recipes.  Just one cup of this delicious grain makes an entire pot, so it is not only friendly to your waistline, but also to your wallet, as you can stretch it out for a few days.  That is just one extra reason in this economy to go crazy for quinoa.  Enjoy!

Outdoor Obsessed

What a glorious Easter weekend it has been here in south Louisiana!  After two days of thunderstorms & tornado warnings, the sun finally peeked out Thursday afternoon & sent me searching for a restaurant with outdoor seating. Hey, I need to take advantage of the weather while I can:  the sweltering summer heat will be here before we can blink our eyes.  I literally can't get enough of being outdoors right now.  I was in New Orleans on Thursday evening, so I opted for the beauty of the newly refurbished Oak Street to have a meal.  I found a delightful new Asian restaurant called Chiba that was happy to seat me at an outdoor bistro table. The waitress rushed out to inform me that I had six minutes left during happy hour & suggested a few appetizers.  I opted for the pork belly steam bun for $3.  My friends, I tell you, that is hands down one of best bites I've ever had in the city of New Orleans.  This steam bun was a light, fluffy pillow of goodness that was folded over tender pork belly & tangy pickled slaw.  It was the perfect savory balance.  I have never tasted bread like that before & could have eaten an entire tray of pork belly steam buns.  The next time you decide to take a stroll in the city, make sure Oak Street is your destination.  Chiba offers a variety of sushi rolls & sashimi in addition to other dishes to suit the needs of the 'I-refuse-to-eat-raw-fish' dining companion.  The outside of Chiba is very understated with only a few tables, but the swanky interior & vibe transports you to New York City.  Be sure to try their new dessert:  tempura fried bread pudding.  Only in New Orleans.......

Yesterday was one of my favorite days of the year:  Good Friday.  I love what that day represents.  I have the privilege of getting together with dear friends on that day each year to celebrate the beginning of Easter weekend.  The tradition?  Crawfish boil!!!  Our host boiled 175 pounds of these mudbugs.  I can say that yours truly was responsible for devouring at least ten pounds of them!! I just can't get enough! We stayed outside from noon until 7:30pm until the mosquitos came out. It was beautiful weather to celebrate a beautiful day. 

As we move into Easter Sunday tomorrow, I would like to think the weather on Resurrection Sunday was as perfect as the weather was this weekend.  I imagine that the sky was cloudless & blue when the empty tomb was discovered.  It is my hope that each of you have a beautiful Easter with your family & that your celebration is filled with lots of sunshine & love. 







Gadgets galore

As I get older, I find myself asking for more practical gifts when my birthday & Christmas comes around.  I used to ask for perfume, picture frames, & the fashion-fad-of-the-moment, but my taste has sure changed in a matter of years.  I'm now a 30-year-old single woman who loves to cook & entertain.  It suddenly became very important to me that I have platters & dishes to accompany the food that I work so hard to prepare. Kitchen gadgets never cease to amaze me, either.  I used to watch my mother & mamaw (her mother) peel vegetables with a knife.  The first time I tried that in my teens, it took me 15 minutes to peel a squash, & I cut half of it off in the process.  I opted for a veggie peeler, & it has yet to let me down. Immersion blenders fascinate me.  I love the fact that you can now blend a soup right in the pot.  The salad spinner has saved us from soggy lettuce. The Keurig gives us a single cup of coffee.  The microplane zests & grates, allowing us to jazz up anything from dressings to marinades to entrees.  Perhaps the most treasured gadget in my kitchen is an old-fashioned sieve.  My mom gave it to me recently so that I could use it to drain quinoa.  Sure, I have a colander, but the wonder food would just slip right through the cracks.  I smile every time I use that sieve, as I see my mother in it.  She would put her freshly shelled pecans in it to remove any pieces of grit or shell that may be stuck in it.  Now, it's in my kitchen.  I use it for my quinoa & any other fine grains that I don't want to end up in the garbage disposal.  This sieve probably cost $2.00 in it's heyday.  Back then, that was a significant amount of money.  To me, though, it's priceless, as it was touched my the hands of my mother, grandmother, & great grandmother. What do you value most in your kitchen?  There are so many fun, quirky, time-saving kitchen gadgets out there & interesting stores devoted to them.  I still believe the best ones are those that are time-tested & part of the family, even if they *do* have to be hand washed.

Sundays are Fun Days

Sundays are always so beautiful to me.  I recall my childhood being filled with special memories on Sundays.  My mom always cooked a big lunch after church.  It was usually pot roast with potatoes & carrot, but no matter the main course, we always had fresh peas from her garden, & hot water cornbread.  My mom cherished Sunday afternoons because she could take a nap.  My sister & I did everything we could to avoid them, but we sure knew better than to wake mom!!  Perhaps my favorite Sunday memory is going to Shoney's Restaurant after church with my parents & friends from our church.  If we were really good that day, my dad would let my sister & me order a hot fudge sundae.  I always asked for extra cherries on top.  Even though I've been out of my parents' home for 13 years, I still love 'family dinner' on Sundays.  You see, I believe there are two types of family:  the one that you're born into & the one that you choose.  My actual  family lives three hours away from me, so my 'chosen family' & I either go to brunch or cook a big meal on Sundays.  Yesterday, however, presented an impromptu visit with a friend that turned into a beautiful Sunday dinner.  Aren't the unplanned events always the best?!?!  My friend, Mike, & I were strolling down Maple Street in New Orleans & came across a hidden jewel called Jamila's Cafe.  Mike lives in that neighborhood, so he had been to this fabulous restaurant before.  It was a beautiful evening, so we opted to sit outside.  Our waiter, Moncef, & his wife, Jamila, own the cozy restaurant that specializes in Tunisian cuisine.  We started with the grilled eggplant salad that was tossed with mixed greens, feta, & balsamic vinaigrette.  The escargot was delightful, but the lamb tagine stole the show.  It was beautifully cooked in a clay pot with house-made lamb sausage in a delicious broth & served with a yellow rice.  I couldn't get enough of it!  Somehow, I managed to save room for creme brulee & house-made baklava.  I'm so glad I did!  Jamila is the only one in the kitchen.  Her dishes were wonderful, & you could tell they were made with such love.  The service by Moncef was incredible.  It was the perfect end to a picture perfect Sunday.  No matter which 'family' I am with, the camaraderie of dinner always fills my heart with joy.  I hope you can take time to dine with your family this week, even if it is only for ten minutes in between activities.  Trust me, these truly are the most fun memories that will last you a lifetime.  (Meredeth's note:  I realize today is not Sunday.  I didn't get home in time to publish this last night, but I couldn't let this thought go to waste.)  :-)