A few ways to tell for sure that you are in NOLA

1) Trees are blooming and budding and it is January.

2) It's 65-75 degrees outside and it is January.

3) It's 65 degrees outside in January, you and your family are dressed in short sleeves, but the locals are wearing turtleneck sweaters, tights, and wool coats.

4) Because it's a beautiful 70 degreese outside, you decide to grill out. When you stop at a convenience store for charcoal, they tell you they only sell it in the summer.

5) You go to a church potluck and approximately half the dishes contain seafood.

6) The fact that half the dishes at a church potluck contain seafood doesn't surprise you or send you screaming "FOOD POISONING" in the other direction, you proceed to eat it and pronounce it delicious.

7) You can run around the corner for beignets. (Or, as I like to call them, "Beign-YAYS!")

8) A wondrous thing called Praline Bacon exists here and is available to delight your tastebuds. (GO TO Elizabeth's)

9) You see signs for drive-through daiquiris. (You just can't put the straw in the cup until you arrive at your destination.)

10) The only thing that outnumbers the lifesize, blow-up football players in front yards are the number of friendly people you meet everywhere!

Thanksgiving

So I mentioned that I was busy making homemade yeast rolls on Thanksgiving, but I didn't follow up with how everything went and the visitors we had!

My parents and youngest brother and sister came to New Orleans for Thanksgiving! (My other brother and his wife were with her family this year.) We were very spoiled to have everybody travel so far to see us. We ordered Honeybaked Ham and turkeyand made all the other dishes. Brussel sprouts with bacon and chevre, Paula Dean's "Ol' Country Stuffing" complete with mushroom gravy (I highly recommend this recipe, it was fabulous), spicy cheese grits, yeast rolls, and coffee with bailey's for dessert since we were very, very full.

The weather was beautiful so we got out and about and showed them some of New Orleans. Way too much good food and beignets...

It was a great Thanksgiving! I can't believe it's only 17 days until Christmas. That thought makes me a little sweaty and nervous...lots to do.

The weekend!

Oh my! We had a wonderful weekend! My in-laws came to visit and we always have fun.

W and I spent some time poring over the tour guide to find some new restaurants and interesting things to do (besides the general fun and hanging out that we always do).

Saturday morning was begun with a pot or three of coffee at home (Starbucks Costa Rica Tarrazu!! finally carried at Winn Dixie). Then we hit the road and drove across town to Faubourg Marigny/ Bywater area to a little diner called Elizabeth's Cafe, a locally owned place in an old house.

I have only two words for you: Praline Bacon.

I didn't take a picture, but it was amazing! Crispy, salty bacon drowned in ground pecans and brown sugar syrup. In the words of Uncle Jessie, "Have Mercy!!"

I ordered the "Elizabeth" which was two perfectly toasted slices of french bread topped with bacon, a beautiful poached egg and some incredible hollandaise sauce with a side of cheese grits. I also need to mention the Irish Coffee with Bailey's...my new fave brunch beverage! Ashley, Brittany and Sarah, we are going there when you visit!

We had a relaxing afternoon, several naps, then took a nice walk around Audubon Park  with P on his tricycle. After that we went for an early dinner to Jacques-Imo's Cafe. I know I sound like a broken record, but it was absolutely to die for. When you walk in the front door you're in a bar--the entire ceiling is crowded with framed paintings, it looks so cool! Then the hostess gets your info and leads you THROUGH THE KITCHEN. Literally, you walk through the kitchen where they're cooking up the food you're about to eat, into the dining room. Lots of small tables, close together, dim atmostphere, the walls are painted with murals. The one in our room was a forest, and the tree limbs continued up the wall and onto the ceiling. I ordered Salmon with black beans and ginger cream sauce. It sounds like an odd combo, but I promise it was the best thing I have eaten since I've lived in New Orleans. I can't wait to go back! We had P with us and it was the perfect noise level and relaxed atmosphere so that he didn't bother anyone else. I can't wait to go again!

This little guy can't talk yet but he can still run the show. He just points his little finger and we all run to see what he's pointing at. Here it was a lake and lots of interesting ducks.

It was a wonderful weekend with family, we are so fortunate!

NOLA

I haven't posted in a couple of days because I have been so busy! Two of my very dearest, old friends flew down to New Orleans to visit me. We have been friends for 12 years, I am so blessed to have them! We had a great time, and packed in the activities. We walked around the French Quarter, toured a plantation, ate some lovely food and did lots of talking.

Here we are having a great breakfast and celebrating S's birthday!

Lake Pontchartrain! Gorgeous.

Here we are by one of the Pontalba buildings, you can see that C is sporting an adorable baby bump!

Mardi Gras masks in the French Market. Look how C and S are smiling mysterious little smiles, but I didn't ge tthe memo.

We had a really nice dinner at one of Emeril's restaurants. "Tiny portions, weird sauces." That's a quote from Gilmore Girls, but it doesn't really apply here. I just wanted to say it. The food was really interesting and the sauces were decadent and delicious. My favorite thing of the night was an "Escargot and Yukon Gold Fondue." It was served with slices of toasted French Bread and you scooped up the escargot and the amazing creamy sauce with them.

After Emeril's we took a little trip to Pat O'Brien's for....

A Hurricane for S.

Fun!

S and I were smooched on the cheek by some passing, middle aged inebriated ladies, who also gave us the beads.  

Then S had her fortune told. She is apparently going to fall in love soon...she's been married for 5 years.

We started off the next day with fantastic crispy, sugary beignets at Cafe du Monde.

Then it was off to the plantations. Here C and S are posing for senior portraits.

We put the camera on some roots and I ran to get in the picture.

Yes, me and C posing in a Civil War tent. I'm trying to look menacing but I just look suspicious.

Gorgeous! The trees are so much more impressive than you can convey on camera.

So fun, it was over too soon!

Miscellaneous Monday

(Yes, I know this is posted on a Tuesday, but it should have been Monday)

1) Don't read Paris to Die For by Maxine Kenneth. I was completely sucked in by the intriguing description and interesting cover (I was shopping for real, paper books at Barnes and Noble, by the way). It was one of those books where you're sitting there thinking, "How in the heck did this get published?" The dialogue was terrible, the plot went nowhere, just bad, bad, bad.

2) Do read The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison. I've read a few of her books and there's something about them that I just really like. They do have a bit of fantasy woven throughout, but it's not over the top and I'm usually really hooked by the plots and characters. I started this at about 7:00 on Sunday night and didn't stop until I was finished at almost 1 am.

3) I'm such a Gilmore Girls fan! I just want to watch them all the time and memorize the lines and be friends with Lorelai and Rory and live in Stars Hollow...Anyway, I saw that a new show is coming out called Jane by Design on ABC family by the same executive producer as the Gilmore Girls, I don't have hopes that it will measure up, but...maybe the witty dialogue and endearing characters will carry over? A girl can dream.

4)  Moving to NOLA has been really great, but one thing that is sadly lacking is Panera. The closest one is an hour away and it hasn't been built yet. :( I really miss the bagels and the coffee and it was such a nice place for a quick, casual breakfast. Well, I was a little homesick Saturday morning (when W is home on Saturdays, we would often go to Panera for breakfast) and crying and moping around the house, so we decided to get in the car and find a good breakfast place. Driving...driving...no luck, close, just beignets, yuck, fast food, $$$$$$, when suddenly we see a little place called La Madeleine. W makes a quick left turn and we are rejoicing to see "Coffee, Pastries, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner" when we see the blue lights behind us. We've made an illegal left turn. Awesome! Thankfully, W has a good record, we still have our KY license plates and the police office let us off with a "Watch what you're doing, sir." This morning could only go up from here, so we walk into La Madeleine and it's soooo cute! Country french decor, yummy looking pastries and muffins, fresh fruit, omelettes and more! It's casual too, you can either order at a counter or order from a menu and sit down. The coffee was just ok, the NO'ians tend to put chicory in their coffee (more on that later). It could be our new Panera, but with crepes!


 5) I know I already mentioned breakfast, but here is another little place we found that we looove. It's actually not just breakfast, they have a great lunch menu too and lots of creole and cajun options. It's the Broken Egg Cafe, about 30 minutes away in Mandeville, so it's kind of a special occasion place.  Can't wait to go there with girl friends when they come to visit :)

My friend Hannah and her incredible looking (and low fat/sugar free) stuffed french toast.

Baby P was mad here because the little half 'n' half cannister he'd been
chewing on, popped open in his face. It was very, very funny.

Super cute inside, it's an old house just a little ways up the street from Lake Pontchartrain.

My eggs benedict!!

NOLA

I'm finally updating my blog, for you sweet friends who actually read it and have been asking for an update. I'm a terrible "bloggist" and cannot believe that my last post was in May!

Since May we have relocated to NOLA, yes, that's New Orleans, Louisiana! It's such a fun town and we are quickly eating our way through it. Here are a few things I've learned about this place.

Po' Boy:   Do not pronounce "Poor Boy" or you'll get
                 "Silly out-of-towner" eye rolls.
                 These are delicious sandwhiches, eat one soon.

Muffaletta:  It's "muff-uh-LAH-tuh" not muffaletta.
                     These are delicious sandwhiches, eat one soon.

Praline:  Do not pronounce it "Pray-leen" or you will be mocked ruthlessly.
                It's "praw-leen." YUM, YUM. This is the home of the
                praline. It's a candied pecan, they make praline coffee and syrup
                among other things and I know it's a flavor I'm going to miss!

More to come!