patti

We picked up some boiled crawfish earlier in the week for $1.99 a pound. They were a beautiful size and had a good flavor, but were very hard to peel. And the vendor had assured me that they wouldn't be! I kind of knew better, but bought them anyway. I did NOT get my fill of good crawfish this season.

Fantastic blog! I might even try to replicate a few of the dishes you prepared. Thanks so much.

I knew of steak fingers long before chicken fingers. A steak finger basket, to be exact, although I can't recall the name of the place. Dairy Queen comes to mind, but I don't think that's it. At any rate, perhaps the chicken fingers has more of a connection to steak fingers than chicken nuggets.

It's a pleasant sounding name, combining the first letters of their home states. Is there some unwritten rule that only official state abbreviations can be used for such things?

Six month old candy conversation hearts leftover from Valentine's Day.

The river crabs look surprisingly like crawfish! Do my eyes deceive me? Fantastic blog, btw. You and César make a gorgeous couple.

I don't post much these days, but I couldn't let your blog close without saying how much I enjoyed every minute of it. Thanks for a fascinating week! Best wishes for a speedy recovery for Mara.

Godmothers down my way are often called "Nanny" by their godchildren. My first name is Patti, hence, I am Nanny Patti to a nephew or two. When one such nephew was visiting my mother (his grandmother), she asked him what he wanted to have for supper. Imagine her surprise when he insisted that she cook some Nanny meat. It took her awhile to figure out that Nanny meat = hamburger patty. A few years later, she was taken aback when my toddler son asked for some Maw Maw milk. She knew that when I breastfed him, we referred to it as Mommy milk, so she was afraid he expected her to breastfeed him. Much to her relief, he pointed to the milk container in her fridge. He was smart enough to know that MawMaw milk came from a different container than Mommy milk!

Today, while perusing the 52 1/2 Weeks, 53 Soups thread, I realized that I'd made Linda's Mushroom Soup recipe two weeks ago. It was wonderful. Thanks, Linda. I'll try that Coconut Glazed Chicken recipe soon.

This news makes me very sad. I knew she wasn't posting, but I'd hoped it was because she was busy enjoying her retirement and building her retirement home. Had she gotten started on it? How long had she been ill? *sigh* Linda was one of the first eGulleters to be friendly to me when I started posting. I thoroughly enjoyed her fine sense of humor, as well as the informative content of her posts. She was warm and witty and wonderful. She often talked about her sons, and my sincere condolences go out to them.

My favorite is Chik-fil-A's chicken biscuit. Very tasty.

OMG! I'm in love with this face! (Don't tell Harley, please.)

When last I worked in the local school system here ('98) in south Louisiana, bagged milk had replaced cartons in school lunches. I had to learn how to drink it from one of the kids in the cafeteria (stab the pointed end of the straw into the bag).

Oh my. What an understatement. Anyway. Back to topic. ← Hehe. My sentiments exactly. Peter, the blog, the food, the kids, the kitchen ... all fabulous.

Agreed. And I am the ruler of mine. Great blog, ladies!

Pan drippings (from steak cooked in butter), balsamic and shallots. Reduce, finish with more butter. Mmm, rare steak with crusty exterior, and sauce. Good.

Immediately after I put my three cheese scalloped potatoes in the oven, I noticed the unopened stick of butter on the counter. The dish is rich with cheeses and cream, should I leave well enough alone, or try to sneak the butter in when I remove the foil from the top of the pan midway though cooking?

What was your family food culture when you were growing up? Very middle class; Texan married to Cajun. Eventually Mom's cooking was much more Cajun than Texan, cooking gumbo with the best of them, but I do recall wonderful Sunday dinners of fried chicken, biscuits, and milk gravy. Once Dad died (after 50 years of marriage), she'd sometimes revert to the comfort foods of her childhood, like cornbread and pinto beans. Was meal time important? Yes. Most nights Mom and all four kids sat down to supper together, but Daddy often worked too late to have supper with us. We were all together for Sunday dinners, though. Was cooking important? There were different phases. Mom was a working mother before it was the thing to do, so sometimes it was just important that she get a hot meal on the table. Later, when she had more time and more money, she experimented more. What were the penalties for putting elbows on the table? Gentle reminders, no penalties. I was a voracious reader and occasionally Mom would allow me to read at the table, but it was the rare exception. Maybe she was distracted. Who cooked in the family? Mom was the regular cook, and Daddy would handle things like outdoor fish fries, crawfish boils, barbecues. He would sometimes "doctor" her cooking and then try to take credit for any compliments the meal earned. His favorite line, "Tell the truth. Isn't that the best _________ you ever ate?" Were restaurant meals common, or for special occassions? Not very many restaurant meals when I was younger, except for breakfast at a little cafe after early morning Mass. In my mid to late teens, we increased our restaurant patronage a thousand fold. More money, better eats. Did children have a "kiddy table" when guests were over? The kiddy table came into play when the crowd was too big for everyone to be seated together. I never minded the kiddy table. It meant I was either with my cousins or the children of my parents' friends, both good things. When did you get that first sip of wine? No memory of it. I do recall sneaking a sip of Daddy's beer, only to discover there was a cigarette butt at the bottom of the bottle! Was there a pre-meal prayer? Yes. Was there a rotating menu? Saturday lunches were chili dogs! Other than that, not a regular rotation, although rice and gravy was featured heavily. How much of your family culture is being replicated in your present-day family life? Not as much as it should be. Our first child was profoundly handicapped, with difficulty eating. By the time our second child was born, we were in the habit of working our meal around Matthew's feeding and so I'd feed one child and then the other. We just didn't get into the habit of all sitting down at the table together, which I regret.

We picked our first bag of satsumas this weekend. Still gorging on them, so have not begun sharing them with friends. Maybe next week.

I'm pretty sure it's only used for display right now. They've lost a lot of tourism business since the hurricanes, and don't have as many craftspeople on-site as they used to. I think things will be looking up by spring.

Vermilionville, which is a Cajun/Creole folk life village in Lafayette, has one (and maybe a smaller, second one) on display. I know someone there must know how to make them, because they have to rebuild it every couple of years, because that's just what you have to do with bousillage, whether it's used in a chimney, as insulation, or an outdoor oven. I hope that helps. If I think of anything else, I'll let you know.

I guess you don't mean the old bousillage (mud and Spanish moss) ovens made by early Acadians (who learned it from Native Americans)?

Do you mean Tom Colicchio? I LOVE him. He's the best part of the show. I do miss some of last season's characters, but I think this season might get better after a few more people are weeded out. I hope.

I posted earlier about ubiquitous gumbo dinners, but growing up, the typical fundraiser dinner was barbecued chicken, rice dressing (aka dirty rice), potato salad, baked beans, & a roll.

Gumbo with white rice, potato salad, french bread, and for dessert, bread pudding. Maybe a small side salad of iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and ranch dressing. Yes, I know, starch, starch, and a side of starch.